Departing Toronto/Arriving in Oslo

By Dakota Robertson, English Studies

Ready for adventure!

Today the real adventure began! Ten came down together from North Bay and three of us travelled separately to the airport, meeting by 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 18 at the Termi al 3 KLM counter. Everyone made it safely and ahead of schedule, despite the windy travel conditions. Most of us experienced our first red-eye flight during the seven-hour flight from Toronto to Amsterdam. Then we took a two-hour connecting flight from Amsterdam to Oslo before jumping on the train for twenty minutes to the city centre. Our final stretch of travel was a twenty-minute walk from the train station to the hotel. In total, I travelled 18 hours from 12 p.m. on February 18th to 3 p.m. on February 19th at the Anker Hotel.

Reindeer patties from the Oslo Central Station cafe, Kjøken of Kaffe

Food: During our travels, we quickly learned that Dr. Litalien will never let anyone go hungry. He was always scoping out great snacks and pit stops that we could make to ensure the most comfortable travels. My most memorable meal from this day was reindeer patties with a traditional vegetable blend. I would definitely say the reindeer sleighed (pun intended). Food is one of my favourite ways to learn about different cultural histories and traditions. Next on my list of foods to try in Norway is the infamous brown cheese!

Watching Yogi Bear on the in-flight entertainment 

Personal Highlights: While on the flight from Toronto to Amsterdam, I was able to revisit many of my childhood favourite movies on the screen provided by the airline. My  favourite was Yogi Bear, which oddly enough touched on some the themes in our course! In the film, two talking bears, two park rangers, and a nature film maker work together to save a national park from being closed. The team of heroes are motivated to save the national park because they have nurtured a connection to the land. Their intentions are rooted in love and appreciation for the environment which inspire the surrounding community members to explore the park. The park gains enough attraction and donations, ensuring that the land is protected and not developed. Ranger Jones’ highlights the challenges that we face when caring for the environment. Like Mayor Brown, his assistant, and Ranger Jones’, I am often tempted to put my needs above what is best for the planet. Things like inexpensive and unethically sourced clothes make it environmental consciousness seem inconvenient.

While exploring Norway with Drs. Litalien and Brown, we will be investigating environmental connection through friluftsliv: Outdoor life in Norway. I am very excited to see the ways that Norwegians implement friluftsliv practices to strengthen their relationship with the environment, along with the various sustainable behaviours they have adopted. 

Cheers,

Dakota



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