Norway - Getting the Hang of This
Updated: 3 days ago
Since the last blog, I’ve really gotten the hang of things around here. I’ve been working real hard everyday with the daily routine of taking care of the animals and with the bigger projects along the way.
Regarding the Animals
Every morning I get to visit the goats which has become a favorite task of mine. If I’m walking up the road and the goats are grazing in one of the fields or wandering around, they will all run up behind me and follow me to their house. Once I’m there, they start fighting their way to the front to get to the food before the others. There are a few that are quite assertive… They will shove the other goats out of the way or ram them with their horns. I tell them off but they don’t care much at all what I do as long as they get food.
There is one baby goat I have grown quite fond of. I asked the H if she has a name and he said that she didn’t but her collar number was 07. So, I’ve taken the liberty of naming her Bond (pictured below). The little ones often get shoved out of the way so I try to make sure they get some food. Bond has begun to recognize that I will hand feed her and her trepidation is decreasing with each day. She still shies away from pets but I think she will soon be comfortable with that.
I’ve become less scared of Peppa and George (the pigs) since I started and have enjoyed bringing them food scraps and watching them eat while they oink and grunt. They are very vocal! However, tomorrow they will be taken off for slaughter so Peppa and George will be no longer. I understood that this was their purpose from the beginning. I will not be dining on them but I can agree that they have had a much better life than the poor souls subjected to the modern industrial agriculture practices of disgusting and vile conditions. I can respect that this family raised them themselves and is trying to provide for themselves and not be so reliant on outside food sources. It is conflicting as a vegetarian but I think it’s important to put yourself in uncomfortable situations to better understand your viewpoint.
I’ve really enjoyed getting to know the horses. Their curiosity and intelligence still surprises me. There are a few that will come right up to me while I’m working and practically demand affection. They also poop a lot… like, A LOT.
Yesterday, we all went up to the horse yard and restocked their hay with the tractor and then used the tractor to move the mounds of poo to the back to compost.
Regarding Those Animals' Poo
There’s been lots of poo:
Horse poo, goat poo, pig poo, chicken poo, dog poo.
If I had to rank them from worst to best(?), no worst to most tolerable I think it would look like this:
WORST
Chicken poo
Absolutely rank smelling and its texture is most unpleasant. We deal with this in the hen house (shoutout Kathleen who has been handling the chickens most mornings).
Pig poo
Thankfully I do not have to pick this up! No thank you!
Horse poo
Actually does not smell too much at all. Just smells a lot like hay. Major downside is the absolutely MASSIVE quantities that these horses produce. I mean it’s just falling left and right bam bam bam.
Goat poo
Don’t have to pick this up cause that would be nightmarish. They poop out little pellets that fall out like a gumball machine with a broken knob so there are just little marble sized poo pellets everywhere but it’s not a big deal.
Dog poo
This is something I’m familiar with. Worse smelling than 3 and 4 but its fine. Nothing special!
Connecting
Every evening we sit down and have dinner with the family. Kathleen, M, H, the two little kids, and me. One of the kids who is one and a half years old sits next to me. She constantly giggles and looks over at me smiling to which I try my best to make her laugh (usually with success). The kids bring such joy to the table (most of the time unless someone is upset) and it is so nice to see two parents who love their kids so much, prioritize time together. At first the kids were a little stand-offish (understandably) but then they began to warm up to us volunteers. They do not speak English so we communicate with lots of “hei”s and with objects. Time at the table has helped us all get more comfortable with one another and share some really nice moments.
Just last week we sat down and watched Mama Mia together after dinner. Afterwards M and H gave me a proper introduction to the Eurovision song contest (an annual song competition between many different countries featuring some pretty extravagant, impressive, and goofy performances). I’ve really enjoyed these downtime moments when the cultural exchange and connection really happens (I’m not referring to Mama Mia as a cultural exchange).
A recent highlight was M making lappar, a Norwegian sort of pancake (think pancake but 10x better). We ate these with a choice of butter, brunost (brown cheese), strawberry jam, orange jam, and homemade blueberry jam. I found that using butter with cold brunost and any of the jams was the perfect combination.
Later that day M, the kids, and me went to the shops to get some things like sand for the hen house. M showed me how to properly hold a toddler after I awkwardly but enthusiastically held one of the kids for her while she got the other one. I also got complimented on my tattoos by a stranger in Norwegian. I looked confused at M and she told me, then the man turned back around and told me in English. Interestingly enough, she said it’s very uncommon for folks to do that here.
That night, we took the horses out for a stroll. I sat in the carriage and held onto the rope of a one of the horses following behind to get them familiar with the carriage as they are going to be work horses when they are stronger. I was told that the strength is more mental than physical, the horses must be strong of mind to be able to work: not get spooked easily, calm under pressure, trusting their rider, etc.
A Norwegian Cookout
Yesterday after some work, we headed towards the lavvo up the road on their property. Kathleen and I brought the wheelbarrow of food and M and one of the kids rode two horses back. A lavvo is a very large tent-like structure that is used for gatherings. Some of M’s family joined us and we had a cookout outside. M’s father, a very cold old Norwegian cowboy, brought some homemade apple-cider that we shared with some apple cake (shoutout again to Kathleen), leftover lappar, and pastries and a picnic table with benches lined with reindeer and sheep furs. I thought I was going to lose weight on this trip but these desserts keep getting put in front of me and I can’t help myself.
We hung out outside the lavvo talking and eating and they asked me to play a few songs so I happily obliged and they seemed to enjoy! Afterwards M’s father (now sporttinga mean duster jacket) showed me how to throw a lasso onto a set of reindeer antlers tied with wire to a tree; I got it by the third try.
I was thinking the other night that I’m going to be pretty sad to leave here. But, I’m going to enjoy what time I have left!
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