How Norway is - the further impressions...

Let me start with the weather - once again - because Norwegians are crazy about it. They check the weather forecast at all times of the day and night, so they are always up to date and will tell you about it too. I have also adopted this habit and constantly check the weather report to find out when it's raining, how long it will last, and when the sun will shine. Accordingly, people dress accordingly when going outside: with a rain jacket, an extra one to change into, or even rain pants. The weather so far has been more suitable for rain pants. Even though it feels odd wearing them, I now do it voluntarily because otherwise the pants would be wet all day. Since I've been here, the sun has only shone for maybe two hours. When it's not raining, which is rare but the case right now, it's cloudy. That's the weather situation.

The people here are all very nice and speak perfect English, which makes it easier for me to communicate with them. Everyone is kind and accommodating, and you can have a good laugh with them. Here, no one thinks they are better than others. Everyone helps each other. People with intellectual disabilities are also involved in a lot of volunteer work and projects, including at school. For example, a boy gets to spend half of his school time helping in the kitchen, then he continues playing his keyboard in the foyer or goes to his own room. Yesterday, I accompanied him and we returned empty bottles for refunds and even found a fork. I was also invited to join their physical education class because there are only four students with disabilities in the school. There is also a workshop in this city for these individuals and others who can't find jobs.

The young people here are all very nice. They greet each other on the street, something I missed a bit back home. People here are kinder to each other and listen better to each other. Yesterday, I got to accompany the technology class on a field trip. We went to a tipi that a teacher had built. The school has its own minibus, so such outings can be better organized. Inside the tipi, we sat closely together and first grilled sausages, then burgers. It was really cool. I talked to a few boys (around 16 years old) about their daily lives here and what they want to do in the future. After a few conversations about alcohol and highways, I discovered how they party here. It's not as much during the week, but on weekends, they go all out. It can happen that they spend 500 NOK and end up in bed with a girl, a 16-year-old told me! He even invited me to a party, saying they would show me how to drink. (In general, I'm being invited a lot here. I already had to make a list of all the events I'm invited to: a concert, an opening, etc.) One of the boys has his own apartment and a boat here (he lives far away, so he stays here during the week and goes to his parents' place on weekends). He wants to throw a birthday party for me there. It was a bit strange, even though I didn't take all their talk too seriously. But shortly after that, we talked about the future. Almost everyone in this class wants to work on an oil rig or a fish farm because you earn a lot there and don't have to work much. Two weeks of work, away from home, and four weeks of vacation. In conversations with other boys (there are only two girls in the class), it turned out that the whole school is very interested in World War II, and it also turned out that they know a lot more about it than I do. On the way back, we spotted an eagle among seagulls - they told me that's normal here. In general, nature here is much more pristine than in the Allgäu region.

In Norway, it is common to spend your free time - of which you have plenty - in nature. Therefore, we, the residents of the volunteer house, went on a short hike to a mountain at dusk because we wanted to see the surroundings during sunset. Here are a few impressions:

And then there is Norwegian food: Normally, people have a sandwich for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch, and something warm for dinner. In school, it's not as easy to implement, so they already have something warm at lunchtime. For example, yesterday we had rice pudding with cinnamon and sugar, quite normal. But then they also added raisins and wild salami. I can only say you have to get used to it. Another thing is that students are crazy about cinnamon buns. We made them fresh in the cafeteria, and they were all sold out immediately, so we had to make a new batch. I don't know how all the students manage not to gain weight from all the food - probably because of sports.

But the biggest difference from us Germans is the calmness. In Norway, there is no stress. People show up on time - most of the time, at least - for appointments, and if someone is running late, they just wait for them. Even in school, everything is relaxed. The teacher explains things again and again. And students have plenty of time to complete their tasks. German schools could learn from this. You cover the material, but without such high pressure. Accordingly, the atmosphere in school is pleasant as well. But for me, it can sometimes be quite nerve-wracking when I want to get something done and Norwegians take all the time in the world.

The constant presence of the media here can be a bit annoying. Every event is posted on Facebook, and in general, almost everything is somewhere on Facebook, and you have to use it, whether you want to or not. And they are constantly on their phones, chatting, making phone calls. It's not uncommon to receive a call at 9 o'clock, exactly when you're working. Students are also allowed to use their phones in class, always! That's when I'm grateful for the phone rules in German schools.

I'm curious about the coming days and weeks here. So far, I had a rather easy start, with a total of 27 hours per week. And in many of my tasks, I haven't really been involved yet, they have just shown me a few things. So, in a maximum of four weeks, I will be alone in the cafeteria, I have to manage driving alone next week, and I will eventually have to do the Open Skule alone. So, there will be many changes.

Thanks, Kerstin, for the inspiration!