Catablogue: My Little Norway

My Little Norway: Discover the Kingdom of the North

Faithful readers of Pensive? No, Just Thinking know that my Scandinavian heritage is important to me--honoring it, learning more about it, promoting it, sharing it with our children, etc. It was an online search for Norwegian recipes, in fact, that brought me to My Little Norway, a blog kept by an Australian woman who married a Norwegian man and moved with him to Norway to raise their family. As she learns about Norway through daily life in the country, she writes about her perspective as an outsider becoming an insider. I find it fascinating!

Some highlights of her blog:

• She is required to learn the Norwegian language; and as she studies the language, she posts the lessons on the blog for us to study, too. She even enlists her husband's aid in turning the lessons into podcasts so that readers can also hear the language spoken by an authentic Norwegian.
• She writes about Norwegian food, which I appreciate because I have been endeavoring to cook Scandinavian foods weekly. She shares photos of food and describes when, how, and why a Norwegian might prepare and eat that dish a certain way.
• Speaking of photos, she posts a lot of them to show what life in Norway looks like: the beautiful scenery, wildlife, architecture, art, holidays, clothing, decor, etc.
• She is currently pregnant, so an unusual feature of her blog is the insight that she shares into the Norwegian medical system as it relates to prenatal care.

If you have Norwegian heritage yourself but are not a citizen of Norway, you'll likely enjoy seeing the country through her eyes and experiencing it vicariously through her. If for no other reason, check it out just for the beautiful photography.

Bonus blog: Sons of Norway Blog

I discovered this blog after we joined the Sons of Norway last fall. Each post offers tidbits of interest to people with Norwegian heritage: Norwegian cultural events happening around the U.S., current events and arts and politics in Norway, mini-lessons on Norwegian history and language and culture, etc. This blog has even directed me to TV shows, movies, and other Web sites with Norwegian themes. If you find My Little Norway interesting, be sure to check out Sons of Norway Blog, too.

(What is a catablogue?)