Things that I Miss/Valentines Day Party

Yes, it has been too long since my last post...
This is partly my own fault and partly the fault of bad luck (regrettably a part of almost every traveler's experience I must say). The good news is I now have a functioning computer in my dorm again, and my connection to the world feels rekindled once more. But fortunately, the bad luck of my computer crashing was merely a tiny road bump on a long trip that still lies ahead.
Since it's been roughly three weeks since my last post, I thought it would be fun to post a randomness of pictures from the Valentine's Day Party (and one picture from the Austrian fiesta...hosted by two awesome Austrian girls), while making a list of the top twelve things that I miss most in The United States. Think of it as a brief Norway collage- something to get you caught up quickly in a cluttered sort of way. And so, may I present to you my top twelve list of things that I miss most (and enjoy the pictures of course)...

Top Twelve Things I Miss the Most in the U.S.A. (the order is not precise except for number 1)

1) My family, friends and girlfriend
2) Beef- good affordable beef
3) A dentist that works more than once a week
4) Pancakes and waffles smothered in maple syrup
5) People saying thank you when you hold the door open for them
6) My truck
7) A microwave
8) Ounces, Pounds, Miles, Yards, Feet, Inches, Fahrenheit
9) Signs written in English
10)Newspapers written in English
11)A six pack that costs less than 16 dollars (or a beer in the club that costs less then $10)
12)My cell phone

Okay, so after reviewing my post, it's obvious that I require a separate food list entirely. This is not to say that I do not enjoy the food in Norway(just look at one of my earlier posts if you do not believe me). It's just that...well...when I get back home I will savor some things like I have never savored before.

Dylan's Additional List of Food that he Misses
1) Ranch Dressing (where the heck is the ranch! I speak of it as if it is a legend)
2) A home cooked meal prepared by the one and only; my momma
3) A meat-filled, mayonnaise-saturated sandwich, heaping with garnish on sliced American bread
4) Granola Bars (they do not exist in Norway...why god, why?)
5) Mexican food (your a long way away from La Mesa Todo)

My Weekend in Larvik

The other day my mother asked me like I was a little school boy on his first day of kindergarten, "Are you making a lot of new friends?"
My response- "I'm making the right friends."
Tonight the international students are attending an all-you-can-eat cruise to Denmark. It seems fun and adventurous enough- pay 250 Kroner and eat/drink all your stomach can withstand. However, after my trip to Larvik this past weekend, I can't help but feel content in my blue pajama pants, drinking Pepsi while I study European Politics.

O where to begin?

Firstly, I believe a thank you is in order. That being said; thank you Mats for making me feel comfortable since my first day in Norway, thank you Hans for inviting me into your home, and thank you Eric for driving through hours of icy, winding roads so that I could see Heddal Church. And of course, thank you to Han's parents (whose names I do not wish to butcher with my spelling)for introducing me to some Norwegian culture, for letting me eat your food, for buying us all beer, and for giving me a warm bed to sleep in. It may not seem like much to you, but your hospitality was a comforting moment for me in this place so far away from everything familiar to what I call home.

Now when I talk of this past weekend, three things come to mind. One- going to a national cross country skiing championship. Two- listening to records of The Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Doors, Bob Marley, and Crosby, Steels, Nash and Young. And Three- seeing an 800-year-old wooden church.

Needless to say, if you know me (or even just of me, at that haha), you can probably guess that Heddal Church was the climax of my weekend in Larvik. Just imagine...

We arrived at dusk when there was just a hint of light still glowing in the sky. As I walked into the old graveyard surrounding Heddal, I stood frozen before the church. I felt as if I should bow or kneal to something so magnificent. Like a scene only found in paintings, fluffy snowflakes drifted around the church in a setting of blue twilight caressed in winter stillness. I thought, "this is why I came to Norway".
Inside Heddal, rows of pews stood before a back ground of painted walls, drawn by the hands of people long before or great-great-great ancestors. I looked at the ancient altar in front of my eyes disbelievingly.
I contemplated, "For nearly 800 years the voices of the long dead once filled these walls". It`s strange to utter, but the construction of a church made entirely of wood, in a way, made it seem as if ancient voices could somehow be absorbed into the porous timber...
I couldn't´t help but notice how every one in the group touched the "original" parts of the church solemnly.