What I Learned From a Winter in Norway

March 18, 2018

What I Learned From a Winter in Norway

Spring may not officially start until Tuesday but here in Oslo the sun is shining and the air is warm. It feels like proper spring, except for the fact that we're surrounded by five-foot snow piles. Literally, I'm sitting in out on the porch (not that you'd know it, looking at me) where Anne dug out some of the snow that's piled up so high we can't see over it. It's been a crazy winter here; they've gotten more snow than the past few years, probably combined. As a winter-lover, I've been enjoying all the snow, but I have to say that I don't think I've been so excited for spring before. Winter may not be over here yet, we never know, but in the spirit of this springy weather, I thought I'd take the time to write about what I've learned from this legendary winter!!

How to walk on the ice. I come from a place with pretty intense winters, but for the most part all the ice that gathers is melted away with salt. Here, they pour gravel onto the ice to give you some traction as you walk or drive, but the ice is here to stay until it melts away on its own. This is probably a lot better for the environment, so I try to appreciate it, but if the gravel gets pushed around, you end up with some pretty slippery roads. Learning to walk with your weight forward and, if need be, waddle like a penguin (they do live in the Antarctic, after all) saved me from quite a few falls. However...
...the ice always wins. Never, ever think you're better than the ice. One second of cockiness and next thing you know you're on the ground with a cold, wet butt and in a little pain. While I would have fallen more had I not figured out the best way to walk on the ice, I still had my fair share of good wipe-outs. Always a good time to be on the ground wincing, lots of people looking at you but very few asking if you're okay.
Norwegians are very proud of the cold weather they endure, especially when talking to people from other places, but many aren't huuuge fans of the cold. Spending all of my life before this point in New Hampshire, I can say that this is pretty true of New Englanders too. It's fun to be able to say that you live through months of freezing cold weather, but the majority of people I've met would rather have a shorter winter and a little more warmth. This, of course, does not apply to everyone and Norway does have a good amount of winter enthusiasts.
Kvikk Lunsj is a must-have for ski trips or just being outside, especially in winter. Kvikk Lunsj is a type of candy similar to a Kit-Kat but with Norwegian chocolate and four bars. It is quite filling and could definitely hold you over for some time, but on full-day trips you're likely to see some matpakke (bread with stuff on it, great description I know) as well.
City fashion stops for nothing. The number of people I've seen without hats or winter shoes is kind of crazy. When the snow is fresh and soft and up to your ankles I really don't understand how people can walk around with cute suede booties. I mean, fashion has never been my strong suit, but I would much rather be dry and warm than look cute. And how on earth can people go all the way to school or work without a hat?!?! Do your ears not feel the cold?! Oh well. Guess it'll remain a mystery.
In fact, the city itself stops for pretty much nothing. Snow days (days off school because of snow) don't exist and although public transportation can get a little delayed, everything is still running no matter the weather. While it would be fun to have the snowy days free and be able to play more in the snow, it is nice to know that the last day of school isn't going to get pushed to July just because the winter was an eventful one.
The sun is a wonderful, wonderful thing. Now I live pretty far south in Norway, and there are a bunch of YFU students in northern Norway where they had several months completely without sun, but there was still less sun here in the middle of winter than there is in the middle of winter in Portsmouth. I find it cozy when it's cold and dark outside and you can snuggle up inside with a blanket and hot chocolate, but it's a little hard to find the motivation to go to school when it's 9 am and still dark. Leaving school at 2 pm and it already getting dark isn't especially motivational either... Light really does affect your mood and as it's been getting lighter much earlier lately, I've had a lot more energy for school and during the day in general.
Norwegians love scarves. Although they may leave their snow boots and hats at home, there are few walking around without a scarf. I did try a few times to fit in with the crowd but found that if it wasn't really really cold my neck just got hot...
Layering is everything for Norwegians, especially with wool. Norwegians love their wool. Wool tights go under normal pants, wool socks if it's cold, t-shirts go under wool sweaters, and wool scarves are superior. Oh yeah, and don't forget wool mittens, and possibly a wool hat!! As fun as it is to joke around about how dependent Norwegians are on their wool, it does work well for keeping you warm and dry.
Tran (cod liver oil) is great for getting the vitamin D you don't get from the often-absent sun in the winter. I've never actually taken it, but lots of families swear by it, especially for the kids!

I'm sure about a thousand more things will come to me tonight as I'm about to fall asleep, but for now I think I've covered the basics of what lessons I got out of a winter in Norway! I think it's entertaining to make fun of some of these things as you might have gotten from the way I wrote about them, but in the end, Norwegians know their stuff when it comes to winter and are good at making the best of it!

As for this week, I didn't do all that much, and it was wonderful. Relaxing felt so good and was much needed, and hopefully after this coming week I'll have conjured up enough energy to have some fun adventures during Easter vacation!!

Word of the Post:

ull = wool

A few pictures from this week, but I didn't get all that many :/