Igloos and Polar Bears

Now that it has become evident which one of us is the cynic, I guess it is time for me to prostrate my norwegian-ness all over this site. I agreed to take part in this blog solely in order to prove to my good Moroccan/Canadian friend that I have in me the ability to express myself in English, however I have to admit that this whole blogging-in-English business has proved to be quite a nerve wrecking experience so far. What if the English version of Mie-on-the-web turns out to be such a flop that people will surf away from the site after reading no more than the headline of my post? What if my posts will be the only ones with no comments? What if my language skills prove to be of such second-rate standards that even my English will be labeled Snorkendorken from now on? Nevertheless, as the saying goes in Norwegian: nobody has ever captured a polar bear without leaving his igloo. Okay that is not really a Norwegian saying, but I assume my point is taken. I am hereby stepping out of my igloo.

As the single representative from the Kingdom of Norway in Tel Aviv University's international graduate program, I feel obligated to educate my fellow classmates (and the readers of this blog) on life in Norway as we know it. I am sure that deep inside all you non-Norwegians know that we do not live in igloos or have polar bears roaming around in our neighborhoods, still this is a question I think most Norwegians hear when they travel abroad.* To your guaranteed disappointment I will also inform you that not all Norwegians are tall, blond, blue-eyed and beautiful, though most of us are, of course. To you people who think Norway is the capital of Sweden, i have nothing to say.

Although we claim to be living our lives like people of any other average country, there are certain things we do have to struggle with which I have learned one can escape only by moving to Israel. First there is the crisp, refreshing air that fills the house on any summer day and makes the air condition redundant. Then there is the abundance of parking lots which makes having a car easy and enjoyable, and then there is the non-chlorine-tasting tap water. All of the above are things I haven't had to deal with in Israel so far, and you can all imagine my jubilation. I will admit, though, that what I really do not miss, is to be met by this every morning:

There are no limits to what we Norwegians have to put up with. After reading my draft for this post, my Israeli boyfriend of nearly 3 years turned to me with a puzzled look on his face and said: you don't have polar bears in Norway?