Hi All,
Everything a bit frenetic here. Bill and I have started our Norwegian class. Walter went to his first birthday party where he ate three hotdogs and cake and afterwards raved about how nice the other boys were. Mark is now loving soccer and seems to be getting the hang of it. He's been invited to a fotball party next week. He is also joining the Norwegian version of boy scouts, which has their first meeting tomorrow.
Today Walter had outdoor-class in school (apparently they do this every Tuesday), and the teacher took the kids to look for seashells by the sea, where Walter, to his delight and our chagrin, slipped off a rock and fell in.
In a couple of weeks, his class will be going on an overnight camping trip to the mountains.
Norway is about as close to paradise for kids as I can imagine. The boys have never been happier.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Police Blog in Kristiansand's Daily Newspaper (fvn.no)
Bill and I got a kick out of the Kristiansand newspaper's police blog (translated via the computer), especially considering the dismal, bloody headlines in our local BND (Belleville News Democrat). Here are some recent entries--
KRISTIANSAND: Squat
00.53: A lovers arguing very loudly in Skippergata. The police are called out, but get the understanding that the two have become fond of each other again on arrival.
KRISTIANSAND: Full
1:12: A very drunk person is observed on Egsveien, near Oddernes Bridge and the entrance to Baneheitunnelen. The police ride them home.
ARENDAL: nuisance
01.13: A man is in very bad mood at Long Wharf. The drunken arendalitten taken and put into jail. 18-year-old reported to make sick drunk.
KRISTIANSAND: Bicycling
01.44: A woman stopped in Lund while traveling around on what appears to be a stolen bike. The woman, a 19-year-old from London, arrested.
ARENDAL: Fill
1:59: A very drunk person running the emergency clinic in Arendal.
GRIMSTAD: Angry at nightclub
02.11: A drunk and angry man calls the police and complain that he does not let in on a meeting place. Later calling the spots people. They complain that the man would enter the club. It ends with a sort of compromise, because the man will drop into the jail instead. The person being prosecuted for verbal threats to staff spots. Grimstad man is 23 years.
KRISTIANSAND: Squat
00.53: A lovers arguing very loudly in Skippergata. The police are called out, but get the understanding that the two have become fond of each other again on arrival.
KRISTIANSAND: Full
1:12: A very drunk person is observed on Egsveien, near Oddernes Bridge and the entrance to Baneheitunnelen. The police ride them home.
ARENDAL: nuisance
01.13: A man is in very bad mood at Long Wharf. The drunken arendalitten taken and put into jail. 18-year-old reported to make sick drunk.
KRISTIANSAND: Bicycling
01.44: A woman stopped in Lund while traveling around on what appears to be a stolen bike. The woman, a 19-year-old from London, arrested.
ARENDAL: Fill
1:59: A very drunk person running the emergency clinic in Arendal.
GRIMSTAD: Angry at nightclub
02.11: A drunk and angry man calls the police and complain that he does not let in on a meeting place. Later calling the spots people. They complain that the man would enter the club. It ends with a sort of compromise, because the man will drop into the jail instead. The person being prosecuted for verbal threats to staff spots. Grimstad man is 23 years.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Our visit to Grimstad
View of Grimstad
The pharmacy where Ibsen worked as a young man. Ibsen lived upstairs where he had a sexual liaison with a woman and later conceded he could be the father of her son. He paid child support for the next fourteen years.
Me in front of the World War II War Memorial
The boys in the Grimstad harbor. Grimstad was once a leading ship manufacturing center.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Bill's ruminations...on fotball
Today I accompanied Walter to football practice. He is a member of
the local Gimletroll football organization, which runs kind of a
little league for soccer and handball in Kristiansand. Having never watched a
complete soccer game on television or been to a pro soccer match, I'm
not the best judge of these things, but the other students appeared to
be quite good. Walter participated gamely in the scrimmages, and I
think held his own, despite not knowing the language, which probably
makes the whole enterprise a bit more intimidating for him.
Afterwards, I talked briefly with the coach, who appeared both
energetic and dedicated, and, while Walter was standing there, another
child began chanting the line "born in the USA" several times.
During the practice, I talked with two parents, both of whom I believe
noted that the presence of an American child might help the Norwegian
children learn to speak English.
What I do like about soccer is that it seems to encourage a
cooperative approach, as players frequently have to set aside their
own ambitions of scoring a goal themselves and instead pass the ball
to a teammate who is in a better position to score. Also, the players
get a lot more exercise than in baseball.
Kristiansand is home to the Start football team, which is part of the
Norwegian professional soccer league. I get the impression that being
a member of Start is somewhat equivalent to being a Cardinal in St.
Louis.
Walter still retains his love of baseball, and after school typically
asks if he can visit the Major League Baseball website, where he can
watch highlights of recent games.
the local Gimletroll football organization, which runs kind of a
little league for soccer and handball in Kristiansand. Having never watched a
complete soccer game on television or been to a pro soccer match, I'm
not the best judge of these things, but the other students appeared to
be quite good. Walter participated gamely in the scrimmages, and I
think held his own, despite not knowing the language, which probably
makes the whole enterprise a bit more intimidating for him.
Afterwards, I talked briefly with the coach, who appeared both
energetic and dedicated, and, while Walter was standing there, another
child began chanting the line "born in the USA" several times.
During the practice, I talked with two parents, both of whom I believe
noted that the presence of an American child might help the Norwegian
children learn to speak English.
What I do like about soccer is that it seems to encourage a
cooperative approach, as players frequently have to set aside their
own ambitions of scoring a goal themselves and instead pass the ball
to a teammate who is in a better position to score. Also, the players
get a lot more exercise than in baseball.
Kristiansand is home to the Start football team, which is part of the
Norwegian professional soccer league. I get the impression that being
a member of Start is somewhat equivalent to being a Cardinal in St.
Louis.
Walter still retains his love of baseball, and after school typically
asks if he can visit the Major League Baseball website, where he can
watch highlights of recent games.
The roots of gender equality in Norway, Ibsen
I've been interested in the roots of Norway's leading role in the struggle for gender equality, especially as reflected in the work of Henrik Ibsen, and over lunch I asked May-Brith Öhman Nielsen, a 19th-20th century Scandinavian and European history specialist, her thoughts. She noted the importance of Camilla Collett (1813-1895), whose 1854 feminist novel, The District Governor's Daughters apparently had a profound impact on Ibsen. A large blow-up photo of her hangs in the Humanities Building. (Have I mentioned that I love this place?:)
But May-Brith also noted that the roots of Norway's commitment to an egalitarian society have much deeper roots. Given that there is so little arable land in the country and that the majority of Norwegians made a living by subsistence farming or fishing, there was little opportunity for a landed aristocracy (which depended on tiered social classes of aristocrats, merchants, serfs, etc.) to develop.
May-Brith's latest work is on the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918, and it looks like she and Bill will get together to discuss WWI and the possibility of giving additional lectures in American history.
Later in the afternoon, I had a delightful conversation with Michael Prince, the Americanist to whom I am indebted for bringing me here. He told me that the interest in American studies was particularly strong at the University, and urged me to develop a course of my choosing for the spring. I'll be teaching two next semester, a large lecture course in American studies and perhaps a course in the New Woman or something on the Harlem Renaissance.
I'm determined to finish up the Harlem Renaissance newspaper book, but, gads, it's like untangling 40 different kite strings. I've got files that refer to other files that refer to other files...
On the family side, we're struggling about what to do with Mark and soccer. The other kids on his team are really good, and Mark is a novice and feels increasingly frustrated. Even Walter, my loves-every-sport-on-the-planet kid, is feeling the pressure. When Norwegian kids aren't wearing their skis, they're wearing their "fotball" shoes.
But May-Brith also noted that the roots of Norway's commitment to an egalitarian society have much deeper roots. Given that there is so little arable land in the country and that the majority of Norwegians made a living by subsistence farming or fishing, there was little opportunity for a landed aristocracy (which depended on tiered social classes of aristocrats, merchants, serfs, etc.) to develop.
May-Brith's latest work is on the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918, and it looks like she and Bill will get together to discuss WWI and the possibility of giving additional lectures in American history.
Later in the afternoon, I had a delightful conversation with Michael Prince, the Americanist to whom I am indebted for bringing me here. He told me that the interest in American studies was particularly strong at the University, and urged me to develop a course of my choosing for the spring. I'll be teaching two next semester, a large lecture course in American studies and perhaps a course in the New Woman or something on the Harlem Renaissance.
I'm determined to finish up the Harlem Renaissance newspaper book, but, gads, it's like untangling 40 different kite strings. I've got files that refer to other files that refer to other files...
On the family side, we're struggling about what to do with Mark and soccer. The other kids on his team are really good, and Mark is a novice and feels increasingly frustrated. Even Walter, my loves-every-sport-on-the-planet kid, is feeling the pressure. When Norwegian kids aren't wearing their skis, they're wearing their "fotball" shoes.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Language, Feminism and Translation
Hi All,
Today, I gave a mini presentation to the humanities faculty, mostly German, English and British lit instructors. The lone Americanist, Michael Prince, specializes in the Beat movement. (The University, in fact, has the single largest collection of artwork from the period outside the U.S. In the 1950s, a Norwegian dentist collected the work as payment for performing free dental work on Beat artists in San Francisco.)
In any event, as I spoke I saw that everyone in the room was, at least, bi-lingual if not tri or quad? lingual, and I felt keenly self-conscious of my own, characteristically WASPish American monolingual solipsism. (Okay, a mouthful ....I'm retreating to big words to compensate for my own sense of linguistic inferiority:)
In any event, everyone was gracious, and I learned that the University includes a "Center for Excellence" on Gender Equality. As part of Norway's effort to become a leader in higher education in Europe, it has developed various Centers of Excellence at all of the major universities. Next week, I'll have lunch with two of the faculty who teach in that program. As we made arrangements to get together, I commented that Norway seems to have won all of the battles that American feminists are still fighting (reproductive rights (abortion is fully covered by the national health care system), generous maternity and paternity leave, affirmative action measures that help remedy past discrimination(what they called the 40% rule--any Norwegian governing body must contain at least 40% of the underrepresented gender.)
If you're interested, check out:
http://www.norway.org/aboutnorway/society/Equal-Opportunities/gender/politics/
But the women I spoke to also felt strongly that sexism still exists in Norway. Several of the women said that they had felt, on occasion, taken less seriously as female academics. Another said that equal pay for equal work was still a problem. With the exception of one graduate student, everyone in the room was white, and I would expect experiences with sexism would be significantly greater for the growing percentage of Pakistani, Polish and African immigrant women.
On the home front...Walter has discovered that the way to become a self-sufficient eight year old in Norway is to look for left-over money in the vending machines. Apparently, a lot of Norwegians don't bother to retrieve their change, for Walter has already found 30 or so NOK and spends it immediately on Diet Cokes (ah well). Mark enjoyed his cooking class yesterday (when has school sounded so fun). Bill posted an ad today in the Kristiansand newspaper for bikes. He is also doing heavy duty Norwegian language teaching to the kids and trying to carve out time to write his proposal for WI.
When I sat down with Walter tonight to work on Norwegian, it didn't go so well. He's doing a unit on comic books and had to write a sentence in Norwegian using "snakkeboble" or talk bubble. So I had the great idea of going to the web so we can see how real Norwegians would use it in a sentence. Here it is:
Med våre topptrente snakkebobler kan du og dine ansatte prate mer for mindre!
So Walter dutifully copies it down. But when I hit the translate button, we get "With our highly trained speech bubbles, you and your employees to talk more for less!"
Ugh!! I need to get a serious Norwegian dictionary, or maybe just a live-in Norwegian.
Today, I gave a mini presentation to the humanities faculty, mostly German, English and British lit instructors. The lone Americanist, Michael Prince, specializes in the Beat movement. (The University, in fact, has the single largest collection of artwork from the period outside the U.S. In the 1950s, a Norwegian dentist collected the work as payment for performing free dental work on Beat artists in San Francisco.)
In any event, as I spoke I saw that everyone in the room was, at least, bi-lingual if not tri or quad? lingual, and I felt keenly self-conscious of my own, characteristically WASPish American monolingual solipsism. (Okay, a mouthful ....I'm retreating to big words to compensate for my own sense of linguistic inferiority:)
In any event, everyone was gracious, and I learned that the University includes a "Center for Excellence" on Gender Equality. As part of Norway's effort to become a leader in higher education in Europe, it has developed various Centers of Excellence at all of the major universities. Next week, I'll have lunch with two of the faculty who teach in that program. As we made arrangements to get together, I commented that Norway seems to have won all of the battles that American feminists are still fighting (reproductive rights (abortion is fully covered by the national health care system), generous maternity and paternity leave, affirmative action measures that help remedy past discrimination(what they called the 40% rule--any Norwegian governing body must contain at least 40% of the underrepresented gender.)
If you're interested, check out:
http://www.norway.org/aboutnorway/society/Equal-Opportunities/gender/politics/
But the women I spoke to also felt strongly that sexism still exists in Norway. Several of the women said that they had felt, on occasion, taken less seriously as female academics. Another said that equal pay for equal work was still a problem. With the exception of one graduate student, everyone in the room was white, and I would expect experiences with sexism would be significantly greater for the growing percentage of Pakistani, Polish and African immigrant women.
On the home front...Walter has discovered that the way to become a self-sufficient eight year old in Norway is to look for left-over money in the vending machines. Apparently, a lot of Norwegians don't bother to retrieve their change, for Walter has already found 30 or so NOK and spends it immediately on Diet Cokes (ah well). Mark enjoyed his cooking class yesterday (when has school sounded so fun). Bill posted an ad today in the Kristiansand newspaper for bikes. He is also doing heavy duty Norwegian language teaching to the kids and trying to carve out time to write his proposal for WI.
When I sat down with Walter tonight to work on Norwegian, it didn't go so well. He's doing a unit on comic books and had to write a sentence in Norwegian using "snakkeboble" or talk bubble. So I had the great idea of going to the web so we can see how real Norwegians would use it in a sentence. Here it is:
Med våre topptrente snakkebobler kan du og dine ansatte prate mer for mindre!
So Walter dutifully copies it down. But when I hit the translate button, we get "With our highly trained speech bubbles, you and your employees to talk more for less!"
Ugh!! I need to get a serious Norwegian dictionary, or maybe just a live-in Norwegian.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Police Station
Spent six hours today waiting for my turn to get officially processed as a permitted resident. If it weren't for the kindness of a Eritrean political asylum seeker, who gave me an earlier number he had gotten, I would have had to come back on Thursday for another long wait. While waiting I finished reading Skellig, a chilling and beautiful children's book about liminal moments between life and death, and read bits on the political subversiveness of children's literature. Hmm... a whole new Pooh.
The wind is blowing fiercely. Mark has soccer today. Have you seen Bill's blog?
http://hellofromnorway.blogspot.com/
The wind is blowing fiercely. Mark has soccer today. Have you seen Bill's blog?
http://hellofromnorway.blogspot.com/
Monday, August 23, 2010
Hi All,
The pics are from Walter's first soccer game (in the rain). They lost, but it was close, 7 to 6.
Finally got the residency permit (the boys' and Bill's permit will come later, processed under family reunification), so first thing in the morning I will head to the police station with a water bottle and book in hand for the several hour wait. After I get the stamp in my passport from the police, I then go to the folkeregister to get the Norwegian version of a social security number. With that I can open a bank account, get a regular doctor, and do any number of other wonderful things.
I asked one of my colleagues if there were any frustrations living in Norway, given that the country seems so idyllic. He responded that with the nation's emphasis on egalitarian inclusion, the very bright often aren't challenged in schools. There are virtually no gifted programs, and exceptional performance can lead to one being, in his words, "frozen out" by one's peers.
There are no A.P. classes and a student's entire grade often rests on one four-six hour final exam at the end of class. I joked with several colleagues and students that there must be a huge wave of test anxiety come late November, but the students I talked to who had come to the U.S. felt more overwhelmed by the sheer number of assignments that American faculty assign even though they conceded that they probably learned more with assessment along the way.
Received a flyer for what appears to be the Norwegian equivalent of boy scouts. ...a little strange since the front photo shows a boy roasting a wiener with a cigarette lighter.
We've made our arrangements for our trip to Lithuania--found great deals on airfare through Ryan Air, but it will take some maneuvering to get to the airport since it's outside of Oslo.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Graffiti
Lovely day here. This is a graffiti mural we found on the way to grocery shopping.
A big thank you to Aunt Sarah for telling us about the shopping mall, Sørlandssenteret. We found some good deals on boots and soccer shoes for the boys.
Tonight we had pickled herring and everyone loved it. We're pining for our first visitors!
Friday, August 20, 2010
Rainy today, blowing north...Walter is at football practice. Mark is struggling through a Sonatina.
Walter came home yesterday shocked to see a naked breast in one of his textbooks--a woman breastfeeding her baby. For a laugh, I told the story at lunch and my colleagues told me that in Norway a professor has the right to breastfeed while she is teaching. Wow!
Walter came home yesterday shocked to see a naked breast in one of his textbooks--a woman breastfeeding her baby. For a laugh, I told the story at lunch and my colleagues told me that in Norway a professor has the right to breastfeed while she is teaching. Wow!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Soccer, Music Festival, and Billy Goats
Hello All,
Walter had his first day of Gimletroll Soccer, a soccer club that his new friend Kjetil introduced him to. When we sent Walter off trotting after Kietil, who was riding his bicycle, it was misting; a short time later it was raining and blowing fiercely. Figuring the practice was sure to be cancelled, Bill and I rushed to Kietil's apartment to talk to his mother, hoping she might be able to ensure that someone would pick Walter up. She seemed a bit surprised and assured me the game would not be cancelled, and her husband would bring Walter home. Bill and I looked at each other bemused. Foul weather does not stop football.
It turns out that this week is the Kristiansand International Church Music Fesitival. I took the boys to the dress rehearsal of Verdi's Requiem in Kristiansand's Cathedral, which was strikingly Scandinavian in its unvarnished blond wood support beams, and model ship hanging at the entrance to the main aisle. After a few minutes of the Requiem, the boys got wiggly and we made the trek back home on the bus.
The boys have also started their free piano lessons at the Kulturskole in Kristiansand. They're only 20 minutes, but it's good to be connected to a community.
Earlier in the day I had lunch with a linguist colleague, who surprised me with her midwestern American accent. Warm and friendly, she seems likely to be a friend I can turn to for teaching advice. I also learned from another colleague that I am expected to be in my office from 9-3 every day. So much for my visions of sleeping in during my sabbatical, gazing out our picture window, and working late into the night...ah well...
I continue to say hello to most folks I pass on the street, and most look at me taken aback. Apparently American outgoing friendliness can seem disingenuous to Norwegians, but it's hard for me to break the habit.
Bill is beginning to work on his U of WI WWI civil liberties reader...the press seems quite pleased with the reception of Unsafe for Democracy.
We hear tales of a large grocery stores in Kristiansand, and we are determined to take the trek to find them. Bill boasts that he can climb up the steep zig zag trail our apartment in ten minutes...hmm...perhaps I am jealous of his billy goat agility:)
god natt!
Walter had his first day of Gimletroll Soccer, a soccer club that his new friend Kjetil introduced him to. When we sent Walter off trotting after Kietil, who was riding his bicycle, it was misting; a short time later it was raining and blowing fiercely. Figuring the practice was sure to be cancelled, Bill and I rushed to Kietil's apartment to talk to his mother, hoping she might be able to ensure that someone would pick Walter up. She seemed a bit surprised and assured me the game would not be cancelled, and her husband would bring Walter home. Bill and I looked at each other bemused. Foul weather does not stop football.
It turns out that this week is the Kristiansand International Church Music Fesitival. I took the boys to the dress rehearsal of Verdi's Requiem in Kristiansand's Cathedral, which was strikingly Scandinavian in its unvarnished blond wood support beams, and model ship hanging at the entrance to the main aisle. After a few minutes of the Requiem, the boys got wiggly and we made the trek back home on the bus.
The boys have also started their free piano lessons at the Kulturskole in Kristiansand. They're only 20 minutes, but it's good to be connected to a community.
Earlier in the day I had lunch with a linguist colleague, who surprised me with her midwestern American accent. Warm and friendly, she seems likely to be a friend I can turn to for teaching advice. I also learned from another colleague that I am expected to be in my office from 9-3 every day. So much for my visions of sleeping in during my sabbatical, gazing out our picture window, and working late into the night...ah well...
I continue to say hello to most folks I pass on the street, and most look at me taken aback. Apparently American outgoing friendliness can seem disingenuous to Norwegians, but it's hard for me to break the habit.
Bill is beginning to work on his U of WI WWI civil liberties reader...the press seems quite pleased with the reception of Unsafe for Democracy.
We hear tales of a large grocery stores in Kristiansand, and we are determined to take the trek to find them. Bill boasts that he can climb up the steep zig zag trail our apartment in ten minutes...hmm...perhaps I am jealous of his billy goat agility:)
god natt!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
First Day of School
I walked Mark and Walter to school on their first day, and as we headed up the wooded path to the building we saw children playing soccer and balancing themselves on ropes suspended between trees. Hiking, biking, skiing and swimming outside appear to be integral parts of the curriculum (the boys enjoy three recesses in their five and half-hour school day), and I was asked to sign a permission slip so that they could participate in all of these activities.
Given that Lutheranism is the state religion in Norway, the public school does include some religious instruction and parents have the option of having their children participate in Christmas walk to the Kristiansand Cathedral.
The day went quite well given that they couldn't understand what their teachers were saying. Walter (pronounced Valter in Norwegian) came home with two new friends, boys whose names he couldn't pronounce, and went to the apartment of one of them where he watched the Simpsons and ate waffles. His class is doing a unit on comic books, so we'll have to buy one tomorrow.
Mark enjoyed his class as well, got a chance to introduce himself to his classmates, and had fun with the other kids playing soccer. On Thursday, his class will have a blueberry picking contest.
I've emailed the soccer center to see if I can enroll Walter in a soccer club. Mark wants to play handball.
This evening we tried to decipher Walter's reading for the day. I typed the Norwegian into Google translator and then together we tried to make sense of the words. It's slow going, but we're making some progress.
Cheers,
Martha
Given that Lutheranism is the state religion in Norway, the public school does include some religious instruction and parents have the option of having their children participate in Christmas walk to the Kristiansand Cathedral.
The day went quite well given that they couldn't understand what their teachers were saying. Walter (pronounced Valter in Norwegian) came home with two new friends, boys whose names he couldn't pronounce, and went to the apartment of one of them where he watched the Simpsons and ate waffles. His class is doing a unit on comic books, so we'll have to buy one tomorrow.
Mark enjoyed his class as well, got a chance to introduce himself to his classmates, and had fun with the other kids playing soccer. On Thursday, his class will have a blueberry picking contest.
I've emailed the soccer center to see if I can enroll Walter in a soccer club. Mark wants to play handball.
This evening we tried to decipher Walter's reading for the day. I typed the Norwegian into Google translator and then together we tried to make sense of the words. It's slow going, but we're making some progress.
Cheers,
Martha
Monday, August 16, 2010
Hi All,
Hmm...I think I need to work on my photography skills (the view looked much more impressive when our the apartment owner sent us pics). This is a panoramic view from the balcony of our apartment and you can see the University in the background.
Bill bought a one month bus today for 760 NOK--over $100.00! I bought about 600 NOK of groceries, misjudging what Walter and I could carry. An intercity bus took pity on us and let us get off at the University where Walter ran up the ridge to get dad who ran down to help us with groceries. I feel better though with a stocked fridge.
I have been meeting my colleagues slowly...a gregarious 60 something professor in the English department told me about his Scottish uncle Patterson, who was mad as a hatter, went on a crazy driving escapade in London to get on the dole, but was the best uncle ever.
Went to an orientation session for international students where they cautioned us not to get lulled by the beautiful weather but to prepare for mørketid or the dark time by buying reflectors for our clothing, getting plenty of exercise, and watching for signs of Seasonal Affective Disorder.
There are no drinking fountains in Norway..."The water is safe here. We drink from the tap."
Every time I ask where the restroom is, Norwegians think I'm asking for a restaurant...so now I ask for the bathroom and then they look at me like why would I want to take a shower in the humanities building. ....I can't bring myself to ask for the toilet.
Bill and I are going to enroll in Norwegian classes next week!
Cheers,
Martha
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Address and updates
Hi All,
Please email me if you would like our address.
We're all recovering today. Bill's struggling to figure out how to run the t.v. and the cell phone with Norwegian directions. I made the trek to the Joker to pick up some this food (but this time in my sneakers! ) The boys found a bunch of stray soccer balls, went hiking with Dad, and practiced the piano.
We posted a big map of Norway in the living room and are starting a wish list, mostly along the western coast, of places we would like to visit. We're closest to the Stavanger fjord, but we probably won't be able to make it up there until next summer. We'll see. Our trip to Lithuania for the ASANOR conference is next month. Bill leaves Tuesday to Oslo to fetch my books from the embassy. The boys start school on the same day.
Please email me if you would like our address.
We're all recovering today. Bill's struggling to figure out how to run the t.v. and the cell phone with Norwegian directions. I made the trek to the Joker to pick up some this food (but this time in my sneakers! ) The boys found a bunch of stray soccer balls, went hiking with Dad, and practiced the piano.
We posted a big map of Norway in the living room and are starting a wish list, mostly along the western coast, of places we would like to visit. We're closest to the Stavanger fjord, but we probably won't be able to make it up there until next summer. We'll see. Our trip to Lithuania for the ASANOR conference is next month. Bill leaves Tuesday to Oslo to fetch my books from the embassy. The boys start school on the same day.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Tough Day
Hi All,
We moved into the new apartment. It's lovely, upscale, and modern as you can see, but a hike from groceries. With the boys, I made a trek downtown to get a cell phone, keyboard, hamper and food. We took the bus to town and, because I forgot to bring enough bus money, walked back up, up, up. Ended grumpy with blisters on my Birkenstock shod feet. Tomorrow is a new day. Monday Bill is going to look into bus passes. Boys love it up here, of course. The apartment is stocked with candles everywhere...the way Norwegians cope with winter.
Friday, August 13, 2010
The grounds near Presteheia
These are the grounds near our apartment. I'm not sure if we can take horseback riding lessons here, but we would like to try.
A Brief Foray Into Norwegian Higher Education and What I'm Reading These Days
Hi All,
Met with Jan Erik Mustad, who is my co-instructor, for English 137, which I'll be primarily responsible for in the Fall. An avid scholar, Jan Erik is the foremost Norwegian expert on British and Irish history, culture and politics and is the go-to consultant for the Norwegian news service on British elections, Irish affairs, etc. He'll be teaching the British culture section of the course while I'll teach the American cultural history and the children's lit. I will be teaching on Fridays only, for a total of four hours a week, except when students have practicums.
The teacher training system is quite different than in the U.S., and the Norwegians, as I understand it, in part because of disappointing k-12 test scores, are revamping the curriculum and raising teacher accreditation standards. In our course, designed for incoming freshman who want to specialize in teaching English, students will, three weeks after they begin our course, immediately begin a teaching practicum. By law, faculty can not require more than 80% student attendance and the reading load has an upper limit that may not be breached. In most classes, the primary assessment is a 4-6 hour final exam. Classes end Thanksgiving week, and most people leave for holiday during the month of December. I'm under some pressure to write because the university gets additional funding for faculty who publish.
I also talked to the chair of the history department about additional teaching for Bill. He wasn't sure at this point and directed me to a colleague, whom Bill has already been in touch with. Bill and I may be able to begin Norwegian classes. We'll find out more on Monday.
The University is on land that was a former military base, and the hiking trails and wooded areas that surround our apartment are on grounds once used by the military for training practice. Because it overlooks the city, the area is known as rather exclusive, but it seems to be designed for people with cars. The nearest grocery store is a good walk away, down a steep hill and then some. A bus, however, comes most of the way up the hill.
I can say one thing with complete assurance. I will be in much better physical shape after this year.
The boys are wrestling, must go.
Oh, before I forget....I've been reading In Cod We Trust, a delightful account of a Fulbright student's year in Norway. So, from time to time, I'll pass along tidbits Eric Dregni gleaned from his year. An old saying: The Norwegians eat to live. The Danish live to eat. And the Swedes live to drink.
Met with Jan Erik Mustad, who is my co-instructor, for English 137, which I'll be primarily responsible for in the Fall. An avid scholar, Jan Erik is the foremost Norwegian expert on British and Irish history, culture and politics and is the go-to consultant for the Norwegian news service on British elections, Irish affairs, etc. He'll be teaching the British culture section of the course while I'll teach the American cultural history and the children's lit. I will be teaching on Fridays only, for a total of four hours a week, except when students have practicums.
The teacher training system is quite different than in the U.S., and the Norwegians, as I understand it, in part because of disappointing k-12 test scores, are revamping the curriculum and raising teacher accreditation standards. In our course, designed for incoming freshman who want to specialize in teaching English, students will, three weeks after they begin our course, immediately begin a teaching practicum. By law, faculty can not require more than 80% student attendance and the reading load has an upper limit that may not be breached. In most classes, the primary assessment is a 4-6 hour final exam. Classes end Thanksgiving week, and most people leave for holiday during the month of December. I'm under some pressure to write because the university gets additional funding for faculty who publish.
I also talked to the chair of the history department about additional teaching for Bill. He wasn't sure at this point and directed me to a colleague, whom Bill has already been in touch with. Bill and I may be able to begin Norwegian classes. We'll find out more on Monday.
The University is on land that was a former military base, and the hiking trails and wooded areas that surround our apartment are on grounds once used by the military for training practice. Because it overlooks the city, the area is known as rather exclusive, but it seems to be designed for people with cars. The nearest grocery store is a good walk away, down a steep hill and then some. A bus, however, comes most of the way up the hill.
I can say one thing with complete assurance. I will be in much better physical shape after this year.
The boys are wrestling, must go.
Oh, before I forget....I've been reading In Cod We Trust, a delightful account of a Fulbright student's year in Norway. So, from time to time, I'll pass along tidbits Eric Dregni gleaned from his year. An old saying: The Norwegians eat to live. The Danish live to eat. And the Swedes live to drink.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
The hiking grounds near our apartment
Presteheia St., where we will be living, overlooks Kristiansand and is connected to a series of hiking and skiing trails, lakes and a beach. Today the professor of health and exercise science, whose apartment we're renting, gave us a tour of the area. My doctor in St. Louis will be pleased that one can not help but exercise living in Norway. To get to and from the University, I'll be walking down and up an intimidating hill. Here Walter stands in front of the swimming side of beach. The other side is for fishing.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Our trip to the Hospital
So we ran out of some of meds. Had multiple bottles of everything else we needed but not this. So we start off at the library and get a list of physicians, but it will take weeks to see them, and without the residence permit we're not in system. Then Walter points out the tourist office. Long story short; the lady there suggests going to the hospital emergency room. Emergency room! Now I'm feeling like the American uninsured clogging hospitals with ear infections and flu symptoms.
So the kids and I make the several kilometer trek (no bus...we splurged yesterday). We're walking along this lovely road when we come upon two middle-aged bicyclists who have stopped along the side of the road with their berry buckets. Thinking this would be a sweet diversion, I ask if we might join them and if we were on anyone's property. "In Norway, you can pick berries anywhere. Hike anywhere," the fellow told me, so, after I mentally noted my American fixation on private property rights, we plunged in. Suddenly the man started screaming and running back to the road, his wife after him. I followed--torn between expressions of concern and unpicked berries. While he frantically tried to rid himself of bees (Mark, told me they were probably mining bees), I suddenly felt a needle pierce the heel of my foot. "Boys, boys...come here" I cried, needing someone to lean on so I can examine my foot. Both of them, afraid of the bees, hung back about twenty yards, and I thought, hey, what about those ten years of maternal devotion. A few bees and you won't come to your mother's aid.
Needless to say, when I started out for the hospital I was nimble; I entered limping. But, then, ah, ah, oh hail to thee Norwegian health care system. I waited about an hour with about four other Norwegians in the waiting room. The physician saw both Mark and me, wrote three prescriptions (one now for my swelling foot) and we left with a bill of 229 NOK, which is 37 dollars.
p.s. On our way home, Walter spotted a toad in the middle of the road and the boys made sure he hopped to safety.
So the kids and I make the several kilometer trek (no bus...we splurged yesterday). We're walking along this lovely road when we come upon two middle-aged bicyclists who have stopped along the side of the road with their berry buckets. Thinking this would be a sweet diversion, I ask if we might join them and if we were on anyone's property. "In Norway, you can pick berries anywhere. Hike anywhere," the fellow told me, so, after I mentally noted my American fixation on private property rights, we plunged in. Suddenly the man started screaming and running back to the road, his wife after him. I followed--torn between expressions of concern and unpicked berries. While he frantically tried to rid himself of bees (Mark, told me they were probably mining bees), I suddenly felt a needle pierce the heel of my foot. "Boys, boys...come here" I cried, needing someone to lean on so I can examine my foot. Both of them, afraid of the bees, hung back about twenty yards, and I thought, hey, what about those ten years of maternal devotion. A few bees and you won't come to your mother's aid.
Needless to say, when I started out for the hospital I was nimble; I entered limping. But, then, ah, ah, oh hail to thee Norwegian health care system. I waited about an hour with about four other Norwegians in the waiting room. The physician saw both Mark and me, wrote three prescriptions (one now for my swelling foot) and we left with a bill of 229 NOK, which is 37 dollars.
p.s. On our way home, Walter spotted a toad in the middle of the road and the boys made sure he hopped to safety.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Police Station, Sail boats, and the library
We started the day by attempting to register as foreign nationals at the police station, where, by the time we got there at 11:15 (it opened up at 8:30) we were 95th in line! Fortunately, a nice woman gave us her earlier number, making us only 56th in line. Of course, by the time our number rolled around, we discovered that without the coveted residence permit, we could go no further.
Then we met fellow Fulbrighter Rachel (see pic) and her boat, the Sophia. Had a lovely time. We both love it here. She talked about how much she enjoyed being able to take a fifteen-minute train ride from Oslo to hiking trails, lakes, and rugged vistas. I told her how much I appreciate all of the activities for kids. No one seems, and, okay, this is an exaggeration, but, I gotta tell you, it really seems this way, nobody in Norway seems particularly stressed--from the cab drivers, to the bank tellers, to the street musicians, to the mothers and their babies--just about everybody has a sense of well being, as if, not having to worry about getting food, health care, education, and shelter (which comes with the welfare state), they can enjoy their lives. Physical activity is an integral part of life because everything (grocery shopping, post office, buses) is within walking distance. Sidewalks have separate lanes for bicycles (today at a crossing, I counted 11 bike riders), and in the ten days we have been here, I haven't seen any morbid obesity. Well, okay, the place isn't perfect...given how health-conscious the nation seems, a surprising number of people smoke.
Next we went to the library where they have a piano and guitar the kids can play on. Guess where we're going tomorrow!
Kristiansand town center
Hi All,The boys are in front of the fountain here at Kristiansand's town square. (The old cathedral is in front of them). The seagull seemed to have found the perfect perch--keeping his feet wet while surveying his surroundings for stray fish sticks.
Rachel and Sophia at the Kristiansand Marina
This is a fellow Fulbrighter Rachel, who, with her husband, father-in-law and uncle-in-law, sailed from Mexico through the Panama Canal, up to Ireland, and up through the treacherous North Sea before docking at Kristiansand and tomorrow heading up to Oslo. We had a wonderful afternoon on their boat hearing their stories of seeing bottle-nose and spinner dolphins, orca whales, sperm whales, barracudas and sharks amidst the plastic trash strewn in patches throughout the ocean.A side street in Kristiansand
Hi All,We were walking home from the marina today and I took this photo because I loved the fresh color blocks of the homes.
Monday, August 9, 2010
School and such
Hi All,
We went to the police station to register (all foreigners have to register who will be in the country over a certain length of time), but they were closed. We'll go back tomorrow, but it may take some time since we don't yet have our residence permit. A common joke in the country is the slow pace of Norwegian bureaucracy, so we're preparing for long lines.
Next we had a meeting with the principal of the boys' school. Most children walk or bike to school and the classrooms are large and open. Children take off their shoes in the cloak room before entering the classroom and no candy is allowed. The children also have a great deal of freedom in where they play and, we all had trouble believing this, but he insisted that it is true, there are never any snow days! The day begins at 8:30 and classes get out generally at 1:30 but earlier on Wed. and then we can register for an extra half hour of tutoring or an after school. But then there is an after school program, which we would have to pay for.
The funny thing is Bill and I sometimes buy the wrong groceries because we can't read the packaging. I mistakenly bought buttermilk instead of skim milk; the boys bought fizzy water instead of regular water. Bill bought the wrong kind of detergent. Ah well...
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Gerd's House
This is Gerd's house where we're staying on the second floor until our apartment opens up on the 13th. Walter played with a Norwegian boy today in Gerd's front yard.
A note from Bill
Hello everyone!
We've finally arrived in Norway!
We took a plane from St. Louis to Chicago, and from there embarked on another plane that took us all the way to Stockholm, Sweden. Then, got on another plane to Oslo, the capital of Norway, at which point we took a train, a bus, and then a train again to reach the city of Kristiansand, which is on the coast of southern Norway. Looking outside of the train windows, we got some notion of what the terrain looked like. Unlike the American midwest, where the landscape outside of the cities and suburbs is overwhelmingly agricultural, with lots of fields filled with corn and soybean plants, in Norway the land (or at least the part of it that we've seen from the train) is much less hospitable to farming--there's lots of exposed rock and plenty of pine trees.
For the last leg of our train trip (normally, it would have simply been one trip, but there was a detour due to construction, so we had to take one short train trip, then a short bus trip around the construction, then a longer train trip), we arranged to ride on the railroad car designed for children--it had fewer seats and more open space so that children could walk around. What was also nice is that riding in the children's car did not cost any more money.
The weather here is cooler than in St. Louis--I understand that it has been quite hot there recently--and the evenings are longer--the sky is not completely dark until after 10:00 pm. Further north in Norway right now, the days are even longer.
Many people here speak English--they really push the learning of English in the grade schools--so I haven't had to use the phrasebook that we brought along.
That's all for now--more later.
We've finally arrived in Norway!
We took a plane from St. Louis to Chicago, and from there embarked on another plane that took us all the way to Stockholm, Sweden. Then, got on another plane to Oslo, the capital of Norway, at which point we took a train, a bus, and then a train again to reach the city of Kristiansand, which is on the coast of southern Norway. Looking outside of the train windows, we got some notion of what the terrain looked like. Unlike the American midwest, where the landscape outside of the cities and suburbs is overwhelmingly agricultural, with lots of fields filled with corn and soybean plants, in Norway the land (or at least the part of it that we've seen from the train) is much less hospitable to farming--there's lots of exposed rock and plenty of pine trees.
For the last leg of our train trip (normally, it would have simply been one trip, but there was a detour due to construction, so we had to take one short train trip, then a short bus trip around the construction, then a longer train trip), we arranged to ride on the railroad car designed for children--it had fewer seats and more open space so that children could walk around. What was also nice is that riding in the children's car did not cost any more money.
The weather here is cooler than in St. Louis--I understand that it has been quite hot there recently--and the evenings are longer--the sky is not completely dark until after 10:00 pm. Further north in Norway right now, the days are even longer.
Many people here speak English--they really push the learning of English in the grade schools--so I haven't had to use the phrasebook that we brought along.
That's all for now--more later.
Oslo and PCBs in East St. Louis
Please forgive me for not responding to your emails just yet. I only have a few minutes before I have to leave to catch the train, and I wanted to tell you about what I learned today.
I had a fascinating and disturbing conversation with Mark Hermanson, who is the Arctic Chair for Norway (I mentioned him in my last email). He is also a consultant for major environmental lawsuits, and it turns out that he is an expert witness for a major case being filed against Monsanto in Sauget, which is also in St. Clair County (East St. Louis and O'Fallon are all part of the same county). The prosecution alleges that a series of cancer clusters are caused by this contamination. In fact, when I told him I was from St. Clair County, he seemed startled and told me he considers the county to one of the most polluted in the U.S., and the air pollution, which drifts northeast, continues to be a significant problem. Monsanto has been releasing PCBs into the atmosphere for some time, and recent tree samples from East St. Louis (from trees as young as 8yrs old) show significant levels of PCB contamination. In any event, he is testifying for the prosecution, which is making the case that the cancer clusters in the area are caused by Monsanto's pollution. The case is due to be decided in May of 2011.
Okay, back to Norway...a couple of observations:
It's cheaper to use an American debit card than an American credit card.
Gender equality is considered part of the country's national identity.
We can join a hiking club and get significant discounts on travel in the fjords.
Saw Edward Munch's paintings today at the National Museum.
I had a fascinating and disturbing conversation with Mark Hermanson, who is the Arctic Chair for Norway (I mentioned him in my last email). He is also a consultant for major environmental lawsuits, and it turns out that he is an expert witness for a major case being filed against Monsanto in Sauget, which is also in St. Clair County (East St. Louis and O'Fallon are all part of the same county). The prosecution alleges that a series of cancer clusters are caused by this contamination. In fact, when I told him I was from St. Clair County, he seemed startled and told me he considers the county to one of the most polluted in the U.S., and the air pollution, which drifts northeast, continues to be a significant problem. Monsanto has been releasing PCBs into the atmosphere for some time, and recent tree samples from East St. Louis (from trees as young as 8yrs old) show significant levels of PCB contamination. In any event, he is testifying for the prosecution, which is making the case that the cancer clusters in the area are caused by Monsanto's pollution. The case is due to be decided in May of 2011.
Okay, back to Norway...a couple of observations:
It's cheaper to use an American debit card than an American credit card.
Gender equality is considered part of the country's national identity.
We can join a hiking club and get significant discounts on travel in the fjords.
Saw Edward Munch's paintings today at the National Museum.
Had our first day of orientation, which ended with meeting the
American Ambassador to Norway and a photo op at the Nobel prize
ceremonial rooms. Kinda intimidating, but everyone was gracious and
friendly. Norway is flush with oil wealth and they very much want to
encourage more American students and scholars to study there. Most of
the other Fulbrighters are studying environmental issues and the
Arctic Chair is examining the extent to which toxic chemicals are
found in core ice samples in Longyearbyen Norway, where I hope we can
travel to see the northern lights.
Another Fulbrighter sailed from Mexico to Norway and is living aboard
her boat. She is studying the extent to which each generation becomes
habituated to environmental degradation. She and her husband will be
docking in Kristiansand on Monday, and we'll have them over for
dinner.
Apparently the Norwegian philosophy of parenting is considerably
different, and children are given much more leeway to explore what
they want to in the classroom, act out within limits, and roam more freely
outdoors...The boys will love it, but I wonder if they will have some difficulty in transitioning back to American school.
Oh, I also learned that when you write to us you need to put an S for
South. Apparently, the post office routinely has trouble
distinguishing between mail meant for Kristiansund (which is further
north) and Kristiansand, where we are in the far south.
Hmm...The Norwegians love their coffee, often quit work around 3:30
p.m., have distinct regional dialects, and, have a saying that I will
tell the boys.
"It's not the weather, it's the clothes." In other words, regardless
of weather, the Norwegians embrace the elements.
So all was relatively going well, until I made my faux pas. I was
chatting with a woman who recruited students for the University of
Oslo's summer program. Her friend joined her who was a graduate of
St. Olaf. Our discussion turned to literature and I said that I
thought that the papers of Knut Hamsun were held at St. Olaf. No, she
said, she didn't think so. Then I said, "I know that the papers of a
major American immigrant writer reside there." She said "Do you mean
Ole Rolvaag?" (Ole Rolvaag is probably the most important Norwegian
American writer, and I have not read his most famous book, Giants in
the Earth.) Then, I said, "Oh, yes." Then the other lady said, "Did
you know that I am the granddaughter of Ole Rolvaag and live in his
house?" at which point I stepped back and said "Wow!" and she said
"Have you read him?" and I said, "No" (which is embarrassing).
Oh, and a couple of other interesting anecdotes. If we're in Oslo we
can have lunch with the embassy staff, but we're asked to give them
notice because there are a number of protests against the war in
Afghanistan and they don't wish us to come on a protest day.
We weren't able to get our residence permit yet, so no banking
account. Ugh...I'm not looking forward to seeing our credit card
bill.
There are currently six Americans in prison in Norway...each of us was
enjoined not to become the seventh:)
Cheers,
Martha
American Ambassador to Norway and a photo op at the Nobel prize
ceremonial rooms. Kinda intimidating, but everyone was gracious and
friendly. Norway is flush with oil wealth and they very much want to
encourage more American students and scholars to study there. Most of
the other Fulbrighters are studying environmental issues and the
Arctic Chair is examining the extent to which toxic chemicals are
found in core ice samples in Longyearbyen Norway, where I hope we can
travel to see the northern lights.
Another Fulbrighter sailed from Mexico to Norway and is living aboard
her boat. She is studying the extent to which each generation becomes
habituated to environmental degradation. She and her husband will be
docking in Kristiansand on Monday, and we'll have them over for
dinner.
Apparently the Norwegian philosophy of parenting is considerably
different, and children are given much more leeway to explore what
they want to in the classroom, act out within limits, and roam more freely
outdoors...The boys will love it, but I wonder if they will have some difficulty in transitioning back to American school.
Oh, I also learned that when you write to us you need to put an S for
South. Apparently, the post office routinely has trouble
distinguishing between mail meant for Kristiansund (which is further
north) and Kristiansand, where we are in the far south.
Hmm...The Norwegians love their coffee, often quit work around 3:30
p.m., have distinct regional dialects, and, have a saying that I will
tell the boys.
"It's not the weather, it's the clothes." In other words, regardless
of weather, the Norwegians embrace the elements.
So all was relatively going well, until I made my faux pas. I was
chatting with a woman who recruited students for the University of
Oslo's summer program. Her friend joined her who was a graduate of
St. Olaf. Our discussion turned to literature and I said that I
thought that the papers of Knut Hamsun were held at St. Olaf. No, she
said, she didn't think so. Then I said, "I know that the papers of a
major American immigrant writer reside there." She said "Do you mean
Ole Rolvaag?" (Ole Rolvaag is probably the most important Norwegian
American writer, and I have not read his most famous book, Giants in
the Earth.) Then, I said, "Oh, yes." Then the other lady said, "Did
you know that I am the granddaughter of Ole Rolvaag and live in his
house?" at which point I stepped back and said "Wow!" and she said
"Have you read him?" and I said, "No" (which is embarrassing).
Oh, and a couple of other interesting anecdotes. If we're in Oslo we
can have lunch with the embassy staff, but we're asked to give them
notice because there are a number of protests against the war in
Afghanistan and they don't wish us to come on a protest day.
We weren't able to get our residence permit yet, so no banking
account. Ugh...I'm not looking forward to seeing our credit card
bill.
There are currently six Americans in prison in Norway...each of us was
enjoined not to become the seventh:)
Cheers,
Martha
Just Arrived
Well we arrived in Oslo with our ten begs. Scandinavian Airlines was great. It turns out, though, that we should have gotten a flight directly to Kristiansand since because of construction in Oslo we have to take a bus to another train station with our ten bags plus bags. We're also trying to get over the sticker shock of food in Oslo. Two sandwiches, one yogurt and a small coffee cost $35.00 (they were excellent sandwiches though)! As soon as we can find a low-cost grocery store in Kristiansand, we'll feel much better.
The little we saw of Oslo is lovely. The weather couldn't be nicer--the main street leading from the station is pedestrian only and quite lovely. We're all holding up okay. Boys are punch drunk and too excited to sleep. Bill is beyond exhausted having to load and unload most of the bags on and off trains in the two minutes allotted. We're all looking forward to a good night's sleep.
Love,
Martha, Bill, Mark and Walter
The little we saw of Oslo is lovely. The weather couldn't be nicer--the main street leading from the station is pedestrian only and quite lovely. We're all holding up okay. Boys are punch drunk and too excited to sleep. Bill is beyond exhausted having to load and unload most of the bags on and off trains in the two minutes allotted. We're all looking forward to a good night's sleep.
Love,
Martha, Bill, Mark and Walter
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