Adventures in language: Progress report

I don't get to grade myself, but if I did I'd say I feel like I've graduated to a new level in Norwegian this summer. I've noticed recently that I'm translating to English in my head less and less and conversations are happening without as much lag time (where I have to think about what my response is going to be). There's always the odd word that flies by me ungrasped and some dialects are more difficult than others. But it is exhilarating to sit around the table with family or friends and not just follow the conversation, but contribute and interact, like a real person! That certainly wasn't the case on my previous trips to Norway.


I'm even keeping up with people my age and younger way better than just a few months ago. No offense to older people, but it's one thing to have a normal conversation with them and it's a whole nother to have one with younger people. They speak faster, are less proper, and tend to switch to English quickly when you don't understand (or even if you do understand, because they want to speak English).


A couple weeks my Norwegian teacher from home led a group tour through Norway and stopped in Trondheim for a couple days. I wouldn't be where I am with Norwegian today if I didn't learn the basics in his class before I came here. I was really excited to visit with him and speak some Americanized Norwegian together. It was a great reunion, especially since Ed was the first person I've seen from "home" in about a year!

 Yes, of course Norwegian class was always this much fun

I have to admit, though, I was a little disappointed we didn't speak more Norwegian together while Ed was here. When we got ice cream cones one afternoon, Ed ordered in English. I was surprised because he knows the language so well and is perfectly capable of ordering in Norwegian. If you're here, why not the use the language? I asked him and he said it was because he wanted his wife (who doesn't understand much Norwegian) to know what was going on. Fair enough, but I thought that was kind of a lame reason not to engage in the language when you are doing something as simple as ordering ice cream.


About a month ago I passed a placement exam for Norwegian Level 3 (out of 4) in the fall. I want to take advantage of the opportunity to get formal teaching so I hope I have time to take the class alongside my Master's project. It's fun to feel the progress I'm making and to know I have (at least) another year to get better. Cheers to that!

July 22, 2011: Reflections from an outsider

For those of you who have followed the story of the murders committed by Anders Behring Breivik one year ago in Norway, I wanted to share what I've seen and heard. I don't pretend to know all the ins and outs of this event, I just wanted to write about what I have experienced. If you don't know the story, you might want to read about it. This is a departure from my normal routine where I talk about how great life is here, but it's my blog and I can do what I want! And Norway isn't all sunshine and lollipops and trolls and grandma's krumkake. Crap happens here, too. With that in mind, these are my own thoughts on what's happened. The pictures are from August 2, 2011 in Oslo.

Mari places a rose in front of

the Norwegian Royal Residence

Last year I came to Norway ten days after the country experienced it's worst violence since WWII. 77 people, most of the them younger than me, were brutally murdered by a single man with a "Christian" ideology that is not only crazy but is not consistent with itself. I arrived in the frame of mind that I had after September 11, 2001, when, to quote Toby Keith, "a mighty sucker punch came flying in from somewhere in the back." After shock and grief came anger and a desire to beat the snot out of whoever had done that to my country. Americans, maybe you went through it differently, but do you remember what it felt like? That was the closest thing to July 22nd that I had experienced, or so I thought. I imagined I would step off the plane into a country full of anger and hate, ready to roll up its sleeves and take revenge. I expected to meet people who were dominated by hate towards Breivik and fear of more people like him.

 The building in the background covered in white is part of the

government quarter where the bomb went off.

 The area was blocked off but not really being guarded.

I was surprised by how close we were allowed to get.

Roses everywhere

But this wasn't Norway's September 11th, it was their July 22nd. I was surprised at how subdued the mood was; people weren't going around talking about how much they wanted that guy to pay for what he'd done (which is what I was thinking and what I assumed everyone else would be saying). People were shocked, confused, and saddened, but mostly quiet about it. And those I was around were not visibly angry or fearful. Knowing now that Norwegians are not the most outwardly emotional of people, this makes sense looking back. My cousin, Mari, called it a "special" time for Norway, and I would have to agree. The reality was different and more complicated than I realized, and you have to let people form their own responses. That was the first challenge to my thinking.

The street (where cars usually drive) outside Oslo domkirke

Of course Sept 11th and July 22nd are different in many ways, so it was naive of me to approach the situation like I did, but that's all I had. We were attacked from the outside, Norway from within. It must hurt so much to know that one of your own countrymen would do such an unthinkable thing. But I've heard a few people say they are glad it wasn't a terror attack because they can deal with this own within their own country, and they probably don't have to worry about it happening again. As I've witnessed, there are also similarities between the two events. When something like this happens, it isn't just against the people who were attacked. It's an attack on the whole country and what it stands for. I see that it has made Norwegians think about what it is they want to stand for. And both September 11th and July 22nd have brought people from all over the country closer together and boosted national pride, for better or worse.

But following shock and sorrow, the response of the USA and Norway to their respective attacks has been largely different (again, they are completely different events and places, so some of that is to be expected). Personally, I'm impressed with the grace that has been shown to Breivik by the Norwegian people, individually and as a country. First of all, there is no such thing as the death penalty or life sentence in Norway. But beyond that, I don't think people would wish him dead even if it was legally possible. One person I talked with about it said they just want him to go to prison and understand and admit to what he's done. To live with that reality the rest of his life would be torment enough. This has made me think about my views on punishment, justice, and the value of human life (does it change after we commit an atrocious crime?) and what we "deserve." Whatever the verdict, I'm very interested to see how Norway handles Breivik when his trial is over and if there will be changes to their laws.

These attacks have the potential to change Norway more and more as time goes on. Norway has been fairly insulated since it's liberation from the Nazi's at the end of WWII. They've built themselves something close to utopia here, with a social system that not only takes care of its citizens (and most others here) from cradle to grave, but offers them incredible opportunities like free higher education. They seem to have invested their money very wisely and are focused on giving their people a good life. But my perspective, and what I think Norway will come face to face with because of these attacks, is that the best social system in the world can't make people good. It can't save you from yourself and can't insulate you from evil. You can't make people do or not do anything. You can do your best to try, but there is no guarantee. I believe that God, through his grace and power, is the only thing that can really change people and make them who they are supposed to be. My hope is that, as a result of these awful circumstances, more people, Breivik included, will know Jesus Christ and his peace, and have their lives healed and changed for real.

Gudbrandsdalen: My week in the valley

A few weeks ago I took my first trip of the summer to a few towns in Gudbrandsdalen, a long valley found about halfway between Trondheim and Oslo. (Remember the bunad I wore on Syttende mai? It's from Gudbrandsdalen!) Though I'd driven through Gudbrandsdalen before I hadn't spent any real time there. It's a very traditional region and was the perfect place to spend a relaxing week, away from the noise of the city, exploring rural, small town Norway.


First I went to Kvam to visit distant cousins who run a camping ground/conference center called Kirketeigen. It's a place where hikers or travelers can stop for the night or large groups can rent the whole place for events.

I arrived just in time for what my dad affectionately calls Norway's National Pastime: Coffee and cake around the living room table. You don't need a special occasion to take part in this pastime but in this instance we were celebrating Per Reidar's birthday. 

Gerd Marie and her beautiful creation.

Would have made a perfect 4th of July cake, too!

Per Reidar, eager to dig in.

Notice Torkell's Space Needle t-shirt :)

Gerd Marie lived in Seattle for several years as little girl because of her father's job. Her family later moved back to Norway where she finished school but she remembers a lot so it was fun to hear about experiences in places I know well myself. More pictures of the Kirketeigen grounds:

For my dad-- a pair of Harley Davidson's camping out

I'm thankful for the time everyone in Gudbrandsdalen
spent with me, and for the green landscape and fresh air.

My next stop was Vågå (pronounced basically like "Vo-go") to visit my friend from school, Marit, and her family. I was really excited to go to Vågå after listening to Marit describe (only half-jokingly) its amazingness. One day last fall she read to me from the local newspaper, including a front page story about the big clock at the supermarket that was broken and still needed fixing. From that point on, I knew I needed to make it to Vågå. A place like that is so different from Trondheim or anywhere else I've lived, so I wanted to know what it was like to grow up and live there. Marit had to drive almost half an hour to a neighboring town for high school and there were still only about 30 students in her graduating class. 

 Good morning, Vågå!

Vågå stole my heart, broken clock and all.

So if you don't want to hang out at the town's only cafe, what should you do in a place like Vågå? Get to the mountains! We found a place with no one else around and started walking.

Marit and her cousin lead the way

Marit, the best guide in town

Sometimes all you need is a good

hike in the middle of nowhere.

A bit too chilly for us to want to jump in, unfortunately.

In case you mistakenly think there are no cultural experiences to be had in the Vågå area, I present to you: The Country Festival. American country cover artists who were actually pretty good. Texas and Confederate flags everywhere. People wearing chaps, cowboy hats, and boots. Were most of them serious or just joking? I couldn't figure it out and I still don't know. What I do know is that I appreciated the little slice of American life I got to experience on a farm in the middle of a valley in Norway. I'll admit I was a tad bit homesick once "Take Me Home, Country Roads" came on.

 Everybody loves a good ol' down home country festival

There you have it, life in Gudbrandsdalen. If I told you anymore you might die of jealousy. Oh, I just can't resist: have to mention that we went to Bakeriet i Lom, very possibly Norway's best bakery (yes, it's been on TV), and had the most delicious pastries. I guess you're extremely jealous now if you weren't before, sorry!

What's better than a fresh Norwegian pastry?

Two!

June highlight reel

June was a busy month full of new experiences. I moved to the center of Trondheim about 4 weeks ago so I've been settling into my new place and getting to know the neighborhood. It's a great place to stroll around and in the fall it will only take 10 minutes to walk to school instead of a 15 minute bus ride. I'm enjoying the long daylight hours and spending time with many great people. Here's a recap of some memorable June events:


My friend Karla threw a Mexican Fiesta (complete with homemade pinata) to celebrate the end of the school year. If there's one thing I miss over here, it's real Mexican food. I told Karla that I wanted to help her with the preparations and learn how to make Mexican food. Little did I know I would be left in charge of the main dish for 45 people...

Karla and her fajita protege

14 kg (31 lb) of steak

Karla had a lot of stuff to take care of for the party so while she ran around I improvised and cooked up a mass of meat, onions, and peppers that ended up being pretty tasty. I think I did alright because since then, wherever we are, Karla has proudly told people that I made the fajitas for the party all by myself.

Let's eat!

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I was honored to be invited to a special birthday dinner party for my relatives, Jon and Ingrid. It was a great night of food, conversation, laughter, and meeting family friends and more of my relatives!

Skål! (Cheers)

Delicious homemade desserts:

Strawberry sorbet

Cheesecake and krumkake

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St. Hansaften (June 23) marks the longest day of the year, a good time to get together and laugh in the face of the long dark winter you made it through. We celebrated in the traditional way with a bonfire on the beach. The sun set a little after 11:30pm, giving us plenty of time to enjoy the warm night and lots of good treats. Good friends and great scenery, that's what Norway is all about!

Norwegian berries

Norwegian s'mores

 Rannveig and Agneta

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So that gives you an idea of what I've been up to lately. Summer is going by fast but I'm determined to make the most of it. Have to get out and see more while the sun shines!