9260 kilometers were enough to get to Bogotá from Oslo, in the northern European country, which, together with Sweden and Denmark, make up the Scandinavian peninsula.

Håvard Østby came to live in the capital of the Colombian country for two years, together with his wife Hanne and their daughter Alma. His little girl is here studying at school, his wife works in the Norwegian embassy, ​​and he is dedicated to exploring Colombian culture and the way of life of its inhabitants, while learning Spanish.

For him, his stay in Colombia has been a lifetime experience. His flight to arrive to the South American country and to its capital Bogotá, meant for him to leave behind for some time the beautiful landscapes typical of northern Europe. In contrast to the coffee-growing country, theirs is an oil country, which has a little more than a tenth of the Colombian population (5,3 million inhabitants).

Skiing is a fundamental part of the culture and customs of the Norwegians, but here it has had to put it aside and replace it with bike rides on weekends to different places in or around the capital, visiting and getting to know the beautiful landscapes of the cundiboyacense savanna.

The days in Norway are short and the nights long during the months of December, January and February. North of the Arctic Circle the sun does not appear for weeks or even months. Life there is illuminated by the light of the Northern Lights, which can be seen in places like the Lofoten Islands. A natural wonder that Håvard remembers when he sometimes looks out at night to observe the capital's sky, sometimes clear and with some stars adorning it.

The Trolltunga rock formation. Photo: Pixabay

Aurora Borealis in the Lofoten Islands. Photo: Pixabay

Spectacular landscapes are displayed along its 385.203 square kilometers of surface, such as the rock formation of Preikestolen, on the southwestern coast in the Scandinavian Alps; the Lofoten Islands, an archipelago where the aforementioned northern lights are observed, and the Trolltunga, a piece of rock that protrudes horizontally from the mountain about 700 meters, with a panoramic view that takes your breath away.

Different cultures and worlds, but Håvard knows that here in Colombia there is also much to discover. That, although there are no dancing celestial lights, you can marvel at the orange and pink of the Bogota sunsets in the summer. You can also travel to other places of the national geography to observe monoliths such as the Piedra del Peñol in Guatapé, Antioquia and see the beautiful landscape offered from there, after climbing the 702 steps that take you to the top.

And although there is no snow or infrastructure in Colombia for skiing, there is for walking, and to visit places full of adventure such as the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta or the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy, in the department of Boyacá; both with the same charm that the Norwegian mountains offer to which he is used to going to ski in the winter.

It has quickly adapted to the Latin culture, especially the Colombian culture, to the rhythm of life of this great city, to the way of life of its inhabitants and also to the gastronomy of our country, diverse and rich in flavors, from the most salty to the sweetest, although of course he always has Norwegian gastronomy in mind, with cheese as the protagonist and recalling the beef soup from Reno and the famous Rakfish; Fermented fish considered in his country as a delicacy.

Of course, Norwegian salmon is among his favorite dishes, but here he has had nothing to complain about, because the most exquisite and varied dishes of Colombian food come to his palate, from the most traditional such as an empanada or an arepa, to those that leave you wanting to take a good nap after eating them, like a good ajiaco or a delicious paisa tray.

And is not for less; They say that to survive you have to adapt to where you are, and this is what this Norwegian has done, who increasingly understands the way of being of Colombians, their customs, their sayings, their way of speaking and of See life. He is surprised to see how despite so much violence that the Andean country has suffered, people know how to overcome pain and live happily, without being tied to the past, always hoping for a better tomorrow, knowing that the best times are yet to come. He really admires this because in the region that he comes from, it is common to see that many people have almost everything, but they are not happy, or do not value the things they own.

Like many foreigners, it is common to see him wearing a T-shirt and shorts, even on relatively cold days for Bogota, in which most of us would be warm with a jacket or a jacket, but for him, accustomed to the harsh Norwegian climate in winter, the "cold" 14 or 16 degrees of the capital do not affect it at all.

He has traveled to such spectacular places in Colombia as the Inírida River, where he was fishing for a specimen of the popular payara fish. He went there with a friend of his, Norwegian too, exploring this wonder located in the department of Guainía, a beautiful paradise in the Colombian Amazon. On the other hand, he has crossed the border of the Amazonian trapezoid, in cities such as Leticia, neighboring Peru and Brazil, the charming city of Pereira in the coffee region and some towns in the departments of Cundinamarca and Boyacá.

Of course he has studied Spanish in Bogotá, and thanks to this he has been able to make friends here and interact in a better way with local people, and despite the remoteness and so different cultures, Håvard has found some similarities between our country and his, and although he is still learning many idiomatic expressions typical of Colombians and Latin America, and the difference in the use of verbs such as ser and estar, he clearly knows that one thing is “to be a Viking” and another completely different is “to be a viringo ”.

Havard made a trip with a friend of his to Inírida, capital of the department of Guainía, where they were getting to know these wonderful landscapes and fishing for specimens typical of this region, such as the popular payara fish. 

In this video he tells us about his experience in Colombia and tells us a little about his process of learning Spanish at school nueva Lengua.

Just like him, you too can enjoy a great adventure and get to know many charming places that our country offers you, having the opportunity to learn about the culture and people of this South American region, at the same time You study spanish in one of the most visited countries in Latin America. If you want to receive more information write to contactenos@nuevalengua.com and you will get a reply soon.

Balaram Oviedo - Spanish Teacher