Bringing Norway to Xalapa

Last week, Team Xalapa was invited to talk about Norwegian culture to a Master’s class in Social Anthropology at the University of Veracruz. The university is one of the most important in the southeast of Mexico with campuses and research centers spread across the state, and the Humanities Faculty happens to be our next-door neighbor here in Xalapa.

Diana, a close friend of our AidCom colleague Elizabeth, was the professor on the module and asked us to provide a general lecture about Norway followed by a brief discussion with the class at the end. Together with Diana, we decided to focus on the topics of relationship dynamics, manners, work culture, nature, traditions and multiculturalism. 

Some of the things we mentioned were Norwegian’s strong attachment to nature – exemplified by the crowded ski tracks during winter (even after dark) and the amount of people hiking in the mountains or sailing on the fjords in summer. We also shared some (generalized) elements of Norwegian behavior that might differ from Mexico - for instance, we take of our shoes inside, have a strong appreciation for seat belts and toast to just about everything! We also spoke a bit about how Norwegians can be perceived as cold and blunt when meeting strangers, while the hospitality and kindness we have been met with here in Mexico these past couple of months continue to astonish us.

The students were a really lovely crowd with lots of questions and input, so we ended up staying there for a couple of hours! The grand finale was sending around some Norwegian chocolates for everyone. 

We both really enjoyed the opportunity to share a little piece of Norway with Xalapa, and reflecting on our own cultural heritage will come in handy as we continue to navigate our way through three very different cultures during our Dream Year with AidCom!