The Monthly Moose

The English language magazine by ISU

In This Issue:

Creative Contest Results p.14-19

Winter Holidays p.20-26

What’s On in December p.11

And More...

// 1

Vol.2 Issue 6 — December 2010

 Dear Readers,
Christmas is knocking
EDITORIAL:
on your door.
Seriously. A host of
evil monsters is trying
to take your house
by siege: a Cocacolian
Santa (ushering the
infamous reindeer and
some impish elves),
an unknown lady with
candles on her head,
an army of ginger bread men [pepperkakegutter] and
the straw goats from IKEA. Resistance is useless. Those
creatures have been at it for several months now, and
made allies with the darkness of the winter.
I can’t help noticing that the period of Christmas
preparations is sprawling further and further back each
year. Christmas items crop up straight after Halloween,
the streets of Oslo shimmer with illuminated garlands
by mid-November, Christmas trees are erected in places
like Oslo S well before December and suddenly your post
box is full of offers to buy cheap juleribbe [Christmas
pork ribs] or marsipangris [marzipan pig] in case you
are a vegetarian. I had my lion’s share of premature
Christmas celebrations on the “julebord” [literally:
Christmas Table] party organized by my employers as
early as November 19. It featured a slightly obnoxious
speech on how women were like cars (blooming with
unnecessary technical details), Christmas carols,
Norwegian golden oldies and bluegrass. The two drinks
on the house could not erase the memories of that
night.
All you can do to combat the treacheries of the winter
holidays is relax. Most of you have accomplished your
exams; some (lucky ones) have already ticked off the
long shopping list. For the rest of you: hold on to those
reins and the Monthly Moose will jingle you safely to
point B.
For those of you leaving Norway, farewell. For those
returning, we will be back again in January Until then,
the Moose of Norway will be missing you.
Moose herder,
2 \\ Editor's Note
Beginnings and Endings.
December is upon us, and with December
comes many things - holidays, lights,
questionable advertising, exams, winter,
shorter days, longer nights, arrivals, and
goodbyes. With the end of the semester,
some of you are leaving Oslo, to return to
whichever city or country you call home.
We would like to end the semester by
thanking you for sharing the semester with
us. Whoever you are, whatever you have
done, we know that your presence here
in Oslo has contributed to our collective
experience. We hope that your time here
in Oslo has helped you, even if things here
have not gone as you hoped or expected.
For some students, the semester brings
your time in forced cohabitation at Kringsjå
to an end. All semester, the Moose has
done it’s best to highlight the experiences
of international students here in Oslo by
publishing accounts of your trials and
tribulations, from SiO problems to UDI
problems and beyond. We can assure you
that these articles have been seen, and that
we are doing our best to champion the
causes of international students and those
who support us, both within our pages
and behind-the scenes. We are currently
doing our best to increase our visibility by
increasing our distribution locations, a plan
which is meeting with some unexpected
resistance. But that won’t stop us from
trying, and we hope that you, our readers,
will not stop as well. So, as 2010 ends,
go out, have fun, and, when you feel like
it, raise some hell. And for those of you
staying in Oslo, we’ll see you in 2011.

Marija

The Monthly Moose — Villa Eika, Blindern 0314 Oslo, P.O. Box 1088. monthly.moose@gmail.com
Chief Editor: Marija Cabuskina — Writers: Anita Iyer, Bianca Løkkeberg, -C.C.C. Prius, Dj Un
Jee Hee Hwang, Josefien Breedvelt, Julie Rousseau, Kjersti Blehr Lånkan, Luis de Ita, Mariam Nodia, Marija C
Readers: Anita Iyer, Blayne Sapelli, Mitch Molstad, Sara Fegelman, Steph Haas — Photo Edito
Grigaliunas, Marija Cabuskina, Miguel Arcángel Fraticelli, Miranti Wirastuti, Robin Bergseth, Sara Fegelma
Fegelman— Layout: Marija Cabuskina.
 CONTENTS

4 A Letter to the Editor

5 Universitas in English
7 Famous Norwegians
8 Debate Column p. 12
10 AIESEC: an Exciting Opportunity
11 What’s on in December?
12 The Lady Behind Munch’s Madonna

14 Photo Competition Winners

16 Prose Competition Winners
17 Poetry Competition Winners p. 20
20 Christmas in Iceland
p. 26
22 New Year Resolutions: Go Eco!
23 What’s Behind St. Lucy’s?
25 Cooking “All’italiana”
26 Learn Norwegian
27 Moose Comic Strip
Contents // 3

nderforest, Dóra Gudjónsdóttir, Francesco Spinali, Hrafnhildur Hauksdóttir, Ingeborg Marie Østby Laukvik,
Cabuskina, Melvin Junming Chen, Ria Tobing, Zhenya Bakin— Copy Editor: Anita Iyer — Proof
or: Sara Fegelman — Visual Content: Irina Osepashvili, Jee Hee Hwang, Luis de Ita, Mantas
an, Summer Choi, Vangelis Tasoulas — Cover Design: Irine Osepashvili, Marija Cabuskina, Sara
 A Letter
criticism since Chinese people are no less harsh in
criticizing themselves; what we would not accept is
to the Editor irresponsible criticism in defiance of the dignity of
China, especially considering that the critic himself is
To whom it may concern,
also Chinese.
I am Xiang, a Chinese student studying at UiO. I have
I believe most of the Chinese people would not
read your Letter to the Readers in The Monthly Moose
think giving the award to a Chinese dissident shows
Vol. 3 Issue 3 [November 2010] and I want to express
that Norway has guts. By contrast, China has the
my comments about it.
guts to confront the Big Brother of Western-centered
Clearly, the letter describes Norway as an audacious
ideology and dares to defend its national interests on
yet righteous country which dares to challenge the
the international stage. If Norway, with its Western
imperious, autocratic and evil China. Even if this
brothers behind the scenes, decided to wage war, China
comment was meant as an ironic joke, such humor
would fight back to the end.
is so subjective that it is very partial, ignorant and
Being Chinese, I cannot understand why Norway,
misleading, especially considering that The Monthly
or the Western world, is so interested in criticising
Moose is a magazine targeting international students
China blindly, considering that China owes them
who may not have in-depth knowledge of China.
nothing. Being the biggest developing country, China
I am hesitant to discuss whether the prize should be
of course has defects and that is why Chinese people are
awarded to Mr. Liu, since it will lead to an argument
so stringent when it comes to criticizing themselves, as
without final agreement, considering that East and West
I mention. But the way we go is a constructive one: never
have different understandings and interpretations of
criticise for criticism itself but to suggest how we could
human rights. What I totally disagree with is the notion
make it better. For us, the solution is much much more
that merely awarding the prize to a “Chinese dissident”
important. I think China welcomes all constructive
denotes “guts.” If that is the case, why didn’t Norway
criticism but not defamation; the line between such
have the guts to award the prize to Vidkun Quisling,
constructive criticism and defamation, in the disguise
the well-known Norwegian political dissident - at least
of criticism, is very fine. And that is why I repeatedly
in regards to mainstream politics - who also brought
emphasize that please gain thorough knowledge
peace to Norway under cooperation with Nazis? In
before making your final and responsible  judgement.
fact, what is ignored in your reasoning is the feeling
Such requirement should be understood impliedly,
and thinking of the nationals of that specific country,
since we are all adults. Moreover, never presume that
i.e. the Chinese people. For Westerners, you may think
the Western ideology is the only model followed by
that is guts, and you may presume such a Western idea
the whole world. Self-centered thinking contributes
is prevalent or even dominant worldwide. But please
nothing but ignorance. If equality is indeed a value
do not take it for granted when it comes to China, as
recognized by your heart, you should realize that no
we have had an independent value system for four
country is superior to another. Times are changing,
thousand years and it is the thinking of the Chinese
and so should the Western world.
which has the final say.
Marija, it is  OK to express yourself to the readers,
I do not know whether you editors have a good grasp
but it is NOT OK to defame a country, especially
of Chinese; I do not know whether you have in depth
when you possess only shallow understanding. What I
knowledge of the past and present of China; I do not even
expect is careful, rational and responsible commentary
know whether you have read any works of Mr. Liu. But
4 \\ A Letter to the Editor

from the editorial staff in the forthcoming days.

what I do know is that if you have none of the above,
or if you merely have superficial knowledge, you do
not have the right to draw conclusions. Unfortunately,
the members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee did
not have such knowledge, although they did make the
decision. Their secretary, Geir Lundestad, confessed in
Oxford on 26th Oct[2010]. that the award is a political
decision, and that they do not have a grasp of the views
of the Chinese people.
Personally, I have read some works of Mr. Liu when I
was in school. I can still clearly remember his remarks
in Liberation Daily, where he stated that Chinese
poverty stems from the race, and the only way out is
another three hundred years’ colonization. Maybe such
remarks suit the tastes of modern Western colonists
but it is never accepted by any Chinese people, except
those traitors.  In China, there is no problem giving
Should you want any further discussion,
I am more than happy to participate.
Regards,
Xiang
Editor’s response: My comments in my letter to the
readers last issue were meant to be ironic, and were not
meant to cause offense to anyone, Norwegian, Chinese, or
otherwise. Nonetheless, the issue of cultural sensitivity
is very important, and the editorial staff appreciates your
letter, and the chance it provides us to learn something new.
I can’t promise my sense of humor will change, but I can do
my best to be more aware of the subjective nature of humor
in the future, and write accordingly. – Marija Cabuskina
Do you agree with the views expressed in this
letter? Do you have an opinion on anything
published in this issue of the Moose? Please send
your comments to us at monthly.moose@gmail.
com!
 Thus Spoke
Universitas is Norway’s biggest
student newspaper, and has 35 issues
per year , with 17,000 copies printed
of each issue. It is sponsored by SiO
and is therefore free of charge for
students. Here’s a short summary
of some of the headlines hitting
Universitas over the past few weeks.

Issue 31, November 10 The Ministry of restricting illegal residents from

Energy for the Price of Gold
According to Norwegian
Water Resources and Energy
Directorate (NVE) and Statistics
Norway (SS), an average owner of
a 30m2 flat spends 3201 NOK on
energy per year. In comparison,
a Kringsjå tenant pays 5184
NOK for an 11 m2 room and
common space. However,
tenants living in renovated
buildings with electric meters
pay significantly less, especially
during summer. According to
Norwegian Consumer Council,
this proves that the fixed price
is overcharged. It is also anti-
ecological since it discourages
students from sparing energy.
Director of Student Housing
of SiO, T. Olstad, admits that
Kringsjå, aged 50, needs
enhanced insulation, and
electric meters are SiO’s long-
term objective.
Researchers have to Apply
The Ministry of Education and
Research (KD) cancelled the
Education and Research (KD). In
addition, the report is erroneous.
Application Fees for International
Students
Sweden introduces application
fees for international students
outside EU on EEA next
year, which mean an increase
in international students
to Norway. The University
of Stavanger introduced
application fees to sieve out
unserious candidates. K.
Lisperguer, the president
of International Students’
Union of Norway, criticizes
application fees, complaining
about the high cost of living and
financial guarantees required
for obtaining residence permit
for students outside EU and
EEA. The Norwegian Christian
Democratic party (KrF)
supports application fees, while
68 percent Norwegian students
are against the measure.
Communal Housing for Students
The Liberal Party of Oslo
getting enrolled. The author
of the book “Ulovlig Norsk”
[Illegally Norwegian], Maria
Amelie, holds a master’s and
no documents. Possibly more
of Norway’s 32,000 illegal
residents are students, but no
data is available. Amundsen is
baffled that universities can’t
check applicants’ personal
numbers against data in UDI.
SiO and OAS Uniting
The two organizations catering
for students, SiO and OAS, are
hoping to merge by January 1 to
become Studentsamskipnaden
i Oslo og Akershus (SiO).
However, before the fusion,
the Parliament has to exclude
student organizations from
paying a document fee applicable
to all merging companies. In this
case it can be about 100 million
NOK.
Christmas with Choir
The world’s oldest academic choir
for women, The Song Union of
Female Students at UiO (KSS),
Universitas in English // 5

agreement between itself and
the universities guaranteeing
every academic employee a 50
percent position as a researcher.
Now universities themselves
decide the percentage. The
Norwegian Association of
Researchers dreads cuts and
acute competition between
researchers.
The Impeached Professor
Only a year after the incident
with a professor swindling
the university, UiO reported
it to Auditor General
(Riksrekvisisjonen) and
(Oslo Venstre) offers SiO to
remake communal housing into
student buildings in regions
like Sandaker. This measure
will increase the amenity of
those districts and provide
students with more housing in
proximity to the center and the
universities. With 3500 students
on the waiting list, SiO gives its
approval.
Illegally Norwegian and Yet
Educated
P-W. Amundsen, PM from
Progress Party (FrP), criticizes
Norwegian universities for not
is preparing for massive carol
singing and invites students to a
concert on Lucy’s day (December
13) with coffee and special
buns, where profits will go to
Norwegian Refugee Council.
Other 13 university choirs are
also singing the holidays in, with
3-4 concerts per choir.
Issue 32, November 17
90% get A or B
Nine of ten students of
Norwegian School of Marketing
(BI) get top grades on their MA
 papers. Students, teachers and
employers are not worried about
grade inflation and ascribe the
grades to high motivation and
proficiency. UiO in meantime
adopts the normal distribution
curve to assign grades.
Theological Faculty Stays
Contrary to the aspirations of
A.B.Sterri, the leader of the
Student Parliament at UiO,
the Theological faculty was not
eradicated during the recent
parliament meeting. In contrary,
the majority agreed on educating
priests of more religions. Sterri
was criticized by parliament
members for promotion of his
own views in the media without
the parliament’s consent.
No Insurance – No Compensation
About 60 percent of Norwegian
students have no accident
insurance; only university
employees are compensated for
accidents in universities. Thus,
students like S.Ø. Hjelmås, who
lost an eye to a gas explosion,
have to contend with flowers
from the rector. Tekna (The
Norwegian Society of Graduate
Technical and Scientific
Professionals) campaigns for
insurance for students, claiming
that it will cost two hours’ oil
production a year. The Student
Parliament issued a petition on
the topic to the UiO.
Prime Minister and Climate
6 \\ Universitas in English
Jens Stoltenberg, Norway’s PM,
visited UiO in connection with
his book “The Climate Paradox”
[Klimaparadokset]. Students
asked about the prevalence of oil
topics in education and research
and lack of sustainable energy
projects. After the conference,
Stoltenberg was available for
book signing.
Lazy Students? No, Incompetent
Lecturers!
While lecturers blame lazy
students, students point
to insufficient pedagogical
competence of their lecturers as
a factor decreasing study quality,
according to a recent survey.
The government decided to give
prizes to good lecturers.
More Exams for Future Lawyers
Law students rejoice about
having two exams instead of
one. Among other changes,
human rights are put in focus
and more varied teaching forms
are adopted by the faculty.
New Law on Security Guards
The Norwegian Parliament
(Stortinget) adopted a law,
stipulating public places to hire
competent guards from certified
companies. Student pubs are not
excluded from the law, which
means drastic expenditures: as
of now all guards are voluntary.
Issue 33, November 26
Fight for your Rights to Study
Students start queuing at 7:45
to study at Georg Sverdrup’s
and other study halls in Oslo.
Meanwhile, many tables
reserved for MA students remain
empty. Additionally, exams are
held in study halls despite the
existence of vacant rooms. Next
year Humanities’ faculty will
have additional study halls in
Preclinical odontology building.
UiO is searching for solutions.
Sex, Drugs, Exam Roll
A recent research by Sentio
shows that two percent of
Norwegian students take
prescription medicine or illegal
substances to enhance exam
performance. Ritalin, an ADHD
medicine, and amphetamine are
especially troubling.
New Board in Chateau Neuf
The Norwegian Students’ Society
(DNS) elected a new board. For
the first time in history the
winning candidates did not run
individually, but as a group.
They are planning to renovate
the lobby, make an art gallery
and open up rehearsal rooms for
bands.
UiO Anniversary
Norway’s oldest university
is getting ready to blow
200 candles on its cake. The
program of Saturday festivals
in May, June, September and
October is held in secret as well
as the Anniversary weekend
September 1-4. Despite its age,
UiO is eager to use Internet
and social networks instead of
brochures.
Issue 32, December 1
Erasmus Survival at 19 000 NOK
Some of the 3000 Erasmus
students receive around 19 000
NOK a semester to survive in
Norway. Research shows that
Erasmus scholarship covers 36%
of costs in a foreign country
and for 61% of European
students financial difficulties
are a hindrance to go abroad.
Addressing these problems, the
European Comission is thinking
of establishing a student loan
for Erasmus students. However,
the European Student Union
(ESU) warns that such a solution
will put even more press on
financially unpriviledged
students.
Programming On Paper
Until this day informatics
students at UiO are forced
to write programs with pen
and pencil on their exams.
T.Vederhus, representative
of the Student Parliament
encourages the university to use
computers in reading halls or to
adopt a practice from Bergen,
where students are allowed
to use their own computers,
but only within the range of
a specially provided memory
stick. The administration point
to financial difficulties with
changing exam practices.
The Icy 30 Hours
November in Oslo has not been
as cold as this year since 1968.
In addition, SiO switched off hot
water and warming in selected
housing units at Sogn, as a
measure for switching over
from oil heating to district
heating due to environmental
reasons. It took longer than
expected, so the tenants were
without heat for 30 hours. T.
Olstad from SiO admits that
the works could be postponed
til spring and is sorry for the
inconvenience.
Study Bob Dylan!
From January 2011 you can
take a course on Bob Dylan at
UiO worth 10 ECTS. Rather
surprisingly, the course is in
Norwegian.
Brewed by Students
Those thirsty for new beer
flavours should visit the
student handmade brewery
(Kristianiastudentenes
Haandbryggerlaug) where
beer is brewed using orange
peels and spices. An easy-
to-follow recipe is found on
universitas.no (in Norwegian).
by Marija Cabuskina

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 Nor-
wegian media, and learn more about
just what it takes to make
the headlines in Norway.

Einar Gelius: criticized for, among other things, suggesting

Promoting the Lutheran Church, that empty Lutheran churches be sold to other
One Crazy Stunt At A Time. religions, agreeing to judge a beauty contest
For hundreds of years, the Church of Norway
– which belongs to the evangelical Lutheran
denomination of Christianity - has been part
of the fabric of Norwegian society. In modern
times, the Church has found its influence in
modern Norwegian life severely lessened.
However, while the Church continues to soldier
on in the face of increasing apathy towards
religious expression on the part of many
Norwegians, from July 2011 the church will have
to survive without one of its most prominent
members, Einar Gelius. Gelius, who currently
serves as the priest of Vålerenga Kirke here in
Oslo, has tendered his resignation, following a
long and colorful decade-long dance across the
headlines.
Gelius, who was
ordained in 1986,
first hit headlines in
1996 following an
episode where he
while attending a julebord, and engaging in
several theologically questionable actions
stemming from his supreme devotion to his
home football team, Vålerenga. Gelius, who
has a tattoo of his team’s logo and the cross on
his forearm, has been criticized for using his
sermon to thank God for Vålerenga’s success,
using his church as a meeting place for the
supporter club, and holding a mock funeral for
a rival football team ahead of a big match. Most
recently, Gelius made headlines after achieving
the lowest-ever score on the Norwegian reality
show Skal Vi Danse [Shall We Dance?], and
for publishing a book called Sex i Bibelen [Sex
in the Bible] which also reportedly discusses
Gelius’ own sexual exploits. The book, widely
believed to be the last straw
for the Bishop in Oslo, has
resulted in Gelius agreeing
to resign. Moose readers
interested in reading
more about Gelius and his
writing, or checking out
Norway QUIZ // 7

danced up the aisle his apparently awful dance

in full priestly garb moves, are encouraged to
while appearing on use their Google-skills to
an NRK program, find out more.
a move which his
Text: Anita Iyer
bishop felt used Picture: Summer Choi
the priestly cloth
as an entertaining Sources:
accessory. In www.vg.no
subsequent years, www.aftenposten.no
Gelius has been

Picture Picture by Miranti Wirastuti
Do Drugs
by C.C.C. Prius
Recently, I found myself engaged in an
argument with some friends about drug policy
reform. We generally agreed that marijuana was
A) Awesome, and B) Should totally be legal, but I
thought this sentiment should go further. Much
further. I think all drugs should be legalized.
One of my friends responded by saying: “That’s a
terrible idea! It would promote the use of drugs!”
I disagree. This is how you promote the use of
drugs:
Please, if you are reading this, go find some
illegal drugs, buy a shitload, invite me over, and
then let’s A) do them, and then B) give them to
children. My idea has no drawbacks, save for
the inevitable, insane increase in prices that will
accompany a sudden surge in demand. But that’s
not really an issue, because once a few dozen
micrograms of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide are
coursing through your brain, you’re not really
going to care all that much about anything that
isn’t tie dyed and/or shiny. To be fair, while
coins are in fact shiny, you’ll be more concerned
with whatever window the famous dead guy is
commanding you to jump out of, rather than said
coin’s monetary value. Just look at those clouds,
man! Do you think, like, angels are real? Imagine
how carefree and life affirming every second of
the day will be when you stop worrying about
8 \\ Debate Section
classes, or your love life, or your j- HOLY SHIT
LOOK AT THOSE DRAGONS!
Now, of course, there are a whole lot of
drugs you can, and should be right now, taking.
Marijuana is for pussies who want to play guitar
and not bathe and potentially grow up to be
President of the United States of America. No,
you need to get into much harder shit. Cocaine is
on the right track, but you’re still falling into that
potentially growing up to be the President of the
United States of America trap. My suggestions?
Deb Do you agree
Want to disc
Let us
at monthly.moo
Meth. Meth is cheap, super fun, and probably has
a ton of Vitamin C and stuff in it. Plus, you’ll never
have to go to the dentist again because your teeth are
all going to either fall out, or you’ll pluck them out
with a pair of rusty pliers because you could swear
to God (with whom you are now communicating via
Morse code tapped out by your left middle finger)
“There be gold in them thar molars!” Even more
bonuses: You can make it yourself with nothing
more than a stove, cough syrup, and a willingness
to have your house, your dog and yourself randomly
explode in the middle of the night. You really need
to start doing meth.
One day, while walking through the University of
Oslo’s campus, a frizzy haired girl walked up to me
and broke out into, what was as far as I could tell,
her best Swedish Chef impression. After politely
asking her to switch to English, I quickly realized
she wanted me to get into a relationship. With
Jesus. It was all moving a little too fast for me, so I
asked her about herself. “Are you like a missionary
or something?” She told me “No,” and that she was
more like an amateur. She continued, “This isn’t a
great example, but have you ever seen a movie you
really, really liked, and you wanted to tell all of your
friends about it? Like you wanted to share it with
the world how awesome this thing you found was?”
And at that moment, I felt an intimate connection,
a vibrantly spiritual, yet almost tangible embrace.
“Oh my god, I know exactly what you mean!”
I announced, enthusiastically. Her eyes lit up.
I continued, “Have you ever tried LSD!? It’s so
awesome, and I’ll totally go to church with you if we
can split a tab or two beforehand!” Needless to say,
she didn’t respond to my offer very well, but this
encounter was the inspiration for this entire line
of thinking. We need to not only do drugs, but we
need to push them. Hard. There should be a legion
of warriors, ready to enlighten and proselytize the
gospels of the Opiate, the Hallucinogen, and the
Amphetamine. The Cult of the Uppers, the High
priests of Downers, the ego destroyers and the
ego boosters: We need to start going door to door,
person to person, bucket of acid to City Water
Supply Reservoir, to push this message.
And that is what promoting drug use looks like.
bate
e?Disagree?
cuss a topic?
s know
ose@gmail.com
Gender equality
or chasing after Viking – gentleman
by Dj Underforest
“A gentleman is one who puts more into the world than he
takes out. “
George Bernard Shaw
Who comes to your mind when you hear
the word “gentleman”…. Richard Gere, Robert
Clooney? Now grab a picture of any of your
friends who can be given this title? Have you met
any, maybe one, two?!
In this short note I argue that the question
of being or not being THE gentleman is a
universal one. And in any case it is not connected
to nationality, weather conditions or history
background.
How does he look this contemporary
gentleman? Is he all dressed up in a suit with
umbrella caring all the time, holding the door for
women, and paying for dinner and her cab ride
home? Or is he also well educated having long
complicated conversations, and never revealing
his real emotions? Or maybe, he has to be a poet, a
dreamer or a lonely fellow hoping for adventure?
Nowadays concept of “ladies” and “gentleman”
is seen like a retro, outdated, old-fashioned
concept. What picture we see, for example, on
streets of Olso? Tough guys and rough-skinned
having to endure such harsh weather in the long
winters, maybe even aggressive like Viking is the
general stereotype of Norwegian man (Norsk
mann). Norwegian woman (Norsk kvinne) is
extremely good looking and independent, never
asking for any help.
Gentleman and ladies are rare exhibits and
looks like can be soon found only in museums.
Looks like their contemporary ancestors are even
too busy (read: lazy) to hold the door for the lady,
to give a hand while walking from car, bus, tram,
not even mentioning regular flowers, presents.
Flowers bouquets are mostly used only in case of
marriage proposal. Otherwise “unnsyld” girls….
Having this question in my mind, I had
observed situation around in order to see how
many I could find man caring flowers. The only
man I’ve seen this week was an old man over 70
Printed with written permission of inmagine.com
having a bouquet of lovely autumn flowers. Get me
right, I have nothing against woman holding strong
position in society or in family, but why in such
romantic country with so many candles outside and
inside during the winter season, beautiful nature
and Northern lights there is no space and time for
romance but only for one-night stands.
Is it due to past few waves of feminism that
resulted in quite rigid definition of gender roles in
Scandinavia? Is it historically? Some friends tried
to explain me that by fact that in old times women
waiting at home for their Viking men fighting
abroad. Therefore had to take care of everything
what enabled them to go around without any help
of strong men. Being so masculine for a woman
means destroying all potential for a man to be a
truly gentleman. It also gave me impression that
strong independent woman make their man to
become weak.
Being gentleman means just being more attentive
to people around you, treating everybody patiently
with respect, never hurting anyone’s feelings
intentionally. Concluding this note with saying that
I miss men offering me a place in public transport,
opening the door in the car, giving a hand or just
holding a hand for walking along the streets and
waiting with flowers. All these indeed small gestures
make you feel truly lady. Just one suggestion for
you guys reading this column - try to act more
noble, as gentleman treating everyone well. It’s a
fake bubble, that being gentleman requires a lot of
time, it just means to be more attentive to people
Debate Section // 9
around you. And romantic is so easy to make part of
everyday life, it involves just a little fantasy from a
dinner with candles, love notes, invitation for a slow
dance, or glass of hot wine on a balcony to sunrise
coffee in the bed. And for us girls, sometimes we
don’t need to be so pushy, and show our strength
and independence, maybe sometimes it’s good to
show our weakness. That will give a feeling for man
around us feeling that they are truly needed and
would definitely stimulate them to give you a hand
with joy and pleasure. Girls acting as ladies like, and
guys being gentleman like….are you one?
 AIESEC: Seeing the world, while works with companies. Technical internships
involve participating in information technology
doing something meaningful or engineering projects, such as web development
and management, software development and
Text & pictures :JeeHee Hwang programming, system analysis and design, and
Do you have any plans for next semester or network or database management.
want to spend extra time in a foreign country Students are able to participate in AIESEC by
doing something meaningful? becoming members of AIESEC or applying as
Here’s something you might want to hear interns. The difference between these two roles is
about. leadership experience. As a member of AIESEC,
Have you ever heard of AIESEC? AIESEC is the students participate in programs mediating
world’s largest international student organization, between students and companies. AIESEC
with 107 countries, and 45,000 members. Some members sign contracts with companies regarding
of the readers may have heard of this from introducing foreign interns, and they also make
friends, on boards around the campus, or at projects themselves. To be specific, AIESEC uio
your home university. In Norway, there are total has several ongoing projects. They are summer
5 local committees in 4 cities. There is one each camps 2011, market expansion, and summer
committee in Bergen, Trondheim, Stavanger, and abroad 2011.
two committees in Oslo, including, AIESEC uio.
AIESEC can be described in two words: Summer camps 2011 goal is to bring international
International Internships. What members of interns to work in summer camps in Norwegian
AIESEC do is simple. They send interns abroad, NGOs and organizations. A selection of
and accept foreign interns. AIESEC is like a international candidates will be starting next
mediator between students and companies. year. The market expansion project aims to sell
AIESEC Norway introduces international interns, internships to Norwegian corporations that are
who want internships in Norway, to companies looking to expand to new markets abroad. It will
in Norway. Also, students in Norway, who want provide the company with international students
internship opportunities in 106 other countries, who have local culture and language knowledge,
can apply through AIESEC. corporate working experience in the country, and
a relevant academic and working background. The
Students can have various experiences abroad. summer abroad 2011 project is to send students
There are four exchange types: developmental, on short term internships abroad during the
educational, managing, and technical internships. summer of 2011 to Kenya, Turkey and China.
Developmental internships deal with community
10 \\ AIESEC: an Exciting Opportunity

development issues, such as children’s human The best part of this organization is that everything
rights, environmental issues, education, is done in English, which is no problem for
rural development and entrepreneurship. international students studying at UiO. AIESEC
Through education internships, interns teach may be a good option for both students leaving
underprivileged children languages, about social this semester and staying until next semester.
issues and several other subjects, and also do Students can spend time with Norwegian friends
career counseling. Management internships are by working on projects together. Also,
related to finance, accounting, marketing, project those who are leaving this
management, and human resources. semester, but would like to try
While developmental and something fun, can apply for
educational internships are internships anytime.
mainly working with NGOs, Further information
management internships can be found at
usually www.aiesec.no.
What’s On ?
in Oslo in December
10 Nobel Peace Prize
Rough Diamonds, singer/
songwriter evening@ Stor Stå Pub
(www.storesta.no)
• Torchlight Procession for
this year’s Nobel Peace
Prize winner, Liu Xiaobo
(www.facebook.com/event.
php?eid=163225707051106)
• Christmas concert with Oslo
Fagottkor@ Lilleborg Kirke
(http://lilleborgkirke.no)
• Royce Da 5’9’’@Fugazi (www.
fugazi.no)
• Christmas exhibition@
Kunstnerforbundet (www.
11
kunstnerforbundet.no)
ESN White T-shirt
Party@Amatøren ( Sogn
student village)(www.facebook.
com/home.php?#!/event.
php?eid=174119242606930)
• Farmer’s Christmas market@
Birkelunden and Vika (www.
bondensmarked.no)
• The Annual Christmas Fair@
Norsk Folkemuseum (www.
norskfolkemuseum.no)
• Old-fashioned Christmas@
Bærums Verk (www.
baerumsverk.no)
• Guided tour of the Parliament
building (No./Eng.) (www.
stortinget.no)
• Nobel Peace Prize concert (www.
oslospektrum.no)
12 Christmas concert, In Dulci
Jubilo@ Oslo Domkirke
(www.oslodomkirke.no)
• Exhibition: Liu Xiaobo - I have
no enemies@Nobel Peace Center
(www.nobelpeacecenter.org)
• Dance performance: The
Experiment@ Dansens Hus
(www.dansenshus.com)
• Christmas concert, Night in
Betlehem@ Kulturkirken Jacob
(www.kkv.no)
• Christmas market@ Blå (www.
sondagsmarkedet.blogspot.com)
13 Big Sign - Little Building@
Office for Contemporary
Art Norway (www.oca.no)
• St.Lucia celebration parade,
Oslo Domkirke – Oslo S (17:00)
(www.oslodomkirke.no)
• Poing’s Christmas show (www.
parkteatret.no)
•
14 Christmas beer tasting@
Akersberget (www.ol-
akademiet.no)
• Christmas concert, The
Norwegian Chamber Orchestra@
Frogner Kirke (www.
forgnerkirke.no)
• Snake and lizard feeding@ Oslo
Reptilpark (www.reptilpark.no)
• UNICEF Christmas stand up
show (No.)@ Latter (www.latter.
no)
15 Exhibition: Nudes @
Munch-museet (www.
munch.museum.no)
• Oslo Philarmonic’s Christmas
concert @ Oslo Konserthus
• Bad Boy? Bastøy Boys’ Home@
Norsk folkemuseum (www.
norskfolkemuseum.no)
• Folk music café@ BokCaféen (w
ww.studentersamfundet.no)
• Atomic Soul comedy
(Eng.): Russell Kane/ Sadie
Hasler@ Edderkoppen (www.
16
edderkoppen.no)
Beer tasting class@ Beer
Palace (www.ol-akademiet.
no)
• University of Oslo’s Women’s
Choir@ Vestre Aker Kirke (www.
vak.no)
• Favourites with DJ Tony D / DJ
Tony Anthun@ Café Kaos (www.
cafekaos.no)
17 The Salvation Army’s
musicians @ Egertorget
(also on the 18th, 20th &21st
Dec) (www.frelsesarmeen.no)
• Bakkjens Bazaar: World Music
concert
• Oslo Gospel Choir@
Oslo Konserthus (www.
oslokonserthus.no)
• Christmas concert@
Trefoldighetskirken www.
oslodomkor.no
• Dj F.M.C.@ Klubb Süd Øst (www.
myspace.com/fmcone)
• Guitarmageddon@ Parkteatret
(www.parkteatret.no)
18 Free Saturday concert@
Café Mono (www.
cafemono.no)
• Oslo Soul Experience@John Dee
(www.rockefeller.no/jd181210p.
html)
• Christmas party with Lille G,
Lille Philip and DJ Quast@
Livingroom(www.living-room.
19
no)
Sølvguttene boys’ choir
concert@Oslo Domkirke
(www.oslodomkirke.no)
• Guided tour of the Opera House
(Eng.) (www.operaen.no)
• Cultural Sunday: Ped 4@
Trikkehallen (www.trikkehallen.
no)
20 Christkindlesmarkt@
Deutsche Gemeinde
(www.deutschegemeinde.
net/neuigkeiten/63/
christkindlesmarkt)
• Exhibition: Grafosfæren@ Galleri
Norske Grafikere (www.norske-
grafikere.no)
• Alexander Rybak: Swinging
Home for Christmas@ Chat Noir
(www.chatnoir.no)
21 Exhibition: Works from the
collection@ Munch-museet,
www.munch.museum.no
• Christmas concert @ the Opera
(www.operaen.no)
• Christmas party @ La Belle Sole
(www.facebook.com/event.ph
p?eid=131171443607843&in
dex=1)
22 Christmas concert, Music
for December@ Oslo
Domkirke (www.oslodomkirke.
no)
• Christmas party@ Emil &
Samuel (www.facebook.com/
event.php?eid=1689463697972
51&index=1)
• The Black Soul Circus@ Revolver
(www.revolveroslo.no)
23 Ernesto Neto – Intimacy@
Astrup Fearnley Museet
(www.afmuseet.no)
• The Creative Act@ Henie Onstad
Kunstsenter (www.hok.no)
• Marianne Heske: Heaven &
Earth@ Stenersen museet (w
ww.stenersen.museum.no)
• Kåre Tveter & Petar Tale –
Joined by the dead masters@
Arthe Kunsthus (www.arthe.no)
24 Christmas Morning@ Oslo
Domkirke
• Christmas Eve service w/
Sølvguttene@ Oslo Domkirke
(www.oslodomkirke.no)
• Christmas Eve@ Last Train
(www.lasttrain.no)
25 DJ Nuhhh & Bunzi B@
Living Room (www.living-
26
room.no)
Christmas Rock@ Last
Train, Karl Johans gate
(www.lasttrain.no)
• Frank Znort Quartet@Blå (www.
blaaoslo.no)
27 Sacred Treasures from the
Kremlin@ Nasjonalgalleriet
(www.nasjonalmuseet.no)
• Christmas blues with Kid, Terry,
Bill and Alex@ Buckleys Pub
28
(www.buckleys.no)
Opera: Tosca@ Den norske
opera og ballett (www.
operaen.no)
• Goddesses: Women Who Move
Art II@ Museet for samtidskunst
(www.najonalmuseet.no)
• Pilvi Takala - You Can’t Do What
You Can’t Imagine@ Finsk-norsk
29
kulturinstitutt (www.finno.no)
Take Me To Your Leader!
The Great Escape Into
Space@ Museet for samtidskunst
(www.nasjonalmuseet.no)
• Live music in the pub@
Scotsman (www.scotsman.no)
30 Handball cup finals@
Oslospektrum (www.
oslospektrum.no)
• Fluxus/ Fluxus East@ Henie
Onstad Kunstsenter (www.hok.
31
no)
New Year’s party at Stratos
(www.stratos.as)
• New Year’s Eve party@ Mona
Lisa Huset (www.monalisahuset.
no)
• New Year’s Eve party@ Blå (www.
blaaoslo.no)
by Ria Tobing from ESN
What's On in Oslo? // 11
 world. Władisław Emeryk, the man who shot first

Munch’s Lady:
Dagny and then himself, left a letter for Dagny’s
five year old son, Zenon. He tried to explain the
reason behind his conduct, stating that Dagny

Dagny Juel “was not of this world, she was far too ethereal
for anyone to understand her true nature… That

Przubuszewska she was an incarnation of the absolute, that she

was God, you will learn from others. I only want
by Mariam Nodia to tell you that she, to put it in an earthly way,
was a saint. She was goodness itself, the kind of
There are some paintings that one cannot forget. goodness that is called regal, and that arises from
It is enough to look at them just once and they stay contempt…She believed that she had come to the
in our minds forever. Edward Munch’s Madonna is world only so that you might be born” (quoted
one of them. Almost everybody who has seen it from Norseng 1991, p. 168).
admits that there is something mysterious about
the painting that makes them think afterwards; Dagny Juel herself was born in Kongsvinger,
feel something that one cannot explain. Norway in 1867. Her father, Hans Limmich Juel
was a doctor, married to Minda Blehr, sister of the
Very few outside Norway know that Edward Norwegian Prime Minister to the King of Sweden-
Munch’s Madonna had a real life prototype. She Norway. Minda and Hans had three daughters
was a lady of a contradictory nature, a person of besides Dagny: Astrid, Gudrun and Ragnhild.
extremes. She could love without boundaries. The Juel sisters were talented and beautiful.
She had enough courage to challenge society’s According to the family tradition, Gudrun once
conventions, break the unwritten rules and be danced with the Swedish king, who asked her if
free, unlike other women. She was adored and there were many beautiful girls in Kongsvinger.
hated at the same time. She was simultaneously She answered “There are four of us”. All of the four
both a cult figure and an object of loathing. She sisters were musically talented, and their talent
was an inspiration for many. Some considered was not unnoticed. One of Munch’s paintings,
her to be beautiful and others did not. But all called Two Music-Making Sisters (To Musiserende
agreed that she was seductive like no one else. She Søstre) portrays Dagny sitting and playing the
was described as secretive, distant, aristocratic, piano and Ragnhild standing next to her, singing.
12 \\ The Lady Behind Munch’s Madonna

enchanting, extremely intellectual, restless,

magical and unique. Dagny wanted to become a professional pianist.
For this reason, in January 1893 she left for
The name of this mysterious lady was Dagny Berlin to study at Hollander’s Conservatory. There
Juel. She was the wife of Polish writer Stanisław Edward Munch introduced her to the avant-garde
Przybyszewski and a childhood friend of Edward artists and thinkers of the late nineteenth century,
Munch. The correspondence between Dagny and the Schwarze Ferkel group. Dagny became one
Munch shows that they truly were
friends. Nobody knows whether the
story about them being lovers, as
some researchers believe, is a myth
or reality. But the fact is that Munch
used her as his model for many of
his famous paintings, among them
Madonna, Jealousy, The kiss, Ashes,
Vampire etc.

The life of Dagny was full of

controversies and secrets. Her death
was as mysterious as her personality.
Dagny was found murdered in a Grand
Hotel room in Tbilisi shortly before
her thirty-fourth birthday. Her death
raised many questions. Hundreds of
articles were published all over the Dagny and Stachu
of the most enigmatic later, as he had promised,
members of the circle, and bring their passports.
the subject of the Her letters written to
admiration and rivalry. Stachu shortly before her
She met Stanisław death are full of fear and
(Stachu) Przybyszewski despair:
at Schwarze Ferkel and
fell in love with him. “I’m about to lose my mind.
Stachu adored her too, Not a word since a month
called her “Ducha”, a ago. I have telegraphed to
polish word for “Soul”. Krakow, to Lemberg, to
Soon they were married Warsaw. No answer. Fine…
and became the king You must absolutely send
and the queen of the my and Zenon’s passport
bohemians. “Ashes” by Edvard Munch right away. Otherwise I
can have a lot of difficulty.
Being the wife of Stanisław Przybyszewski was You promised me to send a passport already the
not easy. There were times when they did not have following day!
money for rent. Sometimes they had nothing I beg you: send it right away.”
to eat. Besides, Stachu was a bohemian striving (quoted from Norseng 1991, p. 168).
for freedom. Therefore, family was nothing but But Stachu neither sent them passports nor replied
chains for him and the children were obstacles. to her. At the time he was having a love affair with
Dagny had to leave her newly born daughter at Jadwiga, the wife of his friend Jan Kasprowicz,
her parents and follow her husband to Poland, whom he married after Dagny’s death. Therefore,
knowing that it was best for all, especially for the he did not care much about his lawful wife. Dagny
baby. and Zenon travelled with Emeryk for three weeks,
Stachu had many affairs before and after meeting until they arrived in Tbilisi (Tiflis). They stayed at
Dagny. He had two children with a woman called the Grand Hotel, where Emeryk introduced Dagny
Marta Foerder, whom he impregnated for the as his sister and Zenon as his nephew. Dagny
third time while being married to Dagny. Later, suspected that Emeryk was up to something

The Lady Behind Munch’s Madonna // 13

when Marta committed suicide and Stachu was
imprisoned for some time as he was suspected of
her murder. During this period, Dagny supported
him and never abandoned
him. Dagny had lovers too.
But according to many,
including her murderer
Emeryk, Stanisław
Przybyszewski was the only
man she had ever loved.
Paradoxically however,
Dagny Juel died desperate,
abandoned and betrayed by
her beloved husband.
Her murderer, Władysław
Emeryk, was the son of a
rich Polish businessman
who owned mines in
Georgia. Emeryk invited
the Przybyszewski family
to the Caucasus. Dagny left
Poland with him, taking
her son Zenon, hoping that
Stanisław would join them
terrible. She could see it in his eyes. She asked for
help from the man she loved most, her husband,
but in vain.
Dagny Juel was murdered
on the 5th of June, 1901,
shortly before her thirty
fourth birthday. She
died abandoned and
desperate, as portrayed on
Munch’s “Ashes”, but still
beautiful and mysterious
as “Madonna”. Dagny died
young, but her memory
continues to live. Edward
Munch made His Lady
immortal by his paintings.
Sources:
Norseng M. K. 1991, Dagny, A
Samuel and Althea Stroum Book,
University of Washington Press,
Seattle & London
Valla K 2006, Skuddene i Tbilisi by
Kristin, Kagge forlag Oslo, 2006.
Store Norske leksikon, http://www.
snl.no/.nbl_biografi/Dagny_Juel/
“Madonna” by Edvard Munch utdypning
 The Monthly Moose
wishes to thank all
our readers who par-
ticipated in the photo
competition for their
brilliant submissions.
However, due to
space constraints we
can only publish pho-
tos from our 3 final-
ists:

Mantas Grigaliunas,
Robin Bergseth,
and Vangelis Tasoulas.

We congratulate
Vangelis Tasoulas
for winning our
photo contest!

The Evil T-bane by Vangelis Tasoulas

14 \\ Graphic Competition Winners

Destination Unknown by Vangelis Tasoulas Elg by Robert Bergseth

 The Monthly Moose
creative issue returns
in May 2011, so keep
the creative juices
flowing!

If you want to
become a regular
contributor write
us at monthly.
moose@gmail.com.

Graphic Competition: winners // 15

h Sunset in Smøla by Mantas Grigaliunas


The Monthly Moose
Prose
Competition
Norway
by Kjersti Blehr Lånkan
In a coffee bar somewhere in Oslo, a soft voice is
singing, the barista joins in, humming:
“I liiiiiiiike youuuu….”
He stares at a girl with blond hair, the only person
in the room. She is sitting behind her computer,
typing, drinking coffee. A short glance is all she
offers him, looking swiftly up from her computer.
He leans over the bar.
“Is the music bothering you?”
“No, it’s fine.”
“Okay, okay, good. You see, my Norwegian bosses
are complaining. They are old and grumpy, you
know, fat and ugly! They are complaining about
my music.”
16 \\ Prose competition: Winners
He makes a face and his voice turns nasal to copy
his bosses’ voices:
“You are playing too loooouuuuudly!”
He taps his fingers on the side of his head. She
laughs. He continues:
“How old are you?”
“20.”
“20? My God, that is so young. But it’s great, you
know why?”
He has her attention now.
“Your generation is going to change this country.
Children who are born after 1990 have a different
mentality; they grew up with kids from Pakistan,
Somalia, Thailand… And they know that this
country is rich. You know, those other people…”
At this point, the barista points his finger
upwards, as if his bosses have their office on the
The Monthly Moose wishes to thank all our
readers who participated in the prose compe-
tition for creative and varied submissions.
The winners of this year’s competition are
Kjersti Blehr Lånkan, Bianca Løkkeberg and
Luis de Ita. The moose-ly prize goes to Kjer-
sti Blehr Lånkan.
The contest is back in May 2011. However,
if you are interested in submitting creative
writing to the magazine, write us at
monthly.moose@gmail.com.
second floor.
“They grew up when this country was poor.”
The blond girl seems surprised.
“Shouldn’t that be a good thing?”
“Yes, it should, but it’s not. They are poor up here
as well.”
The barista taps his fingers on his head. Then he
walks around the bar, towards her table.
“Sooo… Mr.Right, is he studying or working?”
She smiles.
“He’s studying.”
“Oooouuuh, Mr.Right is studying. But is he funny
like me? Is he handsome like me? Can he dance
like me?”
He puts his hands over his head and shakes his
hips.
“Or is he also white, Norwegian, serious…”
He places his hands on each side of his face, to
show how he is shut out from the world, how he
cannot look to any side. Like a racing horse, with
black blinkers, setting out to win, but with no clue
about why it is participating in the race. But it can
sense the other horses, so it also breathes quickly,
stamps its cloven hoof in the ground and goes out
when the gun fires. All the horses are running,
they’re going fast, really fast, and they can all
feel the legs of the jockeys pressing firmly against
their sides.
Anne by Bianca Løkkeberg
She was just there one day, as if she had always
been there. Looking at me from behind the
counter, wiping off a glass that she had washed.
She smiled, such a familiar smile. As if we saw
each other every day, not across a bar counter, but
maybe across a kitchen table, or at least a room
with proper furniture. It took me a couple of
weeks to understand that even if I dared to speak
to her, she wouldn’t hear what I had to say. At first
I felt a tremendous loss, as if I had ever been close
to having her. But I shook off my grief and did
the only right thing, I went out and got a teach
yourself book.
As so many times before, our eyes met, she smiled
and came over with the menu. She didn’t usually
serve people, and sometimes she was too busy for
me too, but this day seemed like a slow one in the
café. I pointed at a cappuccino, she wrote it down.
“Hello”, I said, my hands shaking, “How are you?”
She laughed and looked surprised. “I’m well, thank
you. You can speak sign language?” she asked with
quick gestures. “A little bit”, I said, leisurely, as if
I hadn’t practised many weeks just to be able to
say these words. “Can you say anything else?” she
asked. I hesitated. “I’m a girl”, I said, “I’m 24 years
old...and I’m a student.” She laughed and said
something I couldn’t understand. I smiled and
nodded, and she left.
My small vocabulary expanded, and I invited her
out for a walk. I said I wanted to improve my sign
language, which wasn’t a lie. We walked in silence
through the streets of Oslo, in this white winter
light that made everything transparent. We
walked the streets, and the city saw right through
us, breathed through us. “Do you like the winter?”
I asked. She laughed a bit, “Yes, yes I do.” “Me too”,
I said, and we smiled.
One walk became many walks, often several times
and smelled of warm summer rain. I came up with
her that night, saw her apartment and learnt the
name of her cat. “You will probably forget it by
tomorrow”, she said, but I assured her I wouldn’t.
Her room had a sweet smell, the walls were purple
and the shelves filled with books. She asked if I
wanted to drink tea, and looked at me. I told her
that tea was actually my favourite thing to drink.
We drank from big, yellow cups, and I looked at the
flowers that hang on her walls. She said she liked
dried flowers, because she knew they wouldn’t
die. “Your thoughts make me smile”, I said,
immediately wondering if I had said something
wrong, but seeing that I hadn’t.
Many nights and many cups of cinnamon tea went
by, sitting in her room, spelling out to each other
who we were and what mattered to us. I told her
about my boat, about sailing. About the wind in
my clothes and the salt on my face, the feeling of
being at the end of the world when the night falls.
I could see that she felt it too. She told me about
losing her mother at the age of ten. I went home
that night, carrying her grief with me, carefully,
like the most precious gift I had ever been given.
As the days grew brighter, our soft spoken love
grew stronger. She read my hands, and my hands
read her, every part of her telling a different story.
Her soft arms, the curve of her spine, the pit in
the back of her knee. Sometimes I would dream
that she was gone, that she had left as quietly as
she had once appeared. I would wake up terrified,
in her room smelling of cinnamon and all things
sweet. She would wake up too and pull me close.
Summer rain kiss, cinnamon bliss. And I would go
back to sleep.

Prose Competition: Winners // 17

a week. We followed the sun as it travelled across
the sky, taking twists and turns and small streets
we hadn’t seen before, absorbing the warm light
for as long as we could. We usually ended up by
the harbour, seeing the orange sunset disappear
Hytte by Luis de Ita
in the water and not being able to catch up with it. To understand the cultural spirals in a foreign
When the blue December darkness came seeping country, one must observe the rituals, paying
in between us, to make our conversations vague attention to every detail, and thus appreciate the
and indistinct, I was filled with an immense timing with pauses and movements.
sadness. Looking at her, being able to make out
her dark eyes and hesitant smile, but not being In Norway, there is a ritual that keeps many
able to speak to her. I wanted to tell her that when Norwegians busy on their holidays and week-ends:
a journey to their cabins. Hytte is the Norwegian
she looked at me, I felt touched by the sun. That name for the cabins located in recondite corners
when she smiled at me, I felt wrapped in gold. In
of the mountains, in inhospitable valleys or on
stead I would wave her goodbye, she would wave
islands only accessible by boat. Like wooden
back, and our roads would part.
temples, with low ceilings and soot stains,
Once I walked her to her door, and we stood there the hytte is an excellent place to observe and
for a second, not quite knowing what to do. “With understand the Norwegian culture and its people.
you, the city is new”, I told her, “we are travelling
companions, chasing the sun.” She hugged me It is a cult to the antique, to the vintage, to the
simplicity of the sea and boat life. The usual
 activities of the lucky owners of such time portals are old-school The Monthly Moose
hand work, fishing for your dinner, Nordic walks across snowy roads

Poetry
to buy coffee and taking showers with buckets. Electricity is the least
important. In the summer, the days last so long that when the night
covers the sky with a dark blue blanket, the sun has already shown its
first eyelashes. Thus, candlelight is enough, because there is no need
to turn on any bulbs. The stove’s typical artifacts from the city-life are
cast away by their ancestors the grills, the stones and firewood. They
Contest
take care of the slow cooking of the fresh fish, aromatized by forest
herbs (or herbs from exotic lands introduced by the new generation
The Monthly Moose wishes
of Norwegian globe-trotters). The winter is owned by chimneys and
gløgg, a spiced warm wine. to thank all our readers
who participated in the po-
In the cabins one can observe an exciting cultural dynamic, so intricate etry competition for fantas-
and complex that it is only possible to interpret it as romantic. The tic submissions. The winners
mornings in the hytte are filled with sighs of the old good times, of this year’s competition
when life in Norway was tougher, but simpler, when there were no are: Dóra Gudjónsdóttir,
oil-funds to pay charter tours to Mallorca. Nonetheless, the Big Melvin Junming Chen and
Mac fever is also contagious in the country considered by the UN to
Zhenya Bakin. The first prize
have the highest living standard. Nowadays it is more common that
goes to Melvin Junming
cabins are stacked with sumptuous articles. Thus the rituals in the
hytte are interrupted by electric connections and Jacuzzis, turning Chen.
The contest is back in May
the place from an altar to the simplicity to a spa-hotel in the Alps.
2011. However, if you are in-
However, it is not necessary to be disappointed because what really
terested in submitting poetry
push the Norwegians out of the urban zones towards the outdoors is
to the magazine, write us at
impossible to buy.
monthly.moose@gmail.com.
The main reason the Norwegians love the cabin life is the opportunity
to feel closer to nature. Several cultural historians, experts in A Winter
Norwegian culture, have observed such a special relationship to
nature that can be traced in time and through the development of Night
the young nation. Based on in depth studies of art expression like
by Dóra Gudjónsdóttir
paintings and literature, they claim that is in nature, the outdoors,
where Norwegians really feel ‘home’. If one pays attention to the
paintings in the national gallery or other museums in Norway, it is Snowflakes fall
possible to see this distinctive feature. For example, when authors slowly, definitely.
18 \\ Prose Competition: Winners

describe interiors, they tend to use darker colors and the motifs
are full of nostalgia and closed windows, whilst when the painter Shivering teeth dance
portraits outdoors a lighter atmosphere full of vivacity is appreciable. to a grin of delight.
It is not necessary to go to museums to appreciate that, once you
are outdoors a change in the behavior of the people happens almost Blink of bliss in the eyes,
magically. The Norwegians suddenly become more polite, smiley and spark in the heart.
say they say hello to everybody. They just look happier.
Flashing life
As visitors to Norway, there are several ways to experience life in a in blushy cheeks.
hytte. The most simple is to join the national trekking association
and plan a route to take advantage of all the cabins widespread in Tickles the nose
Norway. Nonetheless, the most recommended way is to be invited a spicy scent.
by a Norwegian to her hytte. I would not be lying if I said that it can
be tricky because Norwegians are a little bit shy. However, if one is In the feet floats a rhythm
fortunate enough, one must be prepared to cross impressive fjords of the evenings tones.
in small boats, fishing and bathing in 16 centigrade waters, and if
it is winter, kilometres long marches with cross-country skis. If one What a night,
manages to prove oneself worthy, one can be offered the chance to sign this silent winter night.
in the ‘Hyttebok’ and thereby become a part of the hytte’s furniture.
When your friend asks you to sign the ‘Hyttebok’ one should return
the courtesy with the highest compliment a Norwegian can receive:
“Det var veldig koselig!”
Oslo Limericks
by Zhenya Bakin
There lived an Algerian hooker
Who would never let go her hookah.
She would puff all the time
(Even when she was mine).
Such a gifted Algerian hooker.
There lived a sweet dancer from Bådar
Who decided to stop getting older.
She would jump, spin and hop
On her bottom and top,
Entertaining the people of Bådar.
There was a young woman from Drammen
Who would proudly call herself “damen”.
Every Sunday, amused,
She just f***ed, drank and snused.
Such an elegant woman from Drammen.
Once a daring traveler Roald
Went to Grønnland for silver and gold.
But without delay
He was robbed on the way,
Such a daring traveler Roald.
Once a hobo from Karl Johan Street
Spent a month on the road to Madrid.
He forgot his Norwegian
But came up with some Pidgin:
All the questions he answered “In-did”
There once was a bisexual troll
Who enjoyed drinking beer with “skål”.
But its sweet mellow tone
Quickly made it alone
With a nickname “big hairy doll”.
There was a musician at Blå
Who performed in a hat out-of-straw.
He would come out naked,
Through the hat and yell “Take it!”
And the crowd would ask him for more.
There lived an old chap near Rema
Who would always have a dilemma:
It was too hard to choose
Between condoms and booze
Every time he went shopping at Rema.
A miracle of rare device!
For Rybak was his name –
Like Rubek, Ibsen’s sculptor, he
Awoke the dead with fame.
II. THE LOTOS-EATERS
At Ulleval I lost my way,
Distracted by the pants
Of the Norwegian curling team
As they were playing France.
Red, white, and blue – in worse
array
Yet never have I seen,
Than on those pants which won
the day
(French outrage in between).
“Rest ye!” The pants they seemed pitched.
to say,
“And never wander more.”
But fashion sense would not
demean
Such argyle to adore.
III. SCYLLA
So by and by, I forged ahead
Renewed by my desire
To find the man from Skien who My song for him to sing;
Could sternly light my fire.
I caught a bus at John Colletts – Or Eurovision’s king.
A ‘Russbus,’ it was called.
Six heads popped out when I sat
down;
Their youthfulness enthralled.
They plied me with their beer
and snus,
And made me Russpants wear;
We passed the nights with deeds
to make
Fair maidens blush, I fear.
In Solberg’s whirling maelstrom
of
Norwe-gee-ian-English
I languished – ikke sant? – for
hours;
Slow he was to finish
V. ITHACA
Till at long last I spied the end
To my long odyssey;
A life spent training for the
sight –
Here before me was he!
Wearing mutton-chop side-
whiskers,
Here stood the ‘boy bewitched’;
His iron gait as he approached
Matched footsteps sombre-
I asked him for his autograph,
And he obliged, grim-faced.
He signed Peer Gynt and
League of Youth,
With bored impatience laced.
Then he was gone – but I
forgot!
But there’s still Bjørnson to be
sought
Poetry Contest: Winners // 19

A Norwegian Ballad IV. CHARYBDIS

by Melvin Chen To rouse myself from this excess
Was no mean feat indeed –
I. SIREN But from Scylla six-headed to
On Norway’s shores I first arrived Charybdis was I freed.
Quia multum amavi –
In search of Ibsen and his ghost I hitched a ride with dear old
To sing this melody. Pete
To make up for time lost;
At Oslo S I heard a man ‘No demper problem,’ he chimed
Pipe sweeter than a dove; in –
Yet as he sang he vowed he was Good English at what cost?
With fairy-tales in love. Picture by Miguel Arcángel Fraticelli
 Icelandic Christmas: over the years, and often
reflect what could be called
’tis the season for vicious cats the national psyche of the
Icelanders. One of them is
and vandalizing Christmas the last minute Christmas
shopping on December
Lads. 23rd. The Icelanders, who
are famous for leaving
Text: Hrafnhildur Hauksdóttir
everything to the last
Picture: Miguel Arcángel Fraticelli
minute, crowd the center of
Reykjavík a few hours before
Although there are many very mischievous, they came into
similarities between the Icelandic town to scare children, steal food the shops close (which is
way of celebrating Christmas and from the farmers and play pranks quite late in the evening)
how the rest of the world goes on people. to buy the last Christmas
about it, like spending quality presents, or even all of them.
time with family, presents under However, with time they have Although it may not sound
a decorated Christmas tree, become a lot friendlier, and pleasant to outsiders, this
dressing up in one’s finest clothes nowadays every child in Iceland is usually a very neighborly
and eating too much good food, puts their shoe in the window, and atmospheric event, and
there are some traditions that and receives small presents from greatly missed by Icelanders
are specifically Icelandic and are each of them, from December 12th, who can´t make it home for
a mixture of folklore and old when the first one, Stekkjastaur the holidays and have to
traditions connected with the (Sheepfold Stick) arrives, to spend it in foreign countries
celebration of winter solstice in December 23 , when the last
rd with normally organized
heathen times, which meant that one, Kertasníkir (Candle-beggar) people. There are always
gradually lengthening days in the comes to town. The Lads haven´t the unlucky few though,
midst of the dark and gloomy totally lost their original purpose who end up receiving car
northern winter were around the of scaring children into obedience; polish or window wipes as
corner. If a child behaves badly one day, it a Christmas gift from their
is common that it finds a rotten husband, who was a little
potato in its shoe the following too late to the lingerie shop
Christmas preparations: and had to buy his presents
This is traditionally the season to morning, instead of a small toy or
at the gas station instead.
scare little children half to death. candy.
According to Icelandic folklore,
anyone who did not get at least Þorlákur´s Mass: Christmas Eve:
one new piece of clothing for December 23rd is called The Icelanders celebrate
Christmas risked being eaten by a Þorláksmessa (Þorlákur´s Mass). Christmas at 6 p.m. on
December 24th. The national
20 \\ Christmas in Iceland

vicious beast: The Christmas Cat. It is still a very common tradition

And in case that wasn’t enough to eat pickled and putrefied radio is switched on in
to keep overexcited children in fish (skate) that one day a year. practically every household,
place (bear in mind that this was Some people even throw special to hear the ringing of
long before the mass medication skate eating parties at home, and the bells of the Lutheran
of children), the Christmas Lads many workplaces offer it in their Cathedral in Reykjavík,
(jólasveinar) certainly did. cafeteria. However, most people which is broadcasted
prefer not to cook and eat it at nationally. The ringing of
The Christmas Lads are 13 their own home, because it will the bells is followed by a
brothers, descendants of trolls stink with ammonia at least until special religious service,
that live in the mountains. They New Year´s day. and for most Icelanders,
wear rags, much like farmers did this is the only time of
in the 18th century (although they Not all Icelandic Christmas the year they encounter
are usually to be seen wearing red traditions come from old folklore. anything remotely religious.
baggy clothes and a white beard Some have simply developed - Christmas dinner most
these days) and they used to be from people´s widespread habits often consists of hangikjöt
(smoked lamb) or some
sort of smoked ham. After
dinner, when the table
has been cleared and the
washing up is done, the
gifts are exchanged. The
rest of the evening is spent
indoors with the family and
the kids get to stay up late.

December 25th and 26th, are

spent visiting more distant
relatives. Many people go
from one Christmas party
to the next, depending on
the complexity of their
family relations. So far
everyone has been on their
best behavior, but that is
about to change.

New Year´s celebration:

Most people start the
evening of December
31st with family as well.
After yet another luxury
dinner, the family often
watches the TV-event of
the year together, which is
Áramótaskaupið, a comedy
sketch program about
all the most important people have started drinking and 7 in the morning.
events that have occurred seem to think it´s a brilliant idea
in society and media the to take their fireworks with them For obvious reasons, Reykjavík is
passing year. Black humour and shoot them up in the middle more like a ghost town on January
is key, and nothing is too of the crowd. The fireworks will 1st, apart from the occasional
holy. And you better not go on exploding all night, but the party pro heading home at noon
miss it if you don´t want to highlight is at midnight. Many from an after-after-afterparty and
Christmas in Iceland // 21

feel out of place at work the
first week of the new year,
since most discussions will
involve rating of this year´s
Áramótaskaup compared to
last year´s etc.
Bonfires are held in various
places that evening and it
is a tradition to take the
family there afterwards.
Around that time, fireworks
are already exploding
everywhere, and watch your
back at the bonfires, because
foreigners actually come to those few who passed out before
Iceland for New Year´s specifically midnight, and still want to shoot
to witness the amazing fireworks. up the rest of their fireworks.
Since you don´t need a special
permission from authorities to The Last Day of Christmas:
have them, everyone buys them by January 6th is Þrettándinn (the
the ton, and then some… 13th), and the last day of Christmas.
Decorations are removed and all
Now it´s time for the Icelanders that´s left of Christmas traditions
to do what they do best; party like is the long wait for the extravagant
the end is nigh! Whether you go credit card bill that´s in the mail.
clubbing or go to a home party, be But everyone has had the time of
prepared for the party of your life, their life, and is already looking
heavy drinking and a loooong wait forward to doing it all again next
for a taxi-ride home, even if it´s at year.
 Save the Planet, Before it is too Late:
New Year Resolutions
Text:Josefien Breedvelt, Marija Cabuskina It is important to start thinking about
Picture: Sara Fegelman environmental topics; the effect you have on
As we all know, mankind has a non-extinguishable
impact on planet Earth. We, as man, influence
almost all aspects of nature. For us, this has benefits
on the short term; it allows us to overpopulate the
planet and choose the cheapest instead of the most
durable options. We indulge in a world of fast, easy
and cheap with growing proportions. Getting the
newest iphone or the best deal is a normal way
of life in western societies. In my opinion, this is
quite insane. Because, in the long run, the planet
will be damaged and there is possibly no way
back anymore. But what can we do about it? The
University of Oslo has formulated its own policy
on this. In 2020 the university wishes to establish
itself as a green university. It will take responsibility
for climate related challenges through research
and teaching related to environmental topics, and
through operations at the university.
One of the measures they want to take (as stated by
the rector at the international question hour last
month) is cutting down on student media to make
the campus more environmental friendly. We as
student media obviously have some criticism for
this plan, since it regards cutting down on us! We
think this has to be seen in a more moderate way.
22 \\ New Year Resolutions: Go Eco!
Environmental measures should be reasonable
and not impede democracy and the spreading of
information. Also, student media could inform
and encourage people to be greener(and save
money!), so deleting all newspapers from Blindern
is not going to help. However, an option might
be to expand the internet versions of the existing
newspaper, make all printed media on recycled
material, or a have certain quota for printed
material. Some innovative measures can be
incorporated, right?
your environment is bigger than you think. For
example, the amount of land used for one year of
your existence is called the ecological footprint.
This is the amount of meters that is used for
your food production, your paper use, your use of
electricity etc. If everybody in the world would live
like Norwegians, for example, there have to be at
least 2 worlds to support global consumption. You
can calculate your own footprint on: http://www.
ecologicalfootprint.com/.
There are some New Year Resolutions we have
thought of to help you act more environmentally
friendly, without too much sacrifice! Make a
resolution today and follow it in the year 2011!
1 I shall only buy things that can be reused or
refilled. NO to disposable cups and cutlery,
YES to soap refill, changeable shaving blades,
rechargeable batteries and cotton shopping bags!
2 I shall print, write, draw and doodle on both
sides of paper.
3 I shall not throw away my mobile phone
unless it is broken. I shall repair it using a 5
year guarantee (in Norway) if it is broken.
4 I shall put a notice “Reklame – nei takk” on
my mail box to protect myself from spam and
reduce the waste of ink and paper.
5 I shall try to have no impact on the
environment for one week by joining http://
noimpactproject.org/experiment.
6 I shall not leave my coffee machine on after I’m
done with coffee. I shall instead put the coffee
in a thermos.
7 I shall not boil more water than I intend to use.
8 I shall take a bottle of water from home with
me instead of buying it. Tap water in Norway
is fresh and clean. Manufacturing of bottles and
transportation is not eco-friendly.
9 I shall have one meat-free day a week. That will
reduce CO2 by 170 kg.
10 I shall not throw away things others can use.
Instead I shall give them to flea markets,
Fretex, Upps and charity.
(New Year resolutions are inspired by a festival brochure by
Framtiden i Våre Hender)
Santa Lucia:
Horns or candles?
On December 13, much of the Nordic world
celebrates the holiday known as St. Lucy’s
(Luciedagen). This article attempts to look
into the origins of the holiday and its
modern development.
Text and picture: Marija Cabuskina
You’re in a dark hall. Sugary singing reaches your
ears, soft steps of several little girls in white dresses
resound in the silence. The light of the candles the
procession brings into the hall slowly spreads to
the spectators. The girl is front is wearing a crown
of burning candles and for one moment you try
not to think about her long blond hair at risk of
being smeared with wax…
If you come from Sweden, you most certainly
recognize the scene of December 13, the Day of
St. Lucy (Lusiadagen). Although the holiday has
spread into the neighboring Nordic countries,
the celebration has not yet become well-known
elsewhere.
The sources tell that December 13 is a day of
commemoration of Lucy (Lucia), a fair maid of
Syracuse who was martyred in the days of early
Christendom. From this fact the story deviates:
the official hagiology states that she refused
to marry a pagan and ordered to distribute her
dowry to the poor: as revenge, her would-be
fiancée denounced her as Christian, or criminal in
other words. During execution, the guards could
not lift her and could not cut her throat with a
knife. One of the versions mentions that even fire
shied from her. So the guards took out her
eyes with a fork. Other versions, however,
say that Lucy herself took out her eyes to
send them to her godless fiancée (in one
of the variants, she was refunded with
new eyes by the God). Yet another legend
particularizes that prior to execution she
was placed in a brothel. Another legend
makes her a partisan, helping the Christian
refugees in Sicily to carry the provisions at
night: in order to have her hands free she
was said to put a candle on her head. There
seems to be a Lucy for every taste.
It is hard to say which of the versions
is true and whether the eye incident
really took place. Whatever it is, Lucy is
often depicted with eyes on a plate and is
regarded a saint of the blind. Possibly the
connection to the blind is founded on her name
which comes from “lux”, light. In Sicily she is
celebrated as a regional saint: candle processions
are arranged, and pastry with eyes, “uocci di Santa
Lucia,” is eaten. For Sicilians this particular saint
is additionally famous for bringing a fleet full of
bread in the year of famine.
But let’s not mock the Catholic Italians with
their regional pride. What does St. Lucy have to
do in the protestant Nordic countries?
It is not only the distance that separates the
sunny Sicily and snowy Scandinavia: it is also
religion. After Protestantism made its way in
the North, pious veneration of Catholic martyrs
was condemned as idolatry. After all, everyone
following Christian belief is a saint, claimed the
Protestants, and the dead Christians can be
imitated, but not worshiped. Until this day, Lucy
is the only martyr who is celebrated at large in the
Nordic countries, and God certainly knows why.
However, while God knows, humans argue. The
first written source describing the celebration
in Sweden is from the 19th century. However, it
is possible that the customs are older than that,
but had never attracted interest before National
Romanticism with its quest for folklore. The
source describes that on December 13, the oldest
unmarried girl in the household was to don white
clothes and awaken everyone with coffee and
cake. Some researches point to the similarity
between a white-clad gift-giver Lucy and the
German Christkind (Jesus as a child). This was
also usually a girl in white with sweet buns for
children. Additionally, Christkind would wear a
paper crown with burning candles (a recipe for
What's behind St. Lucy's? // 23
 disaster), much like modern Lucias do.
But the bright white maiden serving coffee in
bed is only one part of the story. In Norway Lucy
has a dark side. The dark side of the Sicilian virgin
is called Lussi and it is anything but songs and
sweets.
According to folk beliefs, December 13 is the
longest1 and creepiest night of the year. During
this night animals could talk, quarrel and rebel
against their owners (sounds like Animal Farm
doesn’t it?), thus it was necessary to give them a
“lussebit” as a treat. Everyone had to stay at home,
because the wicked she-being Lussi could be seen
riding around with a host of evil creatures. All
preparatory work for Christmas should be done
and seized. To give a case study: one woman was
allegedly baking Christmas lefse on December
13. She was visited by a creature that asked her
if she knew what kind of night it was. The woman
answered promptly “Let it lussy as it might, but I
will lussy this bread tonight”, and accordingly her
right hand got paralyzed. Lussi was also known
to conduct inspections of Christmas preparations:
if something was not according to her taste she
would shatter the chimney. Thus, Lussi can be
seen as a motivating force for people to do their
work in time.
The remnants of the name “Lussi” still prevail
in the modern Swedish celebration of St. Lucy’s:
the saffron-dyed curly buns are called “Lussekatt”
[Lusse cat] and in earlier literature djöffelskatt
[Devil’s cat], despite the fact that the celebration
itself is called Luciedagen. Indeed, “Lussi” reminds
one of one of the Devil’s names, Lucifer which just
like ”Lucia” comes from Latin “lux”, light. Hodne
24 \\ What's behind St. Lucy's?
theorizes that the Lussi-tradition is an instance
of demonizing the Saint by the propaganda
of Protestantism (thus stating that Lucy was
commemorated before Lussi). However, this
claim is dubious: firstly, the cult of a local Sicilian
saint is unlikely to have become as popular in the
Nordic countries, as to force such crude methods;
secondly, Protestant priests were against
venerating the saints, but they still honored them.
A more likely hypothesis is that in Sweden the
church authorities gave up on restricting the cult
of Lussi, and introduced the virtually unknown St.
Lucia as the “legal” counterpart, and eventually
the new tradition replaced the old one.
From the beginning of the 20th century St Lucy’s
1 Due to calendar shifts and planetary changes December 13
has seized to be the longest night centuries ago.
2 According to the folkloric tradition of the Nordic countries St.
Stephan worked in Herod’s stables.
has become commercialized, when a Stockholm
newspaper organized a pageant to elect Lucia and
her followers. Keen on gender equality, Sweden
introduced boys in the procession, either as star-
boys, or, surprisingly, St. Stephen “the stable-
boy”2, although St. Stephan’s is actually two weeks
after St. Lucy’s. Wikipedia illustrates how myths
are created even nowadays: in the Norwegian
article on St. Lucy’s it says that St. Stefan was
“the little stable-boy who witnessed St. Lucy’s
martyrdom”-- A major career decline for the first
Christian martyr.
Another confusion of modernity is the song
sung by Lucy’s procession. The song is indeed
called “Santa Lucia”, but the original text of the
folk song (documented along with the melody by
Teodoro Cottrau in 1850) has nothing to do with
the Christian Saint. Here is the first refrain of the
two versions:
Italian Swedish
Sul mare luccica l’astro Natten går tunga fjät
d’argento. rund gård och stuva;
The original
Placida è l’onda. Prospero kring jord, som sol förlät,
è il vento. (X2) skuggorna ruva.
Venite all’agile, barchetta Då i vårt mörka hus,
mia, stiger med tända ljus,
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia. Sankta Lucia, Sankta Lu-
(X2) cia.
Over the sea shines a sil- Night walks with a heavy
A literal translation
ver star. step
Placid is the wave. Fair is Round yard and hearth,
the wind. (X2) As the sun departs from
Come to my swift little earth,
boat, Shadows are brooding.
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia. There in our dark house,
(x2) Walking with lit candles,
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia!
Further examination shows that the original
song refers to the district of Santa Lucia (in the
bay of Napoli), not the saint. It is sung by a boat
rower advertising his ride: “To eat supper among
the sails/On an evening that’s so serene”. The
somewhat funny bit starts when a Nordic Lucia
choir decides to interweave the Italian lyrics in
their singing and thus, unknowingly, ask the
audience to hop on their boat. It is as appropriate
as wearing “flowers in your hair” on St. Francis’
feast day.
But despite all the confusions, the St Lucy’s lives
as long as the parents are eager to see their children
in white dresses and preferably with candles on
their heads. The author of this article admits that
Lussekatter buns make for another good reason to
continue with the travesty of St Lucy’s.
Sources:Bø,O. ”Vår norske Jul”, Berg, K.A., Tessem, L.B., ”Julen”,
Hodne, Ø. ”Julen i Norge”
 Pasta al forno alla Siciliana
(Sicilian Baked Pasta) Text: Francesco Spinali
Picture: Summer Choi

Hi! My name is Francesco Spinali and I am from
Italy. I have been living in Oslo for 2 months and
I am working as Italian teacher. I am also able
to cook very well and I like to do it a lot for my
friends, so I would like to give you a very delicious
recipe from my home country – Sicilia - that you
can make around Christmas. We generally make it
very often, because we like to eat very good food
and wine.
Do you like Italian food? I hope so. Then I’ll tell you mozzarella cut into very little pieces, ham cut
about the “Sicilian pasta al forno” (baked pasta).
My mother makes it on Sundays, because I like it
very much, but be careful, it has many calories,
so don’t eat too much and make sure to skip the
dessert!
(Just Kidding!)
kinds and brands. Check the package to be sure.
Simultaneously, you have to cook the tomato
sauce and ground meat with garlic, basil, salt and
olive oil in another pot, so finally you will make
the ragù. Then, you have to spread some butter on
a big baking tin, just like you use to make baked
chicken. When the pasta and the ragù are ready,
you can put everything together inside the baking
tin, plus the ingredients you bought before:
into strips, eggs into slices, green peas, and finally
bechamel (white sauce) or kitchen cream .
After completing that, you put the same tin into
the oven and cook it for about thirty minutes at
180°C. When “Pasta al forno” is well cooked, you
are also ready to eat it.

First you need to buy some ingredients: for about Of course, you will please and satisfy your friends,
four people. It’s never fun to eat alone! but remember to tell me how it goes! I’ll be back

You have to buy 1 kilo of pasta (preferably Italian: next issue with another delicious Italian recipe.
maccaroni, penne rigate or fusilli),
200 gr of mozzarella, 200 gr of ham,
3 boiled eggs, a tin of green peas,
300 gr of ground meat, a liter of
Cooking All'italiana // 25
tomato sauce, a package of béchamel
(white sauce) or kitchen cream, 50
gr of butter and finally salt, garlic,
basil and olive oil, only the quantity
you need for the cooking pasta and
tomato sauce.

After that you need to boil a pot of

water with 2 spoons of salt. Once
boiled, you can add all the pasta,
but pay attention to the cooking
time, which is generally about ten
minutes, but is different for many
 ELGINT0110: The Moose Norwegian Course
Learn Norwegian on your own, with a little help from the Moose.
Text: Julie Rousseau
Picture: Summer Choi
Lesson 4: Ønskeliste til Jul
In this festive time, The Moose has put together
a Christmas wishlist to give you Norwegian gift
ideas, and to teach you some Christmas-related
words. Moose t-shirts and mousepads are of
course awesome, but the following items are
kjempefine too.
Norsk mat og drikke
Bringing some typical mat [food] back home is a
great way of sharing your experience in Norway
with your friends and family. Easy-to-transport
classics include brunost, sjokolade, and akevit.
Klær: Selbuvott
The selburose (Selbu rose, from the Selbu kommune
in Southern Trøndelag) pattern is one of the
most used knitting pattern in Norwegian woolen
clothes. Bringing back traditional wool sweaters
(the hand-knitted ones, not the industrially-made
ones that can be found in tourist shops on Karl
Johan’s gate) for your whole family would seriously
impair your budget. Luckily, votter [mittens] are
as nice, and relatively cheap. If your budget is
26 \\ The Moose Norwegian Course
limited, go for a cheesier lue [winter hat] with the
colors of the norsk flag.
Musikk: Kråkesølv
This Bodø band has just released its andre plate
[second album] Bomtur til jorda. They are young
and trendy, and they sing in nordland dialekt.
The CD pockets—featuring original
artwork by two norwegian artists—
were hand-packed by the band,
making it a nice object in
itself. Your indie friends
will like it (and you
might want to
get a copy for
yourself
too).
Bok: Se torsken!
Oppskrifter [recipes] are easy to understand
once you have mastered some basic cooking
vocabulary. This kokebok [recipe book] is a tribute
to norske fisk, and presents both oppskrifter and
stories. The book was born from the efforts of the
Folkeaksjonen for et oljefritt Lofoten, Vesterålen og
Senja, with the participation of some of the best
authors and chefs in Norway. By promoting the
natural resources of the region around Lofoten
islands, the group hopes to protect this traditional
fishing area from destructive oil drilling. A great
gift that supports a great cause.
Film: Flåklypa Grand Prix
This stop-motion dukkefilm [animated movie]
released in 1975 is the most popular Norwegian
movie of all time. It is a juletradisjon, as it is
usually broadcast on TV on juleaften (Christmas
Eve) or on the første juledag [first Christmas day,
ie. 25.12]. It has been translated into 70 different
languages so chances are you can find a version
that you can understand. If you plan on bringing
Norwegian DVDs back home, be aware of the
DVD region code system. DVDs sold in Norway
are rated Region 2 and will not work in most non-
european DVD-players.
Lykke til [good luck] finding the best julegaver
[Christmas gifts] for your friends and family. God
Jul!
Moose Comic Strip
by Irina Osepashvili

Moose Comic Strip // 27

28 \\ Moose Comic Strip

The Moose would like to thank all our regular contributors for an excellent semester.
We’ wish you all a Happy New year! Lykke til videre!