Peace, Love, and Lutefisk: Adventures i Norge

It's been a random, fun, and crazy week as I have enjoyed the company of my friend Alison being here! We have been doing everything from dog sledding to grilling burgers in below zero weather (more on those later), and now we are headed to safe and quiet city of Oslo. And it's about time. One would think that Tromsø, Norway at 70 degrees north in the idyllic mountain setting, full of quiet, kind, introverted Norwegians who pay too much taxes to support too many police officers would be a safe, quiet, and boring village. But oh no. I had that illusion shattered Saturday when Alison arrived.

I got to the airport early in my black felted wool coat with mittens made by Alison, a scarf and hat, and my bookbag ready to do a little reading to prepare for my exam. I read for a while and when Alison came through the gate, I did the natural thing and went up to greet her and welcome her to the peaceful place where I study peace and conflict transformation. We talked for about 2 minutes and then looked back at my chair and everything was gone. Someone had stolen my coat and my backpack containing 2 compendiums, ironically for my PEACE and conflict transformation class! I ran outside to look and only saw innocent looking Scandinavians and a group of even more innocent looking Japanese tourists. Maybe I was too naive about one of the two groups! I immediately went to one of the four, yes four, security guards who were in the waiting area supposedly protecting us from the dangers of the Tromsø airport (that would be the airport with about 8 gates and maybe 20 flights a day). I told the security guard what happened and he looked around in the now empty waiting room and consulted with some of the other security guards. Finally I suggested that maybe they look at the video. After about 10 minutes of waiting, he came back and said that the pillar in the waiting room had blocked any view of someone stealing my bag. Yes, great security system. Well, after realizing that it was a lost cause we came home and soon headed to the first exotic stop for Alison in her trip to Norway: the police station!

We headed in and told them about the situation, or tried in Norwegian. They said that they wanted to call the airport and have them check again. I just said ok and waited. Alison and I were getting ready to go out for the evening and had mixed a gin and tonic to go. Well, after 20 minutes of waiting we decided we were justified in openly drinking in the police station. Finally, they decided that I was telling the truth and that the bag and coat were actually stolen. I started filling out the paper work which was all in Norwegian. Quite a task. At the end of the form I had to write what I wanted to happen if they caught the person who stole it. I told the policewoman I was talking to that I just wanted the stuff and wouldn't press charges. We didn't quite understand each other and she insisted that I check one of the 10 boxes listed. I finally choose a box and x'ed it. I'm not exactly sure what it said or meant, but I have a strange hunch that it might have been the "extradite the criminal to South Dakota for immediate punishment" box.

So now, after rebuying the compendium, I can continue to write my exam and learn more about peace education and the economic costs of civil war. I wish I would have received Silje's advice that there are theives in the Arctic a little earlier! I guess I should rest easy though knowing that I am now doing what my program has been preparing me for: educating the vagrants! Somewhere out there in the dark alleys of Tromsø, someone is warm and is learning how to create peace and learn from the experience of feminist activists in Russia. My hat is off to them...if I still had it!