A video (Tromsø, Norway)

Brynjulv showed me this video last night -- a bit of "Norwegian propaganda," he told me proudly. He says that everything in it is pretty much accurate, but:

1. it is rare for the government to pay for somebody to recover from an illness in a spa in some southern country, although it does happen in special cases, and

2. the island paradise prison is where inmates are sent to serve the last years of their sentences; they don't spend all of their time there.

But conditions in normal prison facilities are good, and it is rare for somebody to be sentenced to more than 10 or 15 years. Also, the government is toying with the idea of simply putting a bracelet locator on convicts' ankles and letting them live at home (with, of course, a strict schedule and restrictions on travel). You know, keeping them integrated in society, so that they can continue to contribute as the citizens they are and lead purposeful lives. What an idea.

This country is so rational. They do so many things right. I feel like a barbarian coming from the United States, where almost 1% of the population is behind bars and the death penalty is still legal in some states.

In other news, I found out that I can attend university classes for free, and I'm salivating over the list of English-language courses. I KNOW, I know what you're thinking: NERD. I've been out of that closet for years. And just think: Arctic Biology. Marine Ecology. Aquatic Animal Welfare. Techniques for Investigating the Near-Earth Space Environment. The Sami Nation: Indigenous people, Ethnic Minorities and the Multi-Cultural Society. Tell me those don't sound REALLY COOL.

(I'll sidestep back to the wonder that is Norway: Education is extremely cheap here -- well, Norwegians pay for it in taxes -- and accessible to everyone, including retirees. There was a 78-year-old woman in one of Brynjulv's literature classes last semester! And when we were walking around the university, he greeted a 40-something-year-old man. "Professor?" I asked. "Fellow student," he answered.)

Tomorrow, Christmas Eve, I'll be volunteering at a church, giving out food and presents from 15:00 until 21:00. I'm so excited. I can't speak Norwegian, but I can smile at people and wash dishes. Maybe I'll make a friend. New Year's Eve I'm spending with Brandon Horn, one of my best friends and a fellow Watson Fellow -- he arrives a few days after Christmas and we're still trying to decide if we can eat whale and not go to hell (not Satan's; the hell that our consciences will raise). We do, however, plan on going swimming -- IN THE SEA, IN THE DARK. Apparently it is the thing to do. Look at these crazies. They're so happy. (Thanks to Maiten, who appears in the video in a black t-shirt and hat, for sharing her footage with me!) Maybe we will be that happy, too.

In early January I'll train to volunteer at the Tromsø International Film Festival and watch some of the movies for free (so they claim, at least; I wonder if I'm walking into a trap!), and . . . that's it. Those are my ambitious plans for the next few weeks. I will report successful carryings-out and failed carrying-out attempts as they occur.

I just discovered the "insert link" button -- can you tell? (No pun intended.)