Christmas in November

Time for me to step back up onto my soapbox and tell you what’s up, however irrelevant it all may be this time ‘round. This entry is chaotic and lacks much structure/order. Ehhhhohwell.

Play this video as some groovy background music while you read:

Five days ago was Christmas for me. My 2 boxes of belongings finally arrived! For the week and a half prior to box-arrivals, I had been living out of a big suitcase and a carry-on. While this actually sounds like a lot of stuff for a week and a half, I didn’t quite pack them very well. I was not at all focused on what clothes I packed into them, so my outfits were few and my jackets insufficient. I mainly packed things that would not have shipped well in boxes. So, long story short, I have all my stuff now! I’m a happy camper. (Random sidenote – in Norway, Christmas presents are opened on Christmas Eve, then they have Christmas day, then they have 2^nd Christmas day. SO much Christmasing!)

This entry will first focus on a selection of words I would use to describe Norway. This could get weird.

Ylvis – Craig (aka Craigory) posted a music video made by the Ylvis brothers just a couple days before I moved here. I thought it was hilarious and was overjoyed when I found out they have a TV show here! It is by far my favorite show I’ve watched since coming here. Sure, it may be in Norwegian, but it is still wildly entertaining. It has become a personal goal to meet one of them within the following year.

Adidas – people seem to love it. Not only because Adidas is a huge name in soccer apparel, but walking around the city, there are so many people in workout clothes, mostly seeming to be made by Adidas. And when I say workout clothes, I mean track jackets and skin-tight pants on both girls AND guys. Power to those guys.

Keyless – keyless cars are so new to me. And they apparently make me forgetful because my first real day of driving, I left the keys in the seat console…….good thing the car didn’t lock and good thing I wasn’t in the US or else the car would have probably been stolen. (Sidenote: cars are so much more advanced here, why is the US so far behind in the times?) Also, there isn’t much need to lock the house…Norway is so trusting and safe, it’s shocking and reassuring that not all of society is yet corrupted.

Voiceovers – Lately I’ve been watching a lot of Disney Junior with the kids and I can’t help but wonder what it pays to be someone who does the voiceovers of different languages for shows. Not that I ever plan to do it but I can’t help but wonder if that can be a career or just a side-job.

7-Eleven – seriously, there are probably 10 within the city of Bergen, which isn’t very big. They are EVERYWHERE. And a bit better than the ones at home. But really, you can see one while standing in front of another. That many.

NY Yankees Hats – if there is a guy walking around with a baseball-style hat, chances are very good that it’s a Yankees hat. I’m not sure why the fascination since they most likely don’t follow baseball in the least bit.

Stylish – for the most part, all the people walking around the city look so good. Although, I did see a ginger mullet the other day. But I need to step my fashion game up.

Cobbled – the streets of Bergen could not be cuter.

Heated floors – mmm. Why isn’t this a common thing in the US? It’s so efficient and so wonderful. The bathroom floor is even heated, therefore, the shower floor is heated. I love it.

Old – really though. This place is so soo old! In the US, we think something is incredibly old if it’s from the late 1700s….we are talking 1200s and 1300s here. Finally some history in my life!

Blustery – exactly how Winnie the Pooh would describe the weather on a less-than-perfect day here. The normal winds are more intense than anything I’ve ever experienced in California. But when the weather is clear (as it has been lately) then the best word would probably be “brisk.”

Sunset – some days it feels like sunset all day! If there are clouds blocking the sun, which is to the south, there is a constant golden glow. So beautiful. And the real sunsets are even better! Also, sunrise is a bit later so it is amazing to be able to easily witness both sunrise and sunset, especially in a location with a perfect view of both. I’m such a sucker for the sun.

Small – not only is the country small (in population) but lots of other things within the country are, too. Cities, portion size, cars, parking spots, items at the grocery stores, etc etc but it’s nice because everything is too big in the US.

Difficult – real talk, it’s not easy-peasy to just up and move from California to a far-away place. It’s oftentimes lonely and scary. But there is a constant underlying sense of excitement and adventure and the optimistic expectation that I will slowly learn, adjust, meet people, and establish a comfortable life here.

Metric System – whoa, I suck.

Now for the most relevant and straightforward umbrella terms to describe this wonderful place:

Clean

Expensive

Charming

Tax-happy

Scenic (understatement of the century)

And ALWAYS saturated (So. Much. Water. Everywhere.)

This past Saturday, I had my first Norwegian adventure. Cato was going to purchase a car in Oslo and he let me tag along, too! We boarded the train from Oslo to Bergen and were on our way by 8 AM. This route is known to be extremely beautiful and it definitely was, even in the awkward transitional phase between fall and winter. Almost 7 hours later we were in Oslo, bought the car, and started the long long long drive back to Bergen. Despite funky weather and nightfall, it was still such a great way to tour southern Norway. The road back took us through the mountains and past some spectacular scenery but I couldn’t quite see, but I could just feel that it was there (if that makes any sense to you). What I definitely could see were waterfalls, creeks, streams, rivers, trickles, brooks, etc EVERYWHERE. There were times I would just stare out the car window watching the little waterfalls as we passed them.

Our first stop was in Cato’s hometown of Kongsberg. After a drive through the town, we got out to walk across a bridge over a huge rapid. I was very impressed by the hydraulics of that beast and the amount of spray shooting up at the bottom. Cato also pointed out the small, old building where all of the coins in Norway are produced. Despite my short time in this town, I think I really liked it. From there we began the journey through the mountains.

The mountains of Norway are so different from the mighty Sierra Nevadas. So much rockier, hardly any trees, and very sparsely inhabited. We later stopped in the small town of Geilo, which is a big winter destination that reminded me of Mammoth but minus the big hotels, and we had dinner at a restaurant that flaunts the title of having the 2^nd best pizza in the world. I don’t know how much I believe that paper certificate near the door but it was pretty delicious. Then the drive continued.

We passed a few really big waterfalls and drove alongside many picturesque rivers. As we neared the western region of Norway, we were driving along the sides of fjords. Visibility was limited due to it being so late in the night, but there was enough moonlight to distinguish the outlines of the steep walls and narrow passages. Quite breathtaking. Because of the difficult landscape, the road has many long tunnels, during which I introduced Cato to the tradition of trying to hold your breath through tunnels. He had also never heard of No-Shave-November. Two of the greatest American traditions! Anyway, at one point we had to cross a fjord on a ferry and despite the extremely cold weather and strong winds, we stood on the upper deck so I could just take it all in. I was so giddy just to be there. I’m drawing out this trip so I’ll wrap it up. It was a great day, even with the less-than-perfect weather circumstances. I saw a lot of the country, learned many new words, and got to know Cato better. And I saw a fuzzy cow – life complete. Good times were had.

The next day was spent lounging around the house throughout the morning, followed by a beautiful outing to the neighboring island. We walked to a secluded beach, where we searched for little crabs and cool shells and rocks. All the while, I kept collecting pieces of glass to dispose of properly. Nothing rains on a beach parade like stepping on some glass. Anyway, the island was so amazing. It had so many blueberry bushes, streams (which you can drink directly from, no worries!), and epic landscapes. We also passed by two strategically placed stones, which I was informed has been blessed as a holy site. The two stones are the only remnants of a church that existed before the Black Death wiped out the entire island’s population in the 1300s. I love living somewhere with so much history and I love living so close to such a perfect little getaway.

When we got home, we watched the end of the Norwegian Cupfinalen game to determine the best soccer team within the country. The local team, Brann, was playing against Ålesund but ended up losing. I’d love to experience a soccer game while living in Europe – everybody gets sooo jazzed about it! Then I made cowboy caviar, which was wildly unpopular according to the general consensus but Solfrid is now a big fan! That means more for us and none for them when I make it again! Yummmm tastes like California.

Monday was devoted to a bit of housework and a bit more exploration. I solo trekked up to the top of the highest ridge on the island. I figured I’d climb up one way, climb down the other side, and run back home. As soon as I left the paved roadway to begin the hike, I realized I hadn’t fully left California mentally…I wore capri running pants and light running shoes….in 8 degree C weather on a trail completely made of mud and huge puddles. It was seriously muddier than Californian trails I’ve been on WHILE it is raining. That whole mentioning of saturation earlier in the blog is meant to be taken very literally. Rainboots are such a necessity in Norway! Well, it took me way longer than expected to reach the top but it was totally worth the mess. It is very safe to say that this island is notttt a bad place to live.

Then I had catfish cakes for dinner. FML. Not even bad, but the thought killed me. Catfish. Oh nasty.

Anyway, sorry this entry isn’t very entertaining – I’ve been writing it a bit here and there over the past 4 days so it got a bit sloppy. Maybe next time I’ll bring out the big guns and/or put my witty pants on. Until then, in the words of the late and great Steve Jobs, “stay hungry, stay foolish.”

P.S. for photo documentation of my new life, check out Facebook. There will be more details, explanations, and more frequent updates. And if you don’t have Facebook, my mom apparently downloads all my pictures to send to people so she’d probably be willing to add your e-mail address to her picture emails. Thanks, ma, and sorry for volunteering your services.