Almost 2 week ago Ryan arrived in Norway! He met me at university after managing to navigate the bus system from the airport. When he was here we were lucky to still have some snow on the ground and of course he loved it! Having been in Norway almost 2 months now I have got over the ‘OH MY GOD ITS SNOW’ phase, Ryan however was super excited to throw snowballs at me and have general snowy fun.

While Ryan was here we spent a lot of time walking in the local area. Along with Ryan the arrival of Ryan came the delivery of my birthday presents (yay) one of which was a hammock. We were lucky that on the Friday we had very sunny weather where we could set up the hammock and light a fire and relax in the sun!

Another one of Ryans favourite things about the Norwegian environment was all the cool icicles big and small. We spent a lot of time watching the water run down the inside of the icicle as it melted as well as breaking them off and watching them break!

Here is just one video of Ryan enjoying the ice!All in all I had a fantastic time being back with my best friend, even if it was short and I can’t wait to see my favourite human again in April! xx

For the first time since I arrived in Norway, Kristiansand is covered in snow and its here to stay (finger crossed). Almost 2 weeks ago now it was my 21st birthday and what a day. I woke up after spending the night in a self made shelter to a wonderful birthday breakfast of chocolate porridge. The day was jam packed full of odd jobs in preparation for our ski course the next week as well as the arrival of my mum and dad! Thank you to everyone who sent cards and presents out with mum and dad.

I spent the weekend showing them around Kristiansand and the university and we were lucky enough to have a sprinkling of snow the day before they were due to leave. We decided to catch the bus to a nearby town called Vennesla where we somehow managed to find an old Log Flume that had been ‘restored’ and was now a walking path.

After waving good bye to mum and dad on Monday morning we caught the bus to Evje just over an hours drive from Kristiansand, where we would be based for the coming week of skiing! The first few days of the ski course I think I spent more time in the snow than skiing over it, I have never fallen over so much in my life! Below is a picture of me ruining a perfectly lovely view.Our days were filled with new skiing techniques and lots of practice and our evenings were filled with lectures on waxing skis, first aid and packing day bags. On our final evening we had a Ceilidh. This is where everyone gets together around a fire and sings and dances. Being outdoor education students we sung and danced but also played a range of silly games from various countries.

Next week brings climbing and life saving practice as well as starting our lectures on children in nature. During this week we will also be planning our self organised ski trip on the 21st of Feb. And finally it also brings the arrival of Ryan to Norway and another weekend of fun and adventures!

It’s been a crazy 2 weeks since I’ve arrived in Norway. The journey went well even if it was long and very late by the time we arrived.

Week one consisted of many early starts and an onslaught of information to take in! Most mornings we set off for University in the dark and returned to our accommodation in the dark as well! So all in all it was about a week before I saw much of Kristiansand in the daylight.

This week’s lectures began on the subject of ‘friuftsliv’ which directly translates to ‘free air life’ it is a Norwegian concept of exploring and appreciating nature. We looked at the history and origins of this concept most of which come from having to use nature in everyday life, for example foraging in the summer months or hunting in the winter. It also stems from the need to use outdoor activities such as skiing as a means of transport especially in the more northern regions of Norway.

In week 2 we began to get stuck into the practical side of the course. On Monday we were taken out by the Norwegian friluftsliv students on a typical ‘family day trip’. In Norway Sunday is a day of rest, where the majority of people have the day off. They often take this opportunity to spend the day as a family in nature, typical activities include hiking or skiing in the winter and swimming in the many lakes or rivers in summer. It is also normal for families to collect wood and build fires on which they cook or heat up their lunch.

In Norway there is a law called ‘allemannsretten’ this can be translated to ‘every man’s right’. It means any person has the right to travel across any uncultivated land as well as extending to the right to build small fires and the right to camp on any land that is 150m from any residence where you can stay in one area for a maximum of 2 days. This is all possible as Norway has a very small population of 5million people meaning that the majority of Norway is uninhabited and therefore the nature is untouched and well preserved from erosion that occurs with frequent use of an area.

On Wednesday we spent the day orienteering around the local forested area of Jegersberg. We are very lucky being in Kristiansand as there are many forested and coastal areas within short walking distance of our accommodation and the university, with Jegersberg being a 5 minute walk behind the university.

Tuesday and Friday mornings were made up of lifesaving practice in the university swimming pool. This is an essential aspect of the course as without it we will not be able to partake in any water sports in the spring.

The program ahead looks to be very full on with frequent trips away skiing, hiking and doing water sports to come. But even with our busy schedule there is lots to fill our weekends with. This Friday we spent the evening building a fire in the forest just a 5 minute walk from our accommodation which we then cooked our evening meal on! It was interesting to see all the different ideas and experiences people had with cooking different foods on the fire. The most popular option was of course the hot dog and bacon carefully balanced on a stick, closely followed by the banana and chocolate wrapped in tinfoil. And on today (Sunday) we went climbing at Odderøya a piece of land that forms and ‘island’ just off the town’s sea front. It was a beautifully sunny day even though it did threaten to rain just as we arrived at the crag. Even though the sun was out the rock was freezing, when you finished a climb you came down with numb fingers.

These 2 weeks have been a huge learning experience with multiple trips to every supermarket under the sun trying to source the cheapest food especially meat and cheese! Along with trips to the Sørlandssenteret the local shopping mall (20 minutes away by bus) to buy last minute gear and a whole set of kitchen equipment from IKEA!