Definitely Not In North Dakota Anymore...

     It has been five days since I have arrived here in Harstad, and it didn't take long for me to realize I was no longer in North Dakota. The first clue that helped me realize this was that when I stepped of the plane, it was warm! I didn't need a coat, hat, or gloves!! Clue number two was that there was these huge, rock structures coming out the ground. (Yes, I know these are called mountains...definitely something we don't see in ND). Clue number three was that there is this thing called an ocean that you can see from many areas in town. Yep, definitely not in ND anymore!
     A little bit about the weather and scenery. It is absolutely beautiful here. The mountains are covered in snow, and with the water and the mountains almost always in view from where I'm at/where I'm going to, it is an awesome walk each morning. The weather here is nicer than ND is this time of year, but there have been a couple days where it has been a bit cold. However, having lived in ND my whole life, it is definitely nothing that I can't handle. On Friday it snowed, and I must say, I don't know that I have ever seen such big, wet snowflakes in my life! It has taken a little getting used to it being dark (or semi-dark) all day, and I'm still having trouble getting on a sleep schedule. However, as of January 10th, the sun is back. But I've been told that becauase of one of the mountains, it will be the middle or end of this week before we actually see it. I think we had a little glimpse of it today, and the sunrise/sunset was really beautiful!
     Culture shock hit me almost immediately when I got to the airport in Oslo. While at the airport all the signs were in both English and Norwegian, many of the food booths and other little stores did not have much if any English. Not only that, but to hear people all around me talking in a different language and not knowing what they were saying was a bit weird for me. This culture shock only intensified when I got to Harstad. Nothing is in English. So, I have been trying to do my best navigating the city by using context clues, Google Translate (when I'm connected to WiFi), and asking those around me. Grocery shopping has been an interesting experience, as while they may have the same types of food as we do in the United States, it ALL looks different and the packaging is in Norwegian. The night that I first arrived, I went to get a couple groceries. I was able to find some
Ritz crackers, some sandwich meat (which I had guessed correctly was turkey), and some cheese. This was my supper that first night and a couple nights after--for a couple reasons. First, I knew what it was, and second, I am still in the process of getting some cooking utensils so it's a quick, easy, thing to eat! As I'm here longer, I will try and experiment with the food here, but for now I'm sticking to things that are more similar to back home.
     I had my first day of work today, and I am optimistic that it will be a good experience. I am at Stagnes 8-13, which is a small 9-10th (I believe) grade school. All of the staff seem really nice, and the kids have enjoyed asking me questions. Today in one class, they were asking me about different "slang" terms and phrases that we use in the United States, and comparing them to those they use in Norway. My teacher that I will be observing was ill today, so I'm hoping she's back tomorrow so I can get a better feel of how my work study will go.
     Right off the bat, there were a couple differences I noticed. Every class I observed had at least two adults in the classroom. It seemed to me that one was the teacher, and the other was an aid, however as I do more observations, the different roles will hopefully become more apparent. The first class I observed was a math class. The first thing the teacher did was collect all the students' cell phones in a box, and the students would get them back at the end of the day.  After this was done, the teacher began his lesson. The thing that really struck out to me was that the teacher taught only one concept, using one problem on the board, and then the students began working on their assignment. In the other classes I observed today, the students were all given ample time to work on their assignments in class. The teachers all seem to have good rapport with the students, and the students seem to be able to have a little bit more freedom in class than some classes I've seen in the U.S. Students were allowed to wear hats in school, they are able to eat when they want, and they are allowed to sit in groups when working on their assigments.
     After my first day, I am really excited to see what the rest of my work study and time here in Harstad brings!
   

This is the view from where I am living. It's kind of hard to tell in the dark, but there are mountains and ocean out there, I promise!

   

Here's some of the food I've been eating the last couple days. Looking for Mayonaise in Norway? Don't look for a jar, look for a tube (top left). The Ritz crackers here taste the same but are packaged differently. No individual stacks of crackers, rather they are all just in one bag inside the box. And finally, the bottom picture is the turkey and chesse (what kind I have no idea) that have been keeping me fed for the most part since Wednesday!

***More food pictures to come as I get more adventurous at the grocery store***