Hello! It's been a busy week in Tromsø. Michael walks to school every weekday morning, and this week I walked to the university Wednesday afternoon (the first time on my own!) so that I could attend a meeting for the international students to inform them how to prepare for and to live with the polar night (mørketida ["the dark time"] in Norwegian) that is fast approaching--Mike had a Norwegian class that he didn't want to miss, so I tried to take good notes. Line (pronounced Lena) is the international student counselor, and she gave a powerpoint presentation that included information about how to make the winter "koselig" (cozy) so it is a pleasant time when you should "calm down and relax," be more sociable, and enjoy what nature brings. Apparently the "days" are like twilight with the sun moving just under the horizon, and the reflection of the sun on the clouds can make beautiful colors of orange, purple and pink. Also, this is the time to enjoy the Northern Lights. She gave us information on nutrition--with the opportunity to taste tran (cod-liver oil) that is taken to make sure the one gets enough vitamin D. I tried the kind that is lemon-flavored--and it was not bad. A teaspoon a day should be doable. She also showed us clothing that is best to have. I think that Mike and I are pretty well set, but she did recommend "ice claws" for walking on ice--they are made of rubber that you slip over your shoes, and there are little "claws" on the bottom to help grip on the ice. About 80 students attended; they come from all over, many are from countries in Africa, and South and Central America that have no experience with snow and ice at all.
Friday evening Mike and I walked down toward Sentrum to attend an international student mass that was to be held in English. It was a held in the mission near downtown, and there were probably about 20 students in attendance. From the music conservatory there was a clarinetist, guitarist, both Norwegians, I think, and young man from Honduras who played the bass fiddle. They provided the music for the mass, and we sang in English, Norwegian, German and Spanish. After the service, they provided a meal of soup and bread. It was a very diverse group and interesting to talk to people from so many different cultures.
This morning (Sunday) we set the alarm so we could get up to go to church on time. Mike turned on his computer and discovered that the time was set an hour earlier--we completely forgot that "summer time," as they call it in Europe, would be coming to an end. So, we had an extra hour to get ready for church! Thing is, the sun was setting a bit after 4 in the afternoon--now it sets a bit after 3. At least there will be more daylight in the morning (at least for a while). Today we went to the Lutheran church that is near the university. Neither of us had been to that one before. It is a much newer church than the others we have attended, and today they were holding a "family mass." That means that the children were the focus, with children actually leading parts of the service. It was nice--a little different than we are used to, but fine.
For dinner this evening, Michael made får i kål, which is a lamb and cabbage stew that is a traditional meal in all of Norway. His office mate Rasmus, suggested that Mike add juniper berries for an additional flavoring--we'll try that next time. As it was, it was very tasty, and we have enough for another meal this week. Mike says it's even better after it has set a couple of days.
This week we've attached more photos of the mountains. They are so beautiful, it never gets old for us to see them--hope you like them too!
Best!
Mike and Mary
