Paula and I had a change of plans again today as we intended to take the Hurtigruten ferry boat out to Geiranger (the biggest tourist attraction in these parts), but we woke up to low-lying gray clouds and drizzle. Since the whole point of the trip was to see the mountains plunging drastically into the sea, the perspective is lost if the tops of the mountains aren’t visible, so we canned that plan and will try again tomorrow. Today we took it easy – not something I like to do when we have company that isn’t here for very long, but we had limited options with the rain coming and going all day. (She got to see the REAL Norway after all.)
Paula likes to shop second hand stores as much as I do so I skipped school anyway and Kory acted as our chauffeur. I was able to go to two thrift stores that are never open on the weekends so I’ve never been to them. They were full of treasures for all three of us. Kory even found a cool hand carved lampshade he liked and bought just to sit and stare at the incredible work done on it. I found a few souvenir plates I’ve been collecting of different cities we’ve visited in Norway and Paula found all kinds of things that will provide good memories of her first trip to Norway (I know she’ll be back). We went to several home decorating stores first to see if there were any items of interest there, but it was all too sterile with not much personality, and we really liked the old stuff better. While we were out we bought an awning for our condo. When we were there yesterday it was so warm it was nearly suffocating. Tante Ruth doesn’t like having the windows or doors open to cool the place down, so we thought an awning might be a good idea. Kory told me today that Tante Ruth has stopped eating. She has lost her appetite and won’t even eat a piece of bread. I did think she looked terribly thin yesterday but her spirits were up so I just dismissed it, but now I’m worried. I’m thinking we need to visit more frequently because we only have two months left and who knows how much longer she’ll be around. I felt sad all day today just thinking about her and what a loner she is. She really doesn’t like people coming by (except us) and it made me sad she’s all alone most of the day, but Kory said that’s what she likes. It’s hard to understand.
I guess I shouldn’t have skipped school today because Lord only knows how much more practice I need speaking the language. I was telling Tante Kari yesterday that we bought some things for the baby about to be born to the couple in our Bible Study group. I thought I said I bought some sheets and a bed cover, but it turns out I said I bought an onion and a table cloth. I wondered why Tante Kari looked so puzzled as I was talking. It’s probably a good idea I always travel with a translator. I still have a terrible time understanding the locals when they talk, but for the most part I’m able to give proper facial expressions and benign comments so they at least think I understand what they are saying. I have no idea how many times I’ve embarrassed myself by not answering a question that someone may have been asking that I didn’t understand. My pal Vestina had a job interview this week and the interviewer asked her several questions. She didn’t understand a single one. She asked him to NOT speak with a dialect and to repeat the questions. She still didn’t understand. She then asked him to speak slowly, and he did, but she still didn’t understand a single thing he was saying. He finally said that maybe she should wait for three more months until she’s done with school before she tries to get a job. And she’s one of the best students in the class! So at least I’m in good company.
This afternoon we took Kaleb and Tobias with us as Paula and I went hunting for more treasures at the beach a few miles down the street. Paula likes to find sea glass and there was plenty to choose from at Emblem Stranda, so she had a good time looking (see photo). The wind turned cold today so being inside was the most sensible thing, however.
Kory made dinner tonight so Paula got her first taste of whale meat too – and liked it! That girl is an adventure -in-eating kind of gal and has me beat hands down when it comes to proving we have Norwegian blood in our veins. Paula and I spent the evening with the dead bloodline, as I typed up her family tree so she had something to take home with her, and she continued her search on the internet for more leads on dead branches. Family research is what started her time here in Norway, and it’s a good way to wrap it up. She leaves tomorrow night. I’m so sad about that, but I’ll try to stay focused on the bright side and be happy at least she came to see our life here in Norway and how good we have it. Kory hasn’t got her shouting Hallelujah yet, but there’s always hope for tomorrow.
Paula likes to shop second hand stores as much as I do so I skipped school anyway and Kory acted as our chauffeur. I was able to go to two thrift stores that are never open on the weekends so I’ve never been to them. They were full of treasures for all three of us. Kory even found a cool hand carved lampshade he liked and bought just to sit and stare at the incredible work done on it. I found a few souvenir plates I’ve been collecting of different cities we’ve visited in Norway and Paula found all kinds of things that will provide good memories of her first trip to Norway (I know she’ll be back). We went to several home decorating stores first to see if there were any items of interest there, but it was all too sterile with not much personality, and we really liked the old stuff better. While we were out we bought an awning for our condo. When we were there yesterday it was so warm it was nearly suffocating. Tante Ruth doesn’t like having the windows or doors open to cool the place down, so we thought an awning might be a good idea. Kory told me today that Tante Ruth has stopped eating. She has lost her appetite and won’t even eat a piece of bread. I did think she looked terribly thin yesterday but her spirits were up so I just dismissed it, but now I’m worried. I’m thinking we need to visit more frequently because we only have two months left and who knows how much longer she’ll be around. I felt sad all day today just thinking about her and what a loner she is. She really doesn’t like people coming by (except us) and it made me sad she’s all alone most of the day, but Kory said that’s what she likes. It’s hard to understand.
I guess I shouldn’t have skipped school today because Lord only knows how much more practice I need speaking the language. I was telling Tante Kari yesterday that we bought some things for the baby about to be born to the couple in our Bible Study group. I thought I said I bought some sheets and a bed cover, but it turns out I said I bought an onion and a table cloth. I wondered why Tante Kari looked so puzzled as I was talking. It’s probably a good idea I always travel with a translator. I still have a terrible time understanding the locals when they talk, but for the most part I’m able to give proper facial expressions and benign comments so they at least think I understand what they are saying. I have no idea how many times I’ve embarrassed myself by not answering a question that someone may have been asking that I didn’t understand. My pal Vestina had a job interview this week and the interviewer asked her several questions. She didn’t understand a single one. She asked him to NOT speak with a dialect and to repeat the questions. She still didn’t understand. She then asked him to speak slowly, and he did, but she still didn’t understand a single thing he was saying. He finally said that maybe she should wait for three more months until she’s done with school before she tries to get a job. And she’s one of the best students in the class! So at least I’m in good company.
This afternoon we took Kaleb and Tobias with us as Paula and I went hunting for more treasures at the beach a few miles down the street. Paula likes to find sea glass and there was plenty to choose from at Emblem Stranda, so she had a good time looking (see photo). The wind turned cold today so being inside was the most sensible thing, however.
Kory made dinner tonight so Paula got her first taste of whale meat too – and liked it! That girl is an adventure -in-eating kind of gal and has me beat hands down when it comes to proving we have Norwegian blood in our veins. Paula and I spent the evening with the dead bloodline, as I typed up her family tree so she had something to take home with her, and she continued her search on the internet for more leads on dead branches. Family research is what started her time here in Norway, and it’s a good way to wrap it up. She leaves tomorrow night. I’m so sad about that, but I’ll try to stay focused on the bright side and be happy at least she came to see our life here in Norway and how good we have it. Kory hasn’t got her shouting Hallelujah yet, but there’s always hope for tomorrow.
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