jeg studerer ikke norsk

So, I suppose I have a big update for y'all.

Lots of ups and downs over here. Tim, the program director, was gone for 10 days so I was in charge. I thought it went pretty well, all things considered (and there was a lot to consider). He is back now, which I am thankful for.

We have our break coming up next week. I'm very much looking forward to getting out of Oslo. I've felt pretty cooped up here. It will be fun to explore Prague and Vienna for the first times, and re-connect with my old fave Copenhagen.

I've decided to shift a few things in my life here. The workload between TAing and my norwegian language classes has been more than I anticipated it being. I'm also finding that both are demanding ever greater amounts of my time. Now, I don't have a huge social life here or anything, but it has been difficult. Part of the difficulty lies in having to do norsk after long days with SUST. I'm doing TA related work for 7-8 hours, then study for norsk and have dinner at my office, then go to Norwegian class for two hours. I do this three days a week, being on campus for about 12 hours, plus I work three more days part time. I've had this kind of work load all last year and mostly loved it. I was really looking forward to having more free time here, though. I feel like my work load has contributed to my not being happy with my life here. Plus, I don't really like studying language. It is tough to devote energy to norsk, and even more difficult is recognizing that I need to devote even more time and energy to the course. And, there have been some SUST-related issues that are demanding me to make a sustained and increased effort in TAing. Soooo, I've decided to drop my Norwegian language class.



I feel positive about that decision for other reasons beyond those alluded to above. I didn't come here to learn Norwegian, and I don't see myself living here. Home is Minneapolis. Not knowing Norwegian is really not a problem here. I came to work on teaching, and I need to focus on that.
It is a disappointment, yes. But I'm not paying for the course, and I believe my dropping this will have absolutely no long term effect (except to make me even more cautious of learning other languages). I had looked forward to learning norsk, yes, but I have to prioritize. My happiness and teaching are more important than I third language I will almost never use.

Now I get to read more. I get to have dinner in my flat. I get to come home and not be burnt out exhausted. It was different when I've done this before. I was working with YF kids, or working with Somalis at JAS, or bringing in students for HECUA. My working life was very positive, all aspects of it. I was able to come home to Cate :) or go out with my friends :) or spend time with my family :)
I could handle working 50+ hours for a year when I had so much positivity at work and at home. I can't handle 50 hrs when there is neither.

In other news: new photos posted on flickr.