Where the magic is found...

Pia, our neighbour, showed me this brilliant image yesterday.

Being in Oslo is outside my comfort zone.Hence this blog.

I write because it allows me to process how I go about building a new life in a new city, with a language I do not understand and with a culture I am not familiar with (one which I understand but sometimes I don't). So my blog is not about judging or comparing Oslo (Let alone Norway). We have enough rating agencies!

Writing about the Oslo urban ecosystem is an act of discovery not only of the city but also is a way of uncovering a new version of my social persona. I do think there are many positives of going outside the comfort zone - which for the past years was London.

Ultimately, one could argue that going out of the comfort zone is about detachment.

We are not defined only by what we do but also by what we are willing to give up.

When in Rome...do as the Romans do...

(Good) reading is good for the soul

I am half way through a 1242 page book...

Bienvenidos...

It was sunnier than the clouds suggest

O as in Oslo

Yesterday was sunny and the cafe, bars, and parks were packed with happy Oslovians.  This city is quite open minded and you can do pretty much what you please.  But make no mistake: You will not be allowed to stay inside if the weather is good.  You must go out.

Having grown up in a country with plenty of sunshine makes a different. I never feel the urge to do a BBQ o go to a park with a swimming suit to make the most of a sunny day (at 16C which, frankly, it is not that warm!).  But it is fun to watch.

I had lots to read, lots to study, and so I joined the rest of the city in one of the sunny terraces. For the first time ever, I ordered in Norwegian. 

Jeg vil gjerne ha et glass hvitvin...
(I would like to have a glass of white wine...)



I felt like the 5-year old girl buying ice cream by herself, for the first time.

This is becoming an inseparable companion. 

We went to watch the match Spain vs Portugal.  I could hardly watch the penalities. 

Sadly, there was a drunk young man at the pub who got a bit aggressive and got in such an ugly fight. The police had to come to arrest him.  He smashed a glass of beer against a glass lamp.  Much to my horror.

Clearly, I did not make any photographs.

Unfamiliar moments: Roads Part 2

Just for the record, I never saw so many road reparations in my life!

This is how one of the many streets in Grønerlokka look. This is very near the flat.


It is a messy chaos but I always find repairs interesting to watch.  They can be a pain but there is no choice!

Unfamiliar moments: Lights Part 1

Lately, I shuffle around Oslo and the streets feel familiar.  Already. 

It might seem an exageration given that I arrived 28 days ago.

This feeling of "familiarity" is partly due to the city being small, cozy.  My mental map of Oslo is simple and that helps my exploration of the city.  But the feeling of familiarity in a foreign city is also a personal choice. You choose to embrace your new town.  And this is something I have done every time I moved around (this is the eighth country I live in, including Costa Rica).  One has to adapt to the new ecosystem.  Not adapting is the road to unhappiness.

(Many times, I heard the bitter complains of some foreigners who moved to Costa Rica which left me wonder why they moved there in the first place...!).

But there is a unique moment of the day when the Oslo sky makes me feel disoriented.  It is the un-familiar time of the day when I realise that I am new to Oslo, to Norway, to Scandinavia and that moment occurs when the day wants the end but the skies refuse to go dark.  

This week, for instance, I came out of the gym at 10.30pm look at the sky.

10.30 at night.

The exotic color of the sky gets better around midnight then it keeps changing until 1am, 2am, 3am... it just does not become dark and I am just not used to it. But I like it.

Norway´s most enchanting building

So, in the other entry I mentioned going to the Opera House for the first time.

Now, let's just say a few kind words about "the" building. (And I do think this is Oslo´s prime building)

The power of imagination, isn't?

Photo from Wikipedia (I can´t take such photos with a mobile´s camera!)

According to Wikipedia: The Oslo Opera House "is the largest cultural building constructed in Norway since 1300."  (I suppose Norwegians need time to make a decision.. only kidding!)

A unique feature of this architectural treasure that it the building in marble is imposing but not intimidating. You (and even animals) feel welcomed.  

Unlike those icons of modern architecture the building feels open-minded, you can just walk in, without feeling too tiny to be let inside -- which is what happens when one enters some of today´s modern buildings in the world's largest cities.  (They are gorgeous but seem to have this air of "exclusivity" suggesting people are welcome depending on the size of their wallet).

When was the last time you could freely walk up to rooftop, sit and read a book, take a nap or listen to a concert?  I found it very cool to see some many teenagers just hanging around.


The building merges with the water leaving you with a strange urban-beach feeling.

The front side merges cement with water

 (And you might be thinking that Oslo will get too cold to be doing these things... Well, you just go inside and have some hot chocolate. No big deal.)

I normally do not post photos of myself but this one is too symbolic to go unloaded.

I remember when I was living in London I always, always marvelled at the city, in the morning, at night when I saw Tower Bridge or the House of Commons, for example, I made the point of seeing the new in the usual sights. 


I never took London for granted. And certainly I plan to stick to that attitude in Oslo too.

I do not want to ever "get used" to the enchanting powers of this Opera House.

Olso Opera House: Break Dance vs Ballet

Last night Bjørn took me to Oslo Opera House.

What a cool idea: a group of Norwegian break-dancers dancing side by side with classical ballet dancers.

I am a big fan of hybrids and walking outside our comfort zones.  So this is a perfect example of this kind of experiments.

At some point seeing a ballet dancer moving to the sound of break-dance music (or seeing the break-dance guys trying to dance ballet) was hillarious but also stimulating for many of us who are trying to do things we never did before (like writing a novel - and all my false starts).

There was also the contrast between the sounds of street music on stage--crunchy, energyzing, and youthful - and the timeless classical music with its drama and elegance.

I loved it, loved it, loved it.

There was an impressive moment when one of the break dancers with his messy look and street-wise demeanor was left alone on the stage. All attention fell on his body. He stood up, walked to the piano on the left and surprised us all with his confident playing of a classical piece while a beautiful ballerina came by his side and listened.

She looked enchanted and so were we.

The Poster at the entrance

The Opera House Curtain, show is over...

The view as one walks inside the Opera House

A Norwegian´s Struggle - and the reaction...

Photo from Wikipedia

A Norwegian writer has published a book called "My Struggle" which, apart from having an obvious controversial title (a reminder of "My Struggle"  by Hitler), is controversial  because of his vivid account of real-life family issues.  Karl Ove Kanusgård, has written 3,600 pages in several volumes with one topic: what it is like to be him.

The book is selling so well in Norway that an equivalent of one copy has been bought by every 10th person. Now the book has made it to the US as discussed in ths article in the New York Times.

Nothing is off limits for him: his father´s death, mother trouble, marriages falling apart, his mixed feelings about fatherhood.  Some people might judge (we are such judgemental society) that this is too unfair and hurtful to the loved ones. But at the same time I´d say it is a brave act: how many sons, husbands and fathers would go on admitting that their family life is not that great? Why is it so uncomfortable for others to hear that?  

I suppose the controversy is due to Kanusgård´s choice to go public in discussing his life and family affairs rather the traditional journal many of us keep under the bed.

I am new to the Norwegian psyche. What I learned in the New York Times article is that his capital sin is to have violated an unwritten but fundamental social norms in this country: family revelations should not be discussed in public.  (Perhaps that is why he now lives in Sweden!)

But the book is being read that means his effort was not in vain. Ultimately the point is writing is to be read, isn´t it?  Maybe his story touched a nerve. It would be interesting to know how men, in particular, are reacting to his unapologetic choice (and struggle, hence the title) to getting naked in front of millions of strangers.

Here is a review in The Guardian. In the UK, the title was changed to "A Death in the Family" instead. 

In Tällberg for a (creative) day

We were in Tällberg for a day (Saturday to Sunday) - a pintoresque little town where you get the sense that you will see a hobbit sooner or later.  The houses are simple and comfortable and many of them have grass on the roof.  The weather was magnificent, at times, less generous at others.

The Tällberg Forum was taken place there.  Here are some videos of the talks.

The workshop on creativity was insightful given that it had individuals from very different walks of life. What I took from it is that creativity is one thing but getting things done is another and whether we take inspiration from groups, conversations, images, nature at the end of the day what counts is the private moment, the moment of integration where you put the pieces of the puzzle together and translate something that is in your mind into something tangible and external.

One of the speakers, Arthur Miller, is a professor that wrote The book "Picasso and Einstein: Space, Time, and theBeauty That Causes Havoc" two men who reshaped the 20th century and, in terms of getting things done, "made no distinctions between their personal and working lives".

Lots of food for thought.

Pio Barone Lumaga facilitated the session. In a separate conversation, Pio gave me very generous and extremely valuable pieces of advice on the creative process.  You have to see this photograph!  He is the editor or Loft Magazine http://www.loftbookazine.com/

Stockholm for Beginners

The destination was Tällberg and therefore the stopover in Stockholm was only a few hours on Saturday.

It rained.  Oh well.

So the best choice for a beginner was to get into one of those touristic red buses and navigate the city from the second floor.  It was worth it because one gets a visual tour of the city without getting your socks wet.

Stockholm is has handsome buildings and the water makes the city very appealing.  I can imagine how photogenic it would turn on a sunny day.  There was no point in making photographs with so much rain.

I found it very cool that bicycles have conquered a good portion of the city.  They had traffic signals only for bikers.



There was a surreal moment where I saw horses passing with soldiers (?) wearing smart blue uniforms.

I borrowed this photo from here to give a sense of the city layout for those of you who have never been there.

 

Falu Red

When I close my eyes and remember what I saw for several hours -- the ride Oslo-Stokholm takes about 6 hours --  I see red houses everywhere -- wooden cottages and barns.

And I am not talking about one or two here and there. No. I am talking about hundreds and hundreds of wooden houses with white frames and doors.

Some are very cute because they have grass on the roof...

There were so many in some towns that you wonder whether the owners face a penalty if they go for, say, a blue house.  Heresy! Or maybe it is the opposite: you get a bonus for painting it like the others.  It mush be simply mimetic behavior (everyone does and you do it too) and pragmatism (if it works why stop it?)

So I searched online and learned that the houses are called Falun Red (or Falu rödfärg) and the paint originated from teh copper mine at Falum in Sweden.  It is supposed to be very effective in preserving the wood and the earliest evidence of its used dates from teh 16th century.  (See photo of what the painting looks like courtesy of Wikipedia).

The paint consists of water, rye flour, linseed oil, and tailings from the copper mines. The current recipe was finalized in the 1920s.

Houses and buildings in Scandinavia are normally painted white or yellow. The main reason for the popularity of the red paint was that it was the cheapest, so only the noble buildings of the farm were painted in other colors.

Here is the traditional house where we stayed for the weekend (outside Stockholm)

In Norway at 5:02 pm, in Sweden at 5:03pm...

This Friday I saw Sweden for the first time.

Because it was a car ride, I had a chance to observe far more details of the landscape than I would have been able to see had we flown there.

The crossing of the Norwegian and Swedish border is remarkable: it does not exist.  You only notice you are no longer in Norway because a Swedish carrier squeezes into your mobile phone and you start noticing a different language.  It´s that simple.

Because my passport was of no use in such "borderless" border situation, I could not help but imagining the old days, centuries ago, when travellers riding horses just went across countries without facing any passport controls and visa arrival forms. 

We stopped at a small town to get some dinner and everyone was in the pubs watching the Sweden vs England game.  We got there when Sweden scored two goals against England.  So much joy!  But by the time we left England had won 3-2...

The Happy Planet Index: 2012

Who is the happiest country in the planet in 2012?

Starts with "C" and ends with "osta Rica"!

Do you know who the happiest country in the Western world is?

Norway!

Or so it concluded the Happy Planet Index 2012 developed by the New Economics Foundation in the UK.  http://www.happyplanetindex.org/data/

So I am happy to be related to both happy-certified countries.

Naturally, there will be skeptics, by nature or method, arguing that such global indexes are rubbish or that people in Costa Rica or Norway are not "that, happy happy"... (each country facing its own local dilemmas).

Fair enough.

But I must say that whenever I am back home, I´ve always been charmed by my own country's  come-what-may attitude. People complain about many things, true, but they are exceedingly good at not being too consumed by their problems. Humor as detox.  Apart from their driving, which can be uncivilized and even aggresive, especially at peak hours, Costa Ricans are a happy bunch.

And from the little I have seen in Oslo, I do believe have the impression Norwegians seem happy with their lifes. I find people here to be very sweet, they smile very easily even strangers smile in the street, at the gym or at the supermarket. 

Maybe it is the happy beauty of countries of about 5 million people. 

It worked!

The open cafe near the bookshop

This afternoon, I went to the Literature House of Oslo and it worked. I was "in the zone."  (see previous entry)

I loved the House's atmosphere, its tribute to books, the friendly faces.

For the first time in 5 weeks, I re-entered the novel, the world of my characters.

It is not that easy to deal with the novel while I settle in Oslo - and do my low-carbon job as well!  But I think it is doable if I convince myself that it is. I just have to stick to a writing routine that works with my new life here.

Nice to see Marquez remember and in good company...

Stairway to...

This week I received the feedback from my writing class at The Guardian's Masterclasses. My teacher, the poet and writer Adam Foulds, emailed my the feedback on my 10,000 word submission. And it was very helpful to read about the strengths and the areas for improvement.  I suppose he asks a central question: Whose story is it?  The nice thing is that his following point give me guidance on where to put my energy in the next weeks: "Of course the answer to that can be more than one person, or a number of thematic preoccupations that bind the various strands together."  I need to invest energy in making sure the different sections made work together.  Writing this story feels like a putting together a puzzle, I have the pieces but I need to discover how they will (finally) fit together.

(Lovely, lovely... But must say: I still need to get used to Oslo's £4 lattes!)

Searching for (literary) inspiration

I need to re-connect with my novel.

Writing fiction requires a peculiar state of mind. And I hope the House of Literature here in Oslo will help me getting that kind of "in the zone" mood. 

I have not been able to write in the past 5 weeks and while it is understandable (the Bonn sessions and the move to Oslo), I must do something about it -- and fast. So I will go to the House of Literature in Oslo and see if I can get in the mood again...

 In London, the National Portrait Gallery used to be the place that would do the trick for me: I would go in and immediately enter the land of my inner imagination. It became my most revered location in that city.

Here is the link to this very exciting House www.litteraturhuset.no/english

The introduction to the House makes me excited: "Since the opening more than 1 million have visited the house and we organise more than 1500 public events annually." So off I go hoping to add a Tica to the honorable one million.

Jeg vil gjerne...lære norsk

Apparently, "Jeg vil gjerne" is quite common in Norwegian ("I would like to...")

So, imagine, these are the exercises I am doing lately...

Jeg lære norsk. Jeg vil gjerne bo i Norge

(I study Norwegian. I would like to live in Norway)

Jeg er student. Jeg studerer.  Jeg vil gjerne bli lærer. Jeg vil gjerne bli lærer på en stor skole i Norge.

(I am a student. I study. I would like to become a teacher. I would like to become a teacher at a big school in Norway)

That sort of thing.

Here are some words...

I am listening Norwegian every day in the radio. It is cool but also terribly frustrating: I cannot understand.

I thought I would make you listen to it a bit.

Here is a video so that you can listen to Norwegian!

You might recognize the interviewee. He is the former the singer from Ah-ha!; remember "Take on Me" from the 1980s?  I was very surprised at how little he has changed. (And I must confess that all these years I had thought he was British!)

Discovering the neighbors...and the news about film watching!

One of the luckiest discoveries in the story unfolding in Oslo is the neighbors.

The flat belongs to a unique set of buildings that share an internal patio.  These flats are under a special arrangement that secures the buildings, patio, facilities are managed through a Board (composed of the owners of the flats).

I am meeting the neighbors little by little.  Every day a new face. Because the Spring is here I often find them sitting outside, having a coffee or wine.  I has been quite easy to just stop by and say hello.  (The only thing I regret is that once the conversation gets going they have to switch to English because of me...)

Maybe I need a "deadline", say, three months, and then it will be chats in Norwegian only!

Three of them are in charge of restoring a hall so that we can share a room for film screening.  Honey to my ears given my love for films. And that also meant to accept a new mission: to source great Latin American films we can watch together.  The project is to be ready by July. 

Here is a photo of the neighbors meeting.  I found it so sweet that they served pancakes afterwards. There will be a summer party in August.

The seafood, the expressos, and the patience...

Two things I have also noticed about this city is that

1. If you want to have extraordinarily delicious seafood, come to Oslo. (This applies to Norway, I suppose).  I had a delicious lunch and I love that they cooked the meal right in front of my eyes. 

2. If you want to have a coffee, be ready to queue in line! Normally there is one person (poor thing) taking orders.  On Saturday I went to get two espressos and the queue time was 10 minutes... Friday I went to another place and the line was about the same.  What is interesting is that no one seems to mind.  (Imagine London!).  People in Oslo do not seem to be in they kind of hurry you see in London (let alone New York!).  I still stare at people while they wait and marvel that they do not seem to mind the coffee line!

"Norway Since 1905"

Outside the City Hall

There is no way I could do justice to the history of Norway in one entry.



So for now I will simply pick on one number: 1905.

If you walk around town, you notice these souvenir shops with lots (I mean dozens) of Norwegian flags and some odd looking-dwarfs -- which I will investigate later on - but you also notice these sweaters with the year 1905.

1905? You probably wonder

According to the Wikipedia this is what one must keep in mind:

1905 is the year of the dissolution of the Union between Sweden and Norway.   

For the first time since 1397 Norway had a national king, after 500 years of political unions with other Scandinavian countries — the Kalmar Union until 1532, then Danish rule in the united kingdom of Denmark Norway until 1814 and finally a loose personal union with Sweden until 1905. 

I found this photograph of that year.

So it is a old nation with centuries of history behind it but as "Norway", fully independent, this nation´s official date is surprisingly recent.

Then of course is the big celebration that Norwegians have on 17 May when they celebrate the "Constitution of Norway" which had happened in 1814 and had declared them an independent nation.  But they were still under Swedish rule, which, of course, makes you realise how much the relationship between these two neighbors has changed...

Oslo loves Yellow...

Oslo loves Yellow!

Who knows, maybe it's me. Or the sun.  But I must say it: I see yellow everywhere in this city...

But it is true that I walk around Oslo and there is yellow everywhere.  From the buildings to the t-shirts in the windows and the flowers near the City Hall.

One of the most charming places to sit outside is this Cafe Skansen - where I had my first coffee meeting to talk about climate change politics.


Yellow is an optimistic color;  its warming and refreshing. Just like Oslo in the Spring.

A terribly handsome Cafe!

Yellow Bricks

I had never seen yellow boots...

Another building making a Yellow Statement

The promise of summer

Yellow even in the tram stops...

Yellow lamps!!

A pretty yellow shop, I'd say...

Come on, it's official: Oslo loves Yellow!