Minneapolis skyline
It’s been a while since I wrote a post, so long, in fact, that I’m not even currently in the Arctic, although Minneapolis has seemed more 'arctic' than the Arctic over the last few weeks (a few nights ago it got down to -20 °C!). I’ve been in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA since late August for a 4 month-long visit to take some graduate classes and get exposure to a different group of people who also like rocks, at the University of Minnesota (UMN).
Obligatory University of Minnesota campus photos
Almost 3 months ago I left an already cooling Tromsø for the summery heat of the Midwestern US. After 48 hours of travelling (including an 8 hour delay followed by a cancelled flight, a night in the Oslo airport hotel, and a re-routed flight path that let me explore 2 different Scandinavian airports), I discovered that summer here expresses itself as 30 °C and 90% humidity. Having been told that Minneapolis experienced a day last year colder than the same day on Mars, my suitcase contained mainly wool and fleece, and every pair of gloves that I’d bought in Tromsø during the preceding year, which meant I was promptly forced to take advantage of my newly discovered choice of clothing stores, complete with non-Norwegian prices, in downtown Minneapolis.
In my first weeks here I discovered that UMN, at least superficially, offered up all the stereotypes I’d had of American universities; greek row (sororities and fraternities) looks exactly like the ones we, the rest of the world, see in movies, football is a religion and the university stadium is bigger than some national team soccer stadiums in other countries, and it’s not uncommon to see a students wandering around wearing UMN hoodies, carrying UMN-embossed folders, and clutching UMN-emblazoned coffee mugs, which they fill from one of the many Starbucks coffee shops around campus. All of these UMN-branded things can be bought from the university bookstore which offers an interesting array, from stationary and clothing to baby onesies, Christmas decorations, gopher-shaped beanies, and dog clothing (yes, there’s a dog cheerleader dress).
University of Minnesota. From top left: Greek row, UMN football stadium, the light rail train track running though campus with downtown Minneapolis in the background, Pillsbury Hall (the Earth Sciences building), and the weekly Wednesday farmers market on campus.
What was more unexpected of a city in the US were the flocks of bicycles and kilometres and kilometres (or should I say “miles and miles”) of bike lanes around campus and around the city. Since UMN is one of the biggest US campuses (it is split across both sides of the Mississippi River and includes three light rail train stations), I promptly bought a bicycle, which has been my main mode of transport for the last few months.
Photographs from some of my biking during the summer, through the autumn (fall), and into winter. Top: Both photographs from Lake of Isles. Bottom: Autumn colours, and bike experiencing its first winter.
It has been interesting experiencing winter here. Having been through one arctic winter in Tromsø, I did particularly appreciate that autumn here carried on through October. However, since the first proper snowfall in Minneapolis 2 weeks ago, the temperature has already reached below the record low in Tromsø. I quickly discovered that despite salt-use on the roads and the flat topography (which makes winter cycling infinitely less death-defying than in Tromsø), cycling when it’s -16 °C outside hurts a lot and is not a good idea. Also, bike locks freeze shut, and having ones snot freeze in ones nose is an uncomfortable feeling.
The overall American experience has not been that surprising. Yes, there’s fast food everywhere and the portions are enormous (one portion of takeaway chinese food is 3 meals for me), the cars are bigger, it is possible to buy bowls made of bacon from the pharmacy down the road, too many people think that my South African nationality means that I probably have ebola and lions in my back yard, and I have actually been asked; ‘Norway? That’s an island with Iceland, right?’, but Minneapolis has also been full of surprises. Other than being very cold recently, I have had a great experience and there is so much that I’ve loved about this place. The access to quality beer for prices less than the cost of my firstborn child, owing to the microbrew culture, has been delicious, and I have also taken full advantage of access to locally produced, fresh vegetables that have not had to travel 100’s of kilometres to get to my plate. The university even as a weekly farmers market on campus during non-winter months.
Microbrew beer flights and bacon bowls.
Although the Mississippi River doesn’t quite make up for lack of Minneapolis’ coastal locality and lack of mountains, nature here is beautiful and accessible, and a quick cycle along the river to enjoy the merging of the seasons into one another is only 5 minutes from my door.
The Mississippi River
I’ve also really appreciated the easiness of living in my native language again, and I’ve definitely welcomed the niceness and politeness of the people here after living in Norway. Having gotten used to the Norwegian way, at first I was taken aback when Minnesotans apologized if they bumped into me, and it felt unusual when a stranger opened a door for me, leading me to the realization that some of my manners had strayed off into the Norwegian fjords sometime in the last year and a half (sorry Grandma). In just over 3 weeks my time in Minneapolis will come to an end, and I’ll be sad to leave. I’ve met awesome people, learned a great deal in such a short time, and worked harder and been challenged more than in a while (thanks Thermodynamics). I'll miss the friends I've made, and the active research group with interesting discussions and seminars. I’ll miss the tarantala, dog, bats, mice and grad students that are my office mates. I’ll miss weekly happy hour and the wide choice of drinking localities. I’ll miss daily hot yoga, and the friendly yoga community. And given my newly acquired coffee addiction, I’ll definitely miss the cheap, easily accessible, good quality coffee.
Top: Office dog, and the first snow in Minneapolis. Bottom: Undergrad field trip to some sandstones a few hours outside of Minneapolis.
