But we have still had time for fun as our time in Norway slowly (and sadly) approaches an end.
Before the excitement of the big weekend May 15-17 we had our last Norwegian class. As I really enjoyed my class (particularly writing outrageous Norwegian essays) I emailed everyone in Norwegian and arranged a final gathering after our last class. So, 7pm on the Wednesday before Norwegian national day saw our whole class, bar one, including our teacher gathered on the lawns at the university to "spiser pølser, sitter og slapper av (eat sausages, sit and relax)" in the evening sun. We collected spare change from everyone to buy some disposable BBQs, everyone brought their own food and we had a lovely evening sitting and chatting on the lawn. Our fabulous teacher brought Icelandic herb-based alcohol for us all to try (our teacher had studied in Iceland) and I had to keep up appearances by drinking my trademark vodka og(and) vin. The phrase "jeg drikker vodka og vin" is an oft-repeated phrase in my class, having been one of the first things I learnt and also because it is a useful answer for almost any situation the teacher could ask about!
We were having such a nice time that we decided to kick on at a nearby student run bar, where we stayed until they closed at 11. Following that we walked home and continued at Amatøren, the student pub on campus, before heading to bed at 1, ready to study gynacology in the hospital at 8 the next day.
The BBQ was so fun that I decided to write another email a few days later arranging a similar gathering after our Norwegian exam, which was held on the 22nd of May. The exam was scheduled for 3 hours, but I don't think there were many people left in the exam room after two hours, and many of us left some time after 1 hour. The exam consisted of dictation, grammer exercises and- to my delight- an essay section. I love writing Norwegian essays- it's a great chance to flex my Norwegian muscles and extend my vocabulary. And I get a chance to be creative! The topics in the exam were 1) describe the best weekend you have had in Norway 2) describe what you like to do in your spare time 3) describe what you will do after you finish the exam. Although it had the additional demands of past tense, the weekend one was my choice and an elaborate description of the 17th May weekend followed, including the expression of my desire to return to Norway for the Eurovision next year.
I had to laugh as well: the examination instructions were very detailed and included an instruction that "It is prohibited to go to shops, canteens, post office, bank etc. during the exam". So apologies, I was going to write to you to ask you the answer to question 5, but they wouldn't let me!
Afterwards, it was raining and many of the student cafes were closed, so we enjoyed lunch with our teacher before all going our separate ways. I've really enjoyed learning Norwegian and it seems a shame to stop. On the other hand, so many Norwegians speak good English that I would only ever use it if I came back to live here. I have a reignited desire to learn a language fluently though, so watch this space!
Another highlight of the last few weeks was a return visit to our Professor and PBL tutor's house. Our second to last tutorial with her was held at her house where we enjoyed a very Norwegian creamy, chunky fish soup for dinner, followed by her delicious dessert which is basically a similar to a giant soft hazelnut biscuit-cake topped with peaches and ice cream. She has a gorgeous 230 metre square apartment in the city. The Norwegians in my group however reckon that it would be something like $2-$2.5 million. Maybe out of my league for now.
Sunday night also saw the first of the many farewell parties sprouting up at the moment. The medical students finish July 16, but most of the other students here finish in the next week or have already finished. So one by one our friends are starting to leave. Luckily there are 27 medical exchange students, so at least we are all together!
The farewell on Sunday was for some Hungarian students in my Norwegian class, and we gathered at their house for some 'typisk ungarnsk mat' (typical Hungarian food). It was delicious: a baked dish of potatoes, salami, egg and sour cream. It's hard to write about it without salivating. The dinner finished with ice cream and some interesting conversation!
Probably the best night I've had in a while was last night though. Zoe and Lenka's German housemate (and a friend of mine) heads home tomorrow, and as we (including Zoe and Lenka) have a pathology test tomorrow, he agreed to have the party on Monday instead. We rocked up around 8 for some cake after a beautiful 21 degree day. Things started off quite quietly, but rapidly got livelier. Interspersed with conversation and drinking, a few of us did laps of Sogn on some bikes (often two of us on the same bike). At one point we found a supermarket trolley and gave each other rides down the (very gentle) slope. The air was fresh and warm and the sun had put everyone in good moods, so the party spilled outside as more people came. The sun gradually got lower and the night continued, bringing us inside. A warning from the housing people saw us closing all the windows and continuing our dancing. By this stage there were about 8-10 left and we danced hard until suddenly, it was 3:30am and the sun was up again!
It was a surreal but really cool experience walking the 2 buildings home at 4:30 in the morning with the sky looking as if it were lunchtime! I took this picture from my room at 4:30 this morning, so you can see how light it was.
Rumour has it that the weather will be 25 ish on the weekend, so I'm hoping to go for a swim in the Oslo Fjord or the lake at Sognsvann. Everyone thinks I'm crazy, but I really miss swimming! I'll keep you posted!
Anneke
Ha- I nearly forgot to explain the title of the post. It's a song by the killers, called Human. It makes me think of Lenka, because its always playing at her house. I think it fits last night very well!
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