adventures in the in-between

Trollheimen – where the trolls roar

annabarnwell — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 16:41:46 +0000

We all know that Norway is the land of the trolls. Well, this summer I experienced some real troll habitat. As summer neared, a group of friends from Trondheim and I decided to take a trip to Trollheimen (the Troll’s Home), a mountain reserve area about 2.5 hours south of Trondheim. The area is known …

Anna, are you alive up there?

annabarnwell — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 13:51:04 +0000

I apologize to my (non-existent?) readers for the extremely long break in between blog posts. Although it may seem that I fell off the edge of the blogosphere after moving north to the Arctic, in fact I am alive an kicking. In the months since I last wrote, an enormous amount has happened. I finished …

Happy Mother’s Day

annabarnwell — Sat, 07 May 2011 14:24:54 +0000

It is Mother’s Day 2011 and I thought I would briefly write a thank you to my mom and my grandmothers. I am so lucky to have your constant positive support to help me along the way. Your love and compassion have made me who I am today. I try to live each day the …

Exciting Results! AYEA Program Evaluation 2010 – Published!

annabarnwell — Sat, 07 May 2011 14:12:08 +0000

I received exciting news a few weeks ago that the AYEA Program Evaluation 2010 that I had worked so hard to complete last summer and into the fall was finally finished and in published form! Although my name proudly stands as the author, I must say that in the layout, graphics, and editing were not …

Questioning my Norwegian: when is “good” good enough for the work place? And in what type of work?

annabarnwell — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 10:08:04 +0000

I had a new experience a few weeks ago when I was offered an interview for a part-time job at the Norwegian environmental ministry. I had applied for a position called “environmental ambassador” which was a part-time job for young “above average engaged in environmental issues” people interested in teaching other youngsters (middleschool/highschool) about environmental …

Spring arrives (a.k.a post-Birkebeiner)

annabarnwell — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 07:18:53 +0000

After the Birke was finished, several large changes occurred, just in time for SPRING and the long awaited daylight increase. 1) New home! The end of March I moved back to the apartment I lived in last Spring, only I switched places with the girl I lived with perviously and am now living with someone new. …

Birkebeinerrennet 2011

annabarnwell — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 10:19:43 +0000

Saturday, March 19, 2011 – BIRKEBEINER 2011. 6 months of goal setting and excitement culminated in an awesome 54 kilometer, 4 hour and 55 minute ski tour across the mountains from Rena to Lillehammer (Norway). What a day it was! Forecasts had shown that it would be nice on Saturday for the whole week so …

The Sun Returns – and Skiing Prevails!

annabarnwell — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 08:58:04 +0000

The past weeks since the last post can only be described by one thing: skiing. After the Røros adventure in the freeeezing temperatures, I sadly became sick – a cold which is still sitting in my lungs and nose much to my dismay. Fortunately, it was not enough to hinder training (for better or for …

Røros Trip with Øistein

annabarnwell — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 09:14:31 +0000

Øistein arrived in Trondheim on Friday, Feb 11. Our plan was to race a ski race on Saturday called “Berserennet” that goes 40k from Røros to Os, a near by town. We arrived on Friday evening, with cold temps of -22 C (-8F). The forecast was hopeful, the race would happen as long as it …

Østersund: Reunion with Matt!

annabarnwell — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 10:21:44 +0000

I had the wonderful opportunity to visit my old friend Matt Johnson in Østersund, Sweden while he was there as head coach of the US cross country ski J1 team from. I took the train early Saturday (3 hours) and dropped off my things at the hostel near the station. There was more snow there …