Let's Talk About Language

One part of my exchange experience that I haven't talked a lot about is language, yet it's the facet that may have the biggest effect on me and on my year. I figured since this week was a bit more regular and had less noteworthy activities, I'd go more in-depth about living in another language, but I'll start by highlighting the more exciting parts of my week!

• Monday I experienced my first issue with the t-bane, the subway system in Oslo. On my way to school, power problems temporarily stopped some of the lines, including mine. As a person who hates to be late, I was majorly stressing out despite knowing there was absolutely nothing I could do about it and, in the end, I was late to school. Thankfully my teacher understood but I have since started taking earlier trains to give myself more wiggle room :)
• Wednesday I started Norwegian lessons at school with the other two exchange students taught by one of Katta's language teachers. I'll have a lesson during lunch every Wednesday which I hope will help improve my language skills!
• Thursday was the first meeting for the school orchestra! I'll be playing trumpet because I'm lucky enough to be able to use one the school has. It will be a bit of an adjustment seeing as I haven't played trumpet since 5th grade, but I'm hoping to pick it back up quickly! Fingers crossed!
• Yesterday (Saturday), I went to my friend Daniel's birthday party. I was nervous beforehand as the only people I knew were Daniel and one other exchange student who had been invited, but it turns out one can make a bunch of new friends sitting by a fire, eating s'mores and talking for hours on end. It was one of those moments where time disappeared and I stopped noticing the cold because I was so thoroughly content. Here's hoping to many more nights like last and gratulerer med dagen, Daniel!

And with that overview of my week, I'll transition to talking about this whole language thing. At home, I speak with my host family in a mix of English and Norwegian, but at this point they speak to me almost all in Norwegian, with the exception of very important things I need to understand and some evenings when I'm beyond worn out. It is exhausting to have to process a whole different language, but the good kind of tiring that makes bed feel so good at the end of the day. I have two little host siblings who don't speak any English aside from Bjørn knowing yes and no. This has turned out to be one of the best ways for me to learn Norwegian, as they talk pretty much non-stop and only in Norwegian. In addition, their vocabulary is relatively simple but full of basic words that are important for me to know. I really do owe my ability to understand so much Norwegian so soon to Elin and Bjørn!

At school, all my classes aside from English are taught in Norwegian. One thing I've noticed at school is that I'm caught between two different Norwegians: casual, between-friends Norwegian, and academic, let-me-explain-density-dependent-factors-to-you Norwegian. It's a bit awkward to find the line between the two and to figure out in which situation it's appropriate to use the new phrases and words I learn. Another big challenge for me at school is listening to different dialects. In Norway, geographical isolation in different parts of the country led to the development of dozens, if not hundreds, of different dialects. A few of my teachers have very pronounced dialects that are more difficult for me to understand. Living in Oslo has allowed me to speak the same Norwegian I learned from apps and websites so these dialectal differences are even more difficult because I've had it so easy when it comes to speaking to people from Oslo.

I've talked about family and school so I guess that leaves friends. As of now, most of my friends are from my class or other YFU students. With the kids in my class I almost always speak Norwegian. I've asked them to not speak English because I know the second we switch to English I'll never go back to Norwegian because it's just so much easier to rely on English. And I don't want to rely on English. One of my biggest goals for this year is to become as close to fluent in Norwegian as possible and that is not going to happen if I use English as a crutch, especially with everyone here speaking such good English. In English class the other day we read an article with words like disseminate and deluding and the other kids didn't bat an eye. It's crazy!!

So Norwegian it is, but that isn't by any means easy. I usually have to ask people to repeat things two or three times which is embarrassing but I'm rarely in a situation where there's no other sounds around me and any other sound is distracting and makes it even harder to understand Norwegian. I impress myself every day with the amount of Norwegian I already understand, but being a perfectionist, it's frustrating to not be able to respond with more than a yes or no. There's a huge gap between my ability to understand and my ability to speak, so I can do well in a conversation until I have to give a more detailed answer. I find that when someone's talking and not directly to me or asking me a question, I can understand quite a bit but the moment I have to focus my attention to what someone is saying so I can answer a question, I freeze a little and miss the question. Kind of ruins the point of focusing my attention. So for the first time in my life, I am beginning to appreciate not talking and just sitting there listening and taking it all in, like a sponge.

This new sponge identity took some getting used to, however. The first few days of school were beyond frustrating because Katta is my dream school. Kids here actually want to participate in class and in discussions and care about school and love to learn. Back home I feel a bit like an outsider for being like that but here, I'd fit right in. If only I could actually participate to the level I'm used to back in the US. But I can't, because I don't know enough Norwegian to respond to a question, even if I understood it perfectly well. Anyone who has ever had a class with me knows that I do not like to sit there quietly. In fact, I don't hesitate for a second to challenge a teacher or ask a question or get into a debate and I'm finally in a school with other kids like that and I'm the one who can't. I've slowly tried to accept my new life as a sponge but it is not the easiest and I cannot wait to be able to participate more in school!

This post is kind of all over the place and very long so I'm going to wrap it up and include the few pictures I have from this week!

Word of the Post:
tetthetsavhengige faktorer = density-dependent factors
I bet that was exactly the phrase you'd been dying to know! :)

If anyone wants to make me very happy, just take me to a fruit and vegetable store like this one :)

There's some international soccer tournament happening now and I caught part of the opening parade on my way home from school one day!

Cute street I pass on my way to school! I was really bad about taking pictures this week...