Oh What a Beautiful Morning!

It is gorgeous day today in Bergen. After many days of overcast and constant rain it is refreshing. I feel like I am in a scene from "The Sound of Music" sometimes.

Today I plan to walk to Bryggen which is a part of Bergen that was built in the 900s. It is a part of town that is mostly wooden structures that are near the waterfront. A tourist hot spot!
Here is where you can see a picture:


http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/Houses_in_Bryggen_(Norway).jpg&imgrefurl=http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Houses_in_Bryggen_(Norway).jpg&h=2896&w=1944&sz=1214&tbnid=DX5EWqA_Cerh8M:&tbnh=150&tbnw=101&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbryggen%2Bnorway%2Bpictures&usg=__eNvlgUkJfVkcvSQjPPaZibvAV0A=&ei=w9qsSqSRHIuQsAbrmu3LBw&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=2&ct=image

It really is amazing how old the city is. It is one of the oldest cities in Norway dating back to 1070! WOW. That is especially impressive to hear coming from such a young country. Reminds one what a blip humans are on the radar of time.

Speaking of which, I have been here for a month now! Feels like it´s gone by slow and quickly at the same time. A strange sensation to be sure. This week I will be rehearsing with the Professional Military Band for a performance of " Pictures of an Exhibition" by Modest Mussorgsky. It is a piece originally intended for orchestra but has been arranged for wind band. It should be a cool experience to play with a professional group. I also have to pick an article to study and give a presentation about on October 2nd. I hope to find something this week so I can start formulating ideas. It can be difficult at times to keep focus because there is so much freedom here. And by that I mean I have a lot to do but without the strict schedule I have had in the past. But it is definitely a good thing for me. I am being treated like an adult and it feels good to be given the opportunity to show that I am mature enough to produce good work without someone breathing down my neck. I feel fortunate that both my professor and advisor are so supportive and open but also very intelligent and resourceful. Both of the lectures that I have had have been really interesting. They are 4 hours long but go by very quickly! An experience I have never had before.

Goals for the upcoming weeks:

To get a Norwegian bank account
Pick a date for my semester recital
get through "Ornamentation According to C.P.E Bach and J.J. Quantz"
Play well for the upcoming concert with the Military Band
get my free cup of coffee from 7-Eleven!
Start work on applications for grants for next year
Find out if there is a good place to volunteer once a week
Finish "The Heart is A Lonely Hunter"

more funny things bout Norway:

Hotdogs wrapped in bacon
girls don´t wear pants (shirts and tights and tall boots)