As I was just telling her, my year at the EF school was the best year of my life! I had a blast, and cried about a million tears when I had to leave for Norway again. Didn't think I was able to cry so much and for so long until then, but then I learned I was.

Oh well, what did I do when my tears dried? As many of you already know, I went back to Santa Barbara again to attend Santa Barbara City College, where I met Rebeca, Chris, Steven and many other EFfers again, who also wanted to stay!! Hung out with the new EFfers for a while, but had fun with our new friends also. EF was never the same after "The Best Class Ever" left the area....I miss you guys all the time!!! I want to go back every day!!

City College was fun. I lived in a beach house on the Mesa, but by Christmas of '96 my extra 6 months in Paradise was over and once again (though a bit less tearful...) I sadly left for Norway. From January till July 1997 I had 3 part-time jobs, and took classes at a college in Molde at the same time. Lived at my parents place until summer. Then for 1 year I went to nearby Oslo to do my exams in English, and at the same time I worked in a Quality Hotel as a bartender mostly! I found that bartending was a cool thing to do and I loved the job more than school but actually I did great on my exams, too.

After my year in Oslo I went to Santa Barbara again for vacation with a friend of mine, and we cruised through CA and NV with a Chrysler Convertible the whole summer. The followiing Fall ('98), I went North, living 1 year close to Trondheim, where I studied to be a traffic school teacher (my parents own a big traffic school). Believe me when I say that it was actually really fun and a bit exciting and scary at times. At the same time I attended a Bartending School where all my exams were awesome!

I moved back to Molde and started working in my dad's traffic school in June '99. I was actually just going to live and work here for about 6 months and then go back to Oslo again but now it's 2002 and I'm still here in Molde, working at the same place and loving it!! I'm also working at a Quality Hotel here (bartending), and having fun every day!! Love both my jobs! Been back in Santa Barbara twice since I moved to Molde after my trip in '98, and honestly, if I had a chance, I would move back there in a heartbeat--It'll always be my Paradise!

Besides working, I'm also dancing just as much as I did before!! I'm teaching others, and I'm dancing for myself, just like any other sport: having fun moving my body around! It's my fave thing to do to be in shape. Swing-dance, Boogie-Woogie and Latin are dance types I like the most!

Other news? I just bought myself a brand new apartment here in Molde. Its 84,5m2 and includes a garage for my car!! The last part is greater than most of you think, considering my job as a traffic school teacher and that almost half the year here in Norway we have to get up early in the morning to heat up the cars, remove ice from the windows and get the cars ready to have students inside. I'm moving in anyday now and I'm really excited! It's a great apartment!! And NO MORE ICE-REMOVAL in the mornings.... ;-)

Other news? Well...I'm pretty single, but things are happening in my life....I'll keep you posted. I just have to wait and see if it works out first. During the last 2 years (since I had my live-in boyfriend at the traffic teacher school), I've just been dating on-and-off because my spare time is limited; I'm working, working, working and dancing, dancing, dancing.. In between, I'm seeing my friends, travelling to the US, Australia, Thailand and around Europe. I've had no time for boyfriends in my life. I like being single! No kids either...yet!!

Hope you're all fine!!! Have a blast!! And ENJOY LIFE!!

Love, Nina in Norway!