More bizarre Norwegian organization, peanut butter, and the first day of fall.

Hello World!

Apparently today was the first day of fall. As Oslo, Norway has essentially been providing me with what I consider fall weather since I arrived, I hadn't really noticed. I've also been living within a term-paper shaped force field for the past several days. Side effects of this included looking longingly out the window at the stunning blue skies Oslo managed to produce on days I was theoretically writing, an inexplicable desire to check Facebook profiles of people whose existence I don't even remember during the days when papers aren't hanging over my head, visiting the Norwegian Parliament (Stortinget) on a Friday night, and gaining an irrational dislike for all topics associated with my term paper. This included, but is not limited to: Norway, primary care physicians, the Netherlands, the Dutch Ministry of Sport, Welfare, and Something, health economists, the WHO, and the APA. Now, my paper is completed, so the irrational dislike is fading again. And besides, all the cool kids tour the center of government on Friday nights!

Anyway, the first day of fall was a mixed up day here, in every sense of the word. The clouds were an ominous shade of dark gray all morning, but the sun shined in the brilliant patches of blue which surrounded them, When the wind was calm, it felt like summer, when the wind blew, I wasn't warm enough despite a cardigan and a windbreaker. Class was short but the morning was long. I acquired a Norwegian bank account with almost no hassle but couldn't purchase a new monthly student transit pass because of a low level civil servant on a power trip. There's something slightly worrying about a country where they will trust you enough to let you open a bank account without a letter from your bank, and then turn around and demand a slip of paper stating you are a student - despite seeing the ID they issued you a month previously stating this exact fact - because it isn't the right student card. Honestly, it's completely bizarre.

So, I'll have to buy a new monthly pass tomorrow, armed with all the "right" ID cards. However, the day will be slightly easier because I now have real peanut butter! For those unaware, peanut butter is a strange concept here. Apparently, spreading sweet, sweet peanut paste, combined with all those lovely additives and sugar, is well, unheard of here. The only peanut butter one can find here normally is that weird, healthy, ground-up-peanut-sans-sugar stuff. Hence, while I am here, my love can be purchased with plastic jars of Skippy, Jif or similar. (Hint! In case anyone reading this is desperate to purchase my love just wants to make my day) In fact, it currently has been, thanks to two jars of Skippy stacked on the edge of my desk. Combined, these two jars are roughly the size of a standard jar of peanut butter at home, but cost about 3 times as much. Alas, said peanut butter was brought to me from Stavanger, so while there is apparently real peanut butter in this country, it is an 8 hour train ride away. Still, I have peanut butter. Trust me, this is an amazing thing.

Anyway, bedtime on this side of the Atlantic. Take care!

Beach-based political propaganda

Hello World!

I return from another wekend spent in western Norway. I can now say I have attended a wedding in the middle o'nowhere, Norway. Or possibly, it was slightly to the west of the middle of nowhere. Either way, the wedding was in Jaeren, which is straight up country. How country? The wedding reception was in a converted barn, and my tour of the thriving metropolis of Bryne included a tractor and a potato festival. However, both the bride and the groom were glowing, and the reception also included a musician preforming Sting songs translated into Norwegian. So good times all around.

Prior to my trip back to Oslo, we made another stop by my favorite beach, this time to engage in some political propaganda.


Message: "Husk aa Stemme, men ikke stem FrP"
Translation: "Remember to vote, but don't vote for FrP!

Who are FrP? In English, they are known as the Progress Party, best known for spouting the sort of commentary one associates with the right wing at home. Part of the platform includes a particularly strong strain of anti-immigration positions, which walks the line (and occasionally merrily leapfrogs over it) between fear and outright racism. Unfortunately, they are also one of the largest parties in Norway, commanding roughly 25% of the vote, and are quite popular in southwestern Norway.

I'm hoping that the message is being taken to heart by at least some who pass by it. THe notion of progressive Norway taking a stp backward is not one I want to contemplate.

Peace!

One month in, and the most beautiful beach in Norway

Hello World!

It's strange, how entire ayds pass without seeming to leave a permanent mark on my memory. As I was sitting her, a weak sun filtering though my blinds as I attempted to clean, study, and coax my hair into something less curly (a degree of multitasking which produces mixed results, to say the least. My hair in particular is a bit of a lost cause)I realized that I arrived in Norway exactly one month ago today. Somehow, it simultaneously feels like I just arrived and like I have been here forever. It's a rather mixed up feeling.

Anyway, to celebrate the official one month anniversary of being here, I give you beach pictures! These pictures are from last weekend, but as I am trapped inside by textbooks today, these are the best I have to offer at present.


Hilsen fra Norge! Or, greetings from Sola strand, to be more precise. Sola Strand = Sun Beach, in Norwegian. A somewhat optimistic name, although there was actually sun for a a bit.


One of the reasons why I love this beach is because it combines expanses of lovely, soft, white sand with sections of craggy rocks and grassy dunes. This is quite a walk down the shore from where most people park. It's the sort of place where one can sit, watch the sea, and lose track of time.


Rocks against the North sea and a late (Scandinavian) summer sky. Note: LLate Scandinavian summer is mid-autumn on the US east coast!



the sea crashes against the rocks, and the spray is quite dramatic against a darkening sky.


Walking back across the beach, and the clouds rapidly cross over the North sea


And as the ominous clouds came in, we sprinted back to the car. Luckily, we made it just as the first drops started to fall.

Here, the little sunlight we had this morning has retreated, and my work still awaits. Back to attempts at productivity!

Peace!