I spent my first moments of 2016 atop the Oslo Opera House, watching the New Year’s Eve fireworks above the Oslo harbour. Alone in a new city and a new country, surrounded by a foreign language (the people next to me were literally chanting some Norwegian song/cheer at the top of their lungs), there was something comforting about watching a not-so-foreign celebratory display. I thought back to last year’s NYE fireworks – where I was, who I was with, what my hopes were for the year ahead. And it’s funny (but I’m not sure if funny is the right word actually) how you can just never predict what crazy and amazing and scary and incredible things are going to happen in a year. No matter how much you try to plan. It’s nice how rituals like fireworks can draw back memories like that. So that’s how my year abroad started. On a rather nostalgic note actually.
After New Years or nyttårsaften, it was time to get myself organized. Grocery shopping, getting my student card, temporary residence permit, Norwegian bank account, tax forms, cell phone etc. etc. There is no shortage of paperwork to fill out when you are moving to a new country. And I’m still not done it all.
One of the most challenging parts of transitioning to living in Norway has been the language barrier. It’s not really a barrier though. Almost everyone I have encountered here also speaks English, and very well I might add. Still, everyday life is made a little more complicated when you, for example, are not able to understand food and product labels. A couple days ago I bought fabric softener when meaning to buy laundry detergent, and cocoa powder instead of hot chocolate mix. Oops.
Despite taking a beginner Norwegian language course before coming here, I still can’t bring myself to actually speak. If I do speak the odd phrase in Norwegian, it is a quick whisper in hopes that a clerk or cashier does not suspect my non-Norwegian-ness. There have been times where I feel like I am walking around with a secret – like, “I am Canadian but you think I am Norwegian. Hah, gotcha!” – that kind of secret.
Yesterday I successfully paid for my groceries in Norwegian! I was so proud of myself. Mind you, the only thing the cashier asked me was:
“Vil du ha en pose” (veel do hah ehn poosuh) “Will you have a bag?”
to which I replied
“Nei, takk” (nigh tack) “no thanks.”
Today, in another moment of linguistic bravery, I told the conductor on the train:
“Jeg snakker engelsk” (yigh snacker ing-esk) “I speak english”
when she asked me something in Norwegian that I did not understand. She repeated herself in english this time:
“Do you live in Norway?”
Hmm how do I explain this. “Yes. I study here.”
“That will be 110 kronor” (approx. $16 CAN)
For a 30 minute train ride? Whyy?? Ok, just don’t convert the money in your head. Remember, everything is expensive here.
Internal dialogues aside, I am slowly getting used to life in Norway. The weather is cold but bearable if you bundle up properly. The short daylight hours help you make the most of the day and go outside when you can. My new university is lovely. Here’s a picture from my first walk around campus.
The Norwegian University of Life Sciences aka Norges milø- og biovitenskapelige universitet (NMBU) is a small university located in a cute little town called Ås in the region of Akershus in southern Norway. It is about a 30 minute train ride from Norway’s capital city, Oslo. In my mere week of being a new resident of Ås I have walked down most streets and visited all three major grocery stores. That’s how small it is. Of course, in comparison to UBC anything is small.
I don’t start classes until the end of January so I have a couple more weeks to explore the Oslo area. We are expecting a lot of new snow this weekend, so I may go sledding with my roommates. I also hear that admission to the National Art Gallery is free on Sundays. I may check that out this weekend.
More updates soon!
-V
Ps. I keep finding my name in unexpected places in this country (a beauty shop, oil and margarine)!
