Things are rolling now. Monday started with time in the office, but in the afternoon, I went to the Nordic African Institute Library and checked out 5 books on African knowledge systems. This was the first day the library was open. (I’m working on a paper on multi-dimentional exegesis.)
On the way back, I walked my bike through the big botanical garden (there are two in Uppsala).
On Tuesday, most of the Johannelund employees went to a Lutheran convent for a workshop. This was my second time, and I actually gave my summer report in mostly Swedish. It was a shorter summary than if I did it in English, but I got my point across, clarifying that I still speak better than my audio-comprehension.
The sisters provide some great hospitality and food. They grow the fruits and vegetables.
Our last session was a short worship service in the church.
I appreciate diversity in worship, but when the native Swedes had a hard time following the chanting, I decided to give up.
After a fika, we had a group photo and headed home.
I was tired from a full day of listening to Swedish, but this is getting back to work here.
Wednesday was a full day of faculty meetings–with all but one in Swedish. These are more frustrating, because these are issues that I would really like to track carefully, and I can’t.
It has been a whole year here. Sometimes I wonder if my audio-comprehension is much better, or perhaps it is just that my frustration is greater.
The highlight of the day was getting approval for a proposal I initiated in developing an award for excellence in exegetical theology (OT and NT biblical interpretation). Awards are not part of the culture of this social democracy, but I stated that it was important for students who are applying to international programs in order to help demonstrate their capacity for graduate study. My NT colleague stated that we currently have 5 alumni in the UK at places like Oxford and Edinburgh (and then he whispered to me that they were all biblical studies students!).
The award was approved, and my NT colleague (the second reader) and I both agreed (previously) that my OT student clearly deserved the award (and it was the only woman in the bunch, and she juggled her studies as a a mother of three and half-time teacher of Swedish to refugees). Now, I want to help her find a master’s program in OT, as she loves studying the Hebrew Bible and is more gifted in her bachelors thesis than I think I was writing at a master’s level (as well as being a well-grounded woman of faith). However, she needs to study via distance, as she lived up by the Arctic Circle, where her husband is a pastor. Oh, I wish somehow Fuller’s MAT (a distance program) would work for her, and I showed it to her, but she’ll probably end up in a reading program that is more affordable here in Sweden.
Off to close the day with a Swedish lesson on Duolingo, and get a good night’s sleep in preparation for tomorrow’s full day of meetings in Swedish.
With blessings,
Beth