1st Scholarship + Upcoming Presentation

Since this is my blog... I feel completely justified in bragging as much as I want.  :P

Anyways I just have to say that I received my first scholarship for the spring study abroad semester!  (I say first because I am submitting many many applications and I hope to receive more.)  This first one was through the program I will be going with (Academic Studies Abroad) for a lucky student (moi) specifically studying in Aix-en-Provence.  Yay!  It really is coming true!

I guess this proves that all it takes is perseverance and dedication.  It never hurts to submit that extra application.  I can't thank everyone enough for all of the support I am receiving.


I also wanted to mention that I will be soon be presenting on my time in Norway at possibly two Sons of Norway lodges in Colorado.  Keep posted for a review!

Aix-en-Provence... Here I come!

I have officially been accepted into the French Honors Program in Aix-en-Provence! Woohoo! I'm so excited to get going... but there is so much to do! I feel like this will be even harder to prepare for than going to Norway because France has super strict visa application rules.  I even have to personally arrive in Los Angeles for a visa appointment at the consulate towards the end of November.

The program I chose is an honors program... which basically means I have some awesome perks. These include a French student as a language partner from the local university, priority choice in internships, excursions in French, and like-minded students who really have the desire to learn the language.  I think it will be an awesome opportunity to really immerse myself.

If you're interested in seeing an overview of the program, go here: http://www.academicstudies.com/programs/france/aix

My next steps are to start the visa application process and to continue applying to scholarships.  Study abroad is not cheap!  Leave me a comment below if you know of any great scholarships that I should apply for! Thanks!

Wish me luck!

Awesome Video

I recently made a video from my long weekend trip to Alesund and Mount Slogen during Oslo International Summer School. Check it out!

Itching for Adventure

Well it's not even October, and I'm already ready for another adventure after I had such an amazing experience in Norway this summer.

I've been enjoying my lovely Colorado with family get-togethers (it is birthday month after all!), hiking, a train ride, and being at school in Fort Collins.  I feel like I live in one of the most beautiful places... although Norway is up there too... with the mountains and all this sun.

So like I said, another adventure is upon me.  I've decided that I'll be spending my spring semester abroad in France! There, I will be taking intensive language courses and experiencing the French joie de vivre.
In upcoming posts, I'll talk about getting ready for my new adventure while keeping everyone updated on my highlights this fall.
Thanks!

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!