Whithersoever thou goest

Today in Sandnes, the sun sets at 10:52 PM, but it is dusk until civil twilight ends at 12:17 AM! The dawn’s twilight starts at 2:59 AM with sunrise at 4:24 AM. This means only 2 hours and 42 minutes of darkness. While I have an opaque shade, enough light sneaks through the edges to keep an eye mask handy. This is what happens at 58 degrees and 51 minutes north (Bellevue, WA is 47 degrees and 36 minutes north; but I can look forward to a similar midsommer in Uppsala, Sweden, at 59 degrees and 52 minutes north). Midsommer is a public holiday in Sweden!

I didn’t get any hikers to go with me to Dalsnuten, so I cleaned the house and did laundry instead.

I did need to get some groceries and what I needed was at the grocery store down town. On my way home, I walked past the harbor to get you some photos.

I never thought I would see a cherry red 57 Chevy in Sandnes!

The harbor has a great view. I can see a bit of the water from my bedroom window, but the view up the fjord is beautiful.

There is an old wooden boat named Sandnes docked in the harbor.

In the evening, got through another episode of Welcome to Sweden, but I’m not sure I’ll continue. It is a lesson of intercultural incompetency, which makes for some humor, but I find it a bit unsettling, if not disturbing. So, I then checked out an episode of Poirot. Unfortunately, murder mysteries are less disturbing.

With blessings,

Beth

The PhD journey is humbling. I was reading a couple books today that Knut loaned to me. I wanted to engage them before passing them back in a couple weeks. One is a 2015 festschrift (book in honor of) for Hans de Wit.

One of the books that Hans de Wit edited was a key link to getting me connected with intercultural hermeneutics. This 2015 book. New Perspectives on Intercultural Reading of the Bible, is not available at Amazon.com or bookfinder.com, and even on the publishers website! I think it is too new.

As I’m reading it, is hear of others in this sub-field of biblical studies who have fascinating theoretical frameworks, such as Focault (post-structuralism) to Levinas and his “philosophy of the other.”

The reality is that it is good to be aware of these various theoretical approaches, but delimit the scope of one’s own PhD project to what is pragmatic and strategic for one’s project. While a bit frustrating to constantly be confronted with what I don’t know, it is good to keep humble.

For me, Hans-Georg Gadamer is my theoretical framework.

After I chose him, I was please to see that others, like Gerald West in South Africa, had incorporated Gadamer as well, but in a different project.

To balance out these white guys, here are some other theologians I engage.

So, between some reading and time working on the laptop with other resources, I took breaks with some laundry and clipping the lawn. I also have a friend in China, and we were emailing back and forth in seemingly another world, but so cool to be in touch.

It is supposed to be a nice day tomorrow, so I sent out an email to a few friends here to see if anyone wanted to go on a hike with me tomorrow. Anya, much to my disappointment, doesn’t like to hike. So, far no takers.

Anya is off with Oda in Stavanger. They took the bus in. Anya is going to introduce Oda to Starbucks and then go see a movie. It should be a good memory-making experience.

With blessings,

Beth

We are on the last month now in Norway! Wow! So much has happened in the 4.75 months here. I realized today that I’m not walking as much as when we first arrived, because I know the bus system better, and I’ve figured out how to switch buses for more direct routes. Now, it is also warmer, so I don’t mind standing out in the rain–and the bit more sunshine–switching buses as much now.

I can get off the bus much closer to home now. The path from the bus stop had evidence that Starbucks has come to Stavanger.

But just to let you know, it didn’t stay there!

Anya went off to school. They played handball in gym. The Scandinavians have pride that they are better in handball than the USA! But Anya said she was really good at handball today, even as the goalie. When they switched to volleyball, she said she was pretty good too. For years I–the former volleyball coach–have offered to work with her to practice volleyball skills, but no! She has never liked learning from me. I could have her reading biblical Hebrew with me, but no!

We did read biblical Hebrew today for the Maasai Research Group. We’ll meet one more time on Monday, because Knut wants us to read some Midrash together (Jewish teachings about the Hebrew Bible). So, much of my morning was preparing for our Hebrew reading. I also did some library gleanings, scanning a few pages of a few books to have later.

Anya made pretzels after school. She wanted waffles for dinner, so I stopped off for some fresh strawberries (jordgubbar in Swedish) and made waffles. She was in a good mood, and we talked and laughed in the kitchen.

After dinner, we watched the movie, Miss Potter, the biopic about the creator of Peter Rabbit.

Have a great day with memories of wonderful childhood story books!

With blessings,

Beth

Anya was off to school. As it is getting to the end of the year, there isn’t much going on in class. As they studied WWII, they watched Schindler’s List today.

It is a powerful and difficult movie to watch, and Anya and I talked a bit about it.

I went off to MHS and scoured the library for resources for the remaining passages that I will engage. I have a path plotted now for the remaining 50,000 words, but I won’t have access to all these resources. So, I want to have access to the PDFs later.

Most of the students are gone and many seem to have started on their holiday. So, it is pretty quiet. That is good for me getting things done.

I did see a couple librarians. I think that Anya’s practicum in April helped me have a stronger and more personal connection with the librarians, which is always a good thing!

We chatted over dinner, and then Anya went up to shower. I worked on emails. My contact in Uppsala, my future boss (I guess), talked with a woman at church is is an American and married a Swede. So, she’s been in Sweden for about 20 years. She was asked if she would be my mentor and help me get settled in Uppsala, and she responded with joy! How wonderful to have an American interpreter of Swedish culture, just like Marta has been for me here in Stavanger.

Then I re-watched one of my favorite Ted Talks on “The Power of Vulnerability.” If you have 20 minutes, I highly recommend this moving, and funny, talk.

Maybe someday, I’ll have the time to write something and connect this with the “theology of the cross,” as I see tremendous parallels. Yes, let’s practice gratitude and joy today! (In Svenska, praktiken tacksamhet och glädje!)

What are you grateful for?

With blessings, (Med välsignelser,)

Beth

Anya stayed home today as there was a class bike trip that was not strategic, and it gave her a time to work on some Algebra 2 and other projects at home.

I went to MHS and joined the Old Testament women for lunch at a Chinese/Japanese restaurant. The food is “mama hoohoo” (transliterated Chinese meaning so-so); not good Chinese food, but fairly inexpensive for Norway at $17 an entree.

There are two postdoc researchers, including Hoyce from the Maasai Research Group, and Marta. Marta was with us in South Africa in 2012. Tina is our fourth, who recently submitted her dissertation. These are wonderful women, and we have a sense of empathy for each one’s journey. We talked a bit about my midway evaluation, and they were encouraging, but I didn’t let them get away with just pandering to me. I know there are things that I need to do to strengthen the rhetoric.

I returned to campus and worked on gathering resources from the library and online journals. I will make the most of the rest of my time here scanning pages from the library and downloading journal articles that I have access to now.

As there weren’t any pictures from the today, I’ll add some from the weekend road trip with Knut, the Maasai Research Group colleagues, and Anya.

With blessings,

Beth

Anya got an invitation to come and visit again to be with their sheep, dogs, and horses, as well as just live for a bit on a farm.

May you have a dandelion bouquet and skippingly good day!

With blessings,

Beth

I have a wonderful PhD supervisor, Knut! He coordinated an overnight sightseeing trip for the two others in the Maasai Research Group, Anya, and me. The two others, Hoyce and Zephania, are from Tanzania, and at least Zephania has not been outside the Stavanger area in his previous 2 years as a master’s student and 5 months for this PhD study.

I’ll give you a bit of yesterday’s visit today, but than continue on over the next day or two relaying the story of the journey and photographs of beautiful Norway. At times, I felt we were in coffee table book gorgeous scenery. Unfortunately, my photography won’t capture the stunning beauty!

We took off Saturday morning, and first visited the church that Anya’s great-great (great?) grandfather was the architect and built in Ivesdahl. (Look at pictures from April 3rds post, as those are better than what I took yesterday.)

Along the drive we saw the longest and best preserved stone bridge in the Nordic region. It is built entirely from stone.

We continued on to Ivesland area, north of Kristiansand, in the woodland area of the southern part of Norway–also passing the production area of Voss water, an internationally marketed brand of Norwegian water.

Knut’s one room cabin was extended a few years ago into a beautiful, 3-bedroom lake cabin. It doesn’t have running water or grid electricity, but solar keeps the basic lights on when needed. Propane stove (for heating water for the shower in addition to cooking) and fridge are available. A gas generator can be used if needed, but we didn’t end up using it. And a microbial toilet works just fine.

The pine floor, walls, and ceiling in the two story cabin are so cozy.

Anya and I took a walk to the lake and marsh, and avoided the snakes that are sometimes seen in the area.

We looked through his guest book, and I saw 5 African theologians that I had me that Knut had hosted previously. He is a gracious host, and we laughed as he translated Nordic fairy tales, played simple games, and told stories. Knut closed the evening with Psalm 103 (he read from the Hebrew Bible and translated by sight) and  prayer for us and for our families.

I read once that an invitation to a “hytte” or cabin is one of the greatest honors of hospitality in Norway. Indeed, we were blessed.

More tomorrow!

With blessings,

Beth

I worked from home on OCR scanning quite a bit of Kimirei’s master’s thesis, especially the parts on Maasai reconciliation. This thesis is a gold mine for me! Then I started getting notes into Nota Bene for dissertation citation.

I also went to what we would call the baccalaureate service for MHS, followed by a light dinner with great desserts, and then the graduation ceremony.

The service was nice, but less pomp and circumstance. Due to the value of being egalitarian, there are no caps and gowns. There is no procession. All the graduates sit with friends or family in the auditorium. There are more master’s students than bachelor’s students. Many of the master’s students are from outside Europe, including Madagascar, Ethiopia, Nepal, and Ghana.

The service was out at 9 PM, and I should have been thinking about what time the #2 bus was departing from the bus stop close to school. Just as I was thinking about heading home, I saw the bus drive by. So, I walked to downtown, and grabbed a bus toward Sandness. However, it wouldn’t take me close to home, so I had to switch buses by the mall, which was long closed. It was getting late. The X60 bus picked me up at 10:18. However, the sun hadn’t set yet!

I walked from the bus stop to home and took this picture at 10:23 PM with the sun still 22 minutes from sunset!

Tomorrow, there will not be a blog post. Knut is taking the Maasai Research trio with Anya to his family cabin. There is no running water or electricity! So, definitely no WIFI. Thus, no way to make a post. I’ll bring back photos. I was talking to Knut’s wife tonight about the beaver that lives by their cabin, and then also some snakes! Stories to come Sunday evening.

Today I transitioned to the next step for my dissertation. I spent the morning reflecting on the midway evaluation and reading the written comments of the respondents. I sent some clarifying questions to Knut, and made an appointment to meet on Monday to process a few things. Then I transitioned to the next steps. I started reading the masters thesis of Pastor Gabriel Kimirei, a Maasai who studies at Wartburg Seminary. His master’s thesis is on a comparison of the Maasai understanding of reconciliation with the Old Testament. He has some very good documentation that I will integrate into my dissertation, so this is helpful. Justo brought it from Tanzania for the seminar 2 weeks ago. Now, after the evaluation, I can tackle it.

Fortunately, there was some nice weather, so I spent some time outside reading it.

Last night, I finished a book, My Name is Asher Lev, by Chaim Potok.

I brought it along from the USA and finished it last night. I like Chaim Potok, and while I probably prefer the story of The Chosen and The Promise, this book makes me ponder the artist’s worldview. I’ve read that it is Potok’s favorite of his books, and one that is semi-autobiographical.

Now I’ve transitioned to a new book. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, by Mark Haddon.

It was recommended by Marta’s daughter, Janna, and I thought it sounded like a good read. Then an theatre adaptation just earned a Tony award, but my landlord had it on a shelf (there are tons of books here). So, cool! I can start tonight!

Torbjørn was home for a bit today. He works on Thursdays in the area, so I kind of expect him to show up on Thursdays. We had a nice talk for a bit, and I found out about his finals and a bit about his courses this semester. He is a good conversationalist, which is commendable for a 19-year-old. I made pizza for dinner and invited him to join us, followed by the last of the chocolate cake. It was a nice time. Part of the time was playing with the bucky ball magnets, which have been a great activity with friends here. They have been recalled in the USA because of kids swallowing them, even though they are sold only to those who are teenagers or older. Too bad, because they are great fun.

I did take a mental break and watch an episode of Welcome to Sweden on Netflix. This is an sit-com about an American, Bruce, who moves to Sweden to be with his Swedish girlfriend, Emma. It has some adult-themed humor and not appropriate for Anya, but I’m checking out what cultural aspects are addressed regarding an American moving to Sweden–or being in Norway. There are some similar things, like outgoing Bruce can’t figure out why neighbors living in the same apartment building don’t get to know each other. Emma instructs him to just say “Hej, hej” and walk on. So, finally Bruce complies and totally misses that his neighbor is stuck in the elevator and calling for help. Bruce replies, “Hej, hej” and walks on. Yes, welcome to Norway or Sweden!

Anya asked to come with me to MHS to observe a PhD defense. Well, as there is noting critical at school for her today, and this is the last defense while we are here (my 3rd to observe), she would be able to catch a glimpse of what I’m in for in the future.

We took the bus to the Stavanger center, where the 7-11 is right across the street. They have a good business in pastries, especially with a sale going on for 10 kroner for any pastry. My chocolate croissant was tasted better at $1.30 instead of $2.60 (when I don’t splurge)!

The PhD defense of Amador Israel Cavedes Mandujano was attended by about 30 people.

This missiological project researched the factors for the unprecedented growth from about 125 members in the early 1970s to over 40,000 members of the Christian Missionary Alliance church in Lima, Peru. In addition, there is a great diversity of social status and cultural backgrounds represented, typically not seen in other Protestant churches in Latin America. He identified 14 aspects in three general categories, but I didn’t take notes.

This defense was easier to follow than the theological philosophy defense last month. In fact, this was not a very grueling defense at all. After it was over, I jokingly told Knut that I think I want to switch to a missiology program, as it seems easier than biblical studies. I think I received more challenges yesterday in a midway evaluation than this guy did for his final defense today. However, the distinctive difference is that his “opponents” were academics who are closely aligned with both his topic and approach, in order that they can be an informed critic. In contrast, mine weren’t. Let me continue with my cathartic processing…

I awoke at 4 am this morning reflecting upon what would be an analogy for my midway evaluation yesterday. Half awake, I thought it was like my presentation of a modern jazz dance before traditional ballet critics. No matter how good my jazz dance is, it is not good ballet. They are both dance, but very different styles.

However, there is also an ethical dimension, so this dance analogy falls short. The best way to describe it that I can think of would be by describing it as another “socio-pragmatic” approach–a feminist approach. So, let’s say I was presenting a mid-way evaluation for a feminist research project, but my respondents were two white males (actually they were white males), who had little or no exposure to feminist concerns but did all their research in a male-dominated discipline. My feminist critique of male approaches would not be understood at best, and at worst, seen as disrespectful of all the prior male scholarship. They wouldn’t understand that women have different research questions.

So, now with this analogy, substitute male-dominated with Western-Enlightenment-oriented scholarship. And substitute feminist approach with inter-cultural approach. Then to realize that I’m not throwing out the Western scholarship, because I’m integrating it–or building bridges of understanding across cultures. I eagerly integrate the Western scholarship in my work; I’m not throwing out the baby with the bath water. However, I was described as calling Western scholarship “crap.” But why do I draw upon it then? The same guy said that these traditional scholars are not offensive, he even mentioned a dead German scholar, Julius Wellhausen. However, it is well known that Wellhausen was anti-Semetic! I was wondering yesterday if I should mention this in my short time for clarification, but I didn’t. Now I really wish I had said it!

Moreover, my dissertation draft and brief presentation yesterday identified that traditional scholarship was marginalizing or “othering” other voices that didn’t match with the sensibilities of Enlightenment-oriented Western scholarship. Ironically, I feel that is exactly what they did to me. If it were two traditional men and me with a feminist approach, at least there would be some politically-correct dancing around my argument. But they didn’t see that they ended up doing exactly what I was critiquing!

However, there still are valid points they make, and one clear one is that I have to convince them. So, I am more attuned to how traditionalists will receive my work, and I need to find a way to earn the opportunity to be heard and communicate in ways they can hear it.

So, off to a good night of sleep after this catharsis.

With blessings,

Beth