Tech, Trails, and Triumphs in Norway

Greetings from Norway! (and thanks to chat GPT for the title)

I have spent the last ~5 weeks enjoying equal parts working and exploring. 

The working part - 

I have been interning at a tiny startup company in Oslo called LiTech. There are about 7 other employees beside me and the goal is to be able to detect and sort batteries in waste streams.  The company is a member of StartUp Lab which is a collective of startups (including at one point Kahoot! and ReMarkable) based out of the Oslo Science Park. 

The building I work in (Oslo Science Park)

In order to sort the batteries we have a sensor that uses electromagnetic induction coils that create and receive a magnetic field. We then take that field and analyze how it changes depending on what is over the sensor using machine learning. The company is in a very exciting phase and it is just starting to test the product at facilities.

Co-workers Joschka and Niklas installing the first sensor in the field

I have found work super interesting and have been doing a little bit of everything: physics- math - cs - and just practical thinking about logistics. Some highlights include learning how to 3D print and touring a circuit board creation factory.

Now for the exploring part!

As I write this I am sitting at my campsite by a lake just underneath Mount Rondaslottet (pictured above). This weekend I have been backpacking my way around Rondane National Park. Today's leg included quite a bit of “trails” on the map which were actually just climbing through boulder and scree fields but I had an urge within me to bag as many peaks as possible. 

Looking back towards the ridge I traversed

The final view of the mountains leaving the park

Last weekend I had a super fun visit to Linden in Stockholm for some sightseeing, a run around the city, and an excursion to the Viking Museum.

From left to right Swedish fika, Viking museum, and run selfie in front of the U.S. Embassy

I also had a brief Janne sighting, well actually an entire Koch family sighting, where they took me out to eat some yummy food.

I am living in an apartment with a few Norwegians around my age and they have been super friendly and welcoming including inviting me on their weekly runs.

A swim mid-run in the river that runs through Oslo

Other weekends and afternoons I feel like I have gotten to know Oslo pretty well through training my way around the city. I absolutely the surrounding woods and how quickly things drop off into beautiful nature with what feels like an infinite number of trails to run on. I have also been doing a decent amount of roller skiing and it is always a bit of a shock to see so many others out doing the same.

A sunny day at my favorite ski called Maridalen

Assorted city views

And then of course we can’t forget about the food so here are a few highlights.

Pølse i vaffle on a ferry, Swedish pastries, and shawarma

Time has been flying by here and it is hard to believe that I’ve only got 1.5 weeks left. Next week I’ll be finishing up at work and then exploring the western fjords with Sage over the weekend. After that, I head home to finish out the summer with a solid block of training in Craftsbury.

Cheers,

Tzevi