Ok, I’ve rewritten this page twice, once yesterday and once today. Something seems a bit off with the site. Oh well…
So, highlights from yesterday were from the Syttende Mai (17th of May) Constitution Day celebration.
Oda came to have Anya braid her hair, and then they were off to walk in the children’s parade with their school. In Norway, 9th grade is middle school, so they are in the morning parade. I then went down to watch the parade just about half a mile from our house.
The rallying of the community in a traditional celebration is awesome.
I’m guessing about 80 percent of the women and girls were in traditional bunads (see even the toddler in the white bonnet!). Perhaps 30 percent of the men and young boys, and less of the youth were in the traditional bunad.
Each area has a style and color. Rogaland’s (our area) is black. I’m glad it isn’t the split pea soup green!
After lunch, I joined Anya and Oda for a bit at the local primary school. The community was out for some carnival games (pounding nails is included, but I’m not sure the meaning other than tradition).
Anya and Oda watched the afternoon parade while I paid bills and did some research–staying warmer and dryer.
In the evening, we watched Sister Act 2. Amazing music with lyrics right from the hymnbooks!
Today, Anya wasn’t feeling well. Actually, she said she wasn’t feeling good yesterday either, but she didn’t want to miss the festivities. So, today, she stayed home and worked on her online English course. This is the last week for it, so she is pushing through to finish up in spite of being very frustrated with the repeated content (the fourth time she’s been taught the MLA citation, which she got the first time), slow paced online video lectures, and some nebulous exam questions in the “choose the best answer” format. She’ll be glad when this course is over. Then, she’ll be going her own pace through the second semester of Algebra 2, which she actually enjoys!
I had to be the backpack shopper and go out to get some more ibuprophen for Anya, as well as a few groceries. I plan my shopping times based on the precipitation forecast.
My work today included Hebrew translation from 1 Samuel 2. Fortunately, we are back into narrative after finishing the poetry, which is difficult to translate but fascinating. When I told Anya about parallel motifs in Hannah’s song and Mary’s song, The Magnificat, Anys said, “You mean Mary plagiarized?!?” (Yes, Anya has the citation bit down!)
I do some writing and revision in spurts and mix things up with Hebrew and reading to keep my brain from getting too fatigued. Our group reading for the Maasai Research Group is a collection of essays on womanist writings (African women’s feminist perspective). There is some powerful and moving writing, some thought provoking, and some way beyond orthodoxy. We’ll have much to discuss on Wednesday.
With blessings,
Beth