Culture Shock

Day 20

At first, I planned to blog about the “Blow Out” international student party that took place on Thursday. However, I thought it would be more enlightening to write briefly about a culture shock that I have been experiencing here in Norway.
Firstly, I would like to acknowledge that every Norwegian that I have met thus far is not only nice, but appreciative of the differences we share. The signs of democracy, open-mindedness and an evolved society resonate from every street corner and classroom here in Norway, and as an American, I am lucky to get the chance to be here. That being said, I will move on to my next point.
In the United States (as I’ve realized more from living in Norway), we are actually quite chivalrous to one another! I guess, in being confined to the homogeneous mixture of my society, and having only spent a few weeks of my life in Mexico and The Bahamas, I was quite unaware of this fact. But I speak the truth! In the American public setting, it is not all that uncommon to see people holding doors open for each other, or to hear the exchange of such words as “please” and “excuse me” between complete strangers. But hear in Norway (as I was told in my second international student meaning), you will rarely hear the word “please, you will seldom see men holding doors open for women, and you will almost never here the phrase “excuse me”.
Now...when being exposed to this for the first time, a recluse American might ask, “Are Norwegians or worse yet, is Norwegian society innately rude?”
NO!
I would need to politely remind this American (who I unfortunately find myself being in brief moments), that this behavior is not the result of rudeness; it is merely the result of a different society that has formed thousands of miles away from our homes, culture, and history. Needless to say, it has taken some adjusting to. And even now, three weeks into my trip, I still find myself feeling mildly offended when I say “excuse me” after being bumped into by a stranger, and the gesture is not returned.
I would like to conclude by saying, these mannerisms, although hard to adjust to, are quite subtle. They are surface deep if you will, and I can guarantee, if you fall on the ice (unfortunately as I had to learn with a cup of coffee in my hand), or if you need help with Norwegian translation, or if you are just lost and need directions, Norwegians are always friendly and happy to help.

A Beautiful Day

Day 13

I’ve been told that there is a network of nature trails just beyond the university, tucked away behind the town of Kristiansand. Thus far, I have been very pleased with my cold treks out into the downtown, my long jaunts through the local area, and my quiet nights of solitude where I sit back and read and write alone in my dorm. But yesterday, with no classes or responsibilities holding me back, and nothing but a wide open sunny day ahead, I decided that it was time to go and explore a trail. So I packed up a water bottle, threw on my backpack and headed out the door.
The walk to the trail alone takes around twenty minutes. Once I arrived to the path opening just behind the university, the city vanished and was replaced by a wintry forest almost instantly. I pressed on a little further, this time ascending up a different hill, and when I reached the top; rustic beauty. I realized that I now stood on much higher ground then my sense had perceived, and I was overlooking a lower landscape of frozen ice, protruding rocks and rich green evergreen.
In that moment, it reminded me so much of Colorado, but on steroids! Indeed, both Colorado and Norway have geological similarities because of the effects of ancient glacial erosion, yet Norway seems more “scarred” if you will, more blemished. Like the cracks in an old man’s face, the landscape changes drastically within just a few hundred meters. I can’t imagine what it will be like to see the Fjords of western Norway when the weather warms.
It is midnight right now Matty, but I composed this blog entry very quick before bed especially for you (as I read your face book message, and can totally understand your curiosity friend). However, the little triad of pictures the blog allows me to post will probably do no justice, so for your entertainment, I will leave you with this precise rendition of a moment I felt on my hike today (it was right after I took the picture to the left hand side)…
I reached a point in my hike where the trail narrowed, about an hour or so into my secluded excursion. And much to my pleasure, I soon recognized that I now stood at the source of the icy lake below, which I first saw in the lower region stretching out underneath the winding trail like a slice of the arctic. Of course, without wings or hawk eyes, it was hard for me to know exactly what was happening in this dynamic landscape. Yet two things were irrefutably certain- one, a different and higher positioned lake rested to my left. And two, an icy stream dumped from its depths and cascaded through the sleepy forest, down to the motionless lake below. It was so beautiful, the way the water moved. My ears were caressed with its quiet trickle, and my eyes marveled as I watched the cold water traverse across the ice, which unbelievably looked exactly like the water, only frozen into a sculpture of motion.
At that moment I turned to the upper lake and faced the North Sea. I closed my eyes and took a long deep breath of the cool ocean air, and pictured a man doing the same thing, standing near that very spot, but sometime 500 years ago. And then I thought about my family and friends thousands of miles away, who support me no matter what I do, no matter how far or long I travel...and I smiled...

More Then a Vacation

January 10th, 2010
Day 10

This weekend began with a bang.
Friday night was the International Student party and it was hosted in the downstairs “social” room right here at my dorm, Kongsgard Alle. There were people from Germany, Italy, France, Romania, Britain, Kenya, Austria, Poland, The Netherlands, Norway, and even Australia (just to name a few). Together the room was filled with a plethora of accents and lots of drinking and laughter. And even…some intense rounds of the American drinking game “tippy cup”! ha ha.
However with all of the excitement on Friday night, it was easy to forget one thing; this is already the longest I’ve ever been away from home…
By now, on any kind of vacation I have ever experienced, it would be time to pack up that pile of accumulated dirty clothes, catch the quickest ride to the airport and then, head home. And strange as it may sound, there is a part of me that feels like that’s exactly what should be happening. It’s kinda like that biological clock that wakes you up sometimes in the morning, just minutes before your alarm clock buzzes.
But my experience here has just begun. I will be here long enough to see the snow melt and the seasons change in Norway. And hopefully, I will be here long enough to learn some permanent and untranslatable things, through a journey that I have never had the opportunity to take. Either way, it’s a quiet Sunday in my dorm and today I miss my mom & dad, friends, family, and Elsie very much, so I thought I would write it down.
I love my “adventure” here, but I miss you all and am very grateful for each and every one of you! :)

All The Skinny People

Day 6
My diet has become RADICALLY different in Norway. There are no Burger Kings, Mc.Donalds or WalMarts for hundreds of miles. But please, don’t feel bad for the Norwegian people, for their diets and car-less lifestyles have given them something we Americans pay millions of dollars every year for; flat stomachs. If you don’t believe me, come and see for yourself! Everyone in Norway is skinny and fit looking…
Today in the main lobby of Agder, I stopped and counted forty people. Of those forty people, not one was overweight. Yes, not one. In fact I would wager that since my arrival in Norway 6 days ago, I have seen less then ten overweight people all together! Of course with any population, there are some exceptions, however, most Norwegian men I have met are slender with high cheek bones, and the women; tall, skinny and naturally blonde.
Yet, I think there is more to this story than just the absence of fast food, with its burgers and fries dripping in oily animal fat. Yes, I would also wager that “skinniness” in Norway is the result of the quality of food as well. The food here consists of the most natural things I have ever tasted. The milk tastes like someone squeezed it straight from the cow into your glass. The cheese fills your nostrils when you open the package, like it has been pasteurized right there in your kitchen. The jam has thick chunks of fresh strawberries floating in it, so that you get a piece of fruit in every bite. And the bread…..its the most delicious bread I have ever tasted.
Pictured above is a photo of the food I purchased on my most recent trip to the grocery store. My bill- 442 kroner (or about 80 bucks). I know, expensive as hell, but soooo ridiculously delicious!

First Day Of School

January 4th, 2010

Day 4

Today I walked.

I walked to the university with Mats and fifteen other exchange students at 8:00 this morning. After orientation and breakfast, I walked with a much larger group of exchange students on a guided tour of the university. Then I walked to the Sia building (the company on campus in charge of my dorm room) to initiate an internet agreement, so that I may get an internet connection in my room as soon as possible. Next I walked to building H (a junction building with the main lobby) to meet my class advisor. Then I walked with Tom (another exchange student from UNO) to the grocery store fifteen minutes away from campus to get the bare essentials. And then finally…I walked ten minutes back to my dorm room carrying three full grocery bags and a box of frozen pizza wedged beneath my arm.

Strange, but few people in Kristiansand actually own cars- life is simpler here. For the next 5 months, I will walk or ride a bicycle everywhere. And for those longer explorative trips, I will have to travel by bus, cab, train or ferry. But I don’t mind, in fact, I even welcome this change. It’s just another one of the many things that will be different and enlightening about my life here in Norway.

The campus of Agder University is much smaller then UNO’s, but it is EXTREMELY nice. Surrounded by small cottages and old churches, the building itself resembles a sort of high tech industrial plant dropped from somewhere in the sky. As I walked in this morning, tall metal walls and machine-like staircases rose up in it's bowels like a factory of education. But unlike the mechanical drones that one might predict running such a place, every person I met in Agder was kind, friendly and comforting to meet.

The First "Stroll" From My Dorm Room

January 3^rd

^{Day 3}

I arrived in Kristiansand last night around 11:30PM.

Two girls from UNO arrived about an hour before my flight, but much to my delight, they waited for me at the airport. From there, we split the price of a cab and took the twenty minute commute to the central bus station, where we waited in the bitter cold for our designated ride from the University of Agder. Now for those reading this, let it be known, that when I say bitter cold, I mean frigid, freeze your blood into ice kind of cold. In fact the native” who picked us up claimed that Norway is experiencing an unusually cold winter this year (as if Norway isn’t already cold enough in the beginning of January).

It turns out this “native” is also studying Political Science and will be taking two classes with me this semester. His name is Mats. But don’t try to pronounce the name, for I am quickly realizing that learning even the simplest Norwegian words is like acrobatics for my tongue. They have letters in their alphabet that seem to come from somewhere in the back of the throat. I literally fail at almost every word I attempt, but I will continue to try everyday.

Today, after putting on a pair of wool socks, long johns, a turtle neck, another pair of socks over the wool socks, my winter jacket, gloves, and a silly hat (yes the blue one Elsie), I headed out into the freezing cold for hours by myself to explore some of Kristiansand. And what did I see but people everywhere, doing much the same thing that I was!

Like a warm summer day back in Nebraska, people were walking their dogs, riding their bikes, chatting in groups and playing with their kids. The only difference was they wore layer upon layer of clothing like me, as if the next ice age was coming. I guess the fliers I read about Norway are true: Norwegians love being outside, regardless of the weather.

The Flight

January 1^st and 2^nd, 2010

Day 1-2

Today I said my final goodbyes and began my long trek to Norway. Pictured to the left is Mom, Dad, Matty and Jessica seeing me off in Omaha AND above are 2 pictures of my dorm in Norway; my new home for the next 5 months.

My first connection flight took me from Omaha to Minneapolis; a brief minute compared to the crappy 9 hour flight to Amsterdam that followed. Nonetheless, if the trip were any shorter at all, it might hinder that great feeling of adventure that seems to follow me through each new airport gate, through each new city that I must visit along the way. All things considered, the long journey is a good thing.

My original plan was to venture out into Amsterdam for a few hours, but the drizzling weather and uncertainty of my good sense (as the result of jet lag) caused me to opt out of that plan quickly. I will explore the city in the warmth of June, when I am better prepared and the weather is more welcoming. Yet I will say, although I decided against leaving the confines of the airport, the stark differences I experienced were very notable.

I’m writing this first entry as I sit in the Amsterdam airport and await my last flight to Norway.

The airport itself is like a roofed city. There are jewelry stores and European clothing outlets, there are casinos and fancy restaurants everywhere. There is even a small museum with colorful oil paintings from the 1700’s. It is definitely the most elaborate airport I have ever seen.

But Europe is a strange and confusing place to me. When I look around the airport, everything about it has lost its familiarity. Pay phones have become strange looking blue digital boxes that eat up your money like rigged slot machines. Money has become stiff blue paper and nickel-sized coins worth bizarrely more than my American dollar. English dialogue has become nearly nonexistent, being replaced by the almost crude, but indescribably appealing dialect of the Dutch. I found myself tuning into their conversations, amazed by how a language can be so heavily saturated in sharp constanents, but still posses a certain underlying friendliness.

I look forward very much to coming back and exploring the actual city of Amsterdam, but first, I must reach my ultimate destination; Norway.