Whithersoever thou goest

If it wasn’t for the laundry room being located in the next building, I wouldn’t have even gotten out of the apartment yesterday. My Swedish class has been rescheduled, due to a conference. So, my Friday was free of that stress. I worked on Swedish and paying bills online at home. (I’m 3/4 time my first year, so I don’t go in to work on Fridays.)

When preparing dinner, I realized that my spice drawer was not doing so well under the weight.

Anya was out with friends at a birthday celebration on Friday evening, so she is finding some good connections and she had a good time.

Today, I ventured to the other side of town for shopping.

First, I stopped at a huge sporting goods store, appropriately called XXL, which has an IKEA-like path. Ooh, I love this store! My task today was to buy a ping pong table. I compared prices online, and found a good price of a nicer table that was on sale. If I can get it locally, I like to support the local business. Indeed, it was in stock at the same price, so I bought it. It should be delivered for free early next week.

So, instead of typical living room furniture, we’ll have a ping pong table!

I was in the XXL store neighborhood anyway, because I was going to pick up some things at IKEA. Now going to IKEA with a bicycle is like going to Costco on a bicycle! I had to be very careful what I was going to get, so that I could carry everything back. I zip-tied a milk crate on the back of my bike (a milk crate that I bought and shipped with books in it for my dorm-style portable bookshelf). Then, I could carry more stuff. I needed some curtains, bedding, and towels. Now I have all the bedding we need, so that I can return the borrowed bedding and towels to Jim and Christina.

With the backpack on my back, I could manage everything pretty well. Somehow though, when I’m in this area of town, my ride back is not quite the route I took to get there. I ended up with a bit of scenic route back home.

The rest of the day was Swedish and getting settled with all the IKEA stuff. My new curtains look better than the bed sheet and Maasai blanket I was clipping up with a binder clip every night to darken the windows, however, my MacGALver method actually did a better job of keeping out the light than my “darkening” curtains. It isn’t too much of a problem now with the sunset at 5:37, but next spring and into June–when the sun doesn’t set until 11:15 and rises at 3:26–I’ll be clipping my blanket in the window again! (This doesn’t even include dusk and twilight.)

Later, I had to go out again and get some groceries. There aren’t the blue laws here in Sweden like in Norway, which keeps the grocery stores closed on Sunday, but it was good weather for biking to the store in the afternoon. Anya was happy that I bought more pistachio ice cream. It really is wonderful!

With blessings,

Beth

Today, I finally got a bank account!

When funds get deposited, then I’ll have to figure out how to use this new thing.

Anyone else have this thing?

I’ve been working on preparing for class during the workdays. Somehow, I have to filter through the most important things from 15 weeks of teaching the Pentateuch course at Trinity for a 1.5 hour lesson in an Old Testament survey course here. The default tendency is just to efficiently cram more information into a short time. However, my objective is to help the students draw upon their reading preparations for class and engage meaningfully with key themes.

On the way home, I was able to enjoy the fall colors.

I’m loving the colors. I’ll be sad when they are gone, also because it will mean that I will have to close my curtains before I change!

Anya has a classmate over for studying tonight, and I’m working on more Swedish.

With blessings,

Beth

 

Today, when I wasn’t preparing bilingual powerpoint slides for my classes in November, I was in chapel, meetings, or other gatherings where Swedish was spoken. I sat and listened, trying to understand. I didn’t feel like I did very well today getting the jest of several conversations.

For the afternoon fika, we sat in the lobby and pulled chairs around. I listened.

Perhaps it is good that I have become a listener, but it frustrating to trying so hard to listen and not understand or laugh when everyone else is.

So, I’m trying to push ahead with more Swedish this evening.

Onward,

Beth

I had some nice conversations today.

At morning fika (coffee break) with the staff, I learned about a Swedish reality TV show, “Tro, Hopp och Kärlek” (faith, hope and love) which seems to be a bachelor/bachelorette-themed objective. (I never saw those either, so I’m just going on the little I know.) However, the twist in this show is that all the featured single people are priests (we say pastors in the USA) in the Church of Sweden. The buzz is that this new season includes the youth director guy who works at the church connected with Johannelund and oversees the program that Anya participates in. If you’d like to meet Daniel, here’s the link.

Another good conversation was with Jim, my former host. As part of my job, I was asked to develop a new course, but because of some pretty technical Swedish, Jim has helped with the development of the language. The course is titled something like “Case Studies in African Exegetical Theology.” The intriguing part is to talk about other epistemologies with someone who actually is interested! I’ll put some quotes related to this conversation at the bottom for those who are crazy enough to be intrigued as well.

In the afternoon, I had my språk cafe (talk time) with Åsa. I brought some chocolate and yogurt covered cashews to enjoy as well. She’s a great help, and I learn a lot. She helps me understand the nuances of Swedish as we walk through my one-page essay. We have some conversation in English as well in order to connect better, as I’m interested in her journey. She left a teaching position at a Swedish university after a clear sense of calling to become a priest. She will soon finish her studies and be ordained. Fortunately, she is assigned to a congregation not too far away, so I’ll be able to keep in contact.

Finally, while I do miss my dishwasher, Anya and I had a good conversation as we washed the dishes together tonight.

With blessings,

Beth

 

Quotes for those crazy enough to be intrigued:

Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, “The Ethics of Biblical Interpretation: Decentering Biblical Scholarship” in Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 107, No. 1 (Mar., 1988), pp. 3-17.

Scientist epistemologies covertly advocate an a-political reality without assuming responsibility for their political assumptions and interests…

The reconceptualization of biblical studies in rhetorical rather than
scientist terms would provide a research framework not only for integrating historical, archaeological, sociological, literary, and theological approaches as perspectival readings of texts but also for raising ethical-political and religious-theological questions as constitutive of the interpretive process (p. 13).

Fernando F. Segovia, “Criticism in Critical Times: Reflections on Vision and Task” in Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 134, No. 1 (Spring 2015), pp. 6-29.

Segovia was my first “opponent” on my defense committee.

For de Sousa Santos, the theories of the North, be they hegemonic or critical, prove woefully inadequate. It is to the epistemologies of the South, in their struggle for a better world, that one must look. These have as point of departure a form of injustice that grounds and contaminates all others, at work since the inception of modern capitalism—cognitive injustice. This revolves around the belief that there is but one valid form of knowing, modern science, which is advanced as perfect knowledge and is largely the product of the Global North. In the face of such epistemic exclusivism, the epistemologies of the South clamor for new modes of production, new valorization of valid knowledges, and new relations among different forms of knowing (p. 24).

After last Friday’s pick up of my Swedish ID card and missing the bank hours by 15 or so minutes, I was ready to go to the bank today. (No banks are open on the weekends.) I brought all the paperwork that I thought I’d need: my personnummer (tax ID number), my Swedish residency card, my Swedish ID card, my work contract, my housing contract, and my passport (things I had seen on another bank’s application). During lunch, I biked over to the mall that has a branch of the bank.

(In Tanzania I also needed a letter of introduction from my school, two photographs, and my own photocopies of all the official documents!)

I got my “take a number” to wait for my turn.

After a 5-minute wait, I’m at the counter and say I want to open an account. The summary is that I filled out three forms (including a USA W-9 tax form!), and she took copies of most of my paperwork (not housing contract or passport). Finally, she told me that this application will probably take two weeks to review. Yes, another two week wait! I asked politely, but with a gracious plea, to please do everything possible to speed this up. I said that I haven’t been paid in two months, because I haven’t had a bank account, while waiting for personnummber, residency card, and Swedish ID card, and I’ve been doing everything possible to move to the next step as quickly as I can. She told me that she would try to make things go quickly.

I also began the process of opening a bank account for Anya. However, I didn’t bring her birth certificate for proof that I was her parent, though I had a copy of Eric’s death certificate. (I did have to refer to my widowed status in my application.) She asked if Anya had a Swedish ID card. I replied that it takes a 400 kroner online fee payment, which I asked a friend to do for me, but I was going to do it when I had a bank account. (I should have had Jim pay it for Anya too and process them both at the same time, but I was concerned that I was flooding him with cash in this cashless society for several other online payments. Live and learn!) The bank rep thought that she could at least start the process, because she was a minor. I hope it can be set up. Anya’s been working in cash in this cashless culture.

So, it looks like one more transfer of funds from savings to my CapitalOne debit card (with a 0% international exchange rate) that I use for international travel.

I grabbed a wrap from the grab-and-go section of the grocery story in the mall and made it back to Johannelund at 1:00 pm for the språk café (the talk time) with retired volunteers from church.

There was about 15 people who came for the conversation practice in Swedish, including people from Syria and Somalia. It was beautiful to see them welcomed and cared for. There was one family from Syria with two children who were perhaps 6 and 8 years old. The hosts were eager to welcome them with cookies, apples, and juice. One of the women took the kids and played a game with them.

My male conversation partners from my last visit (three weeks ago, because I’ve been traveling) were paired up to talk with men, (though I was warmly greeted by Hans 2). They are really wanting to be culturally sensitive. It is wonderful to see.

I offered to give up my place if needed, as I can find other opportunities, but my partner assured me there was enough people available.

I’ve found that this time of conversation with these volunteers very helpful. They are patient and encouraging. I feel that I have had some of my best times speaking Swedish here, but not without appropriate challenges. At times, I don’t have the vocabulary in some topics.

I’m trying to figure out why I can engage better when speaking at the språk café, so then, I may be able to do this elsewhere for more practice. I think the main issue is that I know that they are willing to listen to my bad Swedish as they have committed to be patient with me. Elsewhere, I feel like a burden to the conversation.

I have a few minutes with Åsa tomorrow afternoon, so I’ll keep working on it!

With blessings,

Beth

It is good to have a low-key weekend after some travels for conferences (Norway, Gothenburg, Växjö within 3 weeks). We started the day in church.

The choir music here is great!

It was also Scout Sunday and the fall Thanks-saying-day with an auction of homemade treats during fika time after church. So, it made for an exciting a full time at church.

After the service, a woman with three young children sought me out and thanked me for what I shared in the sermon last Sunday. She said that she’s been thinking about the message all week and even talked with her coworkers at lunch on Friday about it.

I didn’t reflect on this last Sunday, because it is a bit awkward for me to do this for several reasons. The main reason is that it really isn’t about me. I’m just one beggar telling another beggar where to find food (adapted from D.T. NILES, New York Times, May 11, 1986). I just want to be like John the Baptist (though not in dress or diet!), pointing to Jesus.

I chose Numbers 13-14 to preach on. Yes, this is crazy! Old Testament and two whole chapters! But I summarized the chapters and relayed how this story comforts and challenges me, as one who seems to worry quite a bit. The moms really resonated with worrying over children. However, this account in Numbers tells of how the fears of the Israelites prevented them from receiving the gift that God had set aside for them, the Promised Land. God has over and over and over demonstrated tender love and trustworthiness to me, even through Eric’s cancer and death. So, why do I worry? I keep having to learn to trust (currently with Swedish language learning). But even when we get caught up in worry and question the trustworthiness of God, God is gracious and will eagerly renew and restore us. (The Israelites were forgiven even before they acknowledged their rebellion or asked for forgiveness!) So, I’m glad it was received well, but really for the sake of those who need encouragement from this good news!

The real challenge was the second service, which was more traditional and had more older people who are less comfortable in English. So, instead of a simultaneous interpretation for the few who wanted headphones, they had a consecutive interpretation. I speak a phrase, and it is translated. I speak another phrase, and it is translated. Wow, this was belabored and hard to have any smooth delivery. I tried to simplify a bit to decrease the time, but it gets quite long this way. However, it did make me even more resolute on learning Swedish!

I spent most of the afternoon today with more Swedish language learning. But here’s a fun video from a break: a competition between a Swede and Norwegian skiing through IKEA!

Anya is over at a friend’s house for a group dinner tonight. She and Sarah made “my” chocolate cake for the dinner. The host is a vegan, and the cake without frosting is vegan-friendly. Anya is thriving!

With blessings,

Beth

 

Anya’s friend, Sarah, joined her for breakfast this morning. She is in Anya’s class and lives in an apartment near by with 2 other International Baccalaureate program students. Sarah’s parents live on the continent of Europe, so she is on her own as a high school student. This has given Anya more confidence in staying here when I travel. We have back up adults who she is comfortable contacting, so it seems to be working out.

It was nice to have her chatty this morning, giving me the highlights of the last few days. She made “my” chocolate cake recipe for a fika for her class. It was a hit!

I biked off to Swedish class.

Swedish class was better than last week, but still, I struggled quite a bit at times. The Finnish woman is a better match for a conversation partner for me. She seems more free than I am to speak Swedish, because she’s just willing to go for it, while my brain is wired analyzing the verb tense, spell words in my head, and formulate a sentence. She did have 6 years of Swedish as a teenager in Finland, but because Swedish is required, she was not too interested in learning it.

After a quick lunch, I met Åsa, a student at Johannelund, who is willing to practice Swedish with me. Last time, she was able to review my little essay prior to handing it in. It helped me go through each error with an explanation. Because of my travels, I handed in my essay without Åsa’s review. So today, we went through it, because rather than just getting a paper back with a bunch of markings, I can understand better the rationale for each correction and learn from them. This is what it looked like after walking through it.

At Johannelund, I picked up my mail that had come to my former host’s home. It was the notification that I could pick up my Swedish identity card. So, I biked down to the tax office and picked it up. I went right away to a bank to try to open an account, but it was 3:20 pm, and the banks close at 3:00 pm on Fridays. I’m choosing this bank because: 1) they have a website that has an English option (which seems important for financial matters), and 2) they have 2 days during week that they are open to 6:00 pm. The other bank that was recommended closes at 3 pm every day. (All the banks I’ve checked are closed on the weekends.)

So, I’ll have to wait until next week to open a bank account. This will be 68 days in the process of securing a person number, residency card, and Swedish ID card.

Does this mean now that I have a Swedish identity!?! The card of my “Swedish identity” is similar to this:

The little picture in the top center is see-through. The one in the upper right is like a hologram. There is a fourth image, that I only saw later with back lighting. It can be seen on both sides

Because the youth group does not have anything going tonight, we made (compiled) homemade pizza, did laundry, and Anya is doing math problems while I work on more Swedish. Yes, Anya is doing math for fun. Former math teacher, Grandma Hanson, would be proud!

With blessings,

Beth

Here are a couple more pictures of this amazing castle venue from the second day of our conference.

Today, I presented my research and had a good discussion following. I wondered what sort of questions and comments would arise, as those gathered come from several different disciplines–from art history to anthropology of religion. I received helpful comments and reflections, so it went well.

There is a bit of a game in scholarship. Here’s a great cartoon that addresses some of the dynamics.

So, I’m not very concerned about the game as far as advancement goes. If I was really concerned, I wouldn’t be in biblical studies, much less Old Testament, and even less in a non-standard multi-disciplinary approach. However, I do want to reflect well for my institution’s reputation. I believe I did OK.

Every spare minute now is preparing for tomorrow’s Swedish class. I hope this one goes better than last week.

With blessings,

Beth

 

Every other conference setting will be a disappointment after today!

I’m here in Växjö where the Teleborg Castle is used for conferences!

Knut, my wonderful PhD adviser, invited me to be part of a conference hosted by Linnaeus University. While Knut is unable to join us, Hoyce, from our Maasai and the Bible research group, is here from Stavanger.

The main part focuses on miniature religious texts, with research presented on mini books from the Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and Sikh traditions. Researchers are here from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, USA (3, not including me), and Canada. If you add countries of origin, then include Germany and Tanzania.

I learned a lot! And what a wonderful day of royal treatment (and way too easy access to chocolate)! The dinner was exquisite and held at a banquet table with silver candelabras!

Tomorrow, the conference continues and includes our group of scholars, “Religious Texts in Global Contexts,” with discussions of other projects beyond miniature books. I’ve been invited by Knut to submit a chapter for a book.

With blessings,

Beth

 

 

Today was my day in Alvesta waiting for my evening train.

I have to start with mentioning that I had the best bacon I ever recall eating at the hotel breakfast buffet. I don’t eat bacon often anymore because Anya doesn’t like it. So, any bacon wold be enjoyable, but this was very flavorful with great texture–neither over done nor under done–but just right! I even told the staff. I’ve heard that Swedes are proud of their pork, well I now agree (and there is a bit of rivalry with the Danes.)

I worked in my hotel room in the morning and stashed my backpack in the luggage room. Then, I took a short walk around town.

I also found a grocery store where I bought a ready to eat salad, which I ate in a park drenched in sunlight (though the chilly wind meant I ate with my coat on).

Then, I was off to the library. I studied Swedish there, but I opted out of the language speaking practice. It seemed that they had their hands full of refugees needing help.

One last view of the beautiful Alvesta train station.

Then just 11 minutes by train to Växjö.

I found out today that my former PhD adviser, Knut, will not be coming to this conference. His mother passed away yesterday. So, please keep him and his family in your prayers.

With blessings,

Beth