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Published: January 9th 2005
Before going to Oslo for Christmas, I spent a few days in Frankfurt. I met up with friends who had a long layover on their way back to America and we ate and then slept in the airport. It was interesting to wake up every three hours and watch the clock hands change positions. It was also strange to be surrounded by different people at your feet every time you wake up. The next night I stayed with a German friend who fed me soup and let me have my first real bath in three and 1/2 months. Frankfurt is very industrial and not my favorite city.
The flight to Oslo was uneventful, except for the gorgeous sunset and the applause that accompanied the landing. Apparently, some Europeans like to clap at the end of a flight. I met a man with 2 master's degrees working on a PhD whose father teaches linguistics at the University of Miami... and I get discouraged on ONE essay... ha. Oslo has big streets and beautiful people.
Jevenaker, my friend Aina's town, is tiny and next to a fjord. The houses in Norway contain a lot of pine wood, resulting in a warm feeling-much needed
in Norwegian winters. The people were incredibly friendly, reminding me of home. On every outing we took, Aina knew at least four of the five people we encountered. My first full day there, we visited her work, which is the work of basically every young person in the town: the honey factory. It's called Hadeland and is a little village of glass blowing and honey making cottages. She says that it's a tourist hot spot and that she can always spot Americans by their white tennis shoes. =)
That night we decorated the Christmas tree, which is a much simpler affair than at home, a string of lights and a few balls et... voila. I got to put the star at the top. Later we had "Christmas Soda," a Coca-Cola product of course, at Aina's friend's house, a tasty rasberry concoction.
Christmas Eve is the most important for Norwegians. We had a massive banquet style dinner with Aina's family. The whole family donned extremely nice evening wear and ate at a long table decorated and set perfectly. There is a small glass for cognac and a large glass for "Christmas Beer." We ate pork, salmon, potatoes, gravy , sauerkraut, and
rice pudding with rasberry sauce. There were thousands of cookies and coffees. The social scene there was surprisingly a replica of what it would be at home. The only difference was the language, but I felt as if I knew what the family was discussing in a strange way. Her grandfather kept forgetting that I didn't speak Norwegian and would start long conversations about America and his family. I didn't mind, just smiled and nodded and imagined what my grandfather would be saying.
Christmas Day woke me up with SNOW! I made Aina's family a Southern breakfast of country ham, eggs, and biscuits. I taught them the trick of stirring hot chocolate with a candy cane. That night we went sledding in the moonlight and the muffled sounds of a small town. Later we went to the required "pre party." In Norway, it's so expensive to drink that they always drink at someone's house before going out to avoid the high costs of the bar. Afterwards, we visited a Norwegian Karaoke bar where I heard John Denver, among other songs, sung with lovely Norwegian accents. The "after party" was exactly like being at home, with the boys playing Nintendo while
the girls sat on the couch talking.
I can't think of a better place to spend Christmas than in Norway. The houses and the people are the warmest I've come across. The culture is very similar America, though I'm sure I didn't get a full picture, and I felt very much at home there.
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The view from my window
