My Pentateuch class is on Wednesday. I’m still slashing and burning to try to get my original 500 slides into 90 minutes of the most salient points with meaningful student engagement. I want to avoid trying to take a drink from a fire hose!
Then I have to make the slides bi-lingual. The 90 minutes on Deuteronomic history is also tomorrow (Joshua, Judges, 1&2 Samuel, 1&2 Kings). So, I’m working in every spare moment!
Swedish note: I need a lesson on Swedish punctuation!
With blessings,
Beth
There are two ways that Sundays are Swedish for me. First, church is in Swedish. I do grab an earpiece for concurrent translation, but I try to listen to the Swedish first and then hear the interpretation to check my understanding and fill in gaps of vocabulary. Sometimes it works great, sometimes the timing with the translation is just a bit behind to make this work well.
My colleague at Johannelund was the preacher today. He did his PhD at Fuller.
Sometimes, I think Lars-Göran looks a bit like Russel Crowe.
What do you think?
There is some quirky humor in theological circles. Others started this look-a-like humor, finding famous people that look like some less famous theologians and biblical scholars. Here are a couple links! (For the second link, there are many additional look-a-likes on the right navigation bar.)
Sundays are also Swedish in the sense that they are days to put in some extra time on language practice. On Friday, I have another oral exam, so I’m working on putting together my news article to discuss.
I took a break to make some no-bake cookies.
On my way biking home from church on the packed snow, I remember once thinking that one biker in Bellevue doing this was crazy. (Kari, I believe it was your brother!) And now, I do it every day! I still need to get the studded tires on our bicycles. The packed snow really isn’t too bad. The freezing rain will be the bad stuff.
Anya and I are on our 27th day of playing ping pong at least once a day. While we play, I throw out a word, and she tries to find a lyric in a musical to match. Words include: red, inside, grandmother, socks, ladder, arrow, chicken, and more! Sometimes she has to make an analogy, but she is amazing!
I Skyped with my parents in the evening, but Anya was tired and had already gone to bed.
With blessings,
Beth
There has been a lot going on the past few days.
First, the weather. Wednesday and Thursday both had about 4 inches of snow per day.
I still need to get the studded tires on my bike. It isn’t too bad to get around, but I am going a slower pace, especially around the corners.
The last few days have been full of reviewing my preparations for my teaching this morning. The course is Introduction to the Old Testament. This was my first time teaching in the class room with about 20 students. I was pleased with how it went and the engagement of the students.
I had put all the PowerPoint slides into both Swedish and English. I explained at the beginning that my Swedish is only that of a beginner, so I used Google Translate to help. However, I know that Google Translate is far from perfect. So, I asked for a volunteer to make corrections on a hard copy of my slides. And at times, we would have discussion on the language which would help me, but also engage reflective learning as the students would have to think more carefully through the language that is used. There was a bit of collective conversation about some translation questions, and the students were tracking with my spoken English. I did try to use a little more basic vocabulary as well as speak clearly and slowly. They were doing amazingly well with this.
However, one student arrived late because an early train had been cancelled. She didn’t hear the discussion. At a break, she made a gracious offer to help with reviewing the Swedish because there were some problems. I thanked her, and will plan to take her up on a review of the slides before class. And I did let her know that I was aware of my language limitations and so some students were helping by correcting the Swedish on the hard copies.
But other than the rough Swedish on the slides, the class discussions went really well. I sense that the key points were grasped. For example, the students could now define for you “minimalist” and “maximalist” perspectives on Old Testament historiography, because at the end of the session, they had to turn to a conversation partner and each articulate a definition to the other. They had an introduction to the Documentary Hypothesis. Then in partners, they skimmed Genesis 6-9 looking for the different names of God, which illustrated a bit of the observations that stimulated the hypothesis in the first place. There were some great questions demonstrating some insightful thinking.
I have spoken some Swedish these days with some patient conversation partners. One of the Johannelund student (but not my student) conversation partners talked with me on Thursday. I worked on asking questions, which are difficult for me due to the change of word order. I also spoke some Swedish during coffee breaks with staff. I think my coworker, Anna, was a little concerned that I wasn’t learning Swedish, because she didn’t hear me speak any. I think she at least heard some of my improvement, but we both realize there is a long way to go!
I realize this also when I’m in a Swedish-only lecture. There was a seminar on Wednesday that kept me struggling to track what was being said.
Unfortunately, my teaching was on Friday morning, so I couldn’t attend my Swedish class at the university. I will work through the lesson as much as I can on my own.
I’m on my own now, as Anya is out with the youth group. So, I finished up the laundry and keep pushing ahead on my Swedish, “litet i taget” (little by little).
With blessings,
Beth
So, the apples I received from students last Wednesday went into an apple cake yesterday.
I brought the cake to share with the staff, but there is now a community fika (coffee/tea break) after Tuesday’s chapel. So, I changed the plan and invited students for an afternoon fika, including two of the apple givers, the giver of the recipe book, and two who are Swedish conversation partners, as well as any who came into the student lounge at the time. Here was the beginning fika group.
As the Old Testament teacher, I relayed that I was blessed with the apples and was then able to be a blessing with them; blessed to be a blessing is an important OT theme!
The apple cake was very sweet. I followed the recipe, but this was over-the-top sweet. Note: no glaze next time!
After fika, I had a Swedish conversation time with one student. Our conversations were at a white board, which is great for me as a visual learner to see the vowels and differentiate between similar words. The conversation steered to some important OT words (for Pam: the divine name, Torah, and hesed, which is translated “grace” in the dominant translation). It started because I’m not connecting with “Herre” (mister) as adequately representing the divine name of God in the OT. It was a great conversation. (Pam, any insights on this issue for me?)
Later, I chatted a bit with another distance student. She shared her story of what brought her to Johannelund. It was beautiful. Through a choir, she was enfolded into a church community after her husband died of cancer and she was experiencing great loss. Now, she wants to be equipped to care for others as her life has been transformed beyond just the loss. I love these stories!
She was also grateful for the additional resources I had posted on the Moodle page (an Internet portal for this course). She was feeling a bit stressed about the major paper, but the resources I prepared and posted were helpful for her. These are some amazing students, and I’m glad I can support them — be a blessing!
One or more students left a message to the community in the snow outside my window.
With blessings,
Beth
Sunday’s worship had several wonderful moments with an emphasis on families with children. The four-year-olds received Bibles from the church. There was a special children’s sermon where the kids walked around the church pulling down helium balloons at various places representing Jesus coming down to meet us in different ways on Earth. With communion, there was an opportunity for lighting candles.
I lit a candle in memory of Juliana with prayers for the Stubbs family. Continue to keep them in your prayers after a great tragedy.
After the service, I was introduced to a New Testament professor from the University of Uppsala who is from the USA. So, there is a disproportionate of Americans teaching Bible in Uppsala with this guy at the university as well as Jim and me at Johannelund!
Then one of the church members introduced himself and his wife. We got talking and found out — small world — we are both alumni of Lutheran Bible Institute in Issaquah! Ok, Jean, remember Emmanuel E. from the mid-80’s!?! We had a good time talking about LBI folk (especially you, Jean!). Fun!
The afternoon was cooking for the week while listening to TED Talks developed into an NPR radio program. I’m trying to make several meals at once to streamline food preparation and to have some good meals for Anya between school and pole vaulting practice. Today (Monday), I realized that the Persian soup looses something with the soup base prepared in advance. I kept the couscous and fresh mint for quick preparation just before serving, but the dried apricots lost their sweetness overnight.
My Monday is somehow a holiday at Johannelund, but I filled the morning with some online banking, figuring out the Swedish homeowners insurance, making an application for disability insurance, and other chores. In comparison to the USA, it seems that the insurance coverage is more generous and significantly less expensive. The homeowners insurance includes theft of things outside the home and travel insurance! Wow!
I headed out to the Språk Cafe’ after lunch, biking carefully in the inch of snow on the paths.
I had two of my previous Swedish conversation partners join me, Barbaro and Hans 1. I think it goes best with just Barbaro, but it also continues to strengthen my hearing and listening with the two of them. They are both gracious, and it is sometimes fun to hear them figure things out between the two of them.
On my way home, I picked up a few things I needed to finish one of my apple baking recipes. I only had 200 grams of almond paste for the first part of the recipe. I didn’t see the 400 grams that I needed later!
It is a bit awkward baking a classic Swedish dessert that I have never eaten. I just had a recipe and a picture, but I have no sense on how it really should taste!
I had to make two attempts at the glaze. Here is attempt #1! I knew this was wrong!
Here’s the final version with a proper glaze.
Just to have a comparison with the picture, here they are viewed together.
I have to get the Swedish definitions of glaze, frosting, and icing. I remember fun conversations in Tanzanian between our American crew and our Australian/New Zealand friend, Amazing Sarah, on this sweet topic!
While baking, I listened to a news podcast in easy Swedish. So, Donald Trump was in the news this year in Sweden more than the Swedish Prime Minister, Stefan Löfven! The Swedes are a bit unsettled over some over-stepping of the Russian military in the recent past. There was some recent perceived aggressive moves in or near Swedish airspace and a Russian submarine in the waters of the Stockholm archipelago, which has resulted in Sweden beefing up its military. So, the Swedes are very interested in the outcome of the election tomorrow.
With blessings,
Beth
For Lutherans in the USA, All Saints Day isn’t much of a holiday. I don’t know of any kind of celebration other than perhaps a prayer in the Sunday service in memory of those who have died the previous 12 months with prayers for comfort for the families. However, here in Sweden, where Lutherans are closer to the Roman Catholic traditions, the day is a holiday. That means that Friday was a de-facto holiday at Johannelund and Monday is off too.
Today, people flocked to the church graveyards and lit candles on the graves of loved ones.
In my basic Swedish, I invited Anya to come with me to the gravhögar, or grave mounds with me, because the Old Uppsala church and graveyard is next to the mounds. She asked why? I said (in English) that it would be lit up with candles as people are remembering those that have passed. She said, “Really, they remember the Yngling kings!?!” (The Yngling kings are the vikings buried there over 1000 years ago.) Oh! I needed to specify that I was going to the church graveyard! It was a good laugh, but she still didn’t come with me.
I bundled up and braved the bitter wind on my bike.
It was beautiful.
I warmed up inside the church a bit, which also allowed a time for prayer.
I wonder why this tradition isn’t part of American Christianity, as I have experienced it. Are we so mobile that we have moved from family graves? The Reformation had more transformations of practices in some areas, while Swedish Lutheranism is quite high church with more resemblance to Catholicism. (I’m a bit low church, so I am stretched a bit sometimes here.) Any other ideas?
According to Wikipedia… For Lutherans, “While the dead are solemnly remembered during worship on All Saints’ Sunday, the festival is ultimately a celebration of Christ’s victory over death.” I guess that in the USA, we put the emphasis on Easter instead.
Most of the rest of my day was spent working on my PhD dissertation revisions for publication (and the typing really aggravated my tendonitis).
Anya is super disciplined with studying over this week’s break. I am amazed! But she has a goal to get a 7 of 7 possible points in higher math. However, Anya and I did take a couple breaks for ping pong.
Anya had pole vaulting practice in the evening, which also was a break from studying. We also each Skyped with friends from the US.
May this All Saints Day for you be filled with warm memories of loved ones.
With blessings,
Beth
We were awakened to a bit of a snowy morning.
After living for 10 years in Minnesota and moving to the Seattle area, I used to say that I prefer precipitation that I don’t have to shovel. In an apartment, I don’t have to shovel, but now I have to ride a bike in snow. It is time to get studded tires on our bicycles! My Swedish classmate (a medical doctor from Italy who previously did a PhD here) highly recommended the studs. He said that he almost preferred to bike with the studded tires than to walk when things were icy. One of the Johannelund students gave me a recommendation for a bike shop, so we’ll bring our bikes in soon for studs and a tune up.
With the snow, I allowed extra time to bike to my Swedish lesson. The city is pretty good about clearing bike paths, and I hear that some places in the center of the city have hot water tubes under the sidewalk to keep them snow and ice free.
My lesson went fairly well today. I think that I’m catching up a bit and have a beginning foundation of the grammar. My speaking is still the weak link, but with some practice time with Åsa yesterday, I begin to see glimpses of a hint perhaps of little progress. (How was that, Marv?) I know that I felt less stressed going into my class today.
In my class, my Indian classmate relayed that because of All Saints Day tomorrow, he heard that grocery stores would close at 3:00 pm today. That made me remember similar practices in Norway on the eve of a holiday, so I made sure to get some groceries for the weekend.
In the evening, I was looking at a traditional Swedish baking recipe book which was a gift from one of the Johannelund students. (He is in his last year, so I don’t think I will ever have him as a student. Thus, this wasn’t a bribe, but rather a welcome gift.) Now, I was looking at how to use the apples that the students in my class gave me on Wednesday (meant as a playful bribe). There are some mouth-watering recipes, but each one that called for apples had at least one ingredient that I didn’t have, like almond paste. Now, there are a few more things on my shopping list.
When I was at the store, I actually had two conversations! One was a neighbor. He is a former Johannelund student. He and his physician wife have an adorable little girl, perhaps 2 years old, who looks quintessentially Swedish with bright blue eyes. We chatted a bit at the produce section. He seems like a great dad. He even had the potty chair along to be ready if she had to go in her early potty training stage. I would often seem him with his daughter playing in the playground that we see out our window. Swedish parents are entitled to 480 days of paid paternity leave, with 90 of the days (minimum) being reserved for the dads. Pretty cool!
As I was checking out at the grocery store, the cashier recognized me. The cashiers work the registers and the post-office counter. He asked me, “So, when on Tuesday?” He was the one who posted my ballot and remembered me as the American. I wonder what the next conversation after Tuesday will be like when I see him again! I’m praying for a peaceful election and a renewed respectful civility.
I’m also praying for missionary friends in Tanzania whose adopted Tanzanian young-adult daughter was killed Tuesday night. The details haven’t been made public, but this is absolutely devastating. Please keep the Stubbs family in your prayers.
With a heavy heart,
Beth
Finally, I was “in” the classroom today. The course is co-taught, an my colleague taught the sessions today. So, while I was technically in the classroom, I wasn’t teaching. But I arrived early, and three of the guys brought a bag a apples for me, pretending to butter me up, but really giving me a welcome! It was a warm welcome, and there were good conversations during breaks before, during, and in the middle of our three, 90-minute sessions today!
I also scored points with the class, because there is a chapter of a book that is required for the class, but I was told that the book was no longer in print. So, within permitted academic use, I scanned it and uploaded it to the Moodle page for this course. That was appreciated.
While my teaching in English is no problem for many, I know there are a few who are less comfortable speaking in English. So, I tried to explain with those I talked with and a post on Moodle how I would have bilingual PowerPoint slides and small group exercises where they would speak Swedish. I sense they are optimistic.
I see how my approach will be able to engage the students in meaningful ways and incorporate pedagogy beyond lecture and white board. I’m looking forward to not just being in the classroom but facilitating a lesson and engaging students in a few active learning exercises.
The afternoon had a special fika (coffee/tea break), partially to help build community after talking through some transitions and challenges this fall.
We had our first snow today! The flakes were outside the breakfast window and fell all day. However, they only stayed on the grass while melting on any pavement or sidewalk. That meant biking was still safe. Eventually, I need to see about getting studded tires on our bikes!
Time for ping pong!
Beth
Anya arrived 3 months ago today, with me arriving 3 days later. So, I had prepared Anya with some reflection questions to discuss at dinner tonight.
During these last 3 months:
We both shared our perspectives and also what we saw in each other. There were highlights of trips to Stockholm (mine with Anya, Anya’s with her friend Sarah); playing ping pong; dinner conversations and laughter with Jim and Christina when we were guests there the first month; spirit week at school for Anya; heart-to-hear conversations for me with new friends at Johannelund; etc.
Anya has wonderfully developed with her own management of time and responsibilities. She wasn’t a slouch before, but there is more to manage here, with a schedule that changes from week to week, and a mom who was gone to three conferences for 2 to 4 days at a time. Anya even made the decision to have me cancel Netflix, because it was a distraction from her studies. Wow!
It is great to see her thriving, and that a huge consolation for me with all the frustration of language learning. I have finished all the lessons on Duolingo!
While I’m grateful for all that I did learn with Duolingo, I am bewildered that I am still so poor at speaking the language after finishing this course. However, I did have my first tri-lingual dream! I dreamed that I met a woman from Kenya, so I started speaking Swahili with her. After about 3 words of Swahili, I unconsciously slipped into Swedish for about 3 words! But then the dream continued in English. Usually, it is the other way around, where I want to speak Swedish and Swahili words want to come out. This is encouraging. I dream of someday dreaming in Swedish–really!
Indeed, God has been and will continue to be faithful!
Today was really rainy. It means bundling in layers and rain gear for my backpacks and me. I bring an extra backpack full of books to my office every day.
Tomorrow is the first day of EG 101 Introduktion till Gamla testamentet (Introduction to the Old Testament). My colleague is lead for the first day, but then next week, I’m in charge for about 6 weeks when he is in the USA for a conference and visiting his son. (Pam, he’ll be at the SBL. Would you like me to send anything if you’re going?) Several students told me today that they are excited for the course! I am encouraged.
With blessings,
Beth