I am Norway!

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I love how everything that is wrong with Norway is my fault. Just because I'm from Norway, that means that I am Norway. And therefor I have to answer to whatever any Norwegian ever have done wrong. Like how the Norwegians never do anything fast enough; "You slept when the Germans came to Norway in 1940 and you are sleeping now!" Social democracy is of course very wrong, and I have to answer to everything about it. The one winter when someone was stuck in Norway because the snow and no air plains was leaving the airport, that was of course my fault. I'm like the customer service of Norway and some of the customers have been thinking about this for a long time and  now it is boiling over. So while I'm here trying to restore Norway's glory, I hope Norway is having a good time.

Syttende Mai in Seattle

They say that the Syttende Mai parade in Ballard is the largest outside Norway, and actually the third largest in the world. Only Oslo and Bergen is bigger. I can imagine, the parade lasted for two and a half hour. The Norwegians have been celebrating 17. Mai here since 1889, which means that was a part of the 121th celebration of the Norwegian constitution day in here in Ballard. 

The day started with me, Ingrid and Iris having lunch at the Leif Ericson Lodge. We had salad, fish, potatoes, peas and cake, and of course wine and coffee. A typical Norwegian meal. The Norwegian politician Dagfinn Høybråten was the Grand Marshal, or guest of honor, which means that he was the main speaker at the lunch, marched in the front of the parade, and was the most popular person all day. He had a very nice speech about the relationship between the two countries, the history of Norway and he read a very nice poem that I'm not able to find, but that will look nice on the front page of my thesis. "Two Flags" I think it's name was.

Unfortunately I didn't have my bunad on me. But I had a new dress on, and the Norwegian flag in m hand, so life wasn't so bad after all.

Then the parade started:

They had Norwegian girls in the front carrying Norwegian flags

One of the duties that comes with being the Grand Marshal

The parade was a little bit different than I'm used to in Norway, not that many kids. But it was amazing!

this lady had to be from the northern part of Norway. She knew exactly how to use one of these outside the season and she had really good control over it too.

then some of my roommates cane and joined us. I had told them all about the Norwegian Syttende Mai, and I don't think they were disappointed.

then my frinds from the Norwegian Ladies Chorus walked by. I was going to march with them, but I decided to watch instead. Next time I will join them!

my friends from the Nordic Heritage Museum was there as well

we also met Leif. He is a Norwegian American who loves northern Norway, and my new friend. He had a t-shirt from Lofoten and a lusekofte.

Happy birthday Norway!

The three most important song to know when you are celebrating Norway's birthday!

The focus of my thesis

After three months working in the field, I have finally decided what the focus of my thesis will be. I'm going to focus how the Norwegian Americans show their heritage by being a part of different groups or clubs. My main focus will be the Norwegian Ladies Chorus of Seattle, Norwegian Commercial Club and Sons of Norway in Seattle. Sons of Norway is a very big organization, so I will have to narrow it down to a smaller group, I would have to talk to my teaching supervisor about that. I have some ideas, but I think I need some professional guidance on that one. 

The Norwegian Ladies Chorus of Seattle was founded in 1936 by Dr. August Werner, and they had their first concert September 4, 1936. Their goal is to "study and sing Norwegian folk music and compositions by Norwegian composers, as well as perform limited selections of other appropriate seasonal music".  To day the choir consist of about 25-30 (?) ladies, both of Norwegian descend, married to a Norwegian, “real Norwegian” or just interested in Norway. I was lucky enough to meet these ladies when they were singing at a talent show at Swedish Cultural Center. And they welcomed me with open arms, and they have been really nice to me. I think I will miss them when I go back to Norway!

The Norwegian Commercial Club "Since 1932, the Norwegian Commercial Club has provided Norwegians, Norwegian-Americans and others interested in the Norwegian culture with a place to meet and discuss business issues of the day"(from website). A I see it, this is a way for all the businessmen with Norwegian heritage to meet and create a network between themselves. Because of the big changes that Ballard has gone through the last 15-20 years, most of the Scandinavian companies and stores are gone or moved elsewhere, and many of the people is working in companies that doesn't have anything to do with the Scandinavian society. The Commercial club is a way for these people to connect, collaborate and create a network with each other, a network that normally would not exist to day. 

Sons of Norway is the largest Norwegian organization outside of Norway. It was founded in 1895 by eighteen workin-class Norwegians in North Minneapolis and soon grew to national propotians. Their mission is to "promote and preserve the heritage and culture of Norway, to celebrate our relationship with other Nordic countries, and provide quality insurance and financial products to our members" (from website). When the immigrants came from Norway to the new country it became important for them to meet other in the same situation, and speak the same language, to preserve their own culture, and at the same time be the best Americans. It was a way to make order in the new and different life. This is still the case, it is all about the Norwegian traditions and celebrate their Norwegian heritage.

What I like about Seattle

Many people have asked me how I like Seattle, and my answer is always; I love it. It is hard to explain why, I just feel at home here. If it wasn't for the fact that my family is too far away, I would move here right away! But right now there is nothing that keeps me here at the end of the day. Sure, I do have people here that I consider my friends, but my ties to Norway is much to strong, right now.


* I like the fact that Seattle is not a big city. I like that even though it is not a big city it doesn't pretend to be a big city. Seattle is happy being just the way that it is. I lived in Oslo for one year before I moved to Trondheim, and I got the feeling that, even though Oslo is the biggest city in Norway, it is not a big city, but it tries so hard to be. It tried so hard to be a big city that it felt impersonal.
* I like the small neighborhoods with its charm and its own view on life. It is like coming to a totally different city, divided by hills and real family houses and gardens. Still it is easy to navigate through the neighborhoods, and through the city in general.
* I like that people here are friendly. My roommate from India said that people here are "friendly but not nice". I think they are nice too. They remind me of Norwegians in many ways. Friendly, but it takes time to get people to let you in to their lives. That way they may seem cold and distant, but they are just minding their own business. But when they eventually do let you in, you have a friend for life, and it would be worth working for.
* I like the coffee! And there is a lot of coffee here.
* I like the laid back lifestyle. My roommate from Philadelphia tells me that the west coast is much more laid back than the east coast. Things happen when they happen, and thats it!
* And best of all, I like that everybody thinks I am the most exiting person in the world, just because I am from Norway! I am really going to miss that.