My New Norwegian Home

In college, I took a Japanese course. Why, I really don't know, after two years of French in high school, I was tired of language but since it was required, I basically said the heck with it and signed up for a semester of Japanese. Anyways, my teacher or sensei or 先生 (if you really want to get technical and yes, I had to look that up) would always say in class everyday when it comes to learning a language:                                          "Practice makes permanent!!!" I've found it so much easier to speak Norwegian with friends from language classes than natives here in Norway. I don't really care too much about my bad Norwegian so much as long as I can make myself understood to my friends, but it's completely different when I speak to Norwegians. Of course I do speak Norwegian to other Norwegians (when I have to) but I know they have a hard time understanding me sti...

A couple of weeks ago, my mother-in-law told me a typical Norwegian quote, "There's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing!" I still have no idea how to dress and when I came here with all my "Kentucky clothes" as I call them now, I wasn't prepared at all for Norwegian weather. I just love a quote from one of the Alt for Norge contestants, "The Norwegian weather hates you!"   That really sums it up! :-) When I first arrived here to a very rainy and cool summer, my husband asked, "Where's your raincoat?" I told him, "I've never had one." He looked at me like I was crazy and asked, "What did you do in Kentucky when it rains?" I explained to him if it rained, it would dry soon. Kentucky weather changes from hour to hour, so a raincoat never mattered much to me anyways. And honestly, I've never had much use for umbrellas and raincoats. I hate wearing layers of clothing and I hate clothing (like...

While there are political issues in America (and I feel a much deeper attachment to America than Norway) like healthcare, economy and unemployment, women's issues (though this has been a huge debate throughout the entire campaign, neither of our opponents even mentioned it in this last debate) and many other concerns, I'm NOT going to talk about my political views or anything of the sort because I think that either makes people like you a little less or a little more and really, I'd like people to just like me for what's beyond the person I vote for. And although here on Norway time our presidential debates don't come on the television until 3 in the morning, I just go to this website the morning after rather than confuse myself with listening to each party's exaggerations....  Fact Check! With our upcoming election I wanted to exercise my right to vote. What I had to do was send in an absentee ballot request to the county clerk's office of the previous...

Though I'm only in school 17 hours a week, I feel like learning the language is consuming a lot more of my time as I do a lot of reading and writing and trying to speak Norwegian to my husband at least outside of school. I'm really trying to put my entire self into this, so I'm giving this language learning a lot of energy. I enjoy going to class, I love it really, but I am so frustrated because I feel like I'm so limited in everything. Every day this week I've cried and sobbed to my husband over my frustration and it usually goes something like, "I don't understand why I can't understand what people say!? I have to ask people to repeat everything or speak slower! What's wrong with me!?" or, "Ugh, I have to get away from words today... English, Norweigan, whatever." I've never been so nervous, anxious, upset or frustrated about anything academic related before, so why now? I'm not even getting graded on these language clas...

This past Sunday was the premier for season 3 Alt for Norge! In English the translation is 'All for Norway.' The show is about 12 Americans with Norwegian heritage coming to Norway and learning the culture of their ancestors. The reality show has them competing in various tasks somehow dealing with Norwegian culture or history. The winner over the course of 12 weeks wins $50,000 and they get to meet their living relatives in Norway. America has about the same amount of Norwegian-Americans as there are actual ethnic Norwegians in Norway.  Norwegian Americans I love the show, but I wish it were available for Americans to watch... free. It is available for Americans, but at a price.  How Americans Can Watch Alt for Norge For those curious, here's t he season premier for the show  and here's a peek at the next episode s neak peek at the next episode. For me, it's just fun to watch other Americans and what they think about Norway. Of course the show emphasizes th...

First of all, I have really taken for granted how easy and simple it is being an American immigrant compared to some others. Before coming to Norway, Arild told me, "An American in Norway is almost like a Canadian in America." I thought he was for lack of better English, full of crap. I'm really starting to talk more to some of my fellow classmates and learn more about them and after speaking with them, I now know Arild is completely right about that. Though for language sake, let's just say French-Canadian! Being an American in Norway we have it easy compared to others and for that we should darn well better be grateful! Our education is valid. We don't need a visa. We can drive on an American license for 3 months, but after our application is approved we don't have to pay for the driver's training, just the final test, so long as it's done within a year. We can apply for residency after arriving to Norway rather than before arriving. We are also We...

Earlier last week language classes began. The night before I felt like I was about to start first grade all over again. I had everything prepared for the upcoming day, my clothes laid out on my dresser, I was reciting the Norwegian alphabet, words, phrases, whatever in my head. I even told my husband, "I am determined to make a friend!" It was exciting anticipating the upcoming day.  The first day was a bit overwhelming as only Norwegian is spoken. Really that's a good thing as it immerses you in the language and I am far too dependent on English (and good body language) to get by. It's also considerate of other students in the class as some speak fluent English, others broken English and some very little to no English at all. For those people living in Norway knowing very little Norwegian or English, I couldn't begin to imagine what it is like for them being in Norway or how overwhelming living here may be. Before going into class I was in hopes of if not fin...

I've never quite realized how diverse and especially unique America really is until I met Arild and started talking to him about ancestry. I've always been so used to hearing people say something like, "Oh I'm 1/4 German, 1/16 African- American, 1/8 Native American, 1/8 Latino decent and 1/32 Irish. As for the rest I'm not so sure, but I am 100% American." My closest ancestry is Swiss (my great-great-great grandparents came to America and were orchard farmers) and French (from my understanding this individual and his brother were adopted by an American couple as children). Even further back, there is Native American ancestry on both my parents sides (Cherokee on my father's and Blackfoot on my mother's), German and Dutch and English on my mother's, Irish and English on my father's side. If there's any other mixture of nationalities in there, which I'm sure there is, I really have no idea what or who they were. I've once traced s...