Month: February 2015

Anya had some miserable times last night and today with fevers and coughing. Her fever got at high as 104, so I gave her ibuprophen and worked to physically cool her skin. When she was feeling better, I walked to the Sandnes Sentrum (the center) for a bit of banking and shopping. I found a few things that I need, like lotion, as I brought only a 3 oz. TSA-compliant tube.

I went into the Apotek (drug store) and for the first time ever in a store in Norway, a person came up to me and asked if I needed any help. I asked if he spoke English, and he replied a little, though he was actually quite fluent. I asked for cough syrup. And 23 dollars later (!), I walked out with 200 ml (less than 7 fluid ounces) of cough syrup.

After the first dose, Anya decided that was the worst $23 purchase I ever made. It was made from thyme extract and althea root extract. It really does smell like thyme. So, imagine drinking a tablespoon (15 ml) of a thick thyme syrup. Yuck! While I don’t like the anise flavor of Fisherman’s Friend throat lozenges, they work wonders, so I’ll stick with this Nordic remedy (they come in cherry and black current in Norway, but not in most stores).

Granola bars aren’t big here. They are either the Atkins diet bars about $4 each or nutrition bars that are $6.70 a piece! I like to have something in my bag when I’m away to tide me over when I get a bit hungry (but no eating on the bus!). I decided NOT to splurge. Instead, at an Asian grocery store, I can get a package sesame bars for $2.40. A third of the pack is enough to take the edge off an empty stomach, and sesame seeds are filled with potassium!

While it was on and off blustery, I was glad to get home when I did, as after a few minutes, there was sleet in driving rain and very strong winds. It nice to be in a warm home.

I read an article by Madipoane Masenya on a feminist reading of lament in Job. Knut is offering that as an example of an integrative intercultural approach. Hmm. I see what he means, but I’m glad I’ve got a different outcome. More Maasai reading and Hebrew study fills the gaps between Anya care.

Tomorrow, we’re invited over to Tina’s for tea and cake. We’ll see if Anya is ready to be out and about.

Anya sick again. Her fever left last weekend, but a mild cough continued. Yesterday evening, Anya wasn’t feeling well. She went to bed and woke up late for her–about 5:30 am–but with a whopping sore throat and cough. I did bring cough syrup (a tip from a website for ex-pats in Norway), but I’m hoping I don’t run out before this bought of sickness is over.

I left Anya at home, as I had an appointment with Knut to review the first 62 pages of my dissertation. This is a critical step in the development. While I was a bit unsettled leading up to this, it went better than expected. Now, this isn’t that there are significant issues to address, but overall things went well, and being in academia, I’ve developed a bit of a tougher skin. I realize that each aspect of the critique will make it a stronger dissertation. So, I’m feeling better about the status of my dissertation,

Knut also helped me figure out how to put more money on my phone. The instructions are in Norwegian. Then, I asked if he knew of a place where I could buy a book stand to hold a book open while I type, and I even showed him the picture of my basket lid from yesterday’s blog. Knut to the rescue! He said that he has one that he doesn’t use, and I could borrow it while I’m here. The last Knut service for the day, was telling me where the main post office is in Stavanger. I had a card saying that a package had arrived, but I needed to pick it up at the post office. The package is the power cord for my laptop which was under recall. So, I got one that is a European plug in, which is great for Norway. I’ll get another USA plug when I’m back home.

The new laptop power cord fills a gap. I had carefully made a list of what I needed to bring, including cough syrup and measuring cups and spoons, as they aren’t used in European metric cooking. (Fortunately, I’m renting from Rebecca, who is dual citizen and has dual cooking equipment!) While I have everything that is needed, I had only 2 plug in adapters to plug our USA power cords into the Euro sockets.

We were moving the adapters back and forth each day. Now, we’re set! I know this is a minor inconvenience in the stuff of life, but I’m feeling a bit more settled now, and I feel pretty good that in the almost 2 weeks here, we’ve covered our bases.

Later, a fever struck with more miserableness for Anya. I stopped of at the grocery store and picked up some Sprite and her favorite apples–a little bit of comfort.

(Are pictures of power sockets in a blog a new low?)

Yes, Anya’s day is more interesting than mine, so we’ll start with me.

After walking Anya to school, I settled in at my desk.

I’ve got things workable, with a little creativity. The chair doesn’t adjust for height, so I put a foam backrest on the seat. So, then my back isn’t supported well, so I put Anya’s memory foam travel neck pillow at my back. I don’t have a book rack to hold the books while I type notes into Nota Bene software, so I “MacGuyvered” it (as Anya calls it.) A square basket lid sits upon a big book (The Cambridge Guide to Theatre), and the lid leans against the waste basket in the back left corner. A big rubber band wraps around the entire lid, holding the pages of my Maasai paperback books open. I looked for a proper book rack in a bookstore yesterday, but I didn’t see one.  Fortunately, I had the sense to bring a bluetooth keyboard so that I can elevate the laptop and not end up each day with a pain in the neck. It’s great to have a space with a window and lots of natural light.

I’m re-reading Maasai enthographies and entering the notes. I’m tracing themes of blessings and curses, the Maasai worldview and view of God, and reconciliation. They are actually all integrally related.

Tomorrow, I go to MHS to get a critique from Knut on the first 15% of my draft dissertation. I’m a little unsettled, as I’ve never walked this journey before. I don’t know how to self-assess my work. I’ll let you know tomorrow how it goes!

Now the good stuff–Anya’s day!

• She had a long period for Mat og Helse (Food and Health) today, where she made fish burgers. She’s not a big fish fan, but she ate it. She said they were fastidious about cleaning, washing the dishes three times. She’ll learn Norse and cleaning! I like this!
• In PE, she said they were “hard core!” They had to vault over a horse and onto this and that and across the trampoline and see how high they could grab a rope. Vaulting included tricks, like jumping into the splits in the air. She said she was a bit nervous as she had never done this before, but she felt she did pretty good. She thought it wouldn’t be as hard core in the USA, but  she didn’t think that anyone in the USA would do this because of liability! I wondered if this is what happens when you have socialized health care!?! The hospitals are “free,” (with 30% income tax and 25% sales tax, except food is “only” 15%), so go ahead and take a risk! All health care is free for those 16 and under! They don’t even ask for insurance information!
• Anya’s friends here have found my website and blog, so I’ll let Anya relay what she wants to, other than saying that her teachers and friends have been welcoming and nice to her. Tomorrow will be the end of the first week of school!

Anya is adjusting to the time zone bit by bit and had a very good night’s sleep last night. She was awake before I was, and it was amazing to see her so chipper in the morning. She said she likes getting up early!

I walk her to school in the brisk–just below freezing–air to become alert for the day. Everyone has some reflective gear on for these dark Nordic winters. I wear the reflective vest. Anya has a reflective “slap” bracelet. Some kids have reflective covers for their backpacks, which also keeps them dry underneath.

Anya and I are getting along so well. In fact today, I paused with the reflection that I was so glad to have someone to share life with here. I’ve done three weeks by myself here, but life is better shared. She’s talking quite a bit about the school, the conversations, the styles, and more. I’m encouraging her to add a blog entry on her own blog, but she says that she is mentally exhausted from working so hard on Norwegian. Here are some highlights:

• Classmates relayed that they were amazed that she didn’t show up in sweat pants and chewing gum.
• A couple classmates offered to take her to McDonalds, but she said that she really doesn’t eat at McDonalds. They wondered why!
• She seems to be receiving quite a bit of good attention. The Polish immigrants stated that they didn’t get attention like this when they arrived.
• They have recess! For 20 minutes each day, they have to go outside for fresh air. So, they go outside and talk. They get more time outside than they do for lunch.
• The day is short, starting at 8:15 and out by 1:40 pm every day (though there is no Wednesday early release like Bellevue).
• She thought that she would have it easy in English, but all the instruction is in Norsk. So, she said: “My English is like their Norwegian; my Spanish is like their English (fairly fluent); and my Norwegian is like their Spanish (just learning).”
• In math, they are using a compass to draw angles. So, we walked to downtown to buy her a compass and ruler for class. At first she thought it was unnecessary instruction, as you don’t have to know how to build a car engine in order to drive a car, but she was eager to show me how it worked. I thought it was cool! (On the way back, we stopped at an Asian market and splurged on mango and lychee puddings, which were about $1 each for 1/4 cup, but they were good for dessert!)

Beth’s Adjusting

I’m adjusting differently. On Monday, I found out that my expectations for the length of the dissertation were inaccurate. I was originally told 250 pages. And I wrote 62 pages last summer. So, I was thinking I’m about 25% done with a DRAFT, knowing that there would be revisions and reworking parts of it.On Monday, I heard the “rules” stated 100,000 words. Well, by word count, I’m only 15% done! Heavy sigh! So, I’ve been adjusting my expectations. (More on this tomorrow.) There might be some fudge factor, as the word count isn’t listed on the current “rules” website, but it seems prudent to keep this target.

So, my day is reading, compiling notes (using Nota Bene software), revising some wording, and plodding along with writing. I stay at home if there is no meeting at MHS, so I don’t lose time with bus travel. This is a more conducive work space as well.

Anya’s second day of school went well, but I only caught a glimpse of it over the phone, as I had a late afternoon meeting on Knut’s Maasai Project. But before I get into that, what Anya told me was that she ran out of money on her pre-paid phone account, because she’s making friends from her class. The extra voucher I bought for her has instructions in Norwegian, and a bit more advanced than she can quite handle right now. So, she’ll ask a friend to help her put the money on her phone. It is a good sign!

I didn’t hear any more when I got home, as she was asleep at 6:30 pm when I arrived. I’ll fill you in tomorrow.

I was at the School of Mission and Theology (MHS) for the first meeting on Knut’s Maasai Project. So, in January 2012, I started my PhD on the Maasai with Knut. I sense he saw a good field for research with very little done with Maasai biblical interpretation. So, he sends a grant proposal into the Norwegian Research Council, which mostly funds petrochemical research, healthcare, food scarcity and other global issues. But Knut’s proposal on Maasai biblical interpretation was one of 12 out of 193 proposals funded! It was awarded 7,000,000 kroner, which at the time was US$1,000,000! Yes, a million bucks on Maasai biblical interpretation from the government of Norway! Now the dollar is stronger so its only worth $908,000 today. Then Knut said, “And I know nothing about the Maasai!” Well, he understands Africa, and he’s a great researcher. He’s read quite a few books now!

His project funds a PhD student and a postdoc, both of whom are from Tanzania. It funds some in-country qualitative research and a couple conferences, as well as part of Knut’s salary. This is separate from my PhD, except that they are collaborative projects. So, I’ve been invited into the discussion. And if my life was more flexible, I would be welcome to participate in the field research with expenses paid. I just can’t figure out how to make it work–(yet?).

So, my little PhD project has grown into a community of scholars! We had our first meeting tonight, and Skyped with the postdoc researcher, Hoyce, as she is in Tanzania awaiting approval for a skilled worker visa. Our conversation included an Ethiopian master’s student with a related theme to mine and a Norwegian farmer who eared a masters in history and a masters in theology (comparing sacrificial practices of Leviticus with ancient Ugarit and the Vikings!). As one who has a love of learning, he’s intrigued with cultural appropriations of biblical texts. Quite a group!

Finally, I learned today that I have a residency permit (photos from yesterday) but not a tax number. So, I still can’t open a bank account. However, I can pay for groceries with cash, and I’ve almost got my shopping system down, based on how much can fit in my backpack for the walk home.

I can’t wait for the morning to hear about Anya’s day at school!

Fortunately, Anya had the best night sleep thus far, sleeping from 6 pm to 4 am. So, she was alert for school. We packed her lunch and walked up for the meeting with her teacher prior to class. Then I walked away, knowing that she was a bit intimidated with the prospect of spending the day in a new school and immersed in Norsk! My spare moments were praying for Anya today!

I bused to and from Stavanger for meetings, chapel, and being introduced at the staff lunch. Each Monday, all the staff meet together after chapel for some fellowship and a bit of an employee meeting while they eat the lunch they brought (everything is a cold lunch). I had a great conversation with one of the PhD students from Madagascar who is working on a New Testament project, but we share the theme of reconciliation. I even made a couple notes! An Ethiopian master’s student has a different but related theme as well (the sins of the parents). I believe I’ll meet him tomorrow.

As I was packing up to head to Anya’s school, Anya called on our new Norwegian phone plans. Anya was already home, and her key wasn’t working. We’ll though it was cold (freezing), I knew she could get into the garage. I encouraged her to dance to the musical theatre music in her heart until I got home. It wasn’t a major ordeal, but it did make the day at school look really good in comparison to trying to get into the house.

I didn’t know that school is out at 1:50 pm! So, they start after 8:10 am (as Anya was welcomed before the other students arrived) and are done at 1:50 pm.

Anya’s seat mate is named Lena, and while she was nice, she wasn’t very talkative between class. Anya was able to track a bit in some of the social studies concepts, though not everything. Math looks really easy! She picked art as her elective. For those who know Anya, that’s no surprise. The art teacher complimented her on her project and someone stated that that was rare for the teacher. However, Anya misses Miss Colleen from middle school (who was perfect for Anya). Some students had heard she was from California and asked her where she lived in California. Later in class, the teacher brought Bellevue up on the screen (sounds like on Google Earth) and then zoomed out to the whole USA. She said that there is not a lot of time to eat lunch, so I need to make a smaller lunch. Well with such a short day, I’m glad the lunch isn’t long.

And…we’re residents!

So, we’re legal now. I can get a bank account set up, unless this requirement (below) will cause a problem. Why would I need a notarized copy if they see my actual passport? Why would I need to see a Norwegian embassy when I’m in Norway? I’ll keep you posted!

A notarized copy of your passport will also have to be provided. The certification must take place in one of the Norwegian, Swedish or Danish embassies or consulates and sent directly from them. (http://www.danskebank.no/nb-no/om-banken/InEnglish/Pages/in-english.aspx)

A crisp morning–just at freezing–brought a beautiful blue sky. Similar to Seattle, when the cloud blanket is removed at night, it gets freezing cold, but the blue sky and sunshine are brilliant.

Anya stayed home to recover a bit more as a sore throat persists. I took the bus to Stavanger for worship at the Stavanger International Church which meets at Misjonshøgskolen (the School of Mission and Theology or MHS–my school). There are half as many bus departure times on a Sunday, which means I arrived about hour early. Since it was so beautiful and I had time, I took my favorite walk to Litla Stokkavatnet, a small lake with a charming walking path. A thin layer of ice made it easy for the ducks to snatch the bread pieces that were offered by a family, including 2 small children. It was a wonderful walk.

The International Church really is international. Today, I worshiped with brothers and sisters in Christ from all over the world. I’d say the largest group is black, with the second being Caucasian, and a good representation of East Asians and Central Asians. The distinction of this international church is that it is not lead by Norwegians and Americans. It is truly an international fellowship. (One in five Christians in the world today is African!)

My conversations were with people from Fiji (who is married to a woman from Norway), Equatorial Guinea (who is married to a man from Iceland), an American (married to a man from Norway who met in Madagascar), and Melanie, a black woman from Curaçao, in the Caribbean, part of the Dutch Antillies, discovered by Columbus. As part of the Kingdom of Netherlands, she holds Dutch citizenship and went to university in the Netherlands. She is married to man from Zimbabwe, who was a student in Poland, but they met at a Christian conference (IFES) in Germany. They now live in Norway, but he works in the Netherlands.

The worship of this gathering of almost 100 was a glimpse of eternity, when people from so many different cultures can bring voices together in praise of our one God. The music was upbeat, with drums (African), guitar (Asian), bass (South Pacific), keyboards (Norwegian), and lead by three singers (Australian, Asian, and Indian). The music included scripture songs and praise songs with solid lyrics, all of which I knew. I think Anya will be OK here, despite the few youth (though lots of younger ones). As a Lutheran, she’s used to only a few youth in church!

They did invite first-time visitors to stand and introduce themselves. I was the only one, so several came to talk with me afterwards. The welcome was warm and inviting, with a nice spread for a fellowship time after the service. When Melanie learned that I came on the bus from Sandnes, she offered me a ride home. What hospitality–again. Exchanging cell numbers, I have a ride now for the future.

While I have the street address for my house, I know little more about how to get here except from the path I walk from the bus and from downtown. It was impossible to give directions from places I did not know. Fortunately, Melanie pulled out a GPS which gave us a location that was discernible.

This is one of the interesting ironies of this journey; to work toward a PhD, I demonstrate how little I know. I don’t like looking like a fool, but each day, I have an opportunity to learn humility. How does the bus pass work? Or the alarm system? Or the bread machine? Does this recycle? Who do I see for a key card to access the building? What do these instructions in Norsk mean? I need help. Fortunately, there are caring people–and a little help from Google.

I pray that there are a couple caring people in Anya’s class tomorrow–her first day finally.

Tonight Anya said, “Tomorrow, when we wake up, we’ll know who won the Superbowl.” Her last words for the day were, “Go Seahawks!”