Two Litago: Tord Kristian “F.” Andersen
Two Litago with
Tord Kristian “F.” Andersen
Bespectacled, bearded, and a sixpence atop his head, we find Tord in his second home: The office of Tuntreet. Here he sits comfortably planted in the brown leather sofa, surrounded by countless issues of Tuntreet from the past years glued to the walls. To him, this room contains many past memories of articles, meetings, friends, and ideas. On the table we find his favorite drink: Litago! A drink he has consumed copious quantities of during his time here in Ås. We start off the interview by giving him a Litago toast before Tord tells us about his adventure at Ås.
Journalist: Marie Tjelta
Photographer: Tuva Hebnes and Elina Turbina
The Art of Capturing a Moment
He grew up in Nesodden, a rather strange place outside of Oslo. To live so close to the forest and the sea had an effect on him growing up. “Ås is so claustrophobic!” Ever since he was little he had two interests that are worth bringing up: Hats, and photography. Tord used hats and caps ever since he was in primary school. “I found my first hat outside my home, and since then I’ve been using headwear. I still have that first hat.” His interest in photography goes back as far as he can remember. “I’ve always been taking photographs, so for me it sits at the top of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.” Taking a picture, for him, involves freezing a moment in time. “It’s a bit like visual poetry. I’ll always have that memory to go back and look at”.
You’re Allowed to Change your Mind
After a year in the photography class at a folk high school Tord was ready to embrace the student life, but it took a few tries before he found the right path. He tried out both geosciences and archival science in Oslo, but they weren’t the right thing for him. It’s a bit ironic that both of these times, he had NMBU as his second alternative for which university he’d apply to, so the third time he took a chance and made it his first choice - this turned out to be his final home.
When Tord came to Ås he was determined to focus on nothing but his studies, since it was the most important thing of all to finish his education. This didn’t last long. Already in the buddy week he was introduced to Tuntreet. He crashed down on the sofa with a friend of his and, when he woke up, he had a chat with the previous head of photography, who got him in touch with the newspaper. To begin with it was only an excuse to take photos. “When I saw the shelves in Tuntreet for the first time, I didn’t find it all that interesting actually.”
Now that he looks back, it was a pleasure for him to leave his comfort zone and try out something he was unsure about. “You’re allowed to change your mind and enjoy things more than you thought you would.” The student newspaper would turn out to mean much to him in the coming years.
One thing he still hasn’t tried to this day is any of the student associations. Despite the similarities to the caps worn by Rævne, Tord admits to being a BEtrayer, and doesn’t partake in the association either with their songs or the social events. “There are some who think I am in Lærken anyways,” he chuckles.
His Greatest Love in Ås
“Tuntreet is my first and greatest love in Ås.” This edition is the 45th one he has contributed to. The fact that he is now a fifth year student of geomatics probably has more to do with his wish to contribute voluntarily, rather than doing his master. Initially the plan was to run for office to become the editor of Tuntreet when he was still doing his bachelor, but when he was encouraged to become the editor for UKA 2020, this plan was postponed. The natural solution was to keep working on his master so that he could apply to become the editor the year after. “I’m going to spend the rest of my life working, I can only do this now,” Tord said, reflecting over his choice.
Covid: The Most and Least Fun Time of His Student Career
In the middle of the preparation for miniUKA, the covid pandemic hit. Tord describes the first few weeks and days as being pretty fun. “We basically watched movies the whole day.” As the weeks turned to months, things got worse. In hindsight he still thinks it was a miracle that they still managed to arrange UKA. “I constantly waited for them to cancel it, but it never happened”.
Immediately after UKA, Tord was chosen as the editor for Tuntreet. To him it was important to make choices for the right reasons, and being the public face of Tuntreet was something he took seriously. Tord tells us there were times when he lay dead flat in his bed without any motivation to get up, but it was his responsibilities at Tuntreet that got him out.
Tuntreet was critical for Tord to stay on course during the covid period. Not everyone had an opportunity like this, especially in the Spring of 2021. Tord was perfectly aware that this was “a touch of normality that the rest of the student body never had.” Considering that Tuntreet wasn’t dependent on physical events or meetings, the newspaper stayed active like it normally would in an otherwise abnormal student environment. “In many ways I was at the right place at the right time, at the wrong time.”
An Old Soul
Tord brings out one of the thick books from the shelves of the TT office. He moves the glasses further down the bridge of his nose, and browses through the large pages. In the midst of Tuntreet’s 75 year anniversary he decided to cover all of its history, but where to begin? Why, by reading all 800 editions they’d published, of course. Later on he also became the “unofficial” archivist at Samfunnet, when “archivist” isn’t an occupation anymore.
Tord thinks out loud, “for me it’s like making a time that doesn’t exist anymore come alive.” He feels that the archive of Samfunnet and Tuntreet are way too interesting to be forgotten. “If noone writes it down, it’ll be forgotten!” He has had an interesting insight into the everyday lives of students going back 75 years, and has realized that students are students, now as much as ever.
A Journey of Self-Discovery
After finishing his time as the editor he originally planned on taking to the back seats, but that was before he had taken a look at UKErevyen. “I’ll admit that I snuck around quite a bit behind the scenes during the revue of UKA 2020.” The turning point came when he interviewed Halvor Holtestaul for Tuntreet, who’d been a revue actor and writer for many years. Holtestaul said that being in a revue “was the most fun thing I’d ever done.” Tord submitted an application, and got a job as a head writer. In the aftermath, he describes his revue time as “exhilarating, but exhausting.” He goes on and says that the revue block is a whole different thing. “They work insanely hard, way harder than UKEstyret would ever understand, and it’s a bit ironic to think that UKA has traditionally been a cultural festival, and not a concert arena.”
Despite the hard times, Tord is glad to have thrown himself at it. He describes himself as a rubber band, that the band is pliable and you can push your boundaries, so long as it doesn’t tear. “It is a privilege to challenge ones own boundaries.” Tord is actually an introverted type who doesn’t speak loudly among others, so for him, working voluntarily at Ås has been a journey of self-discovery. “There is a difference between studying and being a student.’
Three Touching Moments
Tord is not an easily moved guy, and it’s not often he feels touched. But he has three distinct memories that can be brought up. The first time was when he won a Tuntreet Oscar prize for Tuntreet for the best set of photos during his second semester. He described it as a moment when he really felt that he’d contributed something to Tuntreet, and wasn’t just there.
The second time was during the 75th anniversary of Tuntreet. An editor for Tuntreet from the 70’s pushed through the crowd to praise him for the historical work he did, and that he’d covered the 70’s as well. “It’s the greatest compliment anyone can get… to have written about something as it was, when you weren’t there yourself.”
The third time Tord felt moved was during UKErevyen, when when the final line of the student premiere was said. “What I’m left with is not what I’ve done, but how it made me feel.”
To round things off, he asked us why Tuntreet wanted to have a Two Beers with him in this special issue about sex. “Then I realized that I’m obviously the greatest sex symbol of the university,” he said with a smile in the corner of his mouth. Well well, nothing wrong with his selfconfidence at least. Either way, we wish Tord the greatest luck forward in his life anyway.
Greetings to Tord
Hey dude!!
Now er’re here, after 4.5 years with you in TT, and it is YOUR turn to get Two Beers. It is only right that you get your own pages, dedicated fully to you, because it cannot possibly be anyone that have been as dedicated to Tuntreet as you.
Your countless hours at the TT-offices must not be forgot. Nit-picking details in Photoshop only we would know about. Infinte stacks of TT-archives with notes poking out of them. Frantic writing on last minute leader and articles. Chatting in appropriate and inopportune moments. Nintendo Switch and Mario Kart. Your hysterical funny snaps, keep it up. Anecdotes, stories, film (especially LotR), historic facts about TT/Samfunnet/NMBU/NLH/you name it, brainstorming, hats, the list goes on. Did we mention anecdotes? Here we have one about you:
One early summer two editors are walking from Samfunnet to Åsgård elementary, in the middle of the plain they encounter the newly hired Curt Rice. Tord introduces them by saying: “We are Tuntreet”. Tuntreet is more than just two editors, but you have had many of the remaining roles as well. You are a yes-man that is always there on short notice, and without expecting anything in return when one needs someone to lean on. Thank you so much for all you have done, are, and will do/be! So until the next time we meet: what style of hair/beard do you have now? It is impossible to know.
Regards from good friends at Tuntreet
Dear F.
We have known you for nearly two years (Helga have known you in five years). It is a gift to have people around one self that is themselves as much as you are. Like Tom Medon you deserve more screentime. You have a way of life that is so recognizable that we ues you for a referance to explain how others behave. Therefore you deserve your own fan-based wiki, and there the following articles would have been the most read ones: hats, Switch, Mario Kart, pre-drinks with the lads, F’s Fanwikies. “You are one of the strangest persons I know”, someone told you in lower secondary school. It is on point. Because who attends their own revue in a leprechaun suit?! You are like a hobbit. You live in your own little world, but when someone has to take the ring to Mount Doom, no one is more worthy. You don’t live on lembas, but enjoys Litago for breakfast and second breakfast. Like Pippin you spring through life, and you land with your feet firmly planted among good friends no matter what. You have a surprising amount of control, for someone with generally so little control. No one knows so much useless trivia, and that is just all too well, because that is what makes for revue and good memories!
Greetings KK
Tord. It is quite unbelievable that a guy can know so much, and yet so little. Tuntreet, which this is so poetically written in, have been important for the both of us. We met when i was recruited to drive the magasine around on campus, and you were going to help. A couple of years we lived together. When covid struck, it was basically the two of us that held down the fort at Mølla. I have no idea how many movies we saw, nor how many walks we went on in the relativly dull nature of Ås. I am happy to have had you on my team to push tuntreet forward for that half year. You made the time during lockdown so much more bearable for me, just so you know. You are a good friend. One who cares about how others think. A smashin editor. And you have a terrible sense of humor, almost as bad as mine. So Tord. Two Beers. A milestone for a citizen of Ås. Congratulations! Thank you for lending me your sofa. There will probably be more hungover mornings and pancakes at nach the next 50-60 years. Well done! PS: bobby killed a guy.
Greetings Herman
