Searching for Elsa

So, I've decided to blog. I thought about it on the plane and a blog really will be the best way to keep those who care informed about my well being and activities. Also, it seems like a great way to remember the next couple years which, fingers crossed, will be eye opening and worth remembering fully. So here goes.....(note, the last time I blogged I was in high school and it was called livejournal).
I'll start with a summary of the path I'm on for those of you who still aren't sure about what I'm doing these days. After spending 4 years at a full time job working on the construction side of coastal engineering, I decided I wanted to move into the consulting side of the industry last year. As I was searching for jobs, I came across an international masters program called CoMeM (http://www.ntnu.edu/studies/mscomem) which piqued my interest because you study in multiple countries. I applied on a whim and to my surprise I was accepted with a full scholarship. Voila!
The first city is Trondheim, Norway. The title of this first post is dedicated to my two year old niece who was very excited to learn I was traveling to the land of Frozen. I've been here for a whopping 24 hours and it took about 24 hours to get here. I hate traveling by myself, it's so much nicer to have someone to commiserate with during the long layovers and to help figure out the best way to get into town. Thankfully, everything went fairly smoothly until the very last part of my journey when I misread the map I was handed to find my room and walked around for about an hour with my two heavy bags and a look of complete exasperation. When I eventually found the correct building and room, I collapsed.
My place is pretty bare bones but it'll work for the next five months. I have yet to meet the other girls with whom I share the bathroom and kitchen but I know there are at least two others that have also arrived. After unpacking yesterday I attempted to walk around a bit but only made it to the grocery store. I really can't wait to make a Norwegian friend so they can explain half of the items I browsed through yesterday.
On the agenda for today, Ikea and explore campus. The weather yesterday was fantastic so hopefully today turns out just as nice.