I made it!!! After quite the adventure traveling I have finally made it to Bo and I have never been more revealed. Do you know the feeling when everything in life is just going too perfectly that you know something bad is bound to happen? Well that is exactly what happened to me. Before I set out on my adventure, life was great! Had a dentist appointment and not only did I not have any cavities, but I also didn't get yelled at for not flossing well enough (which ALWAYS happens to me), went to the doctor and didn't need any shots, checked my bank account before I left and had a lot more than I remembered, and I actually fit everything I needed into my suitcases! It was going perfect... then came the airport...
Just as an FYI before we left, my mom and little brother and I had a bet going of how many times I would break down in a public place crying before I actually arrived... I believe my mom was 5 and Erik had upped his to 6. Me, well, I thought the number was going to be to high to count. Let's just say the grand total surprised me.
Thursday afternoon, after saying goodbye to everyone else in my family, my mom, little brother and grandparents took me to the airport to see me off. As I go to check in they inform me that, due to storms in Chicago, my flight had been cancelled until tomorrow, but they would see what they could do. At this point in time I was doing just fine, just patiently waiting for them to work their airport magic and get me here. After about 20 minutes they reworked my flights so I left later that night went through Chicago to Munich to Oslo, which was great! Until I realized that meant I would miss all the buses and trains out of Oslo to Bo, meaning I would be stranded at the airport- in Oslo, Norway- overnight- completely by myself- without any means of communication. Bring on public breakdown number one!
After figuring out and sending the necessary e-mails and hanging out at the mall/airport for way too long, it was finally time to leave. Saying goodbye to my little brother and mom for the next 9 months= public breakdown number two!
The flight to Chicago went wonderfully and I even found my gate right away without any struggle. I was feeling pretty good, until I go to get my boarding passes for the next two flights and was told my carry-on was too large for Lufthansa's policies so they would need to check it. I calmly got out my Nook and paperwork and handed it over. I then proceeded to sit down and wait for my flight and then got to thinking...If they lose my other bags, I had packed extras of everything in my carry-on, and now that's gone. What if they lose it? My computer is in there, what if is breaks? My life is in there, what if I show up to Oslo without anything?! And they don't know where it is!?! Hello, public breakdown number three!
Luckily, I arrived in Munich safe and sound, but tired as ever. I passed customs and found my gate just fine and arrived in Oslo with no problem. And thank the Lord, I found every single piece of luggage! And then I had the fortune to spend the next 12 hours or so in Oslo airport...I learned three things that night- 1.) The Art of Racing in the Rain is a wonderfully book. 2.) The game Solitaire is absolutely impossible! I think I played about 25 times and didn't win a single game without cheating. 3.) You can't jump to conclusions about the strange people camping out in the airport, especially when you are one of them. But guess what?! No public breakdown the whole night long!
After a very long night, I got on the Flytoget (Airport train) and took it to the main station Olso S at about 6 a.m. I went to the central station to find my ticket to get on another train and take it to Bo. Well by this time I am hot, wet from the rain, my arms are killing from pulling around 100+ pounds of luggage and my back is breaking from another 50 or so pounds on my back, when I look up at the schedule to see the only train that is cancelled is the only train I need to take. I take a deep breath, look at my sheet and tell myself it's okay, I'll take the bus instead. So I grab all of my things and hike through the pouring rain to the bus station only to realize two things- 1.) I have no idea/can't find where they are selling tickets. 2.) If I take the bus I have no way of telling my adviser so no one would be there to pick me up at the station and I would be stranded in Bo. So I grab all of my things again and hike back to the train station in hopes of finding someone to help me. Once there I look back up at the sign and see that off to the corner it says that the train for Stravanger (the one I needed) is using alternate transportation for the 18th and need to meet by platform 19. Alright, then I'll just get a ticket and with there. By this time, the ticket machine informs me that because of the limited seating due to the alternative transportation, my ticket which was supposed to cost me roughly 280 NOK now is going to cost me 760 NOK. Excellent. I grab my ticket and head down to platform 19 and find a bus waiting. The bus took us about an hour and a half where we then switched and got on the train we were supposed to be on. At this point in time, I was so confused and to add to that confusion, the conductor comes on the PA system and goes off for about 5 minutes in Norwegian and then says in English 'Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard the train to Stravanger. We are about 20 minutes behind schedule. Instructions will be primary in Norwegian today. Thank-you.' GREAT! I clutched my ticket and plodded what I would do if I ended up in a different city. Thankfully Bo popped up on the screen and I practically ran out off of the train (well it would be running if I hadn't been dragging 150+ pounds behind me).
There was a girl waiting for me and took me to my dorms and I spent the afternoon getting settled and taking a nap. I then went with a couple other students to the school and got my internet password, then grocery shopping and finally I'm here!
My grand total was only 3 public cryings, which I am not entirely proud of, but I thought it would have been a lot more. I'm so happy I made it with everything. I'll spend the night sleeping and recovery before we start orientation and everything tomorrow afternoon!
Here is what my dorm looks like from the outside. It's called Gullbring and is about a 5 minute walk from the school.
And here are some photos of my room/bathroom. I've got a lot of storage and practically nothing to fill it up with so it's pretty bare. So...if anyone wants to send me pictures (photos or hand drawn) to fill up my walls- go for it!
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