1998 School Magazine

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Girls 46rammar ^, chuol agriSbane 1998

Orienteering has been fan- tastic for me over here. With no clubs at school, it's great to have one out of school, also meaning that I have another group of friends with my club, TroUelg. Orienteering is a lot bigger here in Scandanavia, and there are about as many juniors in my club as there are in Queensland. I haven't been entirely successful with the actual orienteering (the terrain is really different), but I have been all over Norway, and to Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Rutb 0'70nt row, seco"dfrom 140 with be, . One'treertng team @t/whom Italy for big competitions. The , .. '5 I , ^ , . , . . .. , 71 15

midnight; dark meaning win- ter and light meantng sum- mer, not dark meaning night and light meaning day; cars on the wrong side of the road; the passenger seat on the other side of the car, snow and ice in winter; spring meaning pretty flowers, green leaves and birds; everyone's ances- tors coming from the country they live in; living in a 1001 year old city; the fact that nearly everyone has blue eyes; Strepsils being Repsils for no apparent reason; and eating icecream when it's snowing

size of these has been absolutely amazing, especially at Iukola in Finland, and Tio Mila in Sweden - relays, which keep on going through the night. It's been a wonderful experience to live in Europe, and have so many countries close and accessi- ble As I'm writing this, I'm in my last week of the long SUITuner holidays. Sunrrner holidays are an entirely different thing here in cold Norway, with temperatures of 20' being reasonably hot, and as soon as there is a bit of sun, and it's remoteIy warm, it's time to find a nice patch of grass to sunbake in, and become a little less pasty white after the long cold winter. Most people end up going away to 'Syden' or 'The South', which is a beach

outside. had then some things make it a bit easier. Most television is in English with subtitles, and I think that I have actually seen more Australian programs here than I watched at home (Heartbreak High, Home and Away, Blue Heelers, A Country Practice, Neighbours, Big Sky, and lots of small Australian programs that have found their way here). One thing that I have really missed while here is a decent radio station to listen to. Music just isn't the same. People sing along to different songs at parties, radios almost never seem to play good music, and people have heard of no Australian groups, apart from Kylie Minogue, Savage Garden and Natalie Tmbruglia. But I have had my own tapes to listen to, and have had the incredible luck to

find great CD 's like Regurgitator's Tu-Plang and Arumonia's Mint 400 for about $6, just because they're some strange foreign group that no one here has ever heard of. My other dose of Australia was at an orienteering event in Sweden where a lot of Australians were - it was truly wonderful to speak AUStral- ian English again. While I'm enjoying myself immensely here, I'm looking foiward to coming back and hearing that accent all the time; I can't wait to come back to hot summer weather and turn

generally in some exotic coun- try where they can lie in the sun all day and come back after a week or two unbelievably brown. A major difference with \ sunrrner holidays is that Christ- ^ mas isn't in the middle of them, so there is no need for family get- togethers. Instead, most people go away with their friends or boyfriends/girl- friends. I have ended up stay ing away from my host family for most of the two months, with a week as a leader for a children's camp (a true test of how good you are in a ian- guage is comforting a crying

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brown again without even trying; and I'm missing such luxuries as fresh fruit and vegetables, which just aren't the same here in general, I really am having a great time over here, and still have heaps to look forward to, such as trying downhill skiing, telemark and snowboarding when the snow comes, more possibitities of travel to other countries in Europe with onen- teenng or as organised by STS and a traditional Norwegian Christmas just before I have to leave. I am so happy that I have had this chance to come over here and have a break between the stresses of school and university. It's been fantastic RUTH SCHULZ

child who doesn't speak any English), two weeks in Italy (Sun! Warmth! Food!), two weeks in Sweden, and a week in southern Norway. 11 was strange to come back to Trondheim and feel that I was home again, in my own house, with my own room, and my own family One thing that all eXchange students experience is culture shock. it comes from all of the little and sometimes big differences. in general, yes, people are people all over the world, but there are lots of little things that would lead you to believe otherwise: for example, dimer at 4p. in. ; bread being the staple diet; a normal bedtime for nearly everyone being after