Don't know what I'm gonna write about in this post yet....

I just wrote the title for this post (which is pretty appropriate I think) and then my pinky finger hit some specific key just as my other hand slipped and pressed another one, and the window I was writing this in closed. That's probably a sign that I shouldn't write this post, as I don't have much to say. But oh well, I'm gonna fight it and keep writing anyways.

Well. I finally vaccumed my room the other day, so when I lay on the carpet like I am now, I don't get covered in hair and dirt and unidentifiable bits of trees.

Speaking of unidentifiable bits of trees, the other evening I was really bored, and decided to take my camera and go for a walk, just for something to do. It was around 6:15 when I left, and after a few minutes I decided it would be really neat to be at the top of Arna Nipa for the sunset. I started going up, and I guess I'll put in some pictures to make this somewhat readable. It's strange how when you break up chunks of boring writing with pictures, or even spaces, it makes it easier to read, even though it's longer. It's like some kind of uphill salmon stream, like the ones with lots of flat benches so they can get over dams. I have no idea where that simile came from...it's not all that relevant...ok, it's not relevant at all. oh well. Anyways, pictures.

A section of trail

So when I got about half way up, I started stressing that the sun would be gone by the time I got to the top. The casual stroll then turned into powerwalking, as I realized it takes longer to walk somewhere then it does to run. Big surprise.

Nooo....I have to beat the sun!

I won the race though; the sun was definitely still there at the top. I guess it was more the sunset I wanted, than the sun itself. Regardless, I took some pictures.

After I'd taken pictures of  the full 360 degree view, I got to that point where everything is so beautiful, but you don't know what to do about it. Then I remembered that my camera had self timer....

I took a few of me standing still, but my instinctual need to take jump shots EVERYWHERE...on ferries, on top of mountains, off concrete blocks, in my basement, off the rock wall, at the Whitehorse airport (sonja haha), on skis..etc........won out.
If anyone was up there watching, enjoying a sunset snack ( alliteration, anyone?), they would have had an interesting and ridiculous show to watch. A girl sprinting frantically up to a rock, jumping off awkwardly, then running back. Again, and again. And again. And again. Through all this, I managed to get maybe two where I was actually in the air. Apparently I'm not too good at judging which high speed beep on my camera means JUMP.

I try....

...and I try.

And sometimes get lucky :)

Through all this, it never really occurred to me that after the sunset....it gets dark.  By the time I was halfway down it was really hard to see, and being really intelligent, I decided to run faster. I flat out sprinted anything flat or uphill, and calmed down a bit on the steeper downhill parts. I still managed to slip and slide down a slippery root, and land smack my side. I now have a nice big bruise on one side of my butt to match my scar from rollerskiing last fall...lovely.

When I got to the first set of houses, I decided there was no way I was going down any more trails in the dark, so I took the road back. This added on an extra 20 or so minutes of running.

So much for a short relaxing walk...

When I got home I realized that the inside of my jacket was plastered with bits of lichen from when I fell....and that's how I got bits of tree all over the floor of my room.  Oh, and random little happy fact, I dropped my cell phone at the top of the hike, and it came apart, and when I put it back together the camera worked again. yay :)

Soo...that was my adventure.

Random things I've noticed here after 7 weeks:

• They like their butter and cream. I thought I used a lot of butter/margarine on bread at home, but here they use it as an actual layer! Like how I would use peanut butter! A bun slathered with butter dipped into fish soup (made with lots of cream of course)..yummm

• On the food topic, they like to display the food. Bread/buns go in lined baskets for breakfast, not just a loaf of bread thrown on the table with a knife stuck in it. 

• Sooo many people ride scooters to school! 

• Telling time: if it's..say...1:20, you can say ti på halv to, which translates as ten before half two. I think it's really strange to use the number two when it's only just past one o'clock. Makes it seem much later than it really is. 

• I've gone grocery shopping twice in the past few days, just to the store down the road. Some kinds of food are actually reasonably priced! Bulk buns were 2 kr, or about 30 cents each, and a bag of muesli that would'be been about 5 dollars at home, was 3! I don't know why I found that exciting, because it wasn't even my money, but it's nice to know the prices aren't ALL crazy...even if most of them are.

• For dinner the other night we had grøtt, which I probably spelled wrong. It's porridge made from rice, that you eat with raisins, cinnamon, sugar, and of course butter. Evelyn (my host grandma) added cream and almonds to it, and it became riskrem for dessert the next night, with concentrated juice to pour on top. Sooo good. Apparently grøtt is what they put out for Santa here, instead of milk and cookies.

• They do this gasping thing, where they say "yeah", but while inhaling. It seems to be more adults that do it. At first I thought it was just something my family did, but the topic came up at language camp. We all had stories about freaking out the first time we heard it, it can sound like something is really wrong, when really they're just agreeing, or filling the space. 

Looks like most of my observations this time are about food...typical. I think I should challenge myself to eat a meal without some form of cheese and/or bread. I don't think it's possible, it's just too good :) 

Oh, and it has been sunny for an ENTIRE WEEK here! Every time I look outside I get a little shock, it's so gorgeous, although I better not get used to it.

Well...congratulations salmon, you made it to the top of the dam. Herreguddd that's a strange thing to say....I'm not even completely sure these salmon ladders exist.

Some pretty trees because i have a blank space to fill and don't know how to get rid of it.

Same as above...pretty sure there's some leprechauns in there.