Life back in the US.

As most of you know, I made it back home to Sioux Falls and Grand Forks. Re-adjusting to life here has been very easy, thanks to my family, girlfriend, and amazing friends. I'm currently back in Grand Forks, sitting at Urban Stampede drinking some coffee and checking up on my emails. It feels so great to be back home in the US, but I do miss all of the amazing people that I met in Norway. I know I keep saying this, but it's so true...my trip to Norway was something that enlightened my life so much. It opened my eyes to things I hadn't noticed before and it also made me realize and appreciate all of the beautiful things that had been surrounding me here in the states. I have a new found appreciation for things here and my new perspective on things has made me incredibly happy.

This summer should be one for the record books. I have the following week off and then I'll begin work at Dakota Harvest again and Im really looking forward to that. The band has a ton of shows set up for the summer as well and I am ecstatic. I've missed playing with them sooo much. I ordered a stand up bass so that will definitely transform our sound and bring in some more of that authentic bluegrass vibe. I'll also be doing a lot of artwork. I didn't have my supplies while in Norway so I have a lot of artistic inspiration that had been building up. A friend of mine has asked me to create several pieces for some art auctions this summer so I'm very excited about that because I have never done anything like that before. Hopefully they sell and raise some money for a good cause :D

I just wanted to say thanks again to al of my friends and family here in Sioux Falls and Grand Forks. I missed you all so very much and thank you for keeping in touch with me while I was so far away. I never would have made it without you. Also, thank you to all of the wonderful people I meet in Norway, I miss you guys so much and I'm always thinking about you. You definitely made a great impact on my life and for that I am forever grateful :)

I'm back in the US and life is absolutely stellar. I look forward to whatever adventures life has in store for me. This concludes Xavier in Norway: Becoming a Viking. Thank you to all who followed my travels and journeys. I may end up staring another blog sometime down the road, but until then, peace :)

I MADE IT HOME!!!

But I've been up for about 24 hours, so I'm going to sleep and I'll write one final entry later, when I'm not a jet-lagged zombie.

Guess what?

I'm on my way home! Happy 17th to all the Norwegians! Can't wait to see everybody when I get back!

Last day in Norway - A Thank You

Words cannot even begin to describe how amazing this trip to Norway has been, but I will try my best to explain it.

When I was first told that I would be traveling to Norway for a semester, I was a little shocked and scared because I had never been out of the country before and I have never been away for such a long period of time. I mean, I've been away at school, but that's only a 4 hour drive away from home, so this was a little bit different. As the time grew closer for my travels, I became excited and nervous and probably experienced every single emotion that a human being is capable of haha. When I finally arrived in Norway it really hit me and I realized just how far away from home I was. That would usually make me feel pretty uncomfortable, but lucky for me, the people of ACN were there to welcome me and created a home away from home for me. When I first walked up to the school, I saw a sign that read, "Welcome Xavier!" I felt a sigh of relief and a smile came across my face because I felt that things were going to be okay, and they were better than okay.

Over the past 4 1/2 months I have gone though so many changes, learned so many things, and experienced something that can never be taken away. This trip has broadened my horizons and thoughts, and for that I am forever grateful. Amongst the many things that I've discovered about myself, there are several big things that stand out to me. 1.) I've seen why I love this job and what being a teacher is all about. Being a teacher has given me the opportunity to not only visit a foreign country, but it's allowed me to meet an amazing group of people. The faculty and students at ACN have become an extended family to me. I will forever cherish the time spent discussing in the classroom and hanging out outside of class and all the help that Krista, Heidi, Siv, and Colin have given me. To the students: I said this before, but I feel the need to say it again. I know that you guys are so used to me standing in front of you teaching, but you have also taught me. You've reconfirmed my thoughts of pursuing this as a career and you've shown me the real advantages of being a teacher, which is seeing my students flourish, grow, and move on to bigger amazing things. After working with you on school work and college applications and then hearing that you got accepted to the school of your choice and seeing the excitement on your faces is what makes being a teacher worth it. 2.) This trip has allowed me to grow as an individual. I used to live in a bubble. Although I was aware of the world around me, I never really took the opportunity to get to know it or experience it. Being in Norway has definitely opened my eyes and made me realize that there is a WHOLE lot of world out there, and I am merely just a little spec that's trying to live amongst it all. Through this, I've been able to grow mentally, emotionally, and spiritually and it's been a real blessing.

I've encountered a lot of changes in my life while here, but all of those changes have attributed to something amazing and great. Although some of them were scary or maybe difficult to deal with at the time, the negativity drifted away and worked toward building something positive. I am incredibly happy with the direction that my life is heading in and I am so so grateful for this trip and what it has done for me.

So, to wrap things up, I just want to say thank you. Thank you Krista for all of your guidance and help here at the ACN. You've made me feel right at home while being in Norway. Thank you students for educating me in life and thank you for the friendships we've built. Like I said, I feel like I'm walking away not with just fond memories of a great class, but with great friendships. I'm so proud of you all and I am honored to call you my friends.

You have all been so incredibly supportive of me and I will miss you all. You will always be in my thoughts and prayers and again, thank you for an experience of a life time. I will never forget the time I spent in Moss, Norway.

-Xavier

My Last Week

Today marks my last full week in Norway. Classes are done and all that remains are finals. I'll be putting on my game face this week because I'll be a grading maniac. Some of my students have turned in their papers early which has been nice but I'll still have about 73 papers left to grade by the 18. My plan is to get them all done before I leave so I don't have to take any back with me so we'll see how that goes. I guess I won't be able to complain about having nothing to do this week :P

Amongst grading I'll be packing up and getting ready to make my journey back home. Words cannot describe how excited I am to get back home. I just cannot wait to be wrapped in the arms of the friends and family that I love and the surroundings I've grown up in.

In other news I've been working on yet another CD project. I just finished my 4th album called "Under Stars and Overseas" which contains all new songs that I've written while in Norway, but now I've shifted into a new direction. Lately I've really been into instrumental music, bands like Explosions In The Sky, M83, etc...and so I thought that I would try it out. So far it's been a great experience. I wanted to try this because while I love singing and using words to get my feelings or thoughts across to the listeners, I wanted to rely solely on the music. I want to compose a song that only uses music to speak rather than words, and so far it's been working I think. I only have three songs but it;s a work in progress :)

Other fun news...I'll be seeing the band Muse in October!!!!!!!! I AM SOOOOO EXCITED! They are by far one of the most incredible and talented bands out there right now. They are incredibly talented musicians who put forth a full effort in their shows. They're playing at the Target Center in Minneapolis and I'm going with three of my really good friends so it should be a wonderful experience :)

Well, I'm off o begin my day of grading. I hope everyone is doing well and I can't to see you all again!

Do You Know What Time It Is???

IT'S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN! BAH DA DA DAAA, BA DA DAT DAT DA! Only 10 days left in Norway!

She & Him

Last night I went to see She & Him in concert in Oslo. They're a band consisting of Guitarist/Vocalist M. Ward and Vocalist/Keyboardist Zooey Deschanel (who is also an actress. She was in 500 Days of Summer, Elf, Yes Man...) Anyways, the show was absolutely amazing! Their style is something similar to that or Roy Orbison, kind of 50's throwback vibe. It was probably one of mist fun I've had at a concert, the music just puts you in such a good mood because it's so upbeat :) Before the concert I went to the Rice Bowl for supper with some friends, which was great because it's the best Thai restaurant in Oslo and my favorite restaurant here :) I ended up buying some concert goodies :) I got a copy of She and Him's second album "Volume 2" on vinyl, and the Split LP of the opening band The Chapin Sisters. I also got another copy of "Volume 2" and a really cool canvas bag for a super special person ;)

The Chapin Sisters opened the show and they were incredible. It was just the two sisters for the first few songs and then they were joined by a back up band later on. They had some very beautiful harmonies and they're music was almost hypnotizing haha They played this song called "Digging A Hole" and it was epic. It kind of reminded me of "Woman King" by Iron and Wine.

She & Him took the stage at 10:00 and rocked the night away :) They had so much energy and put on an incredible show. It was just so much fun. Zooey was jumping around with her tambourine and M. Ward was shredding away on his guitar...it was a blast. I was also super close to the stage. I was probably about 7 feet away from them! They played alot of stuff from their first album "Volume 1" and then near the end they played more of their new stuff. For their encore they played Roll Over Beethoven and that was suuuuper awesome! The show overall was just fantastic.

The fun experiences didn't end when the concert was over though. On my way back I saw a guy with dreadlocks down to his feet, I mean, they were about half an inch from dragging on the ground lol and I also came across a super drunk guy dancing and singing Bad Romance by Lady Gaga....awesome hahahaha

I have 11 days until my return!!!! I miss everyone sooo much and I can't wait to see your faces again!!!!

May Is Here

Today is the first of May and a holiday in Norway. They celebrate Labor day on the first, so everything is pretty much closed down for the day. The sky is overcast today and it was raining earlier on this morning, but I've always been a fan of rain, I just find it to be relaxing. The days are dwindling down until my departure and it's just amazing at how fast my time here has flown by. I'm leaving for home in about 2 weeks and I am ecstatic to get back. There are a ton of great things, opportunities, and people waiting for me back in Sioux Falls and Grand Forks and I can't wait to be wrapped up in all of it :) But until then, I'll soak up what's left of my journey here in Norway.

Yesterday was a lot of fun. I went to the Kon-Tiki museum in Oslo with some of the faculty from ACN. Steiner, The founder of the ACN, was good friends with Thor Heyerdahl, the man who headed the Kon-Tiki expedition, so he gave us a special tour of the museum. I hadn't heard about the Kon-Tiki expedition but what I learned I found to be very interesting. Thor Heyerdahl was a norwegian explorer who had studied geography and zoology. In 1947 he set out on a journey from South America to the Polynesian Islands. He and his team believed that the people of South America could have settled the Polynesian Islands before the Columbus-era. So, they built a a raft using only material and techniques that the people of that time would of had access to and sailed across the Pacific Ocean. The journey took 101 days until they reached the islands making their theory plausible. The museum was pretty incredible and they had the actual Kon-Tiki raft that the men used on display. When I heard that they used a raft I was thinking about something fairly small, but the raft they built was pretty epic haha. It was made from balsa wood which is incredibly light and floated in the water very well. Anyways, like I said before, Steiner was good friends with Thor Heyerdahl and his family and still keeps in contact with Heyerdahl's son Thor Heyerdahl Jr. (who is also an explorer). He was supposed to come down and visit with us but his wife was sick so he was with her, but he relayed a message to us saying that we could pick out any book we wanted from the gift shop and he would sign it for us and ship it to us later! I thought that was pretty cool. So when I get back to the states I'll be getting a book signed by a Norwegian explorer :)

Tuesday is the She & Him concert and I'm very excited. It's at a pretty small venue that holds about 200 people so it should be another great intimate concert experience :) After that it's just a few more days until I make my return home, and I can't wait. I keep saying this, but it's just so true. This trip to Norway has changed me and made me grow in ways I never thought possible. I used to be afraid of change and I was never very good at dealing with it, but this experience was all about change. It challenged me and pushed me, but the changes that I've experienced while here have been life altering so incredibly positive. This is an experience that I will never forget because it has played such a big role in who I have become. This was exactly what I needed in my life and I am forever grateful.

Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 in A Major, II Allegreto

If you have not heard this beautiful piece of music created by Beethoven, I suggest you check it out. It is incredibly moving. I first heard this particular symphony in the film The Fall. It is repeated throughout and definitely has a way of seeping its way into your brain.

Anyways, here I sit at my place in Moss, listening to Beethoven, trying to find a new book to teach from for the Fall semester. I'll be teaching Comp. 120 again which is "Writing The Research Paper." I've narrowed it down to a few choices. "This Is Your Brain On Music" by Daniel Levitin, "Pop Culture: The Culture of Everyday Life" by Shirley Fedorak, "Superfreakonomics" by Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner, or "Eating The Dinosaur" by Chuck Klosterman. I want a book that focuses on more current events so my students can relate and I also want something that will generate some good in class discussions. As interesting as "This Is Your Brain On Music" is, I feel that the content may be too limiting and specific for thorough discussions. The Pop Culture book could be interesting, but I fear that the writing style may be somewhat bland. "Superfreakonomics" is a sequel to "Freakonomics" written by the same authors. The first book had been taught before, but they pulled it out of rotation at school because it's been used so often, but this new one just came out, so that might work out well. I really like Klosterman's work and I recently taught "Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs" this past semester. The book went over well and prompted a lot of great in class discussions on our society and the mass media's effect on our lives, thoughts, and perceptions, and the students generally had a lot to say not only in class, but also in their papers, which was great. The only negative about Klosterman's work is that, when being used as a teaching tool, his work is pretty informal and unorthodox, which can confuse some students who are developing their writing abilities. Alongside "Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs" I also taught from a book called "Cod," which was about the Scandinavian Cod Wars, and that was more of a research book with good examples of how to cite sources and what not. Looking back at what I have written, it looks I've narrowed it down a bit. "Superfreakonomics" and "Pop Culture" seem to be the safe bet...but sometimes playing it safe stifles creativity..hmmmm :P We'll see how things play out. I just need to figure it out By this week so I can turn in my book order.

Only three more weeks until my return. I miss you all and can't wait to see you!

A New Mantra

Today was a beautiful day, not just physically, but also emotionally, spiritually, etc... It was kind of an overcast day and it rained here and there, but there was definitely a certain beauty to it, and it made me feel good. Lately I've been listening to a lot of instrumental music, specifically the music from a band called Explosions In The Sky. They have an album called The World Is Not a Cold Dead Place and I've been listening to it on Spotify. The more I listen to it the more at ease I feel. It's very powerful and moving music. After listening to it on an online radio, I felt the need to search for it, and sure enough, I found a vinyl version of it at Tiger Records in Oslo, so I decided to take a spontaneous trip. I had gotten all of my work done and figured "you only live once, right?" After I bought the record, I opened it up and began looking at all the great stuff inside. It's a double LP set, meaning the music is spread over two records, but there are only three sides of music, so the blank side of the second record has doves etched into it and this phrase, "The world is not a cold dead place because you are breathing, because you are listening." and I just found that to be incredibly moving and quite fitting. There are times when we feel like our lives are the pits, things are too difficult to over come, or we just have this constant idea that life won't get better, but it can and it will. There is beauty everywhere, we just need to open our eyes to see it, perk up our ears to hear it, or hold out our hands to feel it. Beauty and love is all around us.

P.S. Mom, I know what you're thinking..."More records!?" hahaha but look at the wonderful insight I got from it ;) haha love ya.

-Xavier

National Record Store Day!

As you can tell, I am pretty excited about today :) I was planning on taking the train to Oslo to go check out the record stores on this day of vinyl celebration, but I decided to stay in Moss and check out the local record store again, which ended up being quite a fantastic experience. The owner was working there today and we ended up having a pretty great conversation about music, different styles, and how it's a universal language. He makes his own music, mostly hip hop and house stuff and he played me some of his stuff that he's made over the years. It was really great stuff, especially the hip hop stuff. The rhymes were in Norwegian and they were super sick and flowed insanely well! I told him about my music and what I've been up to lately and he seemed pretty interested and said that if I ever have anything I want to sell in the store I was more than welcome to send the stuff his way because, as he stated, "My mission is to expose the world to new music." which I thought was pretty cool :) I ended up buying some more records and he knocked off 50 kroner! (which is like $8!) I got the soundtrack for A Clockwork Orange, The Warriors soundtrack, No Jacket Required by Phil Collins, and Them by King Diamond. My national Record Store Day was pretty epic, how was yours?

The Record Books

Friday brings joy, and tomorrow is National Record Day...so it looks like this will be a weekend for the record books :)

I ♥ Bonfires.

Today was another great day in Moss. After class today I went down to the beach with my friend Tor. We just hung out and watched the seagulls and swans chill near the water. We thought they looked hungary so we went to the grocery store across the street, got some bread, and fed some of the birds haha which was something I haven't done since I was a little kid. Later on in the afternoon, after some relaxing at the house, I went up to the dorms to get ready for a bon fire :) Me and several of the other students walked out into the woods behind the dorms to a fire pit and had ourselves a nice bonfire. We made hotdogs and smores and just had a great time. The weather was beautiful and I absolutely love bonfires, so it was an epic night :)

I discovered that Saturday is National Record Store day, so as much as I would love to save some money, I'm feeling a calling to go to Oslo and just spending the day in several of the record stores and maybe making a single purchase. I say single purchase because I'm trying to save up for an Engelhardt Swingmaster upright bass :)

So yeah, it was a great day and it looks like it should be a great weekend :)

A Beautiful Day

Today was a gorgeous day in Moss. The sun was shining and it was about 54 degrees :) After some breakfast and guitar playing, I decided to take advantage of the beautiful day. I went for a walk down near the harbor and decided to explore a little more of Moss. I went around the harbor and crossed the bridge to the other side of Moss and stumbled upon the beach that I had been told about before. There were quite a few people out today, considering the weather, and everyone really seemed to be enjoying themselves. I had brought my camera and took a ton of photos haha Just more to add to my collection. Speaking of photography, I've been thinking about trying to set up a show for when I get back; maybe asking a coffee shop in Sioux Falls or Grand Forks. We'll see what happens :)

Other than that, it was a pretty chill day. I tried something different for supper tonight and made a stir fry. I had never tried it before, but it turned out pretty good and I really enjoyed it. I also have a bunch left over which is nice...saving some money!

Yesterday I was looking back at my previous blog entries, especially the ones that i first wrote, and it's crazy to see how much has changed, not just with my attitude but also my life. I knew that this experience would change things, but I had no idea how big or positive those changes would be. Although I had some rough patches, there was always something good to help me get though. This experience has been absolutely amazing. I've learned a lot of things about myself and life and Im eager to bring the things I've learned back to the states with me. I have 5 weeks left. Only 36 more days. I can barely believe it. Time certainly has flown by and I seemed to have missed it haha. I can't wait to see everyone. I miss you all!

Råkk og Råll Brukthandel og Museet for Samtidkunst

Today was a pretty great day. I went with another instructor here at the ACN to Oslo for the afternoon. First we went to Råkk og Råll Brukthandel which is a huge record store in Oslo. It's three floors of records, CD's, cassettes, and other trinkets haha It was quite an amazing place. I ended up making a few purchases. I bought a record by a group called The Ozark Mountain Dare Devils. I've never heard of them, but they're a string band and they looked pretty cool :P I also bought The Graduate Soundtrack, The Byrds Greatest Hits, and a record called Rap Attack 1 hahaha It has songs by Grand Master Flash and Sugarhill Gang on it :)

After the record store we went to the Museet for Samtidkunst which is the Museum for Contemporary Art. They had some pretty cool exhibits there and I really enjoyed it. They had some great media art of huge psychedelic projections and some awesome wood prints :)

After all the record shopping and the art admiring, we ate at one of my favorite restaurants in Oslo, The Rice Bowl. It's this amazing little Thai restaurant that makes some of the best food ever!

Now I'm back in Moss, enjoying the amazingly beautiful weather. I have the windows open and a cool breeze is blowing in. Things are good :)

A deep rooted happiness

Last night I had one of the best conversations I may have ever had. It left me feeling complete, happy, and just absolutely satisfied with my life and things happening in it right now. It also opened my eyes to some amazing opportunities in my near future. Life works in mysterious ways, and it never ceases to amaze me.

My time in Norway is coming to and end soon. I have about 5 weeks left. I'm incredibly excited to get back home and begin even more new journeys. The band has a bunch of shows booked for the summer and I absolutely cannot wait to get back with them and make some music. I'm also hoping to play some shows on my own so I can get some of these new songs out.

So yeah, things are absolutely incredible and I feel like things are where they should be :)

Easter in Copenhagen...

doesn't compare to Easter at home. Miss you guys.

Copenhagen: Part Deux

I'm currently sitting in my hotel room at the Radisson in Copenhagen, Denmark. It's an absolutely beautiful day here today. The sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, and the many people of the city are out and about. The day has been pretty great thus far. Me and my friends, Tor and Truls, went out to get some burgers because we were starving, so we found a nice chill place and got our eat on haha Then we walked down to Urban Outfitters and did some shopping. I got the Where's Wally: Ultimate Travel Collection woot woot! haha Tonight will be a low key night I believe. There's a casino in our hotel, so I might be playing my first slot machine tonight lol

Mom, I didn't get any danish chocolate, but I've discovered a new chocolate bar from Freia that has milk chocolate with salted/roasted almonds in it and It knocks the Firkløver out of the water, so I'm picking up one of those for you lol

Radical

Today day has been a nice day thus far. Woke up at 7, ate some breakfast, and then went for an early morning walk. It's been raining all week here in Moss, and although one may think that this kind of weather is a bummer, I must admit that it has made for some great photo opportunities. It also gives me the chance to mellow out and listen to some acoustic sulking music :) I'm not sad or anything, just nostalgic; thinking about home :) Other than that, I'm getting ready to head to Denmark tomorrow for another weekend in Copenhagen, which should be great. I'll have to pick up some more Danish chocolate for you mom ;) haha

Påskeferie

I am currently on Easter break and things are going well. My vacation began on Friday March 26th and goes until April 5th...a nice long break, which is super nice :) I've just been trying to keep myself busy now that I have so much time on my hands. My students turned in their 3rd papers for the semester so I've been grading those daily. I'll be done with them on Wednesday so then I'll have the rest of the week free, which works out well because I'm going back to Copenhagen this Friday :) I'm very excited to head back because it is such a beautiful place.

Other than grading I've just been taking some more pictures. I've really gotten into photography over the last year or so and I feel like I'm making some progress, in a sense that I may be developing a better eye for good photo opportunities, so that's been fun.

I went shopping for some vinyl in Oslo on Saturday and that was a blast. I ended up buying three records, which was good because I easily could have spent all of my money in the two store that I went to hahaha I bought Bob Dylan - The Freewheelin, Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake It's Morning, and This Will Destroy You - Self Titled. I was super pumped with my purchases and might have to make another stop later on during my stay :)

Since my arrival in Norway, things have only gotten better. It started off kind of rocky but I am at a place in my life now where I just feel super content. I'm surrounded by amazing landscapes, making connections with amazing people both here and back at home, and learning life lessons. One of the many things I love about life is that we are never too old to grow or learn. There are always new things to be explored and learn from. I'm happy, and it feels great.

Rainy Days and Record Players

Today is an overcast rainy day in Moss and I'm enjoying it to the fullest extent :) It's always nice to have sunny days, but I'm a fan of low key overcast chilly days as well. Since I first got here in Moss I had been wondering if there was a record store. There was a music store in the mall that sold CD's a stuff, but the selection was very limited and it eventually went out of business, but last night I was told about Plates Jappa. It's a small record store here in Moss. I was soooo excited when I heard about this because this week is the beginning of my Spring Break and I've dubbed it "The Great Vinyl Adventure of 2010." I'm planning on going to Oslo tomorrow and doing some record shopping in the big city. Anyways, I went to Plates Jappa today and found two records. Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon and Garfunkel and Behold The Mighty Army by New Birth. the New Birth purchase was kind of a random one. It was in the funk section and the cover looked pretty ridiculous so I thought..."why not?" haha I was pumped to see Bridge Over Troubled Water because it has my favorite Simon and Garfunkel song, The Only Living Boy In New York. I'm really excited about going to Oslo tomorrow. I went to the websites of the stores I'll be checking out and I looked through their vinyl selection online and made note of the ones that interested me, so hopefully they're all there :)

I've been feeling a little homesick lately. Nothing crazy, I'm not crying myself to sleep or anything, but I think that the closer I get to being done here, the more excited I am to get home. Going to the record shop today was great because, as weird as it sounds, it reminded me of home. There's something about the smell of the records, the music, and the atmosphere that reminds me of all the amazing people in my life and how comfortable home is. So, I'll enjoy the time I have left here, but I'll always be thinking about home :)

Under Stars and Overseas EP

While I've been in Norway I've been writing and recording new songs and I am very happy to say that my new EP Under Stars and Overseas is complete. As I was putting the finishing touches on the tracks and mixing everything, I just felt like it was still incomplete. Somehow a new song came about within the last two days and as I was recording it and piecing it together, things just fell into place. My time in Norway has been amazing and I'm really happy with how these songs turned out. If it weren't for this experience; the struggles, excitement, and beauty of this place, these songs would not exist. So I am incredibly thankful for this journey because it gave me the opportunity to expand with my music by trying new things and it also allowed me to voice what I was feeling.

It's going to be an 8 track EP entitled Under Stars and Overseas. I have the album art worked out, so now it's just a matter of taking it to photoshop and putting the finishing touches on the packaging.

Track List:

1.) Magpie

2.) We're Alright

3.) Thank You Nostalgia

4.) Red Paper Heart

5.) Memory

6.) All I Ask

7.) Henry Hill

8.) Under Stars and Overseas

Meh...with a twist.

Today was a pretty boring day haha I got my work done for class tomorrow and found myself with an entire afternoon and evening at my hands. So, I watched Midnight Cowboy on Youtube. I had never seen it before and it's a classic so I figured I should check it out, and it was a pretty good film. After that, I skyped with my mom which was nice :) I was kinda grumpy because of the insanely boring day so, sorry mom! lol Later, I tried to do some sketching but I wasn't really feeling it so then I went back to my childhood and watched Camp Nowhere on youtube haha After that I made some supper, then played some guitar which lead to another possible song, so we'll see how that turns out. After that I was looking around online and and somehow discovered that She and Him are playing in Oslo in May. She and Him is a great indie act consisting of M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel (the actress from Elf and 500 Days of Summer). Their first album is great and their new one comes out on Tuesday, so I previewed a few of their new songs, thought that they were great, and bought tickets for the show haha So although the day started off pretty boring it ended up pretty sweet. I just came back from a late night walk and the brisk air felt great. Now off to work with that new song :) I miss everyone a ton and really can't wait to see everybody again.

:)

Things are fantastic :)

An Amazing Show

Last night I had the opportunity to see The Antlers in Concert, and it was absolutely fantastic. On the website, it said that the doors opened at 8, so my friend Jo and I made sure to be there on time, but when we got there the doors were locked. After talking to a guy inside we found out that the doors didn't open until 9. We ended up going to a cafe near Blå (the venue where the band was playing) and had a kebab, which was delicious. At 9, Jo and I made our way to Blå to stand amongst the other spectators. Blå is a really neat venue. The outside is covered with insane graffiti and it wasn't too big, which made for a nice intimate concert.

The doors did indeed open at 9 and the opening act took the stage at 9:15. This is something I found to be absolutely amazing. Concerts in Norway are INCREDIBLY punctual. When they say the show starts at a certain time, they mean it, which is super nice considering no one wants to stand around for an extra 45 minutes before a show starts (like in Sioux Falls haha) Anyways, the first band, Sleep Party People, was from Copenhagen, Denmark and had been opening for The Antlers while they toured Scandinavia. I had no idea what to expect because they're name was not listed on the tickets, so I didn't get a chance to listen to them before the show...which made it even more exciting. The guys took the stage but when they got to their instruments, they put on these felt bunny masks that they had made. To be completely honest, it was a little creepy...that is until they started to play their music. There was a piano player/singer, a guitarist/keyboardist, a bassist/synth guy, and a drummer who played a drum pad. The music was very low-fi and ambient but the vocals added to their costumes. They used a vocoder making the vocals sound somewhat mechanical and high pitched...almost like a chipmunk, or in their case, how a rabbit would sound if it could sing. I really enjoyed their set, especially when they played some of their more upbeat songs because when they would move around, their bunny ears would flop to the beat haha I'm a sucker for merchandise at concerts so I ended up buying one of their cd's :)

The Antlers took the stage at about 10:15. Their album Hospice is a concept album, meaning each song tells a certain part of an overall story, so they played their entire album, which was epic. Although the album is pretty low key and quiet, it's a little deceiving in comparison to their live set. It was full of so much energy and passion and was pretty loud, which only added to the experience and caused me to have my fingers stuck in my ears for most of the set haha Their performance was incredible and they're a great band to see live. It's always great to listen to an amazing CD and then to see the band live and realize that they take it to a whole new level. That's why I love concerts so much. It's like a living breathing thing; an intimate moment shared with a group of people. After the show I bought a vinyl copy of their album Hospice, and as if I didn't have enough souvenirs, Jo snatched the set list from the stage and gave it to me hahaha

The concert was epic and it was quit a wonderful experience. Now all I have to do is figure out how I'm going to get all of this stuff back with me lol

Another chill weekend

Once again, Moss has proven to be quite a relaxing place. On Friday I went to a show at a local venue. The headliner was Marte Wulff and her opening act was Dyvene Kuløy. The show was great, very low key and chill, a great way to start the weekend.

Yesterday, I was craving a pølse med vaffler so I went downtown to see if the stand was set up. I had gotten there a little early so as they were setting up I went and did some light shopping. There's a great men's store right downtown called Kase. They had some really great stuff in there and I ended up walking out with an awesome tie :) As I waited for the waffles to be made, I grabbed a seat in a park bench and updated my journal. Dr. Hezlep, a former theater professor of mine, encouraged me to keep one when I first began Grad School. I ended up getting a very nice leather bound book from my mom's friend Vicki for my birthday that summer so with his advice and the extremely convenient birthday gift, I began documenting my journey. I should write in it more often but time flies and I always seem to get preoccupied by something going on in my life, but I update it whenever I can, causing the entries to be pretty long lol. After I finished journaling, I bought the famous pølse med vaffler, now for those of you who don't know what that is, allow me to explain. When it comes to food, the Norwegians know what they're doing :P "Pølse" is norwegian for sausage or hot dog and "Vaffler" means waffle, so basically it's a hot dog wrapped in the traditional norwegian heart shaped waffle...and it is absolutely delicious. I usually eat mine with ketchup but some eat theirs with "syltetøy" or jam. After my tasty treat, I sketched a street of downtown Moss in my journal. I haven't been sketching as often lately and I miss it. I feel like all of my creative energy is being spent on songwriting and photography, so I think I'm going to turn my attention to sketching for awhile. After a quick trip to the grocery store, I came back home, did some work, and wrote some poetry for my independent study class. I now have seven new poems that I've written while being here...just adding to the portfolio haha

Today has been pretty good so far. I got to sleep in and then I watched Little Shop Of Horrors hahaha took me back to Freshman year of High School :) We'll see what the rest of the day has to bring.

-Xavier

Today...

I went for a walk near the ocean and saw a jellyfish. Twas a good day haha

Moving with the current

This experience has broken me, challenged me, pushed me, and healed me. It's only been two and a half months but I feel a change within me, a positive change. When I first arrived here I was scared. I didn't know very many people and I didn't know my surroundings. I was forced to adjust and adapt, which is something that naturally happens over time, and during that time I've been able to think about who I am, where I want to go, and how I want to better myself...some self-reflection time :)

I am so grateful for this amazing experience because it taught me how to cope. I was taken out of the world I knew and thrust into a place I knew nothing about, and as scary as that was, I managed to get through because I realized that change is something that cannot be controlled. Life moves constantly and things are bound to change so instead of wearing yourself out by trying to force the wall of change from moving, it's much easier to move in the direction that change is going in. Not only do you save yourself from stressing out, but you encounter new and interesting things along the way. This trip has been filled with change. My life is much different now than it was before I left and I feel that it's a good thing because I've learned. Learned about myself, what I'm capable of achieving, and what exactly I've been missing out on. The last few months have been fairly rough, but it's been nothing that I couldn't handle. There were obstacles to move past and right now, I feel that I have finally made it through. I am a new man with new goals and ambitions. There are new people to meet and new places to see. I'm moving on but never forgetting. I'm moving in the direction of change...and I like where I'm going so far.

All Mixed Up

I'm currently sitting at the apartment listening to "All Mixed Up" by 311, going back to my musical roots :) The weekend has been very chill thus far and I'm extremely grateful. I've gotten in some quality guitar time and I'm caught up with the new Season of The Office courtesy of my mom haha

It's hard to believe that my stay here is already half over. Norway has been incredibly good to me and I'll be forever grateful.

Not much to report here, but things are good. Been making breakthroughs in life and enjoying the ride.

Nick Hexum says, "You got to trust your instinct and let go of regret. You got to bet on yourself now star, cuz that's your best bet."

I can see Spring

The sun is blazing, the snow is melting, and I can feel Spring right around the corner. I went to do some errands today and it was the first day here in Norway where I felt like my coat was making me too hot :) I'm really excited to see some warmer weather here and to see what Norway looks like when it's not blanketed in snow.

As most of you know, music tends to rule my life. Last night I was listening to The Ocean by Mae and the song just felt like it summed up my day. So I've decided to pick an "Anthem Of The Day." A song that may describe how I'm feeling or just one that I enjoy. I'm going to run with this for as long as I can and see where it goes. Yesterday was The Ocean and today is "Blue And Gold Print" by Mates Of State.

I've written and recorded another song making my new total 9. I'm really looking forward to putting some kind of album together with these songs and I hope they go over well. The songs are a bit different from the previous stuff I've written. Magpie, Willow Tree, Revelations, and We're Alright are songs that tell a fictional story. They may represent how I was feeling at the time but the stories have nothing to do with me, which was different for me because I'm so used to writing about the things that happen in my life. The Richest Man, Thank You Nostalgia, Red Paper Heart, Memory, and All I Ask are more personal songs. These are like markers that tell about certain places in my life over the last 8 months. There's been some highs and lows but music has always been there to help me get through. Jim Morrison once said, "We hide ourselves in our music to reveal ourselves." and I couldn't agree more.

Where is my mind?

It's hard to get work done when emotions are high. My mind tends to wander and I find myself having to re-read things or just take a break to clear my mind. It's nice to have things to preoccupy me because it helps me from thinking about certain emotions but these emotions need to be dealt with. By putting them off things will just build up and spill over so I've been trying to balance the two...getting work done, just thinking about things, and learning how to deal with the changes in my life.

I keep writing that I'm moving on in life, and I am. I'm seeing new places, meeting new people, and experiencing a journey that has opened my eyes, but that does not mean that I am forgetting who I am, where I come from, and the people in my life. I've been trying really hard to be vague in some of these entries but sometimes it's difficult. There are times I want to say certain things but I don't want to fill this blog with my emotional baggage because I like to keep some of my emotions private, but there has been something on my mind and this seems to be the only way to get my thoughts across so here's a snipit of a new song I'm working on.

"I want to talk but I don't know if you'll listen. So I'll wait as long as it takes, but every passing hour tells me that it's just too late. The ticking of the clock is callous laughter in my face. I'm not looking for sympathy because I know that I've hurt so all I want is empathy, that may seem like a lot, but it's all I ask."

The more I play it the better I feel. So, here's to healing, understanding, the future, past, and present, and to new life journeys.

I'm moving to Copenhagen

I mean it. I'm leaving everything behind and moving to this amazingly beautiful city. I've never been to a more beautiful place. I feel that it has a New York kind of vibe but the architecture is absolutely beautiful. The weather here is great too. It feels like an early spring back in Grand Forks or Sioux Falls; fairly chilly but standing outside for hours is tolerable.

The boat trip over to Denmark was a blast. We explored the boat, hung out on the deck and watched the ship glide through the icy water and enjoyed the beginning of our adventure. I had never stayed on a ship before so it was no surprise that I totally nailed my head on the top bunk when I woke up in the morning haha

When we arrived in Copenhagen we made our way to our hotel and hung out for a bit. We then went out to eat and do some shopping. As some of you may know, I'm a bit of a sunglasses fiend. I could have a totally fine pair, but if I see some that I like I feel the need...the need to buy haha so it took me about 30 minutes in the city before I dished out some Danish Kroner on a wicked pair of sunglasses...but I made sure I got a good deal ;) I've also been taking a lot of pictures so I'll try to get those up soon.

This trip has opened my eyes (both Norway and Copenhagen.) The world is a big place, much bigger than I realized. I was always just content with being in my little world. Content with knowing that there was a big world out there, but now that I have seen what else is out there, knowing just won't cut it. Like I said, the world is a big place, filled with many sights, many cultures, and many people. I'm like a tiny dab of paint in a Georges Seurat painting. I'm growing. I'm learning. I'm living. I'm moving on, leaving the debris of my past exactly where it belongs.

Wednesday Brings Happiness

So today was quite possibly THE MOST EPIC DAY IN NORWAY...EVER! Tor and I woke up early and went to pick up Fe at her friends house. We then went into downtown Oslo and met up with our friend Kyle. From there we went to the amazing Frogner Park. It's a park in west-end Oslo known for the Vigeland Sculpture Park. The sculptures are very famous and quite beautiful. They are men, women, and children in many various poses and situations. Some are funny, some are sad, intense, beautiful, scary...etc. There was definitely a certain kind of atmosphere. The park was covered in snow and felt kind of mysterious...which I liked haha I took a ton of pictures and had a blast.

After the park we went back downtown and went to eat lunch at Egon. Amazing food and a great time. From there we went to the Bristol Hotel cafe and had THE BEST HOT CHOCOLATE EVER. It was really that good. As we were leaving the Bristol Cafe, we passed the opening of the hotel and I noticed a man smoking a cigarette in front. He looked very familiar to me and I knew I had seen him before. He had kind of a crazy haircut and was wearing some crazy pants. As we continued to walk I leaned over to Kyle and said "I'm pretty sure we just passed Johnny Rotten." He said, "What! Are you serious?" We al stopped and looked back. I was about 99% sure. Fe suggested that I go up to him and say hi, but I was scared that he would spit in my face...as he is famous for doing such things. She said she would go with me, so we walked back and Fe asked, "Excuse me, are you Johnny Rotten?" and he responded with a "Ello." and smiled. JOHNNY FREAKIN ROTTEN! LEAD SINGER OF THE SEX PISTOLS! FORE FATHER OF PUNK ROCK MUSIC! I said, "It's very nice to meet you." and shook his hand...SHOOK HIS HAND! We asked him what he was doing in Oslo and he said "skiing." and I was like, "Are you serious?" and without a beat he responded with, "no." hahahaha and that was about it. We said goodbye and wished him well and he the same. Today I meet a pioneer of teh punk rock movement and shook his hand...and he didn't even spit on me! bahaha

After our celebrity encounter we went to pick up our friend Anna at the train station and I ended up buying a watch at a shop there. It's a Neon, black and gold. I was very happy with the purchase. Now I don't have to keep asking others for the time or keep checking a cell phone.

So yeah, today was absolutely epic. Best day in Norway by far.

-X

Tuesday Bloody Tuesday

I've been in Oslo since Sunday enjoying the winter break. I've been hanging out with some friends in the city and it's been a great time. We went to see Avatar yesterday and ate supper at the Hard Rock Cafe which was a hoot, and then today we did some shopping, sightseeing, ate at the best Thai restaurant in Oslo called The Rice Bowl, and watched Scareface. I'm very excited for tomorrow because we'll be going to Oslo's famous Frogner park. I've been wanting to take some pictures there so we'll see how those turn out. We leave for Copenhagen on Thursday and I'm really looking forward to it.

Other than that, I guess I've been feelin a little on the bummed side. I mean, I'm really enjoying myself and the break and I'm having a great time, but part of me is a little bummed. I think I may have said this before, but memories can be deceiving and I guess right now I'm just dealing with some of them. I recently wrote a song dealing with this situation and that helped a bit but it's something that will take time. I just need to continue to look at the full picture as opposed to small candid moments.

I'll try to keep up while I'm on break but it may be awhile until you hear from me again. My days have been keeping me very busy :)

-X

If this blog was a News program

Hello, and welcome to What's Happening In Moss. I'm your host Xavier Pastrano. Today was a pretty great day. After class I came back to the house and was looking around on itunes when I remembered what my friend Beth told me. She had mentioned that a Mumford and Sons new album came out today. So I looked them up on itunes and sure enough there it was in all it's amazing folk/bluegrass/rock glory. Because CD's in Norway cost an arm and a leg, I've been buying online, and Sigh No More by Mumford and Sons was quite possibly one of the best purchases I've made while I've been here. The Album is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING the whole way through. So after making my purchase, I uploaded it onto my iPod and went for a stroll through snowy Moss as my ears were treated to sheer brilliance. The band is playing a show in Stockholm in April and I'm hoping that I will be able to attend, but it might be tricky. The concert is is on a Monday, so I would need to be back Tuesday to teach, and Stockholm is 6 hours away by train, but 1 hour by plane. Also, if I were to go, the concert starts at 8 and no other flights leave late that night so I would need to find a place to stay...soooooo, if this were to happen, I would fly to Stockholm (tickets here are insanely cheap), go to the concert, stay in a hotel, fly back to Moss early the next morning. I'm a little unsure if this can be pulled off, but my heart wants it to so badly because I know that this concert would quite possibly be one incredible experience.

In other news, as I was walking through the library at school, I came across a book called Skins, which just so happens to be written by one of my old poetry professors back at SMSU! I was surprised to see his book all the way in Moss, so I checked it out and have begun to read that in my spare time. I'm really enjoying it thus far.

This just in...Winter break begins this Friday and I'm very excited. I'll be taking a trip to Copenhagen with some friends. We'll take a ferry from Oslo, spend a 2 days and a night in Copenhagen and then ride the ferry back to Norway. I'm hoping for some great photos and some poetic inspiration.

Our final story involves a young man who misses all of his friends and family back in the states. Although he's thoroughly enjoying his trip overseas, he knows that there truly is no place like home. Miss you all!

-Xavier

Guitars, split pants, and the great outdoors

Today was a pretty fun day :) I woke up early and went downtown with a few friends. I have been craving pølse med vaffler (hotdog and waffle) for quite some time. There's a street vender who sells them on the walking street near the mall and they are pure heaven haha it's basically a hotdog wrapped in the traditional Norwegian heart shaped waffles. They have several topping options (jam, ketchup, etc...) but I usually opt for the ketchup and mustard. After we gorged ourselves with the delicious Norwegian treat, we made out way to the music shop in town. I ended up buying a new harmonica AND a Melodica! It's a 37 key portable organ that you operate by blowing air through a mouth piece and pressing in the keys. It's a hoot to play :)

Later on in the day I was able to attend a guitar workshop with a guitarist who played a show in Moss tonight. I'm not entirely sure of his name. Roger had told me but it's difficult to remember it without seeing it written. The workshop lasted for about an hour and it was great. We spent the time working in the D tuning and he definitely helped me broaden my knowledge of the the D tuning. I'll be experimenting with it for awhile :)

I was supposed to go to the concert tonight with Roger and his friend, but as I was getting into the back seat, my pants ripped haha It was a pretty big rip so I went back to my place to change, but when I got to my room I couldn't find any of my pants. I stood there puzzled for a moment when I realized that I had washed them but didn't put them in the dryer. All of my pants were sopping wet and I had no other nice pants (besides my frumpy running pants) to wear. So I had to miss out on the concert tonight. So instead of just sitting around, I went up to the dorms to see what the peeps were up to. a big group of us went on a little hike into the wooded area near the dorms and had a bon fire, roasted marshmallows and told ghost stories :)

Despite the ripped pants, today was a success :)

-Xavier

Good day...

Went for a walk around Moss today. The sun was shining and I figured that I should take advantage of it. So, With fleet Foxes serenading me and digital camera in hand I made my way around the city. I ended up coming across a music shop and they had some great stuff there. I might pick up a new harmonica because mine puttered out on me a few weeks ago.

Anyhoo, I went to see the doctor about my ear on Wednesday and it turns out that I just have left over fluid from my cold stuck behind my ear drum. They gave me some meds to help with it so hopefully it goes away in the next week or so.

I'm going to a concert tomorrow night with Krista's husband Roger. It's a guitar player who was rated one of the top guitar players of Norway so That should be exciting. I also get to participate in a guitar workshop with him before the show so I'm pretty pumped for that.

So yeah...good day.

-Xavier

Bleh...

So, that head cold I was trying to ward off didn't go away. Although all of my congestion is gone, it left me with what feels like a plugged ear. My ears have been popping for the last three days and my left ear just will not pop back and its been driving me nuts. I'm planning on going to the doctor tomorrow to see what I can do. I just hope that I can get some sleep tonight because my head feels are lop sided haha That's about it for now....just an annoying ear.

Tea and tunes

I'm sitting down, writing this blog entry on a full stomach, listening to The Antlers, and drinking some Mandarine Orange tea (for I am feeling the beginnings of a scratchy throat coming on and I am trying to fend it off in hopes of not getting sick again), and despite feeling a little under the weather, I'm doing well. Although I've been busy with school work, I've still had time to relax and work on some creative stuff. I've written three songs since being in Norway, bringing my "new song" total to 6. I've been recording while here in Norway, using the mic in my computer, just to get the songs down and hear how they sound, and I was planning on re-recording them when I get back to the states so I could use my good equipment, but now I'm thinking I might pass. Although the sound quality could be a bit better, I think the idea of listening to a song raw, recorded in an environment other than a studio would be kind of neat. At the end of some of the songs you can hear the clock in my living room ticking, and I think that might add something, add atmosphere, or take to you the place where I was when I wrote it and recorded it. We'll see what happens.

I've started to exercise more since being here. Since I don't have three graduate classes on top of teaching, I'm finding that I have quite a bit of time on my hands and instead of sitting around watching TV I've decided to get out. I've actually started to run, every other day for now, and it's been good :) (Although this cold might set me back a few days and ultimately, running in the cold could have been the cause of it haha) But I'm hoping to continue with the weight loss while here. I sometimes gage how fit I'm getting by the amount of pushups I can do. When I was at my highest weight I could only do 10, and just the other day I reached 45, and although it may not seem like a lot, it made me very happy.

I've been missing home lately. Not to the point where I'm crying at night about how homesick I am, but just thinking about Grand Forks and Sioux Falls, my apartment, the people there...I miss it. Sometimes when I'm sleeping here I imagine that I'm in my room back in Grand Forks. That probably sounds weird, but it helps me get to seep sometimes. I was listening to Charlie Parr and Split Lip Rayfield today and it really made me miss Grand Forks. I miss the drive from Sioux Falls to Grand Forks, listening to some bluegrass, and just watching the fields and hills pass by, I miss playing shows with the band and laughing about the ridiculous things that happen, I miss going to Urban with friends to grade and read, I miss everything. When I get back things will be different. Friends will have graduated and will be getting ready to move on and there will be stories that I will not be apart of, and that used to bother me, a lot but I've realized that that is just a part of growing. There's no sense in dwelling on the past because you can't change it. What matters is living in the now and making the most of what you have. So, when I get back, I won't sulk about not being around for the last 4 months, instead I'll soak up as much time as I can and create new memories and stories. Miss you guys :)

-Xavier

A NIght on the town!

Last night was an absolute hoot and a holler! I started off by going to a local show at a place called KluBb En (Club 1) with Kate, Kista, Siv, and Roger. There were two bands playing and one solo musician. The first band up was a group called Junior Kiss. When I had heard the name I assumed that they would be a teenage emo rock band (considering the name) what I failed to realize was that they were indeed a "Junior" version of the band Kiss! haha The band consisted of 4 boys (probably around the ages of 12) who were each dressed up like their Kiss counterpart. They played 4 or 5 Kiss tunes and they tore it up! I was very impressed considering how young they were. Their set was complete with a fog machine and crazy lighting hahaha The next performer was a man who classified himself as a peaceful protest artist. He sang in norwegian mostly but there was one song in which he sang in both Norwegian and Spanish which was pretty cool. The last band was absolutely fantastic (a blues rock outfit) and I had the opportunity to chat with the Guitarist/lead singer. He's from Moss and get this....he's an incredibly skilled banjo player and he plays in a bluegrass band! haha He had heard through the grapevine that I play in a bluegrass band and do solo stuff and after some chatting we exchanged number and I was invited to his home/studio to jam!!! So needles to say I was a "little" excited, so we'll see how that pans out.

The show ended around 12pm and after that I was invited by some of the students to go out and do some karaoke at a local bar haha I can officially say that I have sung Wilson Phillips in Moss Norway...although I'm not sure if I should be proud of that hahaha

Overall, it was an epic night filled with fantastic musical excursions.

-Xavier

It's the weekend :)

Today is Friday, and since we don;t have school on Friday's it's officially the weekend here :) Not too much has happened lately, just been busy commenting on drafts and playing music. I've recently become obsessed with Tabasco. I mean, I've always liked it but as I was walking through the Rema 1000 (grocery store here in Norway) I saw some small bottles. My mouth began to water and I had to make the purchase. I've been trying it on different things and so far it tastes good on anything that I put it on. Spaghetti...check, Grilled Cheese...check, Egg-in-a-hole...check. It also goes well on pizza, although when I did this it immediately reminded me of Rhombus Guys and the Girlfriend Diovolo...the best pizza ever made on the face of the earth. It needs no additions to make it better, but I do love throwing some tabasco on it. GAH! now I'm hungary.

Norway is an amazing place and one can get caught up in the wonder and awe of it, and that's exactly what happened to me. When I was in Oslo I went to a Jazz Cafe. It was amazing. They had vinyl, CD's, and on the top floor there was a cafe/bar. After spending some time there I got the feeling that it would just be wrong if I left without buying something so I found a CD by Houston Person, previewed it, and loved it. I went up to the counter and bought it and walked out in a great mood. It was only after the wonder and awe wore off that I realized how expensive the CD actually was haha I remembered someone saying that CD's in Norway are pretty spendy, that's why a lot of people buy from iTunes. After thinking about how much I paid in kroner and converting it into US dollars, I discovered that I spent $34 on a 9 track CD hahaha I really do enjoy the CD, but I won't be making any more musical purchases while I'm in Norway lol

Other than that I've just been taking it easy. I finished a black and white roll of film and am almost done with a color so we'll see how those turn out. I miss you guys!

-Xavier

I went to Oslo on Friday and Saturday and it was a blast and this time I actually took some pictures and video so you guys could see what it was like :) I finished the black and white roll of film on my Argus C3 and will try to get it developed sometime this week. I heard it's pretty expensive but I'm super excited to see how these pictures turn out. I just loaded up a roll of color, and I've never shot with color on this camera yet so I'm excited to see how they turn out. I just finished reading the Photo Issue of Outside magazine that my mom sent and it had a lot of great articles in it, like tips on how to become a better photographer, thought and opinions on photo editing, and a section on different cameras and lenses (eye candy!) I'm really enjoying photography and I hope to become better, so we'll see where that goes :) Although I'm having a great time here in Norway I just want you all to know that I miss you very much :)

Also: Episode #4 of Xavier in Norway is up :)

Distance

Things are changing. Whether it be for the better or worse I'm not entirely sure yet, which makes it difficult to gage. I would hope that it would be for the better, and not just for me, but certain situations have arisen causing me to believe otherwise. Distance is a double edged sword allowing you to fight off your thoughts, feelings, and insecurities but it cuts up your hands all the while leaving you scarred and red for all to see. I'm going to Oslo today, and I'm bringing my scarred red hands with me and I won't mind if people see them. I'll hold them up high knowing that I've grown, that I've learned my lesson, that there are others with scarred red hands just like mine.

-Xavier

Music nut

Three posts in one day is a lot so I'll shut up after this, but I just have to share an experience. I was walking to the post office to collect my Antlers concert tickets. As I said before, it's snowing here, not like a hard snow, but like, slow motion snow. I brought my camera with me to take some pictures and I also brought along my iPod. Now, those of you who know me know that I'm a music nut so brace yourself for an attempt at musical insightfulness. On this particular trip through town I decided to listen to the Sigur Ros album með suð i eyrum við spilum endalaust. I've had the album for quite some time and I really enjoy listening to it because it's a beautiful album, but there was something missing, and that something was Scandinavia. It's hard to explain, but the best way I can put it is like this...listening to Sigur Ros while walking around in the US was good, but walking around listening to Sigur Ros in Norway just fit because I feel that there is more to that album than just music; there's culture and scenery. I don't know, I guess I just felt like it was complete. I can't get over how beautiful it is here and I look forward to what Spring has to offer.

-Xavier

Snowing in Moss

It's 1:45 and I'm done with class for the day. It's snowing in Moss today, big fluffy snow flakes and it looks beautiful outside. There's a Magpie sitting in a tree outside my window. The Magpie's here are beautiful and I was amazed with how pretty it was but I was unaware of the stigma that goes along with the Magpie. It has several different associations in relation to different cultures but in Norway, the Magpie is often referred to as cunning and represents thievery (hence the title of the Rossini piece "Thieving Magpie"). In other cultures it represents bad luck, witchcraft, or even death. I just think it's interesting that a bird so pretty can bear such an ugly mark.

Things are changing.

-Xavier

4 am

It's currently 4:00 in the morning here in Moss and I am laying awake due to my cold...fantastic :S I believe that the common cold may very well be one of the most annoying things ever. Stuffy nose, popping ears, balloon head, I'm counting down the days until this thing goes away.

Two weeks in Norway

As of today I've officially been in Norway for two weeks and although its only been two weeks, they have been absolutely amazing. On Friday I went to Oslo with Krista and Kate to take care of some school business and after that was over, we spent the rest of the day shopping in Oslo which was incredible. Oslo is pretty fantastic. It had the big city vibe and feel but it wasn't overwhelming. Krista's husband Roger joined us later and he showed me around Oslo, taking me down to the wharf, showing me the Nobel Peace Prize Center, and other great attractions of the city. I was on a mission to find a new scarf and hat, which I found at a pretty schweet skater store. I bought a black and white checkered scarf and two stocking caps for 149 kroner...which is roughly $26. Later we all met up and ate at Egon which was delicious. After a tasty and filling meal, I was still on a search for a peacoat. I have always wanted one but never got one because they were either too expensive or they didn't fit me, but I figured that I would take a look. After looking at several stores and finding snug coats for 3000 kroner I thought my search was going to end with me being empty handed but lo and behold, I found the perfect coat at Dressman. It was exactly what I was looking for, so I tried it on with fingers crossed and sure enough it fit me perfectly, but before I got too attached I had to look at the price. It was originally 1000 kroner and it was marked down to 500! Which is about $87! I was so pumped! I bought the coat and walked out of Oslo a Sharp Dressed Man (thank you ZZ Top. now all I need is a texas goatee).

Saturday was a pretty chill day. I slept in and woke to find myself stuffed up and feeling the first symptoms of a head cold so I went grocery shopping and got some medicine to hep battle the congestion. Later that night I went to a birthday party which was fun, but I called it an early night and got some decent sleep.

It's a cloudy day today. No sun shining here and it proceeded to get darker when a cloud came over my head and delivered some crummy news to me. I was planning on going to Oslo tomorrow night to see The XX in concert. They're a great band from the UK and when I saw that they were playing in Oslo I wanted to jump at the opportunity for 2 reasons 1.) As I stated before, They are quite fantastic and currently hold a place in my "Top 10 Favorite Albums of All Time" and 2.) I was introduced to them by Chris Nelson, a professor back in Grand Forks, and I thought it would be funny to maybe brag about it a little bit ;) Anyways, as I was looking at the venue page reading about the concert I saw that there was two opening acts. One was a group from Canada and the other I had never heard of before. They had all capital letters and their name read UTSOLGT! I proceeded to look them up to see what their music sounded like and when nothing showed up my brain shifted into Norwegian mode. I looked at the name and remembered that "UT" means "out" and then it clicked, but just to be sure I turned to my trusty translator and it was confirmed...UTSOLGT also known as "Sold Out" is not a band but a word that smashes the hopes of seeing a killer concert. So...I will not be seeing The XX, but I will be getting my tickets for The Antlers concert in March tomorrow so I can secure my viewing of one of the best new bands on the. While today was a bit of a bummer, I'm still felling good about the day :)

-Xavier

A teacher's dream

Alongside Intro to Film I'm teaching English 120: Writing the Research Paper and we are currently reading "Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs" by Chuck Klosterman. Today was our first day of in class discussion and it was honestly the best class experience I have ever had in my life. I've never met such an active or enthusiastic group of people before. The class goes for an hour and a half and we pretty much discussed the entire time focusing on research techniques, organization, content, audience and purpose, credibility, and the content of Klosterman's work and how he's using the aforementioned techniques. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I had an amazing time discussing with my class. They had so much to say and offer and it was so great to see them formulate ideas and speak their minds. My primary goal being a teacher is to create an environment where people can learn and also have fun while they learn and I just felt like my goal was accomplished today. It was so productive and yet we were laughing and enjoying the conversation. I'm really enjoying my time here in Moss, especially the time in the classroom. I'm just very thankful for this opportunity and all of the friends that I have met while here. You might have a hard time getting me to come back haha. Jeg elsker Norge!

-Xavier

Hospice

I did my reading for my classes and found myself with a large chunk of time on my hands. I proceeded to waste some of that time sitting in front of the TV listening to the Norwegian channels to better my hearing/understanding of the language and then it occurred to me that I needed to get out, just get outside. I then went for a walk around the city of Moss. It was brisk outside but not too cold, perfect for my walking. I probably walked for half and hour and when I came back I discovered that I yet again had some time on my hands. I decided to listen to some music, but not just listen, read along with the lyrics and analyze. There's a band called The Antlers and they will be playing in Oslo on March 15th in which I hope to attend. A good friend of mine gave me their newest CD entitled Hospice before I left for Norway and I listened to it here and there and liked what I heard, but I never REALLY listened, so tonight I decided to read up on the album and read the lyrics while I listened and I can honestly say that it is one of the most creative and darkly beautiful pieces of music I have heard in recent years. It's so nice to see a well thought out work of music that goes somewhere and tells something. The record is a concept album about a man who works at a hospital and falls in love with an abusive depressed bone cancer patient. Like I said, it's dark but incredibly moving. I guess it just reminds me that I need to take the time to listen more carefully and really take things in. I highly recommend listening to this album because it will move you and maybe do to you what it did for me.

First Day Of Class!

Today was my first day teaching at ACN and I felt that it went really well. My students are all fantastic and I'm very excited to be teaching my courses. Krista had said that my film class would be very popular, and she was right haha I had about 55 students in that class today, although this first week of class is like a trial run where students can sit in and decide next week, it seemed that most of the students were interested in the class so I'm excited to have so many people interested in one of my courses :) My one section of Comp went well too. It's a required course so that kinda gives it a stigma, but I'm going to try to make the course as fun as possible for them, and with a book called Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs, I don't think that will be a problem haha The hardest thing right now is learning all of the names, there are just so many students so Im going to try my hardest to get to know them by the beginning of next week. Other than that I'm just going to to be busy with reading for the courses and making copies for the students until their books come in. I'm really excited about this opportunity to teach at the ACN. It's only the first week of class but I feel like that this is going to be a fantastic semester and a wonderful learning experience.

7 am

I can finally say that I've seen Moss in the morning. It's currently 7:45 am and I'm watching the new A-Ha video on MTV and I must say, it's no Take On Me but the song is decent. I took some melatonin last night to help with my sleep, and it did its job. I fell asleep around midnight and woke up at 7, so hopefully I'll get sleepy tonight when I'm supposed to and I can begin my new sleep routine haha I had no idea that traveling would affect my body so much haha.

I got a chance to meet some of the students last night and that was a blast. I was able to spend some time with them in their lounge area and just chill for awhile while we listened to music and discussed films, family, Michael Jackson, and new upcoming musical artists. I'm really looking forward to teaching them in class, they seem like a really great and eclectic group of people :) The students and faculty are all going bowling today and having tacos afterward so that should be a good time.

I know I posted this on my facebook but I figure I'd post it here for those of you who don't have one. Since I've been in Norway I've heard a lot of new music from some great bands and artists so I thought that I would share them with you here and if there's one that you may be interested in, check them out :)

1.) Jaa9 og UNKLP (Norwegian Rap haha it's pretty great. Listen to "Fredag")

2.) Ane Brun (Norwegian singer/songwriter with a beautiful voice/nice to mellow out to)

3.) Sigh and Explode (Norwegian screamo band similar to The Blood Brothers.)

4.) Kings of Convenience (Norwegian acoustic duo. "Boat Behind" is a good tune.)

5.) Little Boots (UK synth pop w/ female vocals. Great to dance to! "Remedy" is a good tune. The song is catchy like a Lady Gaga tune but rather than wishing for a lobotomy, I like that the tune is stuck in my head.)

6.) Alphabeat (If you want to take a trip back to 1993 this is the band to listen to! Think of an old Paula Abdul tune and mix that with some modern synth. You'll be teasing up your hair in seconds after listening to "The Spell.")

7.) La Roux (Great electro/synth music from the UK. "Bulletproof" is so catchy and the video is awesome. Not only is the music great, but the singer's hair makes the video well worth watching haha)

So there ya go, some new music to listen to while you enjoy your Saturday. Miss you guys!

-Xavier

Chill day

Today was a pretty chill day. Not a lot happened, but that's bound to change here soon. Sleep is still seldom. I fell asleep around 4am and woke up at noon. Hopefully I can actually get some decent rest tonight.

I went out and got a few more groceries and explored the mall a bit. As I was walking around outside I was approached by two men. One of them began to speak to me, so I pulled down my head phones and said, "Hva?" which means What in Norwegian. He began to speak again in Norwegian and I responded with, "Sorry, jeg snakker litt norsk." which means, I only speak a little Norwegian." He then asked me if I speak English, I said yes, and then he says, "Great, well my friend and I here are from Oregon and we were just wondering if you would like to talk about your relationship with Jesus Christ." We exchanged a few friendly words, they gave me their card if I wanted to talk sometime and that was it. It's not a very eventful story but I thought it was kind of funny.

Today was a pretty cold day in Moss, I mean, not nearly as cold as it would be in Grand Forks (muahaha ;)) but I guess it's been colder than it usually is, but it's supposed to be around 30 degrees this weekend which will be super nice.

I'm considering going to a concert in March. The Antlers and Islands are playing shows in Oslo so 1.) I'm trying to decide which one I want to go to, and 2.) if there would be anybody here who would want to go with me. so we'll see how that pans out.

I put new strings on my guitar today, and I may be onto a new song. I've been fiddling around with garage band and laid down a few guitar tracks, a harmonica track, two vocal tracks, and a drum track. I like the sound of it so now I just need some lyrics, which always seems to be the most difficult part for me but I'm sure that there are some lyrics that will work their way out soon.

Well....that's about all I got for today. Hope all is well.

-Xavier

Woot Woot Grocery Shopping!

So today was a fantastic day :) I woke up at noon, (still trying to get used to the time haha) and walked around the area a little bit. I took a few photos on my 35 mm but I'll take some digital photos tomorrow and post them on facebook so you guys can see what things look like :) I walked down past the movie theater and that was cool. You can see the ocean from the campus, it's really beautiful.

I walked to the campus and was greeted by a sign on the door that said Welcome Xavier! haha so that was very nice and made me feel even more comfortable with my new surroundings. I got to talk to Krista, the Director of the ACN, and she greeted me with a hug and was very welcoming. I also met Heidi who had been helping me out with my questions via email when I was still in the states. Everyone that I have met has been incredibly nice and super supportive. After I visited and got a tour of the ACN, I went home, had some lunch, and watched The Simpsons with Norwegian subtitles haha

I just got back from grocery shopping a few hours ago. That was actually a lot of fun. Heidi showed me around town and took me to the grocery store in the mall. The Mall was pretty hoppin' and was pretty cool. The grocery store was super nice and had everything I needed. I ended up spending 216 kroner which is about 35 American dollars so that's not too bad at all. I started eating some of the hazelnut chocolate that they put in my apartment and it was probably the best chocolate I have ever had haha I have yet to buy some cloudberry jam though. That was about 35 kroner which is like 6 bucks, but the 35 freaked me out hahaha

Anyways, today was great and I'm really looking forward to teaching next Tuesday. Miss you all.

-Xavier

It's 4 am...

So, I never thought that I would be using this blog as much as I have been, but I'm really enjoying it. So, I know the last entry was quite a downer but I am feeling much better now. I was just super stressed from all of the traveling and I was scared. I eventually went outside and walked around a bit, just to get a grasp that there was actually other things around me than just my apartment. That helped a bit, It made me feel a little less isolated. I also just wanted to say thank you soooooo much for those of you who have ben thinking about me and praying for me. Your words of comfort and thoughts have helped a lot with this transition. I received some emails from two wonderful friends, Ben and Katie, and they really brought some perspective to my situation. So thank you both so very much. If I hadn't had gotten those emails from you I would still probably be a little crazy haha. I also got the opportunity to talk with My mom and our friend Jaana and Kristen. That also helped a lot. A wave a relief is finally starting to sweep across.

Im gonna try to get some more sleep. I went to bed at 11 here and woke up at 3:45 so I feel like it;s getting better haha. Thanks again everybody.

-Xavier

harder than I thought

I'm having a real hard time with this. My body feels like crap, I can't sleep, and I miss home terribly. I absolutely hated the trip over here, I just don't think that I'm made for International travel. I know it's only the first day. I'm hoping that things will get better once classes start up, but right now...I just feel so alone. This blog, facebook, and skype are the only means that I have of contacting people right now and it's already wearing on me. I've gotten so used to the luxury of having a phone and being able to instantly contact my loved ones, and without that, I just feel ten times further away and it kills me. Don't get me wrong, the people of moss seem very kind and it seems like a great place, I just don't know if I belong here. I will try to maintain a positive attitude and to keep my head up, but right now I just miss everything. The comfort of MY bed, MY surroundings, and my loved ones and friends. This time difference is killing me too! I hate how drastic it is. My day is pretty much over and everybody else's is like half way through. It just makes it difficult to find a time to talk. I keep telling my self, "18 weeks...18 weeks." That's all it is, but I know that I should be cherishing my time here in Norway. I'm sorry for being a downer, but this is just how it is. I've never felt this isolated before. I miss you Mom, I miss you Kristen, dad, grandpa and grandma, all my amazing friends in Sioux Falls and Grand Forks...I miss you all.

-Xavier

I am currently sitting in my new home for the next 18 weeks. Moss seems to be a very beautiful place. There are a ton of hills and trees which I think will make for some great photos :) This was a very very very long journey for me. I have never traveled internationally before or traveled alone for that matter so this was and is a big deal for me. I'm not gonna lie...it was pretty hard for me. I'm not very good at saying good by and I've been know to not handle change very well so this will definitely be an opportunity for me to grow.

I flew out from Minneapolis to Newark , NJ. The flight was pretty good. I was sitting next to a young girl and her mother. After about 45 minutes into the flight the young girl whipped out her copy of twilight. This made me laugh and feel bummed. I laughed because Twilight really is everywhere, I was bummed because I had forgotten my copy at home, luckily, I had brought along my copy of Chuck Klosterman's IV, which is very entertaining . That flight lasted about 2 hours which wasn't bad at all. We landed in Newark at night which was pretty sweet. The city at night from that height reminded me of the embers glowing in a log that is burning out, either that of a circuit board...which reminds me how excited I am for Tron Legacy. Jeff Bridges+Light Cycles+Daft Punk=AMAZINGNESS...anybody else agree? Anyways, when I arrived in the Newark airport I grabbed a bite to eat and headed to my terminal. I ate at McDonalds, which wasn't my first choice, but it was quick and I had just finished reading about Chuck Klosterman's McDonalds experiment in which he ate nothing but chicken McNuggets for a week. I don;t know how he did it, but he made McDonalds sound good. I have to say that the part I hate most about traveling is waiting in terminals. I always feel like I have no home...it sucks. The closer I got to Norway the better I started to feel because I knew that I would be arriving in a place that I could call mine for awhile.

The plane to Olso was fine. It was a 7 hour flight which was a bit rough but I got through. I was already feeling a little homesick, but when I saw that I could watch The Office as part of my in flight entertainment, my mind was put at ease :) There's something about watching Dwight, Andy, and Michael doing Parkour that just warms my heart a bit hahaha.

Sleeping on a plane is THE MOST DIFFICULT THING EVER! I have no idea how people do it. I mean, being 6'4" doesn't help but no matter how hard I tried, it just wasn't going to happen. I guess you could say that I rested my eyes but that's about all that happened on the 7 hour journey.

The Oslo airport was wicked cool. Lots of Hard wood floors and lots of glass. My plane was delayed an hour but I arrived in time to make my shuttle bus to Moss, which was about an hour and 20 minutes. Colin, the RA of the dorms, came to pick me up. He's a grad student working on a Masters in Accounting. he also teaches an accounting course. He was super kind and showed me around my place. He lives next door to me which is nice...i don't totally feel alone. And that leads me to now. Im showered, full, and wanting to sleep so badly but am trying to stay up to get used to the time change. Anyways, enough babbling for today. I miss you all very much and I'll see you in 18 weeks :)

-Xavier

Day before my flight...

It's Friday January 1st 9:10 pm, and my journey to Norway begins tomorrow. I'm currently in Minneapolis with my mom, my girlfriend Kristen, and my grandparents. We met up with my Uncle Mark, my Cousin Carrie, my dad, his wife Shelly, and my little half bro Kryston. It was such a wonderful feeling to be surrounded my the people whom I care about soooo much and it reminded me how blessed I am to have such incredible people in my life who support me and love me. I am truly grateful for all of you. I had been doing a pretty decent job of holding it together but a few tears began to flow when I said goodbye to my dad, and I'm positive that there will be some tomorrow but these will not be tears of sadness, but rather tears of joy. I am extremely excited for this amazing opportunity and my family is excited for me as well so with their love in my heart and the scenic beauty and wonderful teaching opportunity that awaits me in Norway, I am positive that this will be one amazing experience.

-Xavier