Peace, Love, and Lutefisk: Adventures i Norge

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.