Life After the Storms

25 April 2013

The storms passed, so today was fairly mild with a few sunbreaks.  I can get used to this. That’s the big news from Norway today… it’s all about the weather, as every other activity we would or wouldn’t be doing, depends on the weather.  We are not the hardy Norsk type that just carry on, no matter what – we are total weather wimps.  But thankfully today the outdoors didn’t seem nearly as frightful since the winds died down and the rain and hail stopped pelting the earth. 

Today’s activities included Kaleb doing schoolwork, Kory finally building the bench for Turid’s art studio (below) and me making dinner.  We had guests over, so it took longer than usual. 

My friend Sandra came over this afternoon with her adorable three-year-old son, Karl Alexander, (below) and her husband, Karl.  We had a jolly old time chatting away about the cost of living in Norway (she’s from England) and raising children in the Norwegian system.  Sandra just started working as a substitute at the preschool where her son attends.  It’s considered a minimum wage job, and she makes almost thirty bucks an hour.  Norway is expensive even for Norwegians earning kroner, but even more so when using dollars to buy everything, since the exchange rate is so low these days.  I wouldn’t mind going to work for a bit, just so I could buy things with kroner, instead of dollars.

I brought an entire suitcase full of clothes from America for Sandra’s sweet little miracle boy, which I was able to give to her tonight.  I bought enough clothes for the next two years, I’m sure.  She couldn’t understand how things can be so cheap, since a pair of jeans are a hundred bucks here, and I got jeans for Karl Alexander for six bucks back home.  I outfitted him for an entire year for less than a hundred dollars.  I love bargain shopping, so it was a real thrill for me as I used my “senior discount” at Ross on Tuesdays, and my 30% off coupon from Kohls, and even shopped in Oregon tax free.  I know how to make a dollar go far in America.  I’m always buying things on sale in the next size up for Kaleb, so I’m so thankful he doesn’t have any fashion sense (I guess he gets that from me). 

Sandra said that Karl Alexander has been talking about “Mickey, Kory and Kaleb” all week.  We’ve become his alter ego, as he sat down to eat something he liked, he’d say, “Mickey, Kory and Kaleb like this, too,”  or if it was something he didn’t like, it was, “Mickey, Kory and Kaleb don’t like this.”  When she and her husband were kissing each other last night in front of him, he said, “Mickey doesn’t do that.”  It was too funny.

Our modem stopped working sometime today so we are out of internet connectivity for who knows how long.  We’ll call the provider in the morning to see what our options are, but I’m sure it will include buying a new hundred dollar modem.  Oi.  

After our friends left, we all went for a walk around the “Ikea” property next door (it will be on the other side of the church above), just to see how it is now and try to imagine it as concrete and cars.  Kaleb will one day say, “I remember when that was just a field…” (below) as many old timers do around here in reference to the shopping mall that now sits where the cows used to.  Progress isn’t always pretty.

I creamed Kory and Kaleb at Rummikub again tonight.  We’ve been playing for chocolate, so it’s a good thing Kory never wins.  He’s been exercising every other day though, so he can eat fish when we have company.  That man will live to be a hundred if he sticks with the program.  That’s my prayer, anyway.

It Was a Hail of a Day

24 April 2013

It was another day with one storm right after the other – only this time, instead of rain, it was hail pelting the earth (see it piled up on our window sill!).  The temperature dropped and we were all glad we had a warm place to call our own.  I felt badly for people who had to be outside today, as we all pretty much stayed indoors and felt thankful.  I hated seeing the weather report for Seattle though – knowing we were missing out on such a lovely spring day.  I just have to be happy with what I have. (Other photos today were taken two days ago - showing that spring really is here, too.)

Kory started working on a bench he’s making for Turid’s art studio, but ran into one problem after another with tools he had to borrow from different people.  He ran out of patience by the end of the day and was frustrated he didn’t get a thing accomplished.

I felt the same way, as I was spinning my wheels on several things I put my energies to, and the day just slipped away.  At least Kaleb got some schoolwork done.  I had him go over to Philadelphia Church so he could practice a bit of piano today, before he forgets all he’s learned up to this point. 

I visited with the church secretary, Liv, while he was playing.  She told me a great story about how she got a random email from a woman in Los Angeles, trying to find relatives of her grandfather, who came to America as a child.  Liv was able to help her find all kinds of information, as well as find living relatives here.  She cried as she was telling the story, as it was such a powerful experience for them all.  

As it turned out, a woman named Aslaug had three children, all with different men.  She never married.  She left Norway in 1910 with her oldest child, leaving her two youngest ones behind with their respective fathers.  Her daughter was two years old and she had just given birth to a son.  That son, “Arvid”, grew up, had a family of his own, and died in 1997, but always knew his mother had left him and he had an older brother in America.  He had no contact with his mother or brother his entire life.  So Liv found a living son of Arvid who is now 70 years old.  She called him and told him the granddaughter to his uncle was looking for family in Norway.  The next morning he showed up at church, tears in his eyes and said he was unable to sleep the night before.  He told how Arvid had a lifetime of grief over his mother leaving him behind.  It was a wound that never healed, as he had always wanted to find her and his brother.  Liv hooked the man up on Skype with the young woman in L.A. and they had one joyful reunion.

I think that story is very typical of many Norwegian immigrants to America.  They just left their tragic lives behind and didn’t look back.  One local history book for Iowa, where Aslaug settled, said that “she had been married several times in Norway, but all her husbands died,” (which wasn’t true because the birth records of all her kids show they were illegitimate and she was never married), and that “she was a strong woman who could speak no English.”  Liv and I had a good laugh over that one, as we felt there was a reason she chose to never speak English - she didn’t want to talk about her life.

Years ago, it was thought, when someone moved to America, it was as if they went to the grave, because many of them never made contact with family in Norway again.  To think the agony of that kind of desertion carries on to the next generation is just heartbreaking.  There are many wounded people in Norway from this type of family split because here, family is everything.  I’m sure that’s why, when Americans come over looking for their Norwegian roots, they are warmly welcomed by even the most distant of relatives.

I’m sure glad there was some happiness in that story because later tonight I was invited to go to Agape Church where they showed a movie about Human Trafficking, and there was no happiness in that one at all.  The church is trying to bring awareness to this horrific issue going on around the world, and it was hard to believe I was sitting in a church watching such a graphic film.  They served popcorn, but what they really needed were barf bags.  It made me sick.  I was shaking violently throughout the whole film and felt absolutely spent by the end of it.  No one said a word when the movie was over, and there were dozens and dozens of people there.  I have never felt so impacted by any film I’ve ever seen.  Many left during the movie, it was just too disturbing, but it was all based on reality, so it’s hard to turn a blind eye to the enslavement of women and children into a life of prostitution.  Sick, sick, sick.

I had to come home and hug Kaleb and be thankful he’s lived such a blessed life.  We all have, for that matter.  

A Very Rainy Day

23 April 2013

The rain came in sheets today, one wall of gray after another.  Now that the trees have been cleared in front of our condo, we can see all the way out to the tip of Sula Mountain, which is a long narrow island that touches the sea head-on.  When the storms rolled in, I watched them slowly engulf the mountain ridge as it moved inland toward our living room window.  It was like a Hollywood movie.  When the entire mountain disappeared and my only view was dark clouds from earth to sky, the rain started battering the window.  It would last about ten minutes, then blue sky appeared for a few minutes before the next wall of water came in from the coast.  The weather provided much of my entertainment today, as other plans I had to visit friends got cancelled because they both had to work.  Life is unpredictable when you are a substitute worker.

Kory and I took a drive into downtown Aalesund today just to see what had changed since we were here last fall.  We stopped at Turid’s art studio so Kory could get a better idea of what kind of bench she wants him to make for her.  I’m so happy he can do that, as she’s certainly done enough for us over the years.  And, it will get him out of the house tomorrow!  He was gone this morning, fixing another door in Tante Kari’s condo, for Odd, too.  He loves doing stuff like that.  I guess he probably thinks I love cooking, too… but I don’t.

We stopped at a few thrift stores when we were in town (no surprise there) and I got a few more things I couldn’t live without.  There is a type of hand embroidery here called “Hardanger”(above) and it’s very intricate and takes a ton of time, but the end results are always stunning.  If a person were to buy a new piece of hardanger it would cost hundreds of dollars, but the thrift stores sell them used for about twenty bucks.  They are even cheaper if there’s no price on them and a man is at the cash register, as men just don’t put a value on that kind of handwork.  If it was something carved of wood, it would be a different story.  So I lucked out today and got several pieces of hardanger for less than two bucks each because it was a guy working there.  I nearly wet myself, I was so excited.  It was well worth the drive into town, even in the pouring rain.

Kaleb attended to his schooling all day, then made a delicious soup for us for dinner tonight.  Kory took the car over to his friend, Helge’s, shop to get the front end analyzed so we know how much work needs to be done before we put new tires on it.  He was able to tighten something or another so we don’t need to order to ball joints, so I guess that was a good thing.  Now we are shopping for used tires. 

We had quite a few discussions today about how we should go about renting out our condo.  People look for places months ahead of time so we have to get that ball rolling soon.  We are not in total agreement on the process we should use or who we should rent it to, so nothing will be happening soon, that’s for sure.

I went for a long walk around the malls today just to get some exercise without getting soaked.  I swear everyone in the mall was pushing a baby carriage, and those things are the size of small automobiles.  They don’t have the slimmed down version of carriages we use in America, they use ones that are of a design that was used about a hundred years ago – a small bed on wheels.  I guess they need all that extra space for all the bedding that goes with the child as it does get cold around here, but still, someone needs to streamline those baby carriages.  There were about five mothers all clustered around talking in the hallway and there was no way to get around them.  People don’t say “excuse me” and try to get by, they just stand there patiently waiting until the conversation is over and then they walk past, as if they have no where to go at any particular time.  It’s another weird dimension here – the blocking of passage ways.

Another weird thing is how many businesses think it’s cool to use English in their stores or in advertising, yet so many of them spell the words wrong (see above!) or use the wrong word altogether.   I guess no one is the wiser, but I have to fight the urge to go tell someone they really should change their sign or display.  But no one has put me in charge of the proper use of English in Norway, darn it.

One funny thing I learned recently is that the lottery system here in Norway runs a little differently than in America.  When a person buys a ticket, they have to fill out a form so the government knows who bought the ticket.  They don’t advertise who wins, but they do send a letter in the mail informing the winner.  One of Kory’s relatives won over ten thousand dollars playing the lottery recently, but he didn’t even know it right away until he was at the bank and saw his balance was way too high.  He inquired if there had been a mistake and then discovered the deposit made by the lottery company, as they just make direct bank deposits to all winners – no matter how much they win.  And it’s tax free!  Of course, for him, he buys about forty bucks worth of tickets each week, for several years now, so it was more like a savings account he put the money into, earned a good interest and got it all back, but still, it’s a pretty good deal to get anything tax free here.  I’m not sure what they do with lottery proceeds though, but I’ll bet they don’t go toward “education” like they do in Washington state.

We had a quiet night in and played Rummikub together as the wind and rain kept us from wanting to venture out and go visit anyone.  The rest of the week is a bit more hectic, so it was good to have a little down time – and we all won one round. 

I love that TV isn’t part of our life, but I love even more than Netflix now lets us stream instant certain programs over the internet and they put Norwegian subtitles on everything they show.  I’m thinking I can spiff up my conversational Norwegian by tapping into that resource from time to time.  Woo hoo.

Turid's Birthday

22 April 2013

I had no idea it was Turid’s birthday today until after breakfast.  She was downstairs in Tante Kari’s place, working again, so I ran down there to have a cup of coffee with her and talk about her advanced age, now at 49.  She’s a grandmother already and her daughter (above) is soon expecting baby #2 this summer.  Can’t imagine the grandmother role in life, as motherhood is about all I can handle.  We had a nice chat.  It’s all about our social life here, and that’s why I love it so much.  Lots of time for relationships.

Kaleb started back homeschooling today.  The internet arrived in our condo with the flip of some switch somewhere in the land, so he was doing Honors Algebra II with Johns Hopkins and reading a textbook about American Government and another about World Cultures.  He needs something constructive to do or he just wastes time on electronics.  He’s as bad as Kory.  They both tell me I’m on my computer as much as they are, but I’m writing articles, making reservations, communicating with people, paying bills and researching things… I don’t ever sit and play games like they do – I have no time for such nonsense.

Even though we live at the mall now, running over there to get a few things at the grocery store takes just as long as driving into town when we are back home because here, I always run into someone I know and a good long conversation must follow.  Today I expected to be gone about 15 minutes, and over an hour later, I returned.  I ran into Kory’s mom’s cousins and we had one long talk about all kinds of things.  They are sisters - 75 and 80 years old and they were out shopping for new clothes to wear to an upcoming Confirmation.  The blouse one of them found cost $150 – the dress the other one got was nearly $400.  Sure glad I brought my clothes from home and don’t ever plan to buy clothes here.

Turid invited us over for dinner and cakes tonight for her birthday (above).  I had other plans to attend a Bible study, but I let that go in favor of time with Turid’s family.  It was a good choice.  I was proud of myself that I spoke to Turid’s two-year-old grandson and invited him to the table to eat cake, and he understood me perfectly.  I then told everyone my Norwegian can’t be all that bad if a two-year-old understood me.  Kaleb piped up, “But on the other hand, it could just mean that your Norwegian level is the same as a two-year-olds.”  He’s such a confidence builder, that kid.

I made pecan squares this afternoon to take over to Turid’s.  I brought most of the ingredients with me as pecans are outrageously expensive here and it’s not even possible to get brown sugar.  I also discovered today I can’t buy frozen corn here – just corn in the can, and raw popcorn is nearly impossible to find.  At six dollars a cup, it’s not going to be Kory’s nightly snack any longer.  We take so much for granted in America.

Turid’s son-in-law is a fish broker and he told us at dinner tonight the price of torsk (Norway’s favorite cod) is less than half it was last year because there are now so many cod in the sea.  According to him, the melting of the polar cap (due to global warming), has created a much bigger breeding ground up north for the cod - so they are having a population explosion.  Also, the biggest buyers of Norwegian seafood are the European countries that are on the brink of bankruptcy, so it’s a tough year for his industry.  It’s good for fish lovers though, as the price of cod is under five dollars a pound.  Now that’s affordable food!  It’s cheaper than a four-dollar can of beans, that’s for sure.  Too bad we aren’t eating so much fish these days.

Kory lined up a few home repair jobs he can do for Cousin Odd while we were at their house tonight.  I should say, I lined them up, as that man needs a project or he gets cranky and lazy.  With Kaleb not going to public school here, my patience is already running thin with the three of us in such tight quarters at our condo.  Kory’s spirits always lift when he’s being productive, and Odd is not a handy man, he’s a doctor, so he really needs Kory, because occasionally, Kory needs Odd’s expertise, too.

The big news of today was that Ikea has agreed to build a new store right next door to our condo!  Actually, it will seem like it’s right next door, but there will be a church between us and them.  Talk about a huge impact to the area.  Already the comments flooding into the newspaper are negative, as the parking and traffic situation around the mall are out of control, but it can only be good for property values around here because this place is the hotbed of all things retail.  It will be a few years before it’s built but, my oh my, what a difference it will make.  The nearest Ikea is a six-hour drive away and many from here still make that trek just because they have affordable prices.  What a treat to live right next door!  Our mall already attracts people within a 2-3 hour driving distance, as they come and shop the entire day, have lunch and dinner at the mall and return home in the evening.  Now, with Ikea here, they will need to build hotels, as people will come from an even further distance to do their shopping.  Crazy.

Kaleb went on a little bike ride tonight from Odd and Turid’s house.  We left to go to Turid’s art studio to get some supplies for Kory’s home repairs for them, so Kaleb went on a jaunt around our old neighborhood, seeing which friends were home so he could greet them.  I was so glad he did that.  I love it that he’s not just sitting home reading a book.  Maybe this year will be better than last.  That’s my prayer, anyway.