Europe, here I come! I'm leaving the falling snow of Tromsø in about an hour to head on an Easter trip to almost all the Northern capitols: Oslo, Helsinki, Tallinn, Berlin, and Copenhagen. I'm excited for a little spring weather, some cheap food, and some crazy couchsurfing experiences! Keep up to date on the adventures here as I'll try to update whenever I have access and time with a computer. In the meantime, Happy Easter!
Living on Stakkevollveien, one of the busiest and dirtiest streets in Tromsø, affords one many unique opportunities, like hearing the beeping of trucks backing up, getting splashed by cars driving through puddles, and attempting impossible phone conversations while walking. However, the greatest pleasure of living on Stakkevollveien is taking bus number 32.
Bus 32 is sort of the forgotten stepchild of Tromsbuss, the bus company that not surprisingly drives buses in Tromsø. Other buses like number 20 and 42 are top of the line, newly outfitted with electronic signs that say what stop is next and stop buttons on every hand rail to easily alert the driver when you need to get off. Bus 32 on the other hand is like traveling in a cable car in the early 1900's. There are no stop buttons, only a wire along the roof that you have to pull to stop the bus, like trying to stop a locomotive.
The drivers of bus 32 are always the "newbies" who have no experience driving and who always seem to be in training. Also, everyone on bus 32 is mad. I'm not sure if it's because they live on Stakkevollveien or that they are all dreaming of a different bus with better hydraulics, but everyone scowls when you walk on, well, scowls even more than the usual Norwegian bus passengers. When I say everyone though, you have to put that in context because the other unique feature of bus 32 is that no one is ever on it! There are usually 2 or 3 people hiding in the corner behind the dusty and mud-covered windows that at least block out the view of Stakkevollveien.
It is especially surprising that no one is on the bus because it only travels once an hour, during the busy times! And of course, bus 32 is always late, except that one time when I was late. That time it was early.
So, it's a love/hate relationship with bus 32, but mostly hate. However, I must admit that my body's clock is now set to the bus 32's 10.14am departure from Kræmer. I mean, if you miss it, you're stuck at home for another hour!
I was able to see two encouraging signs of spring in Tromsø today. First, I actually saw grass! Yes, green grass growing along the edges of place where people put out their cigarettes. Now, I don't know if it's the heat from the butts of the cigarettes or the warmer temperatures, but it's encouraging.
Secondly, tables and chairs emerged today outside of cafes! Now we are able to pretend that we are in Oslo by sitting outside in the sun, bundled up in a blanket, drinking coffee while sitting underneath a heat lamp. Long live the Northern Norwegian spring!
Spring is officially here meaning my birthday has now come and gone. For the first I experienced the benefit of having friends on both sides of the Atlantic. I got my first birthday greeting at midnight Norway time, and thanks to all of you great friends (and the convenient time difference) I received consistent birthday greetings and notes all day. Nothing like taking advantage of all 24 hours...plus six more in the US! So thank you for all your birthday greetings. It was great to hear from everyone and to be reminded of all the great people on both sides of the pond. I hope we'll cross it soon to see each other. Happy Spring!
We had a great dinner party to celebrate my birthday and the coming spring yesterday, and the highlight was my first ever attempt at making sushi!
Sure, the rice was hot, the salmon was smoked and not raw, and I couldn't hold the chop sticks correctly, but it was so much fun! Marieta, Elisa, Stian, Anders, Silje, Daniel, and Rachel all joined for the sushi dinner. Rachel, Stian, and I were novices but the experience of the others helped us get through the event.
We each took a turn making a roll of sushi with the ingredients of our choosing. Avocado, green onion, salmon, chicken, and lots of wasabi filled the table along with wine and lots of candles since Rachel burned out her lamps! In addition to the sushi, we enjoyed some tiramisu made by Marieta for dessert and sangria to start the party, made by two Spanirards who were given the recipe by me!
Eventually, the house filled with friends and it was a great mix of folks. Classmates, Norwegians,
internationals, and friends from all circles came and had a great time meeting new people and talking with friends. A perfect celebration and a fun night.
It has been the spring of costume parties here in Tromsø.
First came the Carnival party in which I dressed up in the overly abstract "message in a bottle" and had people write messages on my white shirt while I had plastic as the bottle and algae in my cork. Ladybugs, Disney characters, Indonesian ski champions, and rappers filled the
room showing how giving an international group a theme can lead to a wide variety of interpretations.
Last weekend was one of the more creative costume parties: the K party! Everyone was supposed to come dressed as something beginning with a K, which is infinitely easier in Norwegian than English...None-the-less, I was able to think of a creative and quite frightening rendition of Kermit the Frog!
I looked more like Igor from (clock), Frankenstein, but the green tights were appreciated, or at least noticed by all. We also had some other great costumes like a kiwi, a kaptein (captain), a kot kristus (horny Jesus), ei klokke (clock), kinesisk kvinne (chinese woman), and kirurger (surgeons).
In addition to the costumes, I decided it's also time to give the old blog a face lift. Keep checking back for new colors and designs as I find the perfect layout for the spring cleaning of peace, love, and lutefisk. 
In the meantime, what should I wear on Friday for the bad taste party? It's just, oh so difficult for me to dress in bad taste.
On Tuesday we officially started the revolution with a protest outside of the Danish Consulate.
The story begins in Copenhagen with the Youth House, or Ungdomshuset. The Youth House was a building that was a center for political activists, leftists, and anarchists. The building was occupied for over 25 years by these squatters but ventually, the building was sold by the municipality to a radical Christian sect called "Faderhuset." They said that they had a vision from God that they should tear down the house, so one week ago, the Danish government gave in to pressure from Faderhuset and sent in police forces in a military-like operation to remove the residents of the Youth House. Helicopters, cranes, tear gas, riot gear, and one-third of Denmark's police were used in the operation. The action sparked violent riots in Copenhagen and led to massive street protests in many other places around the world...including Tromsø! (Read the whole story here)
My housemate Stian helped organize a peaceful protest here in Tromsø against the disproportionate response of the Danish state as well as the commercialization of public spaces. About 25 people gathered outside of the Danish Consulate, and we presented them with a statement saying that we were opposed to their actions and that we were in solidarity with the causes the youth were fighting for, even if we were against their means. Stian read a speech and together we hopped in solidarity with Copenhagen saying "Anyone who is not jumping is in support of Faderhuset." All of this excitement attracted radio and tv attention as well as police attention. There were 12 policemen parked and standing about 50 meters from the Danish
Consulate (about one policeman for every two people), and frighteningly enough one of Stian's co-organizers received a call from the police only hours after sending the first e-mail talking about organizing a protest. Are they watching us?! Fortunately, everything was peaceful and even though the police didn't sign our letter for the Danes, they didn't intervene either. (You can watch the news clip of the event and even see me jumping here.)
It was great though to be active politically. It made me realize the benefits of living in a smaller country like Norway or most European countries. There is more of a feeling that you can make a difference or stand up to decisions by the government whereas in the US it often feels like you are so small in the big scheme of things that you can't make a difference...but you can! A little organization and hopping can go a long ways. Maybe the US has a culture that promotes complacency politically, but hopefully the hopping can show that acting in solidarity is one important way to make a statement. It might not change the world, but it sends an important signal.
Viva la revolucion.
I'm currently in training for one of the coolest summer jobs: being a tour guide! Basically, I spend almost 40 hours this spring memorizing random facts about Tromsø and learning how to herd massive amounts of bodies through different museums in Tromsø.
For instance, I learned the difference between a fjord and a sund. A fjord is a body of water that cuts inland from the ocean, but that cannot be navigated, meaning you can't get out on the other side. A sund however looks the same but has an exit. Thus, Tromsø is located on a sund, not a fjord. Interesting to know. Also, Tromsø has enough chairs at bars and cafes to seat 22,000 people, which is one-third of the population! Lots more facts to learn, and I hope everyone can come visit this summer to let me tell them all about this "Gateway to the Arctic!"
