The Rest Party

Relaxing is a huge priority in Norwegian’s lives.  It seems to me they live just to relax.  They have a couple different terms they use to describe this special time in their lives – one is “slapp av” which translated means “relax” and another is “kose deg” which means “enjoy yourself” - in a cuddly kind of way.

Each day, it’s important that Norwegians both relax and enjoy themselves.  Those two things actually go hand-in-hand.  I’m honestly surprised they get anything done, as there is so much emphasis put on just taking life easy.  In the work place, the law states that all employees have a right to be “stress free.”  If an employee feels stressed, it’s justification for taking an extended sick leave where they get paid to have time to just “slapp av.”  I read a newspaper article a few years ago that said on any given day, over twenty five percent of employed Norwegians are not at work. 

Even in their schools, the emphasis is not on academics – they care more that the children enjoy themselves while they are there, than actually learn anything meaningful.

If the sun is shining, Norwegians enjoy themselves out on the deck.  A cup of coffee in hand is also an important part of the “kose deg” experience. 

My husband’s cousin met up with us in Florida once because he wanted to go to Disneyworld.  Our schedules were such that we only had two hours together that day, but he still insisted we go.  Once we got through the entrance gates, all he wanted to do was sit down and have a cup of coffee.  That was how he planned to enjoy Disneyworld.  I thought he was nuts, but from what I can tell, many Norwegians are cut from the same mold.  Nothing could be better than just sitting down and enjoying the moment, with a cup of coffee in hand, no matter where they are in the world or how much it cost them to get there.

So when we were living in Norway, I got a text message from my friend Kristin, inviting me to a “reste selskap” – which I thought translated as a “rest party.”  I’d never heard of such a thing before and had no idea what it meant.  The first thing I thought was that Kristin was going to have a bunch of people over to just relax together.  It made sense.  Then I thought maybe it was something like a Tupperware Party, where we buy things to help us “rest.”  Both ideas seemed possible based on my experience with Norwegians.  Either way, I thought I should go.

I was pleasantly surprised when I showed up at Kristin’s house to see her table covered with fourteen partially eaten cakes.  As I soon found out, Kristin’s daughter was Confirmed the day before, so I and several other friends, were invited over to eat the “rest” of the food from that party, which I enjoyed very much.