Miscellaneous Musings..

Hei (look at that norwegian in practice) All! Sorry for frequently posting, but when in Norway and with internet...and a baby sleeping:)!
Here are just some random thoughts I've been having lately. I believe they were inspired by Munich, Athens, spending the night a London airport alone, exploring Copenhagen and arriving Norway. Feel free to argue/enjoy!

1. Scandinavia does not smell. (see smoking in restaurants allowed in Switzerland and Greece...just think Latin America). I have attributed this to low poverty and LOTS of wealth in these countries, which I actually think comes from inhabiting these parts for thousands of years. They have a BIG head start over the US. It is also freezing here right now, so logically it doesn't smell--freezers do not typically smell either:) Finally it is safe to drink the water in Europe. This makes it wayyyy better than Mexico, for example.

2. I am convinced it is possible to learn languages from TV. When I was in Munich by myself, I watched Germany's next Top Model, hosted by Heidi Klum (logically). I easily watched for over and hour and completely understood what was going on...in German. Imagine the possibilities of coupling that with a grammar class!

3. Scandinavia seems to lack diversity--extremely homogenous. Hm. (Europe 1-US 1)

4. Scandinavia does seem to have energy efficiency down. See wind power in Copenhagen. They have windmills on the water that you can see flying in. At my hotel everything was sensor lighting and you can opt for quantity of water to flush the toilet depending on...tehee!Also, their bike culture BLEW MY MIND! I'd live there just for how well organized the city is with bikes. People were biking in all weather too. A-mazing!

5. I am learning to eat good food and look better while eating. In Greece I was properly trained how to use a fork and knife the European way. Next lesson is to learn how to make the PERFECT stackable bite. I will keep you posted and probably document it with a photo.

6. In Copenhagen the SUN came out for day 2 there!!! AMAZING! I still lack an internal compass however, so I walked senselessly and saw very little. I did see the Little Mermaid statue by Hans Christian Anderson, but to be honest, it was a REALLY long walk for a REALLY tiny statue.

7. I have decided to move to the next level of love for my President, Obama. Not only do I want him as my leader, but I want apparel with his face on it. Lloyd donned his "Obama is my homeboy" shirt in Athens and really has never looked better. It will only improve my situation to own Obama apparel. I recommend it to everyone.

8. Why do people choose to live in freezing weather climates? My guidebook for Norway says it rains 275 days of the year here. Scott confirmed this detail begrudgingly. Regardless, I'm very much enjoying family time here in Norway. Scott and Jill are AMAZING hosts and quite gourmet chefs. Yesterday I got to go to Jessica's music class--15 babies playing and listening to music! It was all in Norwegian, but since it was spoken for infants, I got by just fine.

9. It is amazing how much you get across with non-verbal communication. I have seriously been very amazed and am enjoying it:)

10. I think I could travel and not work, for the rest of my life?

That's all for now. Someday I'll figure out how to upload photos properly...Happy Thursday! Tusen tak for reading (a thousand thanks)!!!