On Holiday with Norwegians

Lars and Kjersti from language school have two cute children: Simon and Leah. Early on they mentioned going to Zanzibar for Easter. Later they invited me to join them. It was after I made the decision that I learned there were two other Norwegian families going too. One was a family with four children ranging from 16 down to about 7. The other had two small children, 3 and 7 months. Both husbands are doctors and all three families are with an organization called Norwegian Lutheran Mission. The larger family is only out for two months and the doctor is a pediatric consultant for the mission in Norway. They younger couple work in a Norwegian hospital about 3 hours south of Arusha and have only been out since January of this year.

More that you care to know about the Norwegians. But I have to say they were very pleasant company. They worked hard to hold conversation in English for me. Lars was the best at it. And they loved to visit, so each night we’d come back after dinner, they’d put the kids to bed and we would have coffee, tea, dessert and conversation until at least 11 in the evening. Sitting listening to them made me think of anything remotely Norwegian I know. I thought of Sven and Ole jokes, only to find those are Swedish! And of lutefisk and lefse. I thought of people I know that have a Norwegian background. I remembered my current favorite movie: Sweetland. But most of it doesn’t transfer. They were wonderful company for a holiday on Zanzibar, and perhaps new friends