Sunny Days Ahead

I took these photos of the sunrise this morning at about 6:30--we have about 6 hours more daylight now than we had in December. I can't wait for my first Norwegian summer and all those long, sunny days!

Last night I went out with my friend from Norskkurs, Mariana, to a movie. ("Music and Lyrics", which was kind of cute, especially if you love '80's music!) Afterwards, we wanted to have some coffee, so we went to a local coffeehouse/bar called Chaplin's. We were shocked that a 100 NOK (almost $20) cover was being charged just to go in. I don't mind paying cover if a good band is playing, but there is no way I will pay $20 to drink a $2 cup of coffee! Surprisingly, there were several customers there, so I guess some people are not as cheap as I am!

We ended up at Rapido, a little convenience store with a small cafe. I got a cappuccino and a piece of delicious chocolate torte for 60 NOK (about $10), so a much better deal. The owner of the store is an Iranian immigrant and he was so encouraging to both of us about our Norwegian speaking skills. He speaks Norwegian beautifully, with almost no accent--I find it so hopeful to meet other immigrants who are fluent! Maybe some day I will also sound intelligent in Norwegian, or at least not like a babbling idiot with a terrible American accent!

We had our first test in Norskkurs on Friday, and I thought it was pretty easy. I think I did well, so I know that language-wise, I'm where I'm supposed to be, but I still get so frustrated with myself. There is so much I still need to learn before I'll be interesting or funny or smart in Norwegian, and I know that I have still have many months of sounding like a moron ahead of me!