Covergirl!

Hi all!

Thank you for following my adventures in Norway this summer.  But wait! It's not over yet!

I had to take a moment to brag that I was selected to be the covergirl of Viking Magazine.. a Sons of Norway publication.  I was chosen for this because I received the Oslo International Summer School Scholarship from the Sons of Norway.

I had so much fun taking part in this photo shoot.  I worked with the talented photographer Nancy and her assistants along with Solina and Nina, who also received scholarships from the Sons of Norway, in locations all across the Blindern Campus at the University of Oslo.  It started with me arriving to be pampered with hair and makeup.  Then we found select locations around campus such as the front steps to Blindern Dormitory (where the cover photo was taken) to the library and a classroom.  The girls and I were photographed for about 4 hours!  It may sound tiring, but I didn't mind because I was having such a good time.  To be honest, I liked being pampered like that haha!

So here is the result: cover page of the September issue!

Sons of Norway:  Thank you so much! I had such an unbelievable time in Norway with summer school. This photo shoot was just a sweet cherry on top of that cake!

Already famous,
Danielle

I love ISS

So I finished up with my summer school.  I really have to say that I had the time of my life.  I met so many amazing new friends and learned so much about the world and about myself.  I have such strong, positive feelings for my time at ISS 2011, I can’t quite put it into words.

I am thankful for my amazing roommate, my new-found friends (I would go so far to say best friends), my thoughtful professors, and my many many Norwegian adventures.  

Some of my favorite things: Sogsvann where I laid in the sun on the dock, laughed with my friends and also went for night swims, excursion to the Norsk Folkmuseum on Bygdoy where I saw folk buildings from across the country, excursion to the cathedral ruins at Hamar where I learned that the interplay between new and old contains so much beauty, my roommate Diana with whom I clicked with right away and found crazy adventures, Opening Ceremony and City Hall where I felt so heart-warmingly welcomed to my stay in Oslo, conquering Mount Slogen and Bessaggen with some intense hikes, ‘the boys’ who I could always count on to do something or have deep conversation with, and in general ISS where there was always something to do or someone to meet.

You may ask how everything will be now that summer school is over and I must return to real life… and I can’t answer that quite yet.  At the moment I am staying with a Norwegian family on the Sognefjord (the longest fjord in Norway).  Today I was honored to be able to go on a boat tour of the fjord, drive through the mountains to the town where my friend Camilla was born, hike up the mountain to take in the landscape, watch Grandma make jelly from berries in her own yard, and have good conversation.  Tomorrow I will be returning to Bergen for a last day of shopping and sightseeing before my flight leaves on Wednesday morning. 

I am ready to be home and see my family, but I wonder how everything will have changed. I know that I am coming home a different person.   I have taken in great life experiences.  Great in the sense of awesome in some instances and thought-provoking in others.  

When I speak to Norwegians, they still ask: were you in Oslo when that crazy man was there? It’s always that wording “crazy man.”  I like that the name and face of the person are unimportant, even though that seems to be the opposite of what the newspapers think.  They can’t believe any person could have it in their heart or head to commit such an act… I can’t believe it either.  Until the day I left Oslo, there were still flowers and candles all over the city.  Very few of them had been cleaned up.  (In Bergen there is still a gathering of flowers and candles at the city center, but not all over as in Oslo)  Yet, buildings were again open and the streets (besides where it is unsafe to go) were accessible.  Norwegians seem determined to keep their way of life as open as possible.  I can’t believe that they would let any more security and scrutiny occur in the future than necessary.

With that I must begin to say my goodbyes to Norway, to where I found my many friends, my fun adventures, my new views on multiculturalism,  and most of all, myself.

 

I have been so thankful to go on a whole bunch of amazing field trips during my time here in Norway.  I've seen so many cool things and been to so many cool places that I don't entirely know how to give them justice by explaining them.

One observation I keep making is how completely "Norwegian" our tour guides are and how incredibly talented they are.  On that first point, when I say "Norwegian," I mean blonde-haired, blue-eyed... that stereotype.  Not all Norwegians are really like that by the way.  Yet, I wonder, is it a coincidence that so many of these people are the tour guides? I mean, are they the people that go for those jobs or are they given preference?

On the second point, I've loved how talented everyone has been.  I've enjoyed some great shows/ songs/ dances in some pretty cool and authentic places.  While a video can't quite give you that feeling that you're there, maybe I can share some of this incredible talent with you.  Now, let me explain the video that I've included in this post.  I took it in Hamar, a town an hour and a half outside Oslo, where I went with my architecture class.  We were inside this glass/ steel structure that was so perfectly designed to protect cathedral ruins. Coincidentally, the acoustics of this building ended up being perfect for music as well.  Our tour guide sang a beautiful song.

I hope you enjoy it!

Solidarity

Norwegian Solidarity.

How can you not admire the Norwegians at a time like this?  Last night I attended a memorial event downtown along with my classes and all of Oslo.  The streets were full of people all throughout the city as an estimated 150,000 demonstrated their solidarity.  We couldn't even fit into the square at City Hall where the event was supposed to take place.  I ended up on a side street where there were speakers from which I could hear the Crown Prince and Prime Minister.  Everyone held their roses in the air as a show of support and love.  Since there was so many people, the planned parade was cancelled and instead everyone made their way to the site of the bomb blast and cathedral on their own. 

My friends and I made our way first to the cathedral.  There was a large area where people were lying down their flowers and candles. 

We then walked the streets to where we could see more of the damage.  The police had opened up much of the area since this weekend when a couple block radius was shut down.  We still couldn't walk up to the main blast site of course... this area is structurally unstable for even rescue and clean-up crews to complete their work.  Yet, we could see the building from farther back... every single window was blown out and some curtains hung their raggedly.  Debris and glass still littered the ground in certain areas.  Other building had boarded up places where the windows had shattered.  A nearby clock was blown out as well.

Throughout this entire walk, the streets were filled with people.  They were determined to show their solidarity.  They were determined to show their condolences for the victims.  And they were determined to not back down.

Here we are with our roses.

Walking towards the cathedral on Karl Johans Gate.

Outside the cathedral.  This is the place where everyone layed down their roses.

Police crews under a damaged building.

On the News

I spent a good amount of this last Sunday night being interviewed by various news stations in Colorado concerning recent events.  Check 'em out! All you need to do is click on the news source and it will take you to their webpage.

9News

KDVR

And this is the same thing on a different news source:
Coloradoan

Aftermath

Here I am, living in the aftermath of the worst attack on Norway since World War II.  I am struggling to put everything that I feel into words.  I will try, but please understand that there is so much more to this than I can tell. 

Friday afternoon was one of shock and worry.  After my friend had walked into my room asking if I had heard about the bombing downtown, I wasn't sure what to make of it.  I immediately got on the internet to see the news, and it was difficult to understand.  For me, the first time things got really real were when my suite-mate came back from being downtown maybe a block or two from the blast sight.  She walked in stark white and shaking.  She described that she was shopping when all of a sudden she heard this incredibly loud noise and all the windows and building started shaking. There was smoke and ash everywhere and everybody starting running away as windows shattered all along the street. 

My friends and I watched the news all afternoon.  We couldn't believe what we were seeing.  This was our Norway, our care-free, having fun, summer in Norway.  Then it became worse.  I was told just before our dorm meeting that there had been a shooting spree on an island outside of Oslo.  This island was the location for a youth summer camp, for those who would have been Norway's future politicians.  It was shocking, that someone could do this.  That someone did this.  Going to bed, I had heard there had been one death at the downtown bombing and five on the island of Utoya.  I was thankful for such a low count.  When I woke up the next morning, those numbers had risen to 85.  How could that have happened?

Saturday came and I went downtown with friends (4 boys who could protect me if needed).  We first noticed a difference when the bus had to be re-routed due to police block off a street.  When we hit out downtown stop and started walking down Karl Johans Gate, it was immediately apparent that there was a great police and military presence.  The Storting and its square were blocked off with police tape and soldiers with big firearms.  I even saw a couple dogs.  After walking past that building, we saw where the streets had been blocked off around the vicinity of the bomb.  There was police tape and soldiers everywhere.  Glass was on the street, and we could see where windows had been temporarily sealed up.  Yet but all of the destruction, I had to be impressed how much had already been cleared up.  Cleaning crews were working on sweeping up the glass and debris and it was very clean in areas that I could see.  Of course, that probably does not include the epicenter of the blast... a place where rescue crews still cannot complete their missions due to the unstable building. 

I had mentioned that there was a lot of police/ military/ helicopters downtown, but I also noticed how that didn't feel like a threat to me.  It felt safe.  Everyone was out and about. I saw many people talking with the soldiers and another take a picture with one.  I have to admire how calm and stoic the Norwegians are about the situation.  Of course, it is also very solemn, but it's not panic.  Rather, every person is united together.

Sunday, I again returned downtown.  This time I ended up at the cathedral where people were gathering.  Jens Stoltenberg, the Prime Minister, had made an appearance there that morning.  As I watched, people laid down flowers and candles just outside the cathedral.  It was an extremely humbling experience to see so many people come out and come together to honor the victims of the bombing and shooting.  I myself lit a candle inside the cathedral to show my support and give my prayers and hopes.

Today, Monday, we took time out of both classes to talk about what had happened.  In my Scandinavian Government and Politics we did a free write exercise where we took a moment to write down our feelings and sentiments about what happened. I just want to leave you with what I wrote:


     Today I still feel confused.  Why did this happen? How did this happen? What is going to happen now?

     I feel like I am in shock. I can't believe such acts of hatred can occur.  What sense of feeling can cause these actions in a person's heart?

     I will always have more questions than answers.  Always.  Even with family, friends and news stations asking after my well-being and the Norwegian sentiment, I make up an answer that only begins to say what I want.  How can I ever express all of these feelings in words?  This is personal. This is me.

     I am at a loss of what to do and how to act.  The question of what is appropriate has come up more times than I would like.  I want to help the Norwegian people.  I want to help make sure this won't happen again.  I want to promote understanding and diversity among and within all populations.  Will this even do anything?  If I touch one life, one single life, to change their views and their hatred, I hope I have succeeded.


So if you have asked me this question: How am I doing? How do I feel? How has this affected me or changed me? I'm sorry that I can't answer completely yet or maybe ever.  I'm still figuring this out, but maybe you can begin to understand...

Explosions Downtown

There have been explosions in downtown Oslo.  Today Friday afternoon, explosions went off outside Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg's office most likely from a car bomb.  Nothing is really certain about what's going on. Of course there's a lot of speculation.

Thankfully I was not in the area as I was at school which is maybe 3 - 4 miles away.  I didn't hear anything and can't see any of the smoke.  I'm glad that I had decided not to go back downtown this afternoon like I had planned.  I was in fact in the same area all morning up until about an hour and a half before the explosion. 

I have many friends who were in the area and felt the explosion.  There was a lot of glass shattering for a large radius around the explosion and smoke and ash in the air.  People were running everywhere.  One friend described that the elevator in the building she was in just dropped.  I am thankful she wasn't there.  Another friend described that they felt a woosh of air and heard a loud noise like thunder.  Many other people simply just heard the loud noise and were told to turn around. 

Like I said, there are no concrete reports of what has happened.  We have to keep speculation to a minimum because that can just make things worse.  Please know that I am in a safe place and I will give another update when I know more information.