Window View

These are just a few shots taken from our windows.

Christmas, New Year's Eve, and Company

We did a little decorating for Christmas. We purchased an electric seven-"candle" table/window decoration at the beginning of mørketide, to make things "koselig." Mike (literally) picked up our own little Charlie-Brown Christmas tree that I decorated with red tissue-paper "blossoms." I made some stars for the windows from empty, shiny coffee bags (decaf: green on one side, silver on the other; regular: red and gold on one side, silver on the other)--which looked very nice, if I do say so myself. Our shipment from home, which I sent before I left, back in September, finally arrived the day before Christmas Eve, so we had a few other things I had packed--our Christmas stockings, a Christmas cloth ... which added a nice touch.

About 11:30 on New Year's Eve, we warmed up some gløgg (a traditional sweet-fruity sort of drink) and put it in our thermos and walked up to the top of the hill near our apartment. There were lots of people out walking, just standing around, and lighting fireworks. The evening was very overcast with low heavy clouds, which reflect the lights of the city, as does the snow; these conditions actually make everything very bright in the dark of night. We could see the mountain on the mainland where in lights it was written "2008." As we approached midnight, however, more and more people all along the coast of Tromsøya (the island) and Tromsdalen (the mainland) were setting off fireworks (very large fireworks) and the smoke was rising from these fireworks, and so our view of the "2008" which was to change to "2009" at midnight was obscured. We knew that it was midnight though from the ships who started blowing their horns at the hour. We sipped our gløgg and watched the show of lights. The often very reserved Norwegians wished us (and everyone else) "Godt nytt år!"

After the New Year, we had our first "company" at our apartment. Before the shipment came we had only two each of plates, glasses, flatware, etc. and limited cooking utensils, so after the shipment arrived it was good to have a few more things to work with. Sarah is a German student studying biology, and her boyfriend, Christoph was visiting over the holidays. They had spent Christmas on Kvaløya with a family (they actually stayed several days because we had a good storm then). The family sent them back home laden with all kinds of food--so they invited us over to share the bounty. We returned the invitation and Mike cooked (he's so good). I baked julekake and oatmeal cookies for dessert.

Christmas Eve

We spent Christmas Eve with a family here in Tromsø; this is arranged by the international student office for all students who remain here at Christmas time, if they wish it. "Our family" consisted of parents and two children: father, Tor Arne; mother, Inger Marie; 11-year-old son, Rikhard; 6-month-old Magnus. They picked us up from the student hostel in the afternoon, and we went with Tor Arne to the cemetary to light candles at the graves of his parents. It is customary for families to do this, so the cemetary was full of people bring sprigs of greenery and candles to place at the graves of their loved ones; some also carried shovels, to move away the snow! From there we walked to the church at Elverhøy to attend one of the many services held that day. The church was filled to capacity, and beyond. We went to one of the afternoon services--of course it was dark, and the candlelight was beautiful. After that we went to Tor and Inger's home for dinner where we had traditional foods: pinnekjøtt (salted lamb ribs) and (yes!) lutefisk. As Inger Marie said--it's all about what you have with the lutefisk: creamed peas, potatoes and "lutefisk bacon"--which is just a very strong bacon, cut up in small pieces and fried. It was a lovely evening, and we walked home after (about 1 in the morning).

Student Christmas Get-Together

I've been neglecting our posts, so I will be putting up a lot of pictures today. Didn't realize how far behind I had gotten, until I started going through our pictures. (I will try to do better Rebecca!) I'll start with a few photos of the international-student Christmas get-together, which was held Dec. 15. Some students had finished with their final exams, but Michael still had his 6-hour written exam to get through. He finished very well in both courses (of course!). For the get-together, we were provided a chance to taste typical Norwegian treats that are baked at Christmas time: Julekake, krumkake, hjortebakkels (doughnuts), and lots of other sweet stuff.

Chemistry Department Christmas Lunch

Hello everyone,

It has been so busy the last couple of weeks, what with exams and Christmas, that both Mary and I have not updated this blog for a while. We will now start to catch up. These pictures are from the Chemistry department Christmas party, which was held on 12 December. There was lots of good food, including pinnekjott, and a lot of aquavit. The party started at 2 p.m (it was a Christmas lunch); I left at about 8 p.m., and the party was still going strong and lasted until the next morning. A good time was had by all. Part of the celebration included a visit from Nissefar, the northern version of Santa Claus/Father Christmas. He was portrayed by one of the department's more brilliant professors, Rolf Carlson, who was my instructor for two courses this past semester. In addition to being a virtual encyclopedia of organic chemistry, he also knows how to have fun (that's him playing the guitar also). Many of the gifts are humorous reminders of incidents in the past year. The folks whose laboratory was flooded out got a life-ring. It was a lot of fun. Enjoy the pictures, more are on the way.

Michael & Mary

sunrise/sunset (sorta)

Last Friday Mike and I walked downtown to the mission to attend an evening service for students. Afterward, a meal was served, and we all had a nice visit with students from Germany, Ghana, Columbia and Norway (of course). It was nearly 11 by the time we took the bus home. As we were walking from the bus stop, we looked up and saw the Northern Lights! Mike had seen them before, but it was my first time. It is a spectacular site. We watched for a while outside with some of our Italian neighbors, and then came into the apartment and watched the the lights shimmer and dance from our windows. Unfortunately, we haven't figured out how to get a photo of them. I think we have to disengage the flash somehow ... we'll get it figured out eventually. In the meantime, Mike has been taking some shots of the not-quite sunrise/sunset that we get here. We're only ten days from the shortest day of the year, and we still have daylight at midday.

There is a lot of outdoor activity this time of year. We have seen little ones, about 2 or 3 years old, on skis--they are so good! Lots of people ski for fun, and as transportation to work, the grocery store, church--you name it. The ski club maintains the trails, and you have to look both ways when crossing to make sure that you don't step in front of a speeding skier. Mike and I tried a new path to our usual shopping destination and ended up close to the area where there is a skiing/shooting range--like you see at the Olympics. It turned out to be a long way around -- we actually ended up in someone's backyard and had to slide down a pretty good hill (actually Michael "walked" down--I "sledded" down on my satchel). It was fun to try something new and explore a little more.

We have seen kids (10-12 years) out with maps exploring the trails, it seems as part of their school work, or maybe a scout club. As the crow flies, it's only about a mile and a half from side to side of Tromsø; of course the hills make the distance further, but you can't walk too far without seeing the water, and the mountains of the mainland and Kvaløya are great landmarks. When I first arrived, it was very difficult to know directions, but now, I only need to look up at the shape of the mountains to know whether it is south, north, east or west. Mike is much better with directions than I am. I'm used to Indiana's grid, which makes that all so easy.

Another great thing they have here--kicksleds! Lots of people have these marvelous things (I think I want one!). There is a seat, or basket on the front, with two runners. The "driver" stands on the runners going downhill, and kicks for momentum on level ground. Uphill, you'd have to walk and push, but it's a neat way to get around. Often you see a child riding in the seat in front of the mother. The frame is not rigid, so to make turns you shift body weight, and to stop--drag your feet, I guess. I think it would require some practice on my part, before I got going too fast.

You can tell which people are used to walking on the snow and ice. On our way downtown last Friday we saw a group of dressed-up young adults walking the same direction that we were. The girls were in dresses and high heels--and had no trouble whatsoever on the snowy and icy sidewalks. Mike and I have been passed up more than once by little old ladies--I'm not talking grandmas--more like great-grandmas. It's very humbling. Often they will use ski poles to steady themselves--but they make great time.

This is also the time for skating. Monday morning Mike and I passed a large truck next to one of the soccer fields (of which there are many) where the snow had been cleared to the sides. Two men were spraying the cleared area with water from the truck, to make a level place for skating. We need to get over there sometime to get photos to post.

Things are wrapping up at school. The Norwegian language course ended two weeks ago, so that students could concentrate on studying for final exams in their fields. Mike has an one-hour oral examination on Friday and a five-hour written exam on Tuesday. He is looking forward to the next semester when he will chose his thesis topic and spend more time in the lab.

Torget

Torget is the market square in downtown Tromsø. At Christmas time a tree is set in the center and there is a lighting ceremony. Mike and I missed it this year, but we have a few pictures of the square at quieter times. If you'd like to see how the tree was delivered to the site, check out http://mylittlenorway.com/2008/12/lighting-the-christmas-tree/. He was on the spot and took some photos with his cell phone of the tree being lowered with a helicopter. You can also see some pics of the lighting ceremony there. The top photo here is the Catholic church that is located near Torget. The bottom photo is actually unrelated--it's just a pretty picture of the trees along the path from our place to the university.