This week several of the classes were on various class trips around Norway, and we second year students were lucky enough to be invited to our teacher Susan's cabin in Kristiansand. We got to plan many of the activities ourselves, which meant that we not only gained experience in planning and organizing, but also that we got to do exactly what we wanted.

To Kristiansand

We drove from school at 09am, took lots of nice pictures of our sleeping classmates, and arrived at Susan's cabin in the afternoon. Anna, Julie, Anette and Vilde made some fat, juicy, delicious burgers for the rest of us, and we spent the rest of the evening playing board games, cuddling and gossiping. 

The first morning, 10 tired students trudged down to the breakfast table at 8 a.m., where Susan had fixed us a nice little breakfast buffet. After breakfast, we got in the car and began what most of us (including me) thought was the most fun day of the entire trip, planned entirely by our dear Julie.

Aquarama, go-karts and pizza

The first destination of the day was the Aquarama water park. There, for a few hours, we were able to return to the nostalgia of childhood. We simply got a few hours to have fun and play a little. We also got a one-hour course in Aquasurf, which led to a lot of laughter, a lot of applause, and a lot of bruises, (but every single bruise was worth it).

After a few hours of playing, we had some free time to explore the streets of Kristiansand. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't quite on our side, and a cold had spread among us students, so most of us found a dry place, and stayed there until dinner time. We met at Elmir's Pizzeria, and ate some VERY good pizzas.

Then it was on to go-karting where Luuk, Hanna and Julie dominated (I personally got fifth place twice in a row). After a very fun day, we went home for another evening of board games, gossip and good vibes.

Art and history

Morning number two started in almost exactly the same way as number one; breakfast at 8, ten tired students, into the car for the day's program, this time planned by Aleksander and Anna themselves. 

Our first destination was the Archives; Southern Norway's answer to Møllergata. We learned a lot about Southern Norway during the war, and about the cruel torture that was carried out at the Archives during the German occupation. This made a huge impression, thanks in large part to our fantastic guide Oscar, who had great conversations and discussions with us.

After the archive we went to Kunstsiloen; a fantastically cool building full of art exhibitions. My favorite exhibition was on the second floor, where the walls were covered in pictures and paintings from the printed media. After this Susan showed us around the fishing pier, and finally we drove home.

Aleksander, Jenny and Marianne made us a good bolognese, and the evening ended on a par with the others.

GOAT

Morning number three was also very similar to the other mornings, but this day there was a little extra excitement in the air, because we were going to Kristiansand Zoo, planned by Vilde. We arrived at 10 am, and spent the next five hours having a blast with all the animals.

We saw lions, tigers, giraffes, lemurs, chimpanzees (including Julius!), red pandas, and lots more. My personal favorite was DEFINITELY a small area where we could sit and cuddle with goats, pigs, and donkeys. As someone who has always loved goats, this was absolutely amazing, and I spent at least two hours with the animals. We left the zoo at three o'clock, and when we got home, Hanna, Luuk, and I made what I dare to say (very humbly) was the best dinner of the week; tacos. After dinner, we played a little monopoly, and Julie, Hanna, Luuk, and Aleksander went out on the boat with Susan's husband, Per Egil, to wakeboard. We had an early night, and prepared for tomorrow's return trip. 

The last morning started the same as the others, only it started EVEN earlier. After breakfast we started the packing and cleaning process. We were out of the cabin by nine, and back at our beloved school by three. 

Even though we all went here last year, that doesn't automatically mean everyone knew each other well

This was a really fun and special trip for us. Even though we all went here last year, it doesn't automatically mean that everyone knew each other well, and this was a really great way to get to know each other better. There were several times on this trip where I found myself thinking; "Why haven't I talked to this person more before?". "She's awesome, and we have so much in common." We came back to school with a stronger friendship, bond, and with new knowledge that we can use for the rest of the school year, but also for the rest of our lives.

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