Home Again!

God Jul og Hå det bra! (Merry Christmas and Goodbyes!)

Hei frå Norge! (This is probably the last time I will be writing that for a while!) My IFYE experience ends in 2 days...I am shocked! I cannot believe how fast the last six months has passed! It seems like only yesterday that I was landing in Stockholm, Sweden very excited and anxious for my IFYE trip to begin! It is truly hard to believe that I will be flying back to Kansas so soon! I also never imagined what wonderful experiences and great people that I would encounter during my trip! It has been so amazing!

The last few days of my trip have been just as exciting as the first few days! Now that December is upon us, everyone is beginning to get the Christmas spirit! In Norway, they celebrate Advent during the 24 days before Christmas! I have had the opportunity to participate in a few of their traditions and activities in preparation for Christmas! We decorated the house with purple decorations, stars, lights, and candles for the Advent period. I also helped prepare the Advent calendar for the children in the family. For the calendar, small gifts are wrapped up for of the 24 days before Christmas. The gifts are usually tied on a calendar and each one is opened on the specific day. The kids are very excited about this tradition!

Christmas music concerts are also very popular! There are concerts of many different types of music. Over the weekend, I attended two different concerts with my host parents. Astrid and I went to a choir concert at a nearby church. The sang many Christmas songs in Norwegian and even some in English! It was very pretty! Tor Olav and I attended a Christmas concert of another type, we went to the D.D.E. concert. This is a band that is well known in Norway and they often have rock music and comedy during their shows. Most of the concert was in Norwegian, so I did not understand everything, but it was still really good! I enjoyed hearing the Norwegian songs and the band was very active during the show! It has been very interesting to learn about many of the traditions that Norwegians participate in for the holiday season!

Going home to my family and friends and everyday life will be great! I am really excited! But leaving the Solberg-Brandtzæg family and the exciting life as an IFYE will be difficult! Their family has been very welcoming and I have really enjoyed living with them and getting to know them all! I know it is going to be sad to say goodbye, just as it was very hard to leave all of my host families! I will be back to visit though!

I would once again like to thank everyone for all of the help and support that made my IFYE experience possible! The experiences have been invaluable and my views of the world have been remarkably expanded! I could not have done it alone! Thank you all! Love you and see you soon! --Martha

Family, 4-H, and Snow

   In the past week and a half, I have really enjoyed getting to know my host family. The Solberg-Brandtzæg family has been great! The family includes Tor Olav (father, Communications Director for a large Norwegian food company called Nortura), Astrid (mother, General Secretary of 4-H Norway), Bjørnar (15, brother, student), Kjersti (12, daughter, student), and Ingvild (9, daughter, student).

   Last week, I attended a conference for 4-H employees of Norway. It was three days and nearly all of the people who work with 4-H were present. I attended some of the sessions, although it was a little difficult for me to understand because it was all in Norwegian. I also had the opportunity to present to the entire group about the IFYE program, myself, and 4-H in Kansas. It was fun to share some of our methods of 4-H with them! I also had a chance to meet and socialize with many wonderful people! They are all very devoted to their jobs and the program is well organized! We also traveled to a local glass company and watched a glassblowing demonstration. It was really amazing to see how they created one of a kind masterpieces! Look at my photos link to see some pictures!

   It has also been snowing here! Astrid, Kjersti, Ingvild and I took some time to play in the snow! The girls built a snowman and had a snowball fight! They also showed me one of the traditional methods of transportation used during the winter in Norway. It is called a spark. It is sort of like a sled, but you stand on the back and kick to make it go! It is a lot of fun! I will have to put some pictures of it on here when I get the chance!

  I really cannot believe that I am traveling home in about 9 days! I have mixed emotions about leaving. I am really excited to see my family and friends at home, but I am also very sad to say goodbye to all of the amazing people I have met! It is hard to know exactly when I will see them again, but I certainly plan to come back! And of course, everyone is welcome in Kansas at anytime! Hope you all have a great week, I know that I will! -Love Martha

Cold, Dark, Foggy...

   Cold, dark, and foggy... these are three words that I would use to describe Norway during this time of year. Now I know that I make it sound dreary and dull, but in reality I am finding out that it is far from it! With winter beginning to set in, the days are getting shorter and shorter and the weather is colder and colder. It is light for about 8 hours per day in the southern part of the country, where I am staying now. It will continue to get darker as the days pass. The temperature is about a steady -2 degrees Celsius during the day and colder at night. There is no snow in this area yet.

   Now, many of these things sound negative and quite uninviting, but really it helps make you appreciate the little things in life. For example, being outside in the cold or even looking out the windows make you very thankful that you have a place to live and warm clothes to wear. Also, after spending four hours hiking in the forest when it is freezing and wet, you really begin to appreciate a nice hot cup of tea or cocoa and a warm shower when you come back inside! I have recently had this experience when I went hiking for a school trip with my host sister, Ingvild, and her class! It was a lot of fun to be outdoors and experience the nature even in the cold weather. I also enjoyed being with the kids and watching them having so much fun, regardless of the fact that it was freezing! In addition, because of the frigid weather, you try to stay inside as much as possible and this gives you lots of quality time with family and friends!

   Winter can often be a depressing and gloomy time of year and it is easy to be in a bad mood. But I have experienced that most Norwegians realize that they cannot change the weather, so they have learned to make the most out of the situation! Many people have get togethers with family and friends, there is always lots of great food, and I particularly enjoy the fire constantly burning in the wood stove and having candles lit all over the house! People here also enjoy a variety of winter sports such as skiing, both down hill and cross country, and ice skating! It is inspiring to see their positive attitudes!

   Norwegians do not celebrate Thanksgiving on the same day or in the same way that Americans do. Being an American, it will be strange for me not to be celebrating the holiday with family this year. But I am very thankful to all the wonderful people I have met for helping show me how to truly be thankful for all of our many blessings and to appreciate each other! My time as an IFYE is growing short, and I am certainly going to miss all the special people that I have met in the past 6 months! But I will forever be thankful that they have come into my life and blessed me with their love and friendship! I will also be coming back to visit!

   I would like to wish you all a very HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Enjoy your time with your loved ones and may you truly be thankful for all of your many blessings! I know I am! Take care and see you soon! Love always- Martha

New Pictures!