Kate's Adventure with Grandma: Day Four

The last night Grandma and I were here alone, there
was a thunderstorm! The flashing lightenings and
the loud noices woke me up
at two.
Grandma thought I might be afraid, but I was not
afraid, just awake.
So after some time, Grandma put on a DVD with
Sesame Street, put me in the playpen, and I watched
Elmo, while Grandma fell asleep on the rug next to the
playpen.
In the end I also fell asleep.

So that morning, instead of getting up at six, we both
got up at eight!

Then five hours later - believe it or not - the two most
important persons in my life turned up - my Mom
and Dad! I was so happy to see them.

It had been great with Grandma, but there is nothing
as good as having your Mom and Dad around you!

Kate's Adventure with Grandma: Day Three

Kate around three in the afternoon:
I think I must learn how to say the words
"technically challenged" in order to explain
to Mom and Dad that Grandma only managed to
vacuum the two rugs downstairs, and not the wooden
floor or the sofa and the armchair.

This morning someting good happened - it rained!
Grandma and I even stepped out on the porch
to feel some of the drops on our heads and to touch
the water on the garden table.

It doesn't rain now, but the weather is greyish and
I see on Grandma's face she likes this temperature
better than when it was very hot.

The last days I have loved to play with the Cookie-
monster and the Octipus. I like to let them dance to
the songs I hear. Sometimes they dance in the air.
Sometimes they dance on the sofa.

Today I was also sitting for a long time in the corner
playing with the McDonald farm, using the
Cookiemonster and the Octipus and a paper figure
in my play.
Grandma thinks I have a good imagination and
a long attention span ..... or something like that.
I just love to play!

Kate around six in the afternoon:

Grandma wasn't quite right about the temperature
outside today. When we went outside to play it was
actually still quite humid but it was windy, so we
said "wind, wind" many times.
Then I stared at the turtle, so Grandma took off the
cover and I could play in the sandbox.
I remember the first time I was there, quite puzzled
with the texture of sand, but now I am a pro,
and played with the sand for a long time.
I even tried to push sand through the bottom of
one of the buckets, but that did not work.

Then I was fascinated by the two bottles of magic
bubble liquid so Grandma brought the bubble machine
and a lot of bubbles flew around.
I think Grandma wants to buy one of those bubble
machines to bring back to Norway.

A secret: If the banana growers of America knew
how much I love to eat bananas, they would certainly
use me in a commercial, but I am not going to tell them.
Shhhh....

Kate's Adventure with Grandma: Day Two

Kate before noon:
When I woke up this morning I found that the old
lady we call Grandma was the one who picked me up from
the bed, so I smiled.
Who else could I smile to?
My Mom and Dad were not there.

I have played.
I have of course eaten my breakfast.
I have studied my big library of books.
Grandma and I have been dancing and singing.

Now it is close to eleven and Grandma put me in
my bed for a nap, but after a minute or two of
protest crying, I now make happy noices,
while Grandma hopes I will soon fall asleep.

Kate at 7.30 at night:
This day was also OK.
Grandma and I played in the garden, inside the tent,
and Grandma spoke with the neighbor B.
This morning Grandma had watered the flowers on
the porch, but had wondered how to water the
vegetables - after all, she has a problematic back.
But B. had seen that the vegetables looked a little
distressed and had used her hose to water them.
She thought nobody was home.
Thanks B. !

All this water business reminded Grandma that
yesterday she did not give me a bath - so today I
got one! In addition, Grandma washed all my clothes,
so she looked rather pleased with herself :-).

But she still needs to figure out how to clean the floors.
I whispered to her there is a vacuum cleaner upstairs
but she looks a little worried if she will be able to
operate it.
Tomorrow she will just have to try!

The cats have decided that Grandma is OK too, so
in general we have now gotten through two of the
four days and one of the three nights very well.

Tomorrow Mom and Dad are going on a river cruise
on the Missisippi - water again.

PS. I do not like maccaroni with cheese very much,
to say the least.
But garden vegetables and pasta in tomato sauce
- so delicious!

Too much or too little water?

An American seeing a Norwegian WC for the first time

would probably wonder if the hosts ran out of water

with so little water in the toilet bowl.

An Norwegian seeing an American WC for the first time

would probably wonder if the system was clogged

with so much water in the toilet bowl.

Different systems.

Phoning to talk or to send a SMS?

A comment made yesterday, made me think about
what changes I have been making in my life after I
started to use SMS around two years ago.

If I phone to a regular home number, the person
I want to talk to may or may not be home.
It may or may not be convenient for that person to
take my phone call just then.

If I use her or his cell phone number, the chances of
reaching the person is very big, but again it may
or may not be a convenient time to talk.

So if I send a SMS, I know the receiver will look
at the message when it is convenient for them
(perhaps even straight away), but they will
respond either by writing a SMS or by phoning me
when it is convenient for them.

On Skype you click in your status:
Online
Away
Not Available
Do not Disturb
Invisible
Offline
Skype Me

What would happen if mobile phones and landlines
had similiar status signals/icons?

Kate's adventure with Grandma: Day One

Kate:

Eight days ago an elderly lady turned up at our house.

Mom and Dad call her Grandma, so I have learnt to

say "Hi Grandma."

This morning my Mom and Dad went on a small

vacation , and guess what? I am here with Grandma!

ALL BY OURSELVES.


Report around seven thirty in the evening:
I have been in a happy mood the whole day.
I have played inside the house with my toys.
I have read in my books.
Grandma has read for me.
I watched Sesame Street.
I ate all my food.
I did my midday nap.
I walked around the garden.
I loved playing inside the tent my Dad put up there.

It has been a good day.
I still seem to have accepted that those two central
figures in my life - Mom and Dad - are not here.
I will think about that a little more tomorrow...

Now I am falling asleep.

Vocabulary at age 18 months

PEOPLE:
Mommy, daddy, grandma

PHRASES:
Hi.
Bye, bye!
Bye, Grandma!
I love you.
I am sorry.
Thank you!
Please.
Go!
Go, go, go!

PARTS OF BODY:
Nose, eyes, ears

WEATHER:
Rain, wind

LETTERS:
ABC, O, W, Y, M, Z

FOOD:
Apple

NUMBERS:
One, two, three.
Recognizes seven as a written number.


FIGURES from TV and books and dolls she has:
Elmo, Abby, Ernie, Max, Wonderboy, Simpson

ANIMALS:
Piggy, cat or meow, dog, duck, giraffe, bear

OTHER WORDS:
Train or choo-choo, car, boat, tent , book, light,
swing, trip, shoes, singing, dancing, clap,
happy, chimney, nice.

WORDS THAT HAVE TO BE SPELT OUT BY THE
GROWNUPS BECAUSE OF KATE'S REACTION:
Milk and tapioka because she loves it.
Sleep, night and nap because she hates it.

Sleeping in a "box" at Terminal 4 at Heathrow

Personal conclusion:
For me it worked out really well.
After taking a warm shower, entering a very
comfortable bed, adjusting the light, watching a
little bit of TV, I completely forgot I was staying in
a "box" at the airport, and fell asleep for eight hours
straight - a personal record.
The ten hours I had rented my Yotel room for, cost me
around 66 GBP, if I remember right.

I know that staying at the Yotel on another occassion,
will be a very good alternative for me.
For four hours of blissful sleep, I will pay 32 GBP.

Luggage

I like this quote:

There are two kinds of luggage -

hand luggage and lost luggage.

It is an intellectual and interesting

challenge to travel with just your

handluggage.

But definitely worth it.

Red, White and Blue - in both cases

May 17th

July 4th

Yesterday was Fourth of July

Yotel at Heathrow

One week from now, I will stay at the Yotel at

Heathrow for one night.

How will it be to sleep in a box?

The impressions of some of the other guests

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMziKFl4n6E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMr5Qcd5CeI&NR=1

How to locate the yotel at terminal 4 at Heathrow

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1W_ALnLfcxc

It will be interesting to see how this comes out,

when I actually get there. :-)

Naturkunnskap = Natural sciences

The other day, in a secondhand shop, I found this

book we used in elementary school.

For the grand price of 10 kr (less than two dollars)

I brought it home to relive those lessons.

The subjects included animals, plants, physics and

chemistry and health.

The photos were all in black and white, but I remember

I liked the color drawings, like this one:

I think I have mentioned it before, but the most crazy

part about these lessons was that instead of walking

outside our classroom into the most fantastic nature

right behind our school to see the plants and animals

close up, we sat in the classroom, copying the texts

from this very book and making copies of the drawings.

What a waste!

Observing a young couple

They obviously were in love.

The way they held hands.

The bounce in their steps.

The way they turned to each other as they talked.

I was on the other side of the street, behind them.

He was dressed like any other young man in Norway

would dress - Bermuda shorts, T-shirt.

Only his jet black hair hinted his parents may have

been born in another country.

She was shorter, very petite.

Her black leggings showed off her very thin legs.

Her tunika/ short dress had long sleeves.

That far she could perhaps also have been one of

many other young women in Norway.

It was her hiyab, her headcovering, that was hinting

to her family background.

But the two of them mostly looked very much in love.

He then quickly put her arm around her.

The hiyab and the hug became for me a symbol of

trying to live in two cultures.

Perhaps it was. Perhaps it wasn't.

Listening to the rain

My grandparents had a summer house next to the

Oslofjord. It was fairly primitive and small, but it

always had place for the enlarged family to meet.

I remember one summer when I was twelve that

only my grandmother and I stayed there alone.

She thought she was looking after me, and I knew I

was looking after her. :-)

Just now it is ten at night, still some light outside, and

I opened the window to get some fresh air.

It turned out it was raining outside.

The sound of this summer rain brought me straight

back to that summerhouse of my childhood.

I remember that when it rained, I would stay in my bed

up in the attic, reading old magazines my aunts had brought,

and hear the same sound of rain in the background and

feel the same moist smell of Norwegian summer

like I do just now.