BUS SCHOOL (SCANDINAVIA, ETC. PART 3)

Our bus passed through some absolutely beautiful mountainous areas in Norway, above the fjords, through
many mountain tunnels, alongside awesome waterfalls, and skirting little plots of steep land with sweet small wooden cabins  called hytte, belonging to families who think nothing of driving 6 hours out of the city on weekends to get to their mountain retreats. Most cabins on the mountainside or along the water have been in their families for generations.  The Scandinavian people love being outdoors.  Love it!

This is where I part company with my ancestors.  I'm actually more of an indoors-y girl.  Especially when it is cold and snowy outside. But the hearty Norwegians (and all Scandinavians and Nordic peoples) seem to love being outside regardless of the weather.  Skiing and hiking are generally deemed desirable and enjoyable.  I grudgingly admire that, I guess.  But I don't understand it.  I have a perfectly good home that is warm and dry.  Oh well... I didn't go to daycare/preschool there.

Not always and not everywhere, but in some places there is a thing called "Nature Daycare".  Children are shepherded into the forest and spend the ENTIRE DAY outside, playing, eating, learning about respecting and surviving in nature.  Sometimes it's cold and/or rainy.  No matter.  That's part of the learning experience.  Kids grow up appreciating and caring for the natural world.  Imagine. 

Also kids go to elementary school at around 6-7 years old.  (Six has recently been deemed a bit young, so there is a move toward seven being better so children have time to be children before moving into the school system.)  They to learn to get along, learn group engagement, learn their ABCs but not to compete and be stressed out with homework and grades.  No grades are issued at all until our middle school equivalent age.  There are lessons (actual social-emotional curriculum lessons!) in empathy and collaboration, cooperation, trust, and consensus building.  Imagine.

Most students do a "gap year" between high school and college.  This is seen as a good thing to have on your resume, indicating you have taken time to experience life and are well-prepared to devote yourself to further study.  And not everyone strives for a big career.  In fact, some criticize Scandinavians for "settling" for a simple, contended life.  Compared to the U.S. they are not ambitious in the same way.  A good life is considered one that is happy and content, where one fits in with the community and does not stand out by seeking admiration or ego-glorification.  In fact, this would be frowned upon.  Self-glorification would be an embarrassment.  Imagine.

Getting along and being content might help explain why crime is so low.  Only 1-3% of the population is impacted by violence.  They feel safe, trust the police and military, do not own firearms (except for hunting and those are regulated such that you don't just place a mail order or walk into the gun store to get one.)  Speaking of police: they are required to have 3 years of training most of which is around social services and de-escalation.  They rarely fire their weapons on the job.  Imagine.

Caring for nature has led to a cultural commitment to taking action to address climate change.  There are
no landfills.  People are expected to reuse and recycle.  Incinerators are used (highly controlled for toxic emissions) and the steam generated is piped into a system that helps heat homes.  The harbor areas are being cleaned up from their industrial past to be accessible for recreation.   People-focused, green technology is being used to develop waterfront areas into housing and retail centers.   97% of new cars purchased are electric, although there was a 50% drop in Tesla sales recently due to Musk's romance with Trump and his unwillingness to work with local unions.  

Speaking of politics, Denmark speaks of the "Greenland Moment" when Trump announced that the U.S. would take control of Greenland, "one way or the other".  The Nordic countries and other EU nations formed an almost universal alliance in opposition to a possible invasion, committing their military to
defend Greenland against the United States.  They began to send troops ready to blow up landing strips or whatever was necessary to "slow the U.S. down" even though they knew they could not withstand a full blown invasion.  Scandinavian countries, some of our staunchest allies in NATO, have lost trust in the United States.  Tourism to the U.S. was down 50% last year, more this year.  There is some hope that the U.S. can turn things around in coming elections, but they are skeptical.  Scandinavians were shocked Trump was elected for a second time.  (Me too.)

So, even though they are commonly lumped together, how do Scandinavians see each other?  Our guide, Heidi, described it (tongue in cheek) like this:  Scandinavians are siblings, with Finland being a close cousin.  Sweden, Denmark, and Norway are united by common genetics and a common language base.  Finland has a different genetic heritage and language origin, but is still a Nordic cousin.  

Sweden sees itself as the eldest son - mature, responsible, sophisticated, and a little reserved.  It gets annoyed with Denmark, the middle child, which can be too laid back, a bit lazy, and perhaps drinks too much.  Norway is the youngest.  It prefers to be outdoors having fun, is a little neglectful of responsibilities, just tagging along and not paying attention.  

I don't know if each country would agree with these characterizations, but on the surface they seemed to hold true from our observations as tourists.  (LOL)  All in all, each county had unifying characteristics and was also distinctly unique.  

At least, that's the view from here...©

Photo Credit: Hub, the official photographer.  a Hytte; Norwegian waterfalls; Swedish schoolchildren; Danish riverside saunas (get hot inside, then plunge into the river and swim a few laps); Danish protest (our travel companion, Buddy, agrees.)