Letter 07-2007. „Norwegian“ Germans.

20^th May 2007

Dear friends,

In my first letter from Germany I mentioned the welcoming committee meeting me at the railway station in Leipzig; Sebastian and Ines who have lived in Norway, and Markus and Jana who are leaving for Norway in August when Markus will study at MF one year. Sebastian and Ines speak Norwegian very well, and can easily be called „Norwegian“ Germans. Markus and Jana attend a Norwegian course with Sebastian as their teacher, and are on their way to being a bit Norwegian they too. Dorothea and Brandolf is another couple going to study at MF this autumn. They have also started learning Norwegian, and Dorothea finding me in the library one day, told me that she wanted to practice speaking Norwegian, so then we went out in the park and spoke a bit Norwegian (but most German).

I have not yet met any Norwegians her, but the „Norwegian“ Germans are among the friends I appreciate the most. Markus and Dorothea I often see at TF, and Jana and Brandolf are also quite often to be found there. Sebastian and Ines do not study at TF, so I do not just happen to meet them. But it is possible to make arrangements, and one such arrangement was that I joined the Norwegian class one evening. Then I met a good group of eager Norway tourists (and students) who were interested in speaking with a real Norwegian.

Dorothea and Brandolf invited me for „Luther dance“ one evening. It is not called Luther dance, but it is that type of dance danced at Luther's time, and they practice for the „Luther wedding“, a city party in Wittenberg, in June. They dance weekly, and I had the chance to join them once. It was quite fun. I must introduce them to Norwegian folk dance, I think Dorothea would like that. They have also taken me to an exhibition which was here in Leipzig when I came: „Not only salmon and hot dogs“, about the relation between Germany and Norway the last 100 years.

I have had a block seminar again this week. Thursday, Friday and Saturday I have seen late gothic village churches in the area north of Leipzig. Thursday was Ascencion day, but it does not mean that we could not see churches. That it was also 17^th May (the Norwegian National day) was not very important for the Germans, and actually not for me either. I do not think there was a parade in the neighbourhood that I missed. I found though that the day could be observed, and I invited my three couples of „Norwegian“ friends for supper.

Smoked salmon and egg, ice cream and strawberries + the typical Norwegian bread „lefse“ which the guests brought from their last trip to Norway gave the taste sense an experience of being in Norway. The hearing sense got lots of Norwegian this evening, both fairy tales and national anthem in addition to trying normal conversation and telling of national day traditions. I was actually quite impressed by the German performance of the Norwegian national anthem. They found it a bit difficult, but had practed before they came. A flag for the sight sense I had not, but birch leaves (which were much more developed than „normal“ 17^th May) contributed to the mood. It was a very nice evening, and when it was close to midnight and I thought the guests were leaving, they „occupied“ the kitchen until it was tidy and clean. If I was to study in Norway the next semester, I would have looked forward to be „German“ Norwegian for my „Norwegian“ German friends. Now this might be what I will miss the most, when I continue my studies abroad.

German-Norwegian greetings from Hanne.