Retracing Roots

“When in Rome, do as the Romans do”

    

        Writing a blog is hard, especially if you’re writing about the very place you happen to be living in, which is why I haven’t blogged in over two months. I used to think everything was so different and foreign here, but after a while I have realized that people are essentially the same around the world…despite differences in location, food, language, etc… BUT that doesn’t mean I haven’t been surprised a few times….
          In the beginning, I remember walking down the street saying hello and smiling to everyone that passed me. But instead of people smiling and saying hello back, I often received this kind of reaction: “uh…hey?” and people would look at me with expressions that read, “uh…do we two know each other?” 
In the US I think it is more common for strangers to talk with each other and not even exchange names… so with that in mind, I found it strange when people reacted that way. But on the other hand, people here often wonder why Americans usually start their conversations with, “Hey, how are you?” Especially when half the time people don’t really listen to the answer or the answer is usually the same. I have talked about this and many here think it is a waste of time, but in the US we just think it is polite.
          Something else that has really surprised me about Kautokeino is the amount of alcohol consumed here. People think we party hard in the US? Well, they clearly haven’t visited Kautokeino during Easter haha… Let’s just say I have never experienced anything quite like it….Partying till the next day…or multiple days…
          Another difference has to do with planning. When I tell people in Kautokeino, that we like to plan and schedule much of our lives in the US, people here can’t understand it. I.e. if I had planned to go with friends on a road trip and all of a sudden it didn’t work out for whatever reason, I would be so disappointed and stressed. But here, people go with the flow. Take things as they come and don’t plan too far in advance. Take baby naming for example. While it is common to have a name before the child is born in the US, it is common to wait weeks, or even a month(s), after a baby is born to pick a name here.
          Another example I can give happened to me before I even came to Kautokeino. I remember asking the family two weeks before coming, “so … who is going to pick me up at the airport?” Needless to say, they didn’t know. Then I asked a week ahead, and then a day before, and they still didn’t know. I thought HOW can you not know who is going to pick me up? While I thought it was strange the family didn’t know, the family thought, how could we know until that day? 
          I have to say planning is so different in the US than in Sápmi. Americans, we like to plan our lives in terms of intervals or set goals. In five years I’d like to be married, in 10 have kids, etc. and here people simply can’t understand how you can even plan such moments in life… to be honest, there are positive and negative aspects to both. Of course planning can make for a nice structured, and maybe comfortable, life for some but it could also mean missing the best, unexpected, moments in life as well.
          Many Americans, I think, are used to having plans. I also think that many Americans are extremely hard and efficient workers because of their tightly planned schedules…but it also means that we can be quite stressed at times. In India, as well as here, people seem to view time as something that isn’t set in stone, but something that is flexible. Here there is something called the “Sámi half hour.” Meaning, if I say I’ll be there at 2, you can give me until 2:30 to arrive and not even think anything of it. Of course not everyone abides by that… but in the US if you say the class starts at 2, you better be there at 2 and it’s even better to be 5-10 minutes early.
          Something else that has caught me by surprise here is body image and how it is viewed. In traditional Sámi culture, a woman who had more curves was seen as beautiful. I also heard once that if woman’s legs were like timbers you could tell she was a strong woman and that was beautiful. In the US it is different… The slimmer you are the better.
          Another big difference between the US and Sápmi, or the Scandinavian countries in general, is healthcare. After a child is born here, a mother can take up to one year off from work and is paid to do so. She is then guaranteed work when she returns. Yet in the US that is not the case. A woman may be permitted to take a few months off, but she is certainly not paid during that time.  
          It’s interesting to see what people think is normal and what people are shocked by in different parts of the world. I remember when I was living in India being white was really beautiful, but why? It meant that you didn’t have to work out in the hot sun to earn your money; it maybe meant you had an education and had the ‘luxury’ to work indoors. Where as in the US, if you’re tan that is beautiful. I think “norms” are relative and dependent on location.
          Also it is interesting to see what affect the media has on our concept of knowledge in terms of intercultural relations. For instance, many people I have met here, and India, think Americans live like people on MTV. Having much sex, all driving Mercedes, etc. But of course my neighbors in French Lake will laugh to hear this… but how else do we get to learn about a place besides visiting it? Same goes for me and my impression of Kautokeino. Before I arrived, I didn’t know what to expect…I thought, do people listen only to joik? Do they wear gakti often? I had no idea what to expect, but I know I didn’t expect people to remind me of my neighbors back home! And people here have been surprised to hear that, where I am from it isn’t so different either. For instance, they are surprised to hear I was raised in a Laestadian church and ate bidus (similar to stew) just like them.
          Even though people, for the most part, are the same around the world, it still hasn’t exactly been easy for me to transition from living in the US to living above the Arctic Circle. Like getting used to the dating culture here for instance! (No such thing as holding hands or going on dates in public. And if you go to the grocery store with a guy…well, that’s serious!).
           Yet, despite the surprising differences I have experienced here in Kauto, it is safe to say there are some things that remain the same around the world. Like what is important to people’s every day lives… Friends, family … So people may dress differently, they may speak differently, but these are just nuances I feel that make for a very interesting and diverse world.            I have learned that no matter where you happen to be in the world, you must try to live like the locals before passing judgment. After all, the saying goes, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do” … even IF that means eating Reindeer tongue or blood pancakes…  

Gulahallat

There has been one thing that has been on my mind ever since I arrived… language. How do you communicate with others? Do you rely on speaking the “same” language? Do you use body language in hopes to communicate your message? What does it exactly mean to communicate and just how important is it that your communication with others is correct and understood properly? 

The first day I arrived in Kautokeino was an interesting one to say the least. I arrived in Alta airport late in the night, where I was picked up and then drove 2 hours to Kautokeino. I believe it was 3 am when I met the family and ate a meal. I then quickly was shown my room and headed to bed to prepare for the long day ahead tomorrow. I woke up at 7 am and soon was at Sámi Allaskuvlla eager and anxious to learn some Sámi. 

Maybe it was the fact that I was running on a max of four hours of sleep or the fact that I didn’t know a word of Sámi before ….or…. maybe it was that I arrived 3 days late into the class…..OR maybe it was all of those components combined that my first day of class wasn’t as successful as I had imagined. I remember that day like it was just yesterday. Not knowing what to expect, I was excited to meet some students before the class started. Majority knew English so I thought this might not be so bad after all. A little confused as why I was there, and why I didn’t know Norwegian of all things, I attempted to explain my story to my confused classmates. Despite my best answers, none of my replies really explained my wanting to come here.

Soon the teachers came into class. Speaking nothing but Sámi, I instantly felt nervous. I looked around the class to see how the other students were handling this. Some furrowed brows were made, but it appeared to me that they understood what was being said. I then heard a silence in the classroom. I looked towards the teacher looking for clues as to what we were supposed to be doing, but before I knew it, the teacher was standing in front of me, looking at me with a face that said, “well… are you going to answer?” With no clue what I just missed I just stared back at her. I then browsed the rest of the classroom… and saw everyone staring at me and my heart began to beat faster and faster. I then just blurted something out loud like, “Sorry, I don’t know any Sámi or Norwegian.”

Unfortunately for me, the textbooks used for the course are only published in Norwegian, Swedish, and Finnish. No longer the proud University graduate, I realized this course was going to be a struggle for me. I stayed optimistic none the less. Well, until we headed to the tundra. After 3 hours of class, and after lunch, we went to the tundra for a different lesson. I had my trusted worksheets with in order to prepare me for what we were about to do …problem was, I had no clue what anything said on the papers. We drove to the tundra where we were expected to make fire (dolla) and learn from a local reindeer herder any related words in Sámi.

I managed to try and take notes to the best of my ability, which for the most part went well … except when I was asked phrases such as, “Gos don eret?” (Where are you from?). Pointing at a bird and saying loddi was easy enough for me to figure out. But when asked actual phrases such as, where are you from, I began to struggle. Students and teachers would try and emphasize certain words by saying certain words louder than others and added charades. GOS (while looking around the nature and then looking back at me) don eret? GOS???? It was a simple enough question, but I had not the slightest clue what was happening. It was at that moment that I realized, “What have I done?”….

Eventually class ended for the day and I just wanted to go home and relax but knew I better begin on the next days homework. So, I did. Perhaps 4 hours of google translating later, and still no knowledge of how to say, hi, how are you, I thought, “I’m screwed.” 

For four weeks, every day (M-F) I would walk to school at 8:15 am and come home around 3 or 4 pm … to then have a snack and start translating my textbooks from Norwegian into English. Then I proceeded to do the lesson …which, even after that I still had no clue what I was learning. To this very day, 5 1/2 months later, I know I never could have survived that course unless my fellow classmates helped explain to me in English. Reading this blog a person might wonder what the big problem was for me…but it was the very fact that the class was instructed ONLY in Sámi that killed me. I couldn’t even ask clarifying questions in English, that was forbidden. Not to mention, I couldn’t even learn the grammar rules in English. I think it is safe to say that was the most confused I have ever been in my life!! 

Many times, when frustrated, I often brought myself back to reality and thought about the times of Norwegianisation and assimilation. When Sámi children were sent to boarding schools against their will to become “Norwegian” and learn to speak the Norwegian language. They were banned from using their mother tongue at all times. Perhaps to some this might not seem like the most earth shattering news, but from my own personal experience I can only imagine how those children must have felt. 

 Kids were sent against their will…not allowed to speak their mother tongue, rarely allowed to see their family and visit home, and were gone for many years. For me, as crazy as it might have seemed at first, I actually signed up for this course out of my own wanting. The class was only four weeks long, and I was allowed the “luxury” of being able to ask my friends, after class of course, questions in English. So while it was a difficult course for me, and I thought I was never going to learn one word of Sámi, it was nothing compared to what kids during the times of assimilation experienced. 

Sámi is a minority language in all the nation-states it is found within. I have traveled to different parts in Finland and Norway, but have yet to visit Sweden. But I must say, it is quite evident that Sámi is a minority language. I might be able to meet Sámi from other regions and speak North Sámi with them, but it is only Kautokeino, that I have experienced, where a person can walk to the coffee shop, gas station, schools, or to the grocery store and speak only Sámi. So not knowing any Norwegian in Kauto is actually do-able.

Kautokeino has something special going for it in regards to Sámi language. It is because of exactly that, that I miss Kautokeino when I travel to other regions in Sápmi. Just 2 hours one direction and you are soon in Alta where you will be expected to speak Norwegian and an hour the other direction and you’ll be expected to speak Finnish. While I am not the best speaker in the world, I still appreciate being able to speak Sámi outside the home. With that being said though, it is still difficult language for me and my confidence level in it isn’t the best that it could be. 

Often people ask if I speak Sámi with the family that I live with. I always respond that I speak only Sámi with the children, but with the parents it is seldom. Speaking with children is great, you don’t have to worry about them judging you … and if they correct you, you don’t take it personally. But when I speak with adults, I get this sort of fear. I worry too much about what I am saying and if it is proper or not. This fear prevents me at times to speak Sámi. Of course I realize that when first learning a language mistakes are inevitable, for there is only one way to learn… by practice. But what is it about not being able to speak a language perfectly that can scare people from trying? I know some elderly people, as well as young, in other regions are afraid to also speak their mother tongue because they worry it isn’t perfect. But why does it matter so much?

Perhaps it is because I’m a perfectionist that holds me back from wanting to sound dumb… and maybe that I can only talk about “simple” topics such as, where I am going, how I am doing, and what time is it …  that makes me feel like I’m not so good in the language and actually then holds me back from speaking more. But then I have this other side of me that says, of course you must just speak whenever possible because, this is a minority language, a language of your ancestors, and you wanted to learn this for a reason…so speak! It is all easier said than done though, I must say honestly. 

I was speaking with a friend, who is also learning Sámi language and was born and raised here in Kautokeino; she told me … we need to realize our whole identity is not dependent on us being able to speak another language fluently. In a way it was a good point made, but to some unfortunately there is a huge pressure to speak this language perfectly. Honestly, if I make a mistake I could always have the excuse that I am learning and was born in the U.S… All jokes aside though, there are people here that don’t know the language and some feel a pressure and judgment for not knowing it. 

Think about it for a short while. What is language to you? Is it important to you… do you take it for granted? If you were learning a new language and made mistakes, would it scare you from speaking it more? Do you consider your language as part of your identity? How else do we express our ideas and feelings with out spoken word? Well, of course it is possible and we all do it, I believe, whether we realize it or not. So why then am I so afraid to speak? It is a good question and I am now challenging myself to speak this language even more. Of course I get comfortable when speaking English, and I feel confident when expressing my ideas in that language, but if I ever want to really succeed in Sámi language I must begin to speak it even more. I have made really embarrassing mistakes already, but I must take my pride out my learning this language. So if you see me writing in Sámi on facebook, and not translating in English, please don’t be offended… I am practicing. Also, if you see me writing on facebook in Sámi and you see that I have made a mistake, please feel free to correct me. Also realize that I am learning and trying my best.

Language, in all its many forms, is a vital component of life. Of course parts of our identity are found within the language we speak. And depending on which language we are speaking, we might express our thoughts differently. I chose to title this blog entry Gulahallat for a reason. The verb is used to mean communicating with others and how you understand each other. It is very common to say to someone, “Moai gulahalle,” meaning: we two will be in contact/communication with each other …and more precisely, we two will hear from each other again.

If I plan on staying in Sápmi, it is inevitable; I must learn to speak Sámi fluently. I have a really good feeling that I will be here for a while, if not to stay, and so there is much pressure that I begin to speak more. So therefore I must …. Even if mun in impiran ollu; even if I don’t understand everything. I must try!

I once wrote a university paper about the Sámi languages and inevitably concluded my paper with one main thought. One of the best ways to learn about a new culture is to of course live amongst the natives, but to also learn the language. For much of the culture can be found within the language they speak. With over 500 hundred words for snow, I think I have my work cut out for me learning North Sámi. But what I said is true and I must live those words now, not just ideologically speak about it.  

Kautokeino

Writing a blog can be exciting, intimidating, humiliating, and most of all, risky. As I have been writing my experiences about my time here in Kautokeino, I have been shining everything in a somewhat humorous and positive light. Of course, I appreciate my time here and yet at the same I know no place is perfect. My brother requested that I write about the pros and cons of living here versus living back in the States. I felt like now was the perfect moment to share my thoughts… 

Someone once asked me what has surprised me most about living here… the very first thing that came to mind was the partying. In the U.S. I am used to people going out with friends or hosting parties at home but guests would normally go back home by 2 or 3 am. The first time I went out with friends here, I came back at 4 am and thought, ohhh, I am SO tired! And yet, while I was collapsing into bed everyone else I had been hanging out with was off to another party. Due to the expensive prices, people here typically have a pre-party at their home before they go out to a pub and then once businesses close they go to an after party, where people can often stay up till the sun shines once again. Most of my friends who are Norwegian or Sámi can’t understand how I could stop at 4 am while I was wondering how they were still surviving! This surprised me very much and still I am not used to this. 

Another thing that surprised me was how small Kautokeino really is. With a population around 3,000 residents, Kautokeino is not the smallest place I have been to but, at the same time, I am often reminded of how small Kauto can be…… I once walked into a store and was approached by a stranger…this gentleman walked up to me and said in Sámi, “You‘re the American…” and when I responded, “Yes?” he then just walked away and left the store, never seeing him again! Then another time I was about to introduce myself to someone new and just as I started to say, “Bures, mu namma lea…” (Hi, my name is…) he replied, “Don leat Melissa (You are Melissa), du sockernamma lea Lantto (Your last name is Lantto) … ja don leat Amerihkkas eret muhto du Lantto fulkkiid muonios eret (and you come from America but your Lantto ancestors/relatives come from Muonio.” You can only imagine how surprised I was … I had never met this guy before and so I of course asked, “oh, wow… how did you know all that??” and he replied with a laugh, “Kautokeino is a very small place.” Similar scenarios have happened to me more and more. It is really amazing… but I guess word really does travel fast in a small place like Kautokeino. Generally, everyone that I have met has welcomed me and been excited that I have come here. It’s not every day that an American comes to Kautokeino to be an au pair and learns Sámi.

Of course my experience has been really positive in regards to learning North Sámi. Generally the people have been so excited that I am learning and, in fact, I have been interviewed on Norwegian/Sámi and local news three times now. Each time they were curious to know why I decided to come here and how my experience has been. Positive feedback and simple curiosity has made all the difference with my learning. Despite my many mistakes, I still want to try because people are so excited that I am learning this language. Though, I am not that good yet! I think one of the hardest parts for me is pronunciation ….and I have to be careful with that. Last week when I was interviewed for NRK, I thought I was saying, “I have many Sámi friends here” but I actually said, “I have many buyers here…” the way I said it made me sound like I was selling myself!! In that example, mispronunciation made a crucial difference!!! Luckily, they were able to cut that part out…whew!

To get back to my brothers original question … Some days Kautokeino can be too small for me. While it can be charming that people seem to know each other quite well here, it can be difficult to be new as well, someone who was not raised in Kautokeino. While generally everyone is welcoming, it is hard for me to really get to know the people from here. Most of my friends, as a result, are students from other areas studying now in Kauto. Additionally, the partying is something I am not sure I will ever get used to … BUT with all that being said … I appreciate how people really help each other out here. People really seem to support each other within their family and social circles … Also, they know who their family is and they really value that. While in the U.S. some of my friends, I am sure, are tired to hear about my Sámi heritage, here youth know so much about their family history and are interested in talking about it. 

In terms of food… I must admit some pros are the reindeer tongue, cloudberries, statoil coffee (government run gas station), brown cheese …. on the flip side, some cons … not being able to purchase butter in Norway, eating so much bread, and, well,… the prices! 

In terms of weather… Pro: the sky is much more expressive and I have never seen the moon and sun so close to earth… 
Con: the dark period. I’d be lying if I told you I didn’t suffer a little without seeing the sun for a few months. 

All in all though, I really can’t say which place is better to live…Minnesota or Kautokeino…I have appreciated living in Kautokeino. Here almost everyone speaks Sámi, so I can learn the language and speak it virtually everywhere … there really isn’t any other place exactly like Kauto that way. So I definitely have appreciated my time here, however, I am keeping my eyes open for other locations in Sápmi to move to. As of this August my position will end and I don’t yet know where I will be… in the U.S. or in Sápmi? Only time will tell…….

Visiting

Who do you consider a guest in your home? How do you welcome them, do you do anything special for them when they visit, do they notify you before they come…is there such thing as an unwelcome guest to you? 

While I do see many similarities between Kautokeino and where I grew up, I have noticed one big difference;the concept of company. Visiting people is something I took for granted, I thought it was done the same all around the world … little did I know. 

Many times I have been sitting at home with the family eating, watching tv, or simply lounging around when all of a sudden I hear the front door open and someone walks into the house. I think, who could that be? The whole family is home so who is there? I hear them taking off their boots and hanging their coats…what is this person doing? They didn’t even knock! I look at the family to see what kind of reactions they are having yet they have none. They probably didn’t hear them… After taking off their winter clothes the visitors come in to find us. Usually it is a relative of the family but sometimes it is personal friends. Despite not calling before or knocking, the guest is welcomed into the home. Although, this is not always formally done. 

If we are sitting at the table eating, the guest might simply take a plate and chair and join us without even asking. This is not frowned upon and is expected actually. The first times this happened I thought how rude. Not only did they not call before coming or knock when they arrived, but here are they are now eating without even asking!! This happened many days in the week when I first got here and was I ever surprised. As weeks passed on though people kept coming and slowly I have been getting used to it. Just yesterday I spoke with the family about how different it is in the U.s. with guests.

I explained that where I am from we plan ahead when we visit. We do so by calling, e-mailing, or texting before arriving. Usually this is done a few days in advance, sometimes weeks prior, but sometimes the day of. Regardless, it is rare to just show up at someones door. BUT in that situation the person would usually knock or ring the door bell. Then they would wait for someone to greet them at the door and welcome them in. Once inside the house they would probably be offered some kind of beverage or food. Yet, it would not be kosher to start taking food without asking, even if you really want it. When I told all of this to the family, they were surprised! In the beginning I thought the way it was done here was rude, but now I have begun to wonder if we Americans are the rude ones?…

Here in Sápmi, I have noticed family is so important and people help each other out a lot. Yet in the U.S. we are so independent and really treasure privacy. Our own private time is almost worth gold … that can be difficult to transition from. Certainly I can appreciate aspects of both cultures, but must admit the concept of company has been one of the hardest things for me to adapt to. Yet it is a great lesson for me, a person who is always trying to schedule every moment of her life…that is just ridiculous. I have been learning here that sometimes the best moments in life come unexpectedly, but you must be open to them.

Missing and wanted: Butter!

          It has been approximately 2 months since I arrived in Kautokeino and, my o my, has time flown! I have been living with a Sámi family and studying North Sámi @ Sámi Allaskuvla. It has really been a surreal experience. I have traveled and lived abroad before, but living in Kautokeino has been different from all other traveling I have done. First of all, I have a connection to this region. I am an American with Sámi ancestry. Some of my ancestors came not too far from Kautokeino; my relatives came from Muonio and Ylimuonio. Despite never having met them before, I feel like I can relate to these people … so many of them look like my neighbors back home. Yet I am still reminded from time to time that I am an American and people do things differently here. 

Take butter for example …

          Due to the latest “low carb” diet craze, butter is no where to be found in Norway, Finland and possibly Sweden. Seriously! When I was first heard about it, I laughed and brushed it off. That can’t be true… sure the diet might be gaining popularity but certainly not every Scandinavian is hip to this new diet craze. Yet, in this article,  http://www.dietdoctor.com/butter-battlefield-scandinavia, it states that Scandinavia is trying to cut down on its obesity rates by taxing saturated fats and taking measures like taking away butter for sale. Ha… I can’t help but laugh really. I mean, how can I properly bake Christmas cookies? I find it so peculiar that a whole country has taken away butter, especially just before the holidays…! And how ironic that butter cannot be found anywhere but there is probably enough bread here in Norway to feed the world. … ok, ok … maybe not the whole world, but Norway certainly eats more than its fair share of bread each day. I’m in no place to judge, but whatever you do Norway, don’t tell the French.