E11-Karyn, Oli, and Lina Get Stuck in the Mud

Strangers Abroad

Karyn and I bumped paths while still working in a hostel in Costa Rica. She is hard to miss between her immeasurable height, voice, and personality to match. As boisterous as her presence is, she is attracted to the relaxed, Caribbean sway that is hard to come by in frigid Minnesota. I bring her on initially to tell a regional American joke that I had never heard before. This is a little snapshot of the energy and playfulness that is bouncing out of her and I will let it speak for itself. In this podcast episode we discuss -What it is like to live in Minnesota -Why she travels to Costa Rica -What the Pura Vida life provides her -Her favorite food in Costa Rica -What are Lina and Oli jokes? -Where did Lina and Oli jokes originate? -Why are these jokes so damn weird? Lena and Ole jokes became popularized around the 1940’s in the Northern Midwestern states of America. They are born from the Norwegian and Swedish immigrants who landed in the US, playfully making fun of their cultural misunderstandings in their new homes and cooling tensions between the immigrants and locals. I loved that I had to go all the way to Costa Rica to discover these jokes that are coveted by an entire group of people who share my nationality. By meeting Caryn you can understand how these innocuous, teetering between ranchy and wholesome jokes have molded her springy light on life, I didn’t get to spend too much time with her, yet her laugh is still vibrates within me.