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 

The Leif Erikson statue

On Saturday the Sons of Norway had a heritage day, where they were celebrating their Norwegian heritage. The Ladies Chorus where singing, and again, I had a solo; me playing on two large wooden spoons in one of the songs. For some reason everybody thinks that it is so fun that the real Norwegian get to do that, but of course, I get all the attention, and people remember me because of that. My moms friend Sandy, Trygve and Nathalie came to hear me (the chorus) sing. They said we sounded good, but people were talking a lot, so it was kind of difficult to hear what we were singing.
At the heritage day they were serving rømmegrøt, lapskaus, ertersuppe, open face sandwiches (smørbrød) and Kvæfjordkaka. I just ate the cake and it was really good. Of course they were serving coffee and waffles with brunost. But I think by now, that goes without saying. They also were showing a lot of traditional Norwegian handicrafts like rosemaling, knitting and wood carvings. I had my camera with me, but I forgot to take pictures. Since I had visitors we didn't stay for the whole day, but I know that they also had a bunad show and a bunad parade.

Me, Sandy, Trygve, Nathalie and Blythe went to see the Leif Erikson statue. It was huge!

Here is Leif, looking out to the sea (he is looking a little bit like Jesus on this picture because of the sun)

There is 13 rune stones arranged around the statue. The rune stones bear plaques inscribed with the names of Scandinavians who chose America as their new home. You have to pay $125 to get someones names on the plaque, but I really do think it is worth it. It is a nice way to honor the Scandinavian immigrants (without them I would not be here, and I wold have had to write about something else).

To day I was invited by the Norwegian Male Chorus to join them in a monthly potluck dinner (in Norwegian it would be like "spleiselag") at the Norse Home, which is a retirement home with almost only Norwegian residents. After dinner the Male Chorus had a rehearsal in the dining room, and the people that lived there could come and listen.

I think that is a good idea. They do tis once a month, the residents really enjoyed it, and the chorus had to really concentrate and do their best. They sounded really good, and their Norwegian pronunciation was a lot better than the Ladies Chorus. I am working on the pronunciation part with the Ladies Chorus, so by the next concert they will sound like real Norwegians. I can't wait!

Jo Nesbø and Runa

To day the Leif Ericson Lodge hosted a reading by my favorite author; Jo Nesbø. I have read all his books in Norwegian, and tree of these books are now translated and published in the USA. Nemesis (Sorgenfri), The Readbrest (Rødstrupe) and Devil Star (Marekors). I have read The Readbrest in English as well, and when I get my money from Lånekassen, I am going to buy Devil Star as well. He was on a tour to talk about his latest book, Devil Star, but he also talked about his life before he became an author. Who can not be fascinated with a person who is a soccer player, journalist, stock broker, singer/songwriter and a rock star in Norway in the 90's, a author of both really good children books and crime books?
Of course we acted like fourteen year old girls when we went up to talk to him, but he was really nice to us, and we even got a picture with him.  

I am going to be happy for a really long time now! I can live on this for ever!

the proof; Til Runa, Jo Nesbø

Reality starts catching up with me

I have fallen into a kind of routine. Not a real routine, but I'm doing things I have done before, and not that many new things. I have started working at the Nordic Heritage Museum. I have been there two times, and the lady that is teaching me is a really nice old lady. She is not that good with the computer, and by the first day I understood the computer cash register better than her. She is so sweet. On Sunday I have my first real workday there. Alone. I'm really exited. 

I haven't spent that much time at the Leif Erikson Lodge lately. I don't know why. I am thinking about focusing mostly about how people show their heritage through music. But I don't know if I will have enough data to do only that. I'm composing a e-mail to my teaching supervisor and ask him what he thinks. I'm also a little bit confused about how much I should tell people. So far what they understand is that I am here do do research and that I'm doing interviews. The participant observation part is more difficult to understand. When I try to explain, they just stare at me with blank eyes, and when the word interview comes up they start to understand. Especially the ladies chorus, I think, need to understand what I am doing. At the same time, I'm just afraid that they will act differently around me when they know that I'm studying them.  I have to just wait and hear what Trond says, he'll know what to do.

On Wednesday I usually go to this café in Ballard called Cupcake Royal. They have the best cupcakes in the whole world! (No mum, I don't eat a cupcake every time I'm there) Last time I was there I was wearing my NRK t-shirt, with a picture of Trond-Viggo Torgersen and quote from his TV-show "Kroppen". The guy behind the counter asked what language it was. When I told him it was Norwegian, it turned out that his family was Norwegian, and that his family celebrated all the Norwegian holidays and made lefse for Christmas and everything (he was even the third cousin of the Norwegian cross country skier Bjørn Dæhlie). The other girl that worked there was also Norwegian descend, but her familiy didn't do anything Norwegian. I'm really hoping to meet them again this Wednesday. I think I can use them in my research perhaps.

I heart the library!

This week is my study week. I'll be spending most of my time in one of the most fancy library's I've seen in my life. The Seattle Central Library. The fist time I visited the place, I wasn't sure of I was in heaven or not. It is definitely one of my favorite places in Seattle. The reading area is in the 10th floor, and you practically sit between the clouds and read.













 I borrowed some pictures from wikipedia (1) and galinsky (2), because it was no way that I could take good pictures here with my lousy camera. But people are taking pictures of the place all the time. I have to remember to put on some nice clothes next time, so that I look nice when people take pictures of me "studying". The second picture is of the reading are, with a nice little garden, glass ceiling and a lot of room. By the way; in USA if you ask someone to watch you stuff wen you are out for just a second, that means that you are flirting with them - if that is true, that means that I have flirted with so many people without knowing, and many people have flirted with me, without me taking the hint -  well, I never called the guy back, and I haven't heard from him since. Just as well.
Even at the library the security guards have guns. Who are they going tho shoot? If you steel a book? If you make to much noise? I don't know.. 

On Wednesday I have my first volunteer day at the Nordic Heritage Museum. I'll be working in the gift shop and I'm actually looking forward to it. It will be nice to have something to do other than just run my own time. And I will meet some nice people there that I can interview.