The Adventure of Feeling Like an Ignorant American

   Since coming to Norway I have become aware of how lacking the American education system can sometimes be.  I have learned so much more about the Refugee Crisis and Apartheid and that hasn't even been main focus of my learning here in Norway. There are so many things that American students are missing out on.

• Apartheid
• Apartheid was the system of racial segregation in 1948 through 1991 in South Africa
• Apartheid is something big that I think American students can benefit from learning about, because, there are so many striking similarities between apartheid and the american civil rights movement in the 60's especially. In both instances the colored people were severely oppressed and decided to rise up against the government to express their opinion
• In both movements there were prominent black leaders such as; Nelson Mandela and his wife Winnie Mandela in South Africa and Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X in the civil rights movement.
• Unlike the U.S racial segregation is still very prominent in South Africa, while some may argue the fact that there is still racial segregation in the U.S it is way less prominent than in South Africa.  You can fact check me here. http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/craig-and-marc-kielburger/post-apartheid-south-africa_b_4460819.html
• Refugee Crisis
• A Refugee is someone who is forced to leave their home due to persecution or environmental changes.
• According to UNHCR or The UN Refugee Agency there are 65.3 million forcibly displaced people in the world today.  http://www.unhcr.org/figures-at-a-glance.html
• A large number of those people are fleeing to Europe in the hopes of a better life for them and their family. An even larger number still are stuck in refugee camps.
• There are also a large number of environmental refugees, these refugees leave their home because the environment has changed so much to where they can not live in their home any longer because the weather has become too extreme. These people usually do not achieve refugee status because they were not forced to leave there because of conflict.

Why am I telling you all this? It is important to be updated on current events and the state of the world. While Apartheid may not be a current event, it did happen and it is an important thing to learn about not only because of the parallels that can be drawn to the U.S but also because The U.S is a part of the world. I have often felt like The U.S has chosen to become withdrawn from the world. I have never really known too much about what has been happening in the world. I have often only heard about the things that happen to directly affect The U.S. Well guess what, the world does not revolve around The U.S! The U.S is in the world and it is important to realize that and learn about other conflicts.

I would strongly recommend my readers to explore and learn about things on your own. It is fun to learn and you guys can benefit greatly from that. I have felt like an ignorant American for too long so I have decided to learn about the world through reliable youtube videos, my own research and documentaries. I have also made a pledge with amnesty international to speak  out for refugees and the atrocities they have faced. It is not easy to move to another country when you CAN speak the language and CAN speak English and have family in the country. I can only imagine how hard it must be to be forcibly displaced from a country, very possibly move away from your whole family, come to a country, where you don’t know the language and can’t speak English and be expected to function in an entirely new world. One of my roommates is a refugee from Eritrea, Eritrea is one of the most violent countries in the world. She is at my school to learn Norwegian, that is her primary concern. She has been in Norway for two years and she speaks very little Norwegian. I knitted her a scarf for Christmas and she was so happy!

I would challenge you guys this Christmas to pray for these refugees and if you know anybody who may not be a refugee but didn’t get to go home for Christmas give them an extra long hug, because they are probably not looking forward to Christmas as much as they usually might. If you are feeling the call to pledge to speak out for refugee rights you can sign that pledge here: https://www.amnesty.org/en/get-involved/take-action/speak-out-for-refugees-rights/

This is Miriam signing off

The Adventure of Internship

    Part of the learning experience of my class is to have a short internship period. We got to choose all from working with drug abusers, to working with the elderly, to working with preschoolers. I chose to work at a preschool along with two other girls. I chose this because I like kids and I thought it would be interesting to see the parallels between American preschools and Norwegian ones.

     I worked at a private preschool which has an interesting philosophy. This philosophy is called the Reggio Emilia approach. The Reggio Emilia approach is based on the fact that children should be independent and decide on their own what activities they would like to do. So everything from finger paints to blocks are on low shelves where all the children can reach and almost nothing is off limits.
     I chose to work with the one year olds. This was an interesting experience because I got to see the different personalities of all the different children, even through they are small and can't speak there are still certain things that stand out about their personalities. For example, one little girl loved clothes, another little boy was obsessed with cows, and yet another little boy was quite angsty and didn't really like much of anything
     I have made a few comparisons between Norwegian and American preschools. Norwegian preschools spend hours outside everyday rain or shine. American preschoolers don't spend nearly as much time outside especially if it is raining outside. Also in Norway nap time is outside in strollers. In America it is seen as child abuse to allow your child to sleep outside on the porch. In Norway it is seen as very healthy and is part of the culture.
     This has been a a useful experience I have reestablished the fact that, though I love kids I couldn't work in a preschool long term. I have also learned a lot about how children are treated differently in different cultures even if there are not very many noticeable cultural differences to the outside eye.
This is Miriam signing off!

The backpacking adventure

      At the beginning of the school year, the whole school went on a backpacking trip into this forest. I was both looking forward and not looking forward to the trip. I had never been on a backpacking trip before, so I was expecting it to be rough - but not this rough.
       The first day was probably one of the easiest. Oslo is situated on the edge of one of Norway's largest forests, therefore we only had to hike for about an hour and a half to find the spot where we set up our tents and spent the afternoon in the beautiful forest. It may have been a little cold and rainy but it was beautiful.

 
       However, the rain was still a problem. I woke up the next morning with water in my bed. Let me tell you, that was not fun! That morning was also cold, so I got dressed in clothes that were meant for cold weather. As started at a pace that would have killed a horse - maybe a bit of an exaggeration - we started uphill on a path laden with roots, rocks, and mud. I was close to crying during the first half hour of the trip because I was already so tired and I still had fifteen kilometers to go. It got a little better as I chose to walk a slower pace but it was still hard. As the sun came out, I realized that I had on way too much clothing and there was some stuff I couldn't take off, so I was sweating like crazy on a path with mud, rocks, and roots. I was miserable, and to top it all off, my asthma decided to start showing up. This trip was shaping up to be much harder than I thought. Long story short, I made it to our cabin. I was the last one up, but I made it.
     Fortunately, the next few hours and the next day were really nice. The school set up some activities such as nature art and blueberry picking and I had a really relaxing day, but I was exhausted.
   
        Culture shock comes not only from being in a different country, but also from the things in that country that you didn't expect. I expected that the trip was going to be physically hard, but I didn't expect it to be so Norwegian, which is probably my bad. I do live in Norway after all. Since then, I have had culture shock, but none of the instances were quite as bad as that one. Nevertheless, the trip wasn't all bad. I made new friends and learned more things about the friends I already made. So here are some pictures to prove I had fun.  
 - This is Miriam, signing off

 

What am I doing in Norway?

What am I doing in Norway?

I am attending what is known as a Folkehøgskole.

What is a Folkehøgskole? 

The direct translation is, "folk high school" but it is something that is unique to Norway. It is a year of school without grades, tests or homework. The point of the year is to grow individually and socially. It is also a chance to experiences some new things.

So how does it work?

When you apply, you apply for a class as well. This class is your "main" class that you are in the whole year. But you have the opportunity to sign up for electives and participate in other school related activities. The school week is Monday through Saturday, which makes it sound like a bummer but usually our Saturday seminars as we call them, are pretty fun. 

Why did I choose a Folk high school

My Norwegian grandma told me about them when I was maybe ten years old and I though "that sounds like fun."  Here I am eight years later, and living the dream. 

What am I studying? 

The class a I chose is called "Social Engagement in practice: Oslo" and wow that's a mouthful! So it's nickname is SE: Oslo. This class studies the culture, people and problems in Norways capital city, Oslo. I find it very interesting and exciting and I am enjoying it a lot. 

What does my day look like? 

I usually start my day out by getting dressed and going downstairs to eat breakfast with about a hundred other people.  After breakfast I go to morning prayer, it's not required but it's a good way to start the day off. After that I go to Morning assembly and then to class. In class we either go on a field trip or we stay at the school. After class I go and eat dinner with 180 other people. After dinner it's off to any electives or other activities I may have that evening. 

The last couple of months have been really great and I have learned so much. This is easily one of the best decisions I ever made. 

This is Miriam signing off! 

The First of Many Adventures

  Hey Friends! 

     I have lived in Norway for two months now and have learned a lot about myself, God and others. I have also had quite a few adventures. 

    An adventure that I have had in the last few months is a rollator run. The rollator run is something the city of Oslo puts on for their elderly population. The whole school participated in volunteer activities. My class was in charge of helping these lovely elderly folk around the track. It was really nice and relaxing to spend time with these elderly people. 

     Another adventure I have had is a wheelchair day. Our class was split up into groups and were each given instructions to: sit one hour each in the wheelchair, take at least one form of public transport, and evaluate the wheelchair accessibility of places. I learned a lot from this experience and hope to be putting the things I learned into practice. 

     Something that I have found interesting here is how involved in American politics Norwegians are. It is also really interesting to see how the campaign is affecting the world in a way that Americans don't think about. 

    A few bible verses that have really been sticking with me are Matthew 11:28-30 and Mark 14:35-36. At my old high school we had a yearly theme verse and my senior year that was Mark 14:35-36 which reads as follows, " And going a little further he fell down to the ground and prayed if it were possible the hour might pass from him, "Abba Father," he said "all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from yet not what I will but what you will." This verse speaks of complete and total surrender to God the father. This verse applied some to my senior year in high school but it means more to me now. In high school I had so much more guidance surrounding my walk with God, than I do this year. This has taught me to listen to his voice  and surrender myself to his will more often. 

     Matthew 11:28-30 says "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” And I have found this to be profoundly true. Anytime I decide to spend time in God's word, whether it be at church or by myself, I feel myself entering this place of utter relaxation and rest that I have never experienced before. The familiar feeling of Jesus embracing you is like no other. There is no better way to rest. 

This is Miriam, signing off!