Peace, Love, and Lutefisk: Adventures i Norge

Most people come to Norway with a list of names in hopes of finding their roots and long lost relatives. I just get called up by them randomly one afternoon and spend 6 hours at their house.

I wrote three letters in the beginning of April to names that my Grandma had given me. Both my Grandma and Grandpa visited Norway in 1985 and found a few long lost relatives. I didn't hear anything after sending my letters so I thought it was a lost cause. Then, last Friday while I was in Bergen, I got a phone call from the Bottlofsons. They told me I was their relative, and I was happy to oblige.

Grandpa Bottlofson, who was maybe 64 years old and a taxi driver, picked me up and took me to their house on the top of hill overlooking part of Bergen. The whole family was there! Both Grandma and Grandpa Bottlofson, their kids ranging from maybe 23 to 38 years old and even a grandkid who was 8 years old. They were very hospitable and I had a great time with them, speaking Norwegian the whole time! It took us about 2 hours to figure out how we were related and about half way through we started to question if we really were. That gave me the great idea that I should call up random Norwegians and tell them that I was their relative. I could probably cash in on free food and a place to sleep!

Eventually, I called my Grandma and got the facts from her. Apparently the Bottlofsons my age are my fourth cousins and my great-great grandpa was a brother to their great-great grandpa...or something like that. I'm already forgetting! We had a great time though eating sandwiches and cake the whole time, and it was perfect timing because it was Grandma Bottlofson's birthday. We talked a lot about family and travel and studies, and I was especially entertained by the 8 year old Grandson Bottlofson who showed me his English by rapping "I don't know what you heard about me, but you'll never get a dollar out of me, because I'm a mother fucking P.I.M.P." It's so good to see our culture being exported! Not exactly the King's English, but it works. The other funny thing was their house. It was literally overflowing with junk. Antiques, pictures, and the most lamps I have ever seen! In their dining room alone they had 12 lamps scattered all over the place. The entire time people were stepping over Ottomans and dolls to try to get a peace of cake. The floral design of the room and the quantity of junk just made me clostraphobic! I'm glad the pack rat gene got lost somewhere in the past 4 generations.

It was a fun, random experience to meet some relatives and I hope to see them again. Maybe next time we'll even get to go to where my family originated in Etne, a small village between Stavanger and Bergen. I'm sure the Bottlofsons would take me and they would probably feed me the whole way because, after all, I am family!