Our flight made excellent time and, even though we had left Iceland a little behind schedule, we landed in Seattle early. We were almost the last people off the plane, putting us essentially last in the line to go through customs. Since David obviously doesn't have an American passport, I waited with him in the 'everybody else' line. Things went pretty quickly and soon it was our turn.
We each went to our own custom's agent. Both of us answered the question, 'Are you travelling with anyone?' in the affirmative. Both of us then got the question, 'Are you thinking of getting married?' I wasn't prepared for that one! We got two reasonably similar lectures about making sure we followed all the rules if we were going to get married. Finally, we got past the first hurdle and headed down to pick up our bags.
After collecting our luggage, we headed through the gauntlet of various US Government Officials. The first guy also wanted to know if we were getting married. I thought he was the one that usually has the drug sniffing dog, so I was again surprised by this sudden interest in our relationship status. He made some marks on our papers and sent us on to the next line.
In that line there were two stops. First one guy looks at the papers, ask some of the questions on it (perhaps to check if our answers match), marks up the papers, and gives them back. The next guy basically just looks at all of the marks on the papers and sends us on our way. That last guy is also the one that can send you to the 'open all your suitcases and waste a bunch of time' security station, as I learned on my last trip. Fortunately, that didn't happen again.
One clearing all of customs and security, we delivered our luggage back to airport staff. I have never really understood this particular step in the process. Why can't we just take our bags with us on the shuttle train? Especially when there are so few people waiting in line to ride it. At least they don't seem to lose luggage in that step.
Once in the main terminal, we headed to pick up our luggage and meet the welcome party. Due to a misunderstanding (thanks Dad), there was no welcome party. Our bags arrived and I reluctantly used my Norwegian phone to call the family and organize getting picked up. Dad was waiting nearby and we were finally out of the airport!
Mom, Sonya, and Tyler were waiting for us at an Italian restaurant in West Seattle. There we engaged in sorely missed family conversational antics, including hilarious stories and imitating Dad. Somewhere in there we managed to order way too much food and had to pass on dessert. Mom was loaning us her car and had to catch a ferry, so we raced off to meet the boat.
Since Dad didn't want to shock us on the first night of our visit with the state of our house, he had decided to put us up in bed and breakfast. The bed there was a welcome sight and we were very appreciative that Dad made the effort for us. We crashed early, and woke up around 4am to watch a little cable TV (we found a Swedish cooking show, of all things). We got up again around 9:30 and enjoyed a pretty excellent breakfast.
Since Dad was still not quite ready for us after breakfast, we ditched our luggage at the house and headed for Southcenter. While we should have been studying, we wandered around the mall for several hours, drinking coffee, buying pants and a new computer, and acquiring a US cell phone for David. We got back to Dad's with just enough time to shower and head off to a much anticipated Hanukah dinner with Vicki and family. The following couple of days were filled with studying and avoiding studying for our mid-term test.
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Uppsala
Since David and I are moving into a mostly unfurnished apartment, we have been shopping here in Uppsala. That is, we have basically lived at IKEA. I'm pleased to report that the IKEA in Seattle is very much like the IKEA in Uppsala. The Seattle IKEA really needs to get the self-serve soft-serve because it is the coolest machine.
In addition to IKEA we spent an afternoon/evening with David's sister, husband, and three kids. They are currently living in San Francisco, but are in Sweden for the summer. The whole family was great, plus I got to play with the baby (totally cute at 11 months old)!
We spent a day wandering around town and met up with one of David's friends from school. She was a load of fun. We sat outside and ate ice cream while she told entertaining stories about what seems to be a rather thrilling life. Later we managed to buy new clothes for me and new shirts for David; it had been far too long since my last shopping excursion.
On our last night in Uppsala, David and I made dinner. That is, I made spanikopita and David helped. Turns out, you can get pretty decent phyllo dough in Sweden. The rest of the family enjoyed the spanikopita, which we served with rice and salad.
We also packed the car that evening, which was quite the experience. The car was actually a full size van with most of the rear seats removed. We stuffed it full of clothes and bookshelves, necessities from IKEA and instruments. Somehow we managed to find enough room for ourselves as well.
In addition to IKEA we spent an afternoon/evening with David's sister, husband, and three kids. They are currently living in San Francisco, but are in Sweden for the summer. The whole family was great, plus I got to play with the baby (totally cute at 11 months old)!
We spent a day wandering around town and met up with one of David's friends from school. She was a load of fun. We sat outside and ate ice cream while she told entertaining stories about what seems to be a rather thrilling life. Later we managed to buy new clothes for me and new shirts for David; it had been far too long since my last shopping excursion.
On our last night in Uppsala, David and I made dinner. That is, I made spanikopita and David helped. Turns out, you can get pretty decent phyllo dough in Sweden. The rest of the family enjoyed the spanikopita, which we served with rice and salad.
We also packed the car that evening, which was quite the experience. The car was actually a full size van with most of the rear seats removed. We stuffed it full of clothes and bookshelves, necessities from IKEA and instruments. Somehow we managed to find enough room for ourselves as well.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
New beginnings
The night before our final concert, when most people were busy packing and saying goodbye, I took a deep breath and leapt down a new path. Having had my own heart broken more often than I'd like, I have a tendency to be overly cautious both with my own emotional well being and that of others. The feelings I'd been having for David (a classmate) kept getting stronger the more time I spent with him; the more I thought about it, the more sure I was that I wanted to spend even more time with him. We are both very aware of the potential for negative ramifications if things go poorly next year, however things are going very well and I haven't been happier in a very long time.
Our first adventure as a couple was a cross-country tour. We took off from Rauland on a Saturday afternoon by bus. The plan was to catch the night bus to Uppsala (yippee!), but that plan fell through when the bus was full. I called everyone we knew in Oslo. A classmate of ours came through with his mother's apartment in a very nice neighborhood in Oslo. His mother was moving so, we got the place to ourselves for the few hours we were there.
Early the next morning we found our way back out of the courtyard (we were very nearly locked in) and back to the bus station. After nine long hours on the bus, we arrived at the central station in Stockholm where we met David's mother, Nina. We were very happy that she was in the city and driving up to Uppsala, because we were very hungry and had run into some money trouble (my bank card had stopped working and David was broke). She made good time and we arrived at his home outside the city and met his brother, Thomas, and father, Anders. Everyone was very welcoming - it was fantastic to be home.
After dinner we went for a walk in the forest, then took a shower, and played some music. We were generally exhausted from our journey, but it was good to move, good to play, and phenomenal to be clean. I could have slept through the whole following day, but it was Thomas' birthday so we got up early and woke him up with cake, song, and presents. It was very festive.
In the afternoon, David took me on an Uppsala sightseeing tour. We met a couple friends of his for coffee and sat outside at a cafe in the almost too warm sunshine. We did some shopping (cough drops and a new tooth brush), visited David's high school, the cathedral, and the salvation army. Before leaving town we stopped at the concert hall, both to admire the building and the view from the top floor.
Hot and tired, we headed back to the cozy valley David grew up in, stopping only for Swedish summer essentials (soft serve and dill chips). Back at the Rönnlund ranch (which is not a ranch in the slightest), Anders was preparing Thomas' birthday dinner (steak!). The brothers worked together to produce homemade pasta. As if all that weren't enough, the meal was rounded out with a caprice salad and a second round of birthday cake. David took me sightseeing in the neighboring valley afterward; the pleasant drive and long walk gave us ample time to talk about all kinds of things - and test the temperature of the water. I ended the evening having a somewhat involved conversation with Nina about my thoughts on Judaism; her mother was jewish, so it was an interesting discussion for both of us.
The next day we packed Thomas' car with our things and headed back toward Norway. We spent the evening with Peter, David's uncle, in Karlstad. Well rested we took off toward Geilo and the first NM in folkemusikk (formerly Landskappleiken). Our journey was slowed by a very punctured tire that we limped along on from Kongsberg to Geilo; we filled it once with air and once with foam. Upon arriving in Geilo ten hours later, we changed to the mini tire to be certain that we could drive to the gas station in the morning. In the morning we found out that the tire had four holes in it and we didn't manage to leave before replacing two tires (they wouldn't let us fix just the one).
Our first adventure as a couple was a cross-country tour. We took off from Rauland on a Saturday afternoon by bus. The plan was to catch the night bus to Uppsala (yippee!), but that plan fell through when the bus was full. I called everyone we knew in Oslo. A classmate of ours came through with his mother's apartment in a very nice neighborhood in Oslo. His mother was moving so, we got the place to ourselves for the few hours we were there.
Early the next morning we found our way back out of the courtyard (we were very nearly locked in) and back to the bus station. After nine long hours on the bus, we arrived at the central station in Stockholm where we met David's mother, Nina. We were very happy that she was in the city and driving up to Uppsala, because we were very hungry and had run into some money trouble (my bank card had stopped working and David was broke). She made good time and we arrived at his home outside the city and met his brother, Thomas, and father, Anders. Everyone was very welcoming - it was fantastic to be home.
After dinner we went for a walk in the forest, then took a shower, and played some music. We were generally exhausted from our journey, but it was good to move, good to play, and phenomenal to be clean. I could have slept through the whole following day, but it was Thomas' birthday so we got up early and woke him up with cake, song, and presents. It was very festive.
In the afternoon, David took me on an Uppsala sightseeing tour. We met a couple friends of his for coffee and sat outside at a cafe in the almost too warm sunshine. We did some shopping (cough drops and a new tooth brush), visited David's high school, the cathedral, and the salvation army. Before leaving town we stopped at the concert hall, both to admire the building and the view from the top floor.
Hot and tired, we headed back to the cozy valley David grew up in, stopping only for Swedish summer essentials (soft serve and dill chips). Back at the Rönnlund ranch (which is not a ranch in the slightest), Anders was preparing Thomas' birthday dinner (steak!). The brothers worked together to produce homemade pasta. As if all that weren't enough, the meal was rounded out with a caprice salad and a second round of birthday cake. David took me sightseeing in the neighboring valley afterward; the pleasant drive and long walk gave us ample time to talk about all kinds of things - and test the temperature of the water. I ended the evening having a somewhat involved conversation with Nina about my thoughts on Judaism; her mother was jewish, so it was an interesting discussion for both of us.
The next day we packed Thomas' car with our things and headed back toward Norway. We spent the evening with Peter, David's uncle, in Karlstad. Well rested we took off toward Geilo and the first NM in folkemusikk (formerly Landskappleiken). Our journey was slowed by a very punctured tire that we limped along on from Kongsberg to Geilo; we filled it once with air and once with foam. Upon arriving in Geilo ten hours later, we changed to the mini tire to be certain that we could drive to the gas station in the morning. In the morning we found out that the tire had four holes in it and we didn't manage to leave before replacing two tires (they wouldn't let us fix just the one).
Monday, June 8, 2009
Catching up
Since we got back from Shetland things have been in fast forward. We had our last week of classes, followed by the Seventeenth of May, a visit from my mom, our written exam, lots of rehearsals, a few sunny days on the beach, fylkeskappleiken, and today I had my playing exam. Saturday is our final concert and then this crazy year winds to an end. It's hard to believe.
We celebrated 17. mai by sharing a long and delicious breakfast with our friends. We dressed up in bunad, sang songs, and watched the parades in other parts of the country on TV. Around noon, the local parade made it's way passed us. After cheering on the school children, we joined the end of the parade down to the school. There were games and a raffle, lots of food, speeches, and a short concert. In the evening we relaxed at home and watched the re-run of the Eurovision Song Contest Finals (which Norway had won the night before).
The next day, my mom came to visit for her birthday. It was really great to see her. We went for a walk down to the lake, which has been drained and now has at least a hundred feet of beautiful sandy beach. Mom was only here for a two days, so I didn't really get to spend much time with her, but I'm glad she made the effort to come all the way out here to the middle of Norway.
After Mom left I began studying for my final exam. This was interrupted by several opportunities to bbq and the fylkeskappleik. The fylkeskappleik itself was inspiring in that it made me feel more like I am part of this community and also helped boost my confidence in playing for judges. I'm still struggling with stage fright and nerves when playing for judges, but I'm hoping that will pass with time. The kappleik was held at the hotel; we danced teledans for hours and hours in the bar!
The next Tuesday we had our written exams. Six hours to answer questions ranging from, 'When was the first extant hardingfele built?' to, 'Discuss professionalism in folk music.' I was very happy with most of my answers and that's the best you can hope for on an exam like that. We get our grades tomorrow for the whole year.
Since the written exam we have had both really good weather (four days sun-bathing on our mountain beach) and heavy rain mixed with snow. We have spent a large part of our time rehearsing for the final concert that's coming on Saturday, and the rest of our time rehearsing for the playing exams. I've managed to squeeze in a few parties, cleaning at the dentist's office, and a hike up Falkeriset. I also helped out at the town bazaar yesterday - I sold pizza and hot dogs (including gluten free pizza and milk free hot dogs)!
The main topic of conversation these days revolves around who will be here next year and where we will live. I have wanted to live in the house in Nesland basically all year, but it wasn't a possibility until yesterday. I had in the meantime decided that I would really like to live alone, or rather that I thought it would be a bad idea to live with my classmates. I don't want to get sick of them, since they're the only people I see up here. Nesland is cheaper, but farther away; it would be with my classmates which means it would be more social, but there would be a greater opportunity to get tired of each other. What to do?!
We celebrated 17. mai by sharing a long and delicious breakfast with our friends. We dressed up in bunad, sang songs, and watched the parades in other parts of the country on TV. Around noon, the local parade made it's way passed us. After cheering on the school children, we joined the end of the parade down to the school. There were games and a raffle, lots of food, speeches, and a short concert. In the evening we relaxed at home and watched the re-run of the Eurovision Song Contest Finals (which Norway had won the night before).
The next day, my mom came to visit for her birthday. It was really great to see her. We went for a walk down to the lake, which has been drained and now has at least a hundred feet of beautiful sandy beach. Mom was only here for a two days, so I didn't really get to spend much time with her, but I'm glad she made the effort to come all the way out here to the middle of Norway.
After Mom left I began studying for my final exam. This was interrupted by several opportunities to bbq and the fylkeskappleik. The fylkeskappleik itself was inspiring in that it made me feel more like I am part of this community and also helped boost my confidence in playing for judges. I'm still struggling with stage fright and nerves when playing for judges, but I'm hoping that will pass with time. The kappleik was held at the hotel; we danced teledans for hours and hours in the bar!
The next Tuesday we had our written exams. Six hours to answer questions ranging from, 'When was the first extant hardingfele built?' to, 'Discuss professionalism in folk music.' I was very happy with most of my answers and that's the best you can hope for on an exam like that. We get our grades tomorrow for the whole year.
Since the written exam we have had both really good weather (four days sun-bathing on our mountain beach) and heavy rain mixed with snow. We have spent a large part of our time rehearsing for the final concert that's coming on Saturday, and the rest of our time rehearsing for the playing exams. I've managed to squeeze in a few parties, cleaning at the dentist's office, and a hike up Falkeriset. I also helped out at the town bazaar yesterday - I sold pizza and hot dogs (including gluten free pizza and milk free hot dogs)!
The main topic of conversation these days revolves around who will be here next year and where we will live. I have wanted to live in the house in Nesland basically all year, but it wasn't a possibility until yesterday. I had in the meantime decided that I would really like to live alone, or rather that I thought it would be a bad idea to live with my classmates. I don't want to get sick of them, since they're the only people I see up here. Nesland is cheaper, but farther away; it would be with my classmates which means it would be more social, but there would be a greater opportunity to get tired of each other. What to do?!
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Leave them wanting more
After three weeks in Seattle, I felt like I could really use another week there. I'd managed to see many of my friends and almost all of my family, but I would have liked to have spent more time with all of them. I managed to dance and fiddle, do my school work and relax. In three weeks, I slept in seven different locations, drank an ocean of coffee, and ate out an average of once a day.
Writing papers is a little like torture for me. It's not something I enjoy doing, even when the subject of the paper is something I absolutely love. Take for example the two papers I wrote while in Seattle - one on dance rhythms and one about singing for dancing Clearly these are topics that I enjoy talking about and have a strong interest in these activities themselves. I couldn't right the paper about singing until it was practically due.
(I was writing this on the boat to Shetland and at this point got coerced to the party in the middle of the boat. A story you will read later.)
I love Seattle. The people, the trees, the smell of the sea, the coffee shops, walks with the ladies, the weather (yes, really), everything except the traffic is great. December is a long ways away, but it will come and then I will be back home for another refill of life in the city. Until then, I have some good memories.
Staying with Warshaw family is always great. It is both relaxing and chaotic at the same time. I was fortunate enough to time my visit with passover, so I got to join them for their seder. Of course, my dad came too, and even on his best behavior (which he was on) he still manages to annoy me. Something about fathers and daughters, I suppose.
Springdans was fantastic! Lots of dancing, Norwegian and Swedish. It was fabulous to see folks I'd met in Sweden last summer. With a little bit of nudging we came to the conclusion that I can dance up again this summer, so I'm looking forward to that. Silver in Orsa, here I come! One of the highlights of the weekend was (after the traditional strip tease), of course, staying up really late playing music with Irene. She's just so much fun and so good! Not wanting the fun to end, I started scheming up a jam session for later in the week.
After camp, I spent a few productive days at Mom's. It was great to hang out with her, talking until late in the night drinking lambic and laughing. The second afternoon, Aunt Susie and Solvei came to visit. The weather was perfect and we crashed on the beach, watching the waves and talking about life. Those girls know how to have a good time. The sun went down, the beer was gone, and it was time for Susie and Solvei to head back to Poulsbo (Solvei had school the next day). Mom and I stayed up late again and I passed out after proclaiming that I wasn't tired.
I was woken up in the middle of the night by the feeling of a tail that was definitely not the cat's dragging across my foot. What followed was an hour long real-live cat and mouse game, essentially on the bed. I can't wait until Mom gets her cabin built. Of course, the cat (Finn the Hunter) won the game, with a satisfying, if revolting, crunch.
Back to Seattle for dinner in town with Mark A (way to represent!) and off to Anna's for a few days. If there's anyone who shares my love for chillin' like a villain, it's my best friend Anna. As an extra bonus it was her birthday, so we went out to as many meals as possible (not as easy as it sounds with a vegan). Then, to continue the Springdans fun, which Anna couldn't make it to due to work, we invited a star studded cast of the retired, self-employed, and unemployed to her house on Friday afternoon. It was a jam session for the record book and we could have kept going all night if we hadn't had to get over the the SCC to play the late night set at their happy hour.
Playing the happy hour is a very informal affair. You check with the Center to make sure you won't be conflicting with anyone and then you show up and play. The idea is to play for as long as people seem interested. After playing for 5 hours at Anna's, we played another two at the SCC. Almost all new tunes! What a day!
The rest of the weekend was paper writing crunch time and hanging out with the family. Both families really. I spent time with Sonya at the dental lab (holla!), had dinner with Mom in Ballard, one last night at the Warshaw's complete with Dad coming for dinner and the girls putting on a play. Perhaps a poor choice of pre-travel television, Mark and I watched 'Crashes that Changed Flight' until it was time to go to sleep. As much as I hate saying goodbye, setting off on the adventure to Shetland was exciting and I was really looking forward to getting back to Rauland.
Writing papers is a little like torture for me. It's not something I enjoy doing, even when the subject of the paper is something I absolutely love. Take for example the two papers I wrote while in Seattle - one on dance rhythms and one about singing for dancing Clearly these are topics that I enjoy talking about and have a strong interest in these activities themselves. I couldn't right the paper about singing until it was practically due.
(I was writing this on the boat to Shetland and at this point got coerced to the party in the middle of the boat. A story you will read later.)
I love Seattle. The people, the trees, the smell of the sea, the coffee shops, walks with the ladies, the weather (yes, really), everything except the traffic is great. December is a long ways away, but it will come and then I will be back home for another refill of life in the city. Until then, I have some good memories.
Staying with Warshaw family is always great. It is both relaxing and chaotic at the same time. I was fortunate enough to time my visit with passover, so I got to join them for their seder. Of course, my dad came too, and even on his best behavior (which he was on) he still manages to annoy me. Something about fathers and daughters, I suppose.
Springdans was fantastic! Lots of dancing, Norwegian and Swedish. It was fabulous to see folks I'd met in Sweden last summer. With a little bit of nudging we came to the conclusion that I can dance up again this summer, so I'm looking forward to that. Silver in Orsa, here I come! One of the highlights of the weekend was (after the traditional strip tease), of course, staying up really late playing music with Irene. She's just so much fun and so good! Not wanting the fun to end, I started scheming up a jam session for later in the week.
After camp, I spent a few productive days at Mom's. It was great to hang out with her, talking until late in the night drinking lambic and laughing. The second afternoon, Aunt Susie and Solvei came to visit. The weather was perfect and we crashed on the beach, watching the waves and talking about life. Those girls know how to have a good time. The sun went down, the beer was gone, and it was time for Susie and Solvei to head back to Poulsbo (Solvei had school the next day). Mom and I stayed up late again and I passed out after proclaiming that I wasn't tired.
I was woken up in the middle of the night by the feeling of a tail that was definitely not the cat's dragging across my foot. What followed was an hour long real-live cat and mouse game, essentially on the bed. I can't wait until Mom gets her cabin built. Of course, the cat (Finn the Hunter) won the game, with a satisfying, if revolting, crunch.
Back to Seattle for dinner in town with Mark A (way to represent!) and off to Anna's for a few days. If there's anyone who shares my love for chillin' like a villain, it's my best friend Anna. As an extra bonus it was her birthday, so we went out to as many meals as possible (not as easy as it sounds with a vegan). Then, to continue the Springdans fun, which Anna couldn't make it to due to work, we invited a star studded cast of the retired, self-employed, and unemployed to her house on Friday afternoon. It was a jam session for the record book and we could have kept going all night if we hadn't had to get over the the SCC to play the late night set at their happy hour.
Playing the happy hour is a very informal affair. You check with the Center to make sure you won't be conflicting with anyone and then you show up and play. The idea is to play for as long as people seem interested. After playing for 5 hours at Anna's, we played another two at the SCC. Almost all new tunes! What a day!
The rest of the weekend was paper writing crunch time and hanging out with the family. Both families really. I spent time with Sonya at the dental lab (holla!), had dinner with Mom in Ballard, one last night at the Warshaw's complete with Dad coming for dinner and the girls putting on a play. Perhaps a poor choice of pre-travel television, Mark and I watched 'Crashes that Changed Flight' until it was time to go to sleep. As much as I hate saying goodbye, setting off on the adventure to Shetland was exciting and I was really looking forward to getting back to Rauland.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Seattle Spring '09
I arrived in Seattle three weeks ago to warm sunshine and the usual family circus at the airport. Christa had been suffering an allergic reaction on the airplane for most of the trip and hurried off to her hotel. I was thrilled and surprised that the whole Warshaw family had made the trek to the aiport to meet me when I finally emerged from having all of my bags inspected. Dad still managed to not be at the airport waiting for me.
After a family dinner with Dad, Sonya, and her boyfriend at Dave's Diner, I decided to stay with Christa in the hotel. Both of us passed out pretty early. We both got up pretty early too. Dad came to pick me up around 8:30 and, in spite of my double checking the room, I managed to leave my broken by the inspection agent wallet in the room.The ensuing two day search of all of my belongings did end happily with the recovery of the errant wallet.
I spent a few mornings a Cafe Senso Unico. I love to sit there, drinking coffee and reading, watching the world I left behind scurry in and out between meetings. Of course, they are the home of the most amazing coffee, especially the soy cappuccino.
After a family dinner with Dad, Sonya, and her boyfriend at Dave's Diner, I decided to stay with Christa in the hotel. Both of us passed out pretty early. We both got up pretty early too. Dad came to pick me up around 8:30 and, in spite of my double checking the room, I managed to leave my broken by the inspection agent wallet in the room.The ensuing two day search of all of my belongings did end happily with the recovery of the errant wallet.
I spent a few mornings a Cafe Senso Unico. I love to sit there, drinking coffee and reading, watching the world I left behind scurry in and out between meetings. Of course, they are the home of the most amazing coffee, especially the soy cappuccino.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Winter Break Part III
Let me start with - Jul i Ottestad was the best Christmas ever! We made pepperkaker (think gingerbread, but thinner) the first night. Alvhild had made the dough in advance. Rolling, cutting, and decorating was a joint effort from me, Åsmund, Erling, and Arne (Åsmund's brothers). We went for the speedy mass production effect, although there were a few individual pieces. The stack of hearts. A ukulele and electric guitar. Ukulele in relief!
On Christmas Eve, I went into town with Arne, Erling, and one of his friends. I bought violin and ukulele strings; they bought more presents. We sat for a while and drank coffee. I went on a mini shopping spree and picked up two shirts, a pair of pants, and a pair of tights in twenty minutes before we needed to leave town.
Family dinners included lots of laughter and good conversation. Before or after dinner most days, I played fiddle with Erling on piano. We found some sheet music and filled the house with happy music. I can't remember how long it's been since I've just played like that with someone!
True to Norwegian tradition, packages were opened on Christmas Eve. I wasn't expecting anything and was really shocked (and a little embarassed) to find my name on so many packages. I could tell that everyone had taken time to think about what I might like or need; all of the gifts were excellent.
Since Jan's parents were visiting, I had been kicked out of the standard guest room and found my way over to Alvhild's mother's guest room. This worked out really well for everyone. Not only was the bed particularly comfortable and warm, the family brunch was at Sigrid's on Christmas day. I managed to drag myself out of bed in time to be mildly helpful before the rest of the family arrived.
The highlights of the day were definitely the family quizzes. Erling and I somehow wound up as a team. A team that was ready to lose! The majority of the questions were about their extended family, a topic Erling was a little shady on, or more general Norwegian knowledge questions, where both of us were equally weak. There were also American questions, but I'm pretty sure I'm an atypical American, so those weren't really easy either. More clearly stated, we came in dead last out of the six teams. We also came in last on the geography quiz. There's always next year.
Later that evening we played a few more games. One was a board game about philosophers. We learned that the correct answer to all questions about French philosophers is Rousseau. Amazingly, Erling and I, with the help of Åsmund, did not lose that game!
On Christmas Eve, I went into town with Arne, Erling, and one of his friends. I bought violin and ukulele strings; they bought more presents. We sat for a while and drank coffee. I went on a mini shopping spree and picked up two shirts, a pair of pants, and a pair of tights in twenty minutes before we needed to leave town.
Family dinners included lots of laughter and good conversation. Before or after dinner most days, I played fiddle with Erling on piano. We found some sheet music and filled the house with happy music. I can't remember how long it's been since I've just played like that with someone!
True to Norwegian tradition, packages were opened on Christmas Eve. I wasn't expecting anything and was really shocked (and a little embarassed) to find my name on so many packages. I could tell that everyone had taken time to think about what I might like or need; all of the gifts were excellent.
Since Jan's parents were visiting, I had been kicked out of the standard guest room and found my way over to Alvhild's mother's guest room. This worked out really well for everyone. Not only was the bed particularly comfortable and warm, the family brunch was at Sigrid's on Christmas day. I managed to drag myself out of bed in time to be mildly helpful before the rest of the family arrived.
The highlights of the day were definitely the family quizzes. Erling and I somehow wound up as a team. A team that was ready to lose! The majority of the questions were about their extended family, a topic Erling was a little shady on, or more general Norwegian knowledge questions, where both of us were equally weak. There were also American questions, but I'm pretty sure I'm an atypical American, so those weren't really easy either. More clearly stated, we came in dead last out of the six teams. We also came in last on the geography quiz. There's always next year.
Later that evening we played a few more games. One was a board game about philosophers. We learned that the correct answer to all questions about French philosophers is Rousseau. Amazingly, Erling and I, with the help of Åsmund, did not lose that game!
Thursday, December 18, 2008
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, October 28, 2008
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!
Friday, August 8, 2008
Ørnes III
Yesterday was relaxing. Today was relaxed. Sonya and mom called in the morning; it was great to hear from them! It was early still, so I went back to sleep after a good chat with Mom.
After breakfast, I practiced out on the porch again. Harry, their youngest son, stopped by to say hello. We talked about who the next president will be, housing prices, and the cost of gasoline. He wished my good luck in my school adventures and then was off to the hytte for a few more days vacation before returning to work on the oil platforms.
The next order of business was to read the newspaper while Roald and Oddhild waxed their cars. Then I added labels to a couple hundred photos while they waxed their cars. Then I read the newspaper some more until middag while they waxed their cars. Today we had ertestuing and pølser i brunsaus (split green peas and sausages in brown sauce) with potatoes, of course.
After the post-meal nap, I read a second newspaper (the cars were almost completely waxed by this time). Then we had coffee and apple cake with vaniljesaus. We watched the news and some television. I called home and brushed my teeth.
After breakfast, I practiced out on the porch again. Harry, their youngest son, stopped by to say hello. We talked about who the next president will be, housing prices, and the cost of gasoline. He wished my good luck in my school adventures and then was off to the hytte for a few more days vacation before returning to work on the oil platforms.
The next order of business was to read the newspaper while Roald and Oddhild waxed their cars. Then I added labels to a couple hundred photos while they waxed their cars. Then I read the newspaper some more until middag while they waxed their cars. Today we had ertestuing and pølser i brunsaus (split green peas and sausages in brown sauce) with potatoes, of course.
After the post-meal nap, I read a second newspaper (the cars were almost completely waxed by this time). Then we had coffee and apple cake with vaniljesaus. We watched the news and some television. I called home and brushed my teeth.
Ørnes II
Yesterday, I mentioned laundry. I did not mention that while I have become accustomed to hand washing my clothes, it does not compare to getting all of your clothes clean (they were all dirty) at once without getting your hands wet. Hang them outside to dry? No problem! The sun will dry them all at once, too!
Today was the perfect example of how to enjoy life while on vacation. I got up around 9:30 and had breakfast before bringing in my dry clothes. I took a shower, got dressed, and practiced fiddle for at least an hour and a half. I shared my photos with Roald (I finally got them onto my computer!). I read the newspaper for a while. At three we had middag, which is often translated as dinner, but is usually served at 3, which is a long time after breakfast if there is no lunch in between, but not late enough to really be called dinner I think. Then we all rested - I slept until 5:30. More sitting on the porch, reading the newspaper, and labeling photos, interrupted at 7 by coffee and waffles (also not dinner). At about 9:30pm we had kveldsmat (evening food), which looks a lot like a typical Norwegian breakfast, just twelve hours later in the day. In between those things I made phone calls and chatted with Roald and Oddhild. Teeth brushed and in bed at 11:15.
Now, I will back track. Middag was fish balls. Fish balls in white sauce with curry powder on top, with carrots and potatoes. Oddhild hadn't made this fish balls herself, but she did make the sauce. Thanks to my previous experience with fish balls in Östersund, I had no trouble digging in to these without making that face I make when I'm trying new foods. i have to say, middag was phenomenal. Our Swedish fish balls from a can did not compare to fresh ones with a home made white sauce plus yellow potatoes and sweet carrots. Yum. For dessert we had gele with vaniljesaus. I'm not sure how to prepare a more Norwegian meal.
I've heard in the past that sleeping on a full stomach is not recommended because it can cause bad dreams. Perhaps that is why I dreamt that my family (mom, dad, sister, and myself) were filling in at a very popular and therefore busy lunch counter. I don't remember much of the details, but somehow Dad was at the cash register telling stories and the line of customers got longer and longer. By the time the owner returned, in the dream, Sonya and I were completely humiliated, the line of customers had wrapped around the corner and out the door, and Dad was oblivious. At least it was just a dream!
On my way to brush my teeth, I heard accordion music coming from downstairs. We had been listening to the radio earlier which always broadcasts a wide variety of music, generally including the Cardigans (today's hit For what it's worth, I love you). This sounded a little closer though. So I grabbed my camera in addition to my toothbrush and floss. Good thing, too! Roald was playing on his accordion, something I've never seen him do before. At the risk of repeating myself, it was a perfect end to a perfect day.
Today was the perfect example of how to enjoy life while on vacation. I got up around 9:30 and had breakfast before bringing in my dry clothes. I took a shower, got dressed, and practiced fiddle for at least an hour and a half. I shared my photos with Roald (I finally got them onto my computer!). I read the newspaper for a while. At three we had middag, which is often translated as dinner, but is usually served at 3, which is a long time after breakfast if there is no lunch in between, but not late enough to really be called dinner I think. Then we all rested - I slept until 5:30. More sitting on the porch, reading the newspaper, and labeling photos, interrupted at 7 by coffee and waffles (also not dinner). At about 9:30pm we had kveldsmat (evening food), which looks a lot like a typical Norwegian breakfast, just twelve hours later in the day. In between those things I made phone calls and chatted with Roald and Oddhild. Teeth brushed and in bed at 11:15.
Now, I will back track. Middag was fish balls. Fish balls in white sauce with curry powder on top, with carrots and potatoes. Oddhild hadn't made this fish balls herself, but she did make the sauce. Thanks to my previous experience with fish balls in Östersund, I had no trouble digging in to these without making that face I make when I'm trying new foods. i have to say, middag was phenomenal. Our Swedish fish balls from a can did not compare to fresh ones with a home made white sauce plus yellow potatoes and sweet carrots. Yum. For dessert we had gele with vaniljesaus. I'm not sure how to prepare a more Norwegian meal.
I've heard in the past that sleeping on a full stomach is not recommended because it can cause bad dreams. Perhaps that is why I dreamt that my family (mom, dad, sister, and myself) were filling in at a very popular and therefore busy lunch counter. I don't remember much of the details, but somehow Dad was at the cash register telling stories and the line of customers got longer and longer. By the time the owner returned, in the dream, Sonya and I were completely humiliated, the line of customers had wrapped around the corner and out the door, and Dad was oblivious. At least it was just a dream!
On my way to brush my teeth, I heard accordion music coming from downstairs. We had been listening to the radio earlier which always broadcasts a wide variety of music, generally including the Cardigans (today's hit For what it's worth, I love you). This sounded a little closer though. So I grabbed my camera in addition to my toothbrush and floss. Good thing, too! Roald was playing on his accordion, something I've never seen him do before. At the risk of repeating myself, it was a perfect end to a perfect day.
Ørnes I
Things change slowly in Ørnes, but they do change. The young cousins grow up. The older cousins have children. There's a bedroom off the entry now, so Roald and Oddhild don't have to climb the stairs anymore. Roald also has an automated lawn-mower; it randomly cuts the grass and returns to it's docking station to recharge every day. He is in love.
Some things don't change. Roald, my grandfather's first cousin, and his wife Oddhild met me at the ferry. They look just like they did when I first met them. (Could that have been 14 years ago? Geez, time flies!) They carried my bags to the car; this time it's an Audi. After stopping at the grocery store, we made it up the familiar drive to their house.
I was sent upstairs to put my things in one of the guest bedrooms. Since I'm the only guest right now, I get the best guest room. When I came down, we had waffles and coffee on the back porch. We talked about people we knew and how everyone is doing. We drank more coffee. Una (one of the now-grown-up young cousins) dropped by. Over the years it has become clear that she is a very frequent visitor at her grandparents' house; she tends to show up in the early evening and Roald and Oddhild always seem happy to see her.
We exchanged gifts. I got a pair of hand made (by Oddhild) pot-holders. I gave them a linen dish-cloth with a pattern of fishing cottages from Hudiksvall.
We talked about family. The women outlive the men. Roald thinks my great-grandmother (his aunt) Olga visited Norway just after the end of the war in late 1945 or early 1946. I'd never heard that. Arthritis runs deep in the family.
I don't know whether or not it's a blessing or a curse to be a night owl, but this is also, clearly, a family trait. Only here would an 'early evening' consist of a light meal at 10:15 before hanging out the laundry. The sun goes down around 10, but when we all headed to bed at 11 it was still light out.
Some things don't change. Roald, my grandfather's first cousin, and his wife Oddhild met me at the ferry. They look just like they did when I first met them. (Could that have been 14 years ago? Geez, time flies!) They carried my bags to the car; this time it's an Audi. After stopping at the grocery store, we made it up the familiar drive to their house.
I was sent upstairs to put my things in one of the guest bedrooms. Since I'm the only guest right now, I get the best guest room. When I came down, we had waffles and coffee on the back porch. We talked about people we knew and how everyone is doing. We drank more coffee. Una (one of the now-grown-up young cousins) dropped by. Over the years it has become clear that she is a very frequent visitor at her grandparents' house; she tends to show up in the early evening and Roald and Oddhild always seem happy to see her.
We exchanged gifts. I got a pair of hand made (by Oddhild) pot-holders. I gave them a linen dish-cloth with a pattern of fishing cottages from Hudiksvall.
We talked about family. The women outlive the men. Roald thinks my great-grandmother (his aunt) Olga visited Norway just after the end of the war in late 1945 or early 1946. I'd never heard that. Arthritis runs deep in the family.
I don't know whether or not it's a blessing or a curse to be a night owl, but this is also, clearly, a family trait. Only here would an 'early evening' consist of a light meal at 10:15 before hanging out the laundry. The sun goes down around 10, but when we all headed to bed at 11 it was still light out.
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