PUT ON YOUR THINKING CAP

Ladies and gentlemen, I need your help. Remember all the cool things I was telling you about my coming weeks? About trying russclothes and such? Well.. it was awesome…

Yours truly was very excited when trying on her russepants! I look pretty cool don’t I? Also, remember “The Ditch” that I told you guys about? Well, this is it:

As you can tell, I’ve been bringing my camera along more too school. I would have posted this earlier, but I just can’t find the cable I need to upload pictures. Thankfully I could use my sisters camera by simply switching the memory stick. Want to see some more pictures? These are from around my school:

I know, the school is old and with totally mismatching colors. Appearantly they are going to fix it up when my class is finished for good. What a SHOCK, right?

Anyways, I didn’t really make this post to tell you about my school and share pictures. I ACTUALLY need some help. I need you guys to be creative for me, even – if you are such a sweet, amazing and helpful person – maybe make a tiny post about it on your blog so I can get all the help possible. The thing is that at our school, and at most schools along the east side of Norway, we have a russecar. We form groups of usually 8 people, we buy a car together and fix it up, then use it to get around in May (russetime). These cars usually look like this:

And they’re usually pimped up somewhat inside with a table and such.. Anyhooot – these vans always try to have a cool name, preferably with a theme. Examples of these are like: SuperVan (superman themed car), Sheroes (a car full of girls, superhero theme ya know), Glamouruss, Dangeruss… wordplay is cool as you can see! Some cars have names that are a wee bit more on the edge.. one group had a Mazda for a russecar, they called it Mazturbation. Another was called Sexbox (get it? X box?). My mom suggested Chicks N’ Dicks, because we’re 5 guys and 3 girls in the group. That one was funny, but the key problem is that the name has to be good and not used up. Unique names are the best, preferably funny ones!

Could you help me? Would you help me? Please come with some suggestions for what we can call our group and I’d be forever grateful!

-S.

DREAM DESTINATION: ALSACE

I took French classes at school for five years. The first three were in middle school, the other two in high school. I’m done now, but last year we had a project in French where we were supposed to choose a region in France and have a presentation about it. I chose Alsace.

What makes Alsace so unique and different from other french regions is the Franco-Germanic culture. The region is in the North-East part of France, boardering Germany on the North side. The region has a lot of history with Germany despite being in France, which you can clearly see by the architecture, food and other cultural aspects.

For those who love markets, most towns in Alsace are appearantly crawling with them! Around Christmas time is the best market-time, where you can find all kinds of charming handmade things and baked snacks, etc…

Aren’t those adorable? The cuisine there is also supposedly a nice mix between french and german gastronomy. Popular dishes are Charcuterie (Pork specialties), Choucroute (Sauerkraut), Foie gras (goose or duck liver patés) and Tarte aux Quetsches (tart of plums in flan). A lot of the wine is also quite similar to German wine, but with a fruitier and more robust taste.

If you’d like to explore both french and german culture at once, you love beautiful architecture and charming markets or you simply can’t help but go on a wine tasting trip – go to Alsace. I will…

If this post made you a little more curious of Germany, go visit this lovely little lady named Michelle’s blog over at HotPinkCombatBoots ! She does some very exciting post about Germany, places around Germany and some awesome Euro Trash posts! A definite recommendation!

Until next time.. Au revoir and auf wiedersehen!

-S.

SCHOOL GIRL

I’m not sure how many of you readers have actually caught my age. I’m 18, and I just started my “senior” year at high school. I write it like that because in Norway we wouldn’t call it a senior year. It is my 13th year of schooling, in the grade called VG3 (Videregående – which loosely translated is the same as high school). I’m in the class 3STD (yes, you read correctly – other classes are 3STA, 3STB, etc..) and this year – I’m going to be a russ! For those of you who haven’t noticed – I’M ABOUT TO EXPLODE OF EXCITEMENT!

In the next two weeks we will be picking “The board of russ”, which pretty much is a group of people in our grade who will be representing us and organizing things for us before and during the Russeperiod. I reeeeeeeaally want to be a part of this, so I’m going to try to get some votes by next week! We are also going to try on russeclothes so we know what sizes to order, that will just add on to the excitement.

Yeah, I talk a lot about this but I can’t help it. It’s just so cool to be a “senior”. We’re the oldest, we know each other better, we get the perk of sitting in “the ditch” (which is a part of the cafeteria where the floor is lower and only the seniors can sit there), and we just come together in another way than we have in the previous years.

I’m extremely pleased with my classes as well this year. First of all because I have no more math and no more french, but also because my classes are ones I think I’ll enjoy. Chemistry, Biology, English Literature and culture, History, Religion, Norwegian and Gym (OK, not so sure I’ll enjoy gym but whatever..).

Only sad thing about being a senior though, it’s just my second day of school and I’ve already got homework…..

 

S.

DREAM DESTINATION: THAILAND

This one has been my number one for a long time. It’s another tropical, exotic place – but I’m guessing my wants to go to such a place might be because I live in NORWAY. Let me just tell you that it’s been raining constantly here for the past weeks. Can you blame me for wanting to go here….

Can you blame me for dreaming of beaches like this…

Or this….

You can also experience elephant rides…

Or get a massaaaaage (I’ve heard those are REALLY cheap but REALLY good in Thailand)

Say it with me guys: Aaaaaaahh……..

You can go snorkling or check out some amazing hand made art…

Not to sound stereotypical or anything, but Asians always amaze me with their skills in any way they perform it. Even their buildings are beautifully decorated..

Thailand just screams beauty to me, and to be honest those giant islands spread around in the water makes me think of the magical floating islands/mountains/whatevers in Avatar!

Hopefully I’ve made you dream of Thailand now too. No matter how I have to get there, one day I will.

I would also like to apologise for being to inactive on my blog lately. There is a lot going on, school is right around the corner for me and at the end of the day I don’t really feel like writing. But not to worry! I will be back next week with lots of back-to-school posts!

-S.

MADE ME THINK

I’m delaying the school-shopping post till tomorrow, instead I’d like to share some stories I found on a page called makesmethink.com. It’s impossible to know which ones are true and not, but they still make you think…

Today, an 86 year old man completed my diving certification course in Key West, FL. He said he wants his certification so he can dive at the Great Barrier Reef when he visits Australia in 2 weeks. “That sounds like fun. Are you a world traveler?” I asked. He laughed. “I was when I was your age. Actually, I was cleaning out an old filing cabinet yesterday. In it I found a list I made when I was 22 titled, ‘10 Things I Will Do Before I Die.’ Diving at the Great Barrier Reef is #10 on the list, and it’s the only one I haven’t completed.” MMT

Today, I interviewed a woman who is terminally ill. "So," I tried to delicately ask, "What is it like to wake up every morning and know that you are dying?" "Well," she responded, "What is it like to wake up every morning and pretend that you are not?" MMT

Today, I was working in a coffee shop when 2 gay men walked in holding hands. As you might expect, heads started turning. Then a young girl at the table next to me asked her mom why 2 men were holding hands. Her mom replied, "Because they love each other." MMT

Today I was approached by a homeless man who asked if I had any change. I only had two dimes, but I gave it to him anyway. As I watched him walk away, he put the dimes in an expired parking meter of a strangers car. MMT

Today, after spending the last 3 years viciously bickering with the college kid who lives next door, I found myself crying in his arms and thanking him repeatedly for saving my son's life. MMT

Today, at the final home game of the season, the entire boys basketball team at our high school entered the gymnasium in pairs of two holding hands. They did so in protest of the fact that two gay students had been sent to detention for a week for simply holding hands in the school’s hallways. MMT

Today, I saw a pretty scary looking guy who had a tall blue mohawk and tattoos and piercings all over his body. He was helping my elderly neighbor take her trash down to the curb. My neighbor told me afterwards that the guy was just walking by and offered to help. MMT

Today, my grandfather used 25 different coupons at the grocery store. Then he gave the money he saved to the bag boy as a tip. He does this almost every Sunday because he says he “likes to see people smile.” MMT

-S.

ONE EXCITED SARAH

When I got back from work today, I was tired – exhausted – my legs were extremely sore from my workout yesterday – and I was slightly irritated. I had gotten up at 6am (!!!!), in order to go to work at 8am and work until 4:30pm. You get my point…

Then I was told that I’d gotten mail today, and look what came…

The Russe Catalog! Now, honestly I’m not sure how much you readers know about the Russ in Norway. I know I’ve written some about it, but just tell me if there is anything you might wonder about it. Anyways… for the period of time one is a Russ in Norway, you usually have “russe clothes”. These are ordered from THIS catalog! So in here was the collection for the Russ of 2012!

Now the “most important” thing for a Russ, is the russepants. Usually, this is a red overall and you only buy one. The point is to have it through the entire russeperiod and to not wash it. People sign it and you put on iron-on stickers and so on. The pants above are the ones I liked in the catalog, most of them are a UNISEX type. Which one do you like the best?

I was also thinking about getting some of these things…

And even thought the russeperiod is in May, we live in Norway… so it’s a good idea to get some warmer russeclothes for the evenings!

Not 100% sure what all I am going to order yet, but in order to get some nice deals I’ll have to order before the 2nd of September. So you guys will find out what I ordered soon enough! Want to help me with another thing? Which of these iron-on font types do you like best? NAVN means NAME so my name will be there and I’ll have this on my pants…

I’m excited for this last school year! I think it will be a good one, with lots of exciting things to share with you guys. Yesterday I met my wonderful friend Matilde in order to do some school shopping. Stay tuned as I tomorrow will show you what all I got!

-S.