Becoming Norwegians..or so we think!

Settling back in after spring break took almost all of last week! It was crazy how tired everyone was after the trip and then a short week in school, all 5 of us crashed Friday after school until dinner time! Last week we had beautiful weather and this weekend we actually got some snow :( (which is not typical here this time of year) I am looking forward to it warming up so I can be outside more. I am getting a bit of cabin fever. ha.

Kaitlin feeding her swan friends!

Maggie, our fisherman :)

 Last week we were able to go on the fjord with Unni, the 5th grade teacher at Malmanger. Her and her husband took us for a trip around the islands. It was nice to be out on the boat and see other nearby parts of Norway! We even saw a small whale, which is very unlikely here. Apparently they are very shy and hard to find because they only come up for air every 5 minutes or so. We were very lucky! We spent awhile looking and waiting for it to come up again but it didn't, so we have no picture proof! The whale we saw looks just like a dolphin, but it is actually a very small whale, called a Nise.

This is how we got picked up :)

Unni and her husband on their boat!

 A Troll!

School is so different here and I think it has been a constant adjustment for me.  I am still getting used to not doing as much teaching as I would in America. I have also been getting used to switching grade levels. I work with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders, but mostly with 1st. It has been difficult to get to know the 2nd and 3rd graders because I don't see them as much, but it has also been really good to get experience with such a wide range of grade levels, teachers, and types of students! It is crazy how different each grade level is, personality, knowledge, and English all vary so much among the grades.

3rd graders playing some knock off game at break.

 Each Thursday the 1st and 2nd graders go on a "trip". (Everyone here calls hikes, walks, runs, etc. a "trip".) Usually it's not a very far or long one because the students are so little, but this past Thursday was pretty much a whole day trip. We climbed up one part of the mountain, it took over an hour to get there, and then another hour or so down. I was very impressed with how well students did with this. They just kept going with very little complaining! It was interesting to me how there was about 30 students and 4 teachers including me and students could just run off and go at their own pace. In America we always have to do everything together and hold hands and make sure we can see all students. Here it is okay to be independent and go your own way, which is kind of refreshing. As long as everyone was being safe and ending up in the same place it doesn't really matter! I am learning a lot of tolerance and patience. It makes me think that in America we could probably relax a bit and not be so controlling all of the time.

On our way up!

Made it to the top! Lunch Time!

View from where we hiked to!

It was a lot steeper than it looks!

The school days here are also very short. Students begin at 8:30 and are done by 1:00 each day. The upper grades usually go until 2 or 2:30. The way time is spent during the day is also very different here. Teachers usually map out their whole week and stick to it. Not every subject area is taught each day either. Some days students may do math and other days maybe no math at all. I think it is interesting because most students are at the same level of similar students/grades in America. It shows me that maybe we spend too much time on academics and learning in the classroom rather than outside of the classroom. Students here get at least 2 breaks (recesses) a day, sometimes more. Teachers decide when and how long of a break students get based on their behavior, attentiveness, work, and so on. I like that it is up to the teacher to decide when students need to be refocused, rather than a set schedule and rules. Students get a lot of time to spend outdoors. There is not much playing equipment here either. I have noticed students do a lot of improvising and creating their own games and fun outside, it's really cool. Of course, soccer is being played constantly outside :)

Painting away!

1st graders making houses in arts and crafts!

1st graders made a couch from wood for their house!

This past weekend was very quiet and relaxing. I was able to do a little bit of school work and watch lots of Netflix! It was snowing during the day on Saturday and part of Sunday, so that kind of kept us stuck in the cabin:( Saturday night Truda (one of the teacher assistants at Malmanger) took Gabby and myself on a short hike to the waterfall. It is a nice little hike that I will start going on my own now that I know the way. There was snow on the ground, but that made it even preitter. I was happy to get out of the cabin for a bit! On Sunday Truda also took Maggie and myself, as well as Truda's daughter on a walk to the stone park here. It was nice to get to know people from school a little more.

Another beautiful sunset seen on our trip!

Forest area near the waterfall!

 Sunday night, Stein, the secondary school principal and his wife, Elka, invited us over for dinner. We had a traditional Norwegian meal of open faced deli sandwiches (turkey, liver, and lamb) with good Norwegian cheese. I also tried something new, it is kiwi jam that Elka made herself. You put it on a biscuit (graham cracker type thing) with butter, cheese, and the jam. It was quite delicious!

I am really enjoying my time here, but starting to get a bit homesick. Only 22 more days here and I am back to good ol' Dubuque!