Here’s all the stuff I don’t need in Norway that I hope my parents will bring home

My parents will be here next week! I am really excited to see them!

One of my top pieces of advice for anyone taking a sabbatical is to not buy a lot of new things before you go. This is especially true is you are going somewhere with climate that’s more extreme than what you have at home. Wherever you are going, they will have what you need there. Don’t try to anticipate it.

I did a horrendous job of packing for Norway. In retrospect, this was because I had a couple of biases that limited by ability to conceptualize life in Norway. First, I was packing in June in Maryland. It was hot outside, and although I knew that Norway would have a beastly winter, I couldn’t really wrap my head about what that would mean. I also didn’t realize that Norway wouldn’t really have a summer, as least in the way I think of summer.

Second, I was coming from an environment where I needed to look professional all the time. The Maryland/DC area is pretty formal, and as a young person, I found it all the more important to dress nicely in the workplace in order to be taken seriously. This bias was reinforced by the fact that Gavin and I would be attending a military event in late June in Bergen,[1] and we both stressed a lot over what to wear. In contrast, Trondheim (and I think Norway in general) is extremely casual – the vibe is way more like Denver or San Francisco than DC, which I’m sure is due in part to a need for function over fashion when it’s 15 degrees Fahrenheit and snowy.[2]

So, I’ve had to buy a lot of stuff here. Which means I’d like to send home some of the stuff that I don’t need. Mom already said “no promises” about additional space in her suitcase, but I’m hoping this post will generate some sympathy for my cause! (She is bringing an new pair of shoes for Gavin — they don’t have US size 15 in Norway — so that’s like half a suitcase free right there.)

What I brought: Two business dresses. What I needed instead: Four additional coats.

The decision to bring these dresses was in part because I didn’t know how I was going to be spending my time in Norway. I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be working in an office, but it felt like a risk not to have some professional clothes. As it turns out, it’s been totally fine to wear jeans at any occasion, including church and professional meetings. I have one other dressy outfit, which I’ll save to wear on Norwegian Independence Day (May 17), since I don’t own a bunad.[3]

As it also turns out, it was never warm enough to wear these dresses anyway, and I was woefully underprepared for the cold. These four coats have become a big part of my warming strategy. They are in addition to four coats that I brought from home.

What I brought: High heels, flats, sandals, and Sperrys. What I needed instead: New tennis shoes and hiking boots.

The high heels and flats were brought for the same reasons as the dresses. I brought the sandals and Sperrys because I wear them all the time at home and thought I might want them here. These were incorrect choices. Pretty much all I’ve worn are tennis shoes and hiking boots. The ones I brought with me were fairly old, and I blew through their remaining life pretty quickly. The new shoes and boots are GoreTex-lined and keep my feet really warm and dry.

What I brought: Four swim caps. What I needed instead: Cross country skis.

There’s almost nothing I enjoy more than a long swim. I have used my swimming gear a couple of times in Norway, and the one pool in town is maybe the nicest facility I’ve ever used. It’s a 50-meter salt-water pool with saunas and an outdoor hot tub, and the side of the building that faces the fjord is completely glass. Unfortunately, the pool is part of “Norway’s biggest indoor water park,” meaning the entry fee ($18.53 on a weekday) is a little high for anything but occasional lap swimming.

So it seems this winter I will be trading in my swim cap for cross-country skis. Not a bad trade at all!

What I brought: The Trtl® Neck Pillow. What I needed instead: nothing.

Neck pillows are garbage.

What I brought: Five collared shirts. What I needed instead: Three wool sweaters, five sets of long underwear, five pairs of running tights and an NTNU High Performance Computing Lab hoodie.

I really don’t know what I was thinking when I thought five collared shirts would be sufficient for my winter clothes. This isn’t even true in Maryland. Luckily, Norway does winter clothes right, and I’m sure that I’ll be wearing all this other stuff for a long time to come.

[1] The military dinner probably warrants its own post, and it’s a shame we haven’t written about it until now. In June, the Norwegian Naval Academy hosted us and two of Gavin’s students for a five-course dinner at the nicest restaurant in Bergen – a restaurant that had recently hosted a meeting of all five Scandinavian Prime Ministers. The meal had four fish courses and a whale course – as a non-seafood eater, I really had to take one for Team America. Nevertheless, the meal was amazing (the whale was my favorite, although I’m unlikely to eat it again since Norway and Japan are the only countries that serve it, against UN regulations), the ambiance superb, and we really appreciated the tremendous hospitality from our hosts. It was a blast and highlight of our time here.

I am wearing the only pair of high heels in Norway.

[2] While I think that Norway in general is pretty casual, I am not sure that this extends to all of Scandinavia. Both Copenhagen and Stockholm seem to be a little more trendy. Not sure if that’s because they are national capitals, or because Denmark and Sweden are more trendy than Norway.

[3] Norwegians dress up for their independence day, with men in suits and women in bunads. As best I understand it, the bunad is the Norwegian national dress and is a suit or tuxedo equivalent. I very much like this idea, and I wish America had a standard formal option for women. Especially one as awesome as this!