People ask me all of the time if I miss home. I think this is an indication of how little people know about me. Of course I don't miss being at home. I am studying folk music, living in Norway. All I have to do is look out my window to remind myself that I am incredibly lucky to be here. This is a phenomenal experience that I am here to enjoy and learn from.
What I miss from home are people. People I care about. Fortunately, I can talk to them on the phone. It's not the same as sitting down with a cup of coffee or tea or a pair of fiddles, but it keeps away the home-sickness. I also miss good coffee, but that I can get in any reasonably large town, should I happen to be in one. I miss dancing as frequently as we do in Seattle, but that will be there when I come back.
Yesterday, I made the mistake of missing the rain. The sound of heavy rain drops beating into sidewalks, streets, gardens. And the smell! Even in Seattle, the smell I'm missing is more a springtime occurrence. I love to walk in the rain; the exercise keeping me warm, the water from the heavens keeping me cool.
Today it rained in Rauland. The foot of snow soaked up the precipitation in the places where it wasn't melting. The roads and walkways turned into sheets of ice as night fell. Piles of snow became solid frozen white walls. We were lucky this time. The rain turned to snow and adhered to the frozen paths giving them texture and traction. If it keeps snowing overnight, we can maybe forget that it rained by the time the sun comes up.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
So many different kinds of snow
The snow falls here almost every day. I am amazed by its variety. Some days it falls in great, big, fluffy flakes that float forever before they finally reach the ground. Other days the snow is angry and fast; small projectiles whipped around by the wind create patterns against the night sky. Some days I can't see that the snow is falling, but I can feel the icy precipitation on my exposed skin and hear it as it hits the ground and the hood of my jacket. Sometimes it's just purposeful; intent on covering the ground, it falls in large flakes fast and hard and straight down.
My favorite is when it glitters. I was walking home a few days ago and everything was glittering. The snow on the ground and the houses and the strange little trees they have suspended from the light posts. What was impressive, though, was that the air was glittering. In the background, the sun was setting turning the mountain rose-colored, but everywhere around me the air sparkled like it was full of diamond dust!
My favorite is when it glitters. I was walking home a few days ago and everything was glittering. The snow on the ground and the houses and the strange little trees they have suspended from the light posts. What was impressive, though, was that the air was glittering. In the background, the sun was setting turning the mountain rose-colored, but everywhere around me the air sparkled like it was full of diamond dust!
Early Morning Phone Calls
Sometimes, when the phone rings, even if it's the same phone (or computer in my case), with the same digital ring-tone, and caller ID indicates the same person is calling, you just get a feeling that something is different this time. Last Tuesday the phone rang at 7:30am, naturally it was my father waking me up from a very cozy sleep. Unnaturally, I answered the phone pleasantly.
"Have you read your email in the last few hours?" he asked. He still doesn't get that I sleep at night and he wakes me up, but I was still getting the vibe that this time, I shouldn't point out how irritating he is.
My father had sad news, although it wasn't entirely unexpected. His father, my grandfather, Alfred Hamberg, had passed away in the night. I wish I could say that he passed peacefully and without pain, but that's not true. I think that my uncle was there with him. My grandmother had seen him over the weekend. At 94, Opa lived a long, full life and had lots to be proud of.
The funeral was on Thursday, the same day as my mid-year exam. My cousin missed two finals. My sister took a red-eye across the country after she was done with her exams. I was the only one who wasn't there. There was no way I could've made the exam and the funeral. In fact, living in Rauland, it was unlikely that I could have left when I got my dad's call and made the funeral.
I hear the service was small, but nice. I hear that a lot of people came to visit my grandmother and my uncle at the apartment afterward. Sometimes I feel very far away from my family.
"Have you read your email in the last few hours?" he asked. He still doesn't get that I sleep at night and he wakes me up, but I was still getting the vibe that this time, I shouldn't point out how irritating he is.
My father had sad news, although it wasn't entirely unexpected. His father, my grandfather, Alfred Hamberg, had passed away in the night. I wish I could say that he passed peacefully and without pain, but that's not true. I think that my uncle was there with him. My grandmother had seen him over the weekend. At 94, Opa lived a long, full life and had lots to be proud of.
The funeral was on Thursday, the same day as my mid-year exam. My cousin missed two finals. My sister took a red-eye across the country after she was done with her exams. I was the only one who wasn't there. There was no way I could've made the exam and the funeral. In fact, living in Rauland, it was unlikely that I could have left when I got my dad's call and made the funeral.
I hear the service was small, but nice. I hear that a lot of people came to visit my grandmother and my uncle at the apartment afterward. Sometimes I feel very far away from my family.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Exam time
Last Wednesday we had our first exam. The subject was music theory and ear training. I think it went pretty well. In addition to the exam, it was an awfully busy day; fortunately the fire drill was canceled, since it was supposed to be between rehearsal for the evening's concert and the concert.
My sections of the concert went pretty well. My group played the same two tunes from before, but we sounded better. I sang a solo that I had been stressing about all day. I really wasn't sure that I could do it for an audience, but it was sounding so good in the shower I just had to try! I'm pleased with the result; it wasn't the greatest performance, but it wasn't terrible either and I made it through the whole song.
The student spelmannslag played for some of the dancing afterward. That was exciting. There are about twelve of us, all operating on the assumption that some one else knows most of the tunes a little better. Fortunately, Ånon plays with us, so there is someone who knows the tunes a little better than we do. The dancing was good all evening, plus we were in the gym hall and not on the stone floor we usually dance on. Several of my coworkers from the hotel joined us for the party as well. It was a good time all around.
Since then we've been studying for our exams than are coming this week. Lots of reading, or trying to read. The study train got a little derailed yesterday when the ukulele's arrived. All 17 of them :D.
I also worked all weekend at the hotel. Lots and lots of guests means lots and lots of dirty dishes and empty glasses to wash. It's going to be really crazy when we get a little further into peak season.
Today I changed my ticket back to Seattle. I needed to change it from January 4 to April 4. First, I called SAS USA, but they were closed, so I called SAS in Norway. They said I had to talk to the travel agent. I called Travelocity and after talking to two very nice gentlemen, I decided that $1300 to change my ticket couldn't possibly be right and that I would need to call them back. Instead, I stressed out for a couple hours, waiting for SAS USA to open and then I called them. After a few minutes on the phone and a $300 fee, I am the proud owner of a ticket dated April 5. See you soon, Seattle!
My sections of the concert went pretty well. My group played the same two tunes from before, but we sounded better. I sang a solo that I had been stressing about all day. I really wasn't sure that I could do it for an audience, but it was sounding so good in the shower I just had to try! I'm pleased with the result; it wasn't the greatest performance, but it wasn't terrible either and I made it through the whole song.
The student spelmannslag played for some of the dancing afterward. That was exciting. There are about twelve of us, all operating on the assumption that some one else knows most of the tunes a little better. Fortunately, Ånon plays with us, so there is someone who knows the tunes a little better than we do. The dancing was good all evening, plus we were in the gym hall and not on the stone floor we usually dance on. Several of my coworkers from the hotel joined us for the party as well. It was a good time all around.
Since then we've been studying for our exams than are coming this week. Lots of reading, or trying to read. The study train got a little derailed yesterday when the ukulele's arrived. All 17 of them :D.
I also worked all weekend at the hotel. Lots and lots of guests means lots and lots of dirty dishes and empty glasses to wash. It's going to be really crazy when we get a little further into peak season.
Today I changed my ticket back to Seattle. I needed to change it from January 4 to April 4. First, I called SAS USA, but they were closed, so I called SAS in Norway. They said I had to talk to the travel agent. I called Travelocity and after talking to two very nice gentlemen, I decided that $1300 to change my ticket couldn't possibly be right and that I would need to call them back. Instead, I stressed out for a couple hours, waiting for SAS USA to open and then I called them. After a few minutes on the phone and a $300 fee, I am the proud owner of a ticket dated April 5. See you soon, Seattle!
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Light
Before I came to Norway for the first time (when I was ten) I imagined that everything here was colorless, like in a black and white movie. I'm not really sure where I got that image from, but certainly stories of the cold, dark winters and, well, black and white movies didn't help. In college I watched the old version of Hunger as part of my Scandinavian Cinema class; the light in that movie was what I was expecting things to be like. Boy was I surprised when I found the intense color palette. Pleasantly surprised, I might add. When I came a few years later, in the winter, I was also impressed by how light it was in contrast to the stories of darkness I'd heard.
Today, on my way to play for my practice playing exam, I was enveloped in a light that was so thin it barely made it through the clouds. Everything from the trees to the buildings to the mountains in the distances and especially the snow was black, white, or a shade of grey in between. I've never seen silver clouds before. Black ones, sure, but not silver; maybe pewter is more descriptive. They hung over the sky, holding in the horizons.
Somehow, the eerie lack of color didn't make me feel uneasy. In a way, it was rather comforting to know that the strange grey world my young mind had cooked up wasn't an indication of a lack of mental pigment. The stark contrast with Sunday's dazzling blue skies and glittering fresh snow was enough to remind me that I'm in a special place here amongst the mountain tops. If that weren't enough, after my practice exam (or perhaps during or before), the silver carpet lining the sky gave way to several hours of spectacular snowfall.
Today, on my way to play for my practice playing exam, I was enveloped in a light that was so thin it barely made it through the clouds. Everything from the trees to the buildings to the mountains in the distances and especially the snow was black, white, or a shade of grey in between. I've never seen silver clouds before. Black ones, sure, but not silver; maybe pewter is more descriptive. They hung over the sky, holding in the horizons.
Somehow, the eerie lack of color didn't make me feel uneasy. In a way, it was rather comforting to know that the strange grey world my young mind had cooked up wasn't an indication of a lack of mental pigment. The stark contrast with Sunday's dazzling blue skies and glittering fresh snow was enough to remind me that I'm in a special place here amongst the mountain tops. If that weren't enough, after my practice exam (or perhaps during or before), the silver carpet lining the sky gave way to several hours of spectacular snowfall.
Monday, December 1, 2008
A week in review
This week there were concerts, parties, work, more work, and, oh yeah, classes.
Wednesday night we had a great hardingfele concert. Olav Mjelva and Per Anders Buen Garnås played a concert of solo hardingfele for roughly an hour. They make it look so easy! Their bows teasing the music out of the strings, applying just the right amount of pressure to create a clean crisp sound. Of course, there was a lot of tuning, but it's worth it when the fiddles sing like that!
After the concert, we danced to student musicians; I would rather have had them play the concert again so we could have danced to that! Then of course the party moved up to the studentheim. After a brief tour of my very clean room, we settled on the kitchen with a sofa. The party fell apart when someone broke the sofa (it's been fixed now). One of my friends crashed on the air mattress in my room and I headed off to wash at the dentist's office.
While everyone back home was celebrating Thanksgiving, I celebrated my friend Silke's birthday. We had pizza and cake, wine and conversation. She's from Germany and most of the time we speak English, which makes it easier for me to get in on deep discussions. I tend to understand what's being said in Norwegian, but I'm not quite fast enough to cut in to a conversation and make my point in Norwegian, yet.
Thursdays are also contain one of my favorite classes - Tradisjonskunnskap or Knowledge of Tradition. Ånon makes getting up on Thursday mornings after a late party really worth it. He knows so much about the traditions in Norway and folk music around the world that it's impossible to catch up if you haven't been in class to hear what he's said. He also has a phenomenal sense of humor that is terribly dry and helps keep me on my toes to avoid missing any good one liners.
Friday was a review day in Folk Music and Society. We also determined what our project topics would be for the year. Mine is going to be planning US tours for Norwegian folk musicians. Of course, I'll have to have at least one practical example, so I'll be writing more about that later! We rounded out the afternoon by making waffles and taking naps; it seemed like a practical use of time.
On Friday evening I started back at the hotel. We have a new manager and new coworkers and therefore a new system and new degrees of chaos. Things went surprisingly well, however. Things also went well on Saturday when I worked in the restaurant and then late into the night in the bar. Ironically, the fire alarm went off when we had the county firemen as our guests. Not to worry, it was a false alarm.
The best part of the week was definitely during the day on Saturday. I woke up to an overcast sky that was dumping snow all over our beautiful landscape. It was still snowing at one when we all met at the grocery store to purchase decorations for the gingerbread Nidaros cathedral we were going to help decorate. Then we all walked together out to Nesland in the snow. Once we got there, Hallvard and Ingebjørg got to work putting together the cathedral, the rest of the girls made pepperkaker, and the boys played music. After a while I changed tasks to help the other Ingrid grind the almonds to make marzipan. It was hard to leave such a cozy scene to head to the hotel! And the gingerbread cathedral - WOW!
On Sunday we went for a short walk so we could get a good view of the fresh snow. It's so beautiful here! The sun was shining, the skies were blue, and it was freezing cold. Since we'd gotten about 6 inches of snow the day before, it was easy to walk around again, so we allowed our feet to guide us to the finished gingerbread houses on display at the academy.
Tomorrow we are playing individually for our instructors. We aren't getting grades, but pretty much everyone is totally stressed out. It's terrifying to sit in front of people who really know what good folk music can sound like and play alone. I'm going to try to remember to breathe.
Two Ingrid's grinding nuts:
Hallvard, the architect planning his next move:
The cookie factory:
Getting closer:
Wednesday night we had a great hardingfele concert. Olav Mjelva and Per Anders Buen Garnås played a concert of solo hardingfele for roughly an hour. They make it look so easy! Their bows teasing the music out of the strings, applying just the right amount of pressure to create a clean crisp sound. Of course, there was a lot of tuning, but it's worth it when the fiddles sing like that!
After the concert, we danced to student musicians; I would rather have had them play the concert again so we could have danced to that! Then of course the party moved up to the studentheim. After a brief tour of my very clean room, we settled on the kitchen with a sofa. The party fell apart when someone broke the sofa (it's been fixed now). One of my friends crashed on the air mattress in my room and I headed off to wash at the dentist's office.
While everyone back home was celebrating Thanksgiving, I celebrated my friend Silke's birthday. We had pizza and cake, wine and conversation. She's from Germany and most of the time we speak English, which makes it easier for me to get in on deep discussions. I tend to understand what's being said in Norwegian, but I'm not quite fast enough to cut in to a conversation and make my point in Norwegian, yet.
Thursdays are also contain one of my favorite classes - Tradisjonskunnskap or Knowledge of Tradition. Ånon makes getting up on Thursday mornings after a late party really worth it. He knows so much about the traditions in Norway and folk music around the world that it's impossible to catch up if you haven't been in class to hear what he's said. He also has a phenomenal sense of humor that is terribly dry and helps keep me on my toes to avoid missing any good one liners.
Friday was a review day in Folk Music and Society. We also determined what our project topics would be for the year. Mine is going to be planning US tours for Norwegian folk musicians. Of course, I'll have to have at least one practical example, so I'll be writing more about that later! We rounded out the afternoon by making waffles and taking naps; it seemed like a practical use of time.
On Friday evening I started back at the hotel. We have a new manager and new coworkers and therefore a new system and new degrees of chaos. Things went surprisingly well, however. Things also went well on Saturday when I worked in the restaurant and then late into the night in the bar. Ironically, the fire alarm went off when we had the county firemen as our guests. Not to worry, it was a false alarm.
The best part of the week was definitely during the day on Saturday. I woke up to an overcast sky that was dumping snow all over our beautiful landscape. It was still snowing at one when we all met at the grocery store to purchase decorations for the gingerbread Nidaros cathedral we were going to help decorate. Then we all walked together out to Nesland in the snow. Once we got there, Hallvard and Ingebjørg got to work putting together the cathedral, the rest of the girls made pepperkaker, and the boys played music. After a while I changed tasks to help the other Ingrid grind the almonds to make marzipan. It was hard to leave such a cozy scene to head to the hotel! And the gingerbread cathedral - WOW!
On Sunday we went for a short walk so we could get a good view of the fresh snow. It's so beautiful here! The sun was shining, the skies were blue, and it was freezing cold. Since we'd gotten about 6 inches of snow the day before, it was easy to walk around again, so we allowed our feet to guide us to the finished gingerbread houses on display at the academy.
Tomorrow we are playing individually for our instructors. We aren't getting grades, but pretty much everyone is totally stressed out. It's terrifying to sit in front of people who really know what good folk music can sound like and play alone. I'm going to try to remember to breathe.
Two Ingrid's grinding nuts:
Hallvard, the architect planning his next move:
The cookie factory:
Getting closer:
Monday, November 24, 2008
Mørketur
Well, to follow up on the last post (I think), I did not get the extra lessons after the audition. According to Ånon, this is primarily because he is too busy and pretty sure that I have enough to work on with what I'm getting now. This is probably true. It also means that I still have time to work on playing the banjo, torader, and spoons in addition to my more serious instruments. (The ukulele's haven't arrived yet!)
This weekend I celebrated another weekend without hours at the hotel by visiting the crew at Nesland. Nesland is about 2km from here and 4 folk music students live in a charming house there. Not having a car, I walked with my fiddles in my hand and a backpack full of warming beverages and homemade applesauce. Fortunately, Egil, who also lives in the student apartments, had a flashlight function on his phone or it would have been very dark on the way there!
We passed the time watching most of The Pirates of the Caribbean and playing fiddles. The time really flew once we broke out the fiddles! By the time we started leaving it was closing in on 2:30.
It was really cold on the way home. Too cold to talk. And I was really glad that mom had sent me long underwear and that the Nesland crew had lent me a hat and a flashlight. The stars are amazing here; the nights are clear and there isn't much light to interfere, especially when there's no moon. It feels like the Big Dipper is going to swing down and scoop up the school.
Of course, we didn't leave before we had some applesauce. Don't ask me why, I'm sure it's cultural, but Norwegians really want to put applesauce on bread. I guess it sort of makes sense; applesauce resembles jam and Norwegians put just about everything on bread. Still, I would much rather have it fresh and warm on ice cream or just by itself!
Sunday I cleaned my room. I suppose that's not really that exciting, but it is worth mentioning. It was starting to get a little deep in here.
The high-light of today was definitely the dinner I made! Chicken curry salad, as close to Mom's recipe as I could manage. I cooked the chicken with perhaps too much curry and a little bit of coriander, salt and pepper. While the chicken cooled, I chopped up a quarter of an onion, a ton of celery, red grapes, and almonds which I toasted with a little olive oil and salt. I mixed it all together with less mayonnaise than I would have used at home and ate it with rice. Yum!
This weekend I celebrated another weekend without hours at the hotel by visiting the crew at Nesland. Nesland is about 2km from here and 4 folk music students live in a charming house there. Not having a car, I walked with my fiddles in my hand and a backpack full of warming beverages and homemade applesauce. Fortunately, Egil, who also lives in the student apartments, had a flashlight function on his phone or it would have been very dark on the way there!
We passed the time watching most of The Pirates of the Caribbean and playing fiddles. The time really flew once we broke out the fiddles! By the time we started leaving it was closing in on 2:30.
It was really cold on the way home. Too cold to talk. And I was really glad that mom had sent me long underwear and that the Nesland crew had lent me a hat and a flashlight. The stars are amazing here; the nights are clear and there isn't much light to interfere, especially when there's no moon. It feels like the Big Dipper is going to swing down and scoop up the school.
Of course, we didn't leave before we had some applesauce. Don't ask me why, I'm sure it's cultural, but Norwegians really want to put applesauce on bread. I guess it sort of makes sense; applesauce resembles jam and Norwegians put just about everything on bread. Still, I would much rather have it fresh and warm on ice cream or just by itself!
Sunday I cleaned my room. I suppose that's not really that exciting, but it is worth mentioning. It was starting to get a little deep in here.
The high-light of today was definitely the dinner I made! Chicken curry salad, as close to Mom's recipe as I could manage. I cooked the chicken with perhaps too much curry and a little bit of coriander, salt and pepper. While the chicken cooled, I chopped up a quarter of an onion, a ton of celery, red grapes, and almonds which I toasted with a little olive oil and salt. I mixed it all together with less mayonnaise than I would have used at home and ate it with rice. Yum!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
November is unstable
That's what the dentist said to me last Monday morning while we were having a conversation about the six to eight inches of snow that were one the ground. At that point in time it was beautiful. And cold.
It stayed cold and clear right through the concert on Wednesday night. When we came out the full moon lit up the clear sky and reflected off the snow covered fields and roads like stadium lights. The stars were amazingly clear against a midnight blue sky.
On Thursday things warmed up a little. Just enough for the rain to fall in the afternoon and turn the entire town into a mud slushie. That was fine until the sun set (around 4pm) and the whole business froze. The roads, the shoulders, the pathways, and especially the treacherous little slope that the student organization intends for us to use as a our method of access to the road were all thick, clear, slippery ice.
Things remained in those conditions all weekend. Well actually, they got a little worse every day as the wind and time wore away at the snow that was left on the ground, leaving only the solid ice behind. We finally got some fresh snow Monday night, but it was too late for me to have escaped unscathed; I slipped on the ice Monday evening on my way to the school. Fortunately, I wasn't moving very fast and I didn't fall very hard.
The fresh snow on Tuesday morning was a welcome sign. Even with the ice underneath, it is much easier to walk on snow. Of course, all good things must come to an end and it rained again this afternoon. The road isn't looking terribly icy right now, but unless it snows again before it gets dark it will be impossible to get down the hill.
What I've learned about walking on the ice. Go slow. Take small steps, keep your knees bent, and keep your center of gravity over your feet. Hmm, sounds like dancing. Also, it's generally less slippery walking over vegetation (like grass) than the road or the path. I'm quite sure there's a scientific reason for that, but all I need to know right now is that it's safer. One more thing, if the ground crunches when you step on it, that is a good indicator that you shoe (or boot) has taken hold of something and it's less likely to slide out from under you.
It stayed cold and clear right through the concert on Wednesday night. When we came out the full moon lit up the clear sky and reflected off the snow covered fields and roads like stadium lights. The stars were amazingly clear against a midnight blue sky.
On Thursday things warmed up a little. Just enough for the rain to fall in the afternoon and turn the entire town into a mud slushie. That was fine until the sun set (around 4pm) and the whole business froze. The roads, the shoulders, the pathways, and especially the treacherous little slope that the student organization intends for us to use as a our method of access to the road were all thick, clear, slippery ice.
Things remained in those conditions all weekend. Well actually, they got a little worse every day as the wind and time wore away at the snow that was left on the ground, leaving only the solid ice behind. We finally got some fresh snow Monday night, but it was too late for me to have escaped unscathed; I slipped on the ice Monday evening on my way to the school. Fortunately, I wasn't moving very fast and I didn't fall very hard.
The fresh snow on Tuesday morning was a welcome sign. Even with the ice underneath, it is much easier to walk on snow. Of course, all good things must come to an end and it rained again this afternoon. The road isn't looking terribly icy right now, but unless it snows again before it gets dark it will be impossible to get down the hill.
What I've learned about walking on the ice. Go slow. Take small steps, keep your knees bent, and keep your center of gravity over your feet. Hmm, sounds like dancing. Also, it's generally less slippery walking over vegetation (like grass) than the road or the path. I'm quite sure there's a scientific reason for that, but all I need to know right now is that it's safer. One more thing, if the ground crunches when you step on it, that is a good indicator that you shoe (or boot) has taken hold of something and it's less likely to slide out from under you.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Busy, Busy, Busy
Wow! What a week!
Over the weekend, starting Thursday night, I took a fabulous course with Unni Boksasp. She is brilliant; her voice is amazing, she is a phenomenal teacher, and she is a really nice person. Over the course of the weekend she managed to make everyone in the class happy by covering pretty much every genre possible in Norwegian vocal tradition (from cow calls to religious folksongs). We also all got a fifteen minute private lesson with her. While fifteen minutes isn't a very long time, she did manage to give good tips and encouragement.
Unni gave two bits of advice I can pass on here. The first is it really is important to warm up if you're going to be singing for any length of time. Each day we warmed up for about a half an hour, and then another ten to fifteen minutes after lunch. Remember that you should warm up your whole body when you sing!
The second bit of advice is - enunciate. Enunciate everything until you think you've got it clear and then over enunciate a little bit more. Especially if you're tralling, the syllables are what drive the rhythm in the music and are very important. If you're singing for dancing (or dancing to singing) you can appreciate how important the enunciation of the rhythm is. That's not to say that everyone in a group has to use the same syllables in a trall, but that's a different topic...
Somewhere during the course of the weekend I managed to find time to write my first paper. Our assignment was to analyze a tune (Skjåken, track #3 on CD5 - Folkemusikk fra Oppland in the Norsk Folkemusikk series). I think the entire class made the assignment harder than it needed to be, but it wasn't easy. Also, the tune is enough to drive a person crazy after listening to it nearly 100 times in the span of a week.
If that weren't enough, we had auditions today for extra lessons. The way it works is if you're good enough to be worthy of extra lessons, the teachers will try to find the time to give them to you. Otherwise, you get a note saying something along the lines of, 'We think you have enough with what you're getting now.' So, I practiced like mad all weekend (between taking the course with Unni and working on the paper).
Today at 4pm it was my turn in the hot seat. I was up first and got to the room before the instructors. I had prepared four tunes, but was only going to play three of them. I was shaking like a leaf. This isn't particularly compatible with fiddling, but I didn't really have any options. I sat down, introduced my first tune, said some words about the tuning and played it.
They were tapping their feet. I made it through the rough parts. I remembered to breath. It was over! Two more tunes...
I announced them, still shaking, and began to play. I survived the first one and introduced the last tune. I played it. Finally, I was done with the ordeal! My mistakes were minor, but they were there. I wasn't playing for a prize, but I was playing for judges. I'll know by the end of the week if I passed that test or not. At least I tried.
Over the weekend, starting Thursday night, I took a fabulous course with Unni Boksasp. She is brilliant; her voice is amazing, she is a phenomenal teacher, and she is a really nice person. Over the course of the weekend she managed to make everyone in the class happy by covering pretty much every genre possible in Norwegian vocal tradition (from cow calls to religious folksongs). We also all got a fifteen minute private lesson with her. While fifteen minutes isn't a very long time, she did manage to give good tips and encouragement.
Unni gave two bits of advice I can pass on here. The first is it really is important to warm up if you're going to be singing for any length of time. Each day we warmed up for about a half an hour, and then another ten to fifteen minutes after lunch. Remember that you should warm up your whole body when you sing!
The second bit of advice is - enunciate. Enunciate everything until you think you've got it clear and then over enunciate a little bit more. Especially if you're tralling, the syllables are what drive the rhythm in the music and are very important. If you're singing for dancing (or dancing to singing) you can appreciate how important the enunciation of the rhythm is. That's not to say that everyone in a group has to use the same syllables in a trall, but that's a different topic...
Somewhere during the course of the weekend I managed to find time to write my first paper. Our assignment was to analyze a tune (Skjåken, track #3 on CD5 - Folkemusikk fra Oppland in the Norsk Folkemusikk series). I think the entire class made the assignment harder than it needed to be, but it wasn't easy. Also, the tune is enough to drive a person crazy after listening to it nearly 100 times in the span of a week.
If that weren't enough, we had auditions today for extra lessons. The way it works is if you're good enough to be worthy of extra lessons, the teachers will try to find the time to give them to you. Otherwise, you get a note saying something along the lines of, 'We think you have enough with what you're getting now.' So, I practiced like mad all weekend (between taking the course with Unni and working on the paper).
Today at 4pm it was my turn in the hot seat. I was up first and got to the room before the instructors. I had prepared four tunes, but was only going to play three of them. I was shaking like a leaf. This isn't particularly compatible with fiddling, but I didn't really have any options. I sat down, introduced my first tune, said some words about the tuning and played it.
They were tapping their feet. I made it through the rough parts. I remembered to breath. It was over! Two more tunes...
I announced them, still shaking, and began to play. I survived the first one and introduced the last tune. I played it. Finally, I was done with the ordeal! My mistakes were minor, but they were there. I wasn't playing for a prize, but I was playing for judges. I'll know by the end of the week if I passed that test or not. At least I tried.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Storm Weather!
You might expect a weather update from that headline, but instead you're getting a concert review. Last night Rauland was graced with the rockin' presence of the Storm Weather Shanty Choir, http://www.shantychoir.com. The six members of the band sing to their own accompaniment on a variety of instruments. They sing everything you would expect from a Norwegian shanty choir. That is to say they sing shanties in Norwegian and English and sometimes a little of both. If you're lucky, you get to hear them sing sad songs about love lost; if you're really lucky, they break out their boy-band moves.
It seems natural that there is a healthy serving of audience participation in their performances. If everyone is going to be singing along anyway, why not make them sing out? Håkon Vatle, the head shantyman, is also a great performer and can get a crowd of any size singing and shouting and doing pretty much whatever he wants.
After the concert, we had the usual sequence of events. We clear the chairs, students play for dancing; people either dance, drink, or go home, and probably all of the above.
At one point, I was standing at the edge of the dance floor listening to my classmates play a really lovely waltz after a string of nordlandspols. It struck me that one of the things I'm really missing here is a really good waltz once in a while. I think I've danced one since school started. It's just hard to beat that feeling when the music is just right and you and your partner are moving perfectly together.
It seems natural that there is a healthy serving of audience participation in their performances. If everyone is going to be singing along anyway, why not make them sing out? Håkon Vatle, the head shantyman, is also a great performer and can get a crowd of any size singing and shouting and doing pretty much whatever he wants.
After the concert, we had the usual sequence of events. We clear the chairs, students play for dancing; people either dance, drink, or go home, and probably all of the above.
At one point, I was standing at the edge of the dance floor listening to my classmates play a really lovely waltz after a string of nordlandspols. It struck me that one of the things I'm really missing here is a really good waltz once in a while. I think I've danced one since school started. It's just hard to beat that feeling when the music is just right and you and your partner are moving perfectly together.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Rauland weather report
Friday night I enjoyed dinner and conversation with my friend Anja and her roommates. It was snowing when I headed out to her house. It snowed while we ate dinner and talked about our teachers and classes. It snowed while we enjoyed ice cream over a lively discussion of religion and politics and future careers.
It was still snowing when I walked home that night. It was dark and beautiful, the snow making the whole world seem brighter in contrast. Best of all, it was quiet. Absolutely still. I took down the hood on my jacket and stopped walking just to enjoy the silence. It was cold, though, so I didn't stand around listening to nothing for long.
Saturday was a slushy miserable combination of snow and rain. It had its good moments though. I played with Iselin, then she helped me make applesauce. David came over and we played some more before making pizza. Then we watched a soccer match with Stine and Benjamin. It was nice to relax with my classmates.
On Sunday it rained and rained and rained. If I hadn't known any better, I would have thought I was at home. Of course at home, it wouldn't have turned into snow. Right about the time Marco and Mona picked me up for some singing and dinner (which turned into a few bottles of wine, good conversation, and me crashing in their extra bedroom) it started to snow again.
It seems to have snowed all night. We have roughly four inches of new snow and a real winter wonderland feeling. Of course, as the dentist said when I met him on my way out of work this morning, November is unstable, weather-wise. All we can do is hope that this snow stays. It's really no fun starting over with the ice every time it snows!
It was still snowing when I walked home that night. It was dark and beautiful, the snow making the whole world seem brighter in contrast. Best of all, it was quiet. Absolutely still. I took down the hood on my jacket and stopped walking just to enjoy the silence. It was cold, though, so I didn't stand around listening to nothing for long.
Saturday was a slushy miserable combination of snow and rain. It had its good moments though. I played with Iselin, then she helped me make applesauce. David came over and we played some more before making pizza. Then we watched a soccer match with Stine and Benjamin. It was nice to relax with my classmates.
On Sunday it rained and rained and rained. If I hadn't known any better, I would have thought I was at home. Of course at home, it wouldn't have turned into snow. Right about the time Marco and Mona picked me up for some singing and dinner (which turned into a few bottles of wine, good conversation, and me crashing in their extra bedroom) it started to snow again.
It seems to have snowed all night. We have roughly four inches of new snow and a real winter wonderland feeling. Of course, as the dentist said when I met him on my way out of work this morning, November is unstable, weather-wise. All we can do is hope that this snow stays. It's really no fun starting over with the ice every time it snows!
Weekly Schedule
Since there was a request - here is my basic weekly schedule. I'm not actually sure we've made it through an entire week without some changes to the schedule, but this is the framework we try to follow.
Monday - Music Theory
Tuesday - Samspel, Vocal Tradition, Dance
Wedensday - Ear training, Individual lesson
Thursday - Tradition (covering all aspects except vocal), Spelmannslag, sometimes singing
Friday - Folkmusic and Society, sometimes singing, torader
Wednesday nights often have concerts. Sunday evenings the local dance group meets. We practice and play music and travel to festivals whenever we have the time, money, and desire!
Monday - Music Theory
Tuesday - Samspel, Vocal Tradition, Dance
Wedensday - Ear training, Individual lesson
Thursday - Tradition (covering all aspects except vocal), Spelmannslag, sometimes singing
Friday - Folkmusic and Society, sometimes singing, torader
Wednesday nights often have concerts. Sunday evenings the local dance group meets. We practice and play music and travel to festivals whenever we have the time, money, and desire!
Friday, November 7, 2008
From Sunshine to Snowstorm
This week has been delightful. I got paid from both of my jobs. I made it to the doctor to refill my prescriptions. My prescriptions arrived at the gas station (there isn't a pharmacy in town). I ordered a ukulele. I stayed up late and got up early to watch the election. I attended the local spelmannslag rehearsal. We have managed to stay busy even without a Wednesday night concert.
We sang in classes this week. We sang and danced ballads (stordans) in our vocal tradition class. In our ear-training class, we sang the whole hour! And, we had a really great hour of singing in our singing group.
Until today, the sun has been shining. Bright sunshine filled the clear skies at lunch most days. We sat outside and soaked up the rays, surrounded by the picturesque campus coated with a thin layer of snow. I wouldn't call it exactly warm, but it wasn't cold either.
Today the snow came again. I was a little worried this morning when I headed to class, since the precipitation began as rain. By the time lunch rolled around it was definitely snow and lots of it. Hopefully, I don't have to worry about ice anymore for a long time!
This weekend promises to be relaxing and productive. I have a few practice dates lined up, but with the hotel closed, I will still have plenty of time to relax and read. I've got to rest up for next week - we'll have a concert by Storm Weather Shanty Choir and then I'm taking an extra course in kveding from Unni Boksasp.
We sang in classes this week. We sang and danced ballads (stordans) in our vocal tradition class. In our ear-training class, we sang the whole hour! And, we had a really great hour of singing in our singing group.
Until today, the sun has been shining. Bright sunshine filled the clear skies at lunch most days. We sat outside and soaked up the rays, surrounded by the picturesque campus coated with a thin layer of snow. I wouldn't call it exactly warm, but it wasn't cold either.
Today the snow came again. I was a little worried this morning when I headed to class, since the precipitation began as rain. By the time lunch rolled around it was definitely snow and lots of it. Hopefully, I don't have to worry about ice anymore for a long time!
This weekend promises to be relaxing and productive. I have a few practice dates lined up, but with the hotel closed, I will still have plenty of time to relax and read. I've got to rest up for next week - we'll have a concert by Storm Weather Shanty Choir and then I'm taking an extra course in kveding from Unni Boksasp.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Folkemusikkhelga i Suldal
This weekend I enjoyed a trip over the mountains to the West with two of my classmates. We descended to sea-level on the bus (I hate traveling by bus) to Sand in Suldal, which is in Rogaland.
Sveinung's mother was the course organizer for the weekend, and also let us stay at her house. Over the course of the weekend, Sveinung and I took a kvedar (singer) class with Halvor Håkanes and David took hardingfele with Arngunn Timenes Bell (who is the sister of one of our classmates here in Rauland).
After we arrived on Friday, we unpacked and then headed up to Mo Laksegard where the courses were held and where most people were staying. Like Seabeck, they have houses that people sleep in, you can order your meals whether or not you're staying there, there's a small but functional bar, two fireplaces, a pool for warmer times of the year, and a dance hall.
We got straight to work on Friday, singing a few soothing melodies; a lullabye or two and a couple of stev. I raised the excitement level by getting locked in the bathroom during the break. I, like most people, lock the door when I use a bathroom. Somehow, the wrong key had been placed in the lock. After several minutes of trying, unsuccessfully, to unlock the door, I was about ready to call for help when several other class members arrived on the other side of the door.
We sent the key out the window and they tried unlocking it from the other side. Eventually the solution became clear. I would have to exit the bathroom the same way as the key. They brought around a chair and faster than Sveinung could get my camera, I was out the bathroom window and back on solid ground.
The rest of the weekend was considerably less exciting, but fun nonetheless. We learned a bunch of good tunes (stev, ballad, and slåttestev) from Halvor. We learned Suldalspringar, which is a super peppy dance. Saturday night was a presentation of everything we had learned, plus the teachers played solo. Some folks played for dancing after the concert as well.
On Sunday, we finished the courses in the morning and then began our bus journey home. We finally arrived in Rauland and made the decision (David and I) to go straight to dance. We were already a half hour late. It's always a small crowd, but it's fun and it's good to dance on a Sunday evening. Last night was the first time I've played for dancing and that was really fun.
This morning I was going to get up early to wash at the dentist's office (at 6am). I was in the middle of a dream about being late for a doctor's appointment when suddenly I woke up and realized that it was far too light outside to be 6am. It was in fact 8am. I had time to take out the garbage and vacuum, but that was all. I guess I was tired from the weekend!
Sveinung's mother was the course organizer for the weekend, and also let us stay at her house. Over the course of the weekend, Sveinung and I took a kvedar (singer) class with Halvor Håkanes and David took hardingfele with Arngunn Timenes Bell (who is the sister of one of our classmates here in Rauland).
After we arrived on Friday, we unpacked and then headed up to Mo Laksegard where the courses were held and where most people were staying. Like Seabeck, they have houses that people sleep in, you can order your meals whether or not you're staying there, there's a small but functional bar, two fireplaces, a pool for warmer times of the year, and a dance hall.
We got straight to work on Friday, singing a few soothing melodies; a lullabye or two and a couple of stev. I raised the excitement level by getting locked in the bathroom during the break. I, like most people, lock the door when I use a bathroom. Somehow, the wrong key had been placed in the lock. After several minutes of trying, unsuccessfully, to unlock the door, I was about ready to call for help when several other class members arrived on the other side of the door.
We sent the key out the window and they tried unlocking it from the other side. Eventually the solution became clear. I would have to exit the bathroom the same way as the key. They brought around a chair and faster than Sveinung could get my camera, I was out the bathroom window and back on solid ground.
The rest of the weekend was considerably less exciting, but fun nonetheless. We learned a bunch of good tunes (stev, ballad, and slåttestev) from Halvor. We learned Suldalspringar, which is a super peppy dance. Saturday night was a presentation of everything we had learned, plus the teachers played solo. Some folks played for dancing after the concert as well.
On Sunday, we finished the courses in the morning and then began our bus journey home. We finally arrived in Rauland and made the decision (David and I) to go straight to dance. We were already a half hour late. It's always a small crowd, but it's fun and it's good to dance on a Sunday evening. Last night was the first time I've played for dancing and that was really fun.
This morning I was going to get up early to wash at the dentist's office (at 6am). I was in the middle of a dream about being late for a doctor's appointment when suddenly I woke up and realized that it was far too light outside to be 6am. It was in fact 8am. I had time to take out the garbage and vacuum, but that was all. I guess I was tired from the weekend!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Winter Concert
Yesterday we got our first real taste of winter. Sure, it's been snowing off and on for the past month, but it's always melted. Yesterday we got a couple inches of snow during the day, and a few more at night, this time it's really staying. Walking in the snow is good for balance!
Here's a photo of the charming path we get to slide up and down between the school and the student apartments (also a photo of where I live). My room is on the second floor, on the far side of the kitchen which is the part that sticks out in the middle of the building.
Of course, there was some snow on the ground when we had the fire drill:
Monday morning, sunrise from the hotel:
Here is Anna warming up for the concert:
It seems to help her play torader!
Our concert when reasonably well. No huge mistakes. The rough spots from rehearsal went better then expected. The audience was all friends and classmates (and teachers) so they were very encouraging.
Afterward we danced and played the night away. Eventually we moved the party up to the student apartments where we had a slight change of genre. We played fiddles, banjo, spoons, and, definitely not least, the egg shaker until the very wee hours of the morning. Everyone was invited to the party, because you can hear the noise we make throughout the building!
Here's a photo of the charming path we get to slide up and down between the school and the student apartments (also a photo of where I live). My room is on the second floor, on the far side of the kitchen which is the part that sticks out in the middle of the building.
Of course, there was some snow on the ground when we had the fire drill:
Monday morning, sunrise from the hotel:
Here is Anna warming up for the concert:
It seems to help her play torader!Our concert when reasonably well. No huge mistakes. The rough spots from rehearsal went better then expected. The audience was all friends and classmates (and teachers) so they were very encouraging.
Afterward we danced and played the night away. Eventually we moved the party up to the student apartments where we had a slight change of genre. We played fiddles, banjo, spoons, and, definitely not least, the egg shaker until the very wee hours of the morning. Everyone was invited to the party, because you can hear the noise we make throughout the building!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Update, continued.
After the fire drill on Wednesday, we had an evening concert with Nobody's Jig. Their performance was overshadowed by the best night I've had dancing here in Rauland. I danced and danced and danced and didn't play my fiddle at all! This week, we have a rotation for who is playing for dancing, so no one gets stuck playing all night and everyone gets a chance to dance.
Over the weekend I worked and worked and worked, and then I partied. Let's start with the working. Friday night the hotel had a 9 person Irish band from Stavanger (I think). Every room in the hotel was booked. The entire town was at the party. They drank us almost dry. The hotel had purchased several pony kegs of Guinness - they were gone before the evening was over. The guests also drank almost all of the regular beer we had. It was the party of the season!
Saturday was much, much calmer in the bar and the restaurant. There wasn't any live music. Just some very drunk Lithuanian carpenters, a handful of hotel guests, and a few locals. On the way home that evening, we found one of the locals attempting to walk home. I would guess that it's about 15km from the hotel to where we dropped him off. His buddies had disappeared and he was determined to make his way home. For a drunk hitch-hiker, he was a pretty entertaining guy.
And then there was Sunday. I started the day (around noon) by working at the dentist office. Around five we met up and headed back to the hotel for the staff party. Free drinks and food, games, a scavenger hunt, one short speech, and dancing. It was a great party. I spent most of my evening talking with a nice Swedish guy, who is a friend of one of the cooks. That is the time I wasn't dancing, chasing around in the snow and the dark looking for the clues we were supposed to find, or dancing some more.
Anja and I had planned to head back to town (either get a ride or take a taxi), but with a little incentive in the form of free lodging in the hotel and friendly conversation, we managed to spend the night. Naturally, we made it to school on time; before the instructor in fact!
We spent Monday learning tunes from Leiv Solberg. Today we worked on our concert program. Wish us luck tomorrow! We've got a big day and night ahead of us.
Over the weekend I worked and worked and worked, and then I partied. Let's start with the working. Friday night the hotel had a 9 person Irish band from Stavanger (I think). Every room in the hotel was booked. The entire town was at the party. They drank us almost dry. The hotel had purchased several pony kegs of Guinness - they were gone before the evening was over. The guests also drank almost all of the regular beer we had. It was the party of the season!
Saturday was much, much calmer in the bar and the restaurant. There wasn't any live music. Just some very drunk Lithuanian carpenters, a handful of hotel guests, and a few locals. On the way home that evening, we found one of the locals attempting to walk home. I would guess that it's about 15km from the hotel to where we dropped him off. His buddies had disappeared and he was determined to make his way home. For a drunk hitch-hiker, he was a pretty entertaining guy.
And then there was Sunday. I started the day (around noon) by working at the dentist office. Around five we met up and headed back to the hotel for the staff party. Free drinks and food, games, a scavenger hunt, one short speech, and dancing. It was a great party. I spent most of my evening talking with a nice Swedish guy, who is a friend of one of the cooks. That is the time I wasn't dancing, chasing around in the snow and the dark looking for the clues we were supposed to find, or dancing some more.
Anja and I had planned to head back to town (either get a ride or take a taxi), but with a little incentive in the form of free lodging in the hotel and friendly conversation, we managed to spend the night. Naturally, we made it to school on time; before the instructor in fact!
We spent Monday learning tunes from Leiv Solberg. Today we worked on our concert program. Wish us luck tomorrow! We've got a big day and night ahead of us.
Whoah! Where has the time gone?
Ok, so I've been a little busy. Let's see, since I last wrote I had a few more days in Kristiansand. I had my (very successful) shopping excursion. I bought winter boots, several work shirts, and hand cream. My last night in Kristiansand I got to attend a birthday party. The birthday girl was 92, she is the mother of the relative I was visiting (her husband was related to me).
Then I was off to Linköping and the Linköping Folkmusik Festival. If you are ever considering a Fall trip to Scandinavia, this is a phenomenal festival. Let me say that again. It was outstanding! Fantastic concerts, three dance floors with great music, and workshops during the day. It was really unbelievable how much they packed into that weekend. For me the highlights were Vegar and Patrick (like Anna and Ingrid, they don't use their last names; they just have an award winning CD or two to show for it), Frikar (OMG wow), and did I mention - THREE DANCE FLOORS!! Nätt og Jämt gets an honorable mention on the highlights list, especially since they played one of the dance stages. I recommend going with a group of friends that dance, or totally alone. I had a pretty good time getting dance partners when I was alone, but it's always more fun to dance with your dance-buddies.
I don't recommend driving to Linköping. At least not from Rauland. It took us 11 hours to get there and longer on the way home. At least we got to sing the whole way there and back!
Upon returning home, we cast ourselves back into the extremely busy rehearsal and class schedule. Our first concert is tomorrow and we hadn't really started rehearsing before then.
I, of course, also have two jobs to occupy my free time. This has a number of benefits. One of them being that I'm too busy working to spend money (or energy) partying. The other is that I'm earning money at the same time I'm not spending it! Two weekends ago, the hotel had a group of 140 members of a single's club as guests. I'll let you use your imagination regarding their behavior.
That Saturday, I started helping in the bar after dinner. I don't mean pour drinks or taking orders; I mean collecting the empty glasses and washing them, chilling them (we don't have enough glasses for them to cool to room temperature before they are needed again), and putting them back out so the bartenders can pour more drinks. This works out fine because I get a ride home from the head bartender. At 4:30am
Last week was mostly more of the same: Rehearsals, classes, cleaning at the dentist's. The highlight came mid-week with the fire drill. I'm used to fire drills where the alarm rings and everyone files out into the parking lot waits for the signal and returns to class. In the corporate setting we file out, get a latte and come back. In Rauland, we sat through a twenty minute presentation covering how quickly a room can succumb to fire and the various uses of all different types of fire extinguishers. Then we filed out into the parking lot (without an alarm). The instructor, clad in fire fighting gear, set out several hand held fire extinguishers, poured a few liters of gasoline into the large square metal container he had placed in the middle of the parking lot (at a safe distance from everything), and lit it. Then we got to practice putting out a pretty ferocious fire. Every time someone put it out, he'd light it again, until everyone had had a chance to practice putting out the fire. That's a fire drill.
More soon - I've got to check the laundry and get ready for tomorrow's concert!
Then I was off to Linköping and the Linköping Folkmusik Festival. If you are ever considering a Fall trip to Scandinavia, this is a phenomenal festival. Let me say that again. It was outstanding! Fantastic concerts, three dance floors with great music, and workshops during the day. It was really unbelievable how much they packed into that weekend. For me the highlights were Vegar and Patrick (like Anna and Ingrid, they don't use their last names; they just have an award winning CD or two to show for it), Frikar (OMG wow), and did I mention - THREE DANCE FLOORS!! Nätt og Jämt gets an honorable mention on the highlights list, especially since they played one of the dance stages. I recommend going with a group of friends that dance, or totally alone. I had a pretty good time getting dance partners when I was alone, but it's always more fun to dance with your dance-buddies.
I don't recommend driving to Linköping. At least not from Rauland. It took us 11 hours to get there and longer on the way home. At least we got to sing the whole way there and back!
Upon returning home, we cast ourselves back into the extremely busy rehearsal and class schedule. Our first concert is tomorrow and we hadn't really started rehearsing before then.
I, of course, also have two jobs to occupy my free time. This has a number of benefits. One of them being that I'm too busy working to spend money (or energy) partying. The other is that I'm earning money at the same time I'm not spending it! Two weekends ago, the hotel had a group of 140 members of a single's club as guests. I'll let you use your imagination regarding their behavior.
That Saturday, I started helping in the bar after dinner. I don't mean pour drinks or taking orders; I mean collecting the empty glasses and washing them, chilling them (we don't have enough glasses for them to cool to room temperature before they are needed again), and putting them back out so the bartenders can pour more drinks. This works out fine because I get a ride home from the head bartender. At 4:30am
Last week was mostly more of the same: Rehearsals, classes, cleaning at the dentist's. The highlight came mid-week with the fire drill. I'm used to fire drills where the alarm rings and everyone files out into the parking lot waits for the signal and returns to class. In the corporate setting we file out, get a latte and come back. In Rauland, we sat through a twenty minute presentation covering how quickly a room can succumb to fire and the various uses of all different types of fire extinguishers. Then we filed out into the parking lot (without an alarm). The instructor, clad in fire fighting gear, set out several hand held fire extinguishers, poured a few liters of gasoline into the large square metal container he had placed in the middle of the parking lot (at a safe distance from everything), and lit it. Then we got to practice putting out a pretty ferocious fire. Every time someone put it out, he'd light it again, until everyone had had a chance to practice putting out the fire. That's a fire drill.
More soon - I've got to check the laundry and get ready for tomorrow's concert!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
On the road again
Yesterday I left Rauland for a few days travel during our fall break. Right now, I'm visiting family in Kristiansand. In order to get here, I rode with a friend to Drammen and then took the train. This is not the most indirect way to get to Kristiansand, but it certainly wasn't the shortest way! It was, however, cheap! The most exciting part of the train ride was that I managed to get some reading done while on the train - usually this makes me motion-sick. Maybe I'm growing out of the motion-sickness!
Gunnar and Magnhild met me at the train station and we headed back to their house. We had dinner followed by watching the news. I sort of wish I were still hiding in my news-free bubble in Rauland! In between newscasts (Gunnar watches them all) we looked at wedding photos from a couple years ago when Håkon (the oldest son) and Mari got married. It was a beautiful summer wedding in Finland.
Today's plan was supposed to include going into town to go shopping. I got a late start and decided shopping could wait for tomorrow - I would rather practice today! I do need winter clothes though. And shoes. And work shirts. This trip to the city was rather well timed!
Gunnar and Magnhild met me at the train station and we headed back to their house. We had dinner followed by watching the news. I sort of wish I were still hiding in my news-free bubble in Rauland! In between newscasts (Gunnar watches them all) we looked at wedding photos from a couple years ago when Håkon (the oldest son) and Mari got married. It was a beautiful summer wedding in Finland.
Today's plan was supposed to include going into town to go shopping. I got a late start and decided shopping could wait for tomorrow - I would rather practice today! I do need winter clothes though. And shoes. And work shirts. This trip to the city was rather well timed!
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Snow!
I realize that I'm going to have to get more descriptive with my titles. Last night it snowed it town. Here are some exciting photos from around 10:30 when I dragged myself out of bed.
From the kitchen:
From the dentists' office:
From the dentists' office looking at the Studentheim where I live:
This afternoon when the sun came out (again from the kitchen):
From the kitchen:
From the dentists' office:
From the dentists' office looking at the Studentheim where I live:
This afternoon when the sun came out (again from the kitchen):
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Tvaddehæg
No one in my class seems to know what tvaddehæg means. It is a local word that seems to represent the weekend market that is happening in Rauland right now. There are booths outside with everything from traditional silver to pea soup to elgsnæks (that's moose jerkey). The invited the students from the university to come play, so of course we were there too!
Stine and I were the first brave souls to arrive. In case you didn't read the last post, it is really cold around here. Almost too cold to play outside. The organizer found us a mildly sheltered spot next to a couple of very friendly llamas. We played for about half an hour until our fingers were about to fall off. During that half hour we talked with some locals, were interviewed by the local newspaper, and received a variety of looks from the townspeople.
Stine and I were the first brave souls to arrive. In case you didn't read the last post, it is really cold around here. Almost too cold to play outside. The organizer found us a mildly sheltered spot next to a couple of very friendly llamas. We played for about half an hour until our fingers were about to fall off. During that half hour we talked with some locals, were interviewed by the local newspaper, and received a variety of looks from the townspeople.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Snow
There is snow on the mountaintops now. It is important to mention that I am not particularly far from the mountaintops. I expect we'll get snow here soon! And the autumn colors on the trees are just phenomenal right now!
On the way to town:
From my window:
From my kitchen window:
From my kitchen window in the morning:
On the way to town:
From my window:
From my kitchen window:
From my kitchen window in the morning:
The frame
When we teach Norwegian dancing in Seattle (and other places I'm sure) we often talk about the range of accepable expression in a particular dance as being the 'frame.' Each dancer is encouraged to find their own style within that frame. This is what keeps the tradition alive and prevents stagnation.
Here in Rauland one of my two favorite questions is 'what is folk music?' We are all pretty sure we know it when we hear it, but everyone has a canvas of a different size and shape. Some are more conservative and feel that only pure traditional music belongs in the folk music category. Others are a more open and accept anything that includes traditional instruments or is inspired by traditional music. Our textbook includes community control in the mix of what is folk music.
On Saturday night at the Norwegian Folk Music Awards in Oslo, all possible combinations of folk music were presented. As I listened to Valkyrien Allstars play after they recieved the prize for the folk musicians of the year, I felt my personal frame stretch. Perhaps it was because I'd never heard them sound so good live before (the whole festival was plagued with less than fantastic sound). They weren't just playing rock music on hardanger fiddles; they were really playing hardingfele in a traditional style, but arranged for a 2008 rock audience. If you haven't heard them, I recommend it. And while you listen, listen for the folk music roots at the heart of it all.
Here in Rauland one of my two favorite questions is 'what is folk music?' We are all pretty sure we know it when we hear it, but everyone has a canvas of a different size and shape. Some are more conservative and feel that only pure traditional music belongs in the folk music category. Others are a more open and accept anything that includes traditional instruments or is inspired by traditional music. Our textbook includes community control in the mix of what is folk music.
On Saturday night at the Norwegian Folk Music Awards in Oslo, all possible combinations of folk music were presented. As I listened to Valkyrien Allstars play after they recieved the prize for the folk musicians of the year, I felt my personal frame stretch. Perhaps it was because I'd never heard them sound so good live before (the whole festival was plagued with less than fantastic sound). They weren't just playing rock music on hardanger fiddles; they were really playing hardingfele in a traditional style, but arranged for a 2008 rock audience. If you haven't heard them, I recommend it. And while you listen, listen for the folk music roots at the heart of it all.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
FolkeLarm
There is so much to write about FolkeLarm I'm not sure where to begin, so I'll start at the beginning.
On Thursday we drove to Oslo. When we arrived we took the easiest, although perhaps least direct route to the house where we would be staying; that is to say we drove around almost all of Ring 2. Once we arrived we introduced ourselves, made a trip to the grocery store and the liqour store (good beer!), and made a couple pizzas. Then I headed back downtown.
Volunteers got free festival passes, so I volunteered! My first job was to sell tickets at a small cafe on Thursday night. I got to hear SYM, Svanvit, and the Gjermund Larsen trio. The were all great! Afterward, I wandered off to meet my friends and ran into most of the members of Sver on the way. I caught the last couple minutes of Unni Boksasp's performance before that venue closed and the party moved on to a new location at a club on the 11th floor of an office building.
The following evenings were similar; fabulous music (Sver, Vallravn, Storm Weather Shanty Choir, Valkyrien Allstars, Einar Olav Larsen trio, solo concerts, etc.), late nights and a city atmosphere. I had moved to a hotel downtown after the hour long walk home (the trains weren't running when we headed in) and sleeping on the floor. This made it that much easier to soak up the bands, the dancing, the coffee shops (I had four soy cappuccinos!), the shopping, and meeting people from all over the world interested in Norwegian folk music.
Saturday night was the Norwegian Folk Music Awards ceremony. Sunday night was the obligatory and beautiful church concert (Anne Hytta) followed by the folkmusikkpub 'for those who haven't gotten enough'. I hadn't gotten enough so I stayed for both! The jam on Sunday night was worth the whole weekend :)
I soaked up enough inspiration in Oslo to last for a good long while. It's easy to lose oneself in a practice room for hours if you set your goals high enough. Just to be sure that I stay inspired, I will be travelling to Linköping in two weeks for their folk music festival.
On Thursday we drove to Oslo. When we arrived we took the easiest, although perhaps least direct route to the house where we would be staying; that is to say we drove around almost all of Ring 2. Once we arrived we introduced ourselves, made a trip to the grocery store and the liqour store (good beer!), and made a couple pizzas. Then I headed back downtown.
Volunteers got free festival passes, so I volunteered! My first job was to sell tickets at a small cafe on Thursday night. I got to hear SYM, Svanvit, and the Gjermund Larsen trio. The were all great! Afterward, I wandered off to meet my friends and ran into most of the members of Sver on the way. I caught the last couple minutes of Unni Boksasp's performance before that venue closed and the party moved on to a new location at a club on the 11th floor of an office building.
The following evenings were similar; fabulous music (Sver, Vallravn, Storm Weather Shanty Choir, Valkyrien Allstars, Einar Olav Larsen trio, solo concerts, etc.), late nights and a city atmosphere. I had moved to a hotel downtown after the hour long walk home (the trains weren't running when we headed in) and sleeping on the floor. This made it that much easier to soak up the bands, the dancing, the coffee shops (I had four soy cappuccinos!), the shopping, and meeting people from all over the world interested in Norwegian folk music.
Saturday night was the Norwegian Folk Music Awards ceremony. Sunday night was the obligatory and beautiful church concert (Anne Hytta) followed by the folkmusikkpub 'for those who haven't gotten enough'. I hadn't gotten enough so I stayed for both! The jam on Sunday night was worth the whole weekend :)
I soaked up enough inspiration in Oslo to last for a good long while. It's easy to lose oneself in a practice room for hours if you set your goals high enough. Just to be sure that I stay inspired, I will be travelling to Linköping in two weeks for their folk music festival.
Fast Forward
It appears that since I found myself employment, I have also managed to be too busy to write much. I'm going to aim to mention all of the highlights, but there have been a lot of them!
On Wednesday the 17th we had a concert here in Rauland. It was a very classical representation of folk music. Most notable from that evening were the Israeli backpackers and the after-party which sparked my interest in the banjo. Yes, I said banjo.
The weather in Rauland (yes this is a highlight) was phenomenal that weekend. We had temperatures up to 30C in the sun. We had good weather all the way until the following Wednesday and that was pretty much the most exciting thing that happened here all week.
On Wednesday the 24th the school hosted a conference titled 'ancient techniques - new asthetics'. My class spent the day before with Tapani Varis, the Finnish munnharpa (amongst other instruments) player. His teaching and the lectures on Wednesday were thought provoking and interesting.
That evening we were treated to a concert of former masters students. Brit Pernille Frøholm presented contemporary hardingfele music. Øystein Sandbukt dazzled the crowd with tunes based in Nordmøre tradition laced with jazz tinged improvisation. Annette Thorsheim stole the show (in my opinion) with music from hardingfele tradition (springar and rull) played on torader. That was a concert!
On the way to the lake:
Totak!
More Totak:
On Wednesday the 17th we had a concert here in Rauland. It was a very classical representation of folk music. Most notable from that evening were the Israeli backpackers and the after-party which sparked my interest in the banjo. Yes, I said banjo.
The weather in Rauland (yes this is a highlight) was phenomenal that weekend. We had temperatures up to 30C in the sun. We had good weather all the way until the following Wednesday and that was pretty much the most exciting thing that happened here all week.
On Wednesday the 24th the school hosted a conference titled 'ancient techniques - new asthetics'. My class spent the day before with Tapani Varis, the Finnish munnharpa (amongst other instruments) player. His teaching and the lectures on Wednesday were thought provoking and interesting.
That evening we were treated to a concert of former masters students. Brit Pernille Frøholm presented contemporary hardingfele music. Øystein Sandbukt dazzled the crowd with tunes based in Nordmøre tradition laced with jazz tinged improvisation. Annette Thorsheim stole the show (in my opinion) with music from hardingfele tradition (springar and rull) played on torader. That was a concert!
On the way to the lake:
Totak!
More Totak:
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Happy Summer Birthdays!
I will write more soon. I just want to say, Happy Birthday Emily and Olav, we are celebrating in Rauland with 30 degree (C) weather. Also, Happy Belated Birthday to Josephine and Wes.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
You can't know everything about anything
Bergljot Roswick was my first dance, particularly song dance, instructor. When I was four years old and ran from the sidewalk into the parade to join the children's dance group, it was Bergljot who welcomed me (and my mother carrying my one year old sister) sight unseen. She wasn't young then and over twenty years have passed.
She taught me so much, not just examples of songs and dances, but about the associated traditions and her personal history. Her passion and respect for Norwegian music and dance captivated me. I danced through middle school, high school, college and beyond. I'm studying folk music in Norway and plan to write my term paper on singing for dancing. There are countless individuals who have supported me throughout the years, but Bergljot's influence shaped the path that my life has taken.
She didn't have an easy life, but she lived it well. As a school girl, she and her classmates would dance in secret in the classroom while the teacher was out to lunch. As an adult she worked as a nurse, while teaching dozens of children and adults to dance. When I dance and play and especially when I sing, I hope that I am making her proud. This is the tradition that she shared with me and I will do my best to share and protect it.
She taught me so much, not just examples of songs and dances, but about the associated traditions and her personal history. Her passion and respect for Norwegian music and dance captivated me. I danced through middle school, high school, college and beyond. I'm studying folk music in Norway and plan to write my term paper on singing for dancing. There are countless individuals who have supported me throughout the years, but Bergljot's influence shaped the path that my life has taken.
She didn't have an easy life, but she lived it well. As a school girl, she and her classmates would dance in secret in the classroom while the teacher was out to lunch. As an adult she worked as a nurse, while teaching dozens of children and adults to dance. When I dance and play and especially when I sing, I hope that I am making her proud. This is the tradition that she shared with me and I will do my best to share and protect it.
Monday, September 15, 2008
So long as we're talking sheep
In the evenings, when it's really quite here, the only noise is the sound of the bells on the sheep as they make their way through the darkness.
Geitebondelag
I now have two jobs. The first, as I may have mentioned, is cleaning at the dentist's office. It is awesome. I walk across the street, take out the trash, clean the sinks and toilets, vacuum, mop, make sure things look clean, and I'm done. The second job is a little more intense.
Somehow I thought that 6.5 hours of work a week might not be enough, so maybe one more day a week wouldn't hurt. Anja had mentioned me to the head waiter at the Rauland Høgfjellshotell and that's about all it takes to get a job there. I hadn't exactly expected to be working as a waitress this year, but then again, I was hoping to not work at all!
The first few two days (last Thursday and Friday), went reasonably smoothly. Roughly five hours each of serving drinks and clearing plates and washing dishes. Saturday night, however, was a different story.
Let me start by saying we are massively understaffed. I'll continue with at dinner on Saturday night we had roughly 130 members of the Goat Farmers' Association (Geitebondelaget) in addition to an automobile club and other hotel guests. We served all of them a four course meal, and beverages. There were nine of us working in the entire restaurant. We managed to get everything cleaned and ready for breakfast by 1:45am. All of those salmon dinners and lodge bazaars paid off finally!
Since yesterday was Sunday, we had dancing in Rauland. Yay! A few more locals came. Perhaps in a few weeks we'll get to critical mass to have some real open dancing! This evening I taught a dance class with one of my classmates, Anna G. She's an exceptional dancer. We taught several of the other students Rørospols and then Anna shared a half hour of halling tricks.
Somehow I thought that 6.5 hours of work a week might not be enough, so maybe one more day a week wouldn't hurt. Anja had mentioned me to the head waiter at the Rauland Høgfjellshotell and that's about all it takes to get a job there. I hadn't exactly expected to be working as a waitress this year, but then again, I was hoping to not work at all!
The first few two days (last Thursday and Friday), went reasonably smoothly. Roughly five hours each of serving drinks and clearing plates and washing dishes. Saturday night, however, was a different story.
Let me start by saying we are massively understaffed. I'll continue with at dinner on Saturday night we had roughly 130 members of the Goat Farmers' Association (Geitebondelaget) in addition to an automobile club and other hotel guests. We served all of them a four course meal, and beverages. There were nine of us working in the entire restaurant. We managed to get everything cleaned and ready for breakfast by 1:45am. All of those salmon dinners and lodge bazaars paid off finally!
Since yesterday was Sunday, we had dancing in Rauland. Yay! A few more locals came. Perhaps in a few weeks we'll get to critical mass to have some real open dancing! This evening I taught a dance class with one of my classmates, Anna G. She's an exceptional dancer. We taught several of the other students Rørospols and then Anna shared a half hour of halling tricks.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
En liten tur på Falkeriset
Saturday September 6, 2008
Sonya's visit was again brief. She left in the morning in a Taxi to Åmot, since the bus doesn't run from Rauland on Saturday's and we didn't figure that out until too late on Friday night. It's really nice to have visitors, especially Sonya!
I had plans to go on a little walk in the mountains. Since we don't all have bikes (and I can't ride one) we were going to walk to the base of the mountain (4km) on the road, then in and around a little way where we would find a trail up to a plateau. That was the plan according to Anja.
Just as we got to the turn-off, Marco pulled up in his car. He said he could join us, but we'd have to come back to his place first so he could change. This gave us the opportunity to meet his girlfriend, so we jumped on it!
Once we were on our way, we realized that it would have really been impossible for us to do all of the walking ourselves. Between where Marco picked us up and the trail head, it was an easy 12-15km. Then there was still the fun part!
We parked the car, put on warm clothes, and headed up the trail to Falkeriset. In places it was really muddy. Anja and I got our feet completely soaked. It was worth it though. By the time we got to the top, we'd eaten wild blueberries, seen fantastic sights, and made it over 1000 meters above sea level!
Sonya's second visit -and more!
Last Wednesday I came home from my trip into town to register with the police and apply for a work permit only to be scared half to death by my impish sister who was hiding in my bed. This was an awesome surprise, since I didn't really think she'd come back here. We are kind of in the middle of nowhere...
That evening we trekked out to Nesland, where half of the second year class is sharing a house. It's not really that far, but it takes about twenty-five minutes if you're enjoying the scenery or a beverage while you walk. We were there to celebrate the SVER concert that was going to take place that evening.
That's right, I said SVER. Norway's power band featuring, amongst others, Olav Mjelva, made a trip to Rauland the same day as Sonya! How perfect is that!? Their concert was unbelievable; it made some of the audience cry and everyone was tapping their toes.
After the concert it was open stage as usual. There was dancing and music and merriment. We were treated to a jam set by the members of SVER. Just before the end, I got to play a little with Olav - always a good time. Somehow the party found its way to the common area that Birgit and I share; I don't know when the last people left, but I went to sleep around 2am.
That evening we trekked out to Nesland, where half of the second year class is sharing a house. It's not really that far, but it takes about twenty-five minutes if you're enjoying the scenery or a beverage while you walk. We were there to celebrate the SVER concert that was going to take place that evening.
That's right, I said SVER. Norway's power band featuring, amongst others, Olav Mjelva, made a trip to Rauland the same day as Sonya! How perfect is that!? Their concert was unbelievable; it made some of the audience cry and everyone was tapping their toes.
After the concert it was open stage as usual. There was dancing and music and merriment. We were treated to a jam set by the members of SVER. Just before the end, I got to play a little with Olav - always a good time. Somehow the party found its way to the common area that Birgit and I share; I don't know when the last people left, but I went to sleep around 2am.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Farsund
From where we are (in the center of Norway) it takes 9 hours on the bus to get to Farsund where I was going to a music festival (Nordsjøfestivalen) with six of my classmates. We had a good time on the bus, but were really happy to finally get to Farsund. We were less happy when we started walking in the dark with our small orchestra of instruments the 2.5km to the hotel.
We arrived at the hotel and got our room assignments. All the girls (5 of us) in one room, and the boys in another. Fortunately, the hotel was really nice and there was plenty of room for five girls. We could also walk straight out of our rooms to the pier where some of us played music and some swam and some just got a head start on the party.
The second year students and instructors had some concerts. There were also concerts from bands around the North Sea. Really awesome bands. Lots of concerts! My recommendations for listening are Benedicte Maurseth for Norwegian and Fiddler's Bid for Shetland music. Of course, I've already made recommendations for Bruvoll/Halvorsen and RUSK. One of the better concerts was two of my instructors and titled 'songs they don't play on the radio'. Eight concerts in one day - and that was just one day!
I saw a several friends at the festival that I didn't realize would be there. The best surprise was Håvard. Even better was getting to listen to him play Saturday night during the buskspel! The evening parties were pretty fun. Hard to go wrong with friends and music!
The bus trip back was really long, but we made it. The worst was the train; I always feel ill on the train between Kristiansand and Bø. Luckily, we all got dropped off at our houses and no one had to schlep instruments too far. Man, was I happy to take a shower and crawl into my comfortable bed!
We arrived at the hotel and got our room assignments. All the girls (5 of us) in one room, and the boys in another. Fortunately, the hotel was really nice and there was plenty of room for five girls. We could also walk straight out of our rooms to the pier where some of us played music and some swam and some just got a head start on the party.
The second year students and instructors had some concerts. There were also concerts from bands around the North Sea. Really awesome bands. Lots of concerts! My recommendations for listening are Benedicte Maurseth for Norwegian and Fiddler's Bid for Shetland music. Of course, I've already made recommendations for Bruvoll/Halvorsen and RUSK. One of the better concerts was two of my instructors and titled 'songs they don't play on the radio'. Eight concerts in one day - and that was just one day!
I saw a several friends at the festival that I didn't realize would be there. The best surprise was Håvard. Even better was getting to listen to him play Saturday night during the buskspel! The evening parties were pretty fun. Hard to go wrong with friends and music!
The bus trip back was really long, but we made it. The worst was the train; I always feel ill on the train between Kristiansand and Bø. Luckily, we all got dropped off at our houses and no one had to schlep instruments too far. Man, was I happy to take a shower and crawl into my comfortable bed!
Sonya's visit II
Wednesday Sonya got to visit the dentist. This was after she came and had lunch with me at the school and met some of my classmates. I decided that more people need to meet Sonya, so I invited everyone over.
Later, I decided that we should have something vaguely American, but not to cheesy to share. What could be better than chocolate chip cookies!? Sonya and I walked to the store again for ingredients and proceded to bake several dozen cookies. My classmates and friends came over and we wound up singing until just after midnight. We also decided that we needed to start some kind of choir.
Thursday was a bit of a rush. Sonya and I were both leaving - Sonya for Oslo and me for Farsund. Neither of us packed the night before and we had laundry that needed to dry! Fortunately the laundry in the dryers was dry, so ours could go in. We had lunch and a few more good laughs before catching the bus and saying another hard goodbye.
Later, I decided that we should have something vaguely American, but not to cheesy to share. What could be better than chocolate chip cookies!? Sonya and I walked to the store again for ingredients and proceded to bake several dozen cookies. My classmates and friends came over and we wound up singing until just after midnight. We also decided that we needed to start some kind of choir.
Thursday was a bit of a rush. Sonya and I were both leaving - Sonya for Oslo and me for Farsund. Neither of us packed the night before and we had laundry that needed to dry! Fortunately the laundry in the dryers was dry, so ours could go in. We had lunch and a few more good laughs before catching the bus and saying another hard goodbye.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Sonya's visit I
Before I get to the main subject - I have been a little busy and I apologize for not updating for a whole week... Sorry. Now, back to what I've been busy with!
Monday was our first real day of class. We spent several hours learning about folk music in society. We talked about possibilities for our projects. Some of us took music theory. Then I had a few hours to stress about Sonya's arrival before my next distraction.
The next distraction was dinner with the international students from Notodden. After dinner, the second year students gave a concert for the visitors and we had a small party. I played some after the concert with some of my classmates. If I hadn't been worrying about Sonya, it would have been awesome.
I left the party at 9:45 to wait for Sonya. It was dark and cold and raining a little. I kept running up and down the stairs to see if she'd sent me an email. I saw the bus go by so I figured she would be here soon. After three minutes, I hadn't seen her yet, so I went upstairs again to see if she'd left a Facebook message. I was a little panicky. Then, I heard the gentle sound of small plastic wheels on pavement from the road below. She had arrived!
Right away, we made some food. I didn't exactly have tomato sauce for the spaghetti. It was more like stewed tomatoes. Cold. Plus some cheese. Good thing she was tired. Then I blew up the air mattress. And we went to bed.
The next day we tried to go for a walk to the lake. We didn't find the lake, but we did go on a lovely nature walk along the road heading toward Åmot. We saw some interesting mushrooms and a slightly squashed beetle.
Monday was our first real day of class. We spent several hours learning about folk music in society. We talked about possibilities for our projects. Some of us took music theory. Then I had a few hours to stress about Sonya's arrival before my next distraction.
The next distraction was dinner with the international students from Notodden. After dinner, the second year students gave a concert for the visitors and we had a small party. I played some after the concert with some of my classmates. If I hadn't been worrying about Sonya, it would have been awesome.
I left the party at 9:45 to wait for Sonya. It was dark and cold and raining a little. I kept running up and down the stairs to see if she'd sent me an email. I saw the bus go by so I figured she would be here soon. After three minutes, I hadn't seen her yet, so I went upstairs again to see if she'd left a Facebook message. I was a little panicky. Then, I heard the gentle sound of small plastic wheels on pavement from the road below. She had arrived!
Right away, we made some food. I didn't exactly have tomato sauce for the spaghetti. It was more like stewed tomatoes. Cold. Plus some cheese. Good thing she was tired. Then I blew up the air mattress. And we went to bed.
The next day we tried to go for a walk to the lake. We didn't find the lake, but we did go on a lovely nature walk along the road heading toward Åmot. We saw some interesting mushrooms and a slightly squashed beetle.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Vinje Rundt
August 22, 2008
Today we (mainly the first year students) went on a bus tour of the county. My favorite fact is that there are approximately 1.2 people per km2. We stopped at Vinje, the place the county is named for, and got a history lesson and performance from Åsmund Nordstoga. Awesome. A little further up the road we stopped and looked at an exhibition of paintings from Draumkvedet and Sondre Bratland told us the story and sang a few verses. Again, awesome.
Vinje Kommune is attractive to artists both because there is such a rich history in the area and because there is a lot of open space. The open space happens to be stunningly beautiful. While a five hour bus tour may have been a little long, I can't choose anything I would have left out. I also spent an extra half hour looking at the sculpture museum that is about five minutes up the hill from the dorm, so I couldn't have been too burnt out!
In the evening, I made dinner and had some friends over. Then I went downstairs and played hardingfele. They taught me some easy tunes and then I taught them three Finnskogspols. They sound pretty good on hardingfele! We were joined by a ukulele and guitar and a small audience. It was really a good way to end the week.
Today we (mainly the first year students) went on a bus tour of the county. My favorite fact is that there are approximately 1.2 people per km2. We stopped at Vinje, the place the county is named for, and got a history lesson and performance from Åsmund Nordstoga. Awesome. A little further up the road we stopped and looked at an exhibition of paintings from Draumkvedet and Sondre Bratland told us the story and sang a few verses. Again, awesome.
Vinje Kommune is attractive to artists both because there is such a rich history in the area and because there is a lot of open space. The open space happens to be stunningly beautiful. While a five hour bus tour may have been a little long, I can't choose anything I would have left out. I also spent an extra half hour looking at the sculpture museum that is about five minutes up the hill from the dorm, so I couldn't have been too burnt out!
In the evening, I made dinner and had some friends over. Then I went downstairs and played hardingfele. They taught me some easy tunes and then I taught them three Finnskogspols. They sound pretty good on hardingfele! We were joined by a ukulele and guitar and a small audience. It was really a good way to end the week.
Today we play & Back to Bø
August 21, 2008
The main focus of Thursday's classes was learning tunes and playing together. We did that all morning and part of the afternoon. Then we were assigned instructors and there was the optional class in beginning music theory. I took the music theory, mostly because I figured it would be helpful to know what everything was in Norwegian.
After class I got a ride to Bø from one of my instructors, Ragnhild Furholt. The drive takes an hour and a half and it is difficult to get there and back in one afternoon on the bus. I was really glad that she was willing to take me as a passenger. I tried to keep up conversation, but as we wound our way down the mountain, I began to feel more and more carsick and talking much just wasn't an option. It all worked out and we made it into town without any major catastrophes.
In Bø, I collected my suitcase. By that I mean, I walked into the basement of the student home that was the motel I'd stayed in during the Telemarkfestival, grabbed my suitcase, and walked out. It was that easy, and I'm glad no one else had done it! Then I waited at the bus stop for three hours and couldn't make phone calls because the phone card wasn't working. I did get to talk to a very nice lady who had had a rather irritating day travelling on the late Norwegian trains.
Back on the bus, I tried to sleep. That didn't exactly work since the lady behind me was talking incessantly in a very high-pitched whine. I was also worried about the connection in Åmot. I shouldn't have been.
We pulled into the bus station in Åmot and the only vehicles parked in the bus zone were a minivan and two SUV's. I was trying to decide if I should ask someone if the bus to Rauland had left, when the guy with the minivan asked where I was going. When I said Rauland, he pointed to the first of the two SUV's. It's a pretty smart system. In day time I haven't seen more than six people on the bus; why should they spend the gas on driving a whole bus up the mountain when they could just send a small vehicle? Needless to say, I was the only passenger heading to Rauland and I got delivered back to the dorm.
Once inside with my suitcase, I started unpacking. Suddenly, I have have doubled my wardrobe! It's like going shopping without spending money or trying things on! Plus, now I have batteries and chargers and dictionaries that I didn't have before. Hannukah in August!
The main focus of Thursday's classes was learning tunes and playing together. We did that all morning and part of the afternoon. Then we were assigned instructors and there was the optional class in beginning music theory. I took the music theory, mostly because I figured it would be helpful to know what everything was in Norwegian.
After class I got a ride to Bø from one of my instructors, Ragnhild Furholt. The drive takes an hour and a half and it is difficult to get there and back in one afternoon on the bus. I was really glad that she was willing to take me as a passenger. I tried to keep up conversation, but as we wound our way down the mountain, I began to feel more and more carsick and talking much just wasn't an option. It all worked out and we made it into town without any major catastrophes.
In Bø, I collected my suitcase. By that I mean, I walked into the basement of the student home that was the motel I'd stayed in during the Telemarkfestival, grabbed my suitcase, and walked out. It was that easy, and I'm glad no one else had done it! Then I waited at the bus stop for three hours and couldn't make phone calls because the phone card wasn't working. I did get to talk to a very nice lady who had had a rather irritating day travelling on the late Norwegian trains.
Back on the bus, I tried to sleep. That didn't exactly work since the lady behind me was talking incessantly in a very high-pitched whine. I was also worried about the connection in Åmot. I shouldn't have been.
We pulled into the bus station in Åmot and the only vehicles parked in the bus zone were a minivan and two SUV's. I was trying to decide if I should ask someone if the bus to Rauland had left, when the guy with the minivan asked where I was going. When I said Rauland, he pointed to the first of the two SUV's. It's a pretty smart system. In day time I haven't seen more than six people on the bus; why should they spend the gas on driving a whole bus up the mountain when they could just send a small vehicle? Needless to say, I was the only passenger heading to Rauland and I got delivered back to the dorm.
Once inside with my suitcase, I started unpacking. Suddenly, I have have doubled my wardrobe! It's like going shopping without spending money or trying things on! Plus, now I have batteries and chargers and dictionaries that I didn't have before. Hannukah in August!
The first day of classes
August 20, 2008
The opening ceremonies went as to be expected. There were several inspirational speeches, the instructors and support staff were introduced, and we had roll call for all of the students. That afternoon we broke into our classes and went over the syllabus for the first semester. There are eleven students in first year folk music; we come from five different countries and play an entire orchestra full of intruments. After that we had library orientation and we had made it through our first day.
The first night was a welcome party. The second year music students and the instructors played during the first part of the evening. The teachers sold beverages. We were in Årestoga, which is a reconstruction (I think) of the type of log buildings you see all over Norway; this one has a small entryway for coats and shoes and a rather large main room with a stone floor. There was easily enough room for the roughly 60 people in attendance to sit at the tables with a cozy dance space in the center.
Once all of the second year students had taken their turn, the first year students were encouraged to come up and play. Timidly, a few of us left our seats, got our instruments and started to tune. A few second year students joined us. We played for at least an hour. We played whatever came up first. If someone didn't know it, they hung in there singing or playing chords until the melody hit them. It was great fun until the instructors sent us home at 11.
Birgit had announced that the after party was at her place, which, when you have that many people over means that it is also in my kitchen. I thought that was a splendid place for an after party. Three of the hardingfele students broke out their instruments and played until the early hours of the morning. They had a huge repertoire in common and it was amazing to sit and listen to them, in between talking with people and trying to get the moths back on the correct side of the glass.
The opening ceremonies went as to be expected. There were several inspirational speeches, the instructors and support staff were introduced, and we had roll call for all of the students. That afternoon we broke into our classes and went over the syllabus for the first semester. There are eleven students in first year folk music; we come from five different countries and play an entire orchestra full of intruments. After that we had library orientation and we had made it through our first day.
The first night was a welcome party. The second year music students and the instructors played during the first part of the evening. The teachers sold beverages. We were in Årestoga, which is a reconstruction (I think) of the type of log buildings you see all over Norway; this one has a small entryway for coats and shoes and a rather large main room with a stone floor. There was easily enough room for the roughly 60 people in attendance to sit at the tables with a cozy dance space in the center.
Once all of the second year students had taken their turn, the first year students were encouraged to come up and play. Timidly, a few of us left our seats, got our instruments and started to tune. A few second year students joined us. We played for at least an hour. We played whatever came up first. If someone didn't know it, they hung in there singing or playing chords until the melody hit them. It was great fun until the instructors sent us home at 11.
Birgit had announced that the after party was at her place, which, when you have that many people over means that it is also in my kitchen. I thought that was a splendid place for an after party. Three of the hardingfele students broke out their instruments and played until the early hours of the morning. They had a huge repertoire in common and it was amazing to sit and listen to them, in between talking with people and trying to get the moths back on the correct side of the glass.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
A day without luggage, almost
August 19, 2008
The first stop today was back at the school. I got my invoice for my school fees (roughly $150 for the semester) and asked a bunch of questions I hadn't asked the day before. Then, I headed up the hill to Rauland Sentrum. Blink and you'd miss it, if you were driving. I did find a place with specialty coffee; we'll have to see how special it is since it cost a small fortune. I also found the grocery store and the ATM.
I took the bus back to Åmot to check in with the police department. The officer I need to talk with is out until possibly Monday, they'll leave a message at the school if and when I need to come back down. I bought a cell phone :D It should start working in a day or two. When I came out of the store, It was just after two o'clock. I had just missed the bus up the hill.
With the extra four hours I had in Åmot, I checked out the two grocery stores. I tried to pay the semester fees, but without enough cash or a Norwegian bank account, I was out of luck. I spent the remaining three hours waiting at the bus stop. At least I got a cup of coffee and some french fries while I waited!
On the bus ride back, I felt relaxed enough to look around at the scenery. Even in the drizzle increasing to downpour, the vistas around every corner are amazing. The road between Åmot and Rauland is not straight. It curves and curls and twists and turns in a northeast fashion for roughly 18 kilometers. Sometimes there are houses on the sides of the road, sometimes itæs just forest and rocks and lakes and rivers. All of it is beautiful.
There were four people on the bus on the way back. All of us were students, but only three of us were students here. The boy got off before we got to the school. The other girl was from Germany and had a fair amount of luggage. I offered to wait with her to make sure she made it to her room. The main doors were locked to the school, so we walked up to the studentheim where the vaktmester's phone number is posted on the wall. She knew her room number and we found one of the Norwegian students to help her call. It turned out that another student had the master key, so everything worked out just fine. Now, I think I'll practice for a while to settle my nerves.
The first stop today was back at the school. I got my invoice for my school fees (roughly $150 for the semester) and asked a bunch of questions I hadn't asked the day before. Then, I headed up the hill to Rauland Sentrum. Blink and you'd miss it, if you were driving. I did find a place with specialty coffee; we'll have to see how special it is since it cost a small fortune. I also found the grocery store and the ATM.
I took the bus back to Åmot to check in with the police department. The officer I need to talk with is out until possibly Monday, they'll leave a message at the school if and when I need to come back down. I bought a cell phone :D It should start working in a day or two. When I came out of the store, It was just after two o'clock. I had just missed the bus up the hill.
With the extra four hours I had in Åmot, I checked out the two grocery stores. I tried to pay the semester fees, but without enough cash or a Norwegian bank account, I was out of luck. I spent the remaining three hours waiting at the bus stop. At least I got a cup of coffee and some french fries while I waited!
On the bus ride back, I felt relaxed enough to look around at the scenery. Even in the drizzle increasing to downpour, the vistas around every corner are amazing. The road between Åmot and Rauland is not straight. It curves and curls and twists and turns in a northeast fashion for roughly 18 kilometers. Sometimes there are houses on the sides of the road, sometimes itæs just forest and rocks and lakes and rivers. All of it is beautiful.
There were four people on the bus on the way back. All of us were students, but only three of us were students here. The boy got off before we got to the school. The other girl was from Germany and had a fair amount of luggage. I offered to wait with her to make sure she made it to her room. The main doors were locked to the school, so we walked up to the studentheim where the vaktmester's phone number is posted on the wall. She knew her room number and we found one of the Norwegian students to help her call. It turned out that another student had the master key, so everything worked out just fine. Now, I think I'll practice for a while to settle my nerves.
First Night
August 18, 2008
Birgit and I will be sharing a kitchen. We are the only ones who will be sharing our luxurious kitchen with an awesome view and a dishwasher. That's right, a dishwasher. Of course, I think we've already had half the school (at least most of the building) here as her guests, so I don't think we'll be wanting for a social life.
Birgit made dinner (thank goodness), sweet and sour chicken, and shared her wine. She went for a walk and I did the dishes and took a nap. When I woke up, there was a small crowd in her room. I think the total headcount was at one point eleven people. Possibly twelve. It was a nice way to start meeting people.
Birgit and I will be sharing a kitchen. We are the only ones who will be sharing our luxurious kitchen with an awesome view and a dishwasher. That's right, a dishwasher. Of course, I think we've already had half the school (at least most of the building) here as her guests, so I don't think we'll be wanting for a social life.
Birgit made dinner (thank goodness), sweet and sour chicken, and shared her wine. She went for a walk and I did the dishes and took a nap. When I woke up, there was a small crowd in her room. I think the total headcount was at one point eleven people. Possibly twelve. It was a nice way to start meeting people.
Transition
August 17-18, 2008
That evening, it was Peder's turn to head to school. He packed and cleared out his room. I packed my things and prepared for my 4am wake-up and 5am bus departure the next morning. We had dinner as a family. I stayed up way too late watching one more movie before going to bed. I didn't really want to leave.
I was so nervous that I would oversleep, that I woke up before the alarm. I was just about ready when Oddmund came to check on me. I grabbed an apple and headed out the door with all of my luggage. The bus was waiting for me and I climbed on board.
Three and a half hours later, I got off in Oslo. I got a sandwich and the ticket to Åmot. Confusingly, the displays listed two bus number 180's, one going through Vinje and one that didn't. The one going through Vinje never arrived, so just before the other one took off, I asked the driver if there was another bus coming. Nope! He was the only one. I'm sure glad I asked.
Four more hours on the bus, plus a little extra for some new asphalt (I took that as a good omen), we pulled in Åmot. The drivers change buses there and get a little break, so it's hard to miss your stop if that's where you're supposed to get off. One last short trip in a minibus up the mountain and I had arrived at Raulands Akademiet.
I checked in and got my key from the super helpful Anne Margit. She has been helping me via email for months now, so it was nice to meet her in person. She introduced me to the vaktmester (janitor just doesn't quite cover it) for the school and the student housing. He drove me up the hill, carried my bag, and showed me my room. It was then that I met Birgit.
That evening, it was Peder's turn to head to school. He packed and cleared out his room. I packed my things and prepared for my 4am wake-up and 5am bus departure the next morning. We had dinner as a family. I stayed up way too late watching one more movie before going to bed. I didn't really want to leave.
I was so nervous that I would oversleep, that I woke up before the alarm. I was just about ready when Oddmund came to check on me. I grabbed an apple and headed out the door with all of my luggage. The bus was waiting for me and I climbed on board.
Three and a half hours later, I got off in Oslo. I got a sandwich and the ticket to Åmot. Confusingly, the displays listed two bus number 180's, one going through Vinje and one that didn't. The one going through Vinje never arrived, so just before the other one took off, I asked the driver if there was another bus coming. Nope! He was the only one. I'm sure glad I asked.
Four more hours on the bus, plus a little extra for some new asphalt (I took that as a good omen), we pulled in Åmot. The drivers change buses there and get a little break, so it's hard to miss your stop if that's where you're supposed to get off. One last short trip in a minibus up the mountain and I had arrived at Raulands Akademiet.
I checked in and got my key from the super helpful Anne Margit. She has been helping me via email for months now, so it was nice to meet her in person. She introduced me to the vaktmester (janitor just doesn't quite cover it) for the school and the student housing. He drove me up the hill, carried my bag, and showed me my room. It was then that I met Birgit.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Trysil IV
August 17, 2008
Today is my last day of vacation. I could have gotten up and gone to church to hear Else and her mother play, but I just didn't have the drive. I didn't get out of bed until close to eleven and was just finishing breakfast when Liv Marit and Oddmund came back. They weren't home for more than ten minutes before we took off to Solbekken, the local open air museum which is one of the oldest in Norway.
All of the buildings were open and there were demonstrations in almost all corners of the museum. Else was scheduled to play the whole day. Peder and I danced a couple of dances. Oddmund drove back to the house to get my fiddle so I could play some with Else, and returned with my fiddle and Geir. Else and I managed to find some tunes we both knew well enough to play for an audience of a couple hundred people who were not really listening, so we had a good time.
During the closing program, it was again the Myhr family who stole the show. Else played while Peder and Geir (the other brother) danced the ox dance and a halling. They did a great job. Especially if you consider that they were dancing on grass, barefoot, and the lady holding the hat had never done it before. Add to that, the hat they were offered was a ten pound cowboy hat and the stick curved upwards. It was basically impossible for them to have successfully kicked that hat off the stick.
While the closing gifts continued to be exchanged, I got to try some traditional Trysil food. Let me highlight rømmesoll - Norwegian style sour cream (rømme) with fresh curds and sugar. Delicious. Also, a local type of lefse that was pretty darn tasty with just butter (but, really, what isn't?).
Today is my last day of vacation. I could have gotten up and gone to church to hear Else and her mother play, but I just didn't have the drive. I didn't get out of bed until close to eleven and was just finishing breakfast when Liv Marit and Oddmund came back. They weren't home for more than ten minutes before we took off to Solbekken, the local open air museum which is one of the oldest in Norway.
All of the buildings were open and there were demonstrations in almost all corners of the museum. Else was scheduled to play the whole day. Peder and I danced a couple of dances. Oddmund drove back to the house to get my fiddle so I could play some with Else, and returned with my fiddle and Geir. Else and I managed to find some tunes we both knew well enough to play for an audience of a couple hundred people who were not really listening, so we had a good time.
During the closing program, it was again the Myhr family who stole the show. Else played while Peder and Geir (the other brother) danced the ox dance and a halling. They did a great job. Especially if you consider that they were dancing on grass, barefoot, and the lady holding the hat had never done it before. Add to that, the hat they were offered was a ten pound cowboy hat and the stick curved upwards. It was basically impossible for them to have successfully kicked that hat off the stick.
While the closing gifts continued to be exchanged, I got to try some traditional Trysil food. Let me highlight rømmesoll - Norwegian style sour cream (rømme) with fresh curds and sugar. Delicious. Also, a local type of lefse that was pretty darn tasty with just butter (but, really, what isn't?).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)