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.