… or as I like to call it: Just doin’ my thang. ⚅ ☕ ✌.

Now that my grades are in box (as we say in Norway) (BAM! ☺), project “May in KC” has started!

Friday was Anne’s and Alvin’s graduation. Unfortunately this lousy picture is the best picture I have:

Nobody threw any hats (WHY?!).

Anne, Viola, me, Annemarie.

After having a better dinner at the Plaza, Viola, Victoria and me went out to celebrate that summer is here.

We had such a good time, we did the same on saturday.

Today I went to see the roses in Loose Park. Loose Park is a huge park right up the street from where I live, and there’s a little rose garden within. Now it’s in bloom, very beautiful.

Then I went to the gym. I may or may not have tested the eliptical machine today (depending on whether my doctor reads this), without any pain. Wee! I’ll keep on focusing mainly on the swimming, but I may or may not try the eliptical again towards the end of the week. Soo badass.

Now: Dinner and Paradise Hotel. Favorite time of the day.

Have a good one, peeps. Love y’all. ❤

Today I finally went to the doctor to have him have a look at my leg. My Posterior Tibial Tendinopathy (painful ankle) will now be treated with 500mg of Naproxen (antinflammatory pill) twice a day, alongside with some stretching exercises. No running allowed, no elliptical machine allowed (I was stupid enough to ask), but swimming is fine! So this is where I can be found in the days to come (check out the movable walls, makes it semi-outdoor afterall):

After the doctor I had to pick up my pills at the pharmacy. When I gave my prescription to the pharmacist she told me it would take 30 minutes to get the pills ready. I was baffled. 30  minutes for what? I was the only person in line!

After sitting there for fifteen minutes I couldn’t help but wonder: Are all the boxes of medication there really empty? Have they just been put there for decorational purposes? Are some well hidden pharmacy-workers busy cooking my medication in the back somewhere? In case you are one of my many American readers, let me fill you in how buying medicine at a pharmacy works in Norway (and Germany):

1. You give the pharmacist your prescription.
2. The pharmacist turns around, grabs the box of pills you need.
3. The pharmacist gives you the box.
4. You pay.
5. You leave.

If, as in my case today, there are no other customers in front of you, this process takes approximately 1.3 minutes.

After twenty minutes of wondering about these questions, I received my pills. Did I catch one effective busy bee of a pharmacist or what! Cultural differences, no less fascinating after four months.

Now watching the graduation ceremony next! I will try to catch one of those flying hats, hoping that makes me the next one to graduate. ✌

Aaaaand DONE! Last final today, no more being a UMKC student. My finals have all gone pretty well, I think- will let you know my grades when I have them all in a few days.

My textbooks are sold (the bookstore buys them back here, which is awesome. UiB should start doing that!), my desk cleared. BAM, this semester went fast!!

So what to do now? I have been asked that some times now. “What are you gonna do in Kansas City for three weeks?..”. My answer to that is: I truly do not know. It’s hot here now, around 30〫C, and very humid. Funny thing the outdoor pools don’t open before the last week of May (I miss the ocean!). But I’ll have three days of sunpooling then, at least. Besides visiting museums, get a tan, have vodka tonics in the sun and stuff, I was planning on filling this time with a lot of running. The treadmill has become my new best friend here! Such a good friend actually, that my legs now say NO MORE. I have an inflammation from back in the Follo days (damn you, Riverdance!) that comes back when I work out too much, and now it is back. I’ll see the doctor tomorrow, hoping for something to speed up the recovery. We do have an indoor pool here on campus that I’m still free to use throughout May, so swimming will be my second best friend for a while.

I love how karma works sometimes. Today I finished up a package that I’m sending to myself, as it is cheaper than paying overweight on the plane. And guess what: I got a package today! A little smaller than my big one, and the big one is for myself really, but I still call it KARMA! Sweetest Kristin back in B-town has been listening to my eyebrow-problems for a while now. Thing is, they do not sell eyebrow dye here, at least none like the one we have in fashionable Europe. I have tried to get it online, at the hairdresser, at the beauty parlors. They do simply not have it here (USA is sooooo far behind, GEE!!). So Kristin couldn’t take it anymore, I guess, and sent me some. And the obligatory milk chocolate every exchange student receives when abroad. Mykje kjærleik tilbake. ♥

Big + little package ✌

Some swimming in the gym next, then a trip to Walmart (FUCKYEAH). Tomorrow? Sleep in! Have coffee in the sun! Watch the graduation ceremony, look forward to my own, then pop some bubbly to celebrate six weeks of freedom.

TTYS, my friends. Love you all!

Yesterday I finally made my casino visit, the one I needed for my gambling addiction class. As disappointed as I have been with that class, I realize I do have learned some things afterall. Like, that my visit yesterday may very well have resulted in myself becoming addicted to gambling- IF I did not know what I know about becoming just that. So here’s why I was entering the danger zone.

1) I have never been to a casino before, and the blinking lights and sounds and smiling cashiers and all of that- LOVED it. That is the first sign of DANGER. A healthy person does not care too much about all of that. As my teacher says: “If you love it, you’re in deep shit.”

2) After observing for class, I decided to try myself. I had a $20 limit, and was determined to stick to it. Sat down at a slot machine, put in the $20, press play. WINWINWIN, more blinking lights and sounds! $150! On my very first hit! Now THAT is how addicts are made! But I was strong, hearing my teachers voice in my head: Take the money and LEAVE. It was tempting to keep on going, but take it and leave is what I did (after spending the rest of the $20 that I was allowed to. Did not win any more, though).

Then I had a disturbing conversation with the waitress at the buffet. She was a grown, German woman. It went like this:

Waitress: This credit card looks weird, where are you   from?

Me: Norway.

(Her German accent was undetectable, so I did not realize she was German before she told me. She must have been here a while. I did NOT give her the “Oh, I am German, too!”- speech. I just wanted to eat.)

Waitress: Oh, I see.. So will you go back? why are you here?

Me: I’m just a visiting stude..

Waitress: GO BACK.

Me: Ehh, hum?..

Waitress: Go back. It’s no good here..

Then she just left. That was very Shutter Island-ish. WTF.

I did finish my cake-testing-procedure, though. Prepaid buffet. Very Marie Antoinette.

Now back to reading for my last exams. I have 6 more exams, starting tomorrow. As I realized my standing is pretty decent in all of my classes, my aim is now straight A’s (that’s pretty hot). It should be doable, just have to hang in there for these last days.

Then I’m DONE on May 3rd! BAM!

So back to reading now. TTYL, love y’all! <3

Howdy y’all! So much for becoming a better blogger.. My apologies.

Some of you showed some worries about my safety here yesterday, due to tornado warnings (those of you who weren’t, no offence taken. At all. NONE. <3.) But I am happy to let you know that no tornado ruined Kansas City, only a little wind and rain. Because over here, this is how we handle nature’s forces.

Besides averting tornados, I am busy with schoolwork these days. Only three more weeks, and this semester is over. So final exams are coming up, papers need to be handed in, and so on. Today I’m spending my day (and the next 4 days) writing a term paper on premarital sex, sin or not. Tough one, yes. I’ve known that I needed to write this paper all semester, but well. I’ve cut it down to do so in five days instead, just to challenge myself.

Besides schoolwork, I also go to the gym, and do other stuff people do. I spend some time planning the last weeks in the US. I’ll have three more weeks in KC in May, and then three weeks in NYC in June before going back to Bergen. I need to find places to stay in NYC, and figure out how to not let my luggage be overweight. I might go to Chicago before going to NYC, as it is not too far from KC- and pretty awesome, people say.

Not too crazy exciting news to share, my friends, sorry ’bout that. But I am safe and sound, and isn’t that the most important thing? That’s right.

Love you all, TTYS.

Aaaand back in Kansas City! After the initial ticket-trouble, I made it to LA. Peew! The trip continued to San Diego the same day, which is a two hour drive. San Diego is a beautiful city, sunny, clean and with a nice energy to it. I haven’t been too hard on the camera on this holiday, my bad. But I’ll show you the pictures I have.

Lunch in Little Italy, San Diego

Old Town, a really nice area. And they made the best coconut margarita.

My visa-situation is a little tricky, but it’s too boring to explain. Anyways, I have been in contact with the American embassy in Oslo for a long time now, about what to do when and how. So I did what I thought they wanted me to do, namely cross the border in order to reenter the US. San Diego is 30 minutes from the border, so how perfect wasn’t that.

Entering Mexico was an interesting thing. There were many grumpy looking, armed Mexican officers watching you. One wrong step, and you’ll get shot. Or so it felt. But- there was NO checking of anything whatsoever! Not my passport, my purse, nothing. I could have had 50 hand grenades, 3kg of cocaine, or a rabies infected little kitten in my bag. Nobody cared, you just walk right in. Olé.

Entered Mexico, crossed the street, stood in line to reenter USA. Spent 10 minutes in Tijuana- as it is NOT the place to stay, everybody told me. I really just wanted my passport stamped, and get outta there. But- they wouldn’t stamp it, just let me right in. I explained my situation, but there was no mercy in that officers eyes. I have now been in touch with the embassy again, and I guess I’ll have to do the same thing in june. As it simply was too early now. I will spend the last three weeks of my America-time in NYC, so I guess I’ll go see Niagara Falls from there, which are basically right next to the Canadian border.

Back to San Diego, Pacific Beach.

Then back to LA. First stop: Universal Studios!

Everything looks scarier in 3D.

Wisteria Lane. Personally a highlight on the studio tour. It’s really a street, and the houses are  actually used as sets. But it’s so much smaller and shorter than it appears on tv. It was hard taking pictures out of a moving little bus. But here’s proof.

The Simpsons ride, the best ride in the whole park, without doubt. I am not a rollercoaster person, but this one I took three times.

Never made it to the real Hollywood sign, but thankfully Universal Studios took care of that.

Just some guys I met.

Then I spent the rest of the week in Santa Monica. Really nice place to be. But- LA is BIG. They have no subway, and the busses take forever (an hour ride from Santa Monica to Hollywood). And it is expensive. And it is dirty! But there are a lot of really beautiful people.

Santa Monica, 07:30 am.

The pier.

Forest was here.

Hollywood. The walk of fame was a big disappointment. I expected some shiny, glittery street. But it was just a dirty street. I met Batman, or Larry, as his real name is. His accent was Italian.

Spidey and me waving hello to Zakarias back home!!

Rodeo Drive. Where even the street signs are made of diamonds. Turns out this also is just a street. A clean one, though.

Here I spent the afternoon waiting for Richard. But he never showed. He must have checked out already, I guess.

Having the name that I have is not always simple outside of Norway. So I tend to lie, to be honest. My new alias over here is Ann. But, turns out, that is too complicated, too. “M” it is from now on.

Melrose Ave. This street reminded me of Viertel in Bremen. A punky, cool street (dirty, too). Tatoo shops, second hand, art. I loved this street, coolest I’ve seen in LA.

Yes, everything is bigger over here.

As much as I love being bi-cultural, sometimes it simply makes me look like a compulsive liar. I was having breakfast at the hostel, when I realize the two girls sitting at my table are Norwegian. “Oh, hi, I am Norwegian, too!”. We had a nice breakfast together, exchanging sightseeing tips and stuff. Then another girl sits down, and I hear from her accent that she is German. “Oh, hi, I am German, too!”.                                                                               I have become rather quick in summing up my life to five sentences, so I got that situation cleared out.

Anne, my German friend from KC spent some days in LA as well, only that our dates didn’t overlap perfectly. But we had some time together in Santa Monica.

I also met up with Nora, a colleague back from Hotel Cæsar times. She is married and lives in Hollywood now. We got so caught up in catching up on the eight years we hadn’t seen each other, I totally forgot to take a photo. But it was so nice to see her again!

I also went to the Getty Museum. People say the MoMA in NYC is big- it is not. The Getty on the other hand is. I saw just a fifth of what it had to offer. Beautiful museum located in Bel Air (1,5 hours bus fom Santa Monica each way..). And it may be the ONE thing that is actually FOR FREE in LA!

Overall, I had a good time in LA. But I do not feel the need to come back. If you don’t have a car, and you’re not stinkin’ rich, it’s rather exhausting. I definetly prefer San Diego, not to mention NYC. Nothing compares to you, New York. <3

Now this was one long entry. Back to schoolwork. TTYL, love you all. <3

First day of spring break today! One day till going to LA! So exciting! Started the day with an hour of running, last shape-up before going to the west coast where everybody is so fit and beautiful. Sunny, warm, with a light breeze. Perfect.

Had a lazy afternoon at the Plaza, reading Vogue and sipping a large, sugar free iced Caramella. Bliss.

Started packing. How many summer dresses and sandals does one need for a week? Lovely problem! Then online check in. I like to have everything done in good time, be prepared. They wouldn’t let me check in, though, some error kept popping up. It kept on saying Saturday, 24.03.. No. I’m leaving Sunday, 25.03.! Rechecked my Itinerary.

You know that cold chill down your spine, followed by a warm nausea in your stomach that hits you out of the dark? Yup. My flight to LA was today. Not tomorrow. TODAY!

Rewind. So while I was doing this –

– my flight to LA happened without me?! What the hell? What was I doing, checking my ticket five times the last 24 hours?? Fuck. Fuck! FUCKFUCKETTYFUCK!!

Crying and hyperventilation.

Ok. I need to call American Airlines (AA). I cannot not go to LA.

The following conversations have been slightly shortened for retelling purpose:

AA lady #1: Hello, how can I help you?

Me: HELP! I f***** up! I need to go to LA tomorrow, not today! I need a new ticket!!

AA lady #1: Let me see what I can do.

♫♪♬♩♫♬ (waiting-music)

AA lady #1: I’m sorry, but there is nothing to do. Your reservation has been cancelled.

Me: No, no, no. I understand that I lost my ticket today. I can even buy a new ticket to LA. But I still need my return ticket!

AA lady #1: No. You didn’t show up, so everything has been cancelled. EVERYTHING (Muahahahahaha!). Have a nice day.

Checking new tickets. They start at $500 (3000 NOK/ 380€). I cannot pay that much.

Crying and hyperventilation.

Ok. Call them again. This cannot be happening.

AA lady #2: Hello, how can I help you?

Me: HELP! I f***** up! I need to go to LA tomorrow, not today! I need a new ticket!!

AA lady #2: Let me see what I can do.

♫♪♬♩♫♬ (waiting-music)

AA lady #2: No problem, I have a new flight for you tomorrow morning. Your original flight today was cancelled anyway, and I got you on the same return flight as planned originally. You don’t have to pay anything. Would you like a window or aisle seat?

Me: I love you.

So I am still going to LA tomorrow. Yes I am. So I need to finish packing (four pairs of sandals too much? Five dresses enough?.. Oh, sweet packing problems!).

And yes, you are all allowed to mock me for this. Here are the new flight facts. Blue on white.

Here are some pictures from St. Patricks Day that I never got around to post. I had a blast that day, starting the party at 11 in the morning, sunshine and parade! Just awesome!

Everything is bigger over here, even the hats.

But I’m European.

Hipster-baby here was checking me out like a pro. Sad thing was, she was clearly not approving my outfit. I so wish I had her facial expression on video. She went from smiling to me, to sizin’ me up head to toe, to disapprovingly shaking her head while looking me straight in the eyes. Just priceless.

I thought I looked cute, though.

Now- back to packing. CAUSE I AM GOING TO LA TOMORROW. Fact.

✌ ♡ ☼

Looong time no see, sorry ’bout that! Besides the fact that I’m kind of adapting to actually living here now (for now), and that not everything seems blog-worthy anymore, I’m not spending too much time in front of my computer these days- resulting in little blogging. But, I promise to try to take better care of my readers from now on!

Kansas City is treating me well, I can say no other thing. School is going good, I just earned my first A+ (I have also earned a C and a B, but who cares about that). A+!! Classes are ok, though most of them are repetition for my part, as before mentioned. Oh, remember the gambling class I was so excited about, and how I said I could listen to the teacher for hours talking about how pathological gamblers behave? Well, he has been telling us the exact same stories every single week now. Most of them word for word. He has been teaching this class for 15 years, he says. I bet. Be careful what you wish for- I learned it the hard way.

But, I’m trying to make the best of my stay here (yeah, poor me). For example: how to make a regular Saturday a really awesome Saturday? Take sunshine, 23〫C, a balcony, two handfuls of vodka drinks, a grill, and great company. Voilà.

Or, how to make a regular Tuesday a really good Tuesday? Get some new shoes. In knitted leather. So freakin’ awesome.

How to make reading for tomorrows exam durable? Get a tan while doing so.

The good weather has come to stay (sorry, my Norwegian friends, for rubbing this in).

And: Spring Break is right around the corner (12 days from today). The plan: LA – San Diego – LA. Oh yes. One week of West Coast Awesomeness!!

On Saturday it’s St. Patricks Day- why that Irish day is such a big deal to everybody here I  really don’t know. But, what do I care! A day of parades, happy people and a hell lot of greenness. Good enough for me!

That’s it for now, my dear readers. Take care, talk to you soon, and I love you all. ☀ ❤

Sunny days in KC! This has been a great weekend, a shame that Mondays always come so fast. Here some pictures!

Farmers marked, fresh and affordable vegetables and fruits. This happens every saturday, and I’m pretty sure I’ll be there every week.

Second hand shopping on four floors. Loves!

This must be the coolest jacket ever. But can I pull it off?

Kansas City sometimes looks pretty good, too. There is a loft for rent with about the exact same view as in this picture. I think the picture doesn’t really show how beautiful this exact view is, you’ll have to take my word for it. If I was to move in KC, that would be THE loft for me.

Ice coffee in the sun, counting fountains (KC is called “The City of Fountains”. I just start to notice them now. Not in this pic, though, no need to search here).

Mondays are looong days. School untill 9 tonight. So I’ll have to leave you for now- talk to you soon, lotsa love from me.

After receiving hundreds and hundreds of concerned mails from you guys ( <3 ), just wanted to let you know that all is good and nothing wrong in KC.

I am currently experiencing what many poets before me have experienced, namely being uninspired to blog. Nothing more, nothing less. I will come back as strong and inspirational as you know me very soon.

Untill then: you are not forgotten, I still love you all.