Posts from December 2009

Dette tiåret

Posted by kari No Comments
Dec 30 2009

This decade.  Aftenposten online has featured 10 significant events that occurred in Norway during the years of 2000-2009.  I consider it an interesting liste because it really speaks to the size of Norway.  Some of the significant events would just be a blip on the radar for et land (a country)  the size of the U.S.  I do not mean to downplay any of the events på lista (on the list) and the significance of any of them, I merely think it is interesting to see what a country of Norway’s physical size highlights as significant events in et tiår. 

I suppose now you would like to see listen (the list).  It was compiled by Aftenpostens økonomiredaktør (economisc editor).  Vær så god!  (Here you go)!

2000-Åste-ulykken (accident):  A train from Hamar heading north collided with a cargo train from Trondheim heading south, killing 19 people. 

2001-To bryllup og fem fødsler (2 weddings and 5 births):  Kronprins Haakon and Mette-Marit got married.  Kronprinsesse Märtha Louise and Ari Behn were married also.  Kongeparet (the Royal couple) have since become besteforeldrer til 5 barnebarn (grandparents to 5 grandchildren).

2002-Reiserevolusjon (travel revolution):  The Norwegian airline created low price domestic flights.

2004-Rocknes-ulykken (accident): The Rocknes cargo ship capsized in Vatlastraumen in Hordaland county, killing 18 people, and spilling several tons of olje (oil). 

2004-Norske soldater dør i tjeneste (Norwegian soldiers die in service):  4 soldiers were killed in Afghanistan after the U.S. invasion.

2004-Røykeloven (Smoking law):  Smoking was banned in all public places including restaurants, bars, nightclubs, offices, and public transportation.

2006-Ras og refs i Tunnel-Norge (….in tunnel-Norway):  Part of the roof of the Hanekleivtunnel-a road tunnel in Vestfold, Norway collapsed, spurring investigation that revealed several other road tunnels with inadequate infrastructure.

2008-Snøhetta nytt turmål midt i Oslo (Snøhetta new trip destination in the middle of Oslo):  Snøhetta, an architectural firm, won the bid to build the new opera house in Oslo.

2009-Internasjonal finanskrise, norsk rikdom (international financial crisis, Norwegian riches):  the state pension fund has increased 10-fold since it’s beginning.

2009-Tungoljekatastrofe i Oslofjorden (Crude oil catastrophe in the Oslo Fjord):  During a storm, cargo ship ”Full City” ran aground in Langesund.  200 tons of crude oil spilled.

I guess 2003, 2005, and 2007 were not significant years for Norway, ikke sant?  Rart (weird) that they are all odd years…

sykdommer

Posted by kari No Comments
Dec 29 2009

illnesses, sickness, or disease.  After just returning from a funeral for a 35 year old woman who died of kreft (cancer), I thought it would be appropriate to teach you all some terms about sykdommer, since we all have been syk before and chances are, we all know someone with a dødelig (lethal, deadly) sykdom.

Let’s learn vocabulary about sykdommer.

å være syk-to be sick                                                                å føle ikke bra-to not feel well

en feber-a fever                                                                       en forkjølelse-a cold

kreft-cancer                                                                              influensa-influenza\flu

sukkersyke-diabetes                                                                sukkersykepasient\diabetiker-diabetic

halsbetennelse-tonisllitis                                                          ta mandlene-have one’s tonsils taken out

sykemeldt-off sick                                                                      et sykehus-a hospital

syketrygd-health insurance                                                        symptom-symptom

en helbredelse-a cure                                                               å dø-to die

å dra til legen-to go to the doctor                                             medisin-medicine

en hjertelidelse-heart condition                                               depresjon-depression

deprimert-depressed                                                                 lammelse-paralysis

behandling-treatment                                                                allergi-allergy\allergisk mot-allergic to

astma-asthma                                                                              hodepine-headache

smittsom\smittende-infectious                                                 virus-virus

Når man er syk, føler man seg ikke bra (When one is sick, one does not feel good). 

Enten man føler seg fysisk eller mentalsk dårlig (Either one feels physically or mentally sick).

Det er vanlig sykdommer som ikke er veldig seriøse og det er veldig seriøse sykdommer som ikke kan helbredes (There are common illnesses that are not very serious and there are very serious illnesses that cannot be cured).

Tror dere at vi skal en dag ha helbredelser for alle sykdommer?  Do you think that one day we will have cures for all diseases?

 

julekalenderen

Posted by kari 1 Comment
Dec 21 2009

The Christmas calendar/advent calendar.  Many cultures that celebrate Christmas have some sort of advent calendar.  Today julekalendere can be made from materials such as felt, fabric, paper, small boxes, or chipboard.  Advent means “coming” and julekalenderen is used to count down the days until jul.  Technically advent starts on the fjerde (4th) søndag før jul (Sunday before Christmas), but some julekalendere will start on the 1st of desember.  Fiolet (purple) is the tradisjonell color of jul because fiolet signifies preparation and anticipation.  Four purple candles are traditionally used to represent the four Sundays of advent.  It is common to pynte (decorate) with purple things around the house such as linens, towels, plates, and cushions. 

As far as julekalenderen goes, it is most common to use wall hangings with dører (doors) and lommer (pockets) that have little treats and sweets inside.  However, another older tradition is to put 24 cloves inside en appelsin (an orange) and take one out every day until the 24th, Christmas Eve.  This provides a nice scent for the whole month of desember.  These can be placed in Christmas wreaths, on a table, or on Christmas platters for decoration. 

On the first Sunday of advent a candle is lit, on the second 2 candles are lit, and so forth until all 4 are lit.  There are several different songs and poems, but the most common one is as follows:

Nå tenner vi det første lys
Alene må det stå
Vi venter på det lille Barn
som i en krybbe lå

Nå tenner vi det andre lys
Da kan vi bedre se
Vi venter på at Gud, vår Far
skal gi sin Sønn hit ned

Nå tenner vi det tredje lys
Det er et hellig tall
Vi venter på at Kongen vår
skal fødes i en stall

Nå tenner vi det fjerde lys
og natten blir til dag
Vi venter på en Frelsermann
for alle folkeslag

and the oversettelse (translation) is as follows:

Now we light the first candle
It must stand alone
We wait for the little child
who laid in a manger

Now we light the second candle
Then we can see better
We wait for God, our Father
to give his Son down here

Now we light the third candle
It is a sacred number
We wait for our King
to be born in a stable

Now we light the fourth candle
and night turns into day
We wait for a Saviour
for all mankind

Vi har bare 4 dager igjen til jul (4 more days until Christmas)!

Biathalon

Posted by kari 3 Comments
Dec 20 2009

One of the most obscure sports in the United States, biathlon is one of the most popular winter sports in Europe.  Many of you may never have even heard about it.  I wouldn’t have known about it had I not lived in Norway and seen it in aviser (newspapers) and på tv (on tv).  You just don’t really hear about it at all in the United States.  Biathlon, although it is a term that can be used for any event involving two disciplines, usually refers to a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting.  It seems like an odd combination, doesn’t it?  You may wonder how and where the sport originated, as well as why. 

There are actually rock paintings in Norway (dated back to 3000 BC) that depict hunters with bows and arrows on wooden skis.  Norway’s topography made warfare and hunting during the winter quite challenging.  Hunters and warriors had to be creative and use the resources that mother earth provided for them.  Skis were the fastest mode of transport during the winter.  In addition to rock paintings dating back to the Neolithic Age, there are written descriptions of cross-country skiing and hunting dating back also to BC in Roman, Greek, and Chinese history. 

Norway was the first country to organize biathlon competitions.  In the same year that the United States Declaration of Independence was signed, 1776, Norwegians participated in the first recognizable organized biathlon competition.  The world’s first known ski club, the Trysil Rifle and Ski Club, was formed in Norway in 1861 to promote national defence on a local level.  Military patrol, as skiing and shooting is also referred as, is an alternative form of military training. 

Russia, Sweden, Germany, and Austria were the next countries to show interest in the sport.  Austria hosted the first World Championship in 1958.  In 1960, the sport was incorporated into the Olympic winter games.  There are major biathlon venues in the following countries:  Norway, Austria, Germany, Russia, Sweden, Belarus, France, Poland, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, Croatia, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Slovenia, and the United States.  Norway has 3 major biathlon venues at Holmenkollen, in Lillehammer, and Beitostølen.

You can find detailed information about the rules of the sport, but the general idea is that the biathlete is required to ski a set distance around a track with his or her rifle to a shooting range, where a specified number of shots are required.  The penalty for missing targets is either a time penalty or penalty laps.  There are also rules about when to be in the standing pose to shoot and when to be in the prone stance (kneeling).

The most interesting characteristic of the sport to me is that it combines 2 extremely unlike activities-one that is very aerobic and requires strength, speed, and endurance and another that is not aerobic and requires a great deal of concentration and steadiness.  If I could hit a target, I think it would be really fun.  Another reason to take shooting lessons…

På norsk, the sport is often called skiskytting (ski shooting).

norske juletrær

Posted by kari No Comments
Dec 18 2009

Norwegian Christmas trees.  I read an interesting story on the Norway Post website about norske juletrær.  Every year Norway exports Christmas trees to other countries in Europe, such as Germany, Britain, Switzerland, and Austria.  Just three years ago, Norway was exporting 2,400 juletrær to Europe, but over the past several years the number has grown significantly.  Around 140,000 norske juletrær are expected to be transported this year.  Austria is the top importer this year.

The Norwegian Agriculture Ministry has proclaimed that Norway will be the leading seller of juletrær on the European market.  Lars Peder Brekk, Minister of Agriculture and Food, explains that Norwegian juletre production is already even more valuable than Norwegian fruit production.  The juletre industry is very profitable and is a great opportunity for Norwegian agriculture and rural Norway.  Norsk Pyntegrønt, the industry organization, predicts a 50% planting increase annually.  They also predict that Norway could sell 2 or 3 million more trees than are sold currently.

There are many alleged origins of the juletre, but in Germany and Scandinavia in the Middle Ages, families would put an evergreen tree up inside their homes or right outside of ther doors to show their hope for the coming spring. 

Juletrær are evergreen coniferous trees and come in many varities, such as Silver Fir, Scots Pine, Norway Spruce, Swiss Pine, Nordmenn Fir, Guatamalan Fir, Noble Fir, etc.  While you might think the Norway Spruce grows exclusively in Norway, it is found from Norway and all over Europe. 

Norwegians pynter (decorate) the juletre with ornaments just as many other countries do.  Many people go in their backyard and cut one down. 

Har du et juletre ennå?  Do you have a Christmas tree yet?

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