Grab a cup of coffee My
father is from Trondheim, Norway and my mother is from Kvinesdal, Norway. They both came over to the United States in 1955.
My father was a sailor and traveled the
world before landing in California. There he bought a
motorcycle and drove across the U.S. before settling down
in New York City. My mother left Norway at the age of 18
with $50.00 in her pocket to find a better life. They both
ended up working at the Norwegian Seamen's House in
downtown, Brooklyn,NY, my father as a chaufer and my
mother
as a maid. They met, fell in love and got married.
They moved to Brooklyn had my older brother; 2 1/2 years
later had me, and the rest is history. When I was 9 years old we moved
upstate to Orange County. What a change!! Noone up
there was Norwegian and
they hadn't a clue that there was even such a place
as Norway. No matter to my parents, the heritage
must be kept alive. So, we kept our Norwegian
traditions. We ate Codfish once a week, had our
spoonful of cod liver oil once
a day, slept with down blankets year round, got
plenty of fresh air, said our table prayers in
Norwegian, celebrated the 17th of May (Norway's
Independence Day) and kept Christmas Eve sacred.
Dad, of course, kept telling us
plenty of Norwegian folk tales and played our
favorite folk
songs on his accordian. (the music you hear in the
background is an old Norwegian folk song)
and get comfortable and "Ha det koselig" as they say in
Norway. Let me tell you a little bit about myself.
I was born in 1960 in Brooklyn,
NY, living in a Scandinavian neighborhood and until I
was of the age of 9, we spoke only Norwegian in the
home and only ate Norwegian food, went to a Norwegian
church, etc.
Norway is a beautiful country. The first time I
went there, I was 11 years of age. We were there for
approximately 6 weeks and we borrowed my grandfather's car
and drove North to Oslo. We stayed in many cabins
(hytter) along the way. We visited the Olympic site in Oslo
and the famous park of statues. We visited with my father's
relatives in Trondheim and I got to ride a trolley car
(trikken) for the first time. We went to the pier
and bought shrimp (reke) and peeled and ate them right
there on the pier, throwing the shells into the ocean for the
seagulls to eat.
I went back to Norway when I was 19 years old, newly
married and pregnant with my daughter. That time I
was there for 4 weeks (my husband at the time was in
Germany on reforger - Army talk) and met my parents
and 2 younger brothers (by now I had 3 brothers)
there. That time was fun too but I didn't enjoy it
as much as I should have, I missed my husband
terribly.
The last time I went to Norway was when my daughter
was 5 years old. My mother's mother (bestemor) had
died that January and something told me I needed to
go. That May, my daughter and I got on a plane and
headed for Trondheim and stayed with farmor. (little
did I know at the time she would be gone by August of
that same year) We had a wonderful time. We flew
down to Kvinesdal and stayed with my grandfather (the
last time I would see him too). My cousins that live
on a farm showed Bridget how to milk cows
and we saw plenty of beautiful landscape. Our
biggest holiday, 17th of May, happened while we were
there so Bridget got to experience it with all the
children walking through the streets in a parade
wearing the colors of their classes and school. All
seniors wear a solid red jumpsuit and all their
classmates sign the jumpsuit, similar to our
yearbook practices here. Everyone waves the
Norwegian flag and have parties afterward usually
consisting of Lapskaus (a stew made with corned beef)
Plenty of music and dancing going on. I planned on doing it again this year but my son came
down with the Chickenpox and we had to cancel our
plans.
UPDATE 5/25/98 - Recently, while surfing the net, I
have found a few of my relatives in Norway - some I
know personally and some I had no knowledge of. It
is so kewl. Hopefully soon I will be able to report
on some of these relatives here on my page and maybe
even give you links to find yours.
UPDATE 5/03 - Heading for Norway with my dad for three weeks. Should have some wonderful things to share when I get home. Check back and hear about my trip.
To learn more about Norway, please visit my links.
Ha det!!!!!
One of my father's favorite tales was the story of
Thor - it seems every time there was thunder and lightning
outside, dad would tell us that Thor and his friends were
bowling. Each time Thor or one of his friends got a
strike, lightning would flash across the sky and
everytime someone got a spare, it would thunder. Of course,
being little children, we believed every word he said. He
also told us of the many trolls that lived in the forest
and under bridges etc. When walking through the woods,
we would always leave little presents behind (candy,
nuts, berries, etc.) for the trolls so they wouldn't bother
us.
My next
trip to Norway was between my Junior and Senior year
in high school, (I went by myself) I was 16 (almost 17)
and I left for Norway right after school got out and
didn't come home until just a few days before school
started again. I was there for 2 1/2 months. I
first stayed with my mother's relatives in Southern
Norway and went to a dance party on the pier (brygge
dance), my uncle took me out in his boat and we went
crabbing in the middle of the night and I hitchhiked
for the first time in my life with friends I had
made over there. My grandfather drove me up to a
place called "Setesdal" where they make silver
jewelry by hand, of course I bought several pieces.
I flew up to Trondheim and stayed with my father's
mother (farmor) for a few weeks where I was taken on
a speed boat ride by my cousin, went to the movies
(kino) where the subtitles were in English, went out
drinking (noone proofed me) and dancing and of course
plenty of shopping. That was the best summer of my
life.
Speaking of the 17th of May, on the Sunday
closest to May 17th, there is a parade in Brooklyn,
NY to celebrate the holiday. When I was young and
lived in Brooklyn, my brother and I were in the
"Norwegian Childrens' Dance Society" and performed
every year in the parade. We also performed at the
World's Fair 13 times in the two years it was held in
NY and were on PBS
television twice. We also performed many times at a
place called Vasa Park in NJ that is used by the Sons
of Norway. Even last year (1997), I walked in the
parade in my bunad (Norwegian traditional dress) with
my son in his carriage all decked out and he had on
Norwegian clothes as well. It was so cool. click here and here to see pics of us.
This past Spring, we went to a MidSummer's Eve Fest and heard some wonderful Norwegian music, got to see some wonderful Norwegian dancing by dancers from Norbu Lodge in New Jersey and ate some delicious Norwegian food. Many people were dressed in traditional Norwegian bunads. A good time was had by all.
Links to other sites on the Web
Half
Norwegian/Half American
Norskland
Sons Of Norway
The Truth About Trolls and Vikings Blended With
a Soupcon of Norwegian Cuisine
A Mountain Gallery of
Mid-Norway
About
Trondheim, Norway
History of
Norway
Home Town Free-Press
Norwegian Music Information Centre
NOIS -
Norway Online Information
NORDGUIDE
Norwegian
Matters
Facts About
Norway
Norway
by Nordic Traveller
ODIN
Official Documentation & Information From
Norway
Of Things Norwegian
Origo Index
Internet Catalog
Oslonett AS
Roar's
Paraglider Site
Sca
ndinavian Indie
SOL Medlem-Hjemmesider
- Norwegian Homepages (in Norwegian)
Some
Links
The Album
Venture Norway
Welcome to
Origo Culture
Web
Publishers Studio
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