Weather and me

There is a Norwegian saying "Det fins ikke dårlig vær, bare dårlige klær”. There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.

Heck nay. In Norway, there is such a thing as bad weather.

I love Norway. I really do. It is one of the world's most spectacular countries and one of the last great natural frontiers on earth. The bliss of the midnight sun, the beauty of aurora borealis, the greatness of the splendid fjords…and it is my home now. BUT (there's always a but) the weather sucks. Truly and badly.

Weather in Norway is anything but predictable. Rain, snow, sun, and wind in one day can happen many times in a year.

Half a year is winter. Two months up North is in complete darkness. In spite of - or rather due to - having such a long winter, Norwegians never get tired of playing in the snow. Even in late March or early April, Norwegians turn out in droves at the mountains for their final skiing experience of the year. Small wonder they keep on grabbing those gold medals in the Winter Olympics.

The rest of the year is still cold, mostly windy days especially in the West coast and with some un-warm sunny days. While they’re already out in the sun, getting a tan at 15-18 degree Celsius, literally “warm-blooded” people like me are still garbed in winter apparel.

And did I say that they have warm summer years and rainy summer years?

Norwegians have this passionate if not obsessed relationship with the weather. Their reliable and almost magical Bergans rucksack contains any imaginable attire required for any climatic occasion. I bet that www.yr.no is the most visited site in Norway if every single inhabitant in this country consults the weather forecast every hour of the day.

They have definitely mastered the art of clothing to weather any type of weather. Whereas my old poor self is always either underdressed or overdressed.

Where else in the world does one put huge importance on "sun condition" when buying a house? Or where small talk or party conversation revolves around the weather? This goes without saying that pleasantries about the weather always work particularly for the not-so-silver-tongued Norwegians.

I don’t mind the snow. It’s beautiful outside and cozy inside. It’s the slippery & icy roads associated with winter which drive me crazy. I don’t mind the cold either – it’s the length of the cold season that makes me want to catch the very first flight that takes me to anywhere warm!

Well, duh, I can only hope that summer this year will be gloriously sunny. Otherwise, I can just join the hordes of Norwegians vacationing to “syden”. Syden being down south where there’s plenty of sun, sea, cheap booze, hot women (and men?), and great food and wine. Yaay!