Jeg lurer litt på om livet ditt har endret seg litt etter
norgesoppholdet, eller om det i det store og hele er tilbake der det var
da du dro. Jeg vet du drikker kaffe nå, men leser du mer aviser, for
eksempel? Ser du nyheter mer på tv? Følger du mer med i verden enn du
gjorde før? Ser du dokumentarer, eller er det mest tv-serier igjen. Hva
med politikk, miljøvern, verdensfreden – er du mer interessert i det nå?
(Det er valg i Norge nå i høst, og Synne skal velge for første gang...
spennende!) Hvordan føles det i dagliglivet å være tilbake – maten,
kjennes den annerledes? – været, tenker du annerledes på det? –
menneskene, hvordan ser de ut nå med ditt nye perspektiv? – framtida, er
den mer spennende eller mer usikker... Fortell! Gjerne på bloggen din,
så mange kan se.
My host mom sent me an email recently and asked
me the questions above. Yes, I realize that they are in Norwegian, so I
will translate for all of you who can't speak Norwegian.
I wondered a
little bit about how your life has changed since your time in Norway,
or if it is completely back to the way it was before you left. I know
you drink coffee now, but do you read newspapers for example? Do you
watch more news on TV? Do you follow more of what happens in the world
than you did before? Do you watch documentaries, or is it mostly
TV-series again? What about politics, miljøvern, verdensfreden - are you
more interested in that now? (It is the election in Norway now in the
fall, and Synne is going to vote for the first time...exciting!) how
does it feel to be back in your daily life - the food, does it seem
different? -the weather, do you think about it differently? -people, how
do they seem now that you have a new perspective? -the future, is it
more exciting or more uncertain...TELL US!!! It would be better on your
blog so many people can see."
After I read tat email it got me
thinking how much everything has actually changed. When I arrived back
in the United States and back isn't the town where I grew up, it felt
like nothing had changed, but everything was different.
One thing
that has changed, that my host mom mentioned and my real mom hates, is
that I do drink coffee now, and also a lot of tea...
As far as news
goes, I watch the local news a little bit everyday, but I don't really
read the newspaper much. I do get the Norwegian newspaper, Aftenposten,
on my iPad and I read that at least once a week. But, the problem is I
would watch more news and read more newspapers if I had more time; now
that school has started and I am taking 7 academic classes I have almost
no time for anything besides homework and sleep. I do try to pay
attention to the major things that happen in the world.. When I do have
the time to watch TV I usually choose TV series over documentaries. With
TV series it is easier too just take a break and focus on something
different, and you don't necessarily learn anything, but, it's
entertaining...
I am a little more interested in politics and what
happens in the world. I still don't enjoy arguments, but I do enjoy
knowing what is happening and what is changing in the world. Also, I
have begun to discuss politics, and different things a little more. I
also, give examples from Norway and share how it is different from the
US and how a socialized government is not necessarily a bad thing.
Daily life feels basically how it did before I left. It took about a
week or two, then everything felt as if I had never left. I seemed as
though my entire year in Norway was just like a dream... It was the
strangest feeling to have experienced something completely different and
lived in another country for a year, then just come back and feel as
though nothing had actually happened. I feel as though my Norwegian is
getting worse and worse the more days that I don't speak it. The food
here doesn't seem any different than before. And the weather, first it
was nice to have it sunny every day, but now I am starting to miss the
cold. Now that I have a surplus of sweaters, jackets and wool socks I
have no time to wear them, well at least not yet. The people here seem
very American. Which obviously, they are American. The same way that
people in Norway seem very Norwegian. Some of the stereotypes are true,
but it is just the difference in customs and sutures that is just a lot
more noticeable now.
What will happen, where I will go to
university, and what job I will have still kind of concerns me. But, I
am not scared. I mean, what happens will happen and everything will work
out how it is supposed to. I am working on my college applications now
and trying to find out what I want to major in. I am thinking of
international business and modern languages. But, I have changed my mind
on which major I will take at least 4 times since I have returned from
Norway to now. So who knows, I am definitely not certain of anything
that I want or anything that will happen in the future...
