The couch

I love our couch. A lot.
It's big and brown and fabulously comfortable.

I have fallen asleep on the couch plenty of times. It's actually a habit of mine I quite enjoy. I even do it on purpose (don't we all?). But I'm talking power naps--nothing that exceeds 20 minutes to an hour or so.

But early this week, I managed to fall asleep watching tv after work around midnight (in my work clothes!) and didn't wake up until 5 am the next day. That, for me, is TIRED.

The explanation for this exhaustion (besides remainders of some nasty jet lag)(did I mention I was in the US for Christmas?) was the aftermath of a humongous event that my work catered.

We fed and served 1600+ people at Idrettsgalla 2013 in Hamar. The closest comparison I can come up with if you aren't familiar with the Norwegian event, is a smaller-scaled ESPYs--a televised awards show where athletes receive awards. So yeah, a big deal. On live tv, celebrities, the prime minister, ties, fancy gowns: really cool.

And really daunting, really a lot of planning and last minute preparations and stress and coordination and and and... you get the drift.

And it was also apparently reeaaallly exhausting because as much as I love our couch, I love our bed even more.

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Snow to slush

Winter came early this year. And then melted away. And then came back, and melted again. There is nothing worse or more dangerous weather-wise than wannabe-Winter-come-too-early.

It's really weird that it is mid-November and it has been raining cats and dogs all day. I thought I lived in Eastern Norway?!

I'm as confused as the seasons!

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An apology, to two strangers

It happens once in awhile that I come across some Americans while I'm at work. Hamar is by far not tourist destination #1 in Norway, but Americans pop up here nonetheless--business trips, reconnecting with family, you name it. It's always refreshing to see tennis shoes with khakis and North Face jackets in any weather. Makes me a bit homesick to be honest.

I've also recently met a few more Americans that have moved to this area and are making a living here in one way or another. It's always fascinating chatting with them and swapping stories.

It's strange how close and how disconnected I can feel to my homeland at the same time.
I have to admit it--I've become pretty darn Norwegian.

This reality makes me slightly akward when I have to switch language gears on the spot and wait on Americans. My brain is so long gone in Norwegian service mode that switching over is not always easy. English...who would have known it would challenge me so?

Most recently I served two delightful American ladies at the fancier of the two places I manage, and I made the mistake of saying "let's see if I can translate this correctly..." when I was presenting our amuse-bouche for the evening. This tasty little morsel existed only in my head as hjemmelagd søt-potet chips med wasabi-mayones og lakserogn; there was no English equivalent. And to be honest my fellow West Coastians of table 17, I didn't mean "English is not my mother tongue and I don't know how to translate this", it was much more like "let's see how awkwardly I translate this doozy, and hva faen er lakserogn på engelsk?".

But it went fine--the homemade sweet potato chip, wasabi mayonaise and salmon roe appetizer didn't challenge my language center as much as anticipated. But entertainingly enough, you Californians misunderstood me, and assumed I was Norwegian like many other Americans before you. I get it...I don't look un-Norwegian, I have at least a touch of that charming Scandinavian accent and then I'm standing before you (in Norway) saying things like, "What's that word in English again?" or "I can't think of the word!" It's totally understandable.

So I'm sorry, for not correcting you. And I'm sorry for not owning up to my American roots. But at that point it was too late. You were both so supportive and impressed with my kick ass English skills, that I didn't dare to disappoint you. You did applaud for me after all! 

And honestly, when I have 8 other tables and I'm the only waitress on shift maybe it's not so bad that you both are under the assumption that I'm Scandinavian and thus not overtly friendly (on the American scale of course).

And while I'm apologizing, I should also add that I'm sorry that I enjoyed the entire scenario so immensely. I mean, it's a pretty rad feeling to wow you both with my so-impressive-for-a-foreigner English skills.

Damn, I'm good at speaking English for a Norwegian!
I'll take it.

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Hamar Music Festival

 This past weekend was the annual Hamar Music Festival. Lars bought us weekend passes, I took the weekend "off" and we got to experience some incredible live music!

We biked 7km out to a friend's house, barbecued a little and biked back for the festival on Saturday night.

On Thursday it poured--you know the awesome kind of summer rain storm I'm talking about, right? Reminds me of home ♥ So we rocked out while rocking yellow ponchos.

Friday was therapeutic; music heals the soul! Kaizers Orchesta and Jarle Bernhoft---thank you! And WOW, they were really awesome. Seriously, killer live!! both of them.

I'm looking forward to next year already!

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Babykino *EDIT*

If you're been following along, or have ever been to Norway, you've probably got it by now that some things are a bit different here.

Portion sizes are smaller, foods are less processed, most everyone drives a stick (and not a Hummer) and garages are seldom part of the house. Sick and maternity leave are legit. Like really alright. Maybe even too alright (but hey that's another post for another time!). There's a lot more political parties, a public transport system that works a tad bit better and of course a measuring system that is actually logical.

I feel like more people smoke here. Or maybe more often. And get drunker. Maybe they drink less often, but get more intoxicated when they first get to it (although I must add Norwegians are super stars when it comes to NOT driving drunk!). There's also a lot less of...well everything. Less choice when it comes to food, activities--you name it. And less accessibility. Stores close early on Saturdays, aren't open at all on Sundays or holidays. If you forgot the turkey for Thanksgiving (which is obviously not celebrated here ;) but just a good example), you're out of luck; there's no Albertsons open until five to save the day. There's also the classic "open on Tuesdays, Thursdays and every other Saturday but not from 11-12.30 when they have lunch" kind of hours.

Movie theaters are no exception--I've never encountered one that opens before 4pm. But today while reading the newspaper, soaking up the sun (the weather has been incredible lately!) and drinking a glass of white wine in my bikini on our awesome balcony after a glorious chicken salad dinner, I learned that once in awhile there are 12 o'clock showings at the Hamar movie theater. They are called babykino. Baby means baby, kino means the movies or movie theater...so Baby Theater? Something like that...but the point is babies are allowed--welcome even!

This is one of the many, small reasons why life in Norway makes me smile. What a great offer for moms or dads that are staying at home enjoying the awesome m/paternity leave offered and bonding with their kid over a cinematic adventure, all while simultaneously NOT ruining the entire experience for other kid-free viewers.

Go Norway, I like the your style.
Babykino, what a great idea!
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*EDIT*

I got some great comments on this post right away, pointing out that Babykino in some forms also exist in the US! I suspected this might be true (because seriously, finding things Norway has that the U.S. doesn't is a heavy task!) and thought I threw a disclaimer in there, but that slipped my mind. Must have been the wine. Or the slight sun burn. ;) So that's great. Go USA, I like your style too.

And since I'm in here editing my post already, I would love to give a shout out to my life long friend Tim who is currently living in Australia who wrote me an email commenting on this post. I have copied his work for years and see no reason to stop now. His thoughts cracked me up:

your piece about store hours and such in Norway was close to my heart.  Oz is the same way, it's a strange adjustment some days.

for any of the negatives, I really appreciate how countries like ours (adopted) actually focus on taking care of the populace.  what a novel fucking idea.  what's that?  time off when you bring a new human into the world?  a minimum wage you can actually live on?  healthcare so you won't go bankrupt from a hospital admission?  affordable education?

and for all that, we suffer a lack of 24 hour Walmarts where we can buy cheap shit we don't need at all hours because you can't afford to staff the atrocity.  i'll take it.  

Plus how cool is it that he calls my blog post "a piece"? I love and miss this man. 

And since it is "winter" in Australia, I will conclude with this glorious picture of Tim and myself:

We used to make Muddy Buddies (Chex Mix coverered in everything bad for you and sprinkled with powdered sugar? Nasty) and drive them around to all of our closest mutual friends. Now that's holiday spirit! 

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First Ever Giveaway!

My first official job in Norway was at Restaurant Valuta. If you feel like it, I'd be most honored if you liked us on Facebook. The food is delicious and it's really a one of a kind place. I have blogged about it before, so I won't bore you with the details again. But know--the food is legit!

After a short while I started working at one of my bosses' other restaurants, Victoriahaven. Again, don't be shy, get on in there and like us on Facebook! I fell in love with this place right away, and that was positive because I put in a lot of hours there! The concept is quite a bit different than Valuta (which is a lunch place btw) but the food is just as good! It's a bit fancier and focuses mostly on dinner service. Turns out I've blogged about this place too, so I won't blab too much more now. But yes, it's really awesome.

And then I got made manager at my boss' newest place, Volume which we opened in June last year. Find us on Facebook! You might remember reading some of my posts about how crazy it was before opening, or how they profiled me in the local paper. And yeah, I can definitely recommend this place as well! (Duh, I love it.)

I hadn't actually started this post thinking I was going to do a giveaway, but come on, everyone loves a chance to get free, cool stuff in the mail! Here's how you can put your name into the pool:

Like Valuta on Facebook.
Like Victoriahaven on Facebook.
Like Volume on Facebook.
For you locals (or die-hard travelers) visit one or all three of the restaurants and write on the corresponding Facebook wall about your experience!
Follow my blog Little to Big.
Follow my blog Shutters in Time.
Re-post this post on your blog.
Follow Meredith's blog. Just because. ;)

That's 10 chances total.

I will mail the prize anywhere! I am not sure exactly what will end up in the box but it will be an assortment of awesome Norwegian stuff. . . chocolate and candy for sure, jewelry, mittens, a print from my photo site? The possibilities are endless. I will contact the winner for input!

Comment with how you have participated!
Deadline is MONDAY JANUARY 23rd! 
Lykke til!

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What's the forecast?

It's understandable that weather is the go-to conversation topic for Norwegians...it really does determine a good deal of life here.

A good example is of course Lars and I having to take the train home from a weekend visit in Tynset because suddenly the heavens started dumping snow and we hadn't switched out to studded winter tires. It would have been RISKY to drive the 3 hour trek back to Hamar with two to three inches of new snow covering the ground and evening setting in.

The weather can change at a drop of a hat!

Check out this picture I took outside our house in Hamar on Thursday :

 
And this picture I took outside Lars parents' house in Tynset just a few days later:

Talk about contrast, right?
The worst thing is, is that Tynset on Saturday didn't look a whole lot different than my Hamar picture from Thursday (maybe less leaves).

Also, Norwegians don't let the weather get them down. After all: det finnes ikke dårlig vær bare dårlig klær! (There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad/the wrong clothes!) So the impulsive snow storm did not stop us from watching Tynsets mens team's last home game on Sunday, oh no! We found the appropriate attire and out we went!

Norwegians are weather champions!

In other news, I had the entire weekend off from work (besides thee phone calls and multiple text messages!) and it was glorious.

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Tuesday night life

Hamar definitely does not have a reputation for having much of a night life. It's a small town--that basically says it all. I have disappointed many a visitor with my description of the bar scene at work and have heard many a local complain that there is no liv (life) around the place.

I am not sure what all the skeptics would say if I told them I was at a concert last night (on a Tuesday!) and so many people came that security had to turn people away!

The attraction was Bare Egil, an eccentric bearded man with an incredible sense of humor. The place was Seb's Hotel, undoubtedly one of the coolest places around Hamar, and the combination of his humor, acoustics and the crowd of happy Hamarians was more than enough to remind me how important music is in my life.

Maybe more Tuesday nights should be spent at Seb's. Just sayin'.

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Fottur

The public transportation system in Norway seems to be infinitely better than what I am used to from the States, and even what I experienced in Spain. Taking the train is so easy. We live really close to the train station, and the tracks follow the lake all the way to Lillehammer.
Parkgata is the street we live on. It is only two blocks from the lake, really close to lots of shopping centers and grocery stores and just right around the corner from where Lars works.

This is the building where Lars works: Sparebanken Hedmark. It is nice on the inside, and is new (built in 2004). He is working in the marketing sector, making brochures and pamphlets promoting the bank across the country.

Downtown Hamar keeps me entertained daily. I seem to find something new each time I walk down there. And of course, the people watching is endlessly amusing.

And yes, cobblestones everywhere!

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Mitt Nye Sted.

I am growing fond of Hamar fast. To be honest, when I was asking friends about Hamar no one really had anything nice to say about it. I was told it was boring, small, full of older locals that just don't know how to have fun. After two weeks, I will respectfully disagree. Maybe it is because I am from Poulsbo so many 'small' places don't seem so tiny, but Hamar has an estimated population of 28,000. Compared to Little Norway's 8,000+, Hamar doesn't seem all that bad. And as for 'boring', I don't believe in being bored, so there. I suppose the piece about the older locals who don't know how to have fun is still up in the air. I would like to point out, however, that Lars and I did witness a smallish bar fight when we went to watch a Manchester United game downtown. The man picking the fight was unmistakably both old and local.

But even if bar fights are all I have to look forward to on the social scene, I am not sure how much you can complain when you live lakeside. It is a gorgeous lake. Where we live in Hamar it is at it's widest, about 15km or 9.3 miles and it boasts about 170 miles of coastline! At it's deepest, it is 1,535 feet!


There are lots of little harbors here and there that remind me a lot of Liberty Bay, WA. I notice a lot that Norwegians love their ice cream treats. If the sun is out, you are sure to see multiple familys and couple enjoying some sweets and walking along the lake paths.

But I don't remember seeing any ships like these in Little Norway. I guess you have to go the source if you want the true Viking experience. :)

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