Spring is on its way! (I hope.)

Wow! It's been almost a entire year since I updated! I really didn't think it had been that long, which goes to show how quickly time flies (whether you're having fun, or just working really, really hard).

The reason for my blog post is that this week I have vinterferie, winter vacation, usually the next to last, or last week, of February. This year winter vacation occurs a bit later than usual because Påske, Easter, is later than usual. Anyhow, it was indeed time for a vacation! I am very fortunate as a teacher to have extra vacations, but I do feel that I have earned them. The time between December and March seems to drag on, with the grey weather, the negative degrees (in Celsius), dry skin, and general lack of joy and moisture in the air.

February does tend to perk up winter for me though, due to its many significant dates. The first is when my husband and I met for the first time (Feb. 3rd, or the first weekend in February--we haven't quite figured out how to count this date yet), with it being 2007, four years ago!

The next highlight date in February is Valentines Day, which tends to sneak up on us. This year I introduced Platonic love in the workplace to my co-workers through Red Velvet cupcakes decorated with creamcheese frosting, pink and white heart sprinkles and silver balls, along with handmade (i.e. computer designed and printed) Valentines. Quote from my co-worker: "So, you'll be working here a long time, right?" Hopefully "baking skills" on my CV will be considered with my academic qualifications...

Valentine's Day isn't very big here in Norway, although it is gaining more and more commercial publicity. However, since Christmas wasn't so long ago, and our birthdays are at the end of February, my husband and I got each other small gifts and kept it real.

On February 27th I turned 28 years old, and the day after my husband turned 24. We had a lovely birthday celebration at his parents' house with bløtkake and lapper! Bløtkake means "wet cake" literally translated, which is because it has lots of whipped cream, and sometimes has different kinds of jam or fruit between the layers of cake and cream. It is also called marsipankake if it has a layer of marzipan on top, but usually the contents of the cake are the same. Lapper are like small pancakes, usually made with kulturmelk, buttermilk. I will try to put up some recipes or links soon.

On the weekend of my birthday I went to a swing dance workshop in Oslo, called Winter Jump. http://www.winterjump.com I have been an avid swing dancer since I was about 14 years old, growing up in San Diego, which has a very active swing dance community. I used to dance about three times a week, up to five times a week during the summertime! My swing dancing has been severely limited since moving to Hallingdal! So I try to take opportunities like workshops and festivals to keep my swing dancing somewhat at the same level (å holde det ved like), if not improving. The workshops were very good; I took a Balboa class with instructors Dan Guest and Gemma Barson from England. They were very down to earth and taught a natural, logical approach to dancing Balboa. Their main points were to keep it relaxed, don't force the dance, and try to make it feel nice, because if it feels nice, it will look nice as well. At least that's what I got out of it. I thought it really helped because frankly prior to the workshop, I never got the idea that Bal was a relaxed dance! I have mostly seen it danced to faster tempos, which I suppose only actually works well if you are relaxed. It's akin to trying to play a really fast scale/run on violin--it doesn't work if you freeze up and have a lot of tension. But if you have practiced it slowly and relaxed, and worked up to the faster tempos, then it will work just as well if you are relaxed at a faster tempo.

So, apart from anniversaries and birthdays and swing dancing, I have been working my tail to the bone. There was a fire at my workplace in January, so that has affected the semester to a huge extent. I started teaching a new class of students who are beginners in Norwegian, so their introduction to the language has been influenced by the words "fire, fire extinguisher, fire blanket, water, burn, burning, burned, the school is closed, the school is partially open again" and other such phrases that normally don't enter the curriculum of Beginning Norwegian for Immigrants in the first semester! They have been real troopers through it all. We have switched rooms at least 5 times. It has been a very frustrating semester for everyone, with other conflicts at the school between certain students and leadership as well, so the faculty is happy to now move on and get on with educating.

I recognize that I am still a very new teacher and am trying my best. I seem to be one of the three teachers at the school who work fairly late, but at least I know I am earning my pay. This interview with a professor who chronicled his workweek seemed very relevant to me: http://www.philnel.com/2011/02/26/busytown8/. I think I might do the same thing.

I have gotten the impression from many people that they think teachers don't have much work to do. I can see how they might think that, but I believe that it depends on the individual teacher and their priorities. If someone enjoys skiing and the weather is nice, then he/she will probably do his/her work faster in order to go enjoy the weather instead of being cooped up in the office (if that is allowed), or perhaps do the work at home later in the evening after he/she gets back from skiing.

Anyhow, I am very happy to be teaching Norwegian. It helps me improve my own Norwegian every day, and I find that I am able to help challenge my co-workers with questions regarding grammar, which (my argument) helps them to prepare for challenging questions from their students. In return I try to help answer my colleagues' questions about computers and English. I also really like the contact with other non-Norwegians, and being able to help them with their transition to living in Norway.

Teaching fiddle is also going well. My students who started last year are now learning Ringnesen, a well-known Norwegian schottis/reinlender. They thought it sounded very difficult when they began learning it, and now they think it is getting easier and easier. The goal is for them to play at the "Bygdemønstring" on Saturday, May 28, during Den Norske Folkemusikkveka, which is a folk music festival in Ål in late May. The kids are practicing quite a bit and I am so proud of them.

Mark your calendar! http://www.folkemusikkveka.no.