Another Lena and Ole submissions, straight from Ballard, WA:
After Ole died, Lina paid $50 for his obituary. She told them it should say "Ole died." They told her it was 5 words for $50, and she could have three more at no extra cost. "Okay -- Ole died. Boat for sale."
Also, I am happy to report that it was sunny today! I went for a hike in the mountains right next to the city, and then rock climbing out at the coast. A beautiful day.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Rainy Bergen
I ran into Eoin (pronounced Owen) the other day, a friend from Ireland who lives in the International Student Dorms with me. As we stood in the pouring rain, he said, "Can you believe it? It rains here more than in Ireland!" I replied that I think it might actually rain more here than in Southeast Alaska, too! And when people from two of the most notoriously rainy places on earth both think it's raining too much, you know it's bad.
My Norwegian cousin, Marta Kristin, sent me a text message yesterday on my new phone. It was a story/joke in Norwegian, but I'll translate for you all.
When God was done creating Bergen he looked down and said, "Perfect, I will wash this city at least two times a day!" -and so it is.
Norwegian: Da gud var ferdig med å lage Bergen så han ned og sa: "Perfekt, denne byen skal jeg vaske minst to ganger døgnet!" -og slik ble det.
It's really amazing - it's the kind of rain that keeps coming from all directions and soaks you completely, no matter how many layers of raingear you are wearing. I've heard a rumor that it rains more in the fall than any other time of year, so hopefully the winter and spring will let up a bit.
My Norwegian cousin, Marta Kristin, sent me a text message yesterday on my new phone. It was a story/joke in Norwegian, but I'll translate for you all.
When God was done creating Bergen he looked down and said, "Perfect, I will wash this city at least two times a day!" -and so it is.
Norwegian: Da gud var ferdig med å lage Bergen så han ned og sa: "Perfekt, denne byen skal jeg vaske minst to ganger døgnet!" -og slik ble det.
It's really amazing - it's the kind of rain that keeps coming from all directions and soaks you completely, no matter how many layers of raingear you are wearing. I've heard a rumor that it rains more in the fall than any other time of year, so hopefully the winter and spring will let up a bit.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Lena and Ole...
A friend submitted the following Lena and Ole joke via email. If you have any, you can email me or reply to this posting:
Ole was talking with his brother Sven, who lived next door, when Sven said,"Ya know Ole, you and Lena should really get some new curtains.""Vy's dat?" Ole asked."Vel last night I saw you and Lena, vel you know..."Ole thought for awhile, then said, "Ha-ha Sven, da yokes on you! I vasn'teven home last night!"
Ole was talking with his brother Sven, who lived next door, when Sven said,"Ya know Ole, you and Lena should really get some new curtains.""Vy's dat?" Ole asked."Vel last night I saw you and Lena, vel you know..."Ole thought for awhile, then said, "Ha-ha Sven, da yokes on you! I vasn'teven home last night!"
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Family in Norway, and the Places We are From
Family:
One of my reasons for coming to Norway is already a success. My family in Bergen and surrounding areas has welcomed me entirely. I am just another cousin visiting for the summer, along with the aunts and uncles and cousins that are coming and going this week to Varaldsøy to visit Grandma Marta. And I fit right in with my language skills, too; because there is a 2 year old, the adults are used to teaching small children with great patience! After almost one week, my speaking abilities have improved, as I fill in important words in my nascent vocabulary. While biking around the island today, I stopped and had a 10 minute conversation with a stranger (who knows my family of course).
It is quite amazing to be staying in the house of my great-great-grandfather and grandmother, Severt and Anna Øye. There are photographs of them in my bedroom. There are also photos of all of their children, many of whom emigrated to the United States, among them my great-grandmother Mala. Here it feels commonplace to be connected back through that many generations, and this family knows more about many of my second cousins in the United States than I could have imagined. There are people in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and even in Seattle, who I have never heard of that are all connected back to this place on Varaldsøy.
Perhaps it is the Øye family’s role to keep track of all of the American relatives because they are still tied to the original family land? Or maybe it’s a cultural difference between America and the old world to keep ties to distant relatives alive? All I know is that I feel very fortunate to fit in this place, as the granddaughter of Marta’s cousin Oscar, and to be greeted by my 3rd cousins as someone worthy to be included in the life of the family.
This Place:
I wondered how it would feel to spend time in the place where my great-grandmother grew up. I never knew her, but I believe that our ancestors are directly linked to who we are, and through this experience I hope to understand her and myself better. Being here I do feel a sense of return to a place and part of myself left behind, but that is not the same as feeling at home. A visit is perfect, but it will feel good to return home when the time comes.
But aside from my distant ties to this island, it is fascinating to be in this temperate forest and these fjords, and compare them to Alaska, Washington and what I saw in Chile. I have learned to say “wild salmon” in Norwegian, and whenever I tell someone what I plan to research this year, they say, “Oh!” with a knowing nod, and they begin to tell me what they think of the problems with farmed salmon hurting wild stocks, and what local fish farmer I should go talk to, etc. (And I haven’t even started officially pursuing my studies, yet!)
To finish this posting, here are a few sentences from my journal about the place:
August 4, 2007: Today I went for a walk, and it is beautiful here. Raspberries grow wild! Along with blueberries. Old houses with hand-hewn stone foundations and shingles are nestled among green hills with mossy creeks running through. At dusk, when the clouds cleared for a moment, I could see the high point of the island in the distance, with the last of the evening sun on houses, sheep pastures and wooden fences rolling up to meet it.
One of my reasons for coming to Norway is already a success. My family in Bergen and surrounding areas has welcomed me entirely. I am just another cousin visiting for the summer, along with the aunts and uncles and cousins that are coming and going this week to Varaldsøy to visit Grandma Marta. And I fit right in with my language skills, too; because there is a 2 year old, the adults are used to teaching small children with great patience! After almost one week, my speaking abilities have improved, as I fill in important words in my nascent vocabulary. While biking around the island today, I stopped and had a 10 minute conversation with a stranger (who knows my family of course).
It is quite amazing to be staying in the house of my great-great-grandfather and grandmother, Severt and Anna Øye. There are photographs of them in my bedroom. There are also photos of all of their children, many of whom emigrated to the United States, among them my great-grandmother Mala. Here it feels commonplace to be connected back through that many generations, and this family knows more about many of my second cousins in the United States than I could have imagined. There are people in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and even in Seattle, who I have never heard of that are all connected back to this place on Varaldsøy.
Perhaps it is the Øye family’s role to keep track of all of the American relatives because they are still tied to the original family land? Or maybe it’s a cultural difference between America and the old world to keep ties to distant relatives alive? All I know is that I feel very fortunate to fit in this place, as the granddaughter of Marta’s cousin Oscar, and to be greeted by my 3rd cousins as someone worthy to be included in the life of the family.
This Place:
I wondered how it would feel to spend time in the place where my great-grandmother grew up. I never knew her, but I believe that our ancestors are directly linked to who we are, and through this experience I hope to understand her and myself better. Being here I do feel a sense of return to a place and part of myself left behind, but that is not the same as feeling at home. A visit is perfect, but it will feel good to return home when the time comes.
But aside from my distant ties to this island, it is fascinating to be in this temperate forest and these fjords, and compare them to Alaska, Washington and what I saw in Chile. I have learned to say “wild salmon” in Norwegian, and whenever I tell someone what I plan to research this year, they say, “Oh!” with a knowing nod, and they begin to tell me what they think of the problems with farmed salmon hurting wild stocks, and what local fish farmer I should go talk to, etc. (And I haven’t even started officially pursuing my studies, yet!)
To finish this posting, here are a few sentences from my journal about the place:
August 4, 2007: Today I went for a walk, and it is beautiful here. Raspberries grow wild! Along with blueberries. Old houses with hand-hewn stone foundations and shingles are nestled among green hills with mossy creeks running through. At dusk, when the clouds cleared for a moment, I could see the high point of the island in the distance, with the last of the evening sun on houses, sheep pastures and wooden fences rolling up to meet it.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Why I like fish
Points to anyone who can create a Lena and Ole joke out of this one...
Why I like fish. Well, I grew up in Petersburg, Alaska and Puget Sound, WA. My Dad, my Grandfather, my Brother, all my Uncles, my Mom, my Step-mother, most have commercial fished or worked in something related to fishing, and everybody really likes to eat fish. Especially halibut, blackcod and salmon.
It's not just about the fish, though. I like anything that has to do with life on the water; I like foods that I can harvest myself; and I am interested in how and why people feel connected to a particular place. In the Northwest and Alaska, salmon combine all of these things, and the decline of salmon leads to an unraveling of how people live.
As an aside, I'll report that I am very excited that raspberries grow wild here in Norway, and I have arrived at the peak of the raspberry season. Blueberries are also in full swing, and blackberries are on their way. I am visiting family on the island of Varaldsøy before the semester starts at the University of Bergen, so I have time to pick berries and bake. Yesterday I made raspberry pie, and today blueberry buckle...
Back to fish... I just finished commercial fishing in Bristol Bay this summer, and although it's not Norway, I thought I'd start the Blog off with a fish photo.
Why I like fish. Well, I grew up in Petersburg, Alaska and Puget Sound, WA. My Dad, my Grandfather, my Brother, all my Uncles, my Mom, my Step-mother, most have commercial fished or worked in something related to fishing, and everybody really likes to eat fish. Especially halibut, blackcod and salmon.
It's not just about the fish, though. I like anything that has to do with life on the water; I like foods that I can harvest myself; and I am interested in how and why people feel connected to a particular place. In the Northwest and Alaska, salmon combine all of these things, and the decline of salmon leads to an unraveling of how people live.
As an aside, I'll report that I am very excited that raspberries grow wild here in Norway, and I have arrived at the peak of the raspberry season. Blueberries are also in full swing, and blackberries are on their way. I am visiting family on the island of Varaldsøy before the semester starts at the University of Bergen, so I have time to pick berries and bake. Yesterday I made raspberry pie, and today blueberry buckle...
Back to fish... I just finished commercial fishing in Bristol Bay this summer, and although it's not Norway, I thought I'd start the Blog off with a fish photo.
Why I am in Norway
There are two reasons why I am in Norway this year (August 2007 - June 2008):
I received a Fulbright grant to research what Norwegians are doing to restore wild runs of Atlantic Salmon. Understanding international perspectives, strategies and obstacles to salmon recovery will be useful when I come back to the Northwest to work in fisheries.
I am also in Norway to get to know my family here. My great-grandmother, Mala Øye, came from an island in the Hardangerfjord, south of Bergen, called Varaldsøy. My great-grandfather, Nils Sandvik, came from Ålesund. Living in Bergen, I am lucky to be close to many relatives on my great-grandmother's side, and I look forward to getting to know them. I hope also to take some trips to Ålesund to meet the Sandvik side of the family.
I received a Fulbright grant to research what Norwegians are doing to restore wild runs of Atlantic Salmon. Understanding international perspectives, strategies and obstacles to salmon recovery will be useful when I come back to the Northwest to work in fisheries.
I am also in Norway to get to know my family here. My great-grandmother, Mala Øye, came from an island in the Hardangerfjord, south of Bergen, called Varaldsøy. My great-grandfather, Nils Sandvik, came from Ålesund. Living in Bergen, I am lucky to be close to many relatives on my great-grandmother's side, and I look forward to getting to know them. I hope also to take some trips to Ålesund to meet the Sandvik side of the family.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
