Oslo Walks and Social Events and a Sense of Norwegian Politics

We've pretty much settled into a rhythm of working during the week and exploring on the weekend, though there have been some midweek exceptions. One was an amazing dinner (to which I was very cordially invited) at a downtown hotel for 120 Anthropology M.A. students who had just received their degrees. Apparently, the program in Anthro has recently been re-organized and so the students who were taking their time were given something of an ultimatum--hence the large number. The Master's Degree seems to be much more important in Norway than in the U.S. For one thing, all Master's students do field work. Ph.D. students are chosen from the best Master's students and (get this!)are entirely supported for (I believe) four years.(And they do field work as well.) The joys of a small, rich country!

Many of the students, both MA and PH.D. (and this is based in part on what David has told me about his conversations with them) seem to do field work that has an "applied" aspect. For example, David told me about a student whose subject was Norwegian drug regulation. Apparently there is a great deal of such, with the result--in her view--that new drugs take a long time to become available, and, while there are none of those horrific and constant ads for drugs such as we see on TV in the U.S., perhaps (again, in her view), there is not enough research and innovation. This student spoke of a patient she knew who had spent a great deal of time in a hospital in Norway, but, she thought, could be cured of his illness, were a particular drug available to him. I think this student's goal is to change things, once she has well understood how they presently work. This activist orientation has some overlaps, it seems, with the present orientation of anthro in the U.S. But here, the students' knowledge at least seems to be quite pragmatic and the goal less wholesale and theoretical than--at least I get the impression--it can be in the States. Perhaps some of this activist orientation has to do with Norway's role in the world at large-- as a peacebroker (e.g. the Oslo accords, the Nobel Peace prize, and more), and as a strong supporter of various international aid and development organizations.

In any event, the dinner was scrumptious, starting with what appeared to be very very lightly cooked and marinated tuna (which David, no fish eater, declared one of the best things he'd ever tasted), moving on to roast duck, and ending with a dessert that involved what I think was a small scoop of sorbet, covered with a lattice-work of hardened chocolate, as well as a bit of a layered puddingy-cake. The organizer sat across from us and tried to translate the four or five apparently quite lively and jocular speeches that were made. In the din, I'm afraid I barely heard her translations, but it was incredibly gracious of her to make the effort. I did manage to converse some with her husband, an Australian, who sat to my right.

Norwegians do seem extremely international. Of course, our contacts are anthropologists. But, aside from doing field work, so many people we've met have been to many continents and countries. I must say, too, that the Norwegians we've encountered (and this includes random folks on trams or on the street or in stores) seem remarkably without "edge." They are open and friendly and without suspicion. To take a small example: we were heading towards what we thought was the train station on Saturday last, and stopped to ask a woman--who was standing in her front yard--for directions. She was carrying a plate of cinammon buns and promptly offered one to each of us! (We took her up on her offer.) Our friend Halvard says this attitude is at least in part the result of having nothing to fear. Education is available, jobs are available, and one doesn't have to worry about the distant future. The elderly are all guaranteed care! Though apparently--speaking of pragmatic and activist goals--Halvard and his wife Heidi, who was trained as a nurse--are writing a paper about how the right to care in one's old age, at home or in an institution (which is recognized as such!! compare the situation in the U.S.!!!) is, nevertheless, not fully carried out at the present time. Apparently, the issue is that the women (so this is a feminist concern too), often unskilled, who perform much of this care, are assigned too many cases, are stretched too thin, and are not paid enough. The "welfare" state's claims and the reality of eldercare are apparently different, says Halvard.

An aside on the medical front: I was a bit surprised to hear the same complaints from Heidi, about the medical system in Norway, as I often make in the U.S. about our (blankety blank blank) HMO, Kaiser. Apparently doctors have caseloads of 2,500 patients (doesn't this number sound familiar, Kaiser members?) and the tendency is one complaint per visit, just as it is for us. Take a look at my poem, "HMOgenized," http://www.poemeleon.org/judy-kronenfeld3/ Well, I'm still in the process of getting a sense of the relation between the ideals (fantastic!) of the welfare state and the practice.

Which reminds me: on Saturday last we strolled around downtown. There was a lot of festivity because the elections were on Monday. One of the "right" parties sponsored a huge stage with a rock singer and a couple of back-up musicians. David and I wound up talking at some length with a woman dressed in an eye-catching lime-green outfit who wore a sign that said something like "Feminist Patrol." (Among other things she said that old-fashioned rock music went with the "right"; the "left" would have rap!) We asked what her feminist concerns were. Again, for an American, it does seem that Norwegian women have some wonderful rights and privileges. For example, women may take a year off to care for their babies, at full salary. (Our daughter-in-law told us, by the way, that Russia allows THREE years off--but the salary is very very low.) Norwegian single mothers are supported in their pursuit of education for a number of years. What more is needed? Apparently, the number of years that these single women are supported used to be five and it has slipped back to three, which is not enough to make them marketable. And, also, while childcare is not hard to find for children up to the age of 1 and after 3, there are few provisions for the in-between years. Finally, the lady in lime said that the sectors of the economy in which men and women worked were entirely different and that many women worked part-time, and thus were entitled to less of a pension when they retired.

The weather has been mostly sunny and cool. A couple of windy, rainy, cold days, but that's all. We've enjoyed strolling around Oslo. Here's a picture of one of the main shopping streets, Karl Johan's Gate, part of which is for pedestrians only, with the Royal Palace at the far end.

On this past Sunday, we took the train to Sognsvann, a lake in the Northern part of Oslo, and joined hosts of walkers, joggers, cyclers and strollers as they made their way around it (a pleasant 3.5. kilometers). We noticed that there were signs prohibiting cycling, but, nevertheless, a fair number of cyclers. David said he's heard it remarked that Norwegians are not blind obeyers of "the law." If it's fair, that's one thing, but if it's not.... Maybe it's not fair to deprive cyclers of this beautiful ride!

I only observed one soda can and two pieces of plastic wrap--the only litter on the whole path. I think that's wonderful!

The presence of this serene and lovely and quite large body of water not far from the city center reminded me how much I miss water--just to look at, even!--in SoCal. Especially during the summer. I also really enjoyed ( I miss Izzy!) watching the several blond labrador retrievers we saw swimming to retrieve the various things their owners thew out in the water (sticks, tennis balls, etc.) Here's a picture of the lake.