From Boston to Norway

If you're reading this, you probably know that I spent the first part of my summer in Boston hanging out with my wonderful boyfriend and doing lots of grocery shopping. Therefore, it made the most sense for me to fly to Norway from there. I didn't allow myself to get nervous until the day of, but luckily for my nerves & my biceps, Sal helped me with my luggage and took me to the airport. It was hard to leave, but I knew it was going to be an incredible experience and totally worth it, so we said our good-byes on top of Norway on the large map on the airport floor, and I went on my way. I flew from Boston to Oslo via Keflavik International Airport in Iceland on a red-eye leaving at 9:30 pm on Wednesday, June 22nd. Of course I didn't sleep, due to the fact that seats in exit rows do not lean back (NBD, just sat straight up with my head forward for 5 hours after taking a natural sleeping pill), but the flight was pleasant overall. My layover in Iceland was from 2:30 am-6 am Eastern Time, so I didn't have time to leave the airport, but the airport is open enough to provide a decent view of the surrounding area. I can't wait to see the outside during the layover on my return trip!

 
Luckily for me, I discovered that another student from my program (Patryk) was taking the same flight as me from Iceland to Norway, so we met up at the airport. It was definitely one of those times when it's nice to see a friendly face, especially since our flight was delayed by a couple of hours. I will be taking the same route back to the U.S. but with a 12-hour overnight/early morning layover, which will allow me to leave the airport and explore. Although I will only have a few hours to take a taxi around the capital, Rekjavik, which is only 20 minutes from the airport, I will have seen Iceland beyond the airport. So stoked.

View from the plane at take-off:

Obviously, I landed in Oslo safely and made my way to the train station's Burger King, where a representative from BI (my school over here) was waiting to pick me up and take me to the airport. The most difficult part of my trip had yet to come, as we had to drag our luggage about 30 minutes, mostly uphill, to the dorm where the international students are staying. Thank God for Wii Fit. I thought my heart was going to explode as it was; I don't imagine I would have made it if not for those occasional sets of girly push-ups & yoga poses.

I made it!

I really didn't know what to expect of my apartment (Preview Staffers, but I was blown away by the accommodations here. I have my own bedroom that is definitely larger than my room in my HOUSE in Gainesville and has TONS of storage space. If you know me, you know I'm not a good sleeper, but luckily for me the "midnight sun" is blocked by intense black-out curtains for nighttime.

While most students in my program are sharing apartments with other international students, I ended up with a full-time BI student, a native Norwegian named Alex who literally looks like a supermodel and could not have been more welcoming. She has lived in our apartment for about a year already, so I arrived to find an already homey living space complete with plants, decorations and kitchen supplies.

My first night here, a large group of us ventured out for our first Norwegian meal: pizza at pizza chain called Pepe's Pizza. This was our first introduction to the crime that is Norwegian food prices. 1 medium pizza and 1 large pizza split 4 ways = $25 EACH. Good thing it was fantastic pizza.

10 hours later, at 6 am in Norway, I fell asleep. This should not be surprising if you know me. Hooray for jet lag! I've been here for a week now and will continue trying to catch up with this blog. It's been a late couple of nights, so I apologize if this entry is not especially entertaining or witty. I promise I'll be more clever after a nap. :)