Winter Break!

Well hey there! Long time no… blog. So things here are great. Yep, yep they are. I’m am busy, active, and really enjoying life here. (Didn’t think I’d be saying that so soon.) Of course I still miss the old days and my family and friends, but I’m doing my best to move on and have fun. I guess a big part is knowing I will see everyone again (and seeing wedding RSVPs come in is also very exciting).  Ahhhh!!!  I’m getting married!!!!  Again!!!  Same person but with a dress, kilt, Scottish church, and many loving witnesses.  Oh and a party!!!!

This week has been crazy busy. First of all, I was offered a salaried position at the gym. Yay!  I’m still coaching on the Team side.  That happened in January.  In Norway, you also get five weeks paid holiday.  I am still shocked by that as a former United States resident.  Unfortunately, I need ten weeks this year for dance workshops and wedding celebrations.  Sigh.

This past week I was head coach of the week long winter school for the students. Lots of hours but good training for them. Good fun too. I was a bit nervous because of the lack of my Norwegian language. Yes, I can teach a class in Norwegian these days but speaking AND listening to students talk for 8 hours a day is mentally exhausting! I did learn new phrases though! By the end of the week, most of the parents understood that the best way to communicate with me is English. Psh!  I’m barely fluent in English. Oh oh! AND! I am starting to speak English like a foreigner!!!! WHAAAAAAT????? I KNOW! Think of this though, most of the people I talk to speak English with an accent. That is what I hear. I am trying to mimic the Norwegian I hear but at the same time I’m also mimicking the English!!! I am starting to forget English words for gymnastics skills too! Never would have predicted this.

Anyway, Thursday I had a performance at a long term living hospital. The residents were there to improve their heart. Many of them were in their 30s- 50s. Quite young!  It was me dancing solo.  I compared and performed six different styles of foot percussion (ex. Cape Breton, tap, clogging, Québécois…) and taught different folk dances. HB played for some as well.  We had great participation and they seemed to really enjoy it.  HB and I are really working well as a team of dancer, teacher, and musician.  It’s a dream come true!

This weekend was the first Saturday I had off and was home. We went downhill skiing Friday, cross country Saturday, made homemade lasagna and home made pasta, and today I went for an icy walk. We had lots of snow here, not like the east coast of the US but enough to say lots. Then it melted, then froze. So we are living on an ice slide at the moment. It is funny to see kids and adults get off the metro with little snowboards with handles and sleds. They take them to school and work!

Lots of things to keep myself busy with like work, travel, a NEW SEWING MACHINE handed down from our landlords, wedding planning, and knitting.

I must find a new place for my clothes so as soon as that task is done, I am allowing myself to sit and sew. Ahhhhh… peace.

Norwegian Courses and life the last month

Hey Ya’ll!!!  I am currently multitasking (as usual).  It’s 10:10 am, 43 degrees F outside and a cozy 70 inside next to the fire.  I’m listening to the Gaelic Trad playlist on Spotify and doing my best not to dance to it while doing lesson plans and blogging.  CRAP!  Tannahill Weavers just came on and it’s an AWESOME reel!  MUST DANCE NOW!  Since this is supposed to be about my Norwegian course… Må danse nå!!!

(WHOOHOO!!!!!!)

About three weeks ago (tre uker siden), I shyly signed up for Norwegian lessons.  I took a placement test and placed into the second class.  Yay!  Just barely though.  I was hanging by one arm on a high flying trapeze attached to a hot air balloon in a dart storm the whole time.  The cost was as much as a round trip plane ticket to the US!  Fortunately, my job offered to pay for most of it.  LOVE THEM!

Here is me waiting where my school metro line dropped me off.  The next photo I’m in front of my new school.  I totally had my outfit picked out and backpack and lunch packed the night before.  Sooo excited!!!!

There were 16 in the class from 16 different countries.  The class was all in Norwegian.  That was our common language.  After introductions and telling about yourself, in Norwegian of course, we started lessons.  Most of it was beyond me so I just took notes and studied later.

I was going to use HB’s old books and hope they were current enough.  Everyone had their nice blue textbooks and activity books and I… had HB’s old green and yellow books.  I felt like the Ron Weasely of the class with my hand-me-downs!  Being part Swedish and also Minnesotan with a Norwegian last name, I was closer to being a pure blood than anyone there. I, was a Weasely.

During the break I asked if my book would be acceptable and was told no.  So I went to the book store down the street and bought $120 worth of books and a new notebook.  Sigh.

After the break, we learned more and had homework assigned to us.  The next few weeks went by in a blur.  This was a four hour a day, four days a week intensive course.  VERY intensive.  I was one of the few people with a job during this course.  It was crazy.  Plus I had to work  got to work 6 days a week, was getting over being sick, and needed to prepare to teach in Australia (which I am leaving for TOMORROW!)

Over the course, I bought a new green pen, eraser, and groceries to make “InstaFriend” cookies.  I ended up going out for lunch with a few people and talking about what it was like for them to move.  We all had different experiences but moved for similar reasons.  Apparently it’s normal to be upset anytime for no particular reason.  One thing we did have in common was that we love our spouses very much.  Even though they are the reason we are here, we chose to be here, with them.  We are trying to make the most of it, but leaving a place and people you love is very very difficult.  We struggle to listen to songs that remind us of our homes, to look at pictures.  It will and is getting easier.  I hope these friends and I can keep in touch.

Anyway…

Each day was harder and harder.  I felt like I wasn’t learning anything sometimes!  Days later I would find out that my Weasely brain did actually take something in because things were starting to make sense.  I still don’t like eiendomsords and don’t understand their existence but I do understand sentence structure.  I can really understand so much more now!

I had a training for my gymnasts at another gym this weekend.  They were going to speak in English for me but I told them to speak in Norwegian.  I actually understood what they were saying!  I didn’t understand every word but I could pick out the event, topic, and teaching points.  I am able to understand my students and SPEAK in sentences to them now.  Again, not everything but just enough.

My favorite words are: next, we, shall, because, first, afterwords, now, ten pushups, splits, stomach, back, competition, to do, why, how many, are you finished, travel, fun.

I even invented this new game, it’s like a Seek and Find!!!  You pick up any paper with Norwegian words on it and try to find all the verbs, nouns, prepositions (those are my favorite!), pronouns, and modal verbs (I love using those!).  IT’S SO FUN!!!!  I tried to get others to play it with me but they had no interest.  I guess I didn’t realize how boring it was until I tried to play it in English.  So I’ll just play it with myself and give myself hi fives when I get them all.

Here are some pictures of the month that helped me get through everything.

This guy with the hair sticking out of his helmet.  Morning cycles to class and work.

Small market in the center of town where I would buy fruit after class.

French thing I made one weekend with the fruits from the garden and market.

This adorable puppy in the metro station.

Getting lost on my bike on my way to work from class.  Oops!  I’ll be sure to make that mistake again!

Much love to all!