Rotary World Service - District 5950 Group Study Exchange 2003

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Mike Morris
John Hobday
Margit Karkela
Lynn Keillor
Alanna Simone Tyler

THE TRIP
April 22-23 - Days 1-2
April 24 - Day 3
April 25 - Day 4
April 26 - Day 5
April 27 - Day 6
April 28 - Day 7
April 29 - Day 8
April 30 - Day 9
May 1 - Day 10
May 2 - Day 11
May 3 - Day 12
May 4 - Day 13
May 5 - Day 14
May 6 - Day 15
May 7 - Day 16
May 8 - Day 17
May 9 - Day 18
May 10 - Day 19
May 11 - Day 20
May 12 - Day 21
May 13 - Day 22
May 14 - Day 23
May 15 - Day 24
May 16 - Day 25
May 17 - Day 26
May 18 - Day 27
May 19 - Day 28
May 20 - Day 29

May 20, 2003

Remembering resistance. Free time. Farewell to our friends.

Remembering Resistance

The morning of our last full day in Norway the team was together and accompanied by Oslo Rotarians Gunnar Sandborg and Petter Solvang for a guided tour of the Norges Hjemmefrontmuseum (Norwegian Resistance Museum). During World War II German soldiers under Hitler’s command occupied Norway from April 9, 1940 to May 8, 1945. During those five years Norwegian citizens organized in resistance to the German occupiers.

The museum opened in Oslo May 8, 1970 - exactly 25 years after the German occupation ended and it exists to tell the story of what happened in Norway during those five years. The sections of the exhibit presented the experience of occupation in chronological order and include:

- The climate before the war as summarized in newspaper articles about world affairs and politics;

- The Norwegian military resistance to the Germans that lasted until June of 1940 before the Norwegian army; this initial resistance allowed the Norwegian government time to establish a constitutional government in exile;

- By the summer of 1940 the Norwegian people responded to the occupation by developing ingenious means to receive radio transmissions (such as hiding the equipment in the leg of a sofa) and publishing new sheets underground;

- And, as a wonderful example of the resistance of one individual, there is an excerpt of Petter Moen’s prison diary, which he recorded on toilet paper using a straight pin.

To acknowledge that Norway’s freedom was connected to brave soldiers from other countries, the following sentiment hangs at the end of the exhibit:

In the skies above London
In the African desert
In the ruins of Stalingrad
And on the Normandy beaches
Norway has been given back to us

Please check out the website, (www.nhm.mil.no) to learn more about this important period in Norway’s history. For those of you following our trip in the U.S., the site includes an English language section.

Freetime

Following the museum: Margit and Mike took a trip to Bygdøy to visit the Viking Ship Museum and other special attractions; John spent time browsing in downtown Oslo; Lynn visited a friend from her days as an exchange student; and I did a few errands before I visited Marie Bø’s classroom. The trip to Marie’s class was so much fun! The sixth grade students asked many good questions using faultless English.

Farewell to our friends

In the evening we were warmly received by the Eiksmarka Rotary Club. Eiksmarka is a neighboring municipality to Oslo. The Rotary Club there has about forty members and meets at the only horseracing park in Norway. Once again we presented information about Minnesota and our professional and personal lives.

Following the team presentation we moved to the dining room and each team member was seated with past and present host families. Seeing them again was a joy. We were also fortunate to have the Norwegian GSE team recently returned from Minnesota in attendance. They shared a bit about their experience in the U.S. We also heard from District #2310 Governor Eivind Karlsen who encouraged us to serve others more than we serve ourselves. He hoped both teams through this experience would be inspired to serve others. After his remarks Mike presented him with a wood carving depicting the Rotary International Theme, 'Sow Seeds of Love.'

Later in the program we Minnesotans shared our impressions of the places we visited in Norway and made a few special presentations. It was very important for our team to acknowledge the hosting club coordinators. Arne (Drammen), Per (Kongsberg), Birger (Gol), Marit (Ringerike) and Petter (Oslo) were welcoming, enthusiastic and thoughtful. With their clubs, they put together outstanding programs that allowed us to see the very best of each community. Lynn presented each of the coordinators with a journey feather. In the American Indian tradition the journey feather symbolized the presence of shared wisdom and vision between the presenter and the recipient. It was also given with the hope (then and now) that it would impart strength and courage to the recipient.

Last but not least we set aside time to acknowledge District #2310 GSE Chair Hildegunn Krogh-Hanssen. She met us at the airport and remained in close contact with us for the first 12 days of the trip. Having led a GSE team to southern Africa last year, she offered us lots of advice that we kept in mind for the rest of the trip. Hildegunn also introduced us to many Norwegian songs including Kongsberg Sangen, the chorus of which will stay in our heads for years to come. We presented her with a journey feather and a photo of the team celebrating Syttende Mai (Seventeenth of May) in front of the castle.

A wonderful evening of dining, reminiscing and laughing with new friends ended all too soon. We said goodbye and headed ‘home’ to pack. Tomorrow we leave for Minnesota.