Good morning from Trondheim! It's getting cold and dark here--fast--and it's time for another blog entry! Since my last entry, I have not left town, but I have gotten a good amount of work done and have brought some American traditions to Norwegians! Last week I submitted an article for publication, applied to a week-long summer program in the Netherlands to improve my dissertation, a conference in Izmir, Turkey, and worked on my statistical model with my host scientist. I also gave a guest lecture (to about 80 students) and had good discussions about cultural differences between the United States and Norway. (The best advice I gave was to buy their Converse in the states...almost everyone here wears Converse shoes and they cost over $100, and only $35 in the States!) I am now working on a resubmission of another manuscript, which hopefully will be finished in the next week.
The sun has been setting before 4pm now in Trondheim - today the sun sets at 3:39 and by the time I leave (in 3 weeks), it'll set around 2:40pm! I try to leave work early so it isn't pitch dark by the time I get home, but that gets more difficult each day. Last night, it was 28 degrees; and while I am no stranger to cold temperatures, there is something about freezing weather that I'll never get used to. Now that I cannot run outside, I tried to join a gym that is right next to my apartment. They tried to make me pay $220 for a one-month membership, so I said "forget it!" I'll have to make up for it when I am home.
During the halloween week, my Russian friend and I carved pumpkins! Although halloween is becoming more popular in Norway, not many people carved pumpkins. There were lots of people that dressed up (I wasn't one of them...bad American!) though. Kirill, my Russian friend, loved the experience, and I even roasted some of the seeds after. (I waited too long to cook some of them and they all started growing very quickly!)
My time in Trondheim is winding down, and it was quite the experience. I will leave just in time (escaping the terrible weather) and my first stop is Copenhagen for 6 days. I will then fly to Madrid to see a UCLA college friend (Amy) for four nights, and end in Paris for a week! Then...back to reality :)
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| It's not very often you get leaves falling like this in California... |
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| View of the fjords from a short hike |
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| My pumpkin displayed in my office! |
During the halloween week, my Russian friend and I carved pumpkins! Although halloween is becoming more popular in Norway, not many people carved pumpkins. There were lots of people that dressed up (I wasn't one of them...bad American!) though. Kirill, my Russian friend, loved the experience, and I even roasted some of the seeds after. (I waited too long to cook some of them and they all started growing very quickly!)
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