The Sidney herald., 1957-08-29
Montana IFYE
Writes Letter
From Norway

from Miss Myrtle Flaskerud, Mon
tana international Youth Elk
change this summer in Norway
Mail will reach her there CT,
Bjorn Leborg, American Embassy
Oslo, Norway
Valosen, Norway
July %, 1885,
Greetings from Norway - the
country of the Midnight sun!
Have you ever thought of sit.
ting outside at midnight and read
ing the newspaper? 1t is possible
in Oslo at the present time, as il
never gets dark. In one week
will be in Bod with my second
host family. This city is located
above the Arctic Circle where one
is able to observe the beautiful
midnight sun. At the most north
erly point on the mainland of Nor
way, the sun does not sink below
the horizon from the beginning Of
May until the end of July. On the
other hand, it does not rise from
the middle of November until the
tUu OIL
Norway covers a long drawn out
area of 124,000 square miles -
about the size of New Mexico. In
this area about 40 is cultivated
soil, about $50 forest and 70% is
covered by mountains, lakes, riv-
ers and towns. Norway is a typi-
cal mountain land with many
fjords along the rugged coast line.
Most of the people of Norway
are engaged in industry, agricul-
ture, fishing, trading and trans
portation. 1t is a great sea-far-
ing nation and has the third larg-
est merchant fleet in the world. I
have eaten some type of fish ev-
cry day since my arrival. / have
eaten whale, which l enjoyed. 1t
tasted like roast beef. Fishing is
an important industry consisting
chiefly of cod and herring.
The food is similar to American
in many ways, only we eat much
more potatoes and bread here. We
sit down and eat four times or
more each day. On the table r
many different kinds of cheeses-
too numerous to mention each
kind. My first host family, the Jo-
hannsons, drank milk often and
many of the pastries were made
with milk, cream and butter.
Goats cheese and sour milk pud-
ding r. the only two foods I find
very different. You a see that
the dairy products are a popular
item in the Norwegian diet.
/ enjoyed baking cakes for the
Johannsons, and after the third
time 1 had the centigrade Their
mometer down pat. My first at
tempt at baking did not prove to
be too successful. The cake baked
in about is minutes, and it was
about one inch high. My host
mother did not get angry with me,
but instead, she put her arm
around me and said it was fire
and that l should try again. 1t
must not have been too bad, as it
only took a short time and it was
all gone. / covered it with fluffy
white seven-minute frosting and
we each had a tiny piece. Then
it disappeared as my host mother
took it with her when she went
to visit a neighbor.
Not only did she take the cake,
but a big bouquet of flowers. This
is a common practice in Norway,
as they love flowers. Nearly every
room in the house has a bouquet
because they want to enjoy them
as long as they can during the
short growing season.
Another domestic duty was
cleaning the house which took all
day Friday. Every room in the
house was scrubbed and cleaned
thoroughly. After everything was !
aired and busted, we went out
into the garden to relax. This was {
the time for refreshments. 1t was
at this moment that a neighbOr :
girl came to see me. She was very
anxious to hear about America, as =
she was leaving in a week for
Canada as an emigrant. t
This was a special day because v
my host cousin, Kari, was visit v
ing too. So there were three girls h
all the same age having a gay v
line talking both English and a
Q
Kari asked me if I would like c
battle, and / told her / would
wait until evening. After some Il
discussion, it was decided we n
should go swimming instead of h
a bath. =,
When we arrived at the lake it b
vas late in the afternoon and l
hought it was rather cold, but no e.
else did. So l hoped into my il
win suit and then into the lake. h
rhe water was very cold. / stayed tC
n as long as they, but when the G.
un had gone behind the clouds a!
md the rain came, we all decided II
We should go. n
The Johannsons enjoy. Sunday CO
Irives. They have a Volkswagon VI
vhich we rode in many times. The NJ
irst Sunday / was on their farm, OF
ue went to a coffee shop along
he roadside to eat breakfast. Ihen tf
We went to a cottage in the woods; OF
Nv host father and hiked W
trough the woods, and as we N
we talked in English. 1t 81
yas fun. because everyone usual In
' speaks Norwegian. 81
The next Sunday the family de- ia
ided I must e the section OF the
.untry my forefathers came from az
his was an all day journey, and e,
70 visited a family of Fleskeruds w
/ Rengerike. l don't think these W
eople are my relatives, but there a
. little town farther north nam eli
FIaskerud which would be fun de