Norway | ny2no

16
Dec
2016

Why I’m Learning Norwegian

Sharing the story of the most common question that I’m asked, because I find it really amusing.

Why are you learning Norwegian?

For over 10 years now, I’ve been friends online with someone who I played video games with. We met up about 7 years ago, when he visited NYC. We met up again last March, and when he showed me the photos from his hometown, it looked like a fairy tale. I was looking for a trip to take after I graduated, and I knew I needed to go there.

Jokingly, when we were hanging out in NYC and out one night, he said “You really should learn Norwegian so we can talk shit about people behind their backs.” He then taught me my first word in Norwegian: “Fæn.” (“Fæn” kinda means “fuck,” but really “devil,” as it is a derivative of “fanden,” which is “The Devil” or “Satan.”) After he left, I started learning a little bit, just to mess with him. A few words here and there. Eventually I left for Norway and had so many wonderful experiences there that changed my life.

While I was there, I fell in love with the language and all of its different sounds and the massive variety of dialects I came across. It was utterly amazing and beautiful to me. When I got home, I began trying to actually learn, because before I was just slacking off and learning a few words. Unlike the little bit of Spanish I took in school, I enjoyed studying it. It was fun and challenging. It made my brain work. I drew connections and learned new things about language that I didn’t realize were related before. Fascinated by the differences and the similarities of the intricacies between the languages, I continued my learning, vowing that I’d continue to do it so long as I found it interesting.

I found I progressed fairly quickly because of how much I was enjoying learning it, especially for someone who was teaching myself and not taking a class or anything. I found myself going from understanding one word in a group text conversation, to understanding the gist of the conversation, to understanding most of it. Spoken word is different entirely. I still struggle. I have a strong American accent when I speak. I’ve gotten better, so long as it’s spoken slowly and clearly and with simple words (and not in an impossible to understand dialect!) But I’m still learning because it’s fun, and because I hope, someday not too far off into the future, I can live in Norway.

15
Dec
2016

Preparing for My First Jul, Part II

categories: Norway

My trip to Oslo is fast approaching, and Jul is just around the corner. While I’ve been informed that I’m missing all sorts of preparations that are exciting, such as the advent calendars and decorations going up, I can’t help but still remain starry-eyed myself at the idea of my first Norwegian Christmas!

Today I tried my first attempt to wrap gifts. Let’s just say that my family isn’t really known for being gift-givers. While I was very spoiled with food, love, and even material possessions, once a person is past a certain age, my parents didn’t really see the necessity to provide lots of wrapped presents. Now, despite being an artist and having gone to college, my horrible wrapping genes appear to have overtaken any ability I may have ever had, and after about 20 minutes between me and a half-wasted roll of gift wrapping paper, I found myself saying into my phone, “OK, Google. Wikihow how to wrap gifts.”

Needless to say the resulting gift-wrapping wasn’t very impressive, and in fact is quite laughable. However, it was still incredibly enjoyable to be frustrated by such a minor, trivial thing. I’m incredibly lucky to have someone I want to shower with gifts that are wrapped in pretty paper, so despite all the frustrations, I am just glad to have this experience. I also put up snowflake twinkle lights in my bedroom to get me into the mood a bit more, to my boyfriend’s response of “That’s so American!”

Guilty!

14
Dec
2016

What You Don’t Know That’s Happening to Norway’s Wolves

categories: Norway

Eurasian Wolf, By Mas3cf via Wikimedia Commons

After previous environmental acts of protection to reintroduce wolves into Norway, this year there has been a decision to cull more than two-thirds of its wolf population. There are only about 68 remaining wolves in all of Norway, and after a controversial plan passed in September, approximately 47 of them are intended to be hunted and shot.

The population of Norway seems to be very divided on it– many staunchly defending the wolves, claiming that the reason for hunting them vastly outweighs the benefits of having the beautiful wild creatures allowed to remain in the country. The basis of the decision for the biggest cull made in more than a hundred years? The harm to flocks of sheep by the predators. How many sheep have actually been harmed is heavily disputed by environmental groups, who claim that the response is ridiculously out of proportion to the small amount of damage done, and that other predators, such as lynx, wolverines, and bears account for the majority of sheep being preyed upon.

Save the wolves.

14
Dec
2016

Preparing for My First Jul, Part I

categories: Norway, Travel

So I’m finally going back to Norway, to spend my first Jul, or Christmas, with my boyfriend and his family. Yes, that’s right, I’ve never celebrated Christmas before! I’m Jewish, and growing up I wasn’t allowed to help my friends decorate their Christmas trees, and I was carefully instructed by my parents to not inform all the other kids that Santa wasn’t real. It was a little intimidating thinking of having my first Jul overall, but the fact that I’ll be meeting more of my boyfriend’s family for the first time is a little scary (and exciting, too!)

Being me, a million thoughts ran through my head. Norway in winter? I mean, I guess I have to get used to it eventually. But damn, isn’t it supposed to be insanely cold? Thankfully, I was relieved to find that in Oslo, it’s not actually that much colder than New York City most of the time– it tends to hover around the freezing level the majority of the winter. It is, however, much more of a wintry wonderland cast in snow, as opposed to the dreary streets of a cold New York that occasionally get shrouded in a dirtied, blackened snowy mush.

In my head I’ve begun to romanticize it; the snowball fights and the warm, cozy Norwegian sweaters (okay, so I still have to get one of these) and warming up with some Akvavit or wine. Watching kids’ faces as they open up their presents and excitedly play with them, and of course, huge family meals. My boyfriend, knowing my curious palate as he does, has generously painted word pictures of foods that might be seen: special Jul sausages, ground pork patties in sauce (medisterkaker), reindeer (reinsdyr!), Jul sodas (Jul brus), chocolates, and liquors. I’ll be bringing along a little Menorah to have a part of tradition and home with me while I’m there, and get to share it with him. Maybe if he’s lucky, I’ll have room for latke mix in my suitcase that I can share with him as well.

In the meantime, I’ve been stocking up on socks, tights, leggings, and other thermalwear! I plan on getting some appropriate boots once I’m there, since mine are a bit lacking, to help safeguard me from wintry doom. I’m getting very excited for my first Christmas, and my first Norwegian Jul. 🙂

13
Dec
2016

Norway: Vestlandet

categories: Norway, Travel

Clouds parting over the mountains in Runde, Norway

Over a year ago now, I traveled to Norway on a whim after graduation. My family and friends all questioned me– why Norway? Truth was, I’d had a friend recently come and visit me who was from a small fishing town in Western Norway, and show me pictures of his hometown. I was immediately captivated and knew I needed to go there. So what if I was a wuss and didn’t have a lot of experience hiking? The photos I kept looking at were screaming my name, begging me to come take a whiff of those mountains.

So I did, and it was the best thing I’ve ever done. I fell in love with Norway, travelling from the western city of Ålesund down to Bergen, road trip style. I gazed longingly at fjords, smelled the fresh grass and the smell of the sea mixing with the mountains on the coast. I watched the clouds part over the distant mountains and sea just to allow sunlight to pass through them in rays, while I sat on my knees in tears, in awe of the beauty. I swiftly hiked to the top of a muddy mountain to watch the sun set, hiked to the top of a small mountain at night in a local park, experienced the gorgeous architecture of Ålesund and Bergen, had the honor of being treated to local, home-cooked meals, and gotten spoiled with a 7-course, locally-sourced dinner in Bergen.

That trip changed me, and changed my life. I suddenly felt a whole new world inside of me opening up, and I felt connected to the country in a way I’d never felt before. I felt free, liberated, and as though I had been missing out on something my entire life.

One year later, I’ve been back to Norway, though sadly not to the Western Coast again. Since then, I’ve visited Oslo and its immediate surrounding areas. I’ve been learning Norwegian on my own for about a year now, and while I’m nowhere near fluent, I can manage some basic conversations. I’ll be going back to Oslo again soon, and heading up north through the eastern part of Norway to Trondheim, the former capital. I’ll experience Julmat, or Christmas food, and a snowy, wintry wonderland. I can’t wait!

Category: Norway