Welcome!

Let me start by saying hello and THANK YOU for all of you interested in following my blog! I'm really excited to share my experiences and thoughts with you! I hope to write freely and honestly about everything that this experience entails: making friends, getting to know a new culture and language, learning about development and poverty, learning about myself, practicing what it means to "love your neighbor as yourself"--and probably failing over and over again!

A word on language:
Since there are both Americans, Norwegians, and people from other countries reading this blog, I thought it would be easiest to write in English. Not only because this is the language that most people understand, but also because after six years in Minnesota, I speak better English than Norwegian! So I apologize to all of you for whom reading English might be more of a challenge -- I will do my best not to use too many difficult words. Also, if it's any consolation, I will be severely language confused this year, trying to juggle Norwegian, English, and Spanish, so I'm guessing there will be a little bit of all three languages on my blog! :)

Thank you again for being interested - I'm looking forward to keeping in touch with you through letting you know what I'm doing and feeling. My hope is that my reflections will inspire you, provoke you, make you laugh, make you think, and make you appreciate the small things that gives life meaning!