Student blog
By Imogen, written december 2024
Student 2024/2025
Note: non-English word translations at end
It is the darkest time of year here, while my whānau in Aotearoa is celebrating summer Christmas! But I am not in Rissa, the place I now smile and call home. I am on a southbound train to see in the New Year with Fosen venner!
Five months have passed since we first met, excited and basking in the glorious Norwegian summer light. My tongue was still blue from blåbær I had foraged on my way. It does not seem so long ago, but the experience here has been so full and varied that it also feels like a lifetime.
As I gaze dreamily out the window, what do other passengers see on my face? Koselig moments from peisestua? The spark of morgensvømmer? The magic of the Northern lights flickering between the stars? Can they hear the laughter from the massive “cuddle puddle” we formed on the Stadsbygd jetty after sailing home from our høstutfart to Utsetøya? Can they smell campfire smoke? Bark tea simmering in the skincellar, ready to tan saueskinn? The sound of the matsal - that’s noisy! But I miss our chorus of Lyngtuva following the 4pm bell for middag. Most of all, can they see my love for the people, oh the people.
I miss the folkens that make Fosen Folkehøgskole the weird and wonderful place it is. In every corner of the school you will find others deep in crafty projects, heading out to enjoy nature or creating unique memories together.
Shortly before juleferie, everyone was busy creating handmade gifts for each other. Secret Santa – Fosen style. The array of gifts wrapped in paper and yarn well captures the spirit of the school. I was lucky enough to receive a leatherbound book (that I write in now) from one of my fellow minihus friends! Something he made during our first “fnyf” week - where we form groups and dive into a new project/skill together.
One thing I love about Fosen is how we learn from each other and pass it on. That week I passed on my newly acquired knifemaking knowledge to friends. We felt very powerful, a group of four wāhine taking over the smithy! I’d only first stepped into that little wooden hut with blackened walls (our beloved smia) a few weeks prior to make my first knife.
Before I headed to Gamme with a friend for høstferie, we wanted to make our own knives so we began a mad three day project of knifemaking at the end of term! It was intense, but oh so satisfying to use my knife to cut winter chantarelles, baton wood and shave lovely curls of cheese to eat up at Gamme!
A memory I cherish from early days at Fosen is the minihus trip to harvest wood. We stayed overnight at Kenneth (the båtbygging teacher)’s house to select and fell trees for our roundwood house frame. We roamed the sun-dappled forest with an eye for wonky and curiously shaped trees. Perfect wood for an organic “shrek house” – and unwanted by Kenneth’s båtbyggers.
We came home with many beautiful logs and enjoyed two days in nature together! Watching the sunset from a nearby beach cliff was a milestone moment for me. A moment I realised the stark beauty of this place I was to live for the year. Even now, the vivid colours and shafts of light in the sky continue to bewilder me. Even with only four hours of daylight, the sky is filled with beauty I have been missing while travelling this break beneath grey skies. Don’t be fooled by those that warn you of the dårlig weather and harsh winter in Trøndelag. It is stunning! All you need to survive the winter are woollen pants, a genser that you love, and friends to keep you warm. After five months at Fosen, you’ll see the rain differently. Kanskje, like me, you’ll be more like an Utsetøya sheep, on its happy island.
I love island-like the bubble of Fosen Folkehøgskole. It’s an intense hive of activity but also a place to feel nourished by wonderful people and live a productive, natural and meaningful lifestyle. Be prepared to learn much more broadly than you might expect, and carry forward a special year with you for the rest of your life.
Translations
juleferie = Christmas break
whānau = family (in Te Reo Māori)
Aotearoa = New Zealand (in Te Reo Māori)
venner = friends
blåbær = wild blueberries
koselig = cosy, wholesome
peisestua = “fireplace lounge” - common hangout spot at Fosen
morgensvømmer = morning swims
høstutfart = Autumn excursion to Utsetøya
Utsetøya = the school’s island with sheep
saueskinn = sheep skin
matsal = dining hall
Lyngtuva = the song we sing before middag
middag = dinner, the main meal of day at 4pm
folkens = cute word for people, often said by Kjetil
wāhine = women (in Te Reo Māori)
smia = smithy
Gamme = a Sámi hut a 2-3 hour hike from the school
høstferie = Autumn break
minihus = tiny house, my main course at Fosen
båtbygging = boat building
dårlig = bad
Trøndelag = the region the school is in
genser = sweater
kanskje = maybe