Saturday, November 13, 2010
What Walter bought with his birthday money
Hi All,
Walter used his birthday money (most Norwegian children give money rather than presents as gifts) to buy a traditional Norwegian "Dale of Norway" Setesdal sweater; the pattern represents the southern region of Norway.
Cheers,
Martha
Walter used his birthday money (most Norwegian children give money rather than presents as gifts) to buy a traditional Norwegian "Dale of Norway" Setesdal sweater; the pattern represents the southern region of Norway.
Cheers,
Martha
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Raising money for Namibia
The boys' school is raising money for Namibia and tonight they held their fundraiser. I took Walter whose job was to sell environmental quizzes. The 5th grade class was selling porridge, but since we had mistaken the time (Norway runs on military time and so it throws us that 16:30 is 4:30) Mark lost his porridge-selling slot.
As I walked about the booths selling used clothing, cake, books and games, I felt a sudden kinship with all the non-English speaking parents I have ever seen at school events in the States. Your kids manage, but as parents you walk about amiable but isolated, cocooned in linguistic and cultural difference, hoping to hear your native tongue from one of the familiar but foreign parent clusters you wander past.
As I walked about the booths selling used clothing, cake, books and games, I felt a sudden kinship with all the non-English speaking parents I have ever seen at school events in the States. Your kids manage, but as parents you walk about amiable but isolated, cocooned in linguistic and cultural difference, hoping to hear your native tongue from one of the familiar but foreign parent clusters you wander past.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Walter's class meets members of START--Kristiansand's professional soccer team
This actually happened a few weeks ago, but I only now figured out how to upload the photo from the school website. Is that American Idol playing in the background? The boy featured is actually the son of a former Start player. All of the boy's classmates, including Walter, wish they too had a dad as cool as that:)
Walter's trip to the fylkesmusèet
Hi All,
It's almost 7:00 p.m., dark and icy cold and I am feeling a tad guilty for being snuggy warm while Bill and Mark are off to the barn to see/ride? the horses and Walter is orienteering in his double layers of pants, socks, and mittens.
Today Bill bought another Norwegian necessity, attachable rubber soles with steel cleats, which Walter is using for orienteering. And, yes, Mom, we'll make sure you have a pair when you come.
When Bill and I made our way down the hill today, it was rather treacherous, but, from I hear--and our Wisconsin relatives will have to compare--the Norwegians have mastered the art of weather navigation. For every weather related obstacle, there is a remedy.
The photos are from a class field trip Walter took to the fylkesmusèet where they studied the stone age. The raw meat you see is moose. I'm not sure what the story is behind the taxidermied fox.
It's almost 7:00 p.m., dark and icy cold and I am feeling a tad guilty for being snuggy warm while Bill and Mark are off to the barn to see/ride? the horses and Walter is orienteering in his double layers of pants, socks, and mittens.
Today Bill bought another Norwegian necessity, attachable rubber soles with steel cleats, which Walter is using for orienteering. And, yes, Mom, we'll make sure you have a pair when you come.
When Bill and I made our way down the hill today, it was rather treacherous, but, from I hear--and our Wisconsin relatives will have to compare--the Norwegians have mastered the art of weather navigation. For every weather related obstacle, there is a remedy.
The photos are from a class field trip Walter took to the fylkesmusèet where they studied the stone age. The raw meat you see is moose. I'm not sure what the story is behind the taxidermied fox.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Some fun factoids
Hi All,
In Norway commercials are only allowed every 1/2 hour of programming (my students also say that advertising directed at children is strictly curtailed; I haven't watched enough to notice one way or another).
Schools have a mitten, scarf and shoe drying machine.
Saw lots of adorable school tots in their snowsuits and mittens today. How long the snow will last remains to be seen.
Martha
In Norway commercials are only allowed every 1/2 hour of programming (my students also say that advertising directed at children is strictly curtailed; I haven't watched enough to notice one way or another).
Schools have a mitten, scarf and shoe drying machine.
Saw lots of adorable school tots in their snowsuits and mittens today. How long the snow will last remains to be seen.
Martha
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Walter's Ninth Birthday Party
To celebrate, we invited the boys from his class over for a treasure hunt for coins, which Bill had hidden around the exterior of Presteheia school and in Jegersberg, the wooded park north of our home. The boys and Bill couldn't find all of the coins so some treasure still remains to be found!
Walter's looking sober here, but he had a great time. We served cake, hotdogs, ice cream, Mozell and Villa, both popular apple cider sodas but the latter smells like bubblegum, which we can't figure out.
The boys are watching a Harry Potter movie, well the first half hour of it. No major mishaps, but we had a bit of trouble getting Norwegian subtitles. One of the boys asked sweetly, "Martha, may we have words please?"
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