Two Homebrews with Natalia Tyse
Two Homebrews with Natalia Tyse
Journalist: Isabelle Damhaug
Translator: Ida Jystad
Photographer: Jørgen Berg Yndestad
The sun shines over the NMBU Campus, on the brink of saying farewell to summer. The air is crisp, birds are singing, and the leaves on the trees are just beginning to change color. As I pass Tuntreet, NMBU’s pride, a girl rides past me on her bike. I can’t see who she is, but before her brown curly hair disappears around the corner, I manage to form a picture of her. She’s riding on a retro light-blue DSB bike, the kind you see on old postcards, with wide fenders and a curved frame. On the rear rack sits a wooden box filled with knitting supplies and a pride flag sticking out. Most striking, however, is that the backpack on her shoulders isn’t filled with schoolbooks and a laptop, but with an orange cat who races along with her in the direction of Sætra. Could this have been Natalia Tyse? The very person I’m on my way to Sætra to meet? I speed up to find out.
“Thorbjørn on the move”
“He’s the sweetest thing in the world.” I’m sitting in the living room at Sætra, cuddling the orange cat I’ve now learned is called Torbjørn, while Natalia pours us two glasses of dark, homebrewed beer. The sheet notes for the song “Torbjørn i farta” hangs on the wall, written by Snaustrinda Spellemannslag from when they visited last year—and who accidentally let him out. She tells me Torbjørn was originally a stray cat that her sister took in, but when it turned out she was allergic, Natalia convinced her landlord to let her keep a cat so Torbjørn could have a home. This care for animals and nature runs like a red thread through Natalia’s life.
So, who is Natalia Tyse? She is a veterinary student and former editor of VET’s own paper Hippi Tidend, part of Leikarringen Frøy, an NGA veteran and now part of NGG (Noe Ganske Gammelt), as well as an active member of Flatlusa Spelemannslag. Yet life in Ås is only a small part of Natalia’s story; in her 29 years, she has already managed to do a lot of different things. She grew up as the heir to a family farm in Randaberg, a rural municipality just northwest of Stavanger, and got involved in politics at a young age: “I joined Natur og Ungdom early on, and the first thing I did after high school was actually to work a year as a regional secretary for them in Oslo.” With a mother in the municipal council and a Cuban father with “many strong opinions,” perhaps this wasn’t too surprising.
After her year in Oslo, she traveled to Cuba and Colombia to improve her Spanish and join a solidarity brigade with the Latin-America Groups, working for the rights of smallholders and Indigenous peoples. “A cause close to my heart is agriculture and the important role it can play in taking better care of nature, animals, and people,” she explains. Natalia even attended a year at an ecological farming school in Sogn—though only after she completed a Bachelor’s in Geography at UiB. Her CV is certainly not lacking, but despite everything she had done, one thing remained: fulfilling her childhood dream of becoming a veterinarian.
Kultus Veterinarius
Five years later, Natalia is soon to graduate in her dream profession. Now that she has an insider’s perspective on the mysterious happenings in the VET building, I have to ask the question everyone wonders: Is it true that veterinary school is actually a cult? “It’s not a lie!” she laughs loudly. “I don’t know how much I can say, but I was definitely shocked by all the internal stuff when I first got here.”
At the same time, she describes it as something wonderful. “You form a unique bond when you go through so many strange things together.” What those “strange things” actually are, I’m not allowed to know—but maybe that’s just as well.
Behind the mysterious activities, there’s also a more serious side. “The degree is incredibly demanding and takes a lot of time. It means I can’t do all the other things I’d like to.” She explains that she’s had to scale down her political involvement, choosing instead to prioritize social organizations and creative hobbies. “I think that’s healthy,” a friend from Flatlusa chimes in as she passes by. She might have a point.
A new home at Sætra
Flatlusa is, in fact, what takes up most of Natalia’s free time these days. After just over a year as a member, she already describes Sætra, Tradenigheten’s community house (home to Flatlusa, Leikarringen Frøy, and the Budeieforeningen), as her second home. “For a long time, I didn’t dare join because I thought I wasn’t good enough on guitar. Now I regret so much that I didn’t apply earlier. I was afraid I wouldn’t fit in, but it took two seconds and just like that I was 100% a flatlus.” Music is a vital part of Natalia’s life. With three years of NGA experience behind her, she now appreciates exploring music in a new way, not just through singing, but by playing with a wide range of instruments. “I’ve gotten so much better at guitar this past year, and one of my favorite things is to sit here at Sætra and jam with my friends long into the night.”
Although Sætra is more than just a hangout for Flatlusa, Natalia still identifies with the budeie life even though she’s not technically a member of the Budeieforeningen. “I’m a dairymaid for real,” she laughs. She actually spent last summer on a summer farm in Hallingdal—an experience she describes as “insanely tough, but a lot of fun.”
Even in her spare time, she lives out her budeie identity. Knitting, crocheting, and other handicrafts take up much of her time. “It’s really important for me to have a creative outlet,” she says, “and I love working with my hands.” The knowledge she gained from the farming school in Sogn came in handy in both of her past student co-living apartments—first in pickling and foraging at Slørstad, where she also received the homebrewed beer as a gift, and then turned to food growing when she moved into The Yellow House, a big yellow house with a correspondingly large garden. Now she helps run the kitchen garden at Sætra and has even built a mini greenhouse. Here, everything from carrots and tomatoes to squash, chili, and lettuce are harvested—a level of self-sufficiency Norway can only dream of.
Living the Ås life to the fullest
There’s little in the creative sphere Natalia hasn’t dabbled in. When I ask her about her best memories from Ås, it’s her creative side that resurfaces: “One of the most fun things I’ve done here in Ås is to join the student revues!” And not just one—she has been on stage in one revue with Tradenigheten, two with NGA, and in the Veterinary Association’s famous Larverevy. In short, we’re talking about a true multitalent. After everything I’ve heard, Natalia could just as well have written, composed, recorded the soundtrack, and starred in her own musical. Fortunately for the rest of us, people like her exist.
In other words, Natalia embodies how one can engage in student culture at Ås. With a whole new class of students recently arriving on campus, I take the opportunity to ask her what advice she would give to those poor, confused newcomers stumbling around between striped pajamas, top hats, and sixpences. Her advice is clear: “Don’t take your studies too seriously. Don’t be afraid to join things. Push yourself a little outside your comfort zone. You won’t regret it.” She describes the student environment at Ås as something completely unique. when you’re at a place where it’s perfectly normal to go to a party in the strangest of society outfits, and no one raises an eyebrow when a group of guys goes for a midnight swim in the Andedammen just to paint a house, then it’s time to seize the chance and become part of the community.
So take a page out of Natalia’s book: get involved, try new things—live the Ås life to the fullest.
Greetings
To Natalia
It’s August, you’ve just started your studies. You’re gazing out across Kjerringjordet, suspevting nothing. SUDDENLY, a pride flag whizzes past, attached to a turquoise e-bike with an equally colorful woman on it. Little did you know this was your very first encounter with one of NMBU’s finest.
Natalia, you always make an entrance — like when you went from just wanting to attend a party to becoming one of the editorial team’s most dedicated members. And already by the next semester, you were elected editor! In the top role, you carried the VET faculty’s student paper into the 21st century with current issues and created a new arena for political debate among us.
We don’t know anyone who has fought as passionately for Gaza and the climate as you have, and we admire your fiery determination! You also fight for a flat structure in the editorial team, but it still feels only natural to look up to you (iykyk).
You care about everything and everyone — but especially Torbjørn and the kitchen garden. Many would probably call you a crazy cat lady. And we love that. Never change who you are.
Regards,
Hippi Tidend
Dear Natalia!
One of the best things about living in a student co-living with you is the food. Whether the ingredients come from your own kitchen garden or are dumpster-dived, you always serve us delicious meals.
We didn’t know you that well before we moved in together, but we quickly got to know both you and your cat, Torbjørn. In a collective with you, there is always room for long conversations around the dining table, movie marathons, craft nights, or board games in the living room. You’re also great at inviting others over and keeping old Yellow House traditions alive – like pizza Fridays, political engagement, and the kitchen garden.
Your commitment to politics, NMBU, volunteering, and the people around you is contagious, so keep up the engagement, Natalia! One always comes away a little wiser after a conversation with you.
Good luck with the final stretch of your studies. Enjoy every second! Thank you for the wonderful co-living and friendship!
Regards,
Ragnhild and Miranda
Dear Natalia,
You are a firework of a human being and a steady guitarist who not only takes responsibility for the rhythm section, but also in the Flatlus committee. Time and again you’ve shown us how you never do anything halfway, but take charge and deliver with a big KAPOW! When you arrive at rehearsals or drop by Sætra, you always bring so much energy, and it instantly turns into a lively atmosphere full of fun and buzz. We’ve come to know you as a fair person who’s never afraid to be honest — and, of course, we’ve also gotten to know your cat, Flatlus’s beloved Torbjørn. Meow!
Sætra is also very grateful for all your lovely visits and especially for all the work you’ve put into our garden project. We know you’re going to be a top-notch veterinarian, but we hope you’ll keep coming to Flatlus rehearsals… forever.
We love you so much and look forward to music, knitting, and drinks together in the time ahead! <3
-Flatlusa spelemannslag
