Norwegian Liberation Day Posted by kari on May 9, 2010
Frigjøringsdagen, as it is called på norsk, is a very important day in Norwegian history that does not receive proper attention because it is greatly overshadowed by syttende mai (May 17th, Norway’s Constitution Day). Frigjøringsdagen is the day that Norway was officially liberated from Nazi forces. 65 years ago on May 8, 1945, Josef Terboven, Reichskommisar (Norwegian commissioner in…
Oslo Posted by kari on May 6, 2010
Old Oslo, otherwise known as Christiania or Kristiania. King Harald III Sigurdsson founded byen (the city) around the year 1048. Since archaeologists have found graver (graves) in the area from before the year 1000, Oslo celebrated it’s 1000th bursdag (birthday) in the year 2000. Although the origin of the name Oslo is uncertain, you can probably guess…
Travel with Pets to Norway Posted by kari on May 5, 2010
Have you ever thought about traveling to Norway and want to bring your husdyr (pet)? I have and so I’ve done some forskning (research) and even for those of you who haven’t thought about it, you may find it interesting. Regler (rules) and reguleringer (regulations) always tell you something about a country or a culture. …
English language in Norway Posted by kari on Apr 30, 2010
I have written on this topic before and I imagine I will again; the use of engelsk (English) in Norway continues to rise. Engelsk is used increasingly in høyere utdannelse (higher education), forskning (research), arbeidsplass (work place) and daglig språk (daily language). Requirements for English proficiency are on the rise at schools and in the job…
Norway and Russia agree in Barents Sea Posted by kari on Apr 28, 2010
For mange tiår (decades) Norway and Russia have argued over ownership of 175,000 sq. km. in Barentshavet (the Barents Sea). You might be wondering what the big deal is about Barentshavet. It’s just water, right? No, it’s money, and lots of it. Tens of billions of barrells of olje (oil) and 1-3 of the world’s…
Norwegian verb ‘to do’ Posted by kari on Apr 22, 2010
Once in a while, I need to throw a post in hear that really focuses on a specific part of the language. It’s fun to focus on verbs because they allow you to say so much, especially the verb å gjøre (to do)! Vår er her (spring is here) and all I can think about…
Northern Lights Posted by kari on Apr 20, 2010
I’ve been told that seeing nordlys, also known as Aurora Borealis, is one of the most spectacular sights a person can see. I have seen nordlys in Minnesota a few times, both during the fall and winter and don’t get me wrong, they were certainly cool. However, based on the reactions I’ve heard and read from…