Misha in Sweden: Norway the Great

There are certain instances when having a Norwegian host family is a distinct privilege.

When I applied to come to Sweden, who knew I would be placed with a Norwegian family? I never once worried I would miss out on an 'authentic' Swedish experience - the more cultures the merrier, right? My host family could be called outside the norm, but conventional is mundane and I'm grateful to have them. Coming from a multi-cultural family myself, I felt rather at home in a trilingual house. I had a very poor idea of the differences between Norway and Sweden, especially in their languages, but I have learned more since then. I am still learning to tell the difference between Swedish and Norwegian - when you are new you can't understand either so you can't recognize much variation. There is a lot of Norwegian spoken at home, but also some Swedish since my host mom is Swedish and that's the language of choice. When we went to Copenhagen, I could actually tell the difference between Danish, Norwegian & Swedish. I met a man in the south of Sweden who asked me, "Hasn't your host family given you the two minute Swedish lesson yet? Yeah, you just put two fingers in your mouth and speak English! You put your whole fist in if you're trying to speak Danish." I found that hilarious. A Swede might tell you that Norwegian just sounds like happy Swedish - Norwegians are known for being rather happy people so their language is said to be impossible to speak when sad.

This Christmas, my host dad took me and my host brother to Trondheim, a city in the north of Norway where he is originally from. I was so excited to be able to see this famed Norway I had heard about from conversations around the house. I was also aware of how lucky I am to be able to see both Denmark and Norway - it really is a dream come true. I am thankful the opportunity to be here everyday. We left Christmas morning and drove through the whole day, arriving around 8:00 p.m. It was tiring, but I had my new favorite blanket and slippers on and I slept off and on, much to the chagrin of Vegard, who finds it annoying that I can and will sleep just about anywhere. It's true that cars and other moving vehicles are my weakness - in several instances it only takes a few minutes in a car or bus before I drift off. Unfortunately it doesn't work on planes. We've looked into the possibility of narcolepsy, but we don't want to diagnose quite yet :)

As we arrived we heard on the radio that this was the warmest recorded Christmas in Trondheim ever and we were not met with a winter wonderland as I had hoped. It was barely colder than Gothenburg, despite it being north and despite it being Norway. I loved to see the mountains pass by - I haven't seen mountains since I moved from New Mexico. There were lots of bodies of water and mountains and trees and the air was crisp and fresh. Norway is rather spread out and sparse in population. It took a long drive to get to any gas station or restaurant on the way. I wouldn't say the people I saw were less modern, but there was a sort of close-to-nature and isolated way about them. I didn't get to see Oslo, so I can only speak for the people I saw further north.

We arrived at Lars' parents house. They own a large amount of land with three houses on the lot - the one in which they still live, which Lars and his brother's grew up in, the one Lars used to live in that is now rented out, and a newer house he had originally built for himself and his family, but is now occupied by his brother's family. Lars' father came out to greet us at the door followed by his mother, who quickly showed me my room for the next few days. I was honored with a tour of their impeccably clean home and was content to see all the pictures on the walls of the family. Lars' father shares a love for old pictures like his son so I was treated to a couple snapshots into their lives from decades before. Of course that is always a good laugh. After meeting both Lars and his parents, it is easy to see the similarities. His mother didn't speak too much English, but we got along well with smiles and food. She is a very sweet lady with fantastic taste, a warm smile and enviable culinary skills. It was a bit different to be around a more modest grandmother - both of my own grandmothers are loud, boisterous ladies with long reaches and embarrassing stories on everyone. Lars' father has a sense of humor I still don't understand, but he is charming and has that same adorable boyish interest in things like Lars does. They were both especially hospitable and I appreciated the little things they did, such as serving us breakfast every morning and sending us off to our daily adventures. They were so thoughtful and kind, especially in giving me a funny Norwegian souvenir to remember my visit.

As we sat in the living room conversing, the TV was on in the corner on mute. Like Sweden, Norway does not dub the movies and shows that are originally in English. I liked to read the Norwegian subtitles at the bottom of the screen and try to follow what is basically happening. I can't even remember what was showing, just how hard I concentrated. Written Norwegian and Danish is the same, but even after hearing both I had no idea the written language was not so different from the Swedish I was learning. I would say I learned to read Swedish a little faster than speaking because I found it easier to understand. After getting some clarification from Vegard, I wasn't doing too bad with following along. By understanding the bare basics and the connections with Swedish, I actually was able to pick up a little Norwegian in my time there. I could generally understand the subject of the conversation (and there was much of it) throughout the week. I am pretty proud of this myself, especially since the dialect of Trondheim is far from the standard Oslo dialect. Norway in olden days was split up a bit because of the difficult terrain, so various groups of people developed different dialects. It's amazing to know how many separate accents there are in a country of barely 5 million. Those from closer to the south have sounds similar to Danish, but the north, like Trondheim, is completely different. The people closer to the Swedish border is a bit more compatible with that language. It all depends on the geography.

We started our days very late every morning and left after breakfast. I wanted to spend lots of time outside since everything was so beautiful and the weather wasn't bad. We started out by going to a famous ski jump that often hosts championships and the like. It's massive and impressive to see. Jokingly my host dad dared me to go down the end part of the lift on the rugged ice. I was this close to doing it before he instructed against it after falling several times in trying to get a spot to film my endeavor. I was a bit disappointed so we took a smaller hill that was also crusted in dangerous ice. We took some time exploring the woods around and tackling the treacherous ground for the last few hours of sunlight we had. We drove to higher ground in the parking lot of a closed restaurant and got to see the gorgeous sunset over the mountains and tree tops. There was a lake off in the distance that we passed and it glittered like a mirror. Absolutely gorgeous. Next was a walk around a bit of Trondheim. It's an old and beautiful city that was not at all small regardless of it's fairly remote location. There is a rich culture and style about the place. It's placed in an interesting geographic location with water snaking around and through the city. The water can be traced to a large fjord that is right next to the city. There has a different essence about the streets that's special and quiet. It's fantastic to have this place with shops and cobble streets when ten minutes ago we were climbing up a frosted mountain for no real reason. I thought the city was nothing less than charming and noteworthy.

We later visited Vegard's grandparent's from his mom's side. They were very different from Lars' parents and just as kind. His grandmother is a lovely woman with a talent for leading conversation and knitting. She gave me a pink knit scarf for Christmas and I was touched. His grandfather is an impressive man with even more impressive hair and a talented musician. They both enjoy talking about their grandchildren - a trend I am noticing among the elderly :) they had snacks and candy laid out on the table when we arrived. We spent a while on the couch chatting.

The next day we had a little camp out and had fun walking some old trails Lars remembered from his childhood. Vegard and I did some exploring before we roasted some hotdogs and enjoyed a small fire. Later that night we went to see the new Hunger Games movie with Even, my oldest host brother who has been working in Trondheim for the past several months. I would say it was a fantastic movie, better than the first and true to the books. We went to Vegard's uncle's house and socialized for a while with his family and grandparents. Vegard's grandparent's were kind enough to drive me home while the boys stayed behind to play Settlers of Catan, a favorite of theirs. Lucky I left, they stayed until late in the night. When I arrived back at Lars' parent's house, I was ushered into the dining room where they had an annual Christmas party in play. From what I can tell, Norwegian old people are MUCH happier and nicer than their Swedish counterparts...

The next day was dinner with grandparents followed by a party thrown by Vegard's grandfather's side of the family. He and many of his family members are musicians, so they performed for a large hall filled with people from the family tree. There was much food and sweets and a large Christmas tree in the middle. A tradition is for everyone to hold hands and sing songs, walking around the tree in a circle. There are a couple dancing corresponding steps. It was a fun night. On the drive home, we were invited again to Vegard's uncle's home for some more games of Settler's. This time I was excited to play, but we called it quits after a couple rounds.

Sunday was the last day in Norway for us and we spent it at church and another family dinner. The branch in Trondheim is very small, but there is a strong membership lead by Vegard's uncle. Today was the Christmas special, if you will, so it was only an hour. We drove straight to one of the last family members I had yet to meet - Lars' middle brother. We arrived at his home and were greeted by his oldest daughter who was a few years younger than Vegard. We were the last to arrive and I met all of Lars' nieces and nephews and brothers and sisters-in-law. It was every bit as jolly as a Christmas gathering should be. The dinner we were served was a fantastic creation by our hostess. Halfway through the meal I was told the tender meat in my stew was moose. It made me stop - moose are one of my favorite animals. It crossed my mind that I didn't want to eat it, but I was reminded of the time when I came home from school after watching a video on animal cruelty. I declared to my family as we sat down to dinner that I would be a vegetarian from now on. Needless to say it lasted for a few sweet, glorious hours. Who are we kidding, now I have a new reason moose is my favorite animal - it's delicious. The party included a great musical number by two uncles and three cousins. There were gift exchanges, dessert, photos, and we headed home.

This trip was filled with much family and fresh air. I was so excited to be included in the family gatherings. There exists a strong family dynamic in Trondheim that I had the privilege to experience. Once upon a time when my own family hosted a Japanese exchange student, we got to bring him to Colorado with us to visit my dad's side. He had the experience of a lifetime - Putnams are hardcore, let me tell you. My father is the oldest of 13 kids, each married or previously married with at least 2 kids. There were several families visiting my grandparent's house that year, they even brought in a Santa to meet the grandkids. I remember the way my family was eager to meet and inevitably scare the new Putnam we had introduced. I never understood how he must have felt until I was in much the same situation. It is an extraordinary act of benevolence and decency to accept a stranger into your most sacred traditions and hours spent together. You can't understand the way my heart fluttered when Vegard's aunt told me it was a pleasure to meet her new niece as she handed me a modest Christmas present. I loved my time in Norway - if nothing else than for the incredible people I had the pleasure of sharing a few meals with. Family is nothing less than sacred. While I missed my crazy Putnams, I miss yet more every minute I got to spend with the two families in Trondheim.

The border between Norway and Sweden

It was hard to say goodbye to Lars' parents the next morning as we loaded up the car. Especially his mother, who I had grown very fond of. I looked forward to the drive home, oddly enough. Lars was kind enough to take the scenic route home so I could see a bit more of the beauty of the country. I loved it. It must be a record - I was awake for a solid two hours before drifting off even a little! Lars was a doll and stopped every once in a while to let me get out and photograph a mountain or a lake - both of which were everywhere. I loved what I saw. I didn't know I missed mountains so much. You take it for granted after a while when your horizon is jagged and textured instead of monotonous. We got in late, tired and sore. However, ain't no rest for the wicked. I got a day before we were up and at 'em to Bolliaden, the Swedish version of Youth Conference. More to come!