Reflections at the Halfway Mark

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  Oslo, Norway
Saturday, June 9, 2007

Hei hei alle sammen!!!
 
What a week it's been already, and to think we're only halfway into our trip!  Claudia and I start our days early (yes, I am capable of being ready for breakfast at 7:30-who would have guessed?) and pack in a lot of work (and a lot of fun) into these many hours of sunlight, and I come back each day to my room just exhausted but so happy to be here.
 
On the Business Side of Things...
 
So as of today, Claudia and I have interviewed eight people from many different areas of Norway's efforts in peacebuilding and human rights, ranging from the Church, Norwegian Church Aid, peace research and advocacy centers, and even the Nobel Institute.  All of these people come from different backgrounds in their international experiences, age, beliefs, opinions, but every single one has offered an insight that we hadn't seen before, leading to conversations that last much longer than the scheduled 30-40 minutes we had asked for.  Without going into too much detail (we don't want to release our findings quite yet!), I just want to share with you some reflections that I've found through my conversations with these peace practitioners.
 
One of the greatest things I've learned in the past five days is that Norway may be a small country in quantity, but they consistently turn out citizens of quality who are dedicated to making the world a better place.  Claudia and I walked through the old kirkegård (cemetery) a few blocks from our hotel, where many of Norway's finest cultural leaders and national heroes lay in peace with many of the ordinary people.  Though this cemetery is in the middle of the busy city, it's teeming with the sweet melodies of the birds, the refreshing shade of the trees, and the low hum of the cars as they drive by.  It's nearly impossible to see it as a place of sadness, but I think a lot of that can be due to the fact that there were several other people enjoying the peacefulness too.  But to my point: Norway may only have 4.6 million people, but it has turned out leaders in literature, music, art, politics, and more.  The richness that each person gives not just to Norway but to their particular field as well is something that one might not expect from a country that's smaller than the population of Washington state.  These people may not garner the same amount of international acclaim that other countries may, but I argue that it simply isn't the Norwegian way to draw attention to one's self for selfish reasons of popularity and advancing to a higher position.  Instead, these people (and more than the eight that we've talked to so far) find their niche and embrace it, whether it's working as a volunteer in an advocacy campaign for climate change or as a senior researcher at the highly respected peace research center or as a dialogue facilitator in Jerusalem or as a novelist.  These jobs, careers, vocations that people dedicate their energy and time to are not have self-aggrandizement or stamps in a passport, but more to find something that you really believe in, and make it happen.
 
The most valuable lesson I've learned through this project at this point is just how important it is to make time for people, just how these interviewees have taken time out of their demanding schedules (including travel to Rome, Serbia, and the Sudan, just to name a few) to talk with us about the cultural values behind Norway's image as a peacebuilder and human rights advocate in the world.  Oftentimes we allow our busy lives to get the best of us, draining our energy and sense of time to the point that the last thing we want to do give a little more time to others.  I know this because I am one of the worst when it comes to sharing what little free time I have, especially during the school year.  Every single one of these people that we contacted over the past few weeks have been so gracious in reflecting on their experiences in working with peace as practitioners and as Norwegians, and I am humbled by their willingness to help out a professor and a bachelor's student (though I would say that most have asked if I was an MA student-it's nice to look older than 21!) with providing us with their time.  It's a different mindset than we're used to in the States (can you imagine emailing the former political advisor to the Secretary of State and easily securing an interview?) of having the time to share, even though Norwegians and Americans all have the same number of hours in a day to work, to play, to share, to accomplish.  I don't think that I'll ever be someone who people would want to interview (although that would be pretty cool), but I realize the value of taking the time to give just a little bit more, because you never know just how much you might be helping someone.
 
I know I gave a quick Google list from last time, but here's a better one: Norwegian Church Aid (www.nca.no/english), Nobel Peace Institute (www.nobel.no), Peace Research  Center, Oslo (www.prio.no), the Oslo Center for Human Rights, Nansenskolen (www.nansen-dialog.net) and the Norwegian Church (www.kirken.no).  They all have great English pages, so I hope that you will take just a little time to find out how Norwegians really are gentle but firm promoters of peace and human rights in this unjust world.
 
And for a little bit of fun....
 
The best element of Norwegian culture and society (in my humble opinion) is the balance of work and play.  Norwegians have one of the shortest workweeks in the world (an average of just 37.5 hours a week), but they still manage to have one of the highest GDPs in the world too!  Anyway, Claudia and I have adopted this attitude as well, and we have made sure that we are enjoying our time here in a relaxing sort of way too.  With two or so interviews a day, we are able to take the time to explore areas of Oslo (because these offices are ALL over the city) that she loved as a Fulbright scholar here in 2002-2003, and places I didn't get to see during my own adventures in Oslo.  We get salads from our favorite grocery stores, and sit in the park with our newspapers and enjoy the great weather with the locals in these parks off the beaten tourist paths.  We walk almost everywhere, supplemented with busses and trams and subways when it's a little too far to walk.  We both have some blisters and sore feet, but it's the best way to see the city. :o) 
 
We also have been speaking a lot in Norwegian too over the past two days (it's one thing to order hot dogs or coffee or buy books, but quite another to be conversational), and may God bless Claudia with her patience and understanding when it comes to my ineloquent norsk!   I'm often taken as a Norwegian here (I think my blonde hair, blue eyes, and last name give that impression), so I enjoy the fact that I can use the language with real Norwegians and not switch into english!  Claudia and I went to a Henrik Ibsen play (if you haven't heard of him, definitely google him too!) titled "Hedda Gabler" that was adapted from its 19th century setting to a more modern interpretation.  The play was in the National Theater (a really lovely building close to the Palace), and it was one of those intimate, black-box theater type plays.  Though I hardly understood a word (they talked really fast and used a vocabulary that extends much further than my two years of survival norsk have prepared me for!), it was an experience that I would not have done on my own.  Claudia clarified it for me (all in Norwegian too!) afterwards, so now I have a much better understanding of it. :o)  I could not ask for a more wonderful travel companion than Claudia, and I truly enjoy hearing her perspective on so many different things.  It's way more fun with two people than if either of us were here by ourselves!
 
 
Well, I ought to end this post before my internet time card runs out!  Tomorrow we are heading up to Lillehammer for the weekend and visiting our friends at Nansenskolen (where I did my field study in November), so it will be wonderful to take my favorite train route once again.  Hope you are all doing well, and thanks for reading!!
 
Med vennligst hilsen,
 
Christy

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