End of semester update, 21 December

Hello all.  I thought I would post some photos and an update from the past few weeks which included the conclusion of the fall semester here.  Kristie will be arriving shortly in Oslo.  We're going to tour around the city a bit on Monday, and then we head for Heidelberg, Germany on Tuesday where we will spend Christmas.  From there we'll travel to Rome and Barcelona and spend a few days in each location.  I'm excited to put my Spanish skills to use for a bit while in Spain.  

I had my Norwegian language course final exam last Monday, and I turned in my last exam for my masters program on Friday.  The last exam covered a course on qualitative methods...new and interesting content for me.

I also had a meeting on Friday with a nurse named Pauline at a nursing home just a bit north of where I'm living.  She showed me around the facility and introduced me to some of the residents.  I'm looking forward to making regular visits starting in January.  Pauline and her husband are hosting a Rotary exchange student from Brazil this year while their daughter is on the same program in Japan.  While it has been a difficult task to find a service opportunity here in Oslo, a Rotary connection has swooped in to my rescue!

God Jul (Merry Christmas) and hope you all have a nice holiday season.

Beautiful, snow-covered University of Oslo campus

These photos are from a few weeks ago...we recently had a surge of warm weather (like 32-38 degrees F) and all of our snow has melted.  I've been reassured there is plenty more to come for a replacement in the near future though.

My master's program, International Community Health, celebrated its '10th birthday' on 3. December with a program of speeches, multicultural entertainment and a luncheon.  

A fashion show was also part of the festivities for the 10th anniversary celebration

Random picture, but I had never seen one of these before.  Its an orange assaulted by cloves and serves as a Christmas potpourri ball.  I snapped this photo at my host Rotarian Trond's house.

On a completely different note, but also involving sticking objects into citrus fruits, we had an 'interactive lecture' on acupuncture in class the other week.  First we practiced on clementines.

Then we tried on ourselves.  I had never experienced acupuncture before and was surprised how it didn't hurt at all...unless you stick the needle in wrong of course.  

I acquired a Christmas tree for my floor to get my floormates and I into the holiday spirit.

Low-cost decorating.  Aluminum foil and ribbon.

My floormate, Misha, and I showing off the masterpiece.

Julebord.  That directly translates to 'Christmas table' and is an important celebration for every office, organization, business, program, club and anyone else who meets regularly in a group to utilize as a holiday gathering celebration.  I went to one with my institute at the university, another for my master's program, and the latest with the Oslo Rotaract club.  

I've enjoyed some skiing recently.  There is a local ski park accessible by public transportation in northern Oslo that I visited for downhill skiing.  I also went cross country skiing for my first time the other week with a friend.  Learning the basics went well I think...but since the snow melted recently I haven't been able to get back out to practice.  Next semester I hope to get out to cross country ski regularly.  Its only a 10 minute walk from my place to hop on a ski path.

Istanbul, Turkey 27-30 November

Eating turkey in Turkey on Turkey Day would have been a magnificent feat, but sadly I only ate kebabs on 27 November in Istanbul.  The trip to Istanbul was amazing; the people were fun and extroverted, the buildings and sites were impressive, the food was delicious with interesting flavors, and the surroundings were unlike anything I had experienced before.  I hope you enjoy glancing at the photos and brief commentaries I've posted here.

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Dolma rolling machines for sale.  Dolma is a Turkish delicacy with ingredients like rice and meat wrapped in vine or grape leaves.

Lots of people in the crowded streets.  Istanbul is the 3rd largest city in the world with around 12 million people.  That is, about 3 times the population of the entire country of Norway.

Part of the city across the Golden Horn on the European side.

People fishing along the Bosphorus.  The Bosphorus, also known as the Istanbul Straight, is a body of water separating the European and Asian continents.  Since the city encompasses area on both sides of the Bosphorus, Istanbul is considered a transcontinental city.

Cool hats

Enjoying Turkish coffee...it's known to be a strong and thick brew.

Octopus

Sheep heads

Strange looking fish

A pigeon lady

Delicious kebab

Bagel vendor

Portable laminator 

Travis with two Turks we met in a restaurant our first night

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Cats were everywhere around the city, even in the church/mosque/museum of Hagia Sofia as seen in the first picture below.  The story we heard is that the Prophet Mohammed was fond of cats, so they are allowed to roam freely.

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We took a quick trip to the Asian side of Istanbul.  Boat ride lasted approximately 10 minutes.  It was interesting going from Europe to Asia in a matter of minutes...just strange to think of it that way I suppose.

In Europe...

Now Asia.

Security fences around a university on the Asian side.

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The Grand Bazaar.  Reportedly some 6,000 shops in this market.

The Spice Bazaar, constructed in the 17th Century.  This location served as an important connecting point between Asia and Europe along the historical spice routes.

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The Topkapi Palace was the residence for the Ottaman Sultans during the 15-19th Centuries.  We toured the palace, which is now a museum, and learned a bit about the history of the Ottoman Empire and the lavish lives the sultans enjoyed.  Also, some impressive items we saw in the museum include the 86 carat 'Spoonmaker's Diamond,' the turban of Joseph (son of Jacob), a sword belonging to David, and the staff of Moses.  At first I was shocked and thought the items of the historical holy figures were just replicas, but according to the museum the items are genuine.

View of Topkapi Palace from a distance

Inside Topkapi Palace

With our Turkish Rotarian friend, Cagri, who graciously showed us around the city on Saturday.

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These next photos are from the Hagia Sofia museum.  Hagia Sofia was first a basilica built in the 4th Century AD, later converted to a mosque in the 15th Century when the Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople, and now is a museum.

This mosaic is one of many that has been uncovered.

The lucky hole in the pillar.  You're supposed to stick your thumb in and twist your hand around in a complete circle while making a wish.

From outside in the evening

The museum was interesting to see both Christian and Islamic symbols exist in the same place of worship.

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The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, also referred to as the Blue Mosque, was built in the early 17th Century and is the national mosque of Turkey.  The building architecture is absolutely spectacular.

Video during a call to prayer showing the activity in the area around the Sultan Ahmed Mosque.  Also at the end of the video you can see the Hagia Sofia museum in the distance.

Inside the Sultan Ahmed Mosque

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The Basilica Cistern

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Travis and I met up with a group of Rotarians from a club in Istanbul on Saturday afternoon to visit a few of the historical sites in the city and went to dinner in the evening.  We enjoyed eating 'mezes,' which are Turkish appetizers and drinking the local 'raki,' which has a flavor of black licorice.  

With Cagri

The mezes

Showing off our Rotary banners.  There were 7 of us total in the afternoon, two of the Rotarians weren't able to join us for dinner.