So I’m on the train to Oslo after 2 weeks in Bergen. I really can’t believe how fast the time has passed. It really felt more like only one week. I have already learned so many things that I can’t even begin to describe it all. Culturally, this has been super enriching. I guess many of these gems I have discovered will have to come up in conversation when certain subjects come up. “Oh, speaking of subject X, did you know that in Norway, _____?”. So yeah. Sorry ‘bout that.
Viking-style boozin’
I can, however, remember one thing at the moment. It involves drinking. Apparently, Scandinavians typically drink little alcohol during the week, but they binge on weekends. They scratch their heads at the French and Italians, who have wine with meals much of the time, and of course at the Germans and English, who gladly drink beer anytime. One of our guest lecturing professors even said that he thinks somebody who drinks wine at home during the week is sick. On Fridays and Saturdays, however, people here commonly drink to excess. Some say that Norwegians and Swedes are the worst binge drinkers. They start out by drinking at home (it is too expensive to drink at bars, where $7 beers are a steal and $20 cocktails the norm), getting fairly well inebriated, then they head out at midnight to party (and buy a single drink at the bar) until the bars close at 3. After which they go to a friend’s place for an “afterparty”. Now you know.
Another surprise is how gracious the Norwegians are to people who try to speak their language. Without fail, every time I have tried to order something in Norwegian (usually as simple as Kan jeg fa en storkaffe? – can I have a large coffee -- Or perhaps I throw in an, “Ikke pose, takk.” -- no bag, thanks -- at the grocery store), they have complemented me on how well I speak the language. This makes me laugh almost every time: one sentence, and they’re gushing about my ability. Apparently I’m the only one who tries, and they appreciate it immensely.
So this leads me to another thought: the language and cultural barrier, which is actually little barrier here because everybody speaks English. I have learned something about myself in these past two weeks. I felt oddly sad to be leaving Bergen, and I was able to put my finger on what it was: I was there for two weeks and I failed to connect with the town. That is unusual for me. I have had an uncharacteristically timid attitude. I am normally a social animal, and my favorite thing is to visit and chat with people. But for whatever reason, I don’t like people to know that I’m not a local. So, already feeling excluded, I made it worse by avoiding engaging with others. Which insulated me even more. Which depressed me and made me not want to go out. See the problem here?
It has been good that I have had to confront this. I am upset that I have been allowing this attitude to stultify (a great word to add to your vocab if you don’t already know it) my experience. So I’ve decided to try to change. Someone told me that failing to engage doesn’t just cause me to miss out, it also undoes my opportunity to enrich others. I thought about this and realized I want to change my way of thinking. Instead of trying to sell myself to people, I should just offer myself to them. If they’re uninterested, I will know soon enough. But if I take a shot, I might just discover a wonderful new friend. Or at least enjoy a great conversation.
So that’s the plan. Oslo should be different, not only because it’s a different town with a different culture, but because I am going to try to poke my neck a little further out of my shell. I am going to make an effort to venture out, solo, instead of with my posse of Americans. And actually say hello to Norway.
Some random pictures from my time in Bergen:
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| The view from my favorite perch at the bakery cafe, Godt Brød (Good Bread) |
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| The student lunch room at the law school |
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| The view from said lunchroom |
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| Although I already ate half, you can see that this was a tiny snack to begin with. Unsalted nuts and dried fruit. Why have I never seen such small portions in America? It was under $2 and satisfied my hunger. I wish more things came in European size instead of SuperSize |
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| I love how even the crosswalks are made of stone! Those aren't painted, either. |
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| This is already a 20-minute walk from town center. Cute suburbs! |
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| The less comely, more modern side of downtown Bergen's harbor. Why more modern? Because a munitions ship exploded years ago on this side of town, taking nearby buildings with it. |
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| And this is what the other side of the harbor looks like. Haha cute, I know (see the pic below for the real thing). Each town has its own peculiar style of manhole cover. So cool. |
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| I find it terribly amusing that the logo for this driving school appears to have a crash test dummy behind the wheel |
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| I could eat this stuff every day. Marinated smoked salmon, caviar, cream cheese, and thinly sliced onion. Put on crackers or lomper (the burrito-looking thingy that's actually made from potatoes) and you have a delicious meal. |
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| The irony is that "Acne" clothing store caters to teenage girls and young women. It's apparently quite chic. |
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| The outside of my favorite cafe in Bergen. |
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| Part of the main shopping street in Bergen. |
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| These glossy roof tiles abound in Norway. I imagine the idea is to make slippery rooftops so the snow slides off more easily. |
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| Sletten, just a little lake next to a train stop and across the street from a shopping center. |
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| Another view of the law school |
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| More of a light industrial area. I find the HVAC company's sign amusing: varmepumper means, of course, warm-pumper, or furnace. So cute. |
