I do stuff like … conclude my five-month adventure in Norway.
With everything going on right now, being my last day here I figured I should write one last hooray blog, so here are a few things that have gone on in the last few weeks: I wrote two big papers and turned them in as exams for my education class, I took a six hour written exam over Language and Didactics in three hours, and I took a four hour written exam on American history and literature in an hour and a half and let’s all pray I passed. Their test taking protocol is insane; you have to look up your assigned room and testing number online before you go up to school. You have to arrive fifteen minutes early and once you check in you can’t leave for the first hour, after that you can take five-minute breaks with one of the proctors following you. You are not allowed to have your purse or bag next to you, it has to be against the wall in the front or back of the classroom, and lastly they explain all of the instructions in Norwegian and the proctors don’t speak English. Awesome.
Another crazy aspect of my last few days here has been the cleaning. In order to get signed out to leave we have to have the cleaning lady from SiA come and inspect our rooms. We were given a checklist of what is needed to be clean and were told when she would come check it out. If it is not clean enough we are charged 70 nok per square meter (almost $12) after we leave for her to clean it. This is no ordinary inspection either, she doesn’t just walk through and look around … oh nei… she has her special spray and a handful of ghostly white towels. She pulls out your stove and bed and sprays and wipes down the floor and walls in all the corners and looks at her rag to see if it is still white; if not looks like you have more work to do.
The hardest part for sure of this last week has been saying goodbye to everyone that I’ve met here and become close to. I’ve walked some of my friends downtown to the train station at all hours of the night and morning to say goodbye. Right now my roommate and I are the only American exchange students left here and are leaving tomorrow morning. Which reminds me I have laundry in the ridiculous excuse for a washing machine and I have more packing to do. Oh how I dread packing.
Thank you all for having gone through this experience with me by reading my blog and keeping up with where I am and what I’m doing. Sorry my writing has been so sporadic these last few weeks. I appreciate all the prayers and thoughts as I get on the plane tomorrow and fly 4,936 miles leaving my life here to start again back in the good ol’ USA. I hope to see you all soon, ha det bra!
