Transitioning to life in Bergen has been an adventure. I had something written up the other day that I was going to post, then lost it. So here’s a recap of what I was going to say in that post and some random thoughts about classes so far.

I have now attended two out of three of my courses that I will be taking while abroad in Norway. I am taking Machine Learning, Computer Graphics, and Intro to Norwegian Language and Culture. I am excited for all of these courses; The Computer Science ones because they are topics I have been curious about for a while, and the Norwegian one because hopefully it will help me feel more integrated with the culture here in Bergen. The class dynamic is about as laid back as I am used to back home, the professors have nicnames and prefer being treated as peers. I am hoping that these classes turn out to have relatively rigorous aspects, though from what I have heard I might be a bit dissapointed by that.

Integrating has been hard, especially with a single room to myself. Luckily I haven’t had anyone to bother by my constant mess or my weird sleeping habits (jet lag definitely hasn’t helped with that). Though because of this, I still am struggling with getting up at a decent time. Waking up at 7:30 to get my visa sorted out has me running on two red bulls and half a pot of coffee by 5 pm. I guess it will be an early night. Luckily I have met some friend that I frequently get invited to hang out with. They are mostly a group of Germans that mostly live on the same floor. They tend to forget to speak in English sometimes so the only other person that doesn’t speak German and I tend to just look around sometimes, but who really cares. Spending time with people that like to adventure, and are from a different culture, makes traveling abroad all the more worth it.

Overall I have really enjoyed sight seeing in Bergen. Especailly on beautiful days where the sun is shining, you can see all seven mountains of Bergen over the fjords. Hiking up mountains seems to be a daily activity for most Norwegians. Sadly since my legs are weak from breaking my knee a couple months back, I still get very tired quickly. I have been working out more though, so I should be back to all day hiking trips soon!

It’s beautiful here. It’s easy to get lost in the sights. The beauty of the environment and the simplicity of the way of life here is good for me, it very nearly cures the yearning to be back home with people I know and love. Overall, it’s a wonderful experience, Heres to the next 4 months and a week.

Also, I wanted to note that this site has no ability to comment on a post or anything. I have decided that I will tweet out every post I send out. If you have any comments for me please respond the the tweet that I send out. Thanks!