odd, that
Wednesday, 17. October 2007, 21:37:32
Today news of a possible parasitic infestation in the city water supply sent Oslo residents into a panic of boiling.
This evening there were unexplained fireworks over the harbor.
Happy Giardia Day.
Speaking of odd, started seeing hedgehogs again this week. Maybe they came out of hibernation when the cold snap didn't stick, maybe we were just missing each other in the park. The fall leaves make large gold blankets under all the larger trees. This evening I saw that the mowers had converted these great circles into stripes of shredded yellowed leaves.
Tomorrow we are joining a dugnad at H's barnehage. This is a special Norwegian word for everyone coming together and chipping in. There will be tulip planting, window washing, shelf assembling and other activities where the parents and kids will all do our parts, work together, and get things ship shape. Very often apartments or local communities will have a dugnad before the national day, May 17. The connotation of these is more like an old fashioned barn raising and less like we're just gritting our teeth to get the bad chores done. These are times of food, gossip, community, and gettin' it done. ... Still, I should add, I'm a bit nervous about our poor Norwegian skills and just how much we'll be able to follow and understand, good to meet the other parents, though.
Halloween seems to be a non´starter here. There are no references in the general stores and when I asked a group of parents, one person said that if you have a house and if you put a pumpkin out, you may get a couple of kids trick or treating. Nothing like the US. I think we are still undecided about how much we care to emphasize it, H certainly dresses up often enough (Mulan, Belle, Jasmine, princess, faerie, etc) that she might not even notice that we were dressing up for a "reason".
This evening there were unexplained fireworks over the harbor.
Happy Giardia Day.
Speaking of odd, started seeing hedgehogs again this week. Maybe they came out of hibernation when the cold snap didn't stick, maybe we were just missing each other in the park. The fall leaves make large gold blankets under all the larger trees. This evening I saw that the mowers had converted these great circles into stripes of shredded yellowed leaves.
Tomorrow we are joining a dugnad at H's barnehage. This is a special Norwegian word for everyone coming together and chipping in. There will be tulip planting, window washing, shelf assembling and other activities where the parents and kids will all do our parts, work together, and get things ship shape. Very often apartments or local communities will have a dugnad before the national day, May 17. The connotation of these is more like an old fashioned barn raising and less like we're just gritting our teeth to get the bad chores done. These are times of food, gossip, community, and gettin' it done. ... Still, I should add, I'm a bit nervous about our poor Norwegian skills and just how much we'll be able to follow and understand, good to meet the other parents, though.
Halloween seems to be a non´starter here. There are no references in the general stores and when I asked a group of parents, one person said that if you have a house and if you put a pumpkin out, you may get a couple of kids trick or treating. Nothing like the US. I think we are still undecided about how much we care to emphasize it, H certainly dresses up often enough (Mulan, Belle, Jasmine, princess, faerie, etc) that she might not even notice that we were dressing up for a "reason".
It doesn't help that Europeans tend to think that Halloween is a pagan ritual and it is too commercialized
By anonymous user, # 18. October 2007, 19:35:11
However, it's nice in Texas that so much of the Mexican day of the dead symbology has infiltrated Halloween so that it is not just a sea of Disney(tm) branded costumes and homogenous Target(tm) decor but also posadas and sugar skulls and wrestling masks and so on.
By balzac, # 19. October 2007, 08:30:28
it's too bad that kids don't dress up as W. Bush ....remember lots of Nixons and Reagans back then
By anonymous user, # 19. October 2007, 16:06:44