nød lærer naken kvinne å spinne

Nød lærer naken kvinne å spinne

This Norwegian idiom translates to "Need teaches a naked woman to spin." ie. Necessity is the mother of invention. A sociologist colleague of mine shared this with me, but I didn't have a chance to ask her about the extent to which this idiom reflects Norwegian conceptions of gender roles.

Signe Mari urged me to buy Bacalao, or salted dry cod in the fish market.

Students and faculty alike tell me to listen to Vamp, a widely popular Norwegian band. Here's a youtube link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrdXdyTE0CY&feature=related



Mark returned a few hours ago from a fotball birthday party for three of his teammates at the soccer clubhouse overlooking the field where the boys gather to play after school. It's customary to invite all the boys or girls from the birthday child's class and to give cash gifts. There is more pressure to "fit in" in Norwegian society, and while there are a number of different clubs, the vast majority of boys play soccer. And when Mark and Walter return from the school, the first thing we hear is how their soccer game at recess went.

The Norwegian emphasis on inclusion and equality, of course, cuts both ways. Both Mark and Walter say children in Norway are "nicer"--teachers urge kids to include everyone in game playing, an inclusivity that extends to b-day party invites, but, as I mentioned before, several faculty have lamented the lack of extra stimulation for especially bright children.

Started teaching early this morning and am "naked" as Jan Erik would say. The day began at 8:15--two hours of teaching followed by a break for lunch and another two hour block in the afternoon. Students have one required essay which they must pass before they can "sit" for the four hour written exam and one half-hour oral exam. Even though I question the effectiveness of end-of-year only assessment, I do admire the extent to which the Norwegian educational system works to ensure fairness. Exams are graded by both the instructors and an external grader.

We've had one month here, and both Bill and I feel profoundly grateful for the experience. Our American life is more stressful; we feel more pressure to work, respond to email, to be constantly available to our students and colleagues. For Norwegians, vacation and breaks are integral to life. The building in which I teach includes a faculty lounge which serves lunch, tea and coffee. For every hour of class, students are given a 15 minute break. July is a sacred holiday month, and when I told my colleagues about the educational enrichment programs we sign our children up for in the summer, they seemed surprised. Norway apparently doesn't offer such summer programs and interrupting the summer holiday with school work is virtually unheard of.