The "Dark" Side of Bergen Farm Life

The title of this post is quite literal.  Winter is here, and it is DARK.  It is not my first winter in Norway, but it is my first at the farm.  Last year, I thought it was dark in the city, but I had no idea what it could be like in the country.  Here are a few of the new things I have discovered about the Dark winters at the farm so far...

Morning over the mountain (8:00)

1. The Dark Walk
A working weekday...
It's 6:45am.  My car is still broken and I have to be at work at 8:15.  It is pitch black outside and raining sideways.  It's so dark that I have to check my phone again to make sure I set the time correctly.  Yep.  So, it's a 20 minute walk down to the bus, then an hour long ride into work.  The walk down Bogetveit hill is about one km and steep downhill. There are street lights that give just enough light to see the street, but not quite enough to see into the forest that lies on both sides of the street.  There is no telling what is in those trees.  Most days, it is raining and you can hear the creek rushing while walking down. Most mornings, it is scary..but also oddly calming and beautiful.
An evening walk home...
It starts getting dark around 5:30, so most nights after tutoring (around 6:30), it is beyond dark.  Walking up the hill in the dark is the same as going down, except it is a hike, UP hill to the farm.  Man, it feels fantastic to get inside where the fire is burning and the house is warm!

Walking to the bus in the dark morning

The view of the street while walking down the hill

2. Dressing for dark winter
Like I said, most days it is raining, and the Norwegian saying is true "there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing".  If you can dress properly, you can feel comfortable walking through any amount of rain.   So, to prepare for the rain, I put on rain pants (or snow pants), a wool sweater, a scarf, a warm jacket covered with a rain jacket, my backpack covered with a rain proof bag jacket and of course rain boots.  I haven't figured out how to protect my face from the sideways rain...I think ski goggles might be a little extreme.  You can imagine that this is all very attractive:)

Dressing for a trip into town

This used to be my snowboarding outfit

Dressing for the rain is not the end of it.  You also must prepare for the dark.  REFLEX are well known pieces of your wardrobe in Norway.  They are similar to slap bracelets I used to have as a kid.  There are also cute attachable reflexes (I have an owl and a ghost).  I have a slap reflex on one arm, a hanging owl on my jacket and my ghost on my backpack.  With all of this, any car is sure to spot me while walking down the hill.  In addition to this, I have my flashlight safely tucked away in my bag, in the event of any broken street lights or dark passageways...

My owl relex

My ghost reflex

2. Dark winter weather
Last night I woke up about 5 times.  I couldn't figure out what it was then finally realized it was the LOUD wind and rain banging on my window.  This old house creaks and shakes, and it is not delightful at 2am (and especially not after a scary movie!)  When you look out the window, you can't see anything but darkness.  The light from the inside the house reflects the water dripping down the windows outside.  On a very rainy day, it reminds me of being in one huge car wash.  Sometimes, Isra and I shine the flashlight out the window to see a little better.  On the "bright" side, when there is no rain and you go outside, you can see more stars than I ever knew possible and it is beautiful!

3. Social life
Regardless of how positive a person you are, I think the dark, cold weather makes life a little slower, quieter and darker.  I consider myself to be a very positive person, but I can see the dark making me drowsy and a little lazier.  By 8pm, it has been dark for a few hours already and I always think it is close to bedtime.  It is extremely difficult to get up in the morning and leave the house when it is still dark as night outside.  And getting dressed to go downtown when it feels like you should be getting into bed is not an easy task.
The mix of the hour long trek into downtown and the dark weather make it difficult to be social in the winter months.  I LOVE the feeling of living away from the city in a calm and peaceful place, but it makes it very challenging to be a social butterfly.  I certainly have a hard time making the long trip for a coffee visit or lunch with friends.  Any outing is an adventure, which includes dressing for the weather, a hike, and a 2 hour travel time (round trip).
I won't hesitate in saying that I really hope my car can be repaired so it might get a little easier in the next few dark months...

Looking out the bus window

4. Cozy, dark nights
Koselig (def: cozy) is a very commonly used word in Norwegian, and I think I know why.  The dark weather mixed with the rain/hail/wind/sleet/snow make staying inside cozy all the time.  Add a fireplace, a comfy couch, a blanket, warm socks, a movie and a boyfriend, and you have everything you need to have the perfect definition of cozy.  After a long day of work, nothing feels better than sitting on the couch with all of the above and watching a movie before bed.

Our fireplace

My view almost every night...

Life is an adventure.  I can say without a doubt, every day at the farm is an adventure.  It comes with it's dark side, and can sometimes be a little scary, but in the end is something new, challenging and adventurous.  Come on winter, I'm ready to see what you will bring...

Family, Farewells, Floods, and Fall

It seems the farm work has taken over and I have had no time to update my blog.  Sorry for that.  Now that summer is over, I have more spare time to relax, and update you all on...everything.

Isra and I returned from our trip to Colorado a few weeks ago.  It was wonderful to get back home and see everyone again.  This trip was different than all the others.  I was showing Isra Colorado, and in the end, I was introduced to a beautiful place I never really realized existed.  I saw new sights and did new things and saw everything from another perspective.  It was 2 weeks of non stop activity and fun.  We drove all over the state, to Pueblo, up to South Park then to Crested Butte, to Utah, Glenwood Springs, and Vail (all thanks to the wonderful Nicole, who loaned us her car).  I had so much fun that I think i've entered some sort of post vacation depression.  To sum up our trip, here is a small montage of photos from our two weeks.

Sushi in Iceland, on our way to Denver

Crested Butte

On our way to Glenwood Springs from Crested Butte

More beautiful driving

Isra's first delivery chinese food in a hotel in Rifle, Colorado

Made our way to Utah. Random, I know.

Then, back to Colorado.

My favorite.  My sister and brother in law have not yet finished their house, but they were kind enough to put together a nice bedroom in their unfinished kitchen.  A few nights into our trip, we found an electric bug zapper.  Isra's favorite thing to do before bed was getting all of the mosquitos out of the room by zapping them to death.  It did not always smell good, but we had no bites.

The rodeo!! I had never been and it was quite the experience.

Calla and Joe's wedding in Crested Butte.  What a wonderful couple to celebrate.  We love you Calla, Joe and Miles!

Mr. and Mrs. and Mini

What a view!

The state fair carnival.  We won a stuffed elephant and named him "Pueblo".

Isra winning.

Our night in Vail, Colorado.

My family gave us an amazing welcome at the airport.  This is only some of the signs.

And the best part, lots of time with the family.  Look at these cute kids I get to call MY nieces and nephew!

Yes, we shot and killed a rabbit at my sister and brother in law's house...then ate it for dinner. 

Go Buffs!!

Isra's first American football game.

After two exhausting but amazing weeks in Colorado, we headed back to Norway.  Isra's good friends were coming to visit, and not long after my dad was scheduled to arrive.  Just 3 days after we got home and the day my Dad arrived from Denver, my home town of Boulder was hit by the 100 year flood.  The worst disaster Boulder has seen in years.  My family home was flooded, as well as many cities and neighborhoods in Colorado.  Over 100 homes were destroyed and others badly damaged.  There was about 6 inches of water in my parents home, and everything had to be trashed.  My dad left Norway early to help with the disaster.  He said he was surprised the house was still standing.  After the water receded, dozens of people started showing up at my parents house to help with the mess.  Together, they cleaned up the hardest and nastiest part of the flood leftovers.  It has been heartbreaking and terrifying to see your childhood home underwater, knowing your things are being thrown away, and watching as the city breaks down and crumbles.  But, knowing that everyone I love is safe and seeing how the community and family comes together to help one another brings some happiness in the sight of disaster.  I am grateful that I have these people in my life and that they can be together to support one another when I am so far away. 

My house, with all the stuff removed.

A car in front of our neighbors house.

The creek in our backyard, normally low enough for my 4 year old nephew to walk through.

The aftermath of my parents house, and my wonderful friends helping to clean.

The houses are being repaired and after a month, my parents are moving out of the hotel and back into their guest house while they wait to complete the repairs on their house.  My sister has moved into a new apartment and things sound like they are getting back to "normal" in Boulder.  It has been difficult to be so far away from my family during this time, but I am so happy every day that they have so many people around them to support them.

While the water fills the streets of Boulder, we have experienced beautiful fall weather in Bergen, with suprisingly little rain.  Last weekend, Isra and I were outside in the sun in our shorts and t-shirts and I even got a little sunburned.  Today, I lit our fireplace because you can feel the chill in the air outside.  It is not raining (yet) but it is starting to feel like fall is over and winter is just around the corner. 

Just hanging out.

The view from the living room.

Enjoying the sunshine with the sheep.

Hi, sheep friends.

Pink sunset on the mountains

Fall leaves

Pretty fall trees

I was surprised this when I woke up to find my car had broken down.  I didn't look at this as a complete disappointment, because it presented Isra and I with the opportunity for a little fall adventure.  We live up a big hill and have had to walk up and down with groceries, early in the morning and late at night.  Every time it is beautiful.

Hiking up the hills with our groceries

It's a long walk

And walking to work in the morning. Yes, it is that dark.

The coming weeks will bring even more adventures.  I'm not sure how long it will take before my car is repaired.  The snow may be just around the corner.  It's getting darker and darker outside. And vacation in Spain is in just 10 weeks.  

I'll be updating again soon!!

    

It's real

Everyone has dreams.  Everyone makes plans in order to make their dreams come true. I wasn't satisfied with my life in Denver, so I moved to Norway.  I spent years dreaming of my prince charming.  And last year, my cousin and I stumbled upon the dream of waking up our old family farm and turning it into something.  We talked about moving into the old farm house, u-pick berry farming, animals, a farm store and restaurant, and bringing Baugtveit farm to life again.

Well...I had a day that made me realize how close to reality my dreams are today.

I woke up in the morning and looked out my old farm house window to see the breathtaking mountain of Baugetveit looking down upon me.  Sitting below, my little farm cafe and shop.  Behind that, I could see the farm ducks hanging out with the pet rabbits while waiting for the hens to come out of their coop.  I gave my sweet boyfriend a good morning kiss, got up and went downstairs to finish my baking for the day (cheesecake, quiche and rosemary and sea salt bagels).  My cousin opened the doors to the cafe and put on a fresh pot of coffee.  We all sat outside, taking care of customers as they walked by on their way to their Norwegian hike.  My cousin went next-door to visit with Grandma while I served sweet tea and whoopee pies to our cafe customers.  In the afternoon, we heard the sound of horses coming up the street and saw our neighbors on their two horses.  So, the boys took them for a quick ride.  In the afternoon, Isra (the prince charming) and I went on a short hike up the mountain in our backyard.  When we reached the top, we were looking out upon the Norwegian fjords and the beautiful sunset.  It is moments like this, all compiled together into one day that make me wonder..."is this real"?

Yes.  It is.  I am a "farmer".  I live with my cousin and boyfriend in the house my father was raised.  I bake delicious American treats, serve coffee and sell tasty and unique Norwegian products.  I collect eggs, chase chickens away from my cafe and pick ticks off of bunnies ears.  If someone told me this is what I would be doing when I was 29, I'd have told them they were crazy.

The best part about this dream coming true is that it wasn't just my dream.  My Aunts glow with happiness to see us working at the farm.  My grandmother has her grandkids next-door and new visitors every day.  She likes to ask us every day what we sold in the cafe, who came by and hear what I am baking the next day.  Her big smile says it all.

The entire process hasn't been easy.  Of course, we have had our own challenges to overcome.  But in the end, I achieved my dream and isn't that what life is all about?