Electricity

Per capita, Norway ranks number two in the world in energy consumption.  Norwegian families use almost twice the amount of electricity as Americans do.  Most of that power comes from hydroelectric sources.  All homes use portable electric heaters and have heated floors in their bathrooms and entryways.  I’m glad there’s electricity in Norway because it’s cold there in winter.  Many people supplement with wood-burning stoves because Norway’s electricity rates are so high, and they go even higher as the weather gets colder.  

One cousin told us last winter it was so cold his power bill was over a thousand dollars a month for his small house.  Yikes.  We’re lucky where we live in Norway because the radiant heat in our condo comes from hot water generated by the burning of trash.  The government supplements that heat source, so our electricity bill is thankfully, never very high.  They also run water pipes under the streets in the downtown area from this same source, so in the wintertime, it melts the snow.  It’s a good thing Norwegians are big consumers because we need lots of garbage to keep our power bill low.  Norwegians throw away an average of a thousand pounds of garbage per person, per year, which is a lot, and that number continues to rise.

Driving down roads in Norway, every once in a while, a huge door can be seen on the side of a mountain.  Chances are pretty good that a power plant sits behind that door.  Norwegians figured out that mountain lakes are a great source of hydroelectric power, so they tunneled up through the rock and the gravity fed water spins the turbines.  They thought of that one after the Germans bombed their power plants in World War II.  Now they are all neatly hidden away inside mountains scattered around Norway and impossible to detect from the air.  Clever.

The first country in the world to develop a power plant using wave energy from the ocean was Norway.  They also have several wind farms throughout the land.   Norwegians can even choose which type of power they want brewing their coffee in the morning.  Green energy costs more, however.

Norway is a huge exporter of hydroelectric power to other European countries and sometimes they sell too much then have to buy it back for a higher rate.  But last summer a friend told us that one area of Norway had so much rain that the local hydroelectric plant produced more electricity than they could sell so they just gave it away for free for three months to all their Norwegian customers.  Now there’s something that would never happen in America.  Power to the people.

Healthcare

Nationalized healthcare is a hot topic here in America.  In Norway, it’s taken for granted.  Everyone gets “free” healthcare yet everyone pays for it through a 7% tax on their wages.  There are $15 co-pays for doctor visits and prescription drugs, but the maximum anyone would ever pay is three hundred dollars a year total.  Hospital stays are exempt from any kind of co-pay but there are no televisions, and visiting hours are minimal, so it’s almost like prison.  

There’s a lot to be said on both sides of this debate over whether America should have nationalized healthcare.  It works okay in Norway because they are a much smaller country and as a whole, they lead a much healthier lifestyle, but America could never have what Norway has.  There’s just too many of us.

I know plenty of people in Norway that have “suffered at the hands of the physicians,” but in Norway, it’s not allowed to sue doctors.  I’m sure if America did away with medical lawsuits, we’d probably have medical care that everyone could afford.

On the downside, Norwegians wait months (or get denied) for surgeries because there aren’t enough doctors.  Often, Norwegians leave the country and pay privately if they can’t wait their turn.  On the upside, no one loses their home because they have an unexpected medical condition. 

One year my husband, Kory, had a routine physical here in America and a lump near his collarbone was discovered.  We were sent to a specialist who ordered three different tests.  After spending several thousand dollars and a month of stress waiting to hear the results, we found out he was just born with an extra rib - a physical anomaly.  It was much ado about nothing.

Shortly thereafter, we were in Norway and I decided to “test” the kind of medical care available there.  My husband’s cousin, Odd (pronounced Ode), is a doctor.  One day we were all in the car and as Odd was driving, I whispered to Kory, who was in the front seat next to him, to ask Odd if he knew what that lump was. 

Kory pointed to the lump and asked Odd what he thought.  Odd took his right hand off the steering wheel and reached over and felt the lump.  He put his hand back on the steering wheel and thought about it a minute, then reached over and felt it again.  He then said, “I might need to use both hands, but I think that’s an extra rib.  I’ve never seen one before, but I’ve read about them.”  It was then that my opinion of the Norwegian healthcare system went up a few notches.  

Coffee

A friend of mine came over for coffee recently.  When she arrived, I made a pot of coffee, pulled mugs out of the cupboard, and we sat in the living room with our feet up on the couch and had a chat, American style.  I didn’t even offer her a cookie.

It struck me then just how casual we Americans are with the whole coffee ritual, and I was glad I wasn’t in Norway at the time, because it’s a lot of work to have someone over for a cup of coffee in Norway.  Norwegians take their coffee, like many other things, very seriously.

“Coffee” at a Norwegian’s house, doesn’t look anything like the scene in my living room a few weeks ago.  A Norwegian’s house, for one thing, would be immaculate.  The coffee would already have been brewed and waiting in a carafe long before the guests arrived.  The coffee table would be covered in linen, set with fine china, delicate coffee cups, lit candles, and fancy napkins.

Food is always part of the coffee experience, so a bowl of candies or fruit would be on the table, with a tray of open-faced sandwiches and other baked goods waiting in the kitchen.  The food is decorated a little like we might do for tea parties.  The most common bread topping is meat and cheese, but my favorite is white cheese with a slice of red pepper on top.  Often they serve sliced eggs with caviar, or just brown goat cheese on bread, which tastes surprisingly good.

Sitting around the coffee table drinking coffee is quite the social event.  Norwegians rarely invite non-family members over for a meal, but inviting someone for “coffee” anytime of the day or night is common.  Everyone knows what to expect because they all do it the same way, and the more the merrier.  I’ve been around a coffee table in a home with 21 people circling it.  They like to be cozy when sipping the Java and everyone joins in on the conversation.

Some of my husband’s cousins often stop by after work to have coffee with their mother, but they always call her well in advance of their arrival so she has time to prepare everything.  Even for her own sons, the fine china is used and the candles are lit.  Tradition and conformity are key.

I’m thankful we can be so casual when friends come over for coffee in America, but when in Norway, we must do as the Norwegians do. I always pack several pounds of fresh roasted coffee to take with me to Norway though, because ironically, I think Norwegian coffee tastes terrible.

Impressions

We just finished hosting a family of five from Norway for three weeks.  The youngest boy is a friend of my son, Kaleb, so we invited the whole family over for their first ever visit to America.  It was interesting to hear their observations of differences between our two countries.

Janne, the mom, said, “Everyone here greets each other with open arms and a big hug.”  That would never happen in Norway, where a polite handshake and a smile is the norm.  Janne practiced the American style of hugging on a few of my friends and it made her laugh every time.  It’s out of her comfort zone to give a hug.  She noticed how often Kaleb hugged me or sat on my lap and she commented several times she thought it might become a problem for Kaleb as he ages, that we are “so close.” 

Haavard, the dad, spent time talking politics with my husband, so he noted that Americans have more political choices than Norwegians do.  In Norway, no one but the politicians are allowed to vote on particular matters.  Norwegians can only vote in their politicians, but then have no voice on any issues.  They can call an election at any time, however, and vote out whoever they want.  Sweet.

Sondre, the 18-year old, said he liked how cheap the prices are in America.  Nearly every day he was here, he asked if we could stop by Wal-Mart.  He also liked Ross, where their family bought 21 pairs of shoes to take home.  A pair of name brand tennis shoes costs about $250 in Norway, but at Ross, they got them for about thirty bucks.

Haakon, the 15-year-old, noticed right away that the roads are so much bigger, with so many more lanes on each side.  We were stuck in traffic a few times, however, so he could see, they still weren’t big enough.

Andre, the 11-year-old, liked all the food.  He thought the candy and snack options were better, as well as the fast food choices.  Eating out in Norway is ridiculously expensive so Andre came to love Taco Bell, Subway and Costco pizza while he was here.

The whole family noticed we are on different time schedules.  Norwegians tend to stay up until the wee hours of the morning, then sleep til noon when they are on vacation.  One day they wanted to go to the beach but they weren’t ready to go until four.  They’re used to the sun never setting in the summer, so their days never end in Norway, but here, the days often ended shortly after we arrived at our destination. 

Hardy Folks

Just a few weeks ago we were invited to an outdoor “family fun day” sponsored by our church.  It happened to be pouring down rain that Saturday, but we put on our rain jackets and headed out anyway.  I guess we’ve been around Norwegians enough that we realize “rain happens” but it doesn’t have to ruin any plans.  We were shocked when we showed up and no one else was there. 

When we lived in Norway, families put on their raincoats, rain pants and boots and headed on out, hiking in the mountains, walking in the neighborhood, riding bikes into town – all in the rain.  It rains so much in our hometown in Norway that if people waited for a nice day to do anything outdoors, they’d never get outside.  My son even complained when he attended school there that they must go outside during recess, no matter what the weather.

When we lived in Norway we were invited to a school beach party.  It was pouring down rain that day but everyone still showed up with their little beach grills and hot dogs.  People stood around under umbrellas, grilling and carrying on conversations like nothing was wrong with the day.  Kids played soccer in the rain while parents prepared the picnic. 

Norwegians are a hardy bunch.  Even in the winter, the kids play soccer in the snow.  One of the funniest things we saw was a snowplow working the local soccer field.  They cleared the field and piled up the snow around the edges so the kids could still have their practice.  In America, my son was on a soccer team for a few years in LaConner.  They played for eight weeks in the fall.  I signed him up for soccer in Norway and was shocked to find out they play soccer all year around, except for eight weeks in the summer.  He didn’t make it the whole year, it was just too brutal.

Summer weather in Norway is often brutal as well.  My husband’s cousin Odd (pronounced “Ode”) likes to say, “If it’s summer, we’re outside.”  He has a deck with an outdoor heating unit attached and plenty of wool socks and blankets in which to bundle up.  No matter what the weather, if it’s summer, he is indeed, outside enjoying the fresh air, eating dinner, having a beer, reading the newspaper.  It all must be done outside.

Helly Hansen, a famous Norwegian outdoor sportswear company has encapsulated the entire Norwegian philosophy by creating a slogan that gets repeated often in Norway on rainy days -  “There’s no such thing as bad weather – just bad clothes.”  How true it is.

Thanks

There are many ways to express thanks when in Norway.  The most common expression is “Tusen takk” - it means “A thousand thanks.”  My husband, Kory, jokingly explains to people that for years, Norway could never afford to say, “Thanks a million,” because they were a poor country.  Times have changed that, but the “Tusen takk” remains. 

When paying for something in the store, the person giving back the change often says, “Thanks shall you have,” (“Takk skal du ha”) as a way of saying thanks for shopping there.  It sounds awkward to me.

When greeting someone you haven’t seen for a while, whether it’s been just a day, or years, it’s customary to say, “Thanks for last” (“Takk for sist”), which is shorthand for, “Thanks for the last time I saw you.  I still remember it fondly.”  I like that greeting.

After eating, one should always say, “Thanks for the food,” (“Takk for maten”).  Often children will jokingly say this little rhyme to their parents, “Takk for mat og takk for drikke, oppvasken tar jeg ikke,” which means, “Thanks for the food and drink, but I won’t clean up.”

In very traditional homes, the children will walk over to their mother, curtsy or bow, shake her hand, and say their thanks for the meal.  That routine was common a few generations back and still survives in some homes today.  Of course now, the thanks would go to whoever made the food, mother or father.

It’s common to thank God before eating and in many Christian homes, a prayer of thanks is also said when they are done.  My favorite pre-meal prayer translates as, “Many have food but cannot eat.  Others can eat, but have no food. We have food AND we can eat, therefore we will praise the Lord.”  My son’s favorite is, “Food, Hallelujah, Amen.”

When departing someone’s home, it’s important to say, “Thanks for me” (“Takk for meg.”)  It’s shorthand for, “Thanks for inviting me, I had a great time.”  If spending the night in a Norwegian’s home, before retiring, it’s polite to say, “Thanks for today,” (“Takk for idag.”)

I’ve made plenty of mistakes speaking Norwegian, even when just saying “Thanks.”  We were invited over for an evening at some friend’s house.  As we said our goodbyes, I said what I would normally say in English at the end of such a lovely night -“Thanks for everything.”  But when I translated that to Norwegian and said “Takk for alt,” I got a startled look from our hostess and she jokingly asked if I thought she was going to be dying soon.  I quickly learned that in Norway, “Thanks for everything” is only said to a dead person.  Oops. 

Kissin' Cousins

My dad grew up in the Ozark Mountains of southern Missouri and he used to tell me some pretty funny jokes about family members marrying each other.  They were just jokes, though, and based on my genealogy research for his side of the family, no one was even remotely related to one another.  We still had some good laughs about the stereotypes of those “hillbillies” down south, where everyone was related.

That whole intermarriage thing isn’t really a joke when it’s true to life, though. No where have I seen family trees looking more like vines than in researching Norwegian family roots - including my mother’s side of our family.  I’ve also helped many friends do research on their Norwegian ancestry and I’ve yet to find a tree that didn’t have some family members marrying each other.  They obviously didn’t get out much.  First and second cousins marrying each other was very common in the old days, but shockingly, it still happens today.  It’s not illegal in Norway for first cousins to marry.  In fact, the parents of the King of Norway himself are first cousins.

The year we lived in Norway we met one of our neighbors – a young guy from California whose mom grew up just down the street from where we lived.  He was living in Norway for a few years just for the fun of it.  As we got to talking we discovered he is related to my husband, Kory, which caused the conversation to turn to how it seems everyone is related to everyone else in that area.  He told us when he meets a woman he’s interested in and asks her on a date, before he ever kisses her, he finds out where her family came from, for that very reason.  Unbeknownst to him, he’d been on a few dates with second cousins and it grossed him out.  He had no desire to become Kissin’ Cousins with anyone.  Coming from America, he has a different view on things than the Norwegians, who think it’s perfectly normal.

Jens, one of Kory’s relatives, married his own second cousin.  Jens didn’t know at the time he started dating her that they were related, but once he found out they had more in common than he initially thought, it didn’t stop their affections.  Jens’ parents were first cousins - so being married to his second cousin didn’t seem so bad to him.  Two of Jens’ great grandparents were siblings and their other sibling was the great grandfather to his wife.  That family tree is a very twisted vine, but all the descendants seems just fine to me – not at all like some of the people we’ve seen running around in the Ozarks.