My fieldwork is over.

My fieldwork is over. My stay in Seattle is over(for now). It's kind of sad.. My report is done, though I had to stay up all night to finish it. I miss Seattle already.

When I came home to Harstad these guys were waiting for me outside my house:

Me and my cousin (and my sister) went hiking one day.. Just so you can see what Northern Norway look like:

Bingo and Baseball

In my last fieldwork day I introduced my roommate Tiffany to the wonderful world of the Norwegian Americans. We went to the spaghetti and meatball dinner at the Leif Erikson Hall, and then we played bingo.

My friend Randi and Jerry was there to.

I had no idea that bingo had that many rules, they needed an A4 page just to explain the rules, and even after that I didn't understand it all. Luckily Tiffany understood. So now I'm an expert and ready to join my grandmother for bingo when I get home.

we also got these nice expert-playing-bingo-ink. I was thinking about taking it home with me as a present for my grandmother, but then I realized with my luck it will empty itself inside my bag during the flight home. So I'll just find something else for her.

As a part of my real-american-experience me, Tiffany and Anton went to a baseball game.

I didn't knew that much about baseball, but again Tiffany was there to explain to me (I don't know what to do when I go back to Norway and she will not be there to explain things to me). So after the 5th inning I had learned the most important rules and a lot of new words.

...

i was supposed to be done with my rapport. i'm not done with my rapport. what a surprise.. it was a good try though. 17 pages. only seven pages left until i'm done. the problem is that i don't really know what to write on those last pages. or, two of them i know, the last five i don't. i think i'll just take a break now from writing. start again next week. read through it all again. i have to deliver my rapport august 1, so there is still time. no worries.

viking days at the nordic heritage museum will do me good! to think about something else this weekend. though i will probably have to tell people that i have only two weeks left here. not even two weeks. under two weeks. 12 days. that makes me sad. but i try not to think about that. i just try to have as much fun as i can these last days.

Ah, the ups and downs of fieldwork!

explodingdog.com

I'm back to my old writing-a-paper-habits. I do everything but the actual writing. I clean the kitchen, I go for a walk, I drink coffee, whenever my house mates walk by my room I talk to them instead of writing. Transcribing interviews is not fun, being forced to listen to my own voice is like torture. I did not know I sounded that stupid, and I am seriously thinking about stop talking. One of my interviews is in Norwegian, and I discovered that I like my voice better in English than in Norwegian. A good excuse to move back here, so that my voice can sound better (and so that I can celebrate midsummer in Norway Park again). 

My plan is to finish writing my report before July 15, so that I can have some vacation before I go back home. Also so I don't become a stressed unpleasant person just before I go home. I don't have to be done with my interviews, because my rapport is only 25 pages, and it will not be room for all of them.

This weekend I'm just going to relax with Seattle International Beer Festival, and experience 4th of July. Hopefully next week will be a good week for writing!?

I'm jes goin' home..

I'm back to "work". After a lovely week with a visit from Monica.

She was lucky enough to come just in time to hear my favorite choir perform. I thought we sounded pretty good, and their Norwegian was flawless. But what els can you expect when I'm the teacher?

The real reason why we had the concert was because the Ultima Thule choir came all the way from Tromsø just to sing with us. Here we are on stage all of us; the Norwegian Ladies Chorus, The Norwegian Male Chorus and Ultima Thule.
Together with the ladies from Tromsø, we performed Going Home by Anonin Dvorak, and I felt kind of sad. "Mother's there expecting me, Father's waiting to. Lots of folks gathered there, all the friends I knew". I almost started crying, but I didn't. Though I think maybe the song is about dying in stead of going home..

The next day we visited Space Needle, I don't think you can go to Seattle and not visit Space Needle. The view was amazing. Even though there was some clouds we could still see Mount Rainier in the background. And of course, we had to take tourist pictures;

 

For the weekend, Julie the conductor of my favorite choir had invited me and Monica up to Norway park for midsummer. Norway Park is the place where the Norwegian American has their cabin. When we walked in, it was just like coming in to a typical Norwegian cabin. It was very nice. 

They had a HUGE bonfire 

Nice people;

(Because of my lack of photo taking skills I had to make this black and white so the weird colors would not show) This is Barb, Victoria, Julie and Kari. The nicest people ever!


And I was very happy because I found a string of lights to put around my neck. 

Anthropology is the science which tells us that people are the same the whole world over - except when they are different.

I'm OK now. Starting the interviews was just what I needed to start climbing the mountain again. I am so happy with the people I chose to interview. Even after just three interviews I already got information that I would never have discover if I didn't interview exactly those people. I must admit I was terribly nervous before the first interviews, but people love talking about themselves, so it really is no problem. I still need to work on my finding-the-right-question-at-the-right-time-skill, but I guess after a little practice that will come to. Now I'm just looking forward to doing more interviews!

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

“The way to do fieldwork is never to come up for air until it is all over.”

explodingdog

It is enough now. I'm bored. I want to go home. I want to stay here forever. The fieldwork feeling is not fun anymore. After Syttende Mai I haven't done much fieldwork. No field notes, no visits to the Leif Ericson Lodge, no nothing. I feel like all the energy has run out. It's the fieldwork ups and downs, and I think I'm in the bottom, it can just just go one way now I guess. I'm starting my interviews tomorrow. Finally. I'm scared. I find it to be a strange situation. It is a situation I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with, and I don't like that feeling. Luckily I'm starting with the director of my chorus, and it is good to start with some one I trust.

I've learned a lot about my self these past four months; that I'm not capable to work on my own, I need someone in the background pushing me; independent work is not for me, I need someone who expect med to be certain places at a certain time or I will not be there. I guess it is all things that I knew before, but didn't want to admit. Well there you have it!

I am Norway!

 explodingdog.com

I love how everything that is wrong with Norway is my fault. Just because I'm from Norway, that means that I am Norway. And therefor I have to answer to whatever any Norwegian ever have done wrong. Like how the Norwegians never do anything fast enough; "You slept when the Germans came to Norway in 1940 and you are sleeping now!" Social democracy is of course very wrong, and I have to answer to everything about it. The one winter when someone was stuck in Norway because the snow and no air plains was leaving the airport, that was of course my fault. I'm like the customer service of Norway and some of the customers have been thinking about this for a long time and  now it is boiling over. So while I'm here trying to restore Norway's glory, I hope Norway is having a good time.

Syttende Mai in Seattle

They say that the Syttende Mai parade in Ballard is the largest outside Norway, and actually the third largest in the world. Only Oslo and Bergen is bigger. I can imagine, the parade lasted for two and a half hour. The Norwegians have been celebrating 17. Mai here since 1889, which means that was a part of the 121th celebration of the Norwegian constitution day in here in Ballard. 

The day started with me, Ingrid and Iris having lunch at the Leif Ericson Lodge. We had salad, fish, potatoes, peas and cake, and of course wine and coffee. A typical Norwegian meal. The Norwegian politician Dagfinn Høybråten was the Grand Marshal, or guest of honor, which means that he was the main speaker at the lunch, marched in the front of the parade, and was the most popular person all day. He had a very nice speech about the relationship between the two countries, the history of Norway and he read a very nice poem that I'm not able to find, but that will look nice on the front page of my thesis. "Two Flags" I think it's name was.

Unfortunately I didn't have my bunad on me. But I had a new dress on, and the Norwegian flag in m hand, so life wasn't so bad after all.

Then the parade started:

They had Norwegian girls in the front carrying Norwegian flags

One of the duties that comes with being the Grand Marshal

The parade was a little bit different than I'm used to in Norway, not that many kids. But it was amazing!

this lady had to be from the northern part of Norway. She knew exactly how to use one of these outside the season and she had really good control over it too.

then some of my roommates cane and joined us. I had told them all about the Norwegian Syttende Mai, and I don't think they were disappointed.

then my frinds from the Norwegian Ladies Chorus walked by. I was going to march with them, but I decided to watch instead. Next time I will join them!

my friends from the Nordic Heritage Museum was there as well

we also met Leif. He is a Norwegian American who loves northern Norway, and my new friend. He had a t-shirt from Lofoten and a lusekofte.

Happy birthday Norway!

The three most important song to know when you are celebrating Norway's birthday!

The focus of my thesis

After three months working in the field, I have finally decided what the focus of my thesis will be. I'm going to focus how the Norwegian Americans show their heritage by being a part of different groups or clubs. My main focus will be the Norwegian Ladies Chorus of Seattle, Norwegian Commercial Club and Sons of Norway in Seattle. Sons of Norway is a very big organization, so I will have to narrow it down to a smaller group, I would have to talk to my teaching supervisor about that. I have some ideas, but I think I need some professional guidance on that one. 

The Norwegian Ladies Chorus of Seattle was founded in 1936 by Dr. August Werner, and they had their first concert September 4, 1936. Their goal is to "study and sing Norwegian folk music and compositions by Norwegian composers, as well as perform limited selections of other appropriate seasonal music".  To day the choir consist of about 25-30 (?) ladies, both of Norwegian descend, married to a Norwegian, “real Norwegian” or just interested in Norway. I was lucky enough to meet these ladies when they were singing at a talent show at Swedish Cultural Center. And they welcomed me with open arms, and they have been really nice to me. I think I will miss them when I go back to Norway!

The Norwegian Commercial Club "Since 1932, the Norwegian Commercial Club has provided Norwegians, Norwegian-Americans and others interested in the Norwegian culture with a place to meet and discuss business issues of the day"(from website). A I see it, this is a way for all the businessmen with Norwegian heritage to meet and create a network between themselves. Because of the big changes that Ballard has gone through the last 15-20 years, most of the Scandinavian companies and stores are gone or moved elsewhere, and many of the people is working in companies that doesn't have anything to do with the Scandinavian society. The Commercial club is a way for these people to connect, collaborate and create a network with each other, a network that normally would not exist to day. 

Sons of Norway is the largest Norwegian organization outside of Norway. It was founded in 1895 by eighteen workin-class Norwegians in North Minneapolis and soon grew to national propotians. Their mission is to "promote and preserve the heritage and culture of Norway, to celebrate our relationship with other Nordic countries, and provide quality insurance and financial products to our members" (from website). When the immigrants came from Norway to the new country it became important for them to meet other in the same situation, and speak the same language, to preserve their own culture, and at the same time be the best Americans. It was a way to make order in the new and different life. This is still the case, it is all about the Norwegian traditions and celebrate their Norwegian heritage.

What I like about Seattle

Many people have asked me how I like Seattle, and my answer is always; I love it. It is hard to explain why, I just feel at home here. If it wasn't for the fact that my family is too far away, I would move here right away! But right now there is nothing that keeps me here at the end of the day. Sure, I do have people here that I consider my friends, but my ties to Norway is much to strong, right now.


* I like the fact that Seattle is not a big city. I like that even though it is not a big city it doesn't pretend to be a big city. Seattle is happy being just the way that it is. I lived in Oslo for one year before I moved to Trondheim, and I got the feeling that, even though Oslo is the biggest city in Norway, it is not a big city, but it tries so hard to be. It tried so hard to be a big city that it felt impersonal.
* I like the small neighborhoods with its charm and its own view on life. It is like coming to a totally different city, divided by hills and real family houses and gardens. Still it is easy to navigate through the neighborhoods, and through the city in general.
* I like that people here are friendly. My roommate from India said that people here are "friendly but not nice". I think they are nice too. They remind me of Norwegians in many ways. Friendly, but it takes time to get people to let you in to their lives. That way they may seem cold and distant, but they are just minding their own business. But when they eventually do let you in, you have a friend for life, and it would be worth working for.
* I like the coffee! And there is a lot of coffee here.
* I like the laid back lifestyle. My roommate from Philadelphia tells me that the west coast is much more laid back than the east coast. Things happen when they happen, and thats it!
* And best of all, I like that everybody thinks I am the most exiting person in the world, just because I am from Norway! I am really going to miss that.

San Francisco!

I had a great time in San Francisco! It was really nice to meet Marte again, and we actually had some nice discussions about our master thesis as well, so it wasn't just a vacation. I got some good ideas and advices, and I hope I gave her some as well. But we mostly had fun, it was so nice to get away for a little time, and just thinking about having fun.

we had ice cream in a park while we waited for La mission to start. That was a really good movie!

we walked through China Town

to get City Lights Bookstore

and this is now my favorite place in the whole world! I could have moved in there if they would allow me..

but we had to get home to make dinner. "Pølsegrateng", the most Norwegian food we could make in a short time

the next day we tried to find Golden Gate Bridge, though we hardly could see it

we decided to walk across it anyway, but it was so cold so we ended up just walking half way

we found a heart on our way to the Cheese Cake Factory

at a art exhibit we met Max, he made sculptures out of tin cans, and each of them had its own word play;

"What's your favorite national anthem?"

"Oh Canada" 

Got it?

 then we went to The Elbow Room and had a couple of drinks and met some of Martes friends

three days was hardly enough, and I am definitely going back some other time!

What is Stephen Harper reading?

I went to the library to day studying. The cool library Downtown. It is still really nice, and the roof actually had sun block. So even though the sun was shining, it didn't bother me that much.

Anyway, I was on my way home when I passed the Microsoft Auditorium, and I saw that Yann Martel, the author of Life of Pi, was having a book reading (I got Life of Pi as a present from my aunt Rita a couple yeas ago, and it is one of my favorite books). He was promoting his new book Beatrice and Virgil. The nice thing was that he read some sections of his new book, but the best thing was when he told about his project What is Stephen Harper reading?.
Yann Martel is from Canada, and Stephen Harper is the Canadian Prime Minister. What Martel is some what frustrated about is that it seems like the Prime Minister doesn't read much at all. Any books. Not even bad ones. Martel thinks that reading books build character, and by that becoming a more interesting person. It doesn't matter what book you read, just that you read books (I actually agree with him). What Martel does is that every second Monday he sends a book to the Prime Ministers office, with a letter telling him about the book, and why he thinks that the Prime Minister should read that book. He has now sent 79 books. The latest: Charlotte’s Web, by E. B. White.
Quote from the website:
"For as long as Stephen Harper is Prime Minister of Canada, I vow to send him every two weeks, mailed on a Monday, a book that has been known to expand stillness. That book will be inscribed and will be accompanied by a letter I will have written."
When Barack Obama wisited Canada, Martel even sent Sephen Harper a book that he knew Obama loved, so that they could have some things to talk about, when they weren't talking about politics. A overview over the books that he has sent is on the website, and also the story of how it all started.

He haven't got an answer from Stephen Harper yet, just from his office, some secretary or something, so he doesn't actually know if the Prime Minister is reading the books or not. He does know, however, that the Prime Minister know he is sending the books, because there has been a big deal in the media about this. What he also thinks is funny is that he got a letter from Barack Obama, where Obama told him that Life of Pi was one of his favorite books. But he is still waiting for a thank you note from Stephen Harper for all the books that he has sent him.

She's the Liverpool packet. Oh Lord, let her go !

I was kind of a lousy fieldworker the other day, when I decided to go to a concert instead of going to the monthly membership meting at the Sons of Norway. In my defense, the concert was at the Nordic Heritage Museum, and it was the Storm Weather Shanty Choir from Norway!

I am actually glad I went. It was a great concert! To get a bunch of Nordic Americans to stand up, dance and sing along, is, I would imagine, as hard as making Norwegians to do the same. And that is hard!  It takes a really good concert to do that, and they did. At the end of the concert people stood in the front, clapping, dancing and singing along, I was amazed!

 If you have spotify, you can hear them here. If not check out their My Space Page, you cane hear some of their music there (especially the Drunken Sailor song!).

I also got to talk to some of the people working at the museum, they are really nice people, I am glad I started working there. I signed up for working at the Nordic Fashion Show on May 8. I figured my experience in volunteer work, and arranging a big event could come in handy. It is good that I could be used for something!

They are the moth and I am the flame

OBS! This post is a mess, but I have a lot on my mind so it is hard to be precise..

One thing that I have noticed when I am at the lodge doing my research is that I am very visible. I stand out. Not in the "we are all individual and we all stand out in one way or the other", but I stand out because of my age. I am young, and sadly there aren't that many young people interested in what's going on there. Usually I am the youngest by twenty years, and that make people notice me. When they also finds out that I am actually from Norway they tend to draw to me like a moth to a flame. Everyone wants to talk to me about their family in Norway and who their family is, just in case I know them. I seldom do, though. I love to talk to people, but as nice as I think this is, and I really do enjoy being in the center of attention, it makes my fieldwork a little bit difficult. I tend to loose focus on what I originally was going to study, just because I have trouble finding out what kind of information that is actually important, and what information that may not be that important.
My original idea was to study how the descendants of the Norwegian immigrants feel about their Norwegian heritage.  That means that when I am doing my research down at the Kaffe Stue I can't use it to anything. Almost all the people there actually from Norway. What they are doing is holding on to their Norwegianess, and as fascinating it is for me to listen to their stories, it would never be a part of my paper. But they expect me to be there, if I haven't been there in a while, they start asking for me. And in some way, I actually enjoy being there, I enjoy hearing their stories and discussing Norwegian history with them.

The other problem is that I have some difficulties when it comes to the actual descendants. They are not as Norwegian as I first thought, and it is actually hard to find them. As I said earlier, a huge part of my fieldwork is participant observation, so I can't go around interviewing everyone that have a Norwegian Heritage. It would be good to observe them as well. With that said, the people that I do meet, is more than willing to talk to me. Maybe my problem is more of a luxury problem. I get too much information, and I will have a BIG job when I come back to school to sort out what is important and what's not important.


PS: I went to a random dentist Downtown to fix my tooth, and what do you know, his wife had Norwegian family and was second generation Norwegian. They actually are everywhere!

Everyone believes in how they think it ought to be

In my last post I may have stepped on some toes, or stepped deep in to the salad, as we would say in Norway. I am really sorry for that!

When I wrote that easter is not a big deal here in the U.S, I just chose some really bad words, what I meant to say was that easter is not as visible here as it is in Norway. It just becomes more visible back home when all the stores close during the easter holiday. That is mainly because the State and Church is not a separate thing there, as it is here. When you have a state religion, you have no choice but to have the day of when easter comes. However, if you ask any Norwegian teenager what easter is all about, most of the times, you will not get a good answer. 

The reason why it is not so visible here, is that there is no state religion, so you can't force someone to celebrate a religious holiday they don't believe in. I do know that for those who believe in the Christian message, easter is a really big deal, as it should be..

I promised my self not to discuss religion or politics when I was here, and unfortunately I did.. I will have to chose my words more carefully in the future. Some times I forget that people actually read the things that I write.

That being said, take a look at the pictures, and see how I usually spend my easter holiday.

My imaginary easter

Here in the US easter is not a big deal. Not as in Norway anyway. We know it is easter because of the commercials in TV telling us to buy easter candy. I happen to like easter. For me easter is about skiing, crime books, hot chocolate, skiing and being with people I like. It is not so much about what the church tell us. When I tell about how easter is back home, with the stores closing for a couple of days, they wonder how we manage. It is all about money over here.

If I was home for easter, it would probably look something like this;

it would be a lot of snow, and Ervik would show it self from its best side with sun and no clouds

I would have had my annual now-I-remember-why-I-don't-like-cross-country-skiing-trip, and maybe my sister and my dad would let me go first

 

I would probably have to rest a little bit before I start going down hill

and the hill would probably be to scary anyway

but my dad and my sister would be waiting for me with some hot chocolate and kvikk lunsj

on Good Friday me, Sigrid and Stine would go to watch the low tide because it is always best on that day

then we would meet Ina and go to town to meet some strange people

Stine would probably make a chocolate cake

and maybe Elise would join us though she would not be drinking alcohol..

Kristin would probably join us, for even if she is married now, she can still hang with us girls.. maybe Ida would come from the USA to be with us

as a evening snack I would eat of Stines jewelry
and we would all agree it had been a wonderful easter