A lovely afternoon

What a beautiful day! It was clear and bright, with a high of 68! The wind was blowing off the water and the day was crisp like early October afternoons in the Pacific Northwest.

I awoke at noon after closing down the student pub Hydranten last night. The group celebrated the second birthday in just the first week. And of course, being the party goer I am, had quite a lot to drink on both of those occasions. It was fantastic though. We danced, chatted with new Norwegian friends and continued to bond as a group. The one very unique part about this international study experience is that the group of Americans I came with and the Namibians and one Norwegian (go Henny!) we've met up with, will be together for our entire academic program. Therefore, we have lots of time with these people and some incredible opportunity to make great friends. As such, nights like last night are fantastic 'going out' 'European' times to bond.

On that note, this afternoon we all met up down by Mjøsa (the lake) on our bikes ready to ride and picnic. On Sundays in Norway everything is closed. You can't buy groceries, very few restaurants are open and almost no shops. As such, many can be found out walking, hiking, biking. We all embraced that relaxed Sunday mentality and biked along the lake to now protected ruins of Hamar's ancient Domekirken (Cathedral). Built in early 1100s, it is now completely encased in this incredible glass structure. The glass casing resembles the design of the entrance at the Louvre in Paris, so I have been told.

The sun and bright blue sky relfected off every panel and blinded me. But as I walked closer to park my bike, the glass panels revealed it contents. On the right side remained three distinct Roman-style stone column and arches. In the middle, contemporary chairs were set up around the decripit alter and to the left an archway leading to the back of the cathedral and what I later found out were the Bishops quarters. Our group went on a guided tour of the grounds and learned about history of the place. I took many breath-taking photos and basked in the cathedral that once was. Our guided tour ended with our tour guide signing a familiar (for Lutherans) liturgical hymn in Norwegian. Although I could understand a few of the Norwegian words, the familiar melody struck me in a way like it never had before.

I was used to singing the English words along with the melody and never paid too much attention. The hymn usually fell near the end of a church service and meant that I got to go home soon. Yet sitting in the acoustically perfect, glass edifice and seeing the ruins of a remarkable cathedral around me I wanted to stay forever. It was one of those moments that just moved you. Being amongst ruins, a physical reminder of human loss and hearing the simple and true, enduring melody of a song hundreds of years old was incredible. It was another important reminder of human connection. The power of music cannot be reduced to words.

The group meandered through the rest of the museum grounds and ate our matpakkene (packed lunches). We all then parted ways and biked back to our separate homes. It was a peaceful afternoon on a beautiful day and a wonderful experience to share with one another. Quite different from last night's but equally important as this group begins what I can see will be a life-shaping journey with each other.