Small aspects of this trip that I hope I never forget:
- My morning commute from Kringsjå to Forskingsparken, and how my spirits feel lifted if I happen to sit on the side of the train facing the city center and the fjord. Oslo glows in the morning if it's a clear day; not much beats the reflection of the sun off the water in the harbor.
- Walking through Oslo S. with my iPod on, just moving through the crowd. And, similarly, walking through Oslo S. without my iPod on, trying to catch the bits and pieces of English interspersed with the Norwegian floating around. I like looking at the train arrivals and departures even though I have no intention of going anywhere, mostly to imagine going somewhere. I love the restless energy of Oslo S.
- Hot water. Thank God hot water hasn't been an issue. But honestly, I don't think I've ever appreciated hot showers quite this much before, and I doubt an explanation is necessary.
- Friends. I think this goes without saying since nearly every entry I've posted here has featured some discussion of the lovely people I spend all of my time around, but I want to write something for myself here so that I don't forget how much every single one of them mean to me. Elif was the first real friend I made here in Oslo; Mike and Ray give me that weekly dose of Americana that I think all Americans crave when away from home; Tim has been a grand partner in crime, even if I do tease him and Richard for "Dutching" when our group gets together; Julia has been a wonderful confidante, even if we don't see each other much; and I'm probably leaving out others, but this post could get tedious if I continue naming everyone. Suffice to say, I'm content with the company I keep, and I don't want to forget how they make me feel.
- Triumphant pub quiz near-victories.
- Mocking the really bad films and appreciating the good ones at Norwegian Film Night on Mondays.
- "Dørene lukkes. Neste stasjon..."
- Evergreen Tuesdays (even if this week we went on Wednesday, and will be going again tonight).
- The way a Narvesen hotdog somehow becomes the best thing in the whole world when one has had one too many glasses of wine, and never tastes quite the same while sober.
- Fire alarms. ...Okay, maybe I'd be all right with forgetting about the fire alarms.
- Sognsvann, both during the day and at night. I'd like to go back at night when it warms up a bit.
Some stuff I miss about Huntsville:
- Driving over Chapman Mountain every morning on my way to work, right about the time the sun is cresting the Appalachian foothills. I think that view, and the view of the green and yellow valley from Cecil-Ashburne, might give my view of the Oslo fjord and its sparkling waters a run for its money.
- UAH: Morton Hall and its many water spots on the ceiling tiles; perpetually incomplete Roberts Hall; routinely calling Frank Franz Hall by its old name, NCRH, because for me it will always be NCRH; pestering my professors during their office hours because they're there and I'm bored; the many missing overhead projector remotes that are always, always with Cindy, no matter how many times the professors check the lock boxes. Sigh.
- Afternoon adventures to Jamo's with Jennifer, Archie, Haley, Elizabeth, and whomever else we used to cram into my car, or Archie's car.
- The Honor's Lounge, and all that that entails. Honors students of the past and present, here's lookin' at you.
- Nights at the Nook spending money I don't have on (absolutely FANTASTIC) beer that I really don't need, and the inevitable two-hour sobering period in the parking lot that follows before I'm okay to drive home.
- DnD Wednesdays--and driving home afterwards with my windows rolled down so that I can blaze down the interstate at 70mph with the wind competing with my music to see who's really the loudest.
- The random explosions heard coming from the Arsenal that no one even bats an eyelash at anymore. Huntsville is Rocket City, after all.
That's all for now. :)
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