Tales of Humility

Some funny things about living in Norway:

I live in a large complex that looks like a housing project you would see in a big city in the states. not the prettiest site. My apartment is very small. The main room is about 10x10 with a small hallway where the kitchen and bathroom lie. Lately for dinner I have been eating spaghetti. A classic choice for a college student and ever so cheap. Unfortunately though I only have one burner and no stove. So I have to hold the sauce pan above the boiling noodles so that the rising steam will heat the red sauce. A very minimalist cooking experience to be sure.

Also the bathroom is in a word, modest. There is a shower curtain and a shower head but no floor for the shower. Let me clear. There is one floor for the whole bathroom. no divider. Just the floor and a drain. So the water from the shower gets everywhere and my floor is completely drenched the rest of the day. Did I mention that this place is really cheap? it could be worse. There are several students, mostly from Norway who were accepted to the school late and are completely without anywhere to live and are relegated to sleeping on a mattress in the sport hall next door to the hostel. At least as a international student I am guarenteed an actual place to sleep. I can be grateful for that. 

One more silly story...

So because I am a new student I do not have a student ID yet. What that means for me is that I do not have access to the music building after business hours and on the weekends. But as a musician you tend to go to the music building quite often since your main responsibilities are to practice and rehearse. So yesterday, a very rainy Saunday afternoon, I went over the academy hoping against hope that someone would be there to let me in. The best chance of getting someone´s attention is to go to the back door which is through the courtyard. The gate was locked, of course, so I had no choice to climb over this gate. I felt like quite the trespasser. I´m surprised that the dobermans didn´t come running out to chase me away. Can anyone say "Release the hounds Smithers!". Sorry, bad joke. Anyway. I made it through the first gate and then was on to try to get someone´s attention by knocking on the window. Of course the whole cafeteria was deserted with it being a Sunday, and I all I could really do was wait. But then I noticed that the bathroom window was ajar. AHA! A chance to break in! I was excited and the wheels in my head began to turn. now I just had to figure a way to hoist myself up to the ledge which was about level with my head. I looked around the courtyard and the only thing I could see that could possibly work was a big black plastic jug for depositing cigerettes. Disgusting! I drag this thing over to the window climb on top of it and I am still a little to short to climb in. Why didn´t I get any of the tall genes? So here I am in the rain, on top of a dirty, smelly cigerette depository trying to break into the school I attend through a bathroom window. I felt like such a fool! I stepped off of it and of course 15 seconds later someone came  and let me in.

Quite the glamorous life here in Europe!