Parties, Paeds and Pretty sights

Hi,

I am sitting in my room at 10:05pm struggling to stay awake after an epic (~15km) cross country ski trip today. We set off at 11am and caught the metro to our starting point, Frognerseteren. After a very shaky start I eventually found a rhythm and was soon only falling over when going round corners on downhill slopes (tricky!) or avoiding objects (dogs, children, trees). My falls however were often in deep snow and I was nowhere near the picture of gracefulness as I climbed out, then slipped down again, long skis and pole waving in the air. The uni hires out cross country skis for about $80AU for the whole season, but I had previously missed out when I went to get some. Unfortunately, my housemate broke her scaphoid (wrist) slipping on some ice and hence I'm now able to borrow her skis.

In Norway, there are cross country trails absolutely everywhere. Maintained by a special public organisation, they are free for all to use. They even have lights on many routes so that people can go at night. Another feature of the trails is that there are gorgeous cabins dotted across the trails in which you can have a cup of tea, eat your lunch or buy cakes and waffles. As a result, it seems every Norwegian spends their weekend skiing, bringing along their grandparents, children and dogs. Kids as young as 2-3 have their own skis and families go skiing together, setting off from all around the city, as if they were going for a stroll in the woods. And I can see why- the views were simply breathtaking, as we skied through forests, across frozen lakes and in the hills with sweeping views of valleys filled with snow-covered fir trees. It was a beautiful day- the sky was cloudless and blue and the sun was shining. In fact, I may have gotten a bit burnt. This weather is deceptive- it looks like a postcard from inside, but its far colder on days that are sunny and not snowing because there is no cloud cover to trap heat. I'm aching all over now, but it was worth it!

The past week I have been at the hospital, attending paediatric outpatient clinics. We seem to have a lot less clinical exposure in Norway, with only 3 mornings a week at the hospital, followed by 3 afternoons of pracs, seminars or lectures. Thursday is a study day, with nothing scheduled, and Friday is tutes, seminars or lectures. I attended 3 different outpatients clinics with a Norwegian student, Olve, who was very nice about translating for me and asking the doctor to speak to us in English if we were being taught something. I met a few bilingual kids: one of whom was 6 and effortlessly switched between English (her father's mother tongue) and Norwegian depending on who she was talking to.

At the hospital, we all change into white scrubs and a white coat, with 'indoor' shoes to prevent the mud and melting snow being tramped around the hospital. Doctors seem to have a lot of time for students, and I did not get any indication that they resented speaking in English (it seems to be seen as an opportunity to practice). The health care system is very advanced, all medication for children under 12 is free, as is the health care required by pregnant women. Maternity leave is something like a year, and the father gets a fair bit of time as well, with the opportunity for the father to use some of the mother's leave if that suits the family better. I found it interesting to chat to the doctors about the guidelines for prescribing though and I wonder if there is a tendency to prescribe earlier in the course of an illness (eg asthma) here because it is free. Furthermore, whilst in Australia we tend to tread carefully with expensive treatments and medications (eg MRI) I think maybe there is less hesitation here. Whether or not that is a good thing, I'm not sure.

Last weekend, we went to a party at the students cafe/pub/party house/band performance space, Chateau Neuf. This is not solely associated with University of Oslo, but with all the students groups in Oslo. The following day I was exhausted, so had a quiet day strolling in the city and then some friends over to watch a DVD in my room. They had just left and I was heading to bed at 11:30pm when my intercom phone rang. I let my Czech friend in again who rushed in to tell me they were building a snow man, would I like to join them. When I got outside we realised the snow was too fresh (having snowed all day) for a snow man, so we grabbed the trays from their oven and hit the hill outside their place, sledding down it on our trays. It took a fair while to create a path as the snow was so thick (and we got a bit distracted with snow fights) but once the path had reached the bottom her housemate filled a bin bag with pillows and we whizzed down on that! Frozen, with snow down our shirts, in our shoes and all through our hair, we retired to their kitchen for late night tea, vodka, waffles and good company. It was a fantastic, spontaneous, fun night.

Well, I keep thinking of things to say, but forget them when I sit down to write, so I apologise for the spotty nature of this post.

Finally, the fires made the front page of the paper and I have had many people ask me questions about them. I have been reading the Age website and I wish to pass on my sympathy if any of you have been affected by them.

Best Wishes,

Anneke