One of the first things I noticed, and continue to notice, is the inward somewhat cold disposition of Norwegians on the street or busses. They never look at you, say hi, or do any of the utopic Luther salutations I am used. But, yesterday I tried my best to work through the disposition and just made myself laugh outloud.
I walked by an older, nice looking gentleman walking a dog. I said a formal greeting meaning "good day" which is "God Dag" (pronounced good dog) in norwegian. he of course said nothing, but I laughed non-stop. From now on, anyone with a dog is a possible target. Look out Norway!
I just walked to school from my new apartment! Yesterday Alison and I moved my stuff via a crazy cab driver to my new apartment at: Stakkevollveien 60. I dropped all the stuff and immediately had to go to class, but when I returned Alison had magically turned the pile into a cozy room! It looks great and pictures will be coming soon. We ate a tasty pasta dish with homemade sauce to celebrate and watched "Lost in Translation" with three of my housemates before crashing in the new room.
Alison and I had a great time at Finnkroken. It was rainy most of the time, but fortunately the sun came out enough for us to eat outside, pick blueberries, and stick stones on the water. Most of the time however was spent reading, sleeping, playing guitar, talking, and making chicken curry. It was a great weekend of relaxation and jet lag recovery for Alison.
I also had my first norwegian course here last night. I think I`m in a lower level than maybe I should be because it was quite easy, but I think it`s good to go back and correct what I might have learned wrong.
The rest of the week should be pretty chill. Tomorrow if it is nice we are going to go up the fjellheis which is a cable car that takes you to the top of the highest peak around tromsø. I have heard good things so we shall see. Hope all is well back in the States and all the Luther folk are settling in as well as I am!
I officially started the move to my new house today. I took two bags of clothes there, and I am definitely getting a taxi on Monday when I move the rest! It will be a great spot though. I put my clothes away and had a few friends come over to eat our first meal there...rommegrøt! It's like Cream of Wheat with sugar, cinnamon, raisins, etc. It tasted great considering it's basically justporridgee, but I walked home and walking up hill for 30 min made me realize why you need to let your food digest before exercising.
I'm excited and am in a cleaning frenzy because tomorrow my girlfriend Alison will be coming to visit! She will be here for 9 days, so she will get a great taste of Tromsø¸ life. She'll arrive tomorrow at 3.30pm and then we are going to go to Finnkroken, the small island North of Tromsø where I went with my Peace Studies class during orientation. The picture above is from Finnkroken. Pray for sun!
I just got word that Tromsø's team won a big football (soccer) match tonight in UEFA qualifying so the rowdy fans are out! Fun stuff. A beautiful night up North. Hope all is well down South.
Today I learned the meaning of that word, leiekontrakt...it means, impulse buying of a new rental spot! That's right, after only being here two weeks, I am already moving.
It all happened so quickly, but I think it will be a great place to be. Four other students in my program were looking for a place to live and I decided it would be fun to live with them, so I told them that if a spot opened up I would like to join them. Well, today they got a lead so we all went to check it out. It is a 15 min walk from the University and from the town center. The landlord came and picked us up at the University. We got to the house and there were two people waiting outside to look at it. He said they had to wait, as we had made an appointment. Anyways, he talks to us a bit outside showing us the bike/storage shed and the yard/driveway with weeds and rocks, making it a little unclear what its purpose is. He's speaking Norwegian the whole time, way too fast for me, so I just look interested and nodded a lot. He opened up the door and showed us the mud room, laundry room, bathroom and living room downstairs which were all very nice. We then walked up a spiraling staircase and he showed us a few of the room. They were very kurslig as we say in Norwegian...very cozy! Wood floors, windows, fully furnished. We walked up another stairway to the third level to a few more rooms and a kitchen with two refrigerators, freezers, another full bath, and even a little porch outside. Well, we all looked at each other and knew that it was a great spot, especially for the price...only 2400 Norwegian Kroners which is about $365 a month. We knew that if we told him we'd tell him later that the next guys would probably snatch two of the rooms, so on the spot I'm handed a rental contract, leiekontrakt, and was signing my name and agreeing to...who knows what?! Three pages of Norwegian with all the rules and regs. I was assured by the others that everything was good, so I signed up and took room number 1, a room with wood floors, white walls, one window, a desk, wood shelves, and a white closet. So kurslig! So, just like that, I'm moving I guess! It happened so fast and I can move in starting tomorrow. Crazy.
The rental agreement lasts from now until 1.July, and I think it would be very welcoming for guests! The only downsides are that I have to pay for next month still on my old place which is another 3,000 NOK and have to pay a deposit of 2400 NOK...but hey, my new place is actually 600 NOK cheaper than my current place and as my mom said on the phone, it will probably save me the money I would have spent on a psychiatrist while living alone during the "dark period." I will be living with 6 other people, four of them are in the peace program with me, and two of them (one boy and one girl) have already been living there...so that will be a surprise. My friends who will be living with me are two Norwegian girls, Kjersti and Teresa, one Finnish girl, Marjaana, and one Norwegian guy named Stien. It will be very exciting and lively, and I hope it will help me learn more Norwegian and better experience Norwegian culture. I'm just looking at it as a return to the "cluster life" that I lived and loved while at Luther.
Well, after our quick purchase, Kjersti, Teresa, and I headed down to Sentrum and celebrated our future roommateness together with a hamburger and a coke while sitting on the water at the base of the mountains. My first rental and my first Norwegian hamburger, what a monumental day!
I'll post pictures from my new house as soon as I can. In the meantime, here is my new mailing address:
Scott Meyer
Stakkevollveien 60
9010 Tromsø, Norway
I now am the not so proud owner of a cell phone. After four years of abstinence, I needed one, especially here. Everyone uses them to communicate, and I learned that Norway is the country that supposedly sends the most SMS text messages. Don't know who researches that, but that's what the rumors tell me. But, not only do they use them to communicate, they use them habitually as cameras! I know this is probably common in the US too, but it strikes me that whenever anything happens people bust out their cell phones and start taking pictures.
The only thing crazier than this is the amount of smokers in Norway. Seriously, everyone is smoking all the time. They passed a law in Norway, thanks to our graduation speaker Dagfinn, that you cannot smoke indoors in Norway, so maybe this has something to do with the overwhelming number of people smoking outside...but I think there are just a lot as well, despite the warning labels that say Smoking Kills. The worst part about it is the kids. I see girls that look like 10 year olds dressed like 21 year olds smoking with their younger brother. Quite shocking to me, but apparently normal to everyone else. For a culture that is extremely healthy with diet and exercise, it's sad to see so many cigs.
Speaking of craziness, or lack there of, there is a big election in Norway in a couple weeks. They vote for their parliament...but unlike the US where we vote for a candidate, they vote for a party. Then the percentage of votes for each party is then the percentage of seats that party gets. Right now the conservative (for Norway) party is in power so it will be interesting to see if their coalition of parties looses their power. It is funny to me though because there aren't big posters promoting parties or big rallies or anything. I've only seen ads on tv telling people to vote (something they can do by mail before the actual election) and not for parties. The only look at the parties that I've had was in the streets of Tromsø during a city wide week of parties and events celebrating Norway's 100th Anniversary of becoming anindependentt country. I took a few pictures of the small promo tents for the political parties and the youths of Tromsø, as well as a few "peace parties" with my classmates if you want to check them out on the link to the left.
Hi All!
I'm guessing, or maybe hoping, that you have stopped by after receiving the massive e-mail from me today...if so, welcome! I realized after sending the e-mail that I forgot one of my favorite ways to communicate: mail! (the old kind) If you would like to mail me, here's my address in Norway:
Scott Meyer
14/216 Olastien
9012 Tromsø, Norway
Small country, small address. It's another beautiful cloudy day here...seriously. I'm getting into this Norwegian mindset of enjoying the dry, overcast days. Very calm, relaxed, and best of all: dry! It's now time to make a little supper. I have a kitchen in my hall, but unfortunately, EVERYTHING is closed on Sundays in Tromsø, so I will be digging deep in the cupboard today. I think rice and beans with some crackers for me. More stories to come. Just a reminder, check out photos at: scottmeyer.shutterfly.com or by clicking on the link on the right of this page. Ha Det!
I just came inside after going for a run around a lake next to the dorm where I live. I saw a break in the rain and thought I should take my chance. While going for a run, I experienced first hand one of three cultural phenomena I have noticed in the past couple of days: Self-Imposed Guilt. I don't like to stereotype, but based on observations and conversations I have noticed that Norwegians feel compelled to be outside whenever possible, and especially when the weather is somewhat decent. Everyone was outside either walking their dog or kid, running, practicing XC skiing on wheels, or just sitting by the lake. It must be a sign that I should seize the opportunities of light that I have!
The second phenomena is something we talked about in our orientation meeting on Friday, something called Janteloven. This is the unwritten law in Norway that no one is allowed to be better than anyone else. No one is supposed to be proud or self-promoting. It is very true too! In class the Norwegians are always very hesitant to speak, afriad that they will either stand out or be seen as arrogant. It has been frustrating to me because I want to hear what they think, but talking to a Norwegian girl from our class about it, she says that it will take sometime (if ever) for the Norwegians to get past it. Maybe it's a trait passed on from Norwegian immigrants?
Finally, and most importantly, the phenomenon of rock, paper, scissors. Seriously, this is insane! Yesterday at a pub in town there was the Tromsø Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament. Apparently, they bracket and play a rock, paper, scissors tournament...and according to the Norwegians I was talking to, it involves a lot of skill! They said that every year the same people are in the finals. They supposedly read the oppenent and can tell what object they are more likely to pick. They also note that it is almost unheard of to pick paper first. Yeah...the best part is that the winner of the tournament gets a free trip to Las Vegas to compete in the International Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament! Look out ESPN, right after the spelling bee and poker, I think Rock, Paper, Scissors is the fastest growing sport. So look out for a Norwegian National Champ to be coming to the US soon to seek gold and glory. In the meantime, practice. Maybe you can be a national champ too!
Off to a food festival in town in celebration of 100 years of Norway being a country. Should be fun and wet!
Hello again!
I just got back from watching Norway lose a football friendly to Switzerland 2-0. Fortunately there was a celebration in town because Norway is celebrating its 100th Anniversary as a country. We listened to Bel Canto, a Norwegian band and watched the people. So great. All week there are bands, movies, and activities in celebration. A good first week to be a student in town.
I also am excited because I have now have pictures to share. I have set up a webpage on shutterfly that will keep the same address, but will be updated often with pictures from Norway. I invite you to check out the first installment at: scottmeyer.shutterfly.com. Keep checking this address periodically if you want to see a bit of the Arctic.
Also, I recently purchased a cell phone, so if anyone wants to call and chat, I will be available! My number is (47) 92 25 20 47. I don't know of any phone cards or anything yet, but in general it is cheaper to call to me from the US, probably with a phone card. Feel free to call anytime!
Now off to bed, an early 9am start! Enjoy the pics and leave your comments.
Hallo alle sammen!
Welcome to my new blog site. This site will chronicle my adventures over the next two years in Norway while I pursue a Master's degree in Peace and Conflict Transformation. I am very excited to share the good, the bad, and the fishy about Norway, so I hope you will check back periodically for stories, pictures, videos, and more. Feel free to spread the word about my website and leave any comments or questions you have. I am excited and nervous about this opportunity, and knowing that you will be joining me on this adventure gives me support and a motivation to share the latest happenings in the Mother Land. Stay tuned for news from Norway: the land of peace, love, and (fortunately) no lutefisk.
