Fitia Andria hails from the beautiful island of Madagascar, but she was born and raised in France. Fitia has already worked four years at NHH and her current tasks are connected to ENGAGE.EU at the Section for Educational Quality. 

Fitia describes herself as Malagasy French and of course one of her favorite sweet snacks is the “bûche de Noël”.  

‘I absolutely love this,’ says Fitia.  

She learned to make it when she was younger, but she has not been able to bake one since moving to Norway. One the salty side, her favorite meal for Christmas includes “pinnekjøtt”.  

‘Or perhaps I should say I've grown to like it,’ she adds with a smile and continues: 

‘I can't imagine Christmas without eating pinnekjøtt at least once at Christmas time.’ 

Fitia appreciates the Norwegian tradition of julebord, where people dress up in festive attire and start gathering as early as November. They have similar celebrations in Madagascar and France, but they are less extravagant and usually take place closer to Christmas Day rather than starting in November.  

For Christmas, Fitia and her family will have a full house this year. Relatives from Tromsø and Oslo are coming to stay and they have planned many dinners with family and friends. Some of these gatherings will include Christmas workshops and games. 

‘Since I live far from my family in France, I really enjoy having a full house and being surrounded by my husband’s family and our friends,’ Fitia explains.  

She particularly loves Christmas workshops. She has learned to bake Christmas cookies, build gingerbread houses, and make Christmas decorations with paper and other materials in these workshops.  

‘It reminds me how we can find joy in simple things,’ she wisely concludes.