Artikkel om kirkelivet

A while ago I was asked by a priest to write an article for the church magazine and so here it is, my next blog post:

 My church life in New-Zealand compared to my church life in Norway.   

Norway’s centuries old, authentic church buildings themselves have captured my attention from the day I first saw one. Unlike in New Zealand where the only thing separating an ordinary building from a church is the large cross placed on the roof, Norway’s historic and traditional churches make a statement everywhere and anywhere.         Every time I see a church in Norway I picture myself taking photos of the church this way and that with the bell tower high up against the blue sky as my main objective.

Fascinatingly enough, as well as being a great photograph opportunity the bell tower is put to good use every Sunday and this is defiantly a new thing coming from the churches without bells in New Zealand. The service here start with a series of three long bells sounding loud and clear for all to here it is time for The Lord’s message. The bells that go off at the end of the service tend to leave a shiver down my spine as the message from the sermon sinks in with the loud and clear ‘Ding, ding, ding’.
 

One thing which I have discovered is a-part of Norwegian church history -and now have seen in real life- is the priests wardrobe! The first time I saw the priest holding a sermon in his long white robe with two red patterned strips along the front to break all the white, it seemed as though I had stepped into a movie. I couldn’t believe I was actually there experiencing this in person! New Zealand’s priests traditionally wear a suit whereas the congregation wear ‘more formal than usual’ clothes such as dresses and neat, clean jeans.

Along with the dress sense, the choice of praise varies a bit from my church to the Norwegian churches I have experienced. Not to mention the language side of things of course, the songs themselves vary in the way that the churches I have gone to in New Zealand play more worship songs with a band and signers from the congregation whereas here in Norway we have sung more traditional hymns to the sound of the loud ancient organ. 

Prayers and Bible reading I am glad to say is the same the whole way around the globe as the priest brings out the treasured book for all Christians, and reads a passage containing an important message for the congregation. I must admit that our priest in New Zealand tends to add more situations of real day life into his sermons which means the congregation can easily relate to the messages and apply it to their daily lives.

I have also noticed quite sadly that there are sometimes as few as 14 people in the church and that’s including about half of the congregation being our family. In the Methodist church I come from in the outskirts of the biggest city in New Zealand I am used to seeing many people in the congregation of around 60 which over the last few years they have become a big part of my life. We are like a big family. Our church often plans event such as community working days where we get together to help out members of the church with things like moving house, working bees at the church, gardening for the elder members etc. which I find to be an enjoyable time to bond with the other church members.

Commune seems to be done more regularly here as we usually have it every 4 weeks in our church in NZ and we use a bread loaf instead of the cracker circles like in Norwegian churches. It is very nice to have the same familiar Bible verse read before commune, both in Norway and New Zealand.

Sommerferie

So a lot has happened since the last time I wrote a blog! Summer Holiday and beautiful sunny weather is already long gone but with it being so full of excitement and fun I thought I just had to share it!
Well I will just write as things pop into my mind! Hopefully I don't miss out too much!

First of all I had a very social start to the holiday as I joined a Christian youth group on a trip to Sweden! Was great getting to see a bit of Sweden on the long bus ride there and to make some new friends throughout the trip. There were around 40 of us so you can imagine how much energy we had when heading to the Liseberg theme park in Göteborg. Somehow we managed to keep the hype up all through the day as we had pack loads of fun from 11am to closing time of 11pm! Other activities that kept us occupied on the 4 day trip was shopping, starbucks and movies!


Not long after Sweden, there was a Christian festival nearby where I live, where thousands of teens came out to be apart of the fun and worship! I met with some friends I had met on the Sweden trip and joined in 2 of the 5 days. It was great to be with them and my host brother as we all enjoyed our time soaking up the worship environment which seemed to be in all the big canopy tents around the island.

Next it was time for the farm and horse riding! For one week during the 2 month holiday I was lucky enough to spend one week at my host moms, brothers farm in Kongsberg. I spent the week with Ingrid, my host siblings cousin, riding horses everyday! Each morning, or I guess it was closer to afternoon, we woke up grabbed some breakfast and were straight out to the stables!

Cleaning went fast and then we were straight on the horses and out into the beautiful farmlands before we made our way through the forest which provided us with some shade in the hot summer sun. The horses definitely knew when the time had come to turn and head back home as each day once they got the signal from us they span on their heels -if that was possible- and sprinted back up the sandy road. This unforgettable week with Ingrid was awesome and I was headed for even more fun as I took a train straight from the farm to Oslo airport to meet my sister!!

Finally after not seeing her (not including skype) for 7 months, Cianne had finally arrived in Norway! Was so good seeing her again and we spent one night together in a hotel in Oslo, we found much to talk about and was great fun sight seeing Oslo together.. we even managed the navigating alone! At one point we decided to be real tourists and get one of the artists who were painting people on the streets, to do a drawing of us 2 together!
After 2 long days in Oslo we caught a train to the Sætha family whom I lived with for my first week in Norway. It was great catching up with them and we got to see a bit more of the cities and farmlands as they took us to see Drammen city, Oslo museums, walks through the forests to see drop dead gorgeous scenery which seemed so unrealistic it was hard to even consider that it was real life and not just a painting from an over imaginative artist! .. The view was real! We also went for a walk up a Canion which was really just as crazy!

Finally we headed home to my host family in Gjeving, after being away for around 3 weeks I was greeted with a very loving and long hug from Klara and soon after the rest of my family too. I enjoyed introducing my sister to my Norwegian family and was so glad to show her where I have been living the past few months! Found it very funny how she kept pointing out the hills around the place as she had not seen any in Estonia for the last year! I finally got to show here 'THE stone age' which I had been waiting for, for so long! We went swimming almost daily and had fun playing cards together with all my siblings! I met someone Cianne had met in Estonia who's home town was, strangely enough, this little town Gjeving! We were invited to join her Bible group in Kristiansand and were therefore lucky enough to go see yet another city in Norway together! I met lots of new people at this Bible group and I laughed when I realised that Cianne knew more of the Norwegians than I did! She had met a few of them in Estonia already!

Cianne got to experience a bit of the southern Norwegian waters and islands aswell when my host mom invited us to join her for a boat ride out to an island called Furøya. Emma, Klara, Cianne and I spent the day out on the island relaxing, swimming, sun bathing and swinging on an enormous swing which we found amongst the goats and sheep. Overall it was fantastic spending time with all my siblings together and amazing to be with Cianne again! We ate very much Toblerone the 2 weeks she was here and never ran out of things to say. Thanks for coming Annie and look forward to see you soon!

After that Emma and Ulla worked at an island called Risøya while Klara and Simon attended a Christian camp there. Just about every night of the camp Ellen, Peter and I headed out to the little island of fun to join in with the evening church service which took place in the "Mountain church" directly translated. The outdoor church was amazing as we sat among the tall trees and candles which had been placed all along the way up the steep rocky hill creating a great atmosphere with meaningful messages! Amazing experience!

Another thing I will not forget about this summer was the time spent with my siblings during the few days I found myself home. We found activities such as playing "football", not soccer.., jumping on the trampoline and many swimming outings in lakes and fjords nearby to make the most of those warm summer days!

Next family activity was the trip to my host families farm where we photo / video documented the two weeks work! After not being in use for 20 years the farm needed a lot of work to be up to scratch again but with a tight schedule and many hands we managed to get quite a lot done in the short time, cutting down the overgrown bush and trees we started restoring the land. At the end of a tiring days work in the sun we headed to a nearby lake and went for a swim to freshen up. With there being no electricity we found other ways to entertain ourselves in the evenings like drawing pictures, climbing a ladder- which was not leaning against anything- and playing card and board games. Lighting big bonfires was another fun thing! Roasting marshmallows in the flames and backed potatoes were another advantage of the bonfires!

Last but not least the week before school started up again was quite a busy one!
We celebrated my 18th birthday with the whole family! Coming home from school it was great to receive the "Happy Birthday celebration day!" from Simon and when I managed to squeeze past to get in the door I saw some balloons hanging above the dinning room table! We celebrated later on with a fantastic, family outdoor grill organised by Ellen, with chops and millies for dinner! (Food I remember so well from South Africa!) Was very pleasant with, for the first time in my life, both the Norwegian and English version of Happy birthday being sung! After which we moved inside to the ''balloon table'' for some delicious ice-cream, freshly made brownies and sweets! If there was any confusion as to where I would sit it was all sorted when I looked at the table and saw a pile of wrapped gifts sitting on a plate... well guess that's my seat then! :)  We ate and then it was prezzie time! I was spoiled by my family and am very grateful for the thoughtful and useful gifts I received from them!

On the day of my birthday I was woken with the sound of singing..was it.. happy birthday? When my brain finally registered what was going on my eyes opened to a Klara and Peter where the song was coming from with a candle in ones hand and  a Bacon and Eggs breakfast in the other. Whilst eating IN BED, my host dad pointed out that I was now allowed to finally open the presents from my family in New Zealand. Yet again very nice gifts!! After school Peter took Klara and I for some waffles, ice-cream and coffee in a cute little town called Risør. Boats on the still water and old Houses transformed into little shops made for a typical South Norway looking town with the sea side life feeling coming through nice and strong.


Just 2 days after it was my host moms 50th birthday and Peter and Ellens 25th anniversary celebration! Many guests were invited and we all got dressed and ready for a fantastic day of true celebration. Tables were set throughout the lounge areas of the house and moose soup was the main dish. Amazing desserts of many different cakes, brownies and Cloudberry pudding were served! Many speeches were held and a great history of how Ellen and Peter came to life together as it is now was made into a story by my host siblings who made a lovely show with piano, narration, whistling and singing! So many lovely people there to                                                       celebrate a lovely person and marriage!

The next day was a bit of a turn of emotions as the happy day of yesterday faded the into the quiet day where both Emma and Simon were off to the next chapter of their lives called Folkehøyskole. Well they went off and that was that, gone. Quite a sad day in contrast to the busy day before but we made it through. Thankfully we do and will get to see them every once in a while!

Much more has happened for Gypsey here in Norway since the summer holiday but I think that can wait for another blogging time!

Konfirmasjon

Første Konfimasjon!

Yesterday I was fortunate enough to join the Svalheim family to a confirmation of a family member. This was the first confirmation I have experienced, and what an experience it was! Once again the Bunads and suits were pulled out for the formal event which started off at the church. This of course makes sense seeing as though the meaning of being confirmed is to confirm your baptism, to confirm that you believe in God and want to follow his ways. I have to however apologize for the lack of pictures on this occasion as I didn't manage to take so many of the actual confirmation so I shall add in ones of the family one the day instead. 

Going into the church I almost had to blink a few times to take in the many, many heads facing the front where the priest would soon be holding a special sermon. I looked around taking in the Bunads and suits and suddenly becoming very conscience about my jeans and shirt, I noticed that there were NO empty benches and even the upstairs layer of seating in the church was full!  The family and I shuffled in on the full benches scattering around the church where we could squeeze in with the rest of the congregation. Soon after we were seated the congregation were signaled to stand and my confusion of what was happening soon dissolved as I saw everyone turn to face the back of the church where the 12 fourteen or fifteen year olds dressed in white robes came walking two by two to the front of the church. I remember thinking that it felt as if I was at a wedding, waiting anxiously to see the bride in her beautiful white dress come gently down the isle. Once the confirmation youth had made their way to the front benches we were asked to give silence for The Lord as the usual series of three loud and deep sounding church bells sounded.

12 newly confirmed youth each received a red rose at the end of the ceremony

 A few Bible passages were read and the priest -a different one than usual supposedly for the special occasion- held a speech about how the youth are now choosing to follow Christ and how special each one of them are. I found it some what entertaining when she got to the part of saying- in Norwegian of course-, "The holy Spirit will come upon you , Not with the Holy Spirit or water alone, but by both the holy spirit and water shall you be renewed" and thunder sounded loud and clear outside the church. Inside however it was pin dropping silence due to shock for a while. This died down with the rolling in of many confused, fascinated and shocked voices chirping to one another how much of a 'coincidence' it was that that had happened at that very sentence in the sermon. Even the priest was shocked by this and didn't quite know what to say straight away. Not long after the holy spirit arrived through the thunder did the water arrive, in bucket fulls of rain pouring down!

After this little incident the youth being confirmed went up one by one to be congratulated by the priest and announced confirmed. Each of them walking back to their seat with a smile upon their face and eyes reverting away from the intimidating sea of people that were there to celebrate this big event. When the service finished with a prayer, the newly confirmed youth lead the congregation out of the church back down the isle, this time smiling and managing to search through the crowd for family and friends with the confidence of their partners by their sides. I was struck by the formal order which seemed so natural for everyone in the way that the whole church waits and exits in an organised fashion.

Simon and Klara

The first row either side of the middle isle leave, the second trailing on to the end of them, then the third and fourth.This was something I had noticed after the 17th of May service but hadn't realised it was an official thing I thought everyone was just polite on this particular day. Turns out I was mistaken its just usual mannerisms!   
After the church service we arrived at a hall where we were to celebrate the Svalheim families cousin/niece which for the purpose of this piece I shall call LA. Here around 50 people were gathered in a big hall for the feast I had been hearing about all day! The hall was decorated just as formally as the people with a stage up front ready for all the speeches, nicely arranged tables with white table clothes and rose Italian-styled serviettes which were folded on each plate. Wine glasses adding a sense of class and to the top right of each plate a fancied-up name tag was aligned. We were told to find our name and have a seat. I stepped back for a while looking curiously were my host siblings were placed, Simon came to me after a short while and said my name was between his and Emma's. I was quite relieved by the thought that I wouldn't be sitting next to a stranger in this unfamiliar environment in my jeans, not that it would have been a problem considering the fact that everyone here was family and friends.

Emma

The afternoon started off with LA's brother as the host introducing her and the special event, following that was many touching speeches by various family members, her father, mother, brother and sisters aswell as aunts and uncles. This being a very musical family meant quite alot of songs were written for LA by her family and were performed during speeches. The speeches made me smile and it was a heart warming experience to see how much love and affection was presented to LA on this day. This is a day to celebrate her and her life in Christ. It was great to hear in every speech ( as far as I can remember) The Lord was mentioned and she was guided by her family members to always know that even though she is now moving into adult hood she is not alone. She will always have her family and Christ by her side, every step of the way.
In-between the songs, speeches, hugs and happy/overwhelmed tears from family members, we had a good meal with much variety to choose from, a coffee and chocolate pause and last but not least cake time nearing the end.
Oh and of course lets not forget the gift tradition of these traditional confirmations! The usual way of gifts is in the form of money. At LA's confirmation there were two tables lining the opposite sides of the walls where the guests placed an envelope with a card and money for LA. I have heard many get quite a lot on this day which I'm sure must have been an exciting thought for LA on this day.

Outside the church before the ceremony

The celebration for LA  lasted around 3/4 hours but unfortunately our family had to run out a tad early just as things were closing up because we still had a 4 hour drive and 30 min ferry ride back home to Gjeving!

Syttende Mai i Norge!

 Syttende Mai i Norge! (17th May in Norway)

Where better to be on 17th of May 2013 than in Norway celebrating their national day! What an experience! Ever since I arrived in Norway I have been hearing all about this special day, but nothing could have prepared me for this traditional and interesting phenomenon .

The morning of 17th May I wake up to a "Gratulerer med dagen" from my host family and immediately the exciting feeling of anticipation and new impressions rushed through the atmosphere! The dinning room table is set and decorated with a vase holding a blend of twigs with spurts of new green spring leaves, flowers including a beautiful red tulip and two Norwegian flags to top it off. We have a good breakfast with smiles all

around the table as we look forward to the busy day ahead. After breakfast Klara and Peter show me how to raise the huge Norwegian flag, something already done by all our proud neighbors. Next its time for the clothes! I put on the best clothes I can find and rush downstairs to see my family dressed in their traditional Norwegian clothing -Bunads- which date back many hundreds of years. Districts, provinces and even villages have their own design and style of the traditional Bunads which made it even more exciting to think of how many different ones I would be able to see even in this small town.

Once we were all ready to go we hit the road for a  day of interesting new things and lots and lots of people, actually the most I have seen in the same area at the same time since being in Norway! First we headed out to the closest town, Tvedestrand, where Emma and Klara participated in the main parade. Emma keeping the steady beat of the drums going in the brass band and Klara joining her school in the march. The parade was, as is tradition, centered around the children of the town. I watched as two men led the parade followed by 6 children holding huge Norwegian flags in two neat lines, I'm still wondering now how they managed to hold those flags up the whole parade, they looked so heavy! Next came the first of the many primary and kindergarten schools marching proudly with smaller- much more manageable - Norwegian flags waving wildly when they saw someone in the crowd they knew, which in this small place meant that the flags were waving constantly!
Each school had a few teachers that were scattered between the loud joyful children who were chanting various things about their school being the best and "HOORAY" for Norway! That was something I constantly heard during the day, "Hooray, Hooray!" Throughout the parade and the spectators lining the old stone streets, it was great seeing the many different Bunads, each one unique and special and I was amazed to hear Ellen pointing out where people came from, or at least their families came from, based solely on where the Bunads originated.

After the parade we headed to a little refreshment stand which was placed where the speeches for the national day were being held. The crowd was loud and upbeat, everyone on a high for the special day, the atmosphere was so enjoyable with the filled picnic tables on the green grass. I even felt the urge to stay and listen to the usually boring, long speeches which seemed somehow more interesting with the busy crowd. However, it wasn't long before we
had bought ice-creams from the little stand and were in the car and on our way back home to grab a quick lunch in between the celebrations. For lunch we had "pølse" - basically hotdogs- something that comes to mind when I think of typical Norwegian food as we had them many times during the cold winter. It was nice to sit and rest with the family but only lasted a short while before, once again, we were back in the

car, this time on the way to church for "Gudstjeneste" / God's service directly translated. At the old Norwegian church there I felt a different kind of atmosphere with many people for a change but now instead of loud joyfulness like earlier in the day, it was silent with only the priest chatting away. There was a choir of children - including Klara- who performed a few songs, Emma read the Bible verses of the day and the service was rapped up outside in the graveyard with a memorial speech for the soldiers who fought in World War 2.

At this point we were all tired of running around but the day was not over! We drove back to our home, Gjeving, and joined in a parade where everyone was involved not only children this time. We marched along the streets many with little Norwegian flags in hand, me being one of them. Of course noticing the Norwegian flag waving automatically in my hand gave me a kick as I realise this is not the usual SA or NZ flag I am used to! I am in Norway! Whoo hoo! With the enthusiasm from the chanting Risøy folkehøgskole students we marched all the way up to the bridge at the end of Gjeving and then up to the primary school grounds where more speeches were held and singing from the Risøy school after which we had headed to the hall where many different cakes, brownies and other sweet stuff were available. I don't think I have ever had so much sweet stuff in one day without it being a Birthday or Easter! 

There is a superb community feel to this gathering as neighbors sit together chatting and laughing away still saying "Gratulerer med dagen". Outside Games were held where you could win small prizes, Klara, Simon and I tried the typical try and knock down tins to win a chocolate,- I got it on my third and final try, another was walking on stilts, the others managed well, me not so much. We also tried a new game for me which is apparently a traditional game in Norway, throwing horse shoes to see how close you could get to a wooden stick in the ground. So a fun country feel was added to the little gathering.

Last, but definitely not least we went back home and joined our neighbors for some more cake, ice-cream and coffee. It was nice, almost as if going to Grandma and Grandpa at the end of a long and busy day. Once again the table showed that it was still 17th of May with the flagged table cloth and candles waxed in Norwegian colours, red, white and blue.

By the end of the long and impressive day, I was ready for a good nights sleep, and surprisingly I looked forward to having savory food the next day!

Påske

After a week short of 3 months being in Norway I have finally managed to start a blog! Sorry to all those who have been waiting for quite some time! Unfortunately I think it will take way too long to update you on ALL that has happened since I arrived in this beautiful country! So instead I have decided to start from this Easter weekend and will fill you up on some highlights of my adventure a bit later.

Firstly I think I should introduce you to my host family! I have been very blessed to come into this country and have such a cool family waiting for me! I live in South Norway with my host parents Ellen, Peter, and host sisters Emma (18) and Klara (9). I also have a host brother Simon (18) who comes home on weekends and during holidays and an older host sister, Ulla (21) who lives in the main city, Oslo. From being the eldest and having Cianne (16) as my only sister, to now being the middle child and having up to 4 host siblings at times is quite strange but very fun as there is always something to do! 

Påske!

Easter with snow!! Now that has really been something! I cant believe how strange it feels to be skiing during Easter Holiday! The first weekend of our Easter break we went up to the mountains skiing with oranges and sunshine! I have been told many times that this is a typical Easter in Norway!

Some other traditions include decorating with little Easter chickens and painting normal eggs to use for decorations.

Decorations of little chicks and painted eggs

Daffodils- The Easter Flower

Lollies!

For the Easter weekend we went up to Peters mom, it was the second time I had been there and it was very interesting to see how different the rolling white plains look with much of the snow melted away as Spring starts to kick in! The farmlands remind me a bit of the South African landscape with the dry velt along either side of the country roads, that excludes the snow patches of-course! But unlike the familiar farmland, this year Easter had many different traditions. Firstly, in Norway yellow is the colour for Easter! Was delighted when I heard that my parents had not heard of Easter being 'yellow' because then it was definitely the tradition and not just me being ... well, me. Also instead of having chocolate Easter eggs and Easter bunnies, each of us get a plastic egg which is filled up with sweets! Us six "kids" -Ulla, Andreas (Ulla's boyfriend), Emma, Simon, Klara and I- went sweet shopping and each got a decent sized bucket to fill as much as we could with many varieties of different sweets!  It was a bit strange to go out and choose the sweets we wanted for Easter as I am used to having no involvement in the decision making of the chocolate eggs, the only part that includes Cianne and I is the finding eggs and eating them!  

So after literally forcing the lids shut on the buckets, we stashed the sweets away and on Easter eve a treasure hunt was made by Peter and Ellen and we were all split in pairs to go out and follow the clues that eventually led us down to the old hollow oak. Here we found our Easter eggs had been put in the tree through the hole that Simon and I had gone through to climb the tree from the inside out last time we had been up to the farm. So finally we had our Easter eggs with the lollies in them! The lollies of course didn't last long! .. or at least for me ... 

On Sunday, Easter day we went to the church to have a nice breakfast which was offered to all who attended that day and of-course it was the usual continental breakfast. After a nice meal it was church and was great to be able to actually understand what was going on in the church and in the songs of praise. The church service ended outside in the graveyard and I felt a sense of peace fall over me as I realized that I was no longer scared of graveyards but instead I actually enjoyed the stillness as the congregation sang the last hymm.

Sunday morning Church

YAY! Found the eggs with lollies!