Publications in local newspapers

Bye, bye, Norway!

As we were spending 8 days at Lena school, we went to Oslo on the last day of our visit. After we had watched opera house and Vigeland park, we arrived at the airport.
The last farewell minutes were the most touching. We had become good friends and most of the students were crying. Viktor gave same Norwegian calendars as farewell presents to us. They are very nice and we will remember this meeting having a look at them. These days were the most impressive holiday, we have ever had. Thank you!

Restaurant in the Opera house

When I and more than half of my classmates were in project ‘’NordPlus Junior’’ in Norway, in the last project day we visited Oslo. We visited various places in Oslo and one of them was Oslo Opera House. In this Opera house is a really nice Italian restaurant with amazing look at the sea and ships.
Restaurant is really light and with good atmosphere. Waiters are dressed normally, in suits. It is high class restaurant and is very expensive, at least for me. There are white chairs, white desks, white floor, Opera house is also white. But it is good, because Norway is really dark country.
Food what you can get there is predominantly seafood. Also you can get salads, wraps, bread, some drinks like in all other restaurants. Thing that I don’t like there is that the portion is really small, but I think this food is for gourmets. And restaurant is expensive too. For example, small salads, what I got, cost 12 Ls. But maybe it’s normal for Norway.
I really recommend everyone who visit Oslo, to go to this Opera House and have a meal is this restaurant. Enjoy this spectacular atmosphere there. You have to see and enjoy it yourself.

Statue of King Olav V. in Holmenkollen in Oslo

That was the last day in Norway. In my opinion, it was one of the best days there. We had a lot of fun in Oslo. In this statue we can see the Statue of one of the previous Norwegian kings, Olav the 5th who loved to go into the mountains surrounding Oslo and cross-country sk

Oslo

In Sunday we saw around Oslo. First we went to the Gustav Vigeland’s Sculpture Park. The park contains 192 sculptures with more than 600 figures, all modeled in full size by Gustav Vigeland without the assistance of pupils or other artists. Vigeland also designed the architectural setting and the layout of the grounds.
The initial point of the park sculptures are the Fountain. Vigeland added many more sculptures to the project - granite sculptures that eventually were placed around the later Monolith. In 1924, the City of Oslo decided that the whole project should be fulfilled in the Frogner Park, later called Vigeland Park.
After exciting park, we went to Oslo Opera House. The Oslo Opera House is the home of The Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, and the national opera theatre in Norway. The structure contains 1100 rooms in a total area of 38,500 m2. The main auditorium seats 1364 seats and two other performance spaces that can seat 200 and 400. The main stage is 16 m wide and 40 m deep. The angled exterior surfaces of the building are covered with Italian marble and white granite and make it appear to rise from the water.
After Opera House inspection, we had a meal in Opera House restaraunt.

Kais House

We are driving to Kain house. Then Kai let us come in house. We are thinking we just can look at house and go to garden to eat some supper outside. But Kai let us eat in restroom and we was very suprised becouse in Latvia we can`t let 20 people come in our house and eat supper.
Then Kai wife has made four of kind cakes. It`s very delicious.

Kulturstua i Ro

It is a farm up, in the mountens in Norway near Lillehammer. It’s a great place to be! It is managed by two very passionate people, a couple, who are living with loving their country, their traditions and land.
It was a great experience being there, the way they were leading their life and the heartfelt work they are putting in it, it’s touching. Being there was so nice that I even didn’t wasn’t to leave I wanted to stay there just little longer. I mean few more month. I find these kind of people interesting in a simple way, I mean they have a small community and they live simple life meaning they are not scientists, but they love what they do some much, that you can feel the warmth and kindness just bursting out of them. And that is really beautiful and touching to me.
Well talking about the few hours we spent there, we got to know about Norwegian culture – Vikings and about instruments for music and work, and traditional food. For me the food was the best thing, because it was the best soup I ever had eaten. It was really, really good! I had to ask for the recipe, which I got, and I’ll be trying to make that soup until I get it right. I am really glad that we got to meet these people, it made the whole Norway experience super great.

Hell

Hell formed approximately 9000 years ago when Vinstra river stopped flowing because, a moraine ridge collapsed in Skabu and Vinstra river ran a new course.
We were in Hell in fifth day of our project and I must say we had I great time down there. It was a bit cold, but I think we all was impressed of its beauty.

BioForsk

On Friday we were in ‘’BioForsk’’ and learn a lot of things about pollution. About gases what animal farms produce and that how we can prevent pollution.
In this farm, they try to make new methods how to grow or cultivate plants. They use only that much fertilizers how much it’s needed. Also they make ponds were goes all bad fluids from farms.

Farm

In 6th May in Norway we was in the farm. Norway farms isn't like a latvian typical farm. It was doing many things automaticly, and with computer help. Farm owner need only one hour to milk cows. They how rool about smelle pollution, and they need clean farm every 12 hours, this farm cleans automatically. I seen so modern farm first time.

Presentations about pollution.

When it was second day afternoon we had to make presentations about pollution, we all went to big room and teachers separated us in mixed groups(Norwegians and Latvian). They gave us criteria what is advised to be in presentation, for example, to explain what words „pollution” and „contamination” means, what is the most common pollution in both Latvia and Norway, our ideas how to prevent pollution and so on. And we presented our work next day.

Chips factory KIMS

6.May, we visited Chips factory Kims. We listened to a presentation of this company, and heard new ideas for improving production in order to be more required. In conclusion, participated in the tasting, and made their assessment.

Sewage purification plant of Lena and Smiltene

We saw the sewage purification plant system of Smiltene and of Lena. They are diferent. In Smiltene part of the system is outside, but in Lena everything is inside. The systems work different, but result is the same.
We saw how technology were working. And it was amazing – all that process give us practically perfectly cleat water. And when thouse sewage purification plant system had been cleaned the water, they turn it beck in to the river. Now we know that in this way we give nature beck 98% clean water. It was great experience.

Evita Ozola

Latvians visit Valle Upper-Secondary School (Lena, Norway)

18 students from Smiltene Centre Secondary School (Latvia)are visiting Valle Secondary School in Lena, Norway from 3rd- 8th May. The exchange visit includes participation in the Kindergarten Project,visits to the animal farm dealing with dairy and meat production, chips factory KIMS, the sewage putification plant of Lena, Apelsvoll- the national R&d institute, workshops, presentations, cultural events, trips to Lillehammer and Oslo sightseeing.

Jumping on the trampoline

Quiet Norway evenings we spent very exciting and a bit dangerous. Jumping on the trampoline was number one entertainment for us. We were jumping so high and very long time until we got hole in the pants and backache, but despite of everything ,latvian girl Līva twisted her ankle on the trampoline. Because of this accident the rest Project days she had to spend with cruches. We had evening without trampoline- it was barbeque, where we all , project participents, were baking sausages and marshmallows and changing with each other countries’ culture. In this evening next to campfire, each of us realised that it will be hard to say goodbye. In this evening we all became friends, good friends!

Swing

In 4, May 2011, at 18.00 a clock all Latvians went to Valle upper secondary school to learn how to dance sving.
At first we split into pairs, and then teachers, who were from Valle school, show how to dance. Then we learn basic steps and then we tried dance together with our partners. Someone it comes easy, but someone not so easy.
After we were acquired basic steps we learn something else what was harder. We learn snips. All was the same, but we dance and then we must snip and then we need dance again from the start.
We all were fun and I think it was the most important. Not the dance steps or how good everyone dance it, but the mood with which you were came there.

Flight Riga - Oslo

Flight Riga - Oslo seemed very long and tedious, and could feel some air holes, it’s because we flew by very small plane, but the flight home was much more comfortable, because we flew with greater plane and in this flight home landing and take-off couldn’t feel. But in a round trip and return flight, through the airplane’s windows was a very beautiful view of Norway.
When we traveled from Lena to Oslo, we haven’t got chance to go to shops and shopping, because prices in Norway differ from those in Latvia with fact, that in Norway prices held up three times bigger than prices in Latvia and everything for us seemed very expensive, but it was nothing, because our aim was to meet again our friends and enjoy Norway's beautiful, hilly nature, not go to shopping!