MOOSE (Hovden Part 1)

         Last Friday was our last day of school before Easter break. I was supposed to be at the library from 11-2, but I really wanted to say goodbye to my friends--most of whom were leaving right after lunch--so I called in and postponed work to 12:30. There was no dinner served that Friday so I was able to work until it closed at 3:30. The morning was an odd mix of emotions because of how permanent the goodbyes felt. Last year, the school shut down for Covid around now--with little to no warning--so everyone was anxious to give one last hug before we left our wonderful bubble. 

        While the Norwegians all went home to their families, the NLC class went back to their rooms. A good portion of the class had nowhere to go, or didn't want to be a guest for over two weeks, so Marianne proposed that our class use the first few days of break to visit the school's cabin in Hovden. We all stayed at the school from Friday to Sunday--hanging out, cooking together, cleaning, and running a few last minute errands. Saturday, Ananda and I had a cozy night in eating mac n cheese and watching the new Marvel show.  

        Sunday morning Marianne showed up bright and early, and we all packed our bags into the minibus hanger. The drive to Hovden takes about 4 hours, and many of us--Sofia especially--have been dying to see a moose! Conveniently, there was a moose park along the way--a perfect pit stop! 

        When we got there, we were greeted by a man who was basically the moose equivalent of Kristoff from Frozen. He was super nice, and gave us a ton of information about moose. The park had two moose, and he brought us right up close so that we could help feed them. They ate a mix of fruits and vegetables, and we were able to feed them by hand. Or in Eric's case, by mouth. 

        The moose were very friendly, and we got to talk to them and pet them while they ate. They were big, but these ones were still quite young, so they will grow to be even larger! There was one male and one female, but the male didn't have antlers because they shed them in February. When we were done with the moose, the guide took us to see the wild boars that they had. Ananda got up close and personal with them, and we got to watch them eat as well. There were two males outside, and when they ate you could see their tusks. 

        We were all sad to say goodbye to our new moose friends, but it was a really fantastic detour. Everyone was really excited to go to Hovden--all of the other classes had gone already and said that it was super fun! When we arrived, we unpacked our things and made a delicious Beef Stroganoff dinner, courtesy of Eric, our class chef. Then we spent the rest of the evening chilling on the couches, watching cartoons and hanging out, looking forward to the exciting days to come!