The Monthly Moose

The magazine in English by ISU at UiO

In This Issue:
Oslo for Japanp.7
Student Election Recap p.13
Couchsurf!p.18
Learn Norwegian: Easter Edition p.26
And More...

Vol.3 Issue 5 — January 2011

 EDITORIAL
Dear Reader,

This semester Elections are over. Now what?

went past far too
quickly. I can’t
believe cross-
country season is
over. It seems that I heard those cow-
bells on Holmenkollen only yesterday,
and now Easter knocks on my door.
And I wake up in terror thinking that
it’s May 17th tomorrow and I still
haven’t ironed my non-existent bunad.
Time is confusing, elusive, and
unruly. This is especially so for an
international student, eager to make
the most of their stay, to absorb the
local customs, and to set foot in all
the most renowned places in Norway
and beyond. However, I hope that,
despite the treachery of time, each of
you got in touch with the proverbial
“international” and “Norwegian”
experience.
I also hope that the beautiful months
of spring will not be completely
destroyed by the coming exams and
term papers. Take your time. Go
on a cabin trip. Go see magnolias
blossom in the Botanical Gardens.
Norway is thawing, and the numbers
of smiling Norwegians are increasing
dramatically (or is it the sun?). Take
your chance and get to know people.
Spend time outside. Time is precious
in April.
And drink your morning coffee with
The Moose of Norway.
The votes are in, and one thing is clear: this was not an elec-
tion about change. In fact, the coalition within the Student
Parliament will likely remain remarkably stable, with the
parties on the left side of the political spectrum maintaining
a plurality of seats. While these parties have promised ev-
erything from a continued fight against tuition fees to more
English language information on campus, it will be interest-
ing to see how these promises - which concern international
students and Norwegians alike – are kept now that the cam-
paigning is over.
While the balance of power in Student Parliament remains
remarkably unchanged at the outset, what has changed is
the number of students participating in the election. This
election saw a 3% jump in the percentage of votes cast.
While we like to think that The Moose Election Guide may
have helped with this increase, we hope that the increased
turnout is a reflection of an increased interest in university
politics among students in general, not just international
students. However, the percentage of students voting re-
mains quite low – approximately 16% of the student body
participated in this election. Whether this engaged group of
students represents the silent majority remains to be seen.
So if you voted, congratulate yourself for being among the
group who has had a say in choosing the students who will
represent us all..
7
Number of representatives per
6
party in SP UiO in 2010 and
5 2011
4
3
2 2010
1 2011

0
ELGskverdig hilsen,
Marija
2 \\ Editor's Note

The Monthly Moose — Villa Eika, Blindern 0314 Oslo, P.O. Box 1088. monthly.moose@gmail.com
Chief Editor: Marija Cabuskina — Writers: Aleesha Nathan, Amy Armstrong, Andrew Beck, A
Marija Cabuskina, Mariam Nodia, Miles Walser, Nina Lua, Rebecca Plath, Ria Tobing, Pablo Reynoso, Sarah Ma
Andrew Beck, Anita Iyer,Katie Harris, Leah Grambo, Lindsay Burkhart— Graphic Content Edi
Francesco Spinali, Gunita Gailane, Irine Osepashvili, John Modin, Marija Cabuskina, Natalya Tikhonova, Pablo
John Modin, Sehee Park, Summer Choi— Layout: John Modin, Marija Cabuskina, Miles Walser, Robbert
 CONTENTS
7
4 Thus Spoke Universitas
6 Famous Norwegians: Siv Jensen
7 Oslo for Japan
8 Meet Ted Essebaggers!
10 Survey: Facts on Norway
11 Bluegrass Sprouting in Norway
11 Talking about Weather
12 Poem
13 Cooking all’Italiana
13 Student Election Recap
16 Moose Reviews
18 Couchsurfing
19 Scandinavian Club Music
18
20 Riga - a Little Paris
22 Roam!
23 Peer Gynt Park
24 Monday Movies
25 What’s on in UiO
26 ELGINT: Easter Edition
27 Moose Comic 23
Contents // 3

Anita Iyer, Doreth van Manen, Francesco Spinali, Gunita Gailane, Irine Osepashvili, Jung-A Han, Katie Harris,
auk, Sehee Park, Shuyu Lim — Copy Editor: Anita Iyer — Proof Readers: Amy Armstrong,
itor: John Modin — Visual Content: Aleesha Nathan, Amy Armstrong, Doreth van Manen,
o Reynoso, Rebecca Plath, Sarah Mauk, Sehee Park, Summer Choi — Cover Design: Irine Osepashvili,
t van Brakel
 Thus Spoke
March 9
1 of 5 Graduates on Time
81% of all BA students graduat-
ing from UiO in 2010 used more
than the designated 3 years to
finish their studies – some be-
cause they worked or were en-
gaged in student organizations.
As a result, UiO loses the part of
the state funding that depends
on the number of ECTS produced
by students. The new measure
from The Welfare Council makes
it difficult for delayed students
to keep housing contracts with
SiO. The measure implies that
students have to document a
minimum of 50% of ECTS each
semester to keep using SiO ben-
efits. The much discussed up-
per age limit of 30-35 years was
turned down.
International Students Claim Pay-
check
In response to the faulty electric-
ity measuring routines in Kring-
sjå, which had been inflating the
tenants’ bills for seven years, the
4 \\ Thus Spoke Universitas
International Students’ Union
at UiO claims that SiO must
make an effort to contact the
international students that had
lived there and left. ISU Vice-
President, D. Rolin expects SiO
to make a convenient electronic
form for refunding the over-
charged students. This must be
possible, since SiO asks interna-
tional students for an email and
a mailing address in their home
country.
Norway in Kosovo
In 2005, the Norwegian Foreign
Ministry (UD) started a project
Universitas is Norway’s biggest stu-
dent newspaper, and has 35 issues
per year , with 17,000 copies printed
of each issue. It is available all over
Blindern free of charge for stu-
dents. Here’s a short summary of
some of the headlines hitting Uni-
versitas over the past few weeks.
to establish the Kosovo Institute Embezzled 52,000 NOK
of Journalism and Communica- A board member of the Student
tion (KIJAC). The institute, how- Union of the private university
ever, never got formal accredi- Campus Kristiania was charged
tation which means that 125 with embezzlement of 52,000
students eligible for a 8000 NOK NOK. The details are not dis-
tuition fee might never get a di- closed since the investigation
ploma for their efforts. UD has is not over, but if the charge is
invested 50 million in the school proven, the student will be fac-
for those five years, but has now ing a fine and/or suspended sen-
given the reins to the American tence.
University in Kosovo.
Cockroach Invasion
March 16 Kringsjå has acquired new ten-
Take up Greek and Train Cheaper
For six years M. Kjartanson, a po-
litical journalist, has been apply-
ing for studies without showing
up for the exam only for the sake
of working out cheaper. Most
probably, he is not alone, since
25% of new bachelor students
at UiO did not make any study
progression. The leader of The
Welfare Council points out that
introducing the demand to docu-
ment study progression will help
to put an end to exploitation of
student welfare (cheaper dormi-
tories, kindergartens, transport
and training facilities).
ants that stink, multiply quickly,
Self-conscious Students spread diseases, and don’t pay -
Research shows that UiO stu- cockroaches. SiO pays 150 000
dents evaluate their own com- NOK a year to the exterminating
petence and skills lower than company Anticimex. The compa-
students from other education ny’s representative explains that
institutions and lower than em- cockroach invasion is connected
ployers. The Career Center at to large tenant turnover and the
UiO arranges a special interview international background of the
course for students, but it looks tenants. Cockroaches do not live
like students still have too little in Norway naturally, so they are
confidence, especially in their often brought in the luggage by
knowledge about the market. travelling students.
Future Doctors Dread Discrimination
The Ministry of Health and Care
Services is planning to change
the practice of allotting the new-
ly-educated doctors practice po-
sitions in hospitals. Nowadays,
those positions are distributed
by means of a lottery. With the
new practice, students will have
to apply for positions. Ethnic mi-
norities raise concerns that they
will have fewer chances than na-
tive Norwegian people with good
connections, and demand anony-
mous application.
840 000 a Year for Empty Premises
The Norwegian Student Union
(NSO) pays 70,000 NOK every
month for renting out office
premises that they do not use.
The reason for it is the contract
with Thongård, signed by one
of the two organizations that
formed NSO. The contract ends
in 2013 and all efforts to rent the
premises out have borne no fruit.
On Top with Zero Promotion Budget
A student-driven publishing
company, Propell, managed to
top the lists of e-books at the App
Store with an interactive child-
rens’ book based on a Norwegian
fairytale. Their main promotion
source was utilizing a dumping
policy in the beginning, followed
by more realistic prices.
March 23
CV in Your Wallet
Potential employers can be com-
ing any minute, and everyone
knows how important it is to
have your CV ready for the occa-
sion. A BI (Norwegian Business
School) student, M.F.Wisløff,
went even further and made his
CV fit on a buisness card, which
earned him a relevant position in
a comunication agency.
Lawyers Packed like Sardines
Despite the cuts in study places
by 200 students, the number of
law students has grown by 28%. study Mathematics and Natural
Nowadays there are 27 students Sciences. The mildest form of
per professor and the most obvi- punishment for cheating is dis-
ous reason is the so-called “pri- qualification from the exam, but
vatister” – external exam can- in serious cases the student can
didates that are exempt from be prevented from entering all
obligatory attendance. Some of universities in Norway for a pe-
them are students from the pri- riod of one year.
vate school Treider just across Enthusiasm for Education
the street. From autumn of this Among its neighbours, Norway
year, the practice of enrolling is the country with the most
external candidates will be abol- enthusiasm connected to educa-
ished. tion. 75% of Norwegian survey
The Student and the Sea respondents indicate that they
Annoyed with cockroaches in are either studying or wish to
Kringsjå? Eager to live by the sea? study at a university or a college.
Then Aker Brygge has a perfect Medicine is the most popular
housing option for you: live on a study field, followed by pedagog-
boat like Larissa from Australia ics.
and Steinar from Stavanger. The Norwegian Student Union gets a
rent is not cheap (330 NOK per New Leader
foot and 5500 per tenant in addi- Winning over his female rival,
K.-E. W. Skogen, Kim Kantard-
jiev was elected the new leader
of NSO (Norwegian Student
Union). Kantardjiev is a history
student at UiO and a member
of the Student Parliament. He
hopes that NSO will make itself
more prominent in the social and
political debate.
tion to electricity), but the view
and the the feelings are worth it. Got the Money but Lived with Mummy
Steinar remarks that the boat life Student loans issued by the Nor-
wegian State Educational Loan
reminds him life in the womb.
Fund (Lånekassa) are especially
March 30 lucrative if you live outside your
Thus Spoke Universitas // 5
Cheater! Cheater! parent’s home. In this case 40%
Never has UiO caught as many of the sum is turned into a schol-
cheaters red-handed as in the arship and does not have to be
last year. 45 students were found refunded. Unfortunately, some
guilty of cheating in 2010, and students misuse this priviledge
this is ten times more than in and indicate a false address while
2002. The rapid growth can be still living with parents, and this
explained by the growing so- costs Lånekassa 60 million every
phistication in UiO’s means for year. This year, they are checking
catching cheaters. Unfortunate- the actual address of 1000 ran-
ly for UiO, the Norwegian law dom students, hoping to reveal
stipulates that the legal bills of swindlers.
the convicted student be paid
by the university. Thus, in 2010 Cheaper Theatre?
UiO spent 275,000 NOK on le- The Association of Norwegian
gal expenses for cheaters. More Theatres and Orchestras (NTO)
than 50% of last-year’s cheaters is sceptical about the proposal of
 The Welfare Council to introduce
qualify for participation in the Text: Marija Cabuskina
discount cards for theatre for all
TV-quizshow QuizDan, which Photos: Summer Choi
students in Oslo and Akershus. starts on NRK next season. Some Correction: The March Universi-
Currently, these cards are onlyof the explanations include the tas summary incorrectly stated
available for theater students,fact that student quizzers were that The Welfare Council(VT) in-
tended to increase the maximum
since NTO’s offer covers only tested individually and questions tenancy period from 5 to 6 years
those who “contribute positively
were impossible to solve for their (and the extreme tenancy period
from 7 to 8). However, the plan
to theatres”. age group. Now the organizers was to decrease the respective
have decided to give students an- periods from 6 to 5 and from 8
Students Given One More Chance to 7 years. The Monthly Moose
Hell broke loose when none of other chance. apologizes for the error.
the student quiz teams could
Have you ever been standing in the check-out line at Kiwi or
Rema, idly scanning the newspaper headlines or glossy pic-
tures in the tabloids and wondered who all those peo-
ple are? If so, you're not alone! Join the Moose as we
continue to examine some of those names and
faces appearing in Norwegian media, and
learn more about just what it takes
to make the headlines in Norway.

Siv Jensen - Leading FrP Through Yet Anoth- and her quest to assert her leadership even as
er Media Storm. members of her party raise questions as to wheth-
Text: Anita Iyer, picture: Irine Osepashvili er she should continue at the helm.
National politics is not for the camera-shy. Some- FrP is to the far right of the Norwegian political
times, politicians seize the chance to have televi- spectrum, and like other polarizing political fig-
sion cameras, microphones, and reporters ready to ures, Jensen is no stranger to criticism. Despite
capture their every word. However, at other times, polls showing FrP’s popularity dipping in the wake
politicians heartily wish that the spotlight, along of the current scandal, Jensen remains popular
with the questions, rumors, and opinions associ- among her base. However, as head of a party large-
ated with it, would disappear, or at least focus on a ly known for its anti-tax and anti-immigration
different issue. Siv Jensen, one of Oslo’s represen- policies, Jensen has garnered plenty of criticism
tatives in the Norwegian Parliament and leader of ranging from the purely intellectual to “Kem skjøt
Fremskrittspartiet [The Progress Party], has prob- Siv Jensen?” [Who shot Siv Jensen?], the musical
ably wished herself in the latter group over the critique offered by rapper Lars Vaular. Two weeks
past few weeks; her party, commonly referred to as after the latest scandal, Siv Jensen admitted that
FrP, has been rocked by its second major sex scan- her initial handling of the scandal left something
dal in a decade. In March 2011, allegations that a to be desired. Moose readers interested in learn-
6 \\ Famous Norwegians

prominent FrP politician had been arrested follow-
ing allegations that he had secretly filmed a young
man in his shower hit the head-
lines. Subsequently, the charges
against him were expanded to in-
clude sex with a minor, an event
which has forced party leader Siv
Jensen into a maelstrom of criti-
cism and intense scrutiny, both
from within FrP and Norwegian
media at large. Her responses
to the media over the past few
weeks have been peppered with
obvious anger, ill-timed humor,
ing more about Jensen are, as always, encour-
aged to use their Google skills
to learn more. Those interested
in a somewhat lighthearted ap-
proach to the 41 year old politi-
cal leader’s life can always check
out the web-based series Sex og
Singelsiv [Sex and Single Siv], a
likely fictitious account of Siv’s
quest to find love and become
Prime Minister.
Sources: www.aftenposten.no, www.
vg.no, www.dagbladet.no, www.
stortinget.no
Oslo For Japan-
An interview with a Japanese student
organization raising funds for relief ef-
forts in Japan
Text: Jung-A Han
Pictures: courtesy of Oslo for Japan
On the 11th of March, there was a big
disaster in Japan. The earthquake,
which originated undersea in the
Touhoku area, had a magnitude of
9.0. It was enough to be described as a
mega-earthquake, the biggest among the measure-
ments that have been taken in Japan. Moreover,
after the first earthquake, several aftershocks
followed. Then the tragedy continued with a tsu-
nami. Literally, the northeast part of Japan was
destroyed by a severe earthquake and a tsunami.
Countless people died, and countless others lost
their houses. In addition, as nuclear power plants
in Japan exploded, the leak of radioactivity be-
came more and more serious. It was very shocking
news for people all around the world.
I want to introduce people who are passionately
doing something for Japan. At the University of
Oslo, Blindern campus, Japanese students have
been doing voluntary activities for the country.
Yu Nagashima, speaking on behalf of the members
in this group of Japanese volunteers, accepted my
request for an interview.
JH: How did you guys come up with this brilliant
idea? How did you form a connection with Red
Cross?
Yu: After the disaster occurred, we discussed it on
on-line and also face-to-face for 3 or 4 days. We de-
cided to start a small independent group, Oslo for
Japan, We approached the Red Cross, and said that
we wanted to assist with the relief efforts. The Red
Cross allowed us to create a donation link on its
web page, however, most of our fund-raising oc-
curred offline. We collected donations around the
fountain in front of the National Theater station
for three weeks.
JH: What have you done with your donation
group?
Yu: To sum up, we organized several fund-raising
campaigns and a flea market, and collaborated
with other organizations to collect funds at the
Kringsjå Pub and at a charity concert. Usually, we
solicited donations on the street ourselves or with
Norwegian people studying Japanese. During this
period, the Red Cross organized a special donation
day. Oslo for Japan, along with many other people
who wished to help with the effort, participated in
this event. Some individuals held signs on which
‘Help Japan’ was written. The event organized by
the Kringsjå pub was also really successful. While
Oslo for Japan did not organize this event, we co-
operated with them. There were so many people
who were willing to be the part of the donation ef-
fort.
A third big event was the relief concert, organized
by Norwegian artists to raise funds for Red Cross
work in Japan. One of our members, Miki
Ambo, a pianist and student at Norges
Musikkhøgskole, participated. For the
final activity, we held a flea market. We
Oslo for Japan // 7
were so thankful that so many Japanese
mothers in Oslo helped us a lot with or-
ganizing this flea market. With these
goods, and also our own, we held the flea
market, which also helped raise funds.
JH: How did you feel when you did all
these activities?
Yu: When the disaster happened, I was
such a long distance from my country
and so my friends and I searched for
what we could do for our country. Then
to be continued on next page...
 we discussed it a lot and made our group. Our chief
leader, Asaki Abumi, who is studying media stud-
ies at the University of Oslo, led us well, and we all
also participated in our activities passionately. So
many people have lost their loved ones and homes
in this disaster, and so I feel glad that our attempts
to raise funds to help have been successful. More-
over, I was so impressed that all people were so
kind and generous enough to donate their money
for Japan. When we did the street fund- raising
activity, most people donated a lot of money. I
remember one guy donated more than 600NOK.
We were always thankful regardless of the amount
of money, since that was not just a coin or paper
money - it was their heart. On behalf of my group,
I want to say “Thank you people who donated for
Japan and who are also worried about Japan!”
JAH: The disaster, and the students’ volunteer ac-
tivity, made me reconsider myself and the world.
I sincerely hope that this tragic disaster is allevi-
ated as soon as possible, Though this is very big
problem, which has challenged us and our highly
developed technology, I want to look at the future
positively, with the Japanese students and the
other students who have supported them in the
wake of this disaster.
The Monthly Moose would like to thank Asaki Abumi
for her comments on this article. Information about
the total funds raised by Oslo for Japan will be an-
nounced on the Facebook page, Oslo for Japan.

Meet Ted Essebaggers! events like “A Sleep in the Snow.” The admission
packet you received in November is also part of his
Text & Picture: Doreth van Manen responsibility. He points out that during the last
5-6 years, the number of international students
My first week in Oslo, I was really nervous, mostly attending UiO has steadily increased.
because I didn’t know what to expect of the
University of Oslo. Then on Monday, 10 January An international history
I needed to pick up my welcome packet and I saw Ted came to Norway in 1970, after meeting his
Ted. He was welcoming new students personally Norwegian wife in the USA and getting married.
at the international reception desk. My nervous He was raised in India, lived there for 14 years
feeling disappeared and I was now curious about and upon finishing high school decided to do his
this man. Recently I had the honor to talk to him undergraduate studies in the home country of
on behalf of the Monthly Moose about his life and his parents - at Elmhurst College in Illinois. After
career. finishing his BA and doing an additional year of
teacher training in Uganda, his first full-time job
This April, Ted will retire. He has been connected was as a teacher in Moshi, Tanzania from ’64 to
to the University of Oslo since 1970, except for two ‘67. He was part of the Teachers for East Africa
3-year periods when he worked with educational Project, organized jointly by Columbia University,
projects in Namibia (91-94/2000-03). His main London University and the University of East
job was teaching English at the International Africa, something that confirms that international
Summer School, which was at the time contracted agreements
by the government to provide training and testing b e t w e e n
services for Norwegian volunteers and technical universities
8 \\ Meet Ted Essebaggers!

assistance personnel going to work in developing are not new.

countries—mainly in Africa. The courses ran There was
throughout the year; not only during the summer a growing
as the name implies. Ted worked as an English need for
teacher and tester until 1991. By 1993 the s e c o n d a r y
program, which over the years had expanded and e d u c a t i o n
become an independent language training unit in East
at UiO, was closed down. So when Ted returned Africa and
from Namibia, he became an administrator in the addi t ion a l
Department of Student and Academic Affairs and teachers at
gradually got into working with foreign students. that time.
As an international student advisor for 7 years Ted was
now, Ted has been responsible for many of the r e c r u i t ed
international students. He has also coordinated t h r o u g h
Special Events for even longer. Some of us know C o l u m b i a
him from the International Coffee Hour and other U in NY in
1963 and enjoyed his teaching immensely. In ’67 Education Teaching Diploma which all teachers
he completed his teaching contract and took some were required to complete over 3 years. The best
time off to travel. He travelled to India, Pakistan, part was community participation and a high level
Afghanistan and Iran and rode his 250 cc BMW of parental interest in running the schools.
motorcycle from Iraq all the way to Germany.
Recently
Back in the US, he taught junior-senior high school Ted is a global man with a lot of knowledge of
before pursuing Masters in Teaching English as Africa, but we know him primarily as part of the
a Second Language at Columbia in NY. He then International Education Office staff at UiO. As
taught at CUNY in Brooklyn before migrating with he explains, these are the staff responsible for
his wife and first son to Norway in 1970, where he the admission packet, the welcome packet and for
began teaching English at UiO. This exciting job answering questions we international students
gradually became full time and permanent; but it might have . Ted says that there is a continuing
took time. Ted says he looks back at his language and concerted effort to integrate international and
teaching job with great fondness. Norwegian students. Together with SiO, he and his
Ted lived and worked in Namibia with his family colleagues help ensure all students manage with
during a period of educational reform. The their housing, and have access to health services
Namibian government declared English the and sports facilities. If you needed a visa or a police
national language—replacing Afrikaans—and statement, you probably went to the International
made it the medium of instruction in schools. Ted Student Reception in the Lucy Smith Building.
helped teachers adjust to this major change from Ted will miss his job, and admits he is a bit nervous
1991-94. When he returned to UiO, he became an about retirement. His many years working at UiO
administrator and was involved in special events have been good ones, he says. However, he is also
for the first time. He also worked with areas such looking forward to spending more time in his
as continuing education, the learning environment garden, with his grandchildren, doing more fly
and quality of studies. fishing and traveling with his wife.
When Ted went back to Namibia in 2001, he worked Ted, thanks for sharing your story, and we wish you all
on a special project in the remote northwestern the best in the future.
region of Kaokoland as the
coordinator of the Ondao
Mobile School Project, a
series of primary schools for
the marginalised children of
the semi-nomadic Himba
people. Along with his
Namibian counterparts,
Ted helped the project
grow from 18 to 30 schools,
Meet Ted Essebaggers! // 9
increasing the teaching staff
from 35 to 70 teachers and
serving some 2000 children.
It was essential that there
was a lot of teacher support
and in-service training
and that the project was
in full cooperation with
the Namibian Ministry of
Education. Semi-annual
training courses were
developed for the teachers
jointly by universities in
Namibia, the USA and
Norway. In addition, the
government offered a Basic
 April Fools’ Day in Norway
Text: Nina Lua
Pictures: Private

For April Fools’ Day, we asked students what they would tell their
friends back home about life in Norway to celebrate the day. Here
are some of the answers:
Duda Radulovic
(Canada)
Sebastian Valero (Spain)
“In the winter months,
sometimes there is so much
“On the first day of snow, there is a
snow in the streets in downtown
tradition that everyone goes to their
Oslo that cars are banned, and
backyards, makes a wish and throws
people use cross-country skis
a coin in the snow. If next spring
to get around. Kind of like
the coin has disappeared, the
Venice and boats.”
wish will come true.”

Grant Ross (Australia)

“When the snow in Norway

melts, Sweden reappears.”

Tainara Lemos (Brazil) Jon Sunhill (Norway)

“Norwegians are very “There are polar bears in the

uninhibited, and don’t like streets during the winter.”
to drink.”

Nick Kuhns (USA)

10 \\ April Fool's in Norway

“All the troll stories that are told

in Norway are based on a group
of troll-like humans that used
to live in Norway. They refused
Tobias Dossman (Germany)
to settle in cities like their
neighbors and disappeared from
“Don’t come to Norway, the women
existence.”
here are the ugliest creatures in the
world!”

Luisa Cubría (Mexico)

“Everything is so cheap in
Norway!”
The Bluegrass
among the Ice
and Snow
Text: Andrew Beck
Pictures: Marija Cabuskina
As spring soon approaches, the
snow begins to melt away and
the grass begins to peek through.
Another type of grass is also
beginning to emerge in the Oslo
area; a grass of the bluer and more
musical variety.
So what exactly is bluegrass?
It is a genre of music that was
developed from the music of rural
Appalachia (a chain of mountains
in the Eastern United States). It
also contains elements of blues
and North American folk music.
Although the term bluegrass has
only been in use for 70 years, this
type of music has been played
since the eighteenth century.
At that time it was more often
considered “mountain music”
because of the mountainous areas
it was often connected to.
The instruments are wide ranging
but traditionally are played on
acoustic stringed instruments.
These can include the fiddle,
banjo, guitar, mandolin, and
string bass. A band can include
any or all of these instruments,
along with the addition of vocals.
A distinguishing characteristic
of this type of music is the vocal
harmony featuring two or more
parts singing in different stacks
or octaves. This style is often
described as a more lonesome
sound.
Bluegrass has seen a resurgence
of “popularity” in recent
decades. The most prominent
development would be the movie
soundtrack for the Coen brother’s
O’ Brother Where Art Thou? along
with several big name musicians
including Jack White of The White
Stripes and Robert Plant of Led
Zeppelin performing bluegrass “We have a
music. This has helped with
the introduction of this genre
lot of weather
to Norwegian society. In 2002 here.”
the creation of the Norwegian Text: Anita Iyer
Bluegrass Association, which
helps promote bluegrass in It’s official: Spring is finally
Norway, and the Risør Bluegrass making its presence felt in
Festival, a gathering place for Oslo. Sometime over the course
bluegrass enthusiasts, further of the last few weeks, the
supported the assimilation of this
weather gods flipped a switch,
music into Norway. The festival is
and the piles of snow began to
held annually in mid-July and is disappear, giving way to hints
attended by several internationalof green and piles of gravel.
musicians. Spring is here, and Norwegians
(and those of us transplanted
Tucked away in Grunerløkka
to Norway) are venturing
is a bar called Alexandria. A
out into the milder weather
group of musicians gather and
and longer days in droves.
play together here every other
Wednesday. Anyone entering “Weather?” you might ask,
the bar is suddenly transported “Not sunlight?” As Norwegians
from the streets of Oslo to the like to point out, they have a
mountains of Kentucky, United lot of weather here, often in
States. It is an odd arrangement the space of a few hours. If it’s
of sound that is not often heard sunny now, you can count on it
in today’s world of music that’s raining (or snowing) later. The
usually filled with a harder and only thing more infuriating
edgier sound. With the right than the Norwegians’ ability
attitude and maybe a little to handle literally any type
moonshine this can be a great of weather with zen-like
place to come to see musicians equanimity is the oft quoted
playing music and enjoying life.
Scandinavian proverb, typical-
ly stated in response to
foreigners expressing dismay at
the fact that the weather went
from sunny and +7C to -1C and
snow in the course of 24 hours
(as it did a few weeks ago). The
Bluegrass/ Weather // 11
proverb, which is invariably
uttered when anyone makes
a remotely negative comment
about Norwegian weather, is
“Det finnes ikke dårlig vær, bare
dårlige klær,“ which translates
as “There is no bad weather,
only bad clothing.“ Or the
more accurate translation,
which most Norwegians
are too polite to give you, is
“it’s just rain/wind/sub-zero
te m p e rat u re s / s n o w / h a i l -
stones the size of pool balls,
put on a windbreaker/sweater
 and stop whining. The Vikings
didn’t whine, you wimp!» Obscuring
by Miles Walser
I understand the logic. First
of all, the proverb rhymes in
Norwegian, and who doesn’t 1
enjoy a snappy rhyme? Besides,
if one lives in Norway, one has On Oslo’s foggier days
to find a way to come to terms the clouds bend down, touch the snow
with all the weather, especially
and if you walk through a field while the sun stretches
since, for large portions of the
year, said weather is objectively through a wall of white, you plunge into
awful. It’s a national defense
a beautifully unbearable continuum of space.
mechanism. Admitting that
snow in May, three weeks You might be standing in the middle of the sky,
of solid cloud cover, or any it is impossible to know.
temperature below -10C is
completely awful regardless of
what you are wearing would 2
be accepting that Scandinavia
is not necessarily the best On my dumber days,
place on Earth. Contemplating I still talk to you in my head.
the fact that other people
manage to live happily in Sometimes a hiss creeps from the back
temperate climates will drive of my throat, boils out my ears
you crazy in the middle of
and I spend the afternoon fist-fighting a brick wall.
winter, after all. Hence, the
blame shifts to the clothing. Other times I melt into a chorus of whys

However, I take the third view, as I brush spider webs off of memories
the path less traveled, or the to understand what I already understand.
clothes less worn, if you will.
Each time I begin a sentence in second person,
Sure, there is bad clothing -
and it’s perfectly acceptable I cannot tell if I fall farther into
to internally laugh derisively or finally sift through the haze of you.
at the person who refuses to
ruin their nice outfit with a
windbreaker as the wind or rain
comes lashing down. However,
that doesn’t mean that snow
in April isn’t awful weather or
that rain coming down as the
sun shines is somehow as good
as a sunny day. So Norway, det
finnes dårlig vær OG dårlige
klær - There is bad weather,
and there is bad clothing.
And both can be spotted in
Oslo, particularly as the sun
12 \\ Poem

transforms into rain.

Picture: Amy Armstrong

STUDENT ELECTIONS RECAP
The polls for the Student Parliament (SP) elections
at the UiO closed at 1 pm on Tuesday, April 12th. RESULTS:
The elections started on April 5th and there were 4,36 %
many events and party presentations throughout
Venstrealliansen
the week. Wishing to increase the number of in-
Percentage ofSocial
voters
ternational students casting votes, Torkil Veder-
hus on behalf of SP cooperated with The Monthly
13,62 % per party 2011 Democrats
18,05 %
Liberal List
Moose in order to make an English language elec-
Blue List
tion guide. He also visited the International Cof- 13,20 %
fee Hour with a speech for international students. 18,27 % SV List

Due to the automatic registration of votes, it is HF List

9,70 %
impossible to calculate the exact number of inter- Realist List
8,90 %
national students voting in the election. However,
MOS List
the total amount of votes is 4 422 which is 16.35%
of the whole number of students. This is 3% more 13,90 %
than last year.
Next Student Parliament starts work in August Text & graphs:
2011. Marija Cabuskina

Thank you for voting!

More details on www.studentparlamentet.uio.no

on the bread. In this way, you can properly season it

Bruschette al pomodoro to taste. Remember above all, that many girls don’t
like garlic very much.
Cooking all’italiana Now you divide all the tomato cubes between the
bread slices, adding a little salt, oregano and fresh
Text & photo by Francesco Spinali basil. Finally, you dress them with a drizzle of pure
olive oil.
Hi again, Monthly Moose friends! I am Francesco
and would like to teach you another Sicilian recipe. At this time, “Bruschette al pomodoro” is ready,
Don’t worry, this time my food suggestion is very and I suggest you eat it while drinking a glass of
cheap and simple to make, and you don’t have to red wine (Sicilian, of course) and finally say to you:
completely cook the ingredients. “Enjoy your food.” Elections Recap/Recipe // 13
Sometimes Sicilians don’t like to be cooking for
a long time, especially during our hot and muggy
summer, but they always like to eat tasty food.
Today my proposal is “Bruschette al pomodoro.”
First, you need to buy the kind of bread that you
prefer (brown, white, soya, rye, rice etc.), four or
five red tomatoes, pure olive oil, garlic, fresh basil,
oregano and salt.
Next, you have to slice the bread and bake it in the
oven on both sides.
Please note that if you want to obtain many slices,
you would estimate the right quantity of bread and
tomatoes for them.
Next, you wash the tomatoes carefully and cut
them into cubes. With a knife, spread a little garlic
 When you start walking, you talk a
Waiting for the sun...and Amy lot. After a while you shut up and
simply walk...

Cabin Trip: From cold to warm,

meeting people outside your dorm
...And laugh, every
now and then

Are we there yet? ...Does it

look like it?
14 \\ Moose cabin trip

Walking makes you notice

weird things, like matching
boot colors.
 Starting to warm up by the fireplace

Keep a fire burning

while I’m gone...

Looks cozy and warm?

You know you’re Norwegian

when...you find yourself chop-
ping wood for the sauna...in a
onepiece It sucked! The guitar was broken.

After things got a

little steamy in the
sauna, we realized
you can be too hot
Moose cabin trip // 15

After a long day, it was time to hit the bunk beds :)

Pictures: John Modin

Text: Amy Armstrong
 Moose reviews
A Blå Sunday Cut Copy at Rockefeller
If you’re looking to
discover a new side
of Oslo, look no fur-
ther than the Sunday
market at Blå. Take
the afternoon, a cam-
era, a friend and have
a stroll along the Ak-
erselva while you
make your way down
to Brenneriveien 9. CONCERT
The walk to Blå will
On the 8th of March, me and a fellow exchange student
be as interesting as
from Berlin braved the icy sidewalks of downtown Oslo
the market itself.
as we heard that the Australian dance outfit Cut Copy
If you’re looking for a were in town. We were greeted at Rockefeller by the
longer stroll, start at absence of a supporting act. As a substitute, subdued
Grønland and walk trance music was played to a dance floor which was
ACTIVITY along Akers, away entirely bare except for a few extremely eager sixteen
from the bus station (Possible hoards of pigeons year old girls.
and ducks. Bird-phobics beware!). Another op-
We began worrying. We had come to dance and hopefully
tion with shorter walk and less birds is to take
we were not going to be the only ones busting a move.
trikk 11, 12 or 13 and get off at Nybrua. The
As soon as the band came on, we were proved wrong.
river will be behind you when you get off. This
The opening with Visions with a smooth transition
area of Oslo can appear a bit shady, but take a
to Nobody Lost proved as good an introduction to
closer look and you’ll notice it has a funky, raw
their live show as it did on their 2008 album In Ghost
vibe. On Sundays the crowd is everything from
Colours. It took less than a minute for everyone to flock
young families to friendly foreigners.
to the stage.
As you round the last bend of Akers before
The tour may have been disguised as an attempt to
hitting Blå, have your camera ready. Artwork
promote their new album but it was clear that the boys
lies in and around the water, covers the walls
only had one mission that night: to whip Oslo into a
of buildings and even hangs in trees. An enor-
dance frenzy. Crowd favourites such as So Haunted,
mous chandelier even greets you at the markets
Lights and Music and Hearts on Fire were their main
meeting-point.
artillery. As they launched into Saturday, an offering
Blå attracts a lot of hobby artists selling their from way back in 2004, a dance circle formed in front
knits, jewelry, cards, paintings, bags and vin- of the stage, giving the opportunity for some to really
tage clothes. There is always something new cut loose.
16 \\ Moose Reviews

and interesting to discover, as the vendors

The set was punctuated with songs from the new release
change every week. At the moment, a lot of au-
Zonsoscope. Tunes such as Where I’m Going, Take Me
thentic Norwegian knits cover the tables, pric-
Over and Need You Now proved catchy numbers that
es ranging from 100-250 kroner and higher (a
were met with the singing along amongst those who
steal compared to souvenir shops, and it comes
knew the words and excited bobbing from those who
with a great story).
didn’t.
If the idea of an original souvenir doesn’t ap-
The delivered encore Out There on the Ice seemed
peal to you, then the smell of fresh waffles and
a fitting farewell as we spilled back out onto the
spicy foreign cuisine surely will.
sidewalks of Oslo, filled with the electrical excitement
The market is open every Sunday: 12-17. of a fantastic show.
Text & picture: Sarah Mauk Text & picture: Aleesha Nathan
 Moose reviews
Krishnas Cuisine be the best choice
to sit and eat there.
A vegetarian’s heaven A better option is
Are you really hungry and insist on not eating to take the food
animals? Krishnas Cuisine might be the answer! with you and eat at
One of Oslo’s very few veggie places serves great home. Their take-
India inspired food, huge portions and unbeatable away boxes are well
prices. As the name suggests, the staff have a insulated, so that
certain Krishna touch and are very friendly. your meal will still
There is always a changing menu of the day, be warm for at least
consisting of a soup with crispy bread, a salad, and one hour.
a main dish. With ingredients and compositions After numerous
differing every day, the colorful main dish usually visits I have
contains at least the following: rice, savory pastry, always encounter-
chutney and lots of vegetables and tofu in sauce. ed friendly staff
Additionally, you can also get desserts and fruity and great food at
lassis. Krishnas Cuisine.
Krishnas Cuisine is located inside the Colosseum
Center at Majorstuen (Sørkedals-veien 10b),
near the Colosse-um cinema. The interior of the
shopping center is not very cosy and since the
restaurant is opened to the corridor, it might not Text & picture: Rebecca Plath RESTAURANT

Norwegian Wood alities and

individua-
lism. Writ-
ten in the
When I first watched the movie Norwegian Wood, first person,
a Japanese drama based on Haruki Murakami’s the words
novel of the same name, I was intrigued (and a were simple,
little confused) by the complexity of the plot, as yet carefully
well as by the protagonist, Toru Watanabe. May- chosen to
be this movie did not follow the typical Hollywood evoke cer-
formula, but it sure did leave me pondering the tain sen-
present society that I am living in. timents BOOK & FILM
After reading the novel, I felt that Murakami throughout
certainly lived up to his reputation as one of the the novel.
century’s finest novelists. The story unfolds dur- Each character had their own story to tell, and
Moose Reviews // 17

ing the 1960s, an era of free love, casual sex and
uneasy friendship, which lead to the silent strug-
gles that Toru went through during his adolescent
years as a university student. As Toru yearns for
his first love, Naoko, he is also enchanted by Mi-
dori, a spontaneous and free spirited young lady
who opened up a whole new perspective to the
crazy world out there...
Norwegian Wood is an evocative and beautifully
written story, peppered with an unconventional
sense of humour. The characters in the novel were
portrayed more humanly, with striking person-
Murakami did a brilliant work conveying every
character’s sense of longing, love, anguish, and
pain. Even the descriptions of the atmosphere and
the setting were vivid and meticulously painted to
the last detail.
It was a pity that I watched before reading Nor-
wegian Wood. Like most novel-turned-films, the
literature is always the better option.
Text: Lim Shuyu
 Couch surfing
Discovering new culture
on the European local Couch
Do you want to travel the world and discover
new cultures? Do you want to share inspiring
experiences with international people? I think
most students who study at UiO, regardless of
whether they are international or Norwegian,
long to challenge themselves by seeking out new
experiences and meeting as many new people
as possible. As students, we want to enlarge our
perspective of the world and wish to become a
member of the global village.
experiences, I have felt the pleasure that comes
with encountering unfamiliar culture and the
beliefs of local people.
Participate in local life
One of my unforgettable memories from couch
surfing was my visit to this old restaurant named
‘BONBUCK’ in Montmartre, with my dear French
local hosts Nina and Egon. They had a 40% off
voucher for a dish. When I met them in Paris, my
French hosts had already reserved dinner for me
in Montmartre, which is a wonderful tourist city.
It was really fun and fantastic to have dinner in
the oldest restaurant in the city, which was built
in the 19th century. If I had not been staying with
local people, I wouldn’t have known how to use the
discount voucher for dinner or which restaurant
was the oldest.

In addition, Nina introduced me to her friend

Pamella, who is half Korean, and we went to the
fancy street for local university students in France.
Thanks to her, I visited one of the local art schools
named ‘Beaux arts de Paris’ and saw the exhibition
of the sound of Silence by Alfredo Jaar. It was so
special to visit and discover new destinations
that I could not even imagine before I visited
them. And every night, we had time to talk about
different backgrounds and visions for the future,
and I could experience their food and values. It
was real participation in their daily life. Through
In this article, I would like to introduce couch these experiences and memories with local people
surfing as a good chance to experience new culture I made thanks to couch surfing, I am sure I got an
and inspiration. Couch Surfing offers one option experience that went beyond simply traveling.
for stay on your travels and has formed on the
internet as a community of travelers and local Experience cultural exchange and friendship
people from all over the world. The purpose of this that transcends national borders.
network is to exchange culture and hospitality by Couch surfing is also nice because you get to know
“hosting” and “surfing;” the traveler surfs, and others and understand different cultures in a short
the local hosts. “Couch Surfing” means that the amount of time. For example, whenever I get a
traveler gets a couch at a local host’s home during couch during my travels, I cook Korean food for
their travels and has the chance to share their my thankful host. My European hosts don’t know
culture with their host. It not only means free very much about Korean culture so it seemed like
accommodation for the traveler but also can be a a great idea to introduce Korean culture through
18 \\ Couch surfing

good chance to experience local life and culture. By food. It was really successful. I shared Korean food
allowing a stranger to stay with them, the host can with all 3 hosts in France and my Norwegian host,
share hospitality and get inspired. and all of them really loved my special dish.

As an exchange student from South Korea, In Tours, my second French hosts, Elodie and
traveling to as many European countries as Damien and I just had the international food
possible and meeting new people with different exchange. At first, they introduced me to French
backgrounds along the way topped my wish list. traditional home cooking named ‘Pot au Feu.’ They
Enlarging my perspective requires facing various also let me experience and try dessert and cocktails
and different challenges as I discover the world. in a real French style. It was a really perfect chance
To accomplish my wish, I tried couch surfing when to experience and discover local life. In exchange,
I visited new areas in Europe. Through my couch I made a Korean home cooking dish named
‘Cheyuk bokkeum’ (stir-fried pork
and mushroom with vegetables), From Norway to clubs
and my hosts had the opportunity to
experience Korean food culture. I was
with lots of beats!
By Pablo Reylar
really glad to introduce my culture to
them during my short stay. Through It is in the clubs where people gather every weekend to forget the
this exchange, I grew closer to a new hustle of the week, have a beer, meet friends, flirt, and of course,
culture and to new friends. dance! Although there are many genres of music to which people
can dance, in this case, I will place special emphasis on dance
From couch surfing, I feel that I have
music that has its roots in electronic music. It’s sometimes
mixed with pop and hip-hop, and it’s the soul of the night.
In the Norwegian music, there are a few artists who have won
international acclaim for their music. They have transcended
borders beyond the Scandinavian peninsula, and have given us
an idea of the beats that move the feet of this country.
Several international dance stars owe their success, in part, to
the music producers Stargate, Tor Erik Hermansen and Mikkel
Eriksen Storleer, who began their career in Trondheim and
are currently producing in New York. Among their hits are So
Sick, Closer, Mis Independent by Ne-yo, Irreplacable by Beyonce,
Beautiful Liar by Beyonce and Shakira, Unfaithful, Don’t Stop the
Music by Rihanna, Firework by Katy Perry, and many others.
Much less commercial and incredibly acclaimed, the Tromsø
band Röyksopp has gained notoriety for its combination of
electronic atmospheres, drum & bass, house and afro-american
made close international friends, and sounds, as well as for their flamboyant look at concerts. His debut
everywhere I visited became a second album Melody AM (2001) includes the incredibly famous Eple.
hometown. Maybe it’s because of His most recent recording Senior (2010) contains more quiet and
the memories and the conversations introspective atmospheres since it only includes instrumental
with great local hosts I had during songs that contrast with Junior (2009), which contains vocals by
my travels. Therefore, I’m sure that the Swedish artist Robyn.
this way of traveling is a good option
for both local people and travelers Within the genre known as “Hands up” or “Eurodance,” we
who want to exchange culture and can find Nightcore, a band that combines confusing, sad and
make global friends. If you are happy themes with a high tempo to create “Happy Hardcore.”
worried about whether to trust You either hate it or love it. Another band to mention is Reset,
staying with strangers during short which had its greatest success in the Nineties during the fever Scandinavian Dance Music // 19
travel, I would like to say just don’t of the genre. Recently, to the joy of their nostalgic fans, they’ve
worry about anything. Just try to promised to tour and produce a new album.
believe everything and everyone you Aqua deserves a passing mention, although it is based in
encounter in the world. This mindset Denmark and three of its members are Danish. The only woman
might be a great change for you but and vocalist is Norwegian (yes! the same who has such a high-
will help to enlarge your world view pitched voice in Barbie Girl). Aqua is considered a native band
and discover new inspiration. by the two countries. Their success was unprecedented in 1997,
and they have conquered 5 continents with music. Although
Further information can be found at:
they separated in 2001, in 2008 they met to continue their
www.couchsurfing.org
success, and to the delight of all, the band has released their new
Text & Pictures : Sehee Park single this last March, a dance track that has been fully adapted
to the new rhythms and sounds. It has emerged as a summer hit;
How RU Doin? is already succesfully being played in Oslo clubs.
The recommendation of the month is to go
to the club and dance.
 Riga
A mini version of Paris
I love Riga. I fell in love with every little street Latvia and Latvians. It has been there through
inside the Old Town and the quiet and isolation of a
part of this never-sleeping city a long time ago.
As I am a local and total insider of Riga, and because it
actually happens to be my hometown, I can admit that
I am proud to be born and raised there. Nevertheless,
I never knew that so many international students in
Norway choose Riga as their city of destination for
travelling.
For a while, I guess I took it for granted and had
no idea why people took their time to travel to see
it when they can go to Paris or Rome instead, but
then it hit me- it is not for the cheap alcohol, it is
20 \\ Riga
not for the shops, and it is not for the ”let’s just go
somewhere we’ve never been” statement. People go
to Riga to gain the experience of a small city being
so big. The history of Riga goes back to 1201, when
it was founded, and so it contains a lot of history of
World War I and World War II. It has seen the
struggle of the Latvians, and between Old
Town and the new part of Riga graciously
stands the Monument of Freedom, with three
stars in the hands of the sculpture of a woman
called Milda.
What you will get if you travel to the capital
of Latvia are amazing city parks, great
architecture, different kinds of museums for
The Dome cathedral
every taste, lots of galleries for art lovers and
active nightlife for party people. It may seem
that Riga is so small, but there surely are a lot
of things to see and places to be. The Old Town
itself is worth seeing because some streets
are more than 800 years old. You can always
take the elevator in St. Peters Church to have
an amazing view of the Riga skyline. Have
a walk along the Esplanade Park, Kronvalda
Park and Vermanes Garden; or Alberta Street
for magnificent and the most remarkable
Art Nouveau buildings. If you happen to be
interested in museums, it is possible to find
Sun Museum, The Museum of the Occupation
of Latvia, Riga Motormuseum, Latvian War
Museum, and the National History Museum of
Latvia, (which is known as Riga Castle), as
well as many more.

If you have had quite enough of sightseeing,

museums, and history, you can always have
the best cup of coffee you can possibly find
in comfortable premises of the coffee house
called Coffee Inn which is placed right in the
Old Town. Some people say that coffee you’ll The Charming parks of Riga
taste there is even better than the famous
Starbucks itself. If you are tired and just want
to sit and feel the buzz around you, play some
games such as Scrabble, cards or trivia games,
it is definitely the best place to go. When it
comes to Latvian food the best place to go is
a restaurant called Lido. Latvian atmosphere
and amazingly tasty food is what you’ll get
there.

When it comes to night life it has to be noted

that Latvians absolutely love to party and
that probably is the reason why Riga contains
so many clubs and bars. The best thing is
that all of them are placed not far away from
each other. If you are somebody who likes a
more alternative scene I would recommend
you go to “Pulkvedim Neviens Neraksta”, “Shot
Cafe”, “Vieta” or to “Piens”, if you prefer more
luxurious places then “Mad House” or “Kefirs”
is the place for you. Nevertheless, I have to
note that since Latvians love to party till the
early mornings, they usually approach the
clubs and bars around midnight.
So if you are ready for a small adventure by
going to a country which still has its own
currency , and are longing for a charming
view and crazy nightlife, then Riga is the right
Riga // 21

choice because it truly has it all.

The Old Riga

Text and Photo: Gunita Gailāne
 The Right to Roam
Friluftsloven in Modern Norway
Norway is a country filled with breathtaking
natural scenery. The striking beauty of the fjords,
the stunning glaciers and the whimsical mountain
streams attract the attention of visitors from
around the world. The freedom to roam and
experience the environment is an important way
of life for Norwegians, and the citizens of Norway
feel so strongly about the public right of access
that legislature has been put in place to protect it.
The Outdoor Recreation Act, or Friluftsloven, has
secured that right, making Norway an example
for the rest of the world when it comes to outdoor
recreation, conservation, and access.
Historically, Norway has been a country that
relies heavily on natural resources, evident by
the nation’s rich past in fishing and farming. This
reliance on the land has created a society that is
connected with nature, and many Norwegians
turn to the outdoors as a source of recreation
and leisure. In fact, the Norwegian Trekking
Association (DNT), an organization that promotes
trekking and improves recreation conditions by
maintaining trails and huts around the country,
has more than 220,000 members. That means that
one out of every five men, women and children in
the country is a member! There is no doubt that
enjoying nature is important to the Norwegian
population as a whole. You only need to spend one
sunny afternoon at Sognsvann to see that!
The Outdoor Recreation Act was put on the books
in 1957, securing this part of cultural heritage
in written law. The act distinguishes between
cultivated (innmark) and uncultivated (utmark)
land. This distinction is important because it
protects any cultivated land (gardens, tilled fields,
22 \\ Roaming in Norway
etc.) by restricting public access. The uncultivated
land, however, is, by many definitions, available
to the public. Not only are members of the public
allowed to roam (on foot or on skis) and camp on
this land, but visitors are also able to harvest berries
and mushrooms for their own consumption. As
long as the property is lying fallow or is covered
by snow, the public has access, be it countryside,
forest, mountains, rivers, or beaches. This benefit
comes with responsibility. The public is expected
to respect the land and to leave it undamaged. This
includes all features, natural (trees, streams, and
wildlife) or manmade (fences, barns and houses).
There are other restrictions on the freedom to
wander. Dogs must be on a leash during the
summer months, and fires are banned from May
to September.
The concept of public right of access
(allemannsretten) is a way of life here. It is a feature
of Norwegian society that has been ingrained for
generations. However, this freedom comes with a
warning. As idyllic as access for all seems, it can
present some challenges. For example, a survey
was conducted in 1995 that looked at how much
Norwegians knew about Friluftsloven. Seventy
five percent of adults between the ages 40-64 years
responded that they “knew something about their
rights and responsibilities.” Only 40% of young
adults aged 15-24 responded in the same manner
(Directorate for Nature Management). The survey
did not account for any foreign tourists, but the
statistics show that the number of foreign tourists
is increasing, and in general, visitors will be less
knowledgeable about laws of the host country.
The lack of knowledge within the Norwegian
public and the increase in tourism are cause for
concern because the success of the public right
to access depends on respect and awareness of
natural places.
As the population of Norway and tourism to
the country continues to grow, will the use of
nature and its protection be synergistic, or will
the increase in numbers lead to degradation,
overuse and abuse? The “unwritten principle” of
responsible outdoor recreation has been put into
law, but now the question is whether the policies
in place will be able to handle a growing Norwegian
public and an increase in tourism. The government
has left it up to the individual to be responsible
for their impact. As the snow melts, get out and
enjoy the spring sunshine but remember that your
right to roam comes with responsibilities. See you
on the trail!
Text: Katie Harris
Photo: Amy Armstrong
Peer Gynt Park in Oslo
I was very surprised when our editor told me
that there is a sculpture park in Oslo devoted
to Peer Gynt by Henrik Ibsen. The fact that
Ibsen is one of the most staged playwrights
in the world notwithstanding, there are not
so many monuments depicting his works or
characters. Therefore, in my view, the idea
of creating the Peer Gynt Sculpture Park in
the capital of Norway is brilliant.
When the first sculptures in the park were
unveiled, the Minister of Culture of Norway
underlined the importance of the private sector
supporting culture, and thanked Selvaag Gruppen
for setting such a great example. Having visited
Løren, I totally agree with the mentioned opinion.
The suite of sculptures makes the modern
residential area very special. I hope that more
building companies all over the world will follow
the example of Selvaag, and understand that it
is possible to simultaneously build houses and
enrich culture.
Text: Mariam Nodia
Photos: Natalya Tikhonova

The initiator of creating the park is the house-

building company Selvaag. According to the
company, when announcing the international
sculpture contest in November 2004, they aimed
to generate the best designs of sculptures based
on Peer Gynt and, moreover, enrich the new
district in Oslo with those sculptures. The jury of
the contest consists of seven people, among them
outstanding Ibsen scholars, theatre directors,
sculptors, artists, etc.

Peer Gynt Park is located in the residential area,

on Peter Møllers vei / Lørenvangen. The Park is
Sculpture Park // 23

due to be completed in 2012, and is supposed to

consist of about thirty sculptures. So far, one can
find about twenty sculptures in the park created
by sculptors from all over the world, e.g.: Peer
Gynt by Nina Sundbye (Norway), Anitra’s Dance
by Leopoldo Emperador (Spain), Peer Gynt and
the Passenger by Mats Åberg (Sweden), The Thin
Priest with a Fowling Net by Eamonn O’Doherty Sources:
(Ireland), Running Away with the Bride by Jim
http://peergynt.selvaag.no/en-gb/Pages/default.aspx
Dine (USA), The Devil in a Nut by Enzo Cucchi
(Italy), Peer, Solveig and the Button-moulder by http://www.visitoslo.com/en/peer-gynt-suite-sculpture-
park.49105.235215re72.tlp.html
Jan Kolasinski (Poland), Solveig by the Settler’s
Hut by Wolf Bröll (Germany) etc.
 Monday: Norwegian Film Night
Every Monday night, at 6 pm the Special Events Program hosts a movie night at Auditorium
1 in Helga Engs hus, giving international students the opportunity to enjoy a glimpse into
Norwegian life and culture from the comfort of an auditorium seat.
No worries, all movies have English subtitles so all are most welcome!

02.05: Dark Woods
Just in case the prospect of snow
in spring didn’t scare you enough,
May’s first Movie Monday features
a horror film. In Dark Woods, the
crew of the TV show “Real TV,”
along with their slightly crazy and
controlling boss, journey into the
wilderness for a weekend of “team-
building.” They must eat only what
nature gives and cannot use cell
phones or smoke. Two of the four
team members find a dead body
near an abandoned campsite, but
the boss tells them to go on, with-
out telling the others, as if nothing
happened. But something did hap-
pen, and the madness escalates,
leading to mistrust, paranoia and
24 \\ Norwegian Film Night
09.05:Comrade Pedersen
The Special Events websites fails to
warn you that when you step into
the room on May 9th, you’ll be step-
ping back in time to witness love
and revolution, devotion and failure
intertwine on a crash course with a
hope that lies somewhere between 16.05: Kon-Tiki
On May 16th tune in for Kon-Tiki,
idealism and absurdity. Comrade
which in 1951 won the Best Docu-
Pedersen (2006) takes you right
mentary Feature at the 24th Acad-
into Norway circa the 1970’s, an
era when Marxism and Leninism emy Awards. If you’re yet to visit
the museum here in Oslo dedicated
dominated society. The historical
to the voyage, “Kon-Tiki” was the
drama focuses on the ideological
struggles of the young high school name of a wooden raft used by six
teacher Knut Pedersen who dreams Scandinavian scientists, led by
Thor Heyerdahl, on their 101-day
of a conventional, middle-class life
journey from South America to the
but soon finds himself at the door-
Polynesian Islands. They sought to
step of the Marxist-Leninist party
prove Heyerdahl’s theory that peo-
AKP, where he meets Nina Skåtøy.
ple from the East, mainly Peru, and
He falls for her, and during their in-
not Asia populated the Polynesian
tense relationship, the revolution-
Islands. This theory challenged the
ary ideas begin to make more sense
notion accepted for over a hundred
to his doubting mind. Even as hopes
years. Heyerdahl studies the winds
for their utopia unravel, amidst self-
and tides in the Pacific, attempting
proletarization, and other defeats,

the team turning on one another. to simulate the conditions the Peru-
Pedersen stays by her side as an ad-
Needless-to-say, their internal dra- vians would have encountered, as
mirer and defender…
ma doesn’t pose the greatest threat. he sets out on a voyage to test his
They crossed a line. It appears the I think I liked this movie quite a bit; theory and his skills.
boss didn’t have things under con- I say think because it left me a bit
trol as tightly as he hoped… silent, as if the impact needed some I don’t exactly feel qualified to
time to make sense. I really didn’t comment on an award-winning
I tried to pretend I liked horror mov- know much about life in Norway documentary, but I will say the
ies, but I still found myself saying film mimics his adventure. It nar-
during this era of global upheaval
“of course.” I wouldn’t necessarily so I found it quite fascinating, es- rates footage of the voyage, fully
call the movie predictable or boring, capturing the trials and glory of this
pecially since I enjoy political phi-
though; it handled “dumped alone losophy and revolution. The movie breath-taking adventure.
at a dark, mysterious cabin” quite
has mass appeal as well; in a way,
remarkably. The setting features you can say Pedersen represents
some authentic, filmed on-sight
any young person searching for and
stunning Norwegian woods, which discovering the reality behind his
sets the mood rather nicely. Perhaps
dreams, all-the-while knowing his Text: Amy Armstrong
you might call the movie something
society needs change, but fearing Pictures: written permission of
of a Norwegian “Blair Witch Proj-
the process. He clings to what he Norsk Filminstitutt
ect.”
knows, which makes him relatable.
 •Sunday Digestive: Phaedra @ Park- •Sports day @ Rådhusplassen
24
What’s teatret
www.idrett.no
www.parkteatret.no
8
On in Oslo
•Sunday market @ Blå
•Easter celebration@ Norsk Folke
25 Museum •Frank Znort Quartet @ Blå

www.norskfolkemuseum.no www.blaaoslo.no
by Ria Tobing
26 •TirsdagsQuiz @ Biblioteket, Chateu 9 •Summer Exhibition @ Munch Mu-
Neuf seet

www.studentersamfundet.no www.munch.museum.no
10 •Lang Lang @ Oslo Konserthus
27 •School revue of the year 2011

APRIL (No)@ National Theatret

14 •Spring Exhibition 2011 @ Fotogal-
leriet + 15
www.fotogalleriet.no
•Norwegian Radio Orchestra: Film
Music @ NRK, Store Studio
www.nrk.no
15 •Isaac Julien: film and video instal-
lations@ Kuntnernes Hus
www.kunstnerneshus.no
•Oslo Nerd Army @ Internasjonalen
www.nationaltheatret.no 11
www.oslokonserthus.no
•Hiking and Rappelling @ Kolsåstop-
28 •How to Build a Dishwasher @ Kun- pen
stnernes Hus www.uio.no (Special Events)
www.kunstenerneshus.no 12 •Fashion Evening @ Oslo Konser-
29 •International Coffee Hour @ Chateu thus
Neuf www.oslokonserthus.no
www.uio.no (Special Events) •Kon-Tiki Oscar 1951 – 2011 @ Kon-
Tiki Museet
30 Grünerløkka Alternatives : Urban
Balkan Sounds@ Gamla www.kon-tiki.no
www.gamla.no
13 •Ballet: Romeo & Juliet @ Den Nor-

MAY
ske Opera og Ballett
www.internasjonalen.no
www.operaen.no
16 •Burning Man (dubstep evening) @
1 •Retrospective: Film and Video Art
in Norway @ Stenersenmuseet 14 •Klubb Juicy @ Blå
Café Sør
www.blaaoslo.no
www.cafesor.no www.stenersen.museum.no

17 •Bach in the High Mass@ Oslo Dom- 2 •Film Evening: Villmark (Dark
Woods) @ Helga Engs Hus, Audito-
•Pub Crawl (No.) @ start: Beer Palace
kirke www.ol-akademiet.no
rium 2
www.oslodomkirke.no
www.uio.no (Special Events)
•Circus Arnardo @ By Munch Mu- Special 200th
seet 3 •Green Drinks @ Oslo Mekaniske
Verksted Anniversar y
www.arnardo.no Events
www.greendrinks.org
18 •Glances at Al-Andalus Art @ CAK
•Café baroque w/ Barokkanerne @
www.cak.no Cafeteatret Exhibition opening: Mind gap

19 •Inferno Metal Festival (club night)

@ Different clubs in Oslo
www.cafeteatret.no Apr 16, 2011, Norsk Teknisk Museum, Kjel-

www.rockefeller.no
4 •Beer and food tasting @ Akersber-
sÂs.
An exhibition on the brain and how it
get
works, based on current brain research, also
20 •Inferno Metal Festival @ Rockefell-
er & John DEE
www.ol-akademiet.no from researchers at University of Oslo.

•Bounce Street Dance Company @

www.rockefeller.no Exhibition: Real NorClinLing Con-
Bærum Kulturhus Ladies. The Fe- ference 2011
•Big Salsa Party @Rockefeller www.kulturbaerum.no male Pioneers of
Science. May 5-7, www.hf.uio.
www.rockefeller.no no/clinical2011
5 •Folk music consert @ Riksscenen
Mar 8, 2011 - May
The program will con-
What's On? // 25

www.riksscenen.no 1, 2011, Galleri

Sverdrup, Blind- sist of a combination
21 •Subconscious Dubstep night @ Re- •Stand-up comedy(No, Swe, Eng): ern of plenary talks and
general oral and post-
volver Dag Sørås, Magnus Betnér and Nick
The exhibition er sessions on top-
Sun. @ Betong, Chateau Neuf show the first ics related to clinical
www.revolveroslo.no
female pioneers linguistics, including
22 •Service on Good Friday@ Oslo
www.studentersamfundet.no
of Science. Next clinical phonetics and
Domkirke 6 •Market days @ Grünerløkka time you pop by
the Coffee bar in
assessment, treat-
ment and methodol-
www.oslodomkirke.no www.sentrum.biz Georg Sverdrups ogy in speech and

23 •Dj Jazz It Up @ Café Sør 7 •The Original Elvis Tribute 2011 @

Cosmopolite and Belleville
building, remem-
ber the exhibition.
language pathology.

www.cafesor.no
www.cosmopolite.com
 ELGINT0110: The Moose Norwegian Course
Learn Norwegian on your own, with a little help from The Moose.

Lesson 6: Påske – Easter Therefore, påske in Norway can be a very quiet,

Text and photo: Rebecca Plath frustrating or/and exciting time. All in all, it is one
of my favorite Norwegian holidays because you can
Easter [påske] is a very special time for Norwegians, either have the whole city to yourself (it at least
and non-Norwegians might notice this when they feels like it), or you can do it like the Norwegians
find themselves all alone on a desolate Karl Johans and take your skis and a pile of påskekrim and go
Gate during the Easter holidays. The city looks like into the mountains, enjoying the last winter mo-
a ghost town: stores are closed, streets are empty ments while really hoping for or dreaming of an
and opening hours are extremely short. early, warm spring.
Where is everybody???
They are all where the last snow is, in their hytte
[cabin] in the påskefjell [Easter mountains] spend-
ing their påskeferie [Easter break] skiing on the
påskeføre [skil tracks with old snow], eating pås-
keegg [Easter eggs] and oranges with the påske-
hare [Easter bunny] and reading lots of påskekrim
in the evening.
The påskekrim is a phenomenon that starts some
weeks before Easter. Suddenly all the bookstores
in the entire country only seem to sell crime sto-
ries. But it is not only in literature that crime takes
over; there is påskekrim on the radio and on TV.
Not even when eating breakfast can you escape it:
The Norwegian dairy company TINE prints differ-
ent påskekrim on the side of their milk cartons.
The stories always contain a mystery that is to be
solved by the people at the breakfast table. On Eas-
ter Sunday, you can call TINE to learn who did it,
which every year causes the switchboard to break
26 \\ Moose Norwegian Course

down.

Norwegian Idiom Illustrated

- som plommen i egget = like the yolk in the egg

This Norwegian idiom is often used to describe people who are in

a comfortable situation, without problems or worries. It literally
refers to the yolk in the egg, which is protected and has a rather
pleasant existence...until it gets boiled as this year’s påskeegg ;-)

- Example: Jeg har det som plommen i egget. = I’m having a really
good time.

Picture: Marija Cabuskina

Text: Rebecca Plath
Moose Comic
Follow the adventures of a
mascot Moose working in one
of Oslo’s souvenir shops.
by Irina Osepashvili

Moose Comic // 27
 Started in September 2008, The Monthly Moose is the
only student magazine at UiO published entirely in
English. It is printed in 500 copies each month and
available in paper format at Frederikke, Sogn and
Kringsjå post box buildings, Amatøren, the Kringsjå
pub, International Coffee Hour and Chateau Neuf. We
do our best to integrate non-Norwegian speaking stu-
dents into the fabric of student life at UiO by sharing
28 \\
The Monthly Moose was sent to print on April 13.
The next issue comes out in the middle of May.
Deadline for external contributions: April 25.
information about significant events at the university
and the outside world. We also bring the "voice" of in-
ternational students to the corridors of power, by de-
livering The Moose directly to significant administrative
staff at UiO and SiO.
In September 2010 The Monthly Moose was awarded
the "Best Publication Award" by SiO and UiO for its
integrative and informative efforts.
© The Monthly Moose 2011