Arboretum & Botanical Gardens

We met an American family at the Viking Festival last weekend, and had dinner at their house last night.  They live on the grounds of the University of Bergen's Arboretum and Botanical Gardens.  It's an amazing, beautiful place, and they're a super nice family. 

The Arboretum has the largest Rhododendron collection in Scandinavia.

It also has a fantastic park.

 

As we walked through the grounds, Harmony (the mom) told me about different edible weeds and their health benefits.  My favorite was sour grass.  That may be what I'm chewing on in this photo (I don't remember).

Running to the Beach

Hunting for Crabs in the Lagoon (There were tons of them!)

Jonah with a Crab

Here we are on the balcony, making organic s'mores (I didn't even know that was possible!).  All of us are in the picture except Harmony, who was behind the camera...

...But here she is sharing a happy moment with Izzy.  Check out the view from her balcony!

Davin, Me, & Isidore

My Journal

We've had a lot of fun the past couple weeks.  When I looked back into my journal to decide what to write about, I realized I wanted to include it all.  So here it is...

Saturday, May 19
Dinner at the house of some American friends from our church--they have two girls, Hannah Grace and Virginia Joy, that my boys get along great with.  Ate mass quantities of ice cream with strawberries and chocolate fondue.  Met another really nice family from church--they have lots of kids, about the ages of our kids (including a baby about a month older than Izzy, but twice his size...Just when I was thinking that he'd gotten so big!)

Sunday, May 20
Isidore and I went to my Norwegian class and Sunday evening Mass (Jonah and Davin had gone to Mass in the morning).

Monday, May 21
Izzy really impressed the nurse at his check up today.  In addition to being very happy and charming, he did a big acrobatics show for her.  She laid him on his back on a mat on the floor and he immediately flipped himself over and started rolling over and over and playing with toys and wriggling all around.  She said that he's very strong and coordinated for his age (I thought he might be!).

Så sterk! (So strong!)

Tuesday, May 22
Oscar and Sergio went to an ostrich farm with a group from their preschool.  I had my neighbor, Stine, over for breakfast while the kids were at school (we ate blueberry puffy pancakes).  Then we went Downtown together to run errands and pick up Jonah from school.  The weather was really warm and beautiful, so I took the kids to the nearby lake for a swim.

Wednesday, May 23
Sergio hurt his shoulder at school today (he was hit with a swing).  He didn't cry when it first happened, but when he moved his arm it really started hurting.  He cried and cried, so finally his teacher called and said that I should come get him and that I'll probably want to take him to the doctor.  I rushed over with Izzy (it's just across the street) and found Sergio with one of his teachers, whimpering.  He could move his fingers, hand, wrist, and elbow fine; but if he tried to move his shoulder, he howled in pain.  As long as he was resting he was totally fine, so I brought him home and let him watch a little Sesame Street online (he was thrilled--I don't think the poor kid's ever seen it before), and then I gave him a nap.  I figured I'd see how he felt after his nap and decide whether to take him for X-rays then.  We'd been planning to have friends over for dinner and to go swimming with them afterward.  When he woke up, he begged us not to take him to the doctor and to let him go to the lake instead.  I thought it certainly wasn't broken or he wouldn't be interested in going to the beach.  I didn't want to add insult to injury by causing him to miss out on all the fun, just to give him an unnecessary dose of radiation and to hear that nothing is broken.  Anyway, I figured we could always take him tomorrow if his shoulder is still bothering him.  We ended up keeping our dinner plans and all going to the lake, just wrapping Sergio's shoulder in a bandage to keep it from moving around too much and causing him pain.  He ended up having a lot of fun, but he wasn't using his left arm at all.

Thursday, May 24

Sergio with his Broken Collarbone

Sergio's collarbone IS broken!  I feel TERRIBLE that we took him to the lake instead of the emergency room yesterday!  The poor darling!  I had no clue he was so seriously injured...He's really tough!  The doctor said they really can't do anything to treat it, though.  He said we should just leave the arm free and let Sergie use it as much as is comfortable for him which, at first, won't be much at all since a broken collarbone is extremely painful.  He said we can let him play as usual (but stay off trampolines for 4-6 weeks), and give him Tylenol if he seems to need it.  Luckily, broken collarbones tend to heal very quickly.

Brother Ali, Sims, and Plain Ole Bill had a concert in Bergen tonight.  Brother Ali is one of Davin's favorite musicians, so he's been looking forward to going to the show for months.  They played at a small venue, so Davin had a chance to talk with the artists afterward.  Talking to Sims, Davin mentioned that we'd be moving back to the US soon.  The guy said, "Why would you possibly go back?  Everywhere you look it's just beautiful here.  Everybody's happy all the time.  Everybody has money.  Everything's taken care of.  Everybody looks beautiful.  You should stay here."  It's not a bad assessment, really...

Friday, May 25
Sergio wanted to go to school today, so I brought him and Oscar for just a couple hours; then we met up with Jonah and Davin for a performance festival Downtown.  We watched a bunch of performances by kids from a "culture school," including a band (a drummer, two guitarists, and a lead singer) made up of kids about Jonah and Oscar's ages.  They played "Last Dance with Mary Jane" and "Smells Like Teen Spirit."  Oscar couldn't believe it--his mouth fell open and his eyes got huge and he said, stunned, "They're my age and they rock so hard!"

We also went to a free "babykonsert" in Grieghallen, a really beautiful concert hall Downtown.  They had a live performance of classical music especially for babies.  There were dozens of babies about Izzy's age there.  It was adorable.

Saturday, May 26
Went to a children's workshop at the art museum ("Flower Fantasy").  Then we watched an outdoor play in Festplassen (I Feel Good--a slapstick comedy about a plane crash) and went to a children's disco party. 

I Feel Good

The kids were thrilled to discover that a little park (a teeter-totter and some sandboxes) had sprung up overnight near Festplassen:

When we got back home, Sergie napped and Jonah and Oscar went swimming.

It was sunny and beautiful late into the night, so after all the kids were in bed, Davin and I had a lovely "date" playing Gin Rummy on the balcony.

Sunday, May 27
It was another gorgeous day, so Davin and the boys went to the lake for the 6th day in a row.  They'd been sneaking off to swim while Sergio napped, but now his collarbone is feeling much better, so he was able to go along with them.  I couldn't come because I had my Norwegian class, but today I was lucky enough to get a private lesson.

Monday, May 28
The Second Day of Pentecost is a National Holiday here (interestingly enough) so everyone has the day off school and work.  We had planned to hang out at the ocean, but I got a terrible fever (104.3 degrees!) and stayed in bed all day.

Tuesday, May 29
My fever is gone and I'm feeling fine.  Oscar "traveled to Thailand" with the older kids in his section at school.  They had pretend passports and plane tickets, and they tried some Thai foods.  It was really cute.

Wednesday, May 30
Received a package from my very favorite Norwegian author/illustrator, Anna Fiske.  I had written to her last week, telling her how much the kids and I love her books.  The package is full of post cards, stickers, coloring sheets, and buttons featuring her illustrations.  We're all VERY excited about it.

The Cover of Anna Fiske's HALLO PLANETEN!

Spoke with our realtor.  There's someone who may be interested in buying our house in Michigan (I'm not holding my breath, though).

Thursday, May 31
Took all the kids to the science museum for the opening of a new exhibit on dinosaurs.  The performance festival is still going on, so I signed Jonah and Oscar up for "Circus School" (Sergie was underage) and took all four boys to a play called "Gutten og Treet" ("The Boy and the Tree").

We had a great time at the dinosaur exhibit...

...apart from one very unfortunate incident.

Juggling at Circus School

Learning other Important Circus Skills

"Gutten og Treet"

Friday, June 1
Yesterday Jonah asked me, "Can we make a movie?  Like, with costumes and everything?"  I said, "Sure."  He said, "Good, because I've already started selling tickets at school."  Today he wrote the script and we filmed the opening scenes.  It's called VAMPIRE, and I'm guessing it'll earn quite a few Academy Awards.

Saturday, June 2
Went to a huge Viking and Middle Ages Festival.  It was tons of fun.  It was something like the Renaissance Fair, but much more affordable.  There were lots of people in costume, vendors selling "ancient" wares, puppet shows, archery, ax throwing, horse riding, rides on a Viking ship, etc.  We met up with friends there, and made some new friends as well.

Virginia Joy and Hannah Grace with Oscar and Jonah

Looking for Seashells (The Viking Ship is Visible in the Distance)

Oscar with a Tiny Crab

Jonah and Oscar Prepare for Battle

CHARGE!

Sætregården

Our next door neighbor, Stine (pronounced "steena," a Norwegian variant of Christine), invited our family to visit her parents' farm.  Her parents, Liv and Robert, came to pick up the six of us, along with Stine and her son, Jakob.  Sætregården specializes in education, therapy, and recreation, serving a variety of communities in the Bergen area, including school children, seniors, the disabled, and horseback riding students.  Given the idyllic setting, warm hospitality of our hosts, and abundance of cute animals, it's no wonder that people want to visit.

Oscar walking up the road to the farm

When we arrived, Jakob (Stine's son) gave Jonah, Oscar, and Sergio lessons on feeding the chickens and goats.  We were surprised to discover two turkeys, one of which was very big and hilarious (I believe, and the boys agree, that turkeys are funny).

 

Jakob, showing Sergio how to feed the goats

Sergio feeding the goats

Oscar amazed by chickens

Jonah laughing at the turkeys

After feeding the goats and chickens, we went into the stable, where the boys got to visit the horses and see the newborn lambs.  They took turns feeding one of the babies.

Jonah feeding the lamb

Next, the boys took turns riding horses.

Jonah on horseback

Then, they spent some time climbing a mountain to peek into the edge of the woods.  Sergio had some pretty carefully conceived plans that involved hitting tigers, lions, and coyotes with a stick before they could eat the goats, sheep, and chickens.

Up the mountain

Stine's parents invited us in afterwards to have waffles, ice cream, coffee, and refreshments.  For the boys, it was up there with just about any birthday party.

The boys enjoying iskrem!

An extra picture of a goat....  because goats are great.

17. mai

On May 17th, we celebrated Norway's "National Day" (or "Constitution Day"), usually referred to as syttende mai (translation: 17th of May).  We started the day early, by heading to Mass (it was also Ascension Thursday), then met up with some friends afterwards and spent the morning walking around the city center.  We knew the National Day was going to be a very big deal here.  We saw flags coming out everywhere starting at the beginning of May.  The bus routes were totally upended to accommodate the activity downtown.  And, I was a bit shocked to see some of the neighbors out into the wee hours of the night on the 16th preparing their gardens and trimming their shrubs.

Norwegians heading into the city to celebrate

But had no idea just how big it was until we saw the throngs of people converging on the city, early on a rainy morning, dressed in their finest clothes.  The most immediate difference between the 17 of May and our 4th of July is the way that enthusiasm for the day is expressed.  Everyone was wearing something classy (except us, of course, and the graduating seniors, who wore their overalls and caps).  Many were dressed in suits and gowns, but most seemed to be wearing bunads, Norwegian folk costumes.  The various designs and styles represent the specific communities with which the costumes are associated.

Jessie and Benji modeling their bunads

In the city, almost all businesses were closed, but small booths selling hot dogs, ice cream, cotton candy, coffee, and sundry treats had sprung up like a ring of mushrooms around heart of the city, feeding the festive mood of the morning.  Eventually, the parade began and people started marching through the street representing various organizations, ranging from silly to serious.

The prisons in Norway are much more relaxed than back home. 
(Actually, they are, but these are just some people marching in the parade.)

Norwegians are very athletic, even on holidays. 
(Actually, they are, but these were also just some people marching in the parade and doing aerobics).

Some of the more serious parade participants

An interesting highlight, and something specific to Bergen, is the buekorps (trans: "bow corps").  Over the past month, we have been seeing groups of kids in uniforms carrying wooden crossbows and marching to drums.  After talking with some friends here, I learned that the buekorps are part of a folk tradition in Bergen that stretches back at least 170 years.  The first buekorps were organized by boys (now they are co-ed) in Bergen and based on military exercises that they had imitated, and membership was based largely on neighborhood.  These units would train, elect leaders, plan missions against rival units, and wage "war" in the city.  While I am not entirely certain of the history and level of conflict, my understanding is that by the 1850s (perhaps, in parallel to the growing nationalism of the times), these organizations had shifted their responsibilities and migrated into more communitarian endeavors like service and "civil defense." Today, they remain autonomous, youth-run organizations, though they are largely focused on sport and social activities.  (I think this is one of the most interesting things I have noticed about Norway: Children are encouraged to develop leadership skills and a sense of responsibility.  This attitude of encouragement is matched with commitment and investment by the older generations.)  

A beukorps group preparing for the march.

After we watched the parade in the city center, we headed over to have lunch with our friends Scott, Jill, Aurora, Benji, and Jessie.  In addition to the pleasant company of our hosts and their guests, we had a nice meal (which included the traditional rømmegrøt, a thick porridge made from sour cream and served with butter, sugar, and cinnamon) and then walked with them to their neighborhood parade. 

Oscar and Jonah in the sack race...

Even in his sleep, Sergio celebrates.

Another interesting aspect of Norway's National Day was the experience of the neighborhood parade, which are organized by school district and which focus on the youth.  The parades snake through the local school district and end up at the school house, where there are games, snacks (hot dogs, coffee, cakes, ice cream, etc.), speeches about civic values, and student performances.  Sergio fell asleep by the time we reached the end of the parade route (he needed it), but Jonah and Oscar were awake to participate in sack races, tug-o-war, and tricycle races.  My favorite activity (and one which Oscar and Jonah liked) was hammering a nail into a board.

Gratulerer med dagen! (literally, "Congratulations with the day!"; used for birthdays and for May 17th)

Barnas Kulturhus

I know I said my next blog entry would be about the 17th of May, but we went someplace on Saturday that I didn't want to leave out.  It's called Barnas Kulturhus (Children's Culture House) and it's fantastic.

Most Saturdays they host a performance for children, followed by the opportunity to explore the house's different "activity rooms."  The activities vary from week to week.

There was a "Pixel Room" where kids could glue colorful squares onto white walls to make words and designs;

a room full of really fun chairs;

and a room decorated with fur and wood where kids could use sticks, twine, and bark to create art objects inspired by nature.

There was also a room for painting and a room filled with Legos.  And this past weekend there was a huge celebration because it was the Barnas Kulturhus's 20th "birthday."  There were clowns and cake and food (waffles and fishcakes!) and lots of great performances.  It was spectacular.

Clowns on Stilts

Girls Giving out Strawberries

We watched a pirate play, a drum performance, and storytelling.

A musician led an interactive performance using lots of  unique and interesting instruments.  Oscar participated so enthusiastically that the man called him up to be in the show.  The two of them jammed together onstage for a good 10 minutes or so.

There was a very exciting hip-hop dance demonstration (just look at the very exciting picture I took of it!).

Finally, in response to popular demand, I'm posting a couple of recent (and adorable) photos of Izzy: