The Monthly Moose - Norwegian website

The Monthly Moose
The English language student magazine by ISU
In Th i s Is s u e:
Mee t th e ne w ISU b o a r d p.4-5
Su r v i v a l t i p s p.6-7
2 s t u d e n t s, 1 r o o m , 0 r e s p o n s e p.8-9
An d Mo r e...
Vol.3 Issue 1 — September 2010

Dear Readers,
In the beginning there was a question.
And the question was “Why Norway?”
Somehow, you came up with a fitting
answer for your application, and now
you are here. Now that you have
arrived, the question of “Why Norway?”
has turned into “Why did you come to
Norway?” Perhaps you’ve come up with
a response. Or perhaps not. Maybe a
new question has come to mind: “Why
(the heck) did I choose Norway?” or
more likely “Norway, WHY???”
We know you are out there, being
ripped off daily by Vinmonopolet and
overpriced food chains, facing housing
issues, feeling frustrated by your
inability to speak Norwegian, and at
times feeling lonely., and asking why.
And well, we don’t have an answer.
Furthermore, we are not going to find
one for you (although we will try harder
if you offer us enough money...) All
we have to offer is a few dozen pages
of text in English, written by students
like you and for students like you in a
language you can understand. We hope
you enjoy it. We really hope that you
enjoy all of your time in Norway, so that
your final question leaving this country
is “Why do I have to leave?”
This is just the beginning of a long way.
Walk with the Moose of Norway.
Marija, the Moose Herder
EDITORIAL
Looking Back, Looking Forward:
The Moose In The Year Ahead
A few weeks ago, we stood on a stage, antlers raised
(literally), and accepted an award recognizing us
as the best student publication of the year. In the
aftermath of the whirlwind of award ceremonies
and opportunities to eat free food, we found
ourselves wondering what exactly this meant.
On the one hand, we are honored. Several of us
on the editorial board this year have worked
with the magazine last year, and it’s gratifying
to bask in the limelight. On the other hand, the
recognition comes at a time when hundreds of
international students are unwilling subjects
in SiO’s housing “experiment” at Kringsjå.
We are not naive enough to be completely
unaware of the implications of an ISU-related
magazine winning an award at a time where the
University of Oslo is actively pursuing a policy
of internationalization, coupled with a housing
shortage which seems to have left international
students trapped between goals and reality.
Regardless, what is apparent is that we cannot
rest on our laurels. Much like the international
student population at UiO, our staff is fluid.
Many of the contributing writers, proofreaders,
photographers and artists from last year are
scattered across several continents, but this
semester has already brought new staff, fresh
ideas, and expanded horizons. In the past, we
have primarily been seen as international student
magazine only. This year, we hope to forge new
relationships with Norwegian student media, and
capitalize on our sudden exposure to help share
the trials, tribulations, and joys of life in Oslo as
experienced by both newcomers and Norwegians
alike. We hope you’ll be along for the ride!
Th e Mo o s e editorial b o a r d
2 \\ Editorial
Th e Mo n t h l y Mo o s e — Villa Eika, Blindern 0314 Oslo, P.O. Box 1088. monthly.moose@gmail.com
Ch ie f Ed i t o r: Marija Cabuskina — Wr i t e r s: Anita Iyer, Blayne Sapelli, Daniel Rolin, James Spinks,
Anita Iyer — Pr o o f Readers: Anita Iyer, Heather Baker, James Spinks, Mitch Molstad, Sara Fegelman
Marija Cabuskina, Sara Fegelman, Summer Choi — Co v e r Design: Marija Cabuskina, John Modin

CONTENTS
6
4 Meet Th e New ISU Bo a r d
6 Su r v iv a l Ti p s
8 Th e Ho u s i n g Sa g a
10 Ho w d i d t h e Mo o s e w i n a SiO Aw a r d
11 Sc a l i n g Gl a c i e r s
14 Su m m e r a t By g d ø y
16 Mo s t l y Har mless
18 Bi r t h d a y s Ar o u n d t h e Wo r l d
20
20 Ca t s a n d Do g s
22 I l o v e Oslo
24 Br e a d a n d Ga m e s
25 Fa m o u s No r w e g i a n s
26 ELGINT 0110
27 Best o f No r w a y
28 Th e Mo o s e Fr i d g e Do o r
22
JeeHee Hwang, Josefien Breedvelt, Julie Rousseau, Marija Cabuskina, Paris Obdan — Co p y Ed i t o r:
— Ph o t o Ed i t o r: Sara Fegelman — Vi s u a l Co n t e n t: Ana Rollán, John Modin, Julie Rousseau,
— La y o u t: Julie Rousseau, Marija Cabuskina.
Co n t e n t s // 3

V I C E
Meet the new
ISU PRESIDENT
Full name: Lubica Rozborova
From: Slovakia
Why are you going to be the best
damn President ever?
I don’t promise, I just work.
I don’t believe Slovakia is a real
country. I think it’s some kind of
elaborate practical joke to confuse
Americans.
Our country is so beautiful, and if you don’t know about it,
that’s your problem.
ISU (International Student
Union) is ISU Oslo is a branch
of ISU Norway, a non-profit
organization run for and by
international students. . ISU
collaborates with the Student
Parliament of UiO to represent
international students.
Elections were held at the
International Coffee Hour
on Friday, September 3rd
ISU VICE-PRESIDENT
SECRETARY
4 \\ Who's the new ISU?
Full name: Daniel Rolin
From: Slovakia,
Why are you going to
make the best damn Vice
President ever?
I was the author of the
Kringsja 24 petition, but
the administration refused to meet with me
even though we collected more than a hundred
signatures. Now, I have a title, and that gives me
leverage to make compensation happen. I’m
good at negotiating. Basically, I’m going to
be the best damn president ever’s right hand
man!
What kind of experience do you have?
I’ve worked as an Amnesty International lobbyist.
Hypothetically, if some kind of terrible scandal
were to destroy your administration, what
would it be?
Utter negligence.
Full name: Radan
Furiel
From:Slovakia
Why are you
going to
make the best damn General
Secretary of all time?
I have no ambition to say I’m the
best, that’s up to others to decide.
Hypothetically, if some kind of
terrible scandal were to destroy
your administration, would it
more likely involve prostitutes
or cocaine?
Definitely prostitutes.
Two of th e board members (the Trip
minister and the Webmaster) were
unavailable for interview. Meet them in
the new Moose!

ISU board!
CHIEF EDITOR OF
Join our Facebook
group
The International Students’
Union at the University of
Oslo 2010/2011
Contact us by e-mail
isu.oslo@gmail.com
THE MONTHLY MOOSE
Full name: Marija Cabuskina
From: Latvia
Why are you going to be the best damn
Editor in Chief of the Monthly Moose
ever?
Because we’re worth it! We’re the only
media here on campus that publishes exclusively in English.
We have to do our best to inform tnternational students here
that don’t speak Norwegian.
Is there any conflict of interest inherent in being
interviewed by one of your own staff members?
There certainly is, but I’m also writing for the Moose, and it’s
probably better than interviewing myself.
SOCIAL AFFAIRS
MINISTER
Full name: Alizamin
Jafarli,
From: Azerbaijan
Why are you going to
make the best damn
Social Affairs Minister
ever?
I want to get all students socialized in
addition to their studies, because it’s
important for everyone to have a better
understanding of the world, and the best
way to do that is by meeting other people.
Considering your lack of Borat, why is
Azerbaijan better than Kazakhstan?
First of all, why did you ask that question?
Why Kazakhstan as opposed to any other
country in Asia?
ACADEMIC AND PO-
LITICAL AFFAIRS
Full name: Jared Lennon
From: USA
Why are you going to be
the best damn Political
Affairs Minister ever?
I’ve studied political
science for years, I have
an avid interest in politics of all kinds, and I’m
going to do my very best to fight for the needs
of international students.
What kind of experience do you have?
I’ve worked for a US Senator dealing with
constituents.
Hypothetically, if some kind of
terrible scandal were to destroy your
administration, what would it be?
Money laundering with the Norwegian Mafia.
Text:Blayne Sapelli
Photos: John Modin
Who's the new ISU? // 5

Free Adv i c e:
11 Tips To Getting The Most Out Of Life In Oslo
A
new semester, a new country, a new city– adjusting to life in Oslo can be tough and expensive,
especially for for those new to Norway. Here are some quick tips to help you stay safe, save money,
and get the most out of life in Oslo
1) Free food at Kiwi: By now, most of you are probably aware that Kiwi is one of the cheapest
places to buy groceries. But did you know that you can get food there for free? Kiwi guarantees that all
the food sold in their shops is fresh, and backs this promise up with a sweet deal – if you find anything
which expires today or tomorrow on the shelves, you get the product for free. Expired products
can be traded for a fresh version of the same product, and expired cigarettes or alcohol net you the
equivalent value in cash. So start checking those expiration dates!
2) Loppemarkeds: Secondhand shopping in the fresh air is a great way to find cheap furniture,
clothes, books, music, or whatever else you need but don’t necessarily want to buy brand-new. So
grab some cash and check out the weekly Saturday market under the bridge at Grønland (right next
to the T-bane station) or hit the Sunday market at Birkelunden.
3) Grønland for Greens: In need of fresh fruits and veggies? Then hop the T-bane to Grønland!
The small immigrant-run shops routinely rank at the top of the list of places to find the best and
cheapest produce. This area is also home to the source of some of the cheapest kebabs in the city.
4) Medical Assistance, 24/7: Need to see a doctor? The 24 hour legevakt (emergency clinic)
at Storgata 44 is always open. You’ll also find a 24 hour pharmacy there.
6 \\ Su r v i v a l Ti p s

Text by Anita Iyer
Photo by Summer Choi
5) Late T-Bane? Take a cab!: If you are waiting for a bus, T-bane, boat or tram in Oslo which
is running more than 20 minutes late, Ruter will cover the cost of a cab up to 500 kr to get you to your
location. Read more about the guarantee here www.sporveien.no/PageFiles/227/travel_guarantee_
feb2010.pdf.
6) Shopping on Sundays: There’s nothing that makes a Sunday morning hangover worse
than awaking and realizing that you are completely out of food/toilet paper/coffee. Luckily, there are
several smaller grocery stores open on Sundays, such as the Joker, Bunnpris, and Ica at Majorstuen, as
well as many of the shops in Grønland.
7) The Night Bus: Before your next night on the town, familiarize yourself with the night bus
schedule. The cost of the night bus is covered under a valid monthly student transit card. If you don’t
have a student transit card, the night bus is still cheaper than taking a taxi home. Check out www.
trafikanten.no for more info.
8) Cheap(er) Haircuts: Like much else in Oslo, haircuts here are quite expensive. Those of
you in need of a new and unwilling to trust the scissors to a friend (or go the do-it-yourself route) can
always hit one of the styling schools in Oslo. Here, students will style your hair under the watchful
gaze of seasoned professionals who will intervene if necessary. Some places to check out include the
Auster Academy on Karl Johan, or Adam and Eva, located near Jernbanetorget.
9) Free Entertainment: It might feel like everything in Oslo costs a lot of money, but things
do happen in this city for free. The website Oslo Pulse (www.oslopuls.no) offers a searchable calendar
of events. Unfortunately, it’s in Norwegian, but with the aid of a dictionary, a translation tool, or a
Norwegian friend, even the least skilled in Norwegian can navigate it. Remember, the word for free is
gratis!
10) Embrace Friluftslivet!: Life in Norway is all about embracing friluftsliv, or literally the
fresh air life. Living in Oslo means that an excellent selection of swimming, hiking, and in a few months
time, skiing opportunities are just a short bus or T-bane ride away. Check out DNT’s (Den Norske
Turistforening) website for more information. http://www.turistforeningen.no/
11) Emergency: Hopefully, you’ll never need this information, but in case of an emergency,
dial:
110 - Fire
112 – Police
113 - Ambulance
120 – Emergency at open sea
Su r v i v a l Ti p s // 7

The Hou
8 \\ 2 students, 1 room, 0 reply
The Vice President of ISU UiO
summarizes the inconveniences
and frustrations felt by
hundreds of international
students living at Kringsjå.
Each year, the University of Oslo welcomes
hundreds of new foreign students. Many
of these are onesemester
exchange
students from other
universities all over
the world. However,
the routine of happy
exploration of the
beauties of Oslo had
a rather bitter taste
for many of these
exchange students.
The reason was their
a c c o m m o d a t i o n .
This year, SiO came
up with a new idea
for increasing their
a c c o m m o d a t i o n
capacities. They call this trial project “two-ina-room”.
One-semester exchange students
were offered the opportunity to share their
rooms with a fellow student. The information
given promoted the concept as a great
way to save money, and promised great
conditions for a seemingly fair price.
Many of the students liked the offer,
and signed up. In the end, however,
even those that still requested a single
room, valuing privacy above money,
ended up sharing their living space
with strangers they had never seen
before. According to a letter from SiO,
the housing
situation did
not permit any
other solution.
And that is
how over 200
students began
their semester
in Oslo living in
the “Exchange
student ghetto”,
better known
as Kringsjå
b u i l d i n g s
24 and 26.
U p o n
arrival, the
disappointment of the students was
huge. In a little room of about 10 square
meters they only found one internet
socket that they have to share, taking
turns to prepare for school or Skype
with their families. The one table in the

sing
“Solution”
room is big enough to fit
in two laptop computers, but
not enough to fit textbooks and
compendia next to them. The single
chair, single bed stand, single wardrobe
and single shelf left these students
with no doubts that the two-in-a-room
concept is nothing more than a former
single room with one extra bed.
The erratic furnishing of the rooms
was underpinned by the state of
the so-called study room. With two
kindergarten tables, no chairs, and of
course no internet, these rooms are
absolutely unusable (except as space
for drying clothes). This all for 2300 NOK
per person (4600 per room). Compared
to the rent for a single room at Kringsjå,
which ranges from 2600 to 3300 NOK,
this is definitely not a good deal.
Well, never mind, at least they can
still experience Norwegian culture and
learn the language. Or can they? Since
the “two-in-a-room” novelty is being
tested on foreign students only, there
is not a single Norwegian living in any
of the two buildings. In effect, they
came to Oslo to experience German,
Polish, Korean and Spanish culture. This
isn’t exactly what they had planned.
Disappointment changed into action.
Both buildings drafted petitions addressed
to SiO, demanding a fix to the problems
and lower rent. But these students met with
yet another disappointment. Although the
petitions were signed by over 130 students,
it took over two weeks to get a reply. In their
letter, SiO customer service provided only
vague and unspecific promises, and tried to
justify the price by “having more common
space” (remember the study room?).
Most of the affected students agree that the
housing problem is seriously complicating
their lives. Feelings of being cheated and
treated unfairly are very common, and
the belief in Norwegian efficiency and
good organization is long-gone. Today, the
students are not alone, as the International
Students Union at UiO is trying to push the
SiO administration to fix the deficiencies
and provide fair compensation. We
know, however, that these students
will probably forever connect the words
“semester in Oslo” to “bad experience”.
Daniel Rolin
2 students, 1 room, 0 reply // 9

Answers to Pressing Questions
Interview by Anita Iyer
A few weeks ago, The Monthly Moose was recognized as the Årets Publikasjon (Publication of the year)
for the 2009/2010 school year. While we were honored by this recognition, we realized that we didn’t
have a clear idea about how this came about. Luckily, the Moose was able to pick the brain of the
Studentsamskipnaden i Oslo’s (SiO) Rolf Andersen for information on the award, the nomination
process, and his motivation for nominating an English language student magazine for recognition.
The Moose: Since its inception, The Monthly
Moose has been a magazine aimed largely at the
international student community. Obviously, you
don’t fit this mold. How did you come to know
about the Moose?
Rolf Andersen: About two years ago I walked
by a stack of The Monthly Mooses (Meese?) in
Frederikke, and I’ve been hooked ever since. I’m
always on thelookout for a new issue!
Current chief editor Marija Cabuskina, contributor Josefien Breedveit,
former chief editor Julie Rousseau and copy editor Anita Iyer all
antlered up at the SiO award ceremony. Not present is photo editor
Sara Fegelman. Photo by Mike Fürstenberg.
M: Can you tell us a little about what you do with SiO?
R.A.: Until recently, I was the head of SiO Studentliv, which provides training, economic support and
other assistance to student organizations and activities. Since this summer I’ve been working in SiOs
Student Housing Division, where among other things I coordinate the Resident Assistant program.
M: We naturally think that we are a fabulous magazine, but we were surprised at the support we
received [from the awards committee]. Can you tell us why you felt The Monthly Moose deserved the
title of Best Publication?
R.A.: What makes the Moose a winner is a combination of several factors. The contents and the layout
are of a reasonably high quality, and it is a big plus that the magazine is constantly striving to be
better. The frequency and stability in the rate of publication is impressive, and in itself an important
reason why the Moose has become a community builder among international students at UiO. Finally,
I’d like to mention the varied content, use of many contributors and your function in describing and
explaining UiO and Norway to international students.
10 \\ Wi n n e r: Th e Mo n t h l y Mo o s e
M: We are a little unsure about how the nomination process works. Can anyone submit a nomination,
or is this a right reserved for faculty and staff?
R.A.: The award is given annually by UiO and SiO, and covers activity in the previous academic year.
There are four categories: Student Organization of the Year, Student Publication of the Year, Best
Single Event of the Year and Newcomer of the Year. Any student or group of students at UiO, as well
as the faculty and UiO and SiO staff may nominate candidates. A jury selects three finalists in each
of the categories, and then decides which of these is the winner. You’ll find details about next year’s
nomination process on SiO Studentliv’s and UiO’s websites in late April or early May. They also have
information about previous winners and nominees.
M: Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
R.A.: Congratulations! Keep up the good work! One of the things I hoped to accomplish by nominating
The Monthly Moose for Student Publication of the Year, is to make the magazine better known,
improving distribution and getting more Norwegian students to read it. You could play an important
role in increasing contact between Norwegian and international students. I hope this will happen.
You certainly deserve it.

A Weekend Trip
to the Fjords,
Fjaerland
and the Nigard Glacier.
In the weekend from 3 to 5 September, 14 other international students and I
went to see the fjords, Fjearland and our final destination, the Nigard Glacier.
Fjaerland is an area that surrounds a branch of the Sogn Fjord. The Sogn Fjord is close to the Jostedal
Glacier. This is the largest glacier in mainland Europe, and it is 487 km long in total and at some points
it is almost 600 meters thick. The Jostedal Glacier has about 22 glacier arms or glacier tongues, some
of them go totally down to the valley, and we got the opportunity to climb one.
As a person coming from Holland, where most of the land is extremely flat. I was amazed to see such
huge mountains, and I was impressed by the greatness of the Norwegian nature on the trip.
This trip was organized by a small company named Hiking in Norway, they provided us with professional
guidance during the whole
trip. We got to lend some
hiking stuff and with a lot
of experience, they gave us
the best care on the whole
trip.
Day 1
We had to gather at nine
o’clock at Blindern. We
stuffed our bags in the
car and were on our way
to our cabins. We took
the historical route and
stopped at some important
historical sites of Norway.
First, we crossed the
border between eastern
and western Norway. Then, we stopped at the Borgund Stave Church, which was completed in the
12th century. This is the best preserved of the 28 existing stave churches in Norway. It is an amazing
building. It is small, made of wood, of which many pieces are carved. It shows a part of the religious
history of Norway. Still ,I wondered how they could fit a whole village in such a tiny church.
We got some cheese on a small goat farm next to the road, and 5 minutes later we found the whole
goat population in the middle of the road! This was worth stopping for! The cheese was very different
from the sort found in a supermarket. It was brown and had a strong taste. I am not sure if everybody
liked it!
Afterwards we took a ferry to cross Sognfjord. The view was great. Imagine super clear, blue water
and huge mountains. This was just the beginning of the trip and it was already amazing!
We also got the opportunity to relax for one hour in a village called Sogndal; we bought some extra
Glacier travelogue // 11

A Weekend Trip
food (and drinks!) and loafed
around in this small town.
Before going to our huts we
made a last stop at a glacier
arm to get a true glaciology
lesson. Because, what is actually
considered a glacier? A glacier
is actually a very thick ice layer
which forms itself through
compressed snow. The Nigard
Glacier is actually not formed by extremely low temperatures, but by the high amount of snow that
falls in the area. A glacier gets its blue color when it becomes very dense. After years of compression,
the tiny air pockets between the crystals are forced out. The dense ice absorbs all other colors in the
spectrum and reflects primarily blue. When you see white glacier ice, this means that there are still
a lot of air bubbles in the ice. And, did you know that glaciers store about 75% of the world’s fresh
water?
The 7 hours drive was made more bearable because of the warmth and welcoming sphere of the
other Erasmus students and the nice guides. With some music, some sleep and some talk, it was a
great drive! After arriving, we had some delicious home-made lasagna and watched TV or played
some games.
Day 2
12 \\ Glacier travelogue
On the second day, after preparing a huge matpakke (lunch packet), we first went to the glacier
museum. When entering this space-like building, we saw a movie and walked around the museum. The
museum was very interactive,
so you could really learn about
the glacier in practice.
Then we drove to the booktown
in Fjærland. They have
more books than people and
sell them at a reasonably low
price. It is worth it to see all the
lovely houses filled up with a lot
of books.
Afterwards , we hiked to the
Flatbre Glacier; this is a glacier
arm found 1000 meters above

to the Fjords,
Fjaerland
and the Nigard Glacier.
sea level. On the way up, we
made a lot of stops since there
were a lot of blueberries. It felt
quite adventurous to climb on
rocks and to walk across rivers.
When we reached the glacier
arm, we saw a big piece falling
down; it was approximately 50
meters in height. Our guide
said she has never seen such
an amount of glacier falling
down. After four hours, we
reached our final destination,
the Flatbrehytta, a small hut where hikers meet. Then we went down again. Afterwards, we did
some stretching. Since one of our guides is also a yoga teacher, we felt extremely Zen and content
afterwards. It didn’t take long to find our beds after dinner that evening.
Day 3
On Sunday we got up early to clean our hut, pack our bags and go to the Nigard Glacier (Nigardsbreen),
which is a glacier arm of the Jostedal Glacier. After arriving at the glacier arm, the first thing I noticed
was the cold breeze coming in from the glacier. We went by boat across the lake underneath the
Nigardsbreen, where we put on our crampons. These are spiky things which fit underneath your
shoes and help you to get more grip on the ice. For extra security we also were attached to a rope.
The walk took 1.5 hours up, since on the glacier we kept to a very slow pace. It was quite hot on the
glacier, and the reflected light worked as a big oven. Afterwards, we had the opportunity to cool
down and have a swim in the glacier lake, which was 1 degree above Celsius. A few of us took the
chance, and I experienced one of the coldest moments in my life.
Overall, it was one of the most beautiful places I have been to in my life. The nature was amazing, the
people were great, and we were very lucky with the weather! We were also in good hands with our
guides, they helped us out a lot and made this weekend a truly memorable experience!
Do you want to know more about hiking in Norway?
Check the special events page at www.uio.no
Text and photos: Josefien Breedveit
Glacier travelogue // 13

Enjoy the last bits of Summer
Bygdøy
Photo by Summer Choi

Norway:
mostly harmless
16 \\ Norway: mostly harmless
The reader should be aware that
the following text contains copious
references to the work of Douglas
Adams. many omissions, and
has much which is apocryphal,
or at least wildly inaccurate.
Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable
end of the galaxy lies a small, unregarded yellow sun.
Around that sun ,several planets go about turning, of
which only one, called unpretentiously the Earth by its
inhabitants can boast of having life on it. Life though
is a very dubious achievement , since it tends to lead
to the destruction of itself and the planet it is on.
This planet is arbitrarily divided into countries by
species called humans, who consider themselves
entitled to do so because of their relatively large
brain. In this article we will touch upon Norway, one
of such “countries” – not that it deserves a mention
(except, of course, for the ragged coastline or “fjords”
that has earned its creator a rather prestigious
design award), but according to the rule of thumb
for every guide book, 70% should contain useless
information about places you don’t want to go.
Norway is inhabited by Norwegians (which is to say,
largely uninhabited by them), who are not green and
made of metal, as one of the early accounts of the
planet suggested, written by a crew of humanologists
who accidentally landed in a certain sculpture park in
the capital, Oslo, on a Saturday morning. The account
contains an interesting insight into the life, death
and mating rituals of what was considered to be
Norwegians and theories of how Stone People evolved
into Metal people. This has now been disproved, but
due to bureaucratic reasons the news has not
reached the department for the Studies of
Uninteresting Peoples, which still produces
papers on the link between square patches
of burnt grass and the metal population.
In contrast to this outdated report, Norwegians
are carbon-based, fairly intelligent, lifeforms
slightly lacking in melanin compared
to other humans. Space travelers should
have no difficulty parking their transport
in Norway, since Norwegians are tolerant
of weird-looking constructions. One of the
visiting spacecrafts had the imprudence to
land behind the National Gallery, and was
subsequently seized by the municipality and
converted to an exhibition hall. Most of the
spacecrafts remain unnoticed though, because
observation is not common among humans.
Be careful not to venture out on a stroll if
you don’t appear humanoid, lest you become
subjected to tedious interplanetary legal
proceedings. A court case brought by one
gentleman from Alpha Centauri against a
certain Edvard Munch of Earth after the latter
had painted the portrait of the former, thus
insulting him outrageously, ended with defeat
of the plaintiff. The bone of contention, called
“The Scream”, had to be appropriated from
Earth several times to serve as evidence in The
Intergalactic Court of Humanoid Rights, after
which the Earthman was found not guilty since
only one of Centaurian’s heads was depicted.
Among the recreational possibilities of Norway
, drinking has to be avoided at all costs. To get
an idea about alcohol prices in Norway, imagine
you have enough money to feed a family of four
for a month, including an overweight motherin-law
that eats as much as one of the smaller
Greater Dragons of Fiornan and a teenager. That
amount of money would hardly be enough

to get you wasted
in a bar, but could
possibly buy you a
few drinks. Conversely,
you could try joining
one of the anti-alcohol
organizations where
people boast about how
many drinks they have
resisted and how spectacular
their hangovers might have been.
Another type of legitimate fun you can have
is spoiling Norwegians’ hikes. Norwegians
evaluate the quality of their hikes by the
number of people they have met along the
way. Your appearance in one of those desolate
regions of Norway can thus ruin a dream of
any wannabe trailblazer: smile and wave and
look genuinely happy. Picking up Norwegian
women is not an advisable leisure activity,
since this presents no difficulty at all as long
as you have the right amount of extremities.
You can also try crashing business exhibitions
and conferences. Apart from free food, you can
also get to irritate top managers by asking about
wages of their employees. Giving each other
big sums of money, paying huge taxes and
implementing energy-saving directives are just
some of the hobbies of the elite. If you want to
enjoy the wages, you should know that getting
a job in Norway is easy. All you have to do is
to know many Norwegians. That is to say,
getting a job in Norway is insanely difficult
since Norwegians are not people that
immediately wish to be known by anyone.
Not many Norwegians know that their law
codex was expanded and elaborated from a
single sentence in a Norwegian childrens’ book
which runs as follows: “You shall not disturb
each other, you
shall be nice and
kind, otherwise
you can do as you
please.” There is no
official religion in
Norway; however, most people believe
that everything will sort itself out in
the end, especially if you are nice enough.
Norwegians take pride in their language variety,
which is not as prominent as on Astra-L 1 , but does
comprise three official written languages, one of
which is reserved for the shrinking indigenous
population. Among the other two, only one is
commonly used and the other is on life support in
order to make pupils’ life less tolerable. The three
written languages and the innumerable dialects are
not the only reason for pride. Norwegians also brag
about their ability to stand on two planks of wood,
positioned on an inclined surface, covered with frozen
water – and their milk chocolate. Now chocolate is a
widely known substance in our galaxy, forbidden
in some star systems, available with prescription in
others, but nowhere is the chocolate represented by
a gooey milky variety. It has been speculated that to
keep the factories alive (despite their failure to create
something edible) the children of Norway had to go
through aversion therapy to anything else except
milk chocolate. Still, some small amounts of dark
chocolate are produced for the immigrants, in the
name of democracy and for dealing out in prisons.
Norway is so damp and cold that you almost want to
put it on your forehead when you have a temperature,
if it weren’t so rocky. However, before you write
Norway off complerely, you should note that the
Encyclopedia Galactica ranks Norway as the one
million and fifth worst place in the known universe.
Marija Cabuskina
Norway: mostly harmless // 17

Birthdays Around the World
JeeHee Hwang
Is your birthday on the way? Do you know what you should be doing on your birthday
in Oslo? Well, there are many ways of celebrating birthdays from all around the world,
so you don’t need to worry about it if you don’t have an idea of what to do. All you need
is some tips. Here are eight students from eight different countries who told us about
their birthday celebrations. So get ready for some new celebration tips!
18 \\ Gratulerer m e d d a g e n!
Brenna Wallach / USA
“We don’t have a ‘traditional’ way of celebrating
birthdays, but we light candles on a cake, sing
birthday songs and then open presents. If I would
have to find a tradition, it would have to be a
family one. When my mother makes our birthday
cakes, she puts money in the cake. This was also
popular between my friends. They used call it
‘money cake’”.
Aline Bussiere / France
“We are pretty much the same as the other
countries. We have a big meal with family, and
eat a cake with candles on it. After spending time
with family, we usually hang out with friends. We
like to throw surprise parties. The 18 th birthday is
very important in France.”
Mai Yano / Japan
“In Japan, we also like to throw surprise parties
with friends, and parents give something special
to their kids. It is good to give something round,
by which I mean circle-shaped things, like a ball.
Circular things have good meanings. On the 20 th
birthday, we have a really big celebration. There
are ceremonies for those who turn 20, and we
wear Japanese traditional clothes, such as the
kimono. “
Konstantin Oskotski / Russia
“I would like to tell you more about birthday
celebrations in Russia, but they are actually quite
the same as in the rest of Europe. So there is always
a cake with candles and food. In my family, we
mostly had braised chicken with mushrooms and
boiled potatoes as side dishes, then one of the
favorite salads, Olivier (Russian Salad) or Dressed
Herring, and a honey cake with a cream made of
smetana (a type of Russian sour cream). We also
had sweet yeast bread, which was widespread in
ancient Russia to celebrate name days (and later
birthdays) and today is mostly used at weddings.
There were also special dances and songs that
people used to sing on such occasions. But today,
hardly anyone still celebrates this way.”
Eunson Choi / South Korea
We celebrate birthdays by eating miyokguk
(seaweed soup) in the morning. It is a kind of
Korean tradition. After giving birth, or while
pregnant, Korean women usually eat seaweed
soup because it contains many nutrients that
are good for pregnancies. Therefore, seaweed
soup is a symbol of birthdays in Korea.
We even say ‘No luck for one year, without
miyokguk on the birthday!’ In the afternoon or
evening, we usually enjoy parties with friends,
and blow candles out before eating cakes.

Hilde Arnestad Nilsen / Norway
“Norwegian birthdays are celebrated with
Norwegian food like pizza, hot dogs (pølse I brød)
or other foods that the birthday kid wants to eat.
They also have a birthday cake and ice cream.
Children can rent a place to have their birthday
like McDonalds, bowling places or can just have
it at home. They also have party games such as
Go Fish, a game where children will go fishing
while an adult is behind a curtain, ready to give
them bags of candy. Teenagers rent places like
a teenage disco hall or a bowling alley. Adults
might celebrate their birthday at home with
friends and drinks, and later go downtown to go
clubbing. But some might not want to celebrate
their birthdays. All in all we love to party.”
Joanna Kapala / Poland
“It’s really nice that I can tell you about celebrating
a birthday in Poland. Of course, the main way of
celebrating a birthday is eating birthday cake.
While you are blowing out the candles, you must
think about some dream and not speak it aloud.
Otherwise, this dream won’t come true. There
is no special food which we eat on birthdays.
Usually, when somebody has a birthday, one
eats what he/she likes the most, so it depends on
one’s own likes. We put emphasis on celebrating
the 18 th birthday. Then, we organize a big party
for friends and family. Of course, the celebration
depends on the family’s wealth. If they don’t have
enough money to organize a party in a restaurant
or pub, they have a barbecue, or invite guests to
their house. That’s all about birthdays in Poland.
It’s not very much, but it’s still something!”
Hou Yuting / China
“It’s mainly the same in China [as it is in other
countries]. We eat cakes and have candles. A
birthday party is a time for you to meet friends.
We give gifts and go somewhere to have dinner,
or in search of entertainment, such as KTV
(Chinese name for karaoke), for example. We
Chinese people eat noodles, which signify long
life. We share noodles with others, and the more
you share the noodles with others, the longer life
you will have.”
Maybe it is not so difficult to enjoy a global birthday party. Since we know that all of us
enjoy birthdays, all we really need is a cake with candles, and of course, lovely friends!
Gratulerer m e d d a g e n! // 19

Cats & Dogs
20 \\ Surviving rain in Oslo
I’m from Australia. Over there
we have summers where the sun comes out for
longer than two and a half hours at a time and
winters which don’t freeze your jaw into place and
shrink your penis (if you have one) to the size of a
depleted party balloon. When I tell people where
I’m from, I get variations of the same sentence:
‘Really? Why would you come here? You must hate
the weather!’ I usually look up optimistically at the
dark grey sky and reply, ‘Nah, c’mon, it’s not that
bad.’ But then it’s hard to sound convincing when
your socks and shoes are soaking wet from stepping
in puddles all day and
a gust of freezing cold
wind has just blown up
the back of your t-shirt
so abruptly that you’ve
peed a little bit and now
it’s starting to show
through your jeans.
Although I may not
sound convincing, I am
being honest when I
say that it really isn’t
that bad. Besides, who
am I to complain about
Norwegian weather?
Australian weather
can be ludicrously
uncomfortable: so hot
and sticky that your
salty sweat drips into
your eyes and stings
them and your t-shirt
becomes a second skin;
or so hot and dry that
your spit will evaporate
before it hits the ground
and you can make beef
jerky just by leaving a
cow in the sun for five
minutes. Everywhere
can be hell. And it seems to me that the
citizens of every country are rarely pleased
with their local weather. But that, I think, is
the beauty of it.
Bad weather has the undeniable power of
smashing long-frozen social barriers and
welding souls together for a lifetime. From
a bunch of old school friends lying together
in the shade of a large oak to escape the
hot sun, to a whole army of trenched World
War One soldiers, shivering in their ponchos,
shoulder to shoulder, we are together in
our aversion to unkind
conditions. We seek
refuge from bad climate,
and in our seeking we
find something extra:
each other.
Let me give an example.
There is a man who lives
near me in Kringsjå, and
every day he sits outside
on his front porch with
a mug of steaming
hot coffee in one hand
and a cigarette in the
other. All morning he
scratches his beard and
drinks his coffee and
smokes his cigarette
and stares peacefully at
the world around him.
Whenever I pass him -
on my way to university
or wherever - we enjoy
the small but important
pleasure of exchanging
w e a t h e r - o r i e n t a t e d
glances: if it’s a nice
day he will grin at me
and hold his hands up
to the sky as if to praise

the Lord; I will beam back at him and carry
on my way. And if it’s wet and miserable, he
will look at me sympathetically and shrug his
shoulders in recognition of the daily struggles
of humankind, and I will nod glumly at him
under my umbrella and carry on, over the
muddy puddles. It may not seem like much,
but it’s these brief exchanges which set me up
for the day. Such inconsequential comradery
restores my faith in the human race and gives
me a certain strength to carry on through any
condition, sub-zero or otherwise. And what’s
more is that there are multiple opportunities
to exchange these precious glances with
anyone: at the bus stop, walking the dog
around the lake, you name it. The point is,
without the bad weather, we’d have nothing
to exchange but our own social awkwardness
or, at best, an indifferent nod.
There are many examples of bad weather paving
the way for good bonding. For instance, it will
always provide two newly met people with a
handy filler when they run out of things to say. It
will provide two lovers with a valid excuse to stay
indoors and make love and play Connect Four
even though it’s a Saturday night and their friends
want to get pissed. And, let us not forget, it will
provide ample material for ripping film nights
and movie marathons: The Perfect Storm, Twister,
Dante’s Peak, or even, An Inconvenient Truth. So, I
say, in the interest of bringing us all together: let it
rain, let it pour, let it snow, let the sun beam down
on our cancer-prone skins, let the earth shake and
spurt hellfire and wind. Let us unite in our clashes
with this Godly, wild and irrepressible force! Amen.
Text: James Spinks
Photos: Sara Fegelman
Surviving rain in Oslo // 21

I love Oslo
Text by Paris Obdan
Background by Julie Rousseau
I like Oslo. Not because it’s pretty and clean, not because things simply “work” and the living is easy, and not
because of the anatomically correct women walking around. I like it because it’s f*cking WEIRD! And here is
why:
The first term you need to familiarize yourself with, as a student in a large metropolitan university in Europe,
is “ERASMUS”. It stands for “Eager & Rash Adults Serially Monogamizing Unlimited reSources”—with the
unlimited resources being the human bodies that make inane conversations at kitchen parties before they
decide it’s time they check another nationality off of their sexual conquest shortlist. At my very first kitchen
party what I ended up checking off was a girl whose step-dad was a transvestite/cross-dresser who had been
saving money for a sex-change operation to become a woman and, wait for it, NOT divorce the girl’s mom but
to actually become a lesbian with her. OOOooookAAaaaayyyyy……
At my second kitchen party I ended up checking off a narcoleptic blackout girl, who was literally a “crazy
person”, which is kind of the reason I don’t actually “check her off”. But what happens in the aftermath is
deservingly hilarious, and is as follows:
What you need to know: This girl, who literally has told
me that she has been stalking this guy because he
was such a great lover this one time but has not
been returning her calls, is apparently in a
relationship with a total loser in her hometown
who is terrible in bed and she thinks she has
the right to whore around because she is in
a different zip-code.

What I do: Have a flashbulb moment at the coat-check and leave her there, all inebriated and near-blackout,
with her cell-phone still in my pocket.
What I keep doing: Assert that I don’t have her cell-phone and make her “run around like an idiot” (her
own words) for a few days before I tell her to show up somewhere at 6:45 AM for a faceoff. She asks me how
she is supposed to wake up now that she doesn’t have her cell-phone/alarm clock so I send her one of those
countdown websites. I go to meet her the next morning after a glorious breakfast and this conversation takes
place:
— “Oh! You still have it…so meannn!”
— “No honey, “mean” is if I b*ttf*cked you and made you ride your bike home. Don’t let me see you again.”
I also offered to replace her pathetic Samsung with a brand new iPhone 4 at some point earlier if she came
clean with her poor boyfriend, but she insisted on the blackouts being the cause of her rambling and I
shouldn’t believe most of what she says. It’s even funnier that, as a self-proclaimed epitome of unreliability,
she threatens to go to the police with no legal precedence and a history of mental health problems. These
are your law students Europe; be excited!
Though in reality, I can’t really be f*cked to deal with this because actually immediately after I leave her at the
coat-check, I randomly meet the friendliest Norwegian girl in the world and walk her downtown as she tells
me about her extreme sports junkie dad who gets paralyzed neck-down with 1% chance of recovery and
somehow manages to work his way back to 40% control of his body. I decide he is my hero and I want to
date his daughter. It becomes eleven times simpler when she asks for my phone number and a dinner date
for the very next day. Did I mention she is cute as hell?
Well it turns out her entire family is dyslexic, which is not a problem at all but simply explains why they are all
such hyperactive hippies. Note to self: GO OUT WITH HER AGAIN!
Well, maybe not. No offense to the flower girl. It’s just that this stunningly beautiful girl just moved in right
across the hall and she’s been making me green tea and hot soup the entire week. I have had no desire to go
to any kitchen parties whatsoever, and all I want to do is come back home as soon as I am done at school so
I can spend as much time as I can with her. I couldn’t even sit down and write this in my own
room knowing that she was just 10 meters away, so I went over and I am wrapping
up this entry as she is talking to her mom on Skype and has no idea that I am
professing how much I like her to The Monthly Moose’s entire readership.
I really hope we are properly dating by the time this issue comes out
so there are no awkward silences when she reads this piece. Love is
absodefinitely in the air.
Long story short, weird can come in the form of transvestite momdads,
narcoleptic crackheaded whores, dyslexic extreme sports families, or
as “it’s really weird how much I like this girl”. I think I am going to like it
here.
Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise.
–[P]

Ancient Romans knew what to claim from their rulers: when the elections drew near, they all
turned into a crowd yelling “Bread and games!” However primitive that might be compared to the
sophisticated political demands of today, the Monthly Moose believes that as a student you place
equal importance on material and spiritual nurture. And we also believe you have the right to
demand it. That’s why every month we’ll publish a review of one food place and one fun activity.
The Monthly Moose is not connected to any of the places/activities we promote however much we’d
love to be.
BreadSo you are walking peacefully along Karl Johans. Let’s suppose the improbable:
the sun is shining, the birds are singing. And suddenly – just like in one of the
novels by the Norwegian Nobel-prize winner, Hamsun – hunger strikes. You have
probably heard that the central areas of Oslo are full of tourist traps which offer plain dishes for
enormous prices. However, for those who search carefully, there is always a solution. The following
is an instruction for locating the Asian take away restaurant which is small enough to get unnoticed,
but cheap enough to be worth looking for. Stand with your back towards the fountain in front of
the parliament. Now go towards the National Theatre and keep looking to your left. You will see a
small greenish booth, just the size to fit a couple of Asian cooks and a kitchen. The prices (around
70-80 per dish) are astonishingly cheap for it to be a Norwegian restaurant and the menu presents
key Asian dishes like Chop-Suey, Thai Curry and Sour-Sweet sauce which you can combine with the
meat of your choice. If the weather permits, sit outside. If not, find a shelter under the hospitable
colonnade of the university. After all, students MUST have their privileges.
24 \\ Bread and Games
GamesAnother way of cutting down food expenses is to go hunting for provisions.
Now we don’t suggest you run around trying to stab a moose with your IKEA
knife. There are more peaceful alternatives,
such as picking mushrooms. But despite being immobile and
unarmed, those delicious things can be very tricky. If you feel
lucky, pick all the mushrooms you see and bring your basket
to one of the mushroom control points organized by the Oslo
society for mushroom-picking, Neslekremla. Such stands will
be open every Sunday from 3 to 5 pm until October, 3. There
is one near Sognsvann and four others scattered in the forest.
For a whole list with links to the map, consult http://www.
neslekremla.no/soppkontroll.html.
If you are reluctant to pick those gooey goodies, try opting for
lingonberries. Some unsophisticated tools are available in the
shops to make your job faster. Make use of evolution!

Famous Norwegians
Have you ever been standing in the check-out line at
Kiwi or Rema, idly scanning the newspaper headlines
or glossy pictures in the tabloids and wondered who
all those people 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.
Anita Iyer
www.aftenposten.no, www.dagbladet.no
School Daze
Autumn is upon us, and a few weeks ago schools
across Norway opened their doors. Thousands of
students traipsed off to their first day of school.
Most of these students began school without
much notice, except perhaps from their tearful
(or relieved) parents. However, the fact that
one six year old girl started school at her local
elementary school, Jansløkka skole in Asker, was
enough to capture national headlines.
Six year old Ingrid Alexandra, the oldest daughter
of Crown Prince Haakon and granddaughter of
the King, made history in Norway by being the
first heir of the throne to attend her local school.
In the past, the Royal Family has opted to send
their children to Smestad school, overlooking
local schools. While Ingrid Alexandra’s first day
of school garnered much media fanfare, her
parents hope that the rest of her school days will
pass without media involvement. It’s a bit hard
to imagine what a six year old could do in school
which would be newsworthy, so the Moose hopes
that her family gets their wish!
Soapbox Controversy
However, the Princess hasn’t been the only child
making the headlines in Norway recently. This
year’s Lano-ungen (Lano-child), five year old
Mikael, has been crowned amidst a net-based
storm of discussion. Lano is a brand of Norwegian
soap produced by Lilleborg. In the years following
World War II, the soap was marketed with the
slogan “den rene, milde sepen for liten og stor,” (the
clean, mild soap for small and large), and utilized
pictures of small, happy children to drive this
point home. Dreaming of the day when their child
would adorn a soap box, parents began to send
in pictures to Lilleborg for use in advertisements.
In 1950, the Lano-ungen competition became a
reality, with the company selecting a picture each
year for use in advertising in Norway.
Since 2007, the competition has moved online, and
participation and public interest have exploded.
With the advent of social media, parents have
gone all out, taking to Facebook, Twitter, blogs,
forums, and other websites to garner support
for their child. This year, however, the traditional,
doll-like, laughing toddlers who typically win this
competition were upstaged by the entry of Mikael,
a mentally and physically handicapped boy from
Northern Norway. Within days after his photo was
entered into the competition by his mother, he
passed the other contestants in terms of votes as
his cause was taken up by thousands online. Since
he sailed to the lead in the vote count, his impact
on the competition has been hotly discussed by
marketing experts and the general public alike.
Allegations that his victory is a joke are supported
by websites such as 4chan. That all of his votes
have been grounded in sympathy or merely cast
by those protesting against yet another beauty
contest have been raised, with some claiming
that Mikael does not have the charming face
one wants to see on a soap dispenser. Marketing
experts have argued that Mikael’s victory, and
the press surrounding the competition since his
entry, is a stroke of calculated marketing genius
on the part of the parent company. Lilleborg
itself has embraced Mikael wholeheartedly, and
responded to criticism that Mikael does not fit the
mold of the traditional Lano child by stating that
the primary criteria has always been charm, not
beauty in the traditional sense. Those interested
in seeing this year’s Lano-ungen, as well as the
other 23,492 pictures submitted to the photo
contest are welcome to visit www.lano.no – or
merely keep their eyes peeled the next time they
are in the soap aisle.
Fa m o u s No r w e g i an s // 25

ELGINT 0110 - Th e Mo o s e No r w e g ia n c o u r s e
Learn Norwegian on your own, with a little help from the Moose.
Lesson 1: The ThingsYo u Al re a d y Kn o w
Julie Rousseau
Have you just arrived in Norway and feeling quite confused by the language? Have no fear, norsk is
easier to learn than it first seems. Even better news is that you already know many Norwegian words.
Being proficient in English gives you a good start in Norwegian. The lucky German-speaking people
have it even easier, but Shakespeare’s followers are not far behind.
Old English and Old Norse had an important influence on each other, and we can still find traces of their
shared history in both languages today. A well-known, trustworthy online encyclopedia informs us
that the English language has more than 600 loanwords from the Scandinavian languages. Moreover,
many norske ord are similar enough to their English counterpart for you to understand them without
effort. The Moose, in the pursuit of its eternal mission of making your life in Oslo more enjoyable, has
put together some examples of tingene som du allerede vet.
Brokkoli : Exotic imported fruits and vegetables mostly kept their names. So get your five-a-day of
avokado, mango, litchi, bambusskudd and banan.
Buss : It is written and pronounced almost the same way. Bussen is the singular definite form (i.e.
the bus), as in nattbussen (the night bus).
Fjord : Words related to the great outdoors are quite useful in this nation of natur-lovers. In the
vinter, learn to ski. Or if you already know how, perhaps try some slalom or try telemark skiing. In
the sommer, use your sykkel to go camping (one of the few Norwegian words using the letter c).
Hei : The basic but useful Norwegian equivalent of hello, hi and hey. For a challenge, try the more
precise God morgen!, God dag! and God kveld!
Internett : Technology lovers will be pleased to learn that most computer-related Norwegian words
are the same as in English (but notice the double t). One important exception is the word computer
itself, which translates to datamaskin. One way around it is to call it a PC—unless you are an eple
disciple.
Lunsj : Once you have mastered the pronunciation (with the [sj] pronounced like the English [ch]),
reward yourself with a walk in the forest and a Kvikk lunsj, Norwegians’ favorite tur chocolate bar.
Looking for a word? Try www.ordbok.com for translation dictionaries, or www.dokpro.uio.no/ordboksoek.
html for bokmål and nynorsk dictionaries.
26 \\ ELG INT 0110

Best of Norway
Fi v e No r w e g i a n s Fe s t i v a l s t o Ca t c h
For the past few weeks, Oslo has been bathing in festivals. After the Medieval Park had been ravaged by
the guests of the internationally acclaimed Øya Festival, along came Oslo Jazz, the Mela World Music
Festival, the Beer and Food Festival, the Ibsen Festival, the Opera Festival, Ultima (the contemporary
music festival) and ByLarm (a folk music festival), not to mention the Student Festival at Chateau Neuf.
The Monthly Moose sincerely hopes that you did catch at least some of them, and if you haven’t, here’s
the list of the best five events happening in the near future.
Marija Cabuskina
1) The Potato Festival
Where: Bryne (a small town
located in Western Norway,
near Stavanger) // When: 17-18
September // Why: It doesn’t
take a genius to notice that
most Norwegian dishes revolve
around potatoes. Potatoes
are fried, boiled, mashed, and
put gratin. Flat potato cakes
are wrapped around sausages
and the infamous potato salad
incorporates this heavenly root
in both mashed and hardboiled
form. Thus, the existence of the
potato festival shouldn’t come
as a surprise. In Bryne you can
learn to make potato clumps
(komle), see an exhibition of
as many as 30 different sorts
of potato, get a bucket of
potatoes for 35 NOK, and shake
hands with a humanoid potato,
Pottvald. You can also take part
in competitions involving potato
lifting and peeling, potato
golf and other mishandling
of the best of Columbus’
achievements. And, almost
surprisingly, you can also EAT
potatoes. On the way there, you
might want to visit Preikestolen,
a largely insignificant cliff. //
Info: http://www.brynebyen.
no/Webdesk/netblast/pages/
alias.html?id=959925
2) Oslo Kulturnatt
Where: Various places in Oslo
// When: 24 September // Why:
Oslo Culture Night is something
akin to European museum
nights. However, apart from the
museums, the visitors are invited
to descend into the mysterious
catacombs of the city sewer
system, visit the local Freemason
lodge and even learn Salsa.
Ninety locations, each offering
something unique will make
sure you won’t sleep that night.
Have you seen the making of a
mandala? Have you listened to
jazz under water? Have you seen
the world’s largest collection of
mini bottles? Get a program
and make that shy Norwegian
next door translate it for you.
As a token of gratitude you can
take him along. // Info: http://
www.prosjekt-oslokulturnatt.
oslo.kommune.no/.
3) Film fra Sør
Where: Oslo cinemas // When:
7-17 October // Why: ”Films
from the South”, the title of
the festival, might sound
rather vague. After all, almost
everything can be described as
“South” in relation to Norway.
However, the idea behind the
festival is to bring in movies
from continents like Asia, Africa
and South-America. Shocking,
emotional, politically charged
and otherwise different, the
films offer their viewers an
artistic visa to faraway lands and
offer a break from Hollywood
aesthetics. // Info: http://www.
filmfrasor.no/en
4) Elvelangs i fakkellys
Where: starting from near
Nydalen T-bane station // When:
23 September 20:00 // Why:
Rivers often account for that
special intangible “something”
in the city. Akerselva, starting
as a little stream and bursting
later into a waterfall is especially
romantic and mysterious by
night, when the candles are
lit. Additionally, there will be
cultural events along the way,
including scenes from the
Norwegian play Peer Gynt, a
carillon concert, a fire show and
much more. // Info: http://www.
bydel-sagene.oslo.kommune.
no/elvelangs/
5) Oslo queer festival
Where: Blitz and Humla clubs //
When: 1-3 October // Why: Just
like the Norwegian name Odd
is the oddest name around, the
Queer festival is the queerest
event in the capital. The festival,
occurring in the former quarters
of Oslo’s anarchists, deals with
themes of sexuality, polyamory
and, strangely enough,
stretching. For those especially
interested there will be an
opportunity to make sex toys
and drags. It is not too late to
submit your idea for a workshop,
since the festival adopts a DIY
attitude. // Info: http://www.
osloqueer.org
Festivals // 27

28 \\ Gossip Girl