Archive for 'Culture'
Who wants ‘hval’? Posted by kari on Jan 30, 2009
For those of you who don’t know what hval is, it is whale. Norway is one of the few countries in the world that still practices whaling. Prior to the mid 20th century, many nations practised whaling as it was an important source of income and employment. Norway has supported whaling since the beginning of its…
Godt nyttår! Posted by kari on Jan 1, 2009
Godt nyttår alle sammen! Did any of you dodge fyrverkeri (fireworks) last night? If you did not, I know that you were not in Norway. Most countries outside of the U.S. seem to celebrate the new year in much better fashion than we do. I know Brazil, in particular has an insane new year celebration. …
Rømmegrøt Posted by kari on Dec 30, 2008
Last night I returned from a weekend jul getaway to Florida where the sun shone every day and the mercury well surpassed freezing. There were just a couple things I missed about jul this year. You might think that as a born and bred Minnesotan, I would have missed having a white jul. Nei nei! Slett ikke…
God jul! Posted by kari on Dec 24, 2008
Once again the Christmas season is upon us. Doesn’t it seem like it comes faster and faster every year? “Christmas” in Norwegian is jul. Merry Christmas-god jul. We give gaver (gifts) at Christmastime, which sit under juletreet (the Christmas tree). Vi pynter juletreet (We decorate the Christmas tree). There is ofte a stjerne at the top…
Concordia Language Villages Posted by kari on Dec 22, 2008
If you or someone you know is interested in learning a foreign language, check out Concordia Language Villages. I have not yet experienced the language programs that await eager learners in northern Minnesota. However, I have supported CLV by teaching young children Norwegian. Between the winter of 2006 and the spring of 2008, I was a teacher for…
Nei til EU! Posted by kari on Dec 15, 2008
No to the European Union! This is quite a popular expression in Norway, so popular that someone spray painted it onto a rock far off the northwestern coast of Norway. I saw it from the Hurtigruten. Although graffiti in Norway is not as prevalent as it is in Germany, “Nei til EU” has certainly made…
Not so homogeneous a population after all Posted by kari on Dec 2, 2008
As I mentioned in several earlier blogs, the Norwegian population isn’t as homogeneous as it used to be nor as most people believe it is. Not everyone in Norway has blond hair and blue eyes. A good portion of the northernmost part of the country is inhabited by a minority, indigenous population, the Sami people. Samis inhabit…