Norwegian Saga

Hey everyone.

I was in Poland from 14-22 April. I was visiting family. My father was in Poland visiting as well. The plan was to meet up in Poland, introduce me to everyone, and then come to Oslo for a few days. The Eyjafjallajökull (hear what it sounds like spoken; the “ll” are said like “lt”) volcano changed those plans. I was to return to Oslo on the 19th but mother nature had other ideas and to everyone’s disappointment my father didn’t get to see Norway this time around.

I was nervous going to Poland. This was my second time in Poland and really the first time that I was aware of what was going on. I think I was 12 when I went the first time, don’t remember much from that visit. I do remember my grandmother a little. She wanted me to eat a soup that I hated at the time but now love. Memory works in strange ways. I was nervous about going this time because I was afraid that people had expectations of me. I don’t usually bow to those kinds of things because I’ve never been in this kind of situation. Through my 27 years my family was three people, my mom, dad, and sister (plus a semi-adopted brother, he knows who he is). Going to Poland I was going to be in the company of real family. What would they think of me? Did they matter to me so that I needed to worry what they thought? They are family so somehow, incomprehensibly to my oh-so-logical mind they did matter. Few times in my life I really wanted to impress and make people happy and this was one of them.

When I got there my dad, cousin, and uncle met me at the airport and it was like stepping into a home/family that I’d never been apart from. There were hugs and greetings and I felt all of my stress melt away. They welcomed me with open arms. Then it all began again because I had to then meet my aunt. And when I arrived at the flat we were to stay in it was the same loving feeling. No stress, no pressure, just family. Real family that takes you as you are and it is for the warmth they show that you work to be a better person. I am quite jealous of those who have their family all in one place. They’re fortunate probably not realizing it. Just as I didn’t realize it with my 3.5 family members in Canada. This experience has taught me otherwise though.

So, enough of the soft stuff. When I got to Poland, the strangest thing was the number of Polish people. They were everywhere, even more there than in Norway! I also noticed how nice people were to each other. This may sound cheesy but “thank yous” and “your welcomes” (in Polish of course) were everywhere. This was quite a change from Norway. One thing that both countries have in common that Canada lacks is apparent genuineness of the people. They don’t put on the painfully obvious false fronts complete with blindingly white smiles and vacant eyes. For this reason it’s a nice thing. I’m not going to believe that people are better in Poland or Norway than in Canada but they certainly appear to be more honest about their motives and intentions.

We lived with my aunt and uncle (names kept hidden for my internetiphobia). They live in a tiny little apartment in the “Brodno Nowe” part of town (I think). It was very cozy (another thing Europe does better). The small size meant I had to share a bed with my dad, which was ok, I could have slept on the floor on a mattress but I didn’t want to trouble my aunt. However, my dad snores that’s less ok. I have come to respect my mother in a completely new fashion. The death of Poland’s president two days before my arrival in Warsaw meant that the country was to observe a week of mourning. That meant closed museums and upset public transport which put a few kinks in our plans. However, I was happy because I got to meet family and see my homeland.

The dietary environment was the one sticking point for me. I love cheese and grease and Polish cuisine is full of both, along with lots of meat. The country’s history meant that they used what they had and fat was used too. I had some delicious perogis that were swimming in oil. They were very tasty but it made me worry about the people that were consuming that kind of diet daily. So I’m hoping that they’ll change their dietary habits soon as the new health wave reaches Poland.

I won’t bother enumerating all of the places I visited. You can have a look at some of the photos.

Photos here.

This is just a short post to give you a video of the Oslo harbour. I’ve decided that since I now know how to compress videos I’m going to put some up. As a test you have this one .

There’s no audio to make the video a little smaller and there was nothing worthwhile to listen to, no gulls or fog horns.

The point of view is from the fortress looking down into the Oslo harbour. Straight across from me is the chic new part of town called Aker Brygge. The two big red tower type buildings with a clock on them are really one and is the city hall. The cream coloured building with the brief zoom is the Nobel Peace Centre.

Anyway, it’s just a test to see how it works (youtube being tested at the same time). Hope you enjoy it and I hope it works for you.

The days have been getting longer and with the increase in light is the feeling that you really want to be active. It’s almost like waking up after a long sleep. You cannot wait to get going. The clouds are gone and it’s light earlier and dark later. The great outdoors look very inviting.

I’ve completed that last essay (got a B) and am now free to work on my thesis. It’s a great feeling to be able to work on one’s own project. Couple that with the more light and things are just great . I have been to see my thesis adviser on Monday and I pitched a new idea I had. I was nervous because I thought he would be opposed to them. Academics and opposing ideas you know, but he was very supportive and gave me a pep talk trying to tell me I’m the expert in this specific area of the study of the Contemporary Sagas. That made me feel better. We agreed that I would write between two and three pages per day to have about 15 pages a week to discuss and talk about. The time has come for me to actually produce text that can be discussed and compiled into a thesis. I’m very confident that this will not be a tremendous hurdle. I feel I have many ideas and have done enough research to at least fill most of the 100 pages I’m to write.

I spent some time at Anne Marit’s place. To get a break from Oslo. You see they’re renovating the ground floor flats and the noise is unbearable (but that’s another story). So while in the south of Norway we babysat a five-toed cat. His name is Skomber and he has five toes on every paw. It’s weird but he’s adorable.

We also went for a short walk along the coast. The ice in the water made the entire scene surreal. The sea swelled up and down as if alive but you couldn’t see any single wave because of all the ice. It was fantastic.

Since returning home, I’ve had to say goodbye to the last roommate. I am now the only person here who was here in August 2008. The other three have all left. It’s a sad feeling because it reminds me of all the changes that take place in life. Every time I said goodbye to a roommate (one in May ’09, another in Dec ’09, and this last one a few days ago) I can’t help but think of my arrival in Norway. All of the expectations I had and how new everything felt. I’m very happy here but with everyone out of Oslo for the most part (friends that were here for a semester included) I feel a little out of place. Every time I get settled in some way people shift around. It reinforced my already strong belief that the most important things in my life are not things but people. Thankfully I’ve managed to maintain contact with just about all of these people and that’s nice. Even better is the fact that I now know people in many parts of the world, often from the bigger cities which means if I travel to those countries I will likely travel through the big cities and meet them. It’s a nice feeling and the experience of it all is priceless.

I’m planning a hike with a friend to Scandinavia’s highest peak, Galdhøpiggen (2469m). We’re going to make it a four or five day hike. It depends on many things of course and it won’t be until May/June but I’m excited nonetheless. He’s going to come visit from Canada and we’ll first spend a few days in Amsterdam where I will meet him and look around there then both fly back to Oslo and spend some time here. This will be after my thesis is finished of course.

So, there are a few photos of the sea ice. Enjoy.