Paparazzi Ethnography

12/7: Just returned from lunch at the American Embassy in Oslo, where I had such a fabulous time. Public Affairs Officer, Timothy Moore came down to meet me and thus, began my tour. We started with a chat in his corner office. The Embassy building is large, black, and imposing, built in 1959 and designed by Finnish-American architect, Eero Saarinen. The building has a parallelogram appearance about it, with strong pointy corners, and worth reading about further, so I have included the link here to the embassy site.

The security experience is rough, as you might imagine, and entering the building provides a self-enclosed experience on its own. Security came out and disciplined me for not having read the sign and standing behind the painted yellow line. When speaking with the guard though the gate, he inquired whether I was some kind of special agent, probably something to do with my academic tone, a combination of defiance and leisure.

At any rate, we warmed up to each other rapidly. I ran back to the Fulbright office, where I had started my day, to drop off my laptop computer (no computers in the building), and he promised to let me in out of the cold upon return, which he did. Intimidating, for first timers to the building, but the guards are polite, even if they appear a little stressed upon first glance when they greet you.

Typically, I employ a pseudonym to refer to folks as high up the chain as Tim, and I need to send this blog over to ensure he is happy with it. But I want to highlight Tim’s article on Norwegian policy, which I liked, especially his point about the ethos of Good which, based on a religious unity of message, becomes historically branded so to speak to a kind of concept of enterprise (note to self). Here is a copy of his piece, titled, Norway’s Focused Communication Strategy.

The interior of the American Embassy in Oslo is delightful. What a cool place to work. As you walk in, past the security gate, you enter into an atrium with a small reflection pool. “Gong by Harry Bertoia” — is etched into a brass plaque that sits on the front corner of the pond. Sure enough, as you look up, there hanging down from the 50 foot ceiling is a large Bronze Gong by sculptural artist from the 1950s, Harry Bertoia. What a fabulous sight. Tim even gave it a whack for my amusement. What a magnificent sound.

Did I mention that Tim received a BA in cultural anthropology from UC Berkeley? We had discussed this upon our introduction to each other, now a few weeks back, in Houston at the Norwegian Government sponsored TransAtlantic Science Week, where he was accompanying US Ambassador to Norway, Barry White.

Tim’s office is great. Let me just state that for the record. I felt like I was back in Washington, D.C., talking with a real live policy operative. But he is! And we chatted about everything. For lunch, we went downstairs to the cafeteria, and I ordered an omelet with a side salad. The cafeteria is a warm inviting place, and with its own street entrance, which the Embassy uses for social functions. In fact, Tim mentioned that the Obama inauguration is taking place in that very set of rooms near the cafeteria, in January, and he invited me to attend! So. Of course. I will be there.

After a litany of topics and introductions to members of staff, we exchanged notes on Arctic research. As you can imagine, he has a lot of connections, and knew things going on that I was not aware of, though, in truth, I had a few gems he was unfamiliar with too, and it was good to be able to offer my own little cache. We will come back to Tim, but for now, let me take a few steps back and a few steps forward, as one of the main purposes of my Oslo trip, was to come, pick up my invitation to attend the Oslo Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony, on December 10.

This week, I am holed up in Kamper Apartments near the Toyen subway station, 20 minutes walk from the national theater downtown. After waking up later than planned, wrestling with jet lag and academic sleep patterns, I swooped down upon the Norwegian Fulbright Office, to pick up my actual invitation for the Nobel Prize ceremony on Monday. Rena Levin and Kevin McGuiness are gracious hosts, giving me a place to hang out, check my email and do work on the side. I arrived there around 10:30 AM, settled in for one hour, had a home brew of coffee before heading out to my lunch at the American Embassy nearby.

Upon returning back to the Fulbright Office, I managed to do a lot of email transactions. There are so many small details associated with relocating to another country, and on top of that, I already needed to book flights back to Oslo in January and February, for the Presidential Inauguration (Jan. 21) and a dinner at the US Ambassador’s residence (Feb. 14).

Oslo looks a lot different than it did in August, that is for certain, when I was here to attend the Fulbright orientation, lest the good reader forget:

I should note in passing, that I had a wonderful evening as I blew into Oslo — still completing a National Science Foundation proposal, and chatting over skype with Maria Stoilkova, U Florida, about its final completion, when I decided around 10PM the first night, to check out in my neighborhood Kamper Bistro, a fabulous wine bar, delicious food, and a cabaret scene, crazy close to where I am staying.

11/15: I was just in Houston, Texas, attending the TransAtlantic Norwegian-American Science Week Conference, organized by Norwegian Consular General, Dr. Jostein (pronounced “U-stine”) Mykletun. In Norway, Jostein is a well known diplomat and more recently has come to be referred to respectfully as “Mr. Houston”, in no small part, because his name can nearly be pronounced in same the manner of the city for which he is currently appointed.

Between the hotel and the intensity of the meetings, I was able to get in some tennis along the way. I played on Thursday and Friday at the Rice University courts, nearby where the conference was taking place.

Actually, on Thursday evening, I began to wonder aloud whether I would make it to Norway in time for the Peace Prize ceremony. Tennis felt like so much fun. Perhaps I should just stay in Berkeley through December.

We went to dinner that night, me and some umpteen Norwegian experts, ministerial policy makers, university professors, administrators and so and and so forth. There was mixed opinion about what I should do. A few were incredulous that I would even bring up the topic. Moira P. who had visited the ceremony “several times” was ambivalent. Grete G., with whom I made the acquaintance that very evening, after I staggered into the ZaZa hotel lobby, having rescued myself from an overnight trip to Texas A & M — hoped my decision would not cost me too much, sentimental words as we parted that evening, driven back from the restaurant on the ZaZa hotel “magic bus”.


11/7: I received today a scanned copy of my invitation to the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony next month in Oslo. Because of tight security, I will have to bring along the actual invite which is waiting for at the Fulbright Office in Norway.

Here is what the scanned copy looks like:

December 10 Ceremony – brought to you by Paparazzi Ethnography