more than
tea and scones
Saturday, August 13, 2005
Overwhelmed!
Hello to all our million and one new readers! (Yea, Jen, I kinda gave the blog address to a few relatives here) It's so hard to think of what to write, now that I'm writing for friends, family, and random strangers that somehow find this page. Anyway...Norway is amaising! I SO wish I could post the pictures from the dinner on Thursday night. Like I said earlier, I had no idea I had 30 relatives in total in the world, let alone that many in the same area in Norway. But it was so totally shocking and overwhelming and amaising to meet so many people. I was pretty proud of myself for remembering most of the people that came over in 1999, and remembering...some of the names that I was introduced to. (I feel bad, but I honestly can't say I'll remember them all) Don't worry mom and dad, I took lots of pictures. (And if anyone else has any from the party, I would love to get them emailed to me (shiloh_jo@hotmail.com) just to prove that I'm not lying when I get home! (And as a side note, something downstairs smells delicious! I feel like such a pig, since all I do while I've been here has been eat and drink coffee. I feel like the queen or something!)
Lets see...Thursday we visited a really old wooden church (the Stave church in Ulnes? I'm never going to be able to spell things properly here) and went to the dinner. I have no idea how to describe that dinner. I don't think I've ever been so shocked in my life. Everyone was so nice and friendly. I really can not believe that so many people would come say hello to me! Me, who's been eating bread out of a paper bag for the last month. Wow!
On Friday I went with my aunt and my cousin Susanna (I'm sure I spelt that wrong) to a small local town famous for their used book sale. After picking up a few books there, we went for a drive down to a lake made by the glaciers that are melting nearby. (It honestly wasn't as cold as it sounds. It was well above freezing) We then went to the glacier museum, which was pretty interesting, since I knew basically nothing about them. It's must be so neat having the mountains all around you, and glaciers just minutes down the road. Calgary gets some of that, but not nearly on the same level as everyone here does. After the museum, we all went back to my other aunt's house, and had an amaising family dinner (this time with only 12 people. Much easier to take in) I have so many awesome ideas for dinners that I've picked up in Norway. Between staying in Oslo and staying in Sogndal, the dinners I've had here are ten times better than anything I was eating at home before I left. And yes Kim, I took a picture of Karolina for you, and passed along what I think is your email address.
Anyway, this post is already 9 miles long, and I haven't posted a funny story in ages, so I'm gonna stop typing and save the rest of the babbling for my journal. I could write pages.
-------------------------------
Location: Sogndal, Norway
Wearing: non-ripped skirt, black halter, striped shirt, black jacket
Day's Activities: walked around Sogndal, visited a bunch of various relatives.
Thing you miss: My book case back home. I got this totally sudden urge today to gut it, clean it, and re-file everything. Anyone up for a 'welcome back' party at my place??
-------------------------------
Jody at 9:02 PM
Friday, August 12, 2005
Africa to Belgium
I had enough of Africa. However, there is never a dull moment in Africa, there was quite the excitement at the bus station. First off, this delirous man walked into the cafe and started arguing with the shopkeeper, then threw himself backwards into a wall and blacked out. Then he came to and started having a siezure and blacked out. Then he came to and started picking fights with everyone then he blacked out. Then he came back and started seizing again and screaming for the police. Then he blacked out. He came to and started fighting with the shopkeeper again and threw himself back into the wall and then laid on the ground screaming (there was blood pooling on the back of his baseball bat...I assume he really hurt his head...but no one did anything). Eventually, he was dragged out of the station by a group of people. See, if this happened in North America, there would be guns, police intervention and some good samaritans helping this man. In Africa, everyone just kind of watches...this happened on a sunday and the police dont work sundays...Shortly after the delirious man episode, these two ladies enter the adjacent cafe and start screaming at that shopkeeper. One of the ladies is holding a baby and the other one picks up a chair and starts hurling it at the shopkeeper (a la jerry springer). The lady with her baby is quite enraged at the shopkeeper so she starts using her child as a battering ram and attacking the shopkeeper. All this happens in Arabic so we had no clue what was going on. All this excitement occured over the course of 1.5 hours.
Holy culture shock, I was traveling with these two other girls through Morocco and we went to the beach. We show up in full dress, shoulders and knees covered, then we strip down to swimsuits. I wasnt wearing a string bikini, but one of those tankini things and the ladies at the beach just glared at us as though we were prostitutes. Women there dont go to the beach, and if they do take their children to the beach, they dont strip down to swimsuits. It was definately an experience.
Anyways, so I escaped Africa, spent 1 day back in Granada and now Im headed to Brussels. Im trapped in Madrid for 7 hours, then Im headed to Paris. Halfway to paris i have to change trains in Hendaya. Im not sure where Hendaya is, but apparently all the trains out of it are booked so I may be trapped there for a while...
-------------------------------
Location: Madrid
Wearing: doesnt matter...everything I own is dirty, torn, stinky and stained. However, I am wearing running shoes and a bandage on my foot because my flip flops caused a nasty blister last week but I kept wearing them and reblistering my foot. So Ive had this open wound for a week and its kind of infected...
Day's Activities: Sleep on train...watch Agent Cody Banks movie -originally english, dubbed in Spanish with french subtitles.
Thing you miss: hygene
-------------------------------
jenny at 2:25 PM
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Lord of the Fjorde
Hey all!This is a 'Just to let you know where I am' post, so no fun stories that I can think of at the moment.
I made the trip today from Oslo to Sogndal (small town on the West coast that contains more people with my last name than there are in the entire contenent of North America). It was a whirlwind of train/train/bus/ferrie, but I finally met my aunt earlier this evening. We had grilled cheese and pancakes at 9pm. I love Norway!
Tomorrow we tentatively planned a nice day of hiking/looking at old things/hanging out. The evening though, has me slightly overwhelmed.
Somehow the word got out that I was in town, and now there's a bit of a party with *30* of my closest norweigen relatives getting together for dinner. I didn't even know I HAD 30 relatives, let alone Norweigen ones. But I'm really looking forward to it. I'm going through a bit of a backpacking crisis though, since I have no idea what to wear. My wardrobe is limited to muddy jeans, a ripped skirt, a golf shirt with a hole in it, and a slightly stinky sweater. Oh, and a shirt proving that I've been on a "fat tire bike tour" through Berlin. (not really what I want my relatives to remember about me for the rest of their lives) I shall scrape together something though. I'm the most spoiled backpacker ever!
-------------------------------
Location: Sogndal, Norway
Wearing: ripped skirt (I have a great idea for a patch for it. How does a picture of knitting needles and a ball of yarn sound, with the slogan "Weapons of mass Construction" sound? The thought hit me earlier today, and made me giggle.) Green shirt with hole, black jacket
Day's Activities: took angry train/ packed train full of children/late bus/freezing windy ferrie to get here, then ate pancakes and grilled cheese. And looked at pictures.
Thing you miss: Hmm. Michaels craft store. I have some awesomely creative ideas today, but nothing I can actually do at the moment.
-------------------------------
Jody at 10:16 PM