Two Cups of Tea With Eva
Two cups of tea with Eva
Do you have a personal relationship with Shaman Durek?
– No.
Trine Rein?
– No, unfortunately.
It quickly becomes clear that today’s guest on Two Cups of Tea, Eva Weston Szemes, hasn’t frequented red carpets as much as the hosts from Tun og Tre had hoped. The chances of delivering our readers their well-deserved dose of gossip and drama seem vanishingly small, but since we’re already here, we try to make the best of it.
Journalist: Trygve Bø Kongsbakk
Photographer: Jonas Lund Hagen and William F. Bakke Dahl
Translator: Bora Gulersen Sezgin
Upon arrival at Sætra, the Trade Union’s association house where the interview is taking place, we’re met by a home buzzing with life. Friendly faces pop up from all directions for a chat – it’s clear that Eva is welcome here. The house’s residents are preparing to go on a rehearsal cabin trip with Flatlusa, and as they pack, we settle into the living room, ready to embark on a journey into Eva’s story.
We start from the beginning. The story begins in Tonsenhagen in Oslo, where Eva took her first steps. Born with a physical disability affecting her right arm and foot, it was uncertain how it would impact her life. When she was two years old, her parents were told by doctors that she might never be able to climb stairs or attend a regular school. It was far from obvious then that she would end up a newly devoted folk dancer twenty years later.
Her childhood was marked by a feeling of not quite fitting in: “I was kind of that weird one on the sidelines, limping around and most interested in math and science, chess and computer games.” Her school years were marked by bullying and exclusion, but also some close friendships. And she always had her twin sister to lean on: “Even though we’ve almost never shared the same interests, we’ve always been there for each other.”
Starting high school was a joyful transition for Eva. Right from the beginning, she was part of a wonderful class environment: “People had grown up a bit over the summer, and it really showed. It didn’t matter so much that I was a little different. Because I still was, and I probably always will be, but there was more room for that. And I also discovered the subject I’m still passionate about – chemistry.”
Unfortunately, the good times in high school didn’t last. After half a year, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and the country shut down. It was “the journey from heaven to hell” for Eva: “For someone who is so dependent on routines and things being the way they’re supposed to be, constantly having to adapt was extremely tough.” Good teachers who supported her and adapted the curriculum during the later lockdowns helped keep her afloat.
Eventually, the pandemic and high school both ended, and she had to chart her path forward. Chemistry was definitely her passion – but where to go? The choice was between Trondheim and Oslo, until her chemistry teacher Halvor suggested a third option he thought might suit her: Ås, NMBU, and the study program Chemistry and Biotechnology. Eva followed his advice and hasn’t looked back since.
In the fall of 2022, Eva showed up in Ås as what she describes as a “small, terrified hermit crab.” The beginning of her stay offered a machine-gun blast of new experiences. She had barely set her things down before a message popped up in the freshman group chat from someone looking to hang out. Today, she doesn’t understand how she dared, but she did – and met a friendly guy named Radek. “That pretty much sums up my time in Ås. I’ve been surrounded by amazing people who truly care about me.”
Much to the journalist’s delight, we’re sipping tea during the interview, not beer. The reason lies in those first weeks in Ås. She describes Freshers’ Week as a lot of fun, though not without challenges. It was her first encounter with alcohol – and it turned out to be a poor match. She tried and tried but couldn’t tolerate it well. “It took me a while to realize that drinking isn’t a requirement to attend parties.”
After Freshers’ Week, every Wednesday was spent at the student bar, the bodega. There she tried to figure out where she belonged in Ås. She considered Blæst’n, but didn’t play any instruments. She applied to Lærken and the Pirate Association, but neither clicked. She never gave up, and her perseverance paid off. One Wednesday evening in February, something happened that would change her life. Flatlusa hosted an intimate concert in the student venue, and Eva had nothing better to do. She went with no great expectations and was blown away. It was love at first sight: “Folk music was insanely cool.”
Eva then noticed some colorful people dancing lively in front of the stage, and the sight lit a spark in her. What they were doing – she wanted to do too. After the concert, she found her way downstairs to the bodega, where she located a two-meter-tall Bergen native who had been dancing. She gathered her courage and asked him how she could join in. Turns out the road to paradise was simple: “Show up next Wednesday, go up the stairs, and past a piano. There you’ll find Leikarringen Frøy.”
Eva showed up for practice the following week. New movement patterns are not easy with cerebral palsy, so she stepped on absolutely everyone’s toes during those first sessions – but that didn’t take away from the joy. She had a blast. She had found her home in Ås. With diligent practice over time, there were fewer toe-stompings, and these days it’s hard to find a folk music event in Ås or nearby where Eva doesn’t show up – especially when her favorite, Flatlusa, is playing.
Frøy isn’t the only place where Eva shines. In the publication you’re holding, she’s an active translator and hide-and-seek queen. She describes the translation work as very nerve-racking. No journalist has come running after her in anger over ruined articles yet, but the fear is always there. She’s been hiding in a few editions now, but even for an expert like her, it’s getting hard not to be found this time.
The theme of community comes up repeatedly during the interview. Eva has worked hard to achieve everything she has, but says she wouldn’t have managed it without the good people who supported her: “I don’t think people realize just how much that can mean.” In the Trade Union house, she’s found community, role models, and a place to grow.
Eva sees herself as proof of the cliché that you can achieve the things you work for. In September, she was diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum, but doesn’t use it as an excuse: “It was good to finally have a name for it. Now I know what I need to work on.” We all have different starting points – but that doesn’t have to stop us: “You don’t have to become committee leader at the student union to prove your worth. You can do so many valuable and wonderful things just by being part of an association and contributing there, or by building a good group of friends outside of them. The most important thing is to find your place and your story. There’s a place for everyone. I didn’t find mine until the fourth try – but it worked out in the end.”
As the interview draws to a close, the sun has set low in the sky and light streams into the living room at Sætra. It no longer shines on a scared little hermit crab. On the sofa now sits a confident folk dancer, fully at home.
Greetings
Dear signal-error-free Eva!
You contribute to the chaos (in the best way), and you’re always on time (and in tune). Thank you for being our biggest fan and having more control than all the pubic lice combined. Can’t you join the board next year? Either way, you’re not getting rid of us!
We are forever grateful that you show up, dance, and sing with us at all hours of the day and night, and we can always count on you to know what song we’re playing—even when we get unsure ourselves!
Eva, you’re truly lovely and great to talk to, always with a good story or reflection that makes it impossible to be bored when you’re in the room!
Flatlusa truly appreciates you and loves you endlessly! <3
Big hug from all of us in Flatlusa Spelemannslag!
Dear Eva,
It’s safe to say you mean a lot to Frøy. With your perfect attendance streak, we think anyone would be worried if they didn’t catch a glimpse of you at rehearsal. You have control over everything, even when things get a bit “too many cooks in the kitchen,” as you like to say. You show up to every meeting, every discussion, and bring advice and knowledge on every level — definitely the best chef we have.
In a way, you’re Frøy’s superhero — always ready in your flannel shirt, newsboy cap, and with your signature Nordic walking gait (anonymous sources confirm she has 8 flannel shirts on rotation).
Like a true superhero, you’re incredibly humble, and even if you might not like it, we want to give you a standing ovation. You’re on every committee, and your dedication doesn’t stop in Ås — it’s taken the train all the way to Oslo. Behind the scenes, you manage all the chaos a group of folk dancers might throw your way. Everything from finances to membership stats, and facts on pretty much anything in the field. But when you step out from behind the curtain — like in our revue — there’s no denying that the spotlight loves you. You’re definitely the best “Follobanen” we’ve ever seen!
We love you so much,
you old codfish, and as you
always say: “TJO-HEI!”
Warm greetings from
everyone at Frøy <3
Eva is a living viking saga with 1 and ¾ legs. She started in Ås as many do: tribeless, rootless and damn confused. The firts time we saw Eva was at the Bohemen one night. Where we could se the questions boil under the sixpence. Imagine going from High School “who- do-you-think-you-are” - evirment strait to bentagons “look-who-I-am”. We noticed you right away when you showed up at one of Radek’s tea parties. You came in a sixpence down the Nile, and we took you to us (Exodus 2:3, in the fire of the Sahara sun). From the manger, the outlines of what would become Ås’s beloved Eve could be seen.
The confused Eva has grown into a proactive woman with a bone in her nose. In about one moment you went from participating in your first Frøyöving to becoming a Frøyöving. Eva means bloody seriousness. When responsibility is sorely needed, Eva is always there, and she has shown us this time and time again. It is not Eva who follows the goals, but the goals that follow Eva.
You have become a symbol of motivation and commitment for us. A drive that could have made Roald Amundsen go to bed.
Three big slurps from Benjamin and Camilla
