"We have much weather here."

Hello World!

Spring has come to Norway. Sometime last week, the weather gods flipped a switch and the country suddenly shifted from shades of brown and gray to vivid, vibrant green. Grassy expanses are dotted with wildflowers, the trees are awash in new leaves, and the birds are up with the sun - at 3:30 a.m. Spring is here, summer is coming, and Norwegians (and those of us transplanted to Norway) are venturing out into spring weather in droves.

Weather? You might ask. Not sunlight? As Norwegians like to point out, they have a lot of weather here, often in the space of a few hours. If it's raining now, you can count on the sun shining later. This doesn't necessarily mean the rain will stop, something which I was reminded of yesterday as I juggled an umbrella in one hand, a picnic bag in the other, while fumbling for the oversized sunglasses which I had (naturally) managed to dislodge as we sprinted to the bus stop. Later, we were rewarded for braving the unpredictable Norwegian weather by a rainbow, which of course we couldn't photograph as the rain would damage the camera.

The only thing more infuriating than the Norwegians' ability to handle literally any type of weather with zen-like equanimity is the other, oft quoted Scandinavian proverb, typically quoted in response to foreigners expressing any sort of dismay at the fact that the weather has gone from sunny and 65F to 32F and snow in the course of 24 hours (as it did between May 3rd and 4th) or from partly sunny to partly sunny and raining at the precise time of our proposed picnic in the park. The proverb, which is invariably uttered when anyone makes a remotely negative comment about Norwegian weather is "Det finnes ikke dårlig vær, bare dårlige klær." which translates as "There is no bad weather, only bad clothing." Or, the more accurate translation, which most Norwegians are too polite to give you, is "it's just rain/wind/ sub-zero temperatures/snow/hailstones the size of pool balls, put on a windbreaker/sweater and stop whining. The Vikings didn't whine, you wimp!"

I understand the logic. First of all, the proverb rhymes in Norwegian, and who doesn't enjoy a snappy rhyme? Besides, if one lives in Norway, one has to find a way to come to terms with all the weather, especially as, for large portions of the year, said weather is objectively awful. It's a national defense mechanism. Admitting that snow in May, 3 weeks of solid cloud cover, or any temperature below 10 F is completely awful regardless of what you are wearing, would be accepting that Scandinavia, contrary to thier own belief, is not necessarily the best place on Earth. Contemplating the fact that other people manage to live happily in temperate climates will drive you crazy in the middle of winter, after all. Hence, the blame shifts to the clothing.

However, I take the third view, the path less traveled, or the clothes less worn, if you will. Sure, there is bad clothing - and it's perfectly acceptable to internally laugh derisively at the person who refuses to ruin their nice outfit with a windbreaker as the wind or rain comes lashing down. However, that doesn't mean that snow in May isn't awful weather, or that rain coming down as the sun shines is somehow as good as a sunny day. So, Norway, det finnes dårlig vær, OG dårlige klær - There is bad weather, and there is bad clothing. And both can be spotted in Oslo, particularly as the sun transforms into rain.

Peace!