Home.

Things have been pretty quiet for me in blog land lately...but no worries, I am alive and well as a matter of a fact. I survived the long journey home, the jetlag, the job finding process, missing Lars/Hamar/Norway, a week long camp for high schoolers, driving again after a 9 month hiatus and all the changes, shocks and emotional pulls that have been this transition.

Today I volunteered at one of my niece's softball all-star practices, tonight it is a sleepover with all five of the little ones at my sister's house (pancakes in the morning) and tomorrow I start work at a local breakfast restaurant on the water in downtown. Who knows what the rest of the week holds? :)

It's good to be home.

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Mixedfeelings

Thelastcoupleofdayshavecompletelyruntogether
andIfeellikeIaminadaze---
amIreallyleavingNorwayafter9monthsinsuchlittletime?!

SayinggoodbyesdinnerpartiesandatriptoOslo,
coffeecakespizzaandhugs,
tiredeyelidsheadaches,

AndIstillhaven'tevenstartedpacking.

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Ha det bra, Tynset

My last day is Tynset was a good one. Even though I wasn't surrounded by all the Kindølshaugs as usual, I ended my journey on a good note. As it was a Monday everyone was at work I was left with some quiet time to have lessons in the morning and some quality one on one time with Tassen the cat and Raja the Norwegian Elkhound. ;) Since Tassen is a bit of a lazy bum I just gave him a pat on the head to say goodbye, but Raja was a bit luckier!

Her and I went out for a long jog\walk. Here is a pictorial guide of our trip and my last day in Fåset of Tynset, the area where Lars grew up.

The only thing I could have asked for was a bit more sun to make the experience perfect...I suppose I have to wait until next spring\summer for that! And until the fall to see Tynset again!

Vi ses i november Tynset!

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There's a troll outside my door!

I have to share this TRUE story that Lars heard circulating around his workplace. Again, let me repeat--TRUE STORY.

It Norway, some people with Down's Syndrome have personal nurses. As I understand it, the nurse is available via phone to answer questions or help the patient with any problems that might arise. One particular man with DS (let's call him Bob) called his personal nurse one day, petrified because of a troll that was outside his front door.

'Now Bob,' the nurse explained. 'We have been over this before. There is no such thing as trolls, and there is certainly not a troll outside your door. Just calm down and we will talk tomorrow, okay?'

Frustrated, Bob hung up, but only to call back 10 minutes later.

'No you don't understand, it's still there, there is really a troll outside my door, and it is scary, and it is real, and I am scarrrrrreeeeeed.' Bob whined.

The nurse calmed him down again, repeating the same story as the first time around and hung up again hoping that Bob would get over his delusion and that the nurse could take a break for the evening and relax.

And then the phone rang again. Yep, you guessed it--Bob. But this time things were a bit different...

Bob schreeched, 'I locked the troll in my bathroom and I am standing outside the door guarding it so it can't get out! What do I do?!?'

At this point, the nurse gave up all hope of a quiet evening at home and realized he'd better get over to Bob's house to calm him down, see what the heck what was going inside that house, or more likely what was going on inside Bob's head. He made it over in record time and hesitantly approached the bathroom door.

'Now you'll see,' Bob said defiantly. 'I wasn't making anything up!'

At this point the nurse started getting a bit scared. Not because he also had an irrational fear of trolls, but because he was so bewildered and anxious about what could possible be awaiting him behind that solid wooden door. He slowly turned the knob, and creaked open the hinges and gasped when he saw that there actually was a someone locked behind Bob's bathroom door! A small someone that is---there was a DWARF in Bob's bathroom!

Bob has mistakenly taken a short person, a dwarf, that was going door to door selling things, as a troll! Just imagine the process that poor Bob went through...the phone calls, the terror, the peaking out the curtains and the peephole at this little man, and then finally the capture! The poor little dwarf!! Bob captured a real person and stuffed and locked him in his bathroom!! HAHA!

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Reker og røye

Do these look appetizing?!?

This would be what I had for dinner Saturday night with Lars' family. Lars is not a big fan of seafood at all so since he was not there the fam had to expose me to the Norwegian way of eating shrimp one night and fish the next.

Don't get me wrong, I love shrimp...but something about having to look your food in the eye before you eat it gets me a tad bit squirrelly in the stomach. And it wasn't just staring into their beady eyes, afterwards you had to deshell them--rip of their heads, slip off their tails and basically get rid of all the nasty business that was not so edible as the rest. Then it was recommended to rinse your fingers, you know, just in case you still had some brain goo on them. Don't want to accidentally ingest that!

These shrimp, or reker in Norwegian, were a bit stronger tasting than the shrimp I have eaten before. The way to eat them is to put them on a slice of white bread (loff) with your choice of toppings: lettuce, dill, tomato, lemon, and of course sauces (sour cream dressing, mayonaise) and\or spices (lemon pepper being the most popular at the Kindølshaug's table).

Even thought they were a bit strong and I felt like a mass murderer, it was good to have a bit of variation in my diet. Sunday Randi's (Lars' mom) parents came over and we had a delicious fish dinner. On our plates after being cooked in foil on the BBQ was some Artic Charr, or røye (closely related to salmon and trout) from the nearby lake. Man oh man was that delicious!! Jan (Lar's dad) was a bit worried that I wouldn't like it, but I happily helped myself to seconds!

Here you can see a picture of the lake, Savalen, where delicious fishies live! I am really looking forward to learning how to fish sometime there...I am hoping to get in some ice fishing in when I come back in the winter!

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Konfirmasjon in pictures

Since mid-Thursday I have been hanging in Tynset with Lars' family. Lars left on Wednesday morning for a job related trip, first to Oslo and then to Stockholm, Sweden. He and I were both invited to come to Tynset this weekend to attend Torgeir's confirmation but since Lars was out of the country and I will also be leaving the country soon, I thought it would be nice to visit the family all by myself!

In Norway in this day and age, the confirmation at age 15 is an important coming of age ceremony. Although it has had deep religious meaning in the past (for example even as late as 1912 Norwegians were not allowed to get married or even work unless they had been confirmed) the ceremony today is more tradition than anything else.

It is also a great excuse for the whole family to get together, and another day when Norwegians wear their bunads. There was first a church service with a very formal dinner party for the closest family. We joined the party afterwards for coffee, cakes, a slideshow, songs, games and some more food. And man oh man there was such a spread of cakes!

The whole gang!

Torgeir with his two sisters

Stine is underneath there!

Classy! :D

Tug of war! Not so easy in nice clothes...

Basically the cutest Norwegian kid ever.

Potato sack races.

She reminds me a bit of Breena.

And then another fun day in Tynset is officially over.
The end.

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Pannekaker

As per Sheena's request, here is a tried and true "Swedish" pancake (pannekaker) recipe:

• 1 1\4 cups flour
  
• 2 cups milk
  
• 1/2 ts salt
• 3 - 4 eggs
• butter
  

Mix flour, milk, salt and blend well together. Mix in eggs.

Ideally let the mixture sit for about 15 minutes or even longer (not the end of the world to just use it right away).

Make sure your pan is on medium heat and buttered. A pan that is too hot will ruin the pancakes. Remember these are not American pancakes and they are supposed to be THIN. Pour enough batter into the pan to cover the bottom. Flip to cook both sides (extra points for tricks mid-air). A good pancake is mostly beige with brown spots...but don't be discouraged--even if they look a bit funny they will still taste good.

Serve warm. It is normal to spread a bit of white sugar or jam (strawberry usually) over the pancake and then roll it up into a skinny burrito shape. I would definitely encourage some fresh fruit, cream, syrup or even tomato soup to accompany the pancakes! They are versatile and you can make them your own! Get creative!

Good luck! :D

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Pancakes and tomato soup?

I think most everyone has heard about the Scandinavian (European?) version of pancakes--lovingly referred to as Swedish pancakes in my family (even though we use my StepGram's recipe and she was born in Norway). My brother got pretty good at making them when we were growing up, and we ate them for a special breakfast treat once in awhile.

In Norway, pancakes are much more likely to be eaten for dinner than for breakfast, and certainly not with sausage or syrup in the picture. Ok, that I understand. I am cool with eating breakfast foods for dinner. I had no problem eating omelettes at 9:30 at night when I was in Spain, and why should pancakes at Norwegian dinner time (4-5pm) be any different? I am a big fan of breakfast foods as it is!

But I do have to admit that I was a bit shocked some months ago when Lars suggested we have pancakes and tomato soup for dinner. What?! Pancakes and tomato soup? Has anyone ever heard of that combination before? Weird, right? Well we made it for dinner that night, and ... I actually kind of liked it. We've had it again since. I might even make it sometime when I am in the U.S.! Don't knock it until you've tried it!

Speaking of tomato soup, I like it a pretty well now. Two years ago I didn't even like tomatoes and now I am drinking their soup? What?! But to tell the truth, my taste buds have been doing a lot of expanding lately. I eat and enjoy so many foods now that I used to despise: onions, paprika, avocados, broccoli...

Taste buds are fascinating little buggers. Get this--the average person has 10,000 of them and they are replaced about every 2 weeks! BUT as a person ages, not all of them are replaced, so basically the reason why I am starting to like more foods is because they don't taste as strong to me anymore! I guess that explains why kids are generally picky eaters; it is not because they are being difficult it is actually because they are the best tasters! Ha! Now that's a new way to look at it!

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Beer waterfalls

Saturday was a great example of what I expect a Norwegian summer to be like--relaxing during the day, taking in the sun, eating some ice cream, relaxing some more, talking to friends, taking a dip in the lake and then of course relaxing some more. The afternoon to evening involved hot dogs, hot dogs and more hot dogs, some beer, some home made white wine (surprisingly good, brewed by Sondre), good company, a great view of the lake and more hot dogs. And what would a Norwegian summer day be without a vorspiel? It was back to our place and our nicely shaded balcony for some more drinks, snacks, tunes and some good conversation.

We had a lot of tempting ideas on how to spend our evening, but we ended up making our way into town and waiting in line to buy some concert tickets. There was a show at Hydranten (a young crowd bar that is shaped like a fire truck) that featured a band playing a dead Norwegian legend's music. The name of the band being honored was Jokke & Valentinerne (or something like that), and from what I hear they are regarded as one of the "Great Four" Norwegian-language rock bands of the 80's.

I also learned that most of the band's lyrics were about alcohol, which could possibly explain why the lead singer Joachim Nielsen died of an overdose in 2000 and\or why almost everyone at the concert was super drunk and\or high. Including the cover band. Not the best performance I have ever seen, I will say at least that. But then again, maybe I wasn't in the right 'place' to truly enjoy the music. But seriously, why is it that music is ALWAYS too loud at concerts\bars? It is impossible to enjoy the music if you can't hear what the hell is going on.

Sondre suggested to me that the music was so loud because all the people that work there and are in the music industry are so deaf. I guess I could buy that, even if he was just making a joke. He also pointed out a free supply of ear plugs and thereafter I was a much happier camper.

But what I never came to understand was why everyone insisted on THROWING their beers during the concert--all over the place! It wasn't like, oh-my-beer-is-really-full-and-I-am-drunk-and-sloshing -it-everywhere, oh no no, it was much more purposeful. It was instead I-just-paid-almost-$9-for-this-beer- but-I-don't-care-this-song-is-sooo-inspiring-that-I-must-express-myself-with-this-beer-waterfall! Whhhheeeoeoeoww! And then there was beer in my face, on my clothes, in my shoe, all over the floor, EVERYWHERE. It was a sticky gross mess.

My personal opinion (Lars also agrees) was that the music was inaudible and the experience cost a bit more than it was worth. Don't get me wrong, we had a fun night out on the town, but it always seems like the 'party', wherever and whatever it is, never seems to hold a candle to the pre-party when you are just sitting with friends, enjoying each other's company.

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Pushing 80°

This entire weekend was H-O-T, with beautiful blue skies and almost no clouds in sight. Lars and I spent a lot of time out in the sun, reading, playing, biking, grilling etc. etc. It was glorious. Did I mention it was a three day weekend? A religious holiday. Thank God!

This part of the lake is called Koigen. It is close to the city center and houses a skate park, a basketball court, and lots of open grass in additional to this man-made strip of beach. The whole weekend it was packed with people laying out and baking themselves and then trying to dare a dip in the lake, which is, by the way, freezing. Lars and I know from experience; we both braved the icy depths and survived to tell the tale! I was pretty proud of us, but I must also say it was quite a humbling experience watching ridiculously cute toddlers frolic around naked in the same water that makes us adults cringe!

But one of the coolest parts about this Norwegian summer that is rapidly approaching (I would argue that it is quite possibly already here) is that it is light so late into the evening. Dusk starts creeping down on us around 10-11ish. It is awesome and such a relief to spend some time outside when the sun isn't so fierce. In this light, our balcony has become quite a hot spot in the evenings.

The picture below for example, was taken Saturday evening (without a flash) in the middle of Hamar at around 10.30pm! Do you believe it?

As excited as I am to reunite with family and friends this summer in WA, I will say without hesitation that I am a bit bummed to be leaving Norway now that it is summertime! Any one have any suggestions as to how to be in two places at once? :D

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