This (long) post was a lot harder to write than I thought.  It isn’t that Norway isn’t a great place to live but everything I found that is great is based on my own value systems.  So, to get a well-rounded impression of why it is ‘great’ to live in Norway, I hope that all [...]

America has Spam.  Norway has Bog.
(Aren’t we glad we don’t get ‘bogged’?)

Some things don’t sound good enough to eat.  I never thought ‘blings’ could be eaten.  I guess with enough mayo anything is possible – even cheap jewelry.  I’m not too sure about the ’smudis’ either.  And I’m a little confused about the ‘wraps’.  I’ve walked past Smud a thousand times and have never thought to [...]

Large wooden racks called hjell are for drying fish.  They are a regular sight along the coast of Norway.  Cod are hung on the wood in the open air for about three months in the Spring.

Temperatures just above freezing is best for drying the fish.  If it gets too cold the fibers in the fish will [...]

Unfortunately, TVNorge had a finale of a celebrity cooking show that took up the regular time slot of Alt for Norge.  I’m sure everyone has complained to the TV station already as the cooking show doesn’t compare to the success of Alt for Norge.  The show, Four Star Dinner, is a try-hard reality show with [...]

This week the show opened with sereen pictures of rolling green pastures, snow top mountains and a quaint little farm with stabbur (traditional storage houses built on stilts so rats can’t get in).  The Alt for Norge Americans piled out of the bus and took a big whiff.  ‘Oh, smell that!’ The hunting videographer was a little sarcastic.  [...]

What does an opera singer, actor, hunting videographer, priest, rock ‘n’ roll wrestler, grandmother, folk enthusiast, gay games medalist, surfer and fashion guru, all from the US, have in common?  They are all competitors on a new reality game show called Alt for Norge.  This title directly translates to ‘All for Norway’, encapsulating the idea [...]

Sometimes life takes you in extrodinay directions.  Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be sitting at a sewing machine making Samba costumes for a Samba Parade above the Arctic Circle in Norway.
I am currently production managing the world’s most northern Samba Parade.  This year we have incorporated many Brazilian parade traditions like [...]

Eli is the wife of a prominent politician in Norway.  One day (in 2001) she had to drop off her husband at the royal palace in Oslo for a government dinner.  She had been to the palace grounds many times before but had never driven.  Not sure where to go, Eli headed straight for the [...]

As an Australian, it is common courtesy to bring a gift to give to the person or family you are visiting.  You never visit empty handed.  However, in Norway this custom is not recognised unless it has been pre-arranged for a party or event.  This has put me in an unusual position.  I want to [...]