Where's Winter?

Out of the major differences between Norway and Texas, the climate is definitely an important one. When I got to Texas on August 5, it was 110°F. In Norway, it was around 80°F, which is considered good summer weather over there. Now that it's November, the northern part of Norway is experiencing snow, while Texas is still basking in sunlight. Although it has gotten somewhat chilly, especially with a cold front, a sweater would be advised. In Stavanger, however, a jacket and an umbrella would be advised since it tends to get cold and rainy as winter comes along. And when winter does show up, it will be freezing. Last year there were even deaths due to people being stuck outside in the cold and thus freezing to death - that's how cold it gets in Norway.

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The above picture is one of me and my two nephews after cutting down a Christmas tree. Since we live in the southern part of Norway along the coast, it tends to be a mix of snow and rain. However, the northern parts of Norway which are in the Arctic Circle can get up to 2 meters of snow. I am definitely looking forward to going back home for the Christmas Break so I can go skiing and just being in the presence of snow, since there is a very slim chance that it will come to San Antonio.

Norwegian Flag is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

The above is just me showing some Norwegian pride with a drawing of the Norwegian flag I keep in my dorm room. I love Norway. It is such a special little country.

Getting Around Town

Getting around San Antonio is a lot different than getting around Stavanger, my hometown. In Norway, the public transport is very good and my main way of getting to and from places. In San Antonio, it is significantly harder getting around when you don't have a car. Even walking across the street can be a challenge.

This can be a struggle when I need to go to Wal-Mart to pick up a few college student necessities. Therefore, it is very beneficial to get a friend with a car. I have such a friend and his name is Travis. Now, I do not abuse my privilege: I only ask that I may come along next time he goes to Wal-Mart. This creates the allusion that I am friends with him because I like him, not because he has a car.

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I have a 30 year-old friend in Norway who doesn't have her license and it hasn't been an issue for her. Trains and buses make it simple to get around Norway, as well as trams, without needing a car. I always get a 30 day bus pass when I go back home and it costs 300 kr. or a little more than $50 which is good in Norway, but expensive for the States. This allows me to go on the bus, train, and boat for as much as I want for 30 days and nights which is a pretty good deal. I suggest this the US follows Norway's example.

Walmart

Wal-Mart. The store that has everything. Unfortunately, there are no Wal-Marts in Norway, but that just means I have to make up for lost time and shopping. We do have Ikea in Norway, so at least I can go there whenever I need to get any type of furniture. But it would be nice to have a Wal-Mart - one stop for everything. And when I say Wal-Mart, I'm talking about the Super Wal-Mart that is a grocery store, clothes store, bedding store, toy store, electronic store, pharmacy; an everything-in-one. I also just recently learned that you can by rifles there, which sounds a little unsafe to me. But that just proves that Wal-Mart has everything.

Wal-Mart Supercenter: All-in-one

wal-mart supercenter by Dystopos is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.


I can stay in Wal-Mart all day, just because it is so big and there is so much stuff. I went there a few days ago to get a few things for my dorm including food and bedsheets. It is so easy to stay in there forever - I went there yesterday just to pick up a few things and managed to stay there for an hour! 

I wish we had there were Wal-Marts in Norway so I wouldn't have to go on a long and treacherous trek to 10 different stores when I could, effectively, just visit one. The closest things to Wal-Mart in Norway that I can think of is the mall, Kvadrat, in my hometown. And that's just a load of hassle with going back and forth from store to store with stairs and loops and bridges.

In conclusion, Wal-Mart should come to Norway. Or at least Target should.

A Norwegian in America

Just as an introduction, I am from Norway. Although I am half American and was born in Houston, I am Norwegian. Lived there on and off til I was 5, then moved back when I was 8 and have lived there ever since. To help you get a feel for Norway, it is part of Scandinavia, along with Sweden and Denmark. Along with free healthcare, increased average lifespan, better standard of life, unnecessary taxes, and expensive cost of living, Norway has some unique traditions. One of these is to wear the national costume on May 17th, Norwegian Independence Day. Everyone goes into town to watch the parade, wave the Norwegian flag, and eat ice cream.

17. mai: Norwegian Independence Day

17. mai by Linn Williams is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

An other tradition in Norway is that for a month during Spring, starting around mid April and ending May 17th, every senior wears either red or blue overalls. This, in Norwegian, is called Russ. It is basically a month long party. 

Russ Baptist

Russ Baptism by Linn Williams is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.




The initiation ceremony is the first day of Russ, and everyone gets beer poured over their head. This is called the baptism, and the "priest" gives everyone nicknames to write on their hats. There is a list of activities the Russ can do to get knots such as eating a bag of marshmallows in 5 minutes or running across a bridge naked. There are also organized events for Russ to attend and party. The one I attended was right by my house and was filled with concerts, people, lots and lots of music, and rides.  Coming from Norway, the States is very different. The legal drinking age is 21, compared to 18 in Norway, and there are a lot more police here. I will be documenting my transition from the Norwegian culture to the American culture, and you can read about it here.