Ryvingen Fyr

         Tuesday morning, my class and the art class left school to spend the week at the Ryvingen Lighthouse. We drove to the docks, and then took a boat to the island. We each carried our 70 liter backpacks, and we also had to bring all of the food and water that we needed for the week. The boat ride was fun, but also kind of terrifying. It was extremely windy and rough on the water, but the little boat went straight to the island, launching off of the huge waves. 

        We had to take two trips to fit everybody, and I was on the first boat. When we got there, we needed to carry all of our bags and food up to the house that we were staying in. The island was very rocky and hilly, and the lighthouse was at the very top. There were wheelbarrows to bring our stuff up, and as we were pushing them up the path, some sheep got in our way, trying to sniff at the food and meet the new people. The island had about ten to fifteen sheep that roamed around freely, so you really had to watch where you stepped!

        We stayed in a little house next to the lighthouse, and I was in a room with five other girls from both classes. There were bunkbeds with three levels, so I got the super top bunk! I was on kitchen duty the first day, and we made grilled chicken, quinoa, and salad. Our group worked well together, and the food was out on time--something that didn't happen every day. Plus, I got to know Sara from art much better, as we worked together on the salad, and on making waffle batter for the next morning. We had to multiply the recipe by 8 to feed everyone, and it was still barely enough! 

        There were 24 students and one bathroom in the house, so that went exactly as you'd imagine. Overall, everybody got along really well, and our free time was spent playing games, chatting, and knitting. Our class is pretty split down the middle, and we've become two groups, based mostly on our differing goals for the year--why we're here, what we want from the school, and how we want to achieve it. I feel like this trip was a solid bonding experience, so even though now that we're back at school we might not all hang out the way we did there, we have really good memories together, and something connecting us. 

        One thing that was really exciting was the wind. The first day, we discovered that if you went to a certain spot behind the house and held out your raincoat like a Batman cape, you could lean into the wind, and not fall over. Also, if you jumped straight in the air, you would land a foot or two back. On the other side of the island from the lighthouse was a large pyramid at the top of another hill, that Marianne said they used to set signal fires against (like Lord of the Rings!). We climbed up there a few times, and the wind was something I've never experienced before. Edward would have literally blown away. If you stood behind the pyramid, there was no wind, but as soon as you stepped out, you had to bend over and brace yourself to stay up. One time when we were walking around, I was going down a rock to the grass below, and when I was almost there, a huge gust came and pushed me right over! 

        Our days were spent exploring the island, hanging out/getting to know each other, and running from the sheep. The teachers arranged a scavenger hunt the second day, and in groups we had to follow clues that each led to letters, which we unscrambled to make a word. We also worked together to paint a bunch of fabric pieces that we are going to turn into reusable sandwich bags. It started out as a cute project, but ended up a splotchy mess after all of us took turns walking around the tables, painting randomly as we went. The second morning, we woke up really early and hiked to the top of the island to watch the sunrise. It was beautiful!

        On the last night, we had our much anticipated Talent Show. We gathered around outside, and there was a large rock to stand on and perform from. Everyone was hesitant to go, and the teachers seemed to have anticipated that, because before we began they brought out two boxes of wine, which they passed around. Suddenly everyone was a bit more excited to perform. I recited the Jabberwocky poem from Alice in Wonderland, and also rapped Guns and Ships from Hamilton with Ida from art. Almost everybody contributed something, and we had a really great night! 

        Friday morning was spent packing and cleaning the house. As soon as we woke up, we realized that there was an issue with the water. We had gone through the island's entire store of water--and we hadn't even been allowed to take showers! That meant that we had to carry up buckets of water from a freshwater pool down the hill, boil it, and use that to clean with. We took the boat back, and arrived at the school just in time for a taco dinner! Overall it was a very fun trip, but I wouldn't have stayed any longer than we did. I'm glad to be back at school, and--I know I say this every time--I think next week we will really start to settle in, now that we're starting our elective classes and have a regular schedule. 

        (We had to leave our phones at school, so I don't have as many pictures as I'd like, but I'm going to try to get some from my teacher and friends that brought cameras, and probably do a second post tomorrow of just pictures.