Tag Archives: Oslo 2010

Day 3: The Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights

When I was fresh out of college, I found myself in the position of Director of Marketing and Advertising for a small locally owned bank in MN. Each Monday evening, I met with the president of the bank, a very generous and kind man named Jack. One Monday evening, Jack informed me that he wanted me to go to a Chamber of Commerce Meeting the next day. In my mind I wondered, What is a Chamber of Commerce? I did not dare ask such a question and show my ignorance to basic business, so instead I said, “OK, what time should I be there?” The next day, I arrived at the Chamber of Commerce meeting expecting to find a large gathering of people. Instead I found a group of  7 established business people and politicians: a state senator, 2 mayors, a couple of bank presidents, owners of area companies, and me, Kim Ebert, 22 year old Liberal Studies Major, whose only previous business experience was an Intro. to Economics course in college. As I was wishing I had researched the role of a Chamber of Commerce, the meeting was called to order. The first agenda item? Welcome new direcor, Kim Ebert. I was on the on the Board of Directors for the area Chamber of Commerce still not knowing what exactly a Chamber of Commerce was.

The same feelings of tickled confusion and amazement, and the question, “How did I get here?!!” that I experienced at my first Chamber of Commerce meeting, visited me today at the Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights. We arrived at the Olso Center expecting a one hour tour and history of the organization. Instead, we found ourselves in the beautiful executive office of Kjell Magne Bondevik, the founder and leader of the Oslo Center in a meeting with 3 high powered Norwegian politicians and diplomats.

As we sat together drinking tea and hot cocoa, Mr. Bondevik inquired about my award of the Greater Tacoma Peace Prize. Actually, he first assumed that it was Niko who had won the award, and Niko graciously corrected him. He turned his attention to me and I enthusiastically told him about my work creating a peace program at Bryant and Sam’s work with the Disco Party for Peace. Mr. Bondevik went on to share that the Oslo Center is an independent foundation that was established to combine their political alliances and expertise to create opportunities to affect human rights issues around the world, to protect sacred sites, which are most often one of the first targets of war and to promote interreligious and intercultural dialogue. Mr Bondevik explained that he was the past Prime Minister of Norway, in fact, I later discovered that he served as Prime Minister of Norway from 1997 to 2000, and from 2001 to 2005, making him Norway`s longest serving non-Socialist Prime Minister since World War II. He explained that Einar Steensnaes has a long career in Norwegian politics, he was the church and education minister from 1989-90 and the oil and energy minister from 2001-2004. And Since 2005 he has been a member of UNESCO, Paris and that John Bjørnebye is a well respected Norwegian Diplomat who served in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was the Norwegian ambassador to Belgium from 2001 to 2005.

After an hour, our meeting concluded and John Bjørnebye generously escorted us to the Vigeland Sculpture Park. We walked through the snow filled park with John enjoying his wise and gentle spirit and the tickled voice inside kept echoing, how did I get here?

Day 2: Holocaust Museum

OK., so Niko is still chuckling. We need to be at the Norse Federation at 10am tomorrow morning to be escorted by Tynlee to the Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights. I just woke up and looked at the clock. It said it was 10:58. I totally freaked out thinking that we were very late for our appointment. It took Niko a few minutes but he finally looked at me confused and said, “It’s 10:58pm We have 12 hours to get there.” That darn jet Lag!

Now that I am awake, questions swirl around in my head from today’s experience at the Holocaust Museum. How did I get to be 50 years old, have visited Dachau in my 20’s, have a grandfather who was 100% Slavic and have no idea, until today, that the Slavic people were a targeted group by the Nazi’s? I had no idea that they were sent to the camps.


We had an incredible tour of the museum and lunch with the Georg Brocht, the director of the Holocaust Museum. As we lingered over lunch, Sam exclaimed, “Mom, I know you don’t like me to use this word, but Hitler was evil.” Where does a mother who believes in the sanctity of life, who believes that no person is purely good or purely bad go with that statement? Don’t get me wrong, I believe that Hitler’s actions were heinous. But doesn’t saying he was evil just perpetuate an “us and them” mentality that he promoted? How do we stand against the works of another and not perpetuate an attitude of superiority of person hood. How do I explain any of that without sounding like a pollyanna? What is most important to me is not whether he was purely evil, but where in me does such evil lie? What part of me feels superior or seeks power over, or separates myself as other than… It is in these actions and attitudes that such evil can take root. I do not believe that Hitler came into the world evil. I DO believe that it grew in him as he gained power and that eventually the darkness was all he could see, and it became a driving force. AND I believe that within him, as I believe there is within every human being, a spark of the divine. “The Light still shines in the darkness and the darkness has never put it out.” Somewhere within Hitler and within all those who do heinous acts is the light of the divine waiting. Somewhere within all of us who choose to walk in the light there are pockets of darkness. Within all of us, the light still shines.

Day 1: Norse Federation




The Norse Federation are our hosts here in Oslo and they have been amazing. This afternoon we went to their office for lunch and a visit. They made sure that we had maps, books, information, everything we might need to navigate ourselves around the city. Over a lunch of fabulous open faced sandwiches, Lasse Espelig, the Secretary General of the Norse Federation and the Executive Director of the Norway America Association, our guide, Turid, and Anne Wangberg, the Editor of the Norseman shared with us the history of th organization. The Norse Federation was started in 1907 after ONE THIRD of Norway’s citizenry had migrated, largely because of poverty, to the United States.

The view from the Federation Office

Day 1: Nobel Institute


We woke up this morning at 5 am having slept for 7 hours and feeling rested and excited to begin our explorations. Promptly at 8am, Turid came to escort us to our days activities. Turid is a kind, gentle, generous soul who gave us her full attention and never showed signs of tiring of our many questions.


We walked the short distance to the subway called the T. We took the T into the center of the city and enjoyed a brisk walk to the Nobel Institute.


Anne Kjelling, the Head Librarian of the Nobel Institute was our guide. She has worked for the Nobel Institure for 40 years and is the keeper of all the stories, all the history of the institute. Her generosity in spending time with us during one of the busiest weeks of the year for the Nobel Institute was quite remarkable. To begin, Anne took us to a room that she explained most people do not get to see. It is the room where the Norwegian Nobel Committee makes its decisions. A beautiful table was surrounded by 6 chairs, one for each of the 5 committee members and 1 for the secretary. The walls of this room hold the secrets of the meetings as no minutes are taken except for the minutes of their final decisions. Two of the 4 walls of the room are covered with photographs of the Nobel Peace Prize winners. As we browsed the photos, she answered our questions about each of the 12 women who have received the award since it was first awarded in 1901. She explained that there are some years that more than 1 person actually share the award. She shared that in 1973 a Vietnamese man, named Le Duc Tho, who was to receive the award with Henry Kissenger for jointly negotiating the Vietnam cease fire actually refused the award because Peace had not been achieved. We learned that Henry Kissenger eventually tried to return the award, but that the award cannot be returned once it is awarded. And we discovered that the institute does not give the award to angels, but to human beings. Some of the winners were actually at one time Terrorists, who when given the opportunity, changed their lives to impact the world towards peace. Anne explained that the Nobel Committee gives the Peace award not only to those who have already accomplished significant stides towards peace but that it also gives encouragement awards towards those who are creating a new vision, or inspiring in others a movement towards peace.


Next we visited the hall where the Nobel Committee makes the announcement each November of who they have chosen for that year’s Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. Niko practiced coming out of the famous doors into the hall while givng a dignified wave to the crowds while Sam stood at the podium to practice his acceptance speech.

We moved from the hall into the room where copies of the original artwork for each Laureate are displayed. A different artist is chosen each year to do a painting for that year’s laureate. They are not, however, told who the laureate will be.

It was an absolute honor to spend our morning at the Nobel Institute with Anne. Standing in the Nobel Committee’s meeting room surrounded by the photographs of these Great Peacemakers, I was humbled, inspired, moved and very grateful. I prayed that this history lesson would move deeply into our bones and that we would move into our world with increased courage and commitment towards living our piece for peace in the world.

Breakfast by Sam

Today at breakfast we had bread. We could put on our bread Norwegian Cheese, white cheese, jam, Chocolate, banana honey or butter. There was also a ginger snap cookie with chocolate on the bottom. There was milk, orange juice, coffee and tea. At breakfast we met a man from Italy. He is staying in the room next to ours. I can’t wit for breakfast tomorrow. The Italian man’s name is Paolo.

We’ve Arrived

We arrived safely in this winter wonderland. It is 17 degrees outside and snow covers everything. It is a crisp, dry cold and feels very much like my Minnesota homeland.

We arrived at Oslo Airpot and got bus 28 which took us to the bus stop near our bed and breafast. It was a 45 minute ride and for the last 15 minutes, I was so hot that I had to take off my coat, scarf and sweater and still sweat beaded my face. I felt as if I was going to be very, very sick. Upon our arrival at our bus stop, We then had to lug 2 backpacks, my oversized purse, 3 carry on suitcases and 2 large suitcases up a hill that went for 3 blocks, up,up,up. Did I mention the snow on the roads…lots and lots of snow? I was as white as a ghost, still feeling sick and weak in spite of the fresh air. Niko, in true hero style, carried 2 suitcases and his backpack up the hill about a hundred feet and then come back for my 2 suitcases. He repeated this process over and over until we arrived at the B&B. In spite of this, when I ask Niko if there he is anything he wants to say on the blog, he responds, tell them we all did really, really well travelling together. What a guy!!!

Our accomodations are simple and clean and consist of a double bed, a single bed, one small closet, a place to hang our coats, 1 bedside table, a small bookcase, and a small cupboard and 2 small chairs. Our beds are futons and very comfortable. We’ve managed to unpack and find nooks and craneys to store all our stuff.

Marta is the proprieter and she is full of helpful information and ready to help us with anything we need. Her most helpful bit of information so far is that we should not say hello as we pass people on the street. They will think we are crazy. Unfortuantely, we had already been sharing our greetings with people as we tried to lug ourselves and all of our stuff up the hill. As Niko said, they looked at us as if we had 3 eyes!

It is now 3am, Oslo time and we are cuddled in our very comfortable beds reading and writing, feeling very relaxed and rested and grateful for this journey we are on together.

Our Itinerary

Dear Friends and Family,
Happy Holidays to each of you.
In just a few days we leave for Norway. I cannot believe it is here. We have been preparing for this trip since we found out in April that I had been chosen as the Greater Tacoma Peace Laureate. Part of the award is that they send us to Norway to be in Oslo during the Nobel Peace Prize events. At this time, it is confirmed that we will be able to attend the CNN Press Conference and the Nobel Concert, with Denzel Washington as the host. We are still waiting to find out if we will be able to attend the actual ceremony.
So we are off to 9 amazing days in Oslo, Norway followed by a day and a half in Liverpool, England for the Beatles Tour for Sam’s Christmas gift and then on to Ireland to visit the land of my Maternal Grandmother’s ancestry.
If you would like to follow our adventures, we will be posting to this blog on a regular basis.
I pray that this season is full of gentle, joyful surprises for each of you.
Many Blessings,
Kim
Our Itinerary
December 5th – We arrive in Oslo .

December 6th – 9:00 a.m. – Turid Johannessen, our guide will pick us up at our B & B and take us to the
Nobel Institute, followed by a visit to
Nordmanns-Forbundet (Norse Federation) for lunch/coffee/cake,
www.norseman.no
And then a visit to the Nobel Peace Center
City Hall Plaza (Rådshusplass) www.nobelpeacecenter.org

December 7th – 11:00 a.m. – the Holocaust Museum (HL senteret) www.hlsenteret.no
lunch/meeting/tour with Georg Broch

December 8th – 11:00 a.m. – Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights
Gange Rolvsgate 5, Oslo www.oslocenter.no
Tynlee will escort the Eberts to their appointment with John Bjornebye, Senior Advisor / Ambassador

Dec. 9th – Train Trip to Lilllehammer to meet with Steinar Bryn, Senior Advisor, Nansen Center for Peace and Dialogue
December 10th – 1:00 p.m. – Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony (tentative), followed by CNN Interview
Oslo City Hall

December 11th – 8:00 p.m. – Nobel Concert at Oslo Spekrum

December 12th – 12 noon – Brunch at the home of Kari Nøst-Bergem and family
7:30 p.m. – Christmas Concert – Oslo Domkirke

December 13th – Santa Lucia Day, On our own to explore.
10:00 p.m. – We depart from Oslo to Liverpool

Dec. 14th – Fab 4 Tour in Liverpool
Dec. 15 – Arrive in Ireland and begin to wander