Hei hei!
On the very first day of November, I got to see a bit of snow! Sadly, it did not last very long and did not snow more on the following days even if it was getting colder and colder.
I took part in the Yrkemesse in which Ung I Midtdalen had a stand. It was an evening event in the high school for the secondary students so they could discover the many things they can do, the high school programs but also the alternatives. We had a table with information about international exchanges, such as volunteering. The youths would come, ask some questions, get some free candy and take part in quizzes.
Another big event happened in Vinstra with the Kulturfest. That day I helped to put in place two different shows. In the morning there was one for the schools of Nord Fron, people sang and danced. The second one, in the evening, was about rewarding the creator of the country music festival in Vinstra and I got to see a show with great artists that night.
On Monday 11th we held the youth club in Badeland. Youths from Ringebu and Vinstra were invited, and it was very fun for me to see two different groups, that I am starting to know really good, meet each other for the first time. We had a great time with the death dive and slide competitions. Pizza that night was a nice bonus too.
The main highlight of this month was my on-arrival seminar that occurred in Balestrand. After a 10 hour drive, riding 4 different buses, I arrived at the beautiful place that is this artists’ village. We were about 20 volunteers staying together for 5 days, sharing about our experiences in our programs and learning about Norwegian idioms, culture and history. We went on a beautiful hike, visited the Norwegian Museum of Travel and Tourism and The Ciderhuset. We also competed against each other in a gingerbread house competition, I lost but never had laughed this much in my life. I think that the breathtaking landscapes and the kind people I have met make Balestrand a place I will never forget.
When I came back, we had a very fun project with the VG2 high school students : they had to direct a short movie presenting Gudbrandsdalen and activities in the region, in French. They filmed some parts outside and inside the high school presenting the areas and their everyday life in Vinstra which was very fun to watch.
During the whole month of November, every Wednesday evening, the youth club had a quizz night engaging the teenagers to come back every week in group and keep on going with the competition! My favorite quizz category was… Tractors’ brands!
Snow did not come back in the valley until late in the month. In fact, it snowed in Switzerland before it did in Norway and I felt jealous seeing the pictures from my friends and family. But the wait was worth it, the snow is way better here than back home. This is in this white landscape and frosty atmosphere that I will start my last month here feeling already blue that the end of my journey is near but excited to see how December and Christmas time will surprise me in Norway.
