Closed Encounters with a Foreigner

Taking a vacation like true vacationers my family and I took our time to wake up and get some breakfast aboard the Monarch of the Seas, a large cruise ship, so by the time we were finishing up with breakfast the room thinned out very much and we were just about to do the same. But before we did so an important looking Norwegian crew member stepped over to our table and made some friendly conversation with us. He looked out the window towards the shore some distance away and saw sunny Southern California. But that was all he knew about his view. Because when he saw large cluster of white buildings covering a mountain ridge he saw snow covered mountains and asked, "is that..how you say..Big Bear?" We disagreed with him and said it was only a cluster of white buildings and to keep things simple, left out obvious details from a Southern Californian. Soon after, the conversation ended and we went our own ways.

For a while my family and I joked about it and imitated his question. Then it was forgotten.

Looking back on it now I can see his logic, or at least that the question was not a foolish one. Seeing white on a mountain side can look like snow very much, especially if you're from Norway. But most certainly not if you're from Southern California. And, we all know that Big Bear is not located on the sunny coast of California. But Norwegians do not.

I would not expect myself to be any more knowledgeable about Norwegian geography than that man.