Peace, Love, and Lutefisk: Adventures i Norge

It has now been a week, and I am finally recovering from the exciting finish of "Speedy" and "that other reindeer." Yes, the reindeer drag race has once again come and gone, and what an exciting event it was this year! Once a year, Tromsø celebrates Sámi Week, highlighting the indigenous peoples of Northern Norway with a variety of cultural events, the best of which is the reindeer race! Young Sámi children harness a reindeer and ski behind the reindeer who sprint 200m through mainstreet in about 16 seconds. Better than I ever did!

This year was filled with controversy as one of the returning favorites was disqualified because it was discovered that he (being the reindeer) was Finnish. After this shocking event, everyone was surprised by the newcomer appropriately named "Speedy." Speedy did well, making it to the finals where he was beaten out by another reindeer who was cast as the villain and thus quickly forgotten.

It was a great day for a reindeer race with lots of blowing snow and cold temps. It was cold enough for me to buy a hamburger from Burger King to keep warm...my international friends didn't let that one go very easily. But what a great mix of cultures: fast food and reindeer races. What a day.

I also enjoyed a crazy cabin tour before the reindeer race with 35 international students. We all packed into a cabin meant to hold 18 and enjoyed playing in the snow, hopping in the sauna, devouring a huge meal of pasta, and running into people everywhere we turned. It was a great party though about an hour and a half outside of Tromsø, and it made me feel at home as the snow was blowing making it feel like a blizzard outside!

We all survived...more or less. Just another crazy week in the life of an international student in Tromsø! You can see all the craziness by clicking on photos above or on the links on this entry. Check out all the fun photos!