Winter holiday (before)

Today I stood up really early (5 am) to make me ready for the 4 days skiing holiday. We have to drive ca. 5 hours and then we will arrive Trysil. It is one of the biggest (maybe the biggest) skiing area in Norway. Actually we wanted to drive 7 am in the morning but now it is already 10 past 7. It will last a little bit more til we're ready. I looking forward to this trip and I hope you also enjoy the winter.

Silvan

Funeral

Today I was on the funeral from the mother of my hostfather. I never met her and my hostparents said they think it would be nice if I would be with them. I could decide and of course I was with them. It is luckily a long time ago I was the last time on a funeral. 2005 died my great-grandmother. I didn't know what I have to expect, because it is a little bit strange to go to a funeral where you didn't know the person who died. But all the people were very kind. Of course in the church was the atmosphere sad but that is normal. Something which really made me happy was that some people said that I am a part of the family in their view.
The whole day was a big experience and a day I won't forget from my exchange year.

Silvan

AFS Mid-Stay-Camp

The mid-stay-camp is in the past now. It's kind of strange, because after the arrival camp you thought: The next camp is the mid-stay-camp and it's such a long time til then. But now it's over. It was as nice as I expected. I am the exchange student who lives at the southest point of our region and for this reason I had to travel very long. On Friday I took the train in Oslo and there took we the train til Hamar (direction Lillehammer). From there we drove til Lillehammer with a bus and picked up some more exchange students. Then we had to drive 1.5 hours more and finally we reached Fagerhøi. The whole journey lasts ca. 7 hours for me. Fagerhøi is a leirskole (camp school) in the mountains. It was ca. 80 cm snow there. I really like it to be with all this people. During the camp did we lots of activities. For example on Saturday drove we cross country skis. Most of the exchange students tried it the first time there, so it was not awkward when you felt. On a hill we built a jump and we jumped with the cross country skis. That was fun! Every exchange student had also a conversation with a leader. I had my conversation with a girl who was in Switzerland last year. We spoke together a mix of Swiss German, German and Norwegian.
After arriving at home on Sunday evening I was reeeeallyyy tired.

Today I began to read the blog of Eli (the girl who was in Switzerland). It's very funny to read what she experienced in the exchange year in my home country. One thing she wrote was that Swiss students speak really bad English :-) Compared with the students in Norway I can affirm this.

Nacho and Anne-Célestine from Mexico and France.

The view out of the window.

AFS creative technology

Some people wrote on those letters what they think is special about Norway.

On Saturday was cross country day.

monster attack

flotte gjengen

The exercise was to explain this the Norwegian words..

Snow bathing on Saturday night. That was fresh!

See you soon
Silvan

Cross Country and..

Now I can also say (and be very proud) that I was cross country skiing in my life. Yesterday the weather couldn't be better. So, in fact, we had to ski this day. We (Anne, Thorvald and me) drove to a lake near the city. I should make my first cross country skiing tries there. First did I practise a little bit the "downhill" skiing. You can see one try on the video below. It was one of the successful ones; I didn't fall. Then drove we once around the whole lake and this was veeeery exhausting. But after I knew the technique a bit better it was less exhausting. Today I have muscle ache in muscles I didn't know they exist before. Anyway I was once more on cross country skis today. It is really fun.

Last week on Saturday I organized a big party here, because half of my exchange year was over. Yes, half of my exchange year is already over.. I can't believe that. On the 23 January 2012 I was 158 days in Norway and there were 158 days left. It is really nice to have parties with all this people. I don't remember that something broke on any party I was with them. Yesterday I was on another party. One got 18 years. Then it is also clear that I am a little bit tired today. :-)

Last week I took a privat lesson with a fitness trainer in the fitness center. It is a free offer from the fitness center when you are member there. So we made a fitness programm for me. I will make now every day some sport. Monday and Thursday I'm going to play volleyball and on the other days I'm going in the fitness center --> summer body ;-)

Here some pictures and the video from the cross country skiing adventure:

 

Teacher and Tromsø

I already announced it and here it is: the amazing post! :-) Last week I worked as a primary school teacher. I was going to present Switzerland to all the kids in the 4th - 7th grade. They are 9 - 12 years old. I didn't expect that I have to present already on the first day my PowerPoint presentation, but everything went fine. When I wasn't presenting Switzerland, then I was in the 4th grade (first picture) to help in the lessons. The kids were sweet but it was also very exhausting. At the end of every day I was really tired. What did i help? For example in the Math lessons or in the Art and Handcraft lessons (I hope this is the right name in English). In the Art and Handcraft lesson the kids sewed and I had to help! :-) I was kind of surprised that it was not a problem for me. It happened also everyday that some kids came to me and said "You are so cool.", or some girls "I'm in love with you.". On the second picture you can see the bureau where I had my place. I got this job because the woman on the right side (Reidun) is a good friend of my hostmother.

I was just working 4 days in the primary school, because on Friday began our trip to Tromsø. We took the plane 8 am in Oslo, so we had to drive 5 am from Halden. We arrived Tromsø 10 am. These two pictures were taken ca. 1 pm. You can see that it isn't very bright. But surprisingly was it longer bright then expected. You didn't see the sun but you had maybe 4-5 hours a day with a very special light. On the picture above can you see a church in the centre of the city. You can see that the Russians had some influence on the way of building in Tromsø. On the picture below is the library of Tromsø. Wenn du das lisisch, Mami, denn stunsch sicher nid schlächt ab dere Bibliothek. Wär ja eigentlech fasch Grund gnue o mau dert ueche z ga ;-) I just wrote a little message to my (real) mother, because she is librarian.

The Polaria is a museum and aquarium about polar regions, climate warming and environment. The highlight is this big basin with seals.

I saw a polar bear and I drove the snowscooter! ;-)

On Saturday went we on a dog-sledding tour. Our goal was to see the famous aurora borealis or northern lights. The tour lasted one hour and after it my backside really hurt. But it didn't really matter because this tour was awesome. We saw really big northern lights. They reached from the south horizon til the north horizon, on the whole sky. Unfortunately were they not bright enough for my camera. You can see on the picture below a hopeless try of catching the aurora borealis..

After the dog-sledding tour could we enjoy delicious reindeer meat and vegetables from the region.

This is the "Ishavs katedral" (Ice sea cathedral). It is a famous building in Tromsø. It was built 1965 from the architect Jan Inge Hovig. Here is the wikipedia link.

On Sunday we took the cable car to the top of a mountain next to Tromsø which is ca. 450 meters high. We arrived there and what we saw was just awesome! The view with its very special light. The day before was the first official day of sun which means that you can see the sun for a short time. We were on the top exactly then when you could see the sun from the city. We didn't see the sun from there where we stood but the light was so special. On the picture below can you see a part of Tromsø.

On the way back to the hotel, we walked over one of the two big bridges in Tromsø and then we saw the Hurtigruten boat. It is kind of something special when the Hurtigruten arrives. Everyone knows when it is coming because the boat's signal-horn is very loud. 

some days more

I didn't forget my blog. Maybe you already thought that, but you just have to wait some days more. I am working in this week at a primary school and next weekend will we fly to Tromsø, the biggest city in the Northern Norway. After next weekend should I have enough picture for to make an amazing post ;-)
Have a good time

Christmas holiday

At the begin of the Christmas holiday did I play paintball once. More precisely it was re-ball. That is the same as paintball just without paint. You play with little plastic balls which really hurt when they hit you. I got lots of bruises, but it was really fun. It is very exhausting too and you get very sweaty because you have to wear long clothes that it doesn't hurt that much. Next time I should wear training clothes ;-) On the picture: Eirik and me.

Halden in the night. Halden Storsenter is quite a big shopping center. You find almost everything there. Only a electronic store is missing.

On the 30 December were we skiing in Norefjell. This is a skiing area north west from Oslo. We had to drive exactly 3 hours from Halden. Anne, Thorvald, Tormod and me drove there. I borrowed skis for one day. I really enjoyed the first time on skis this winter. It is not a very big skiing area, but for one day it was enough. Because of there wasn't that much snow you couldn't ski off-pist. I hope in the winter holiday, when we will go til Trysil (thi biggest skiing area in Norway) it will lay more snow.

The pistes were open from 09:30 - 15:30. This photo was taken ca. 15:00. It is on the top of the skiing area on 1188 meters above mean sea level.

This am I calling a nice blue. With the night modus of my camera can I take sometimes really nice photos.