Internationally Interconnected Norwegian Ambassadorís Wife Shows She Believes in Helping Others by Gail Scott Ellen Vollebaek and her husband Knut Vollebaek, the distinguished Norwegian ambassador and former foreign minister, both grew up believing that the world was one interconnected place. This niece of Lutheran missionaries and her husband, a pastorís son who realized his dream of becoming a diplomat, want to do their part, whether it is helping with the recovery after the recent South Asian tsunami or the equally unbelievable 9/11 terrorists attacks that shocked the world. In the large living room of the Norwegian residence, we sat on opposite sofas, flanking the fireplace. Outside, traffic was constant on Massachusetts Avenue at the intersection across from Vice President Cheneyís home. We shared soothing hot tea and a dish of Ellenís irresistible sugar cookies. "Iíve made these during Christmas for the last 20 years, wherever weíve lived," she said. "Making them always reminds me of all those different homes." In Washington, since she only has a kitchenette created from a closet upstairs, Ellen baked these in the main kitchen where her chef presides. "I love to cook," she said, "but I donít here, exce pt on weekends." From early on, Ellen quickly learned about the world and different cultures. "I had two aunts and an uncle who were missionaries in China, and they would send me little hats and shoes from wherever they were," said the thoughtful 57-year-old social scientist, who is now on leave from her post as an adviser with the Research Council of Norway. Those original hats she received almost 50 years ago from China sit safely tucked away in a chest in Norway, and now this diplomatic wife collects hats wherever she goes. Her international collection has grown to almost 100 and includes baptism and Amish hats from the United States. Growing up in a Lutheran family in Bergen where there was no dancing and no drinking, Ellen began singing when she was only 4 years old. "My aunt made me stand on a chair in a Bergen parish hall and sing Chinese songs," she recalled. "I was so shy, I just hated it. I donít know if even a note came out of my mouth!" Surprisingly, Ellen now loves nothing more than singing in a choir. Whether she is living in Norway or Zimbabwe, Madrid or New Delhi, this alto joins a local choir and makes rehearsals a priority. "In India, it was an Anglican Church. In Spain, an international church. In Zimbabwe, there was a German couple who had us sing in several different languages but we never performed, we just rehearsed Ö and here I sing with the Georgetown Chorale." In advance of their holiday concert at Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School last December, she practiced at Temple Micah on Wisconsin Avenue, only a 10-minute walk from the residence and a cherished weekly escape from the constant pressures of diplomatic life. In January, when I talked with her again upon their return from Christmas in Norway, we naturally discussed the tsunami. "Knut always listens to the news, so we heard about the tsunami early Sunday morning, Boxing Day," she said. "We were all at the house in the country and we sat down and watched the news together. The TV was on all the time from then on." Also there for the holidays were the Vollebaeksí 24-year-old son Bendik, who is getting his masterís degree in theology, his new wife Hilde, an Arabic and international development major, and Ellenís parents, who are in their late 80s. "Usually, we attend a New Yearís ball in Oslo, and at first we decided to cancel it, but then we decided we needed to have this meeting of friends. We didnít have the dancing or the firecrackers," said Ellen. "But you need to be with friends when horrible things happen." With more than 4,500 Norwegians vacationing in the Thai tourist destination of Phuket alone, the list of missing was very long in the beginning. "Norwegians used to go home for Christmas, but now I realize that thousands go to nice warm beaches in exotic places all over the world. There was a family of five we know quite well who had a very dramatic escape to safety in Thailand," but there are others the Vollebaeks know who werenít as lucky. "Once you know someone there, you get even more involved." Norway, one of the richest welfare states in the world, has so far pledged more than $179 million in aid for one of the worldís largest natural disasters of all time. "There has been a spontaneous outpouring of concern and contributions by ordinary Norwegians," said Ellen. "There have been big concerts, exhibitions and auctions to raise more money to benefit tsunami refugees. Even the queen has auctioned some of her pictures on the Internet." Ellenís resume proves she believes in helping others. In Oslo, she was a co-founder of the Christian Forum for Womenís Rights, and she served on the Bishopís Committee on Womenís Rights, the Joint Parish Council, the Oslo City Mission, Norwegian Church Aid and Norwayís UNESCO Committee. Here, she has been a president and membership chair of International Neighborís Club III and an advisory board member of Diplomats Washington. Similarly, her husband Knut, educated as an economist, has a history of helping refugees and countries in need. He was Norwayís delegate to the United Nations and served on Norwayís UNESCO Committee, as well as organizer of the 1988 SARRED (Southern Africa Refugees, Returnees and Displaced Persons) Conference, a governor of the Inter-American Development Bank, Asian Development Bank and African Development Bank, and Norwayís representative to the International Conference on Central American Refugees. "The tsunami showed how small our world has become and how interdependent we are," Ambassador Vollebaek said. "Thousands of Norwegians were affected far away from home. The Thai people were very helpful and were a wonderful example for all of us." Ellen, with her quick smile and facile mind, has a deft touch for mixing lifeís little joys with the serious business of diplomacy and the true tragedies in the world. "I arrived in Washington at 8 p.m. on the 10th of September 2001," said Ellen, remembering life before 9/11. "That night we called Norway to hear the results of our elections and I opened a few suitcases but didnít unpack. The next morning Ö it was a beautiful morning Ö with all the hustle and bustle of noisy, morning traffic outside. "Then, someone called saying that something terrible had happened and to turn on the TV," she recalled. "We left it on for a week. When the second plane hit, I called my parents. Soon after that, our phones didnít work. We didnít even get to talk to our son in Oslo. "I remember the quiet," she continued. "Iíll never forget the constant stream of people walking up Massachusetts Avenue Ö heading home after being evacuated from their downtown offices. They had closed the bridges and Metro. "That night when we went out for a walk in the evening, we found neighborhood churches had opened their doors. It was a very strange feeling. The people were just sitting there together in silence," she said softly. "Being here made me understand a bit more the sentiment the attacks created for Americans. Later that week, we invited the embassy staff and their families here to the residence. "We were together and we were safe," she said. "It was so good to be here. If I hadnít already flown in the night before, I probably would not have dared to come." Ellen and Knut met at the University of Bergen in the Christian Student Union, where he served as president and the next semester she became vice president. "One weekend a group of us went up in the mountains for a retreat on ëChristianity and Marxism.í We had all helped cook the dinner and do the dishes," Ellen recalled. "And Knut and I sat up late talking. I liked him and we didnít have to argue, we could discuss thingsÖ. I knew we would have an interesting life together." But she didnít know that Knut wanted to be an ambassador. "From age 2 to 12, he lived up in the country, 120 kilometers north of Oslo, where his father was a pastor. At 10, he wrote to Norwayís ëDear Abbyí and asked what he should do to become an ambassador. She wrote back in her newspaper column, ëBe a good boy and do your homework and eventually youíll become a diplomat.í "When he told me that he wanted to become a diplomat," Ellen said, remembering her panic, "I told a group of friends, ëI donít know how I will survive. I donít know how to dance!í" She laughed. Not only has she learned to dance after 33 years of marriage and more moves than she wants to count, Ellen handles even royal visits with confidence and grace. "Ellen is the greatest asset I have. Her support means a lot to me pers onally and professionally," Ambassador Vollebaek said. "She is also fundamental for my work for Norway." This year will be the most important and busiest yet for Ellen and her husband as Norway celebrates 100 years of independence. Norwegian King Harald V and Queen Sonja will travel to the United States twice, initially coming to Washington in early March. In September, the royals will be back to unveil a statue of the kingís mother, Crown Princess Martha, who lived in Washington with her children during World War II at the invitation of President Franklin Roosevelt. When I wonder aloud what itís like to entertain a king and queen, Ellen smiled and tilted her head. "As foreign minister, Knut went to meet with the king once a week and he traveled with them on state visits," she said. "So he knows them. Of course, you always want things to be proper when you entertain, when you have houseguests, but even in formal situations when things must be correct, this is still a home." The embassy is planning a full year of events all over the United States to commemorate the occasion, including performances at the Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and Kennedy Center, weekly summer jazz concerts, an exhibit of Queen Sonjaís art collection at Scandinavia House in New York, film festivals at New Yorkís Museum of Modern Art and elsewhere, Norwegian ships sailing into Norfolk, Va., a Norwegian gala in Houston, a nationwide essay contest for young Americans of Norwegian origin, a Norwegian festival in New Yorkís Central Park, Smithsonian Associates programs in the fall, and major tours of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra and Norwayís National Ballet. In addition, Norwegian Americans are also planning more than 900 events nationwide. Both the king and queen will give talks during their September visit. "The queen knows a lot about art [and] has loaned paintings from her personal collection both here and in Norway. While the king is a sailor, the queen loves to cross-country ski Ö and enjoys skiing in Norwegian woods for a week at a time," said Ellen. Although the Vollebaeks enjoy cross-country skiing as most Norwegians do, Ellen admits that snow in Norway and snow in Washington are two different things. "You have one half an inch predicted and the salt and sand trucks are here with their motors running. It is absolute chaos," she said with a light giggle. "However, I must admit that the first snow in Norway often surprises us too." Gail Scott is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.