Hello Australia!Yes, I am alive.
I haven't seen sunlight in just under a month and it is between -5 and -15 daily. It has snowed and I am looking forward to my first white christmas. I have just done my finale presentation at my Rotary club, it was in Norwegian. I have just received the date that I will be returning home on and it is quite surreal to read. I go home in a month and four days which is unreal. To think I have been away for eleven months. Eleven months above the arctic circle.
To fill you in on what has been happening for the last few months. I have been helping my host family build a bathroom, this is the second one that I have been apart of. The first was finished a week ago. Now that the snow has come we must clear the paths and driveway nearly everyday, that is not a problem though. I think it's fun.
I have been jamming with some friends every saturday at a studio they have which is great and I have been djing at parties and a little cafe on a weekly basis. I am djing at a christmas party on saturday, there will be around 100 people there so I happy with that. I was at a Rotary meeting in a town called Gjorvik a month ago. It was a district conference, the first I have been to. I met the new Exchange Students and each country did a presentation.
I have been making dinner at least twice a week. I have tried both Swedish and Norwegian Christmas food. Norwegian Julemat consists of salted ribs, fish that has filamented in soda and ginger bread. Swedish is a little different but along the same lines, salted ribs, special fish, ginger bread, an anchovy based potato bake and swedish meatballs.
We are still waiting on more snow before we can start sking/snowboarding downhill but I hope to make one last weekend trip to a mountain before I go. There is also a mountain here in Tromso that I want to hit before I go, it all depends on the snow. I have my last week of school in Norway ever next week and then I have winter holidays up until my reise dato.
I am very excited to be coming home but it will be extremely hard to say goodbye. So many memories, friends and both of my host families are "family" now.
Harrison
