My first day in Norway was an unexpected experience. The overwhelming excitement that had been plaguing me from the moment I finished my last final in December had finally come to its climax. As I walked through the Oslo airport, all I could think was, “I AM FINALLY HERE!!!!”Â
Truthfully, I had no expectations – this was just the beginning of my Scandinavian experience. My only desire was to find a shower and a bed, and then sleep for the next 24 hours. If I actually found a way to eat sometime in there, that would be acceptable. However, as soon as I got off of the plane, I had to hit the ground running.
First, I took a train to the center of downtown to buy a month-long public transportation pass, not a big deal. But then I had to take the t-bane (subway) to a certain office on a certain campus far away, and then I had to wait in line to get my room assignment, keys, laundry card and passwords. At least they had free coffee and boller (rolls) to revive me: by then I looked scarily zombie-like. Afterward I was free to find my room on a different campus positioned on top of a huge hill (ironic).Â
The kicker – the entire time I was dragging my huge 48 lb suitcase through about two inches of fresh snow. Apparently, Norwegians don’t believe in clearing sidewalks. Really. The snow sits until it is eventually packed down again by the constant traffic of people. If it’s icy, they throw some gravel on it for some traction. That is pretty much the extent of their efforts.  Remember that Norway’s weather is very similar to Minnesota’s, but with occasional rain. If you think people wipe out a lot at Olaf, it is much worse here. I could speculate that the Ugg fad isn’t helping much, however, most Norwegians are smart enough to wear footwear with more traction.Â
A sidewalk at night:
I think I will end with just a few cultural norms to educate you in the ways of Norway:
1. They do eat an excess of cheese. However, this cheese is always white and mild. I have yet to find cheddar, or anything sharper than gouda for that matter. Variety means brown cheese, which is equally as mild.
2. It is normal to ride the subway to the mountains in full snow gear, while holding your skiis or snowboard, alone or otherwise.
3. If you want to blend in, pretend to not possess common etiquette traits. These include: holding the door open, saying excuse me or bless you, or letting someone in front of you in line. Trust me, to most natives it is just annoying and embarrasses them.
4. Coffee. All the time. Black and strong.
* Robin Cole ’13 is studying at the University of Oslo through St. Olaf College’s HECUA program: The Divided States of Europe.Â