Month: September 2015

Weekly posts mean a lot of news to review.  We’ll start with the highlights!

Anya scored a goal, the only goal at Tuesday’s home game that ended with a tie. Her school is wonderful, and she’s learning lots with wonderful teachers. Thursday night was curriculum night, so I met all but her IB/AP physics teacher who was sick. I got a peak at her first stained glass project:

This year, the Bellevue school district has provided laptops to all their high school students. This “1 to 1” initiative will give equal access to computer and filtered Internet resources for ALL. It also makes standardized testing less complicated, as students can remain in their classroom and take the tests on their laptops. This enables more instruction time and probably less stress for those with test anxiety.

This week, Anya’s AP World History class had an assignment that helped to make history “real” for each student. After thinking about historical events that have influenced each student’s heritage, they were to make a “culture box” about it to share with the class. Anya selected the Norwegian Constitution Day. This is a great way to engage students in history, especially Anya, as she enjoys creative projects.

This week I gave up on my attempts to unclog the drain in the bathroom sink and called Roto Rooter. After a $50 off coupon and $219, the serviceman was unable to clog the drain. He was unable, by company policy, to try snaking from the roof, so his advice was to cut the wall behind the cabinet to see where the pipes were going. Fortunately, Marv came by and was willing to look at it with me. With some fiddling and his $5 hand crank snake, we unclogged the drain. I’m so glad I didn’t follow the serviceman’s advice and make an invasive diagnostic process to determine it was a simple clog, but it was in a location that sent his snake up the vent instead of into the clog.

I am also now a patron of the University of Washington Library and took in a tour on Friday. The Suzzallo Library reading room is beautiful! Now, I have access to 8 million books now!

While I won’t be taking the time to enroll in the Swedish course at UW (completing my dissertation is priority), I continue to do a bit of Swedish online most every day and think about Sweden. A recent study has the cost of living in many global cities. (https://www.ubs.com/microsites/prices-earnings/edition-2015.html) So, I discovered that the cost of living in Stockholm is not too different from Los Angeles. Uppsala should be a bit cheaper. However, the taxes in Sweden are almost double while incomes are a bit lower overall. But, this study doesn’t take into account health care and educational costs. That’s where socialized health care and education makes a huge difference with access for all. Most in the Nordic countries believe this is a better system as they see the results of their taxes.

We welcome Eric’s parents this week, so you’ll hear updates next time.

With blessings,

Beth

My week consists of writing for my dissertation, taxi for Anya, and domestic engineer.

So, I believe that chapter 1 of my dissertation is fairly complete. There will be tweaks until it is submitted, but I believe I responded to the feedback of my adviser and my dear mom and friend, Marvin, who are proofreading. I got some good progress on chapter 2, as I’m over a cold and settled into a writing schedule.

Chapter 2 lays out the theoretical framework integrating the philosophical hermeneutics (the art of understanding or the philosophy of interpretation) of the German philosophy of Hans-Georg Gadamer (1900 – 2002). I incorporate his concept of “fusion of horizons” as laid out in his magnum opus, Truth and Method. Yes, pretty heady stuff, and the revisions and writing go pretty slow because it has to be accurate.

So, with all that heady Gadamer stuff, it is good to walk a path of humility–or humiliation–in my Swedish language learning.

I decided that I can’t afford the time to attend the University of Washington Swedish course, but I did get the textbooks (with special thanks to Scott who teaches at UW for a visit to the bookstore). I’ll try to get a tutor and work independently, which should me more efficient, and won’t take 2 hours of travel by bus for 1 hour of class five days a week. Even though I can read on the bus, it would be difficult to speak svenska aloud, which I try to do with all my practice.

So, I’m still working on Swedish online with free (!) Duolingo.

I’m and my virtual tutors are… ABBA! Anya and I had a great time belting out ABBA songs in svenska! Join us!

Mamma Mia in Swedish on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_joNKzgn8F8

Swedish lyrics: http://artists.letssingit.com/abba-lyrics-mamma-mia-swedish-version-q21fbjr#axzz3lluNtj8v

We remember our trip to the ABBA museum in Stockholm last May.

Speaking about Sweden, I talked with a friend from my days at Lutheran Bible Institute. It turns out that he lived for three years at Johannelund, my betrothed future employer. (We have a formal memorandum of agreement, but it isn’t a contract.) He loved the community and still has contacts in Uppsala. So, we will be welcomed by his friends as well!

Anya has quite a bit of homework, but I’m so pleased with her self-initiative and keeping on top of it. She’s often working ahead, because she knows that soccer games and youth group will take time later. If you would have seen her in 5th grade (and her penmanship!), you would be surprised to see the wonderful organization of her homework system and clear penmanship! What a great development with her own drive. Ok, I do have to make a big purchase at Staples each fall, but that’s a worthy investment in her learning!

The two soccer games this week were against very good teams. On Tuesday, Anya wasn’t feeling well and didn’t play, complicated with the fact that the last time we were at that high school stadium it was the brain cancer walk. There was a flood of memories. She played well on Thursday in a deluge of rain. There were only 2 parents for our team enduring the rain that game.

This week, one of the things I’m grateful for is the friendship of Jean and Marv, who mow my lawn! While they say they need the exercise, I know they are freeing me up for my dissertation and being mom.

With blessings,

Beth

I’ve been encouraged by a couple non-family members to keep the blog going. Well, with everything going on, it won’t be a daily post. However, I’m going to try to post once a week on the weekend with a few updates to share a bit of life.

Anya’s back in school and on the soccer team. On Thursday night, they won their first game with Anya starting and contributing a goal!

Anya’s school started on Sept. 1. Her rigorous schedule is:

1. Honors sophomore composition and literature
2. Racquet sports
3. Pre-calculus (technically an IB [International Baccalaureate] math, but she will advance with other IB maths over the next 2 years)
4. Spanish for bilingual speakrs 2
5. AP World History
6. AP/IB Physics
7. Stained Glass 1

After being a foreign student in Norway, Anya has developed a special compassion for students who are new to Interlake from other countries. So, she’s reaching out and making friends with students from Spain, Tanzania, and Colombia. Compassion is one of our core family values, so I’m pleased to see her initiative to care for others.

School started before Labor Day this year. But then we went off with several neighbor families to Cascades Camp in Yelm, which is operated by the Covenant church. This family camp has become an annual event, cherished for its great activities, programming, and food. However, this will probably be our last time together with plans to move to Sweden next year.

Since returning to the USA on Aug. 2, I have:

• moved out of my office at Trinity with the help of Jean and Marv;
• processed through the farewells and closure after 22 years as student, staff, and faculty at LBI/Trinity;
• got unpacked from travel luggage and storage of stuff while Janet moved in and held down the fort;
• sorted through 6 months of mail and deferred life-stuff (dentist appointments; got new health coverage after leaving Trinity; completed my extended taxes with a tax man’s help; registered for security hack monitoring; neglected hedge trimming, etc.)
• got Anya settled for soccer and school, which began Sept. 1;
• got back into the Tanzania mission team leadership and preparation for a 2016 trip;
• and made wonderful connections with friends I hadn’t seen for a while.

In the midst of life, I’ve been chipping away on my dissertation. Chapter 1 was revised and resubmitted. I am working on re-revisions, while moving ahead on revisions for chapter 2. Currently, I’m sick with a miserable cold, so I’m unable to be as diligent as I’d like. Pray for diligence for me. I must finish writing this calendar year! In the next few days, I have to figure out if I can manage taking the Swedish 101 course at University of Washington this fall and still progress on my dissertation. Being a student would give me better access to the UW library, which is quite good. Perhaps taking it pass/fail!?!

With blessings,

Beth