Today some girls and I climbed up Sugarloaf bluff above Winona. We had PBJs and Jelly Bellys... tasty times. It was nice to have a little photo shoot as well.
tirsdag 8. september 2009
Sugarloaf Bluff
Today some girls and I climbed up Sugarloaf bluff above Winona. We had PBJs and Jelly Bellys... tasty times. It was nice to have a little photo shoot as well.
lørdag 5. september 2009
Labor day weekend
The only things left on campus this weekend are... gnats. I didn't know that there existed so many gnats in this world. I bike to class, or just around, and i have to wear long pants and a sweatshirt and sunglasses, just to avoid the gnats, and I still end up with maybe 30 dead on my clothes. Absolutely beautiful.
So the majority of people here at WSU have chosen to go home for the weekend. I wasn't willing to pay for a $100 train ticket so here I am, with my new friends, the gnats. I was trying to figure out what to do today and so I thought, heck, I'll just go on campus and do my homework outside. I practiced viola for an hour and now I'm sitting underneath a tree writing on, of course, my blog. The only people around here are a few families who have chosen to come visit their kids instead.
I might practice more viola later or I'll find somebody to hang out with, but for now I'll be working on my MCOM notes and maybe I'll read Watchmen.
onsdag 2. september 2009
I have no control of the future
Not such a good day, I suppose one can say.
Over the past few weeks I've been trying to make friends and get acquainted with the campus and my classes, etc. I haven't really made any real lasting friends and it's kind of frustrating to me. In Norway I made friends right away on the first day and I talk to those friends to this day. In fact, I'll be marrying one of them someday. As for my classes here, I'm severely disappointed. The orchestra here is at a lower level than that of my old high school orchestra. My viola lessons are only 30 minutes long. And music theory is much too easy. I thought that orchestra and music weren't that important to me, but I guess if I've learned anything in the last few weeks it's that, yes, being in an orchestra that challenges me is important.
So for now, I'm not only job searching, but I have once again joined the hunt for colleges. I'm considering moving to Norway and studying at Barratt Due or the Music Conservatory in Oslo if I get in. It would, most likely, be the smartest idea financially. It would be kind of expensive living in Oslo, but if I'm living with Anders, we can share the expenses. I know that there is a fee to go study in Norway, but there is a way around that. That would be for me to marry Anders. I would, also, then be eligible for financial aid from the Norwegian government (tuition is free and the government will give me money for living expenses).
The most difficult part to that proposition is the whole family matter. I know I'm young and I know I shouldn't be in a rush. But in my eyes, I will not be missing out on anything if I marry at a young age. They say you just know when you meet the person you're meant to be with. And let me tell you, I knew. Over a year ago. And we promised each other we'd be together someday. Right now is just a waiting period- for Anders to finish up school and for us both to earn enough money to live in the same country.
Money is an issue right now, and one of the main reasons why we're in the tough situation we're in. We cannot afford to visit each other often or go to school in the same country like normal students. Our options are pretty much limited to: get a huge scholarship, win the lottery, or get married and receive financial aid. The last sounds the most realistic to us both.
And while we'd love to have a big wedding and celebration, that just isn't in the budget right now. So we say, why not get married now, stay together in the same country, study at college, get jobs, save up money, and throw a party later- maybe on our 5 year anniversary.
The hardest people to convince of this plan would be my parents. I don't really know, but I think that they're thinking I'd be making a big mistake if I marry Anders so young. I think this stems from my mom and dad's past and the circumstances under which they became a thing.
Anyways, I hope that they can support us if we do decide that getting married young would be the best for us.
I think everyone knows that Anders and I are meant for each other and will one day be married anyway.
And I can tell you, I have thought about this for endless hours and I understand how hard a decision like this can be on a family. Being away from my parents and siblings will be one of the hardest things I'll ever have to do, but there's a man I love in this world and I can't imagine my life without him. Visits to the US would be made as frequently as possible, but as students, that might not be very often. It's heartbreaking to leave my parents and siblings, but Anders is my family now and so we'll be one giant family living over 2 continents. We can work it out.
Over the past few weeks I've been trying to make friends and get acquainted with the campus and my classes, etc. I haven't really made any real lasting friends and it's kind of frustrating to me. In Norway I made friends right away on the first day and I talk to those friends to this day. In fact, I'll be marrying one of them someday. As for my classes here, I'm severely disappointed. The orchestra here is at a lower level than that of my old high school orchestra. My viola lessons are only 30 minutes long. And music theory is much too easy. I thought that orchestra and music weren't that important to me, but I guess if I've learned anything in the last few weeks it's that, yes, being in an orchestra that challenges me is important.
So for now, I'm not only job searching, but I have once again joined the hunt for colleges. I'm considering moving to Norway and studying at Barratt Due or the Music Conservatory in Oslo if I get in. It would, most likely, be the smartest idea financially. It would be kind of expensive living in Oslo, but if I'm living with Anders, we can share the expenses. I know that there is a fee to go study in Norway, but there is a way around that. That would be for me to marry Anders. I would, also, then be eligible for financial aid from the Norwegian government (tuition is free and the government will give me money for living expenses).
The most difficult part to that proposition is the whole family matter. I know I'm young and I know I shouldn't be in a rush. But in my eyes, I will not be missing out on anything if I marry at a young age. They say you just know when you meet the person you're meant to be with. And let me tell you, I knew. Over a year ago. And we promised each other we'd be together someday. Right now is just a waiting period- for Anders to finish up school and for us both to earn enough money to live in the same country.
Money is an issue right now, and one of the main reasons why we're in the tough situation we're in. We cannot afford to visit each other often or go to school in the same country like normal students. Our options are pretty much limited to: get a huge scholarship, win the lottery, or get married and receive financial aid. The last sounds the most realistic to us both.
And while we'd love to have a big wedding and celebration, that just isn't in the budget right now. So we say, why not get married now, stay together in the same country, study at college, get jobs, save up money, and throw a party later- maybe on our 5 year anniversary.
The hardest people to convince of this plan would be my parents. I don't really know, but I think that they're thinking I'd be making a big mistake if I marry Anders so young. I think this stems from my mom and dad's past and the circumstances under which they became a thing.
Anyways, I hope that they can support us if we do decide that getting married young would be the best for us.
I think everyone knows that Anders and I are meant for each other and will one day be married anyway.
And I can tell you, I have thought about this for endless hours and I understand how hard a decision like this can be on a family. Being away from my parents and siblings will be one of the hardest things I'll ever have to do, but there's a man I love in this world and I can't imagine my life without him. Visits to the US would be made as frequently as possible, but as students, that might not be very often. It's heartbreaking to leave my parents and siblings, but Anders is my family now and so we'll be one giant family living over 2 continents. We can work it out.
mandag 31. august 2009
The Cities
This past weekend I spent in the wonderful cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul (plus surrounding areas). I really wanted to see my friend Maren from Norway this past year, but it never seemed to work out- this weekend, however, it did!! After catching a ride from some friends here at Winona, I waited outside of the Mall of America for Corey, Maren's mom, to pick me up. I saw her and we went back to the car and then we'd drive to Maren's swim meet. There was this weird person in the back seat, though and I thought for a moment 'ummm who is this person in the back of the car' then I was like OMG MAREN!!! She and her mom totalllllly surprised me. Dang. But it was awesome. I met Maren's friends and we spent Saturday in Minneapolis hanging out in Uptown and biking around lake Calhoun. It was a beautiful afternoon. Sunday we went to the Minnesota State Fair and I saw cousin Ben. I'm pretty sure he was quite surprised to see me. At the fair we at Calzones on a stick, A bucketful of cookies and lemonade. I bought a pretty necklace and a Norwegian magnet for my fridge. All in all, very fun weekend.
torsdag 27. august 2009
MCOM 100
I had my last 'first class' this evening. The best way to describe it would be: a quaint class of about 432 students in a very personalized lecture format. Wow. Very interesting. Tonight was my first night ever in a class this large, and, in fact, the class I'm in has the largest class enrollment of any class offered at Winona State. I consider myself lucky...
We spent a good portion of the evening talking about personal communication. A little food for thought: The average vocabulary of a high school graduate 30 years ago (16,000 words). The average vocabulary of a high school graduate in current times (9,000) words. Fascinating yet terrifying. We were discussing why this could be. And we figure it is the mass media and communication to blame. We have become so dependent on other means of communication that we as people have actually begun to lose our ability to communicate effectively. Sad.
This class will be a lot of work, but it is totally worth it. I really love learning about this kind of stuff and I could definitely see myself working in this field someday.
Anyways, goodnight!
A little Winona State love
We spent a good portion of the evening talking about personal communication. A little food for thought: The average vocabulary of a high school graduate 30 years ago (16,000 words). The average vocabulary of a high school graduate in current times (9,000) words. Fascinating yet terrifying. We were discussing why this could be. And we figure it is the mass media and communication to blame. We have become so dependent on other means of communication that we as people have actually begun to lose our ability to communicate effectively. Sad.
This class will be a lot of work, but it is totally worth it. I really love learning about this kind of stuff and I could definitely see myself working in this field someday.
Anyways, goodnight!
A little Winona State love
mandag 24. august 2009
The first day of College Classes
Today was the first day of classes, and let me tell you, it was so easy! My music theory class consisted of taking attendance and filling out a survey and my Math 100 class began with the professor saying this: '10% of the things we will cover in this class you could have done without a problem in the fourth grade.' I don't think i have much to worry about with that class. We covered histograms and scatter plots today, not so hard at all.
søndag 23. august 2009
Hypnotist
Tonight I went to a hypnotist show. Let me be more specific, a 18 and older hypnotist show... I went with some friends and I sat next to Mark, who specifically told me to wake him up if he got hypnotized. I didn't. And maybe it's karma, but he had to get up and be an exotic dancer for me. He almost gave me a lap dance in his hypnotized state but I screamed and wouldn't let him, it was sooo funny though!
lørdag 22. august 2009
Week Number One... Complete
So I've been out here at Winona for the good part of a week now... Including the crazzzyyy college weekend party life. Well, not to be a downer, but I'm not really into that whole party scene. In fact, last night Chelsea, Mark, and I were walking around Winona, you know, getting acquainted with the town, and we wanted to lay down in the middle of the football field and look at the starts. Well, much to our dismay, the fields were locked, so we walked around and eventually found a spot right next to Winona lake. We lay down on the damp grass and watched the stars (we even think we saw the space station) and we made Mrs. Peck proud... Canis Major, Cassiopeia, etc. While our little star gazing session was going on, almost every party around Winona got busted (the cops were given a grant to have more people on the force out and undercover at parties). This morning, while everyone was sleeping off their hangovers, Annamarie, Chelsea, Mark, and I biked across the Mississippi to Wisconsin. There are some nice trails and a beach there, actually. And Wisconsin is only about a 10 block plus a bridge (about 10 minute) bike ride. Pretty fabulous, actually. Well the plans for this evening include watching part of the volleyball tournament and going to a hypnotist. Classes start on Monday, and I'll update when I get the time.
tirsdag 18. august 2009
Tomorrow is the Day
The count down has officially reached zero. I'm all packed up- all of the boxes are in the car. Now I'm just waiting to take off as the sun rises early tomorrow morning. Winona here I come!!!
Today's activites, however, consisted of last minute shopping for laundry detergent, garbage bags and the all imporant underwear and other college necessities. It's kind of strange bumping into friends at Target and knowing that this is the last time you'll see them for a year, or ever. Well as the winds change, so do we all and were all blown in our own seperate ways, and I guess that's a good thing. It'll never be boring. See you soon. Next time from good ole Winona.
One More Day In Mequon
I'm feeling quite strange today. Its a mixture between a bunch of emotions.
1. Excited- I'm finally getting out of this prision environment I've spent 17 years of my life in, which is known to us as the lovely Mequon, Wisconsin. FInally and adult. No more curfews. No more nagging parents. What else could a kid ask for?
2. Nervous- As shit, I must say. I'm leaving pretty much everything I've ever known- Which, I do have to say, I've liked in the past, HELLO Norway? So I have no idea why it's harder for me now. Possibly that I've settled down to the idea that I will be spending the rest of my life with Anders, so there's no like Big Search for me at college. No reason for me to go out and party and get drunk off my ass. Maybe I won't fit in. Then again, maybe I will.
3. Uber Depressed- After tomorrow I won't be able to talk to Anders for about 2 weeks. I'll be beginning my WInona State College Adventures and he'll be off the Poland and Germany once I'm done with my freshman orientation. It's always especially hard for us when we don't talk. We rely so much on each other for support to get through these years apart. I mean, it's so difficult, but it is definitely worth it. I wouldn't wait or be in so much emotional pain for anyone else. He's the love of my life, so I'll wait for him. And not talk to him for a while so we can each take care of what we need to do.
4. Stressed- I'm super stressed lately about money. Though I can afford my first year of college (with the help of scholarships and loans) I still need to find a way to help Anders get $18,000 so he can come study in the US next year. My parents adivse me to not help him out and take care of myself. What they don't realize is that when Anders and I committed ourselves to each other we meant we'd be a team forever. That includes in times of financial crisis. That would be now, and possibly forever if our loans get large enough...
5. Misplaced- My family is hosting a girl from Japan this year and she has now taken over what once was 'the marissa room.' The past few weeks have been filled with emptying out my closet and under the bed and getting EVERYTHING out of my room. It's very strange because I'm losing the idea of living at my parents home. I no longer have a room here, so I guess that means I'm supposed to be up and out on my own. Adios to the comforts of an always full refrigerator or washing machine right down the stairs. Hello to cafeterias and laundromats. Fun. It's so exciting. But so scary. I'm so ready for this new change in my life. I'm getting so bored and that's why I need to get out. It's my life. My life is an adventure. So I'll strap on my seat belt and go for a ride.
1. Excited- I'm finally getting out of this prision environment I've spent 17 years of my life in, which is known to us as the lovely Mequon, Wisconsin. FInally and adult. No more curfews. No more nagging parents. What else could a kid ask for?
2. Nervous- As shit, I must say. I'm leaving pretty much everything I've ever known- Which, I do have to say, I've liked in the past, HELLO Norway? So I have no idea why it's harder for me now. Possibly that I've settled down to the idea that I will be spending the rest of my life with Anders, so there's no like Big Search for me at college. No reason for me to go out and party and get drunk off my ass. Maybe I won't fit in. Then again, maybe I will.
3. Uber Depressed- After tomorrow I won't be able to talk to Anders for about 2 weeks. I'll be beginning my WInona State College Adventures and he'll be off the Poland and Germany once I'm done with my freshman orientation. It's always especially hard for us when we don't talk. We rely so much on each other for support to get through these years apart. I mean, it's so difficult, but it is definitely worth it. I wouldn't wait or be in so much emotional pain for anyone else. He's the love of my life, so I'll wait for him. And not talk to him for a while so we can each take care of what we need to do.
4. Stressed- I'm super stressed lately about money. Though I can afford my first year of college (with the help of scholarships and loans) I still need to find a way to help Anders get $18,000 so he can come study in the US next year. My parents adivse me to not help him out and take care of myself. What they don't realize is that when Anders and I committed ourselves to each other we meant we'd be a team forever. That includes in times of financial crisis. That would be now, and possibly forever if our loans get large enough...
5. Misplaced- My family is hosting a girl from Japan this year and she has now taken over what once was 'the marissa room.' The past few weeks have been filled with emptying out my closet and under the bed and getting EVERYTHING out of my room. It's very strange because I'm losing the idea of living at my parents home. I no longer have a room here, so I guess that means I'm supposed to be up and out on my own. Adios to the comforts of an always full refrigerator or washing machine right down the stairs. Hello to cafeterias and laundromats. Fun. It's so exciting. But so scary. I'm so ready for this new change in my life. I'm getting so bored and that's why I need to get out. It's my life. My life is an adventure. So I'll strap on my seat belt and go for a ride.
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