Catch 22

Week 21 began with the last of the holidays in May: Pentecost Monday. On Thursday the church staff (ministers, musicians, and religious education teachers) went by boat to Herøy, an island about 45 minutes west. The purpose of the meeting was to plan next year’s activities for the confirmation class of 2011. After the meeting I rushed back to play a funeral. (On average there is about 1 per week). I still haven’t heard anything from Folkeregister about getting an ID number. I am probably caught in some sort of Catch-22 situation. Folkeregister won’t give me an ID number until I’ve received a residence permit. A bank won’t open an account for me until I’ve received an ID number. And I can’t get paid until I get an ID number and bank account number. The residence permit takes time – up to 8 weeks. This is week 7. I’ve been to the police office to inquire about how long I will have to wait. No answers yet. In Norway’s bureaucratic jumble I am being shuttled from one office to another, only to be told that they aren’t responsible. And then back. It’s frustrating. Is this the Peter principle in action, or passing the buck? I’m sure there are plenty of examples in the U.S.

On to a more cheerful subject: on Saturday I had a rehearsal with the Helgelands Chamber Choir (Kammerkor). They are preparing a program for a concert in June at Alstahaug Church as part of the Petter Dass celebration week. (Petter Dass was a famous poet/clergyman who lived here 1647-1707). I am the accompanist for this concert. The concert will be conducted by Christopher Eva, a British musician, who has lived in this part of Norway for 15 years. The program is very interesting: quite a few pieces by Norwegian composers, a cantata by Buxtehude and two pieces by Purcell – the large “Rejoice in the Lord always”, and the short “Thou knowest, Lord, the secrets of our hearts”. The concert will be on June 20.

Sunday morning services were in Sandnessjøen. (Today is Trinity Sunday). There were about 50-60 in the congregation. Pretty much all the leaves are out now. People are mowing their lawns. Everything is green -- quite a difference from 3 weeks ago.

Today sunrise is at 2:30 am; sunset at 11:45 pm. Length of day: 21 hours, 15 minutes.

Spring finally arrived!

This is the week that spring arrived! (week 20). The trees are finally turning green. Some people are mowing their lawns. All it took was a couple warm days and everything burst forth.

Week 20 began with Independence Day, the 17^th of May. There was a 10 am service at church (there is no separation of church and state in Norway). The hymns at the service were mostly Norwegian patriotic songs: Ja, vi elsker dette landet, Gud signe vårt dyre fedreland, Fagert er landet, and a couple others which had no connection to Independence Day. Most of the women (and a few men) were decked out in their bunads (national costumes). There were about 60 in attendance. After the service there was a short outdoor ceremony remembering those who fell during WW II. A men’s chorus sang Ja, vi elsker dette landet. There was a short speech, role call of those who died, and the laying of a wreath in their memory.

I spoke with a lady named Berit whom I had met earlier. It turns out that a pastor from Decorah, Iowa was here in Sandnessjøen for a year in the late 1990’s. The pastor’s name is Paul Christenson. I remember him when I was a student at Luther. Small world.

After the wreath-laying ceremony I walked downtown to see the parades. Around noon the parades met downtown. All the school children marched, each school with its own banner. There was also a borgertog, a citizen parade. Anyone who wished could walk along. The main speech (talen for dagen) was a little long but stressed respect and tolerance for each other. (Could the U.S. learn something from this?) Unfortunately the weather then turned sour. It didn’t snow but a cold rain began with strong winds that went right through you. But fortunately the cold weather came after the parades. There were two free movies at the end of the day for children.

My work week is much more regulated here in Norway than it was in the States. I am entitled to two complete free days per week. Since I had to work on Monday (a holiday), Tuesday and Wednesday, I was given Thursday and Friday off. Leisure time is highly prized. (Saturday I have to play for a wedding, and Sunday two services for Pentecost). I bought a mobile phone and did some other shopping. Friday was a gorgeous day. Not a cloud in the sky, but temperatures only reaching the mid 50’s. Ash from the volcano in Iceland has closed some airports north of here. They may close all the airports on Saturday.

Sunrise for Saturday the 22 of May is at 3 am; sunset at 11:10 pm. Total daylight is just over 20 hours. The 4 hours between 11 and 3 are not dark: they transition from dusk to twilight. Just one more month left of increasing light. Rain is forecast for the weekend.

Saturday I played for a wedding at the medieval stone church called Alstahaug Church. The oldest part is from about 1200. The church is one of the gems of the area. For a short time this was the regional cathedral for northern Norway. The organ is very interesting: a one-manual instrument built in 1898 by Rieger of Austria. It's a mechanical action organ but needs some maintenance. This wedding was very simple: no prelude music, just an opening wedding march, 2 hymns and a recessional march.

Week 20 ended with 2 services for Pentecost Sunday. The morning service was in Sandnessjøen Church followed by a sort of grilled hotdog picnic. There were 4 baptisms at the service so the attendance was quite high: 105. I helped with grilled hotdogs. Picnics are very popular with kids, reflected by the high turnout of children. The afternoon service was an outdoor affair on the southwestern end of the island, near Tjøtta. We had to transport an electric piano, along with refreshments. Fortunately the rain held off and the outdoor service went ahead as planned, although few attended: a total of 6. On the way back we saw 4 moose. Tomorrow (Pentecost Monday) is a holiday, the last one for awhile.

First two weeks

Saturday, the 15^th of May. I’ve just finished my second week here. May is a very peculiar month for holidays: Labor Day (May 1); Ascension (this year May 13); Independence Day (May 17); and Pentecost Monday (May 24) are all legal holidays. Two weeks ago I applied for a Norwegian ID number and was told it would be assigned in 14 days. Yesterday I went back to that office (Folkeregister) to ask for it. They said it hasn’t been assigned yet. So I’ll go back on Tuesday to see if I get it then. It’s frustrating when deadlines aren’t met, especially in a country like Norway which is known for its punctuality. I suppose a month or two from now I’ll look back and say, what’s the rush?

Thursday, Ascension Day, the 13^th of May. Kristi Himmelfarts Dag. There is a service at 11 am with two baptisms and communion. This service is more difficult than the first two confirmation services I played. During the communion section many of the responses are sung, including the Lord’s Prayer. It is a lot of work getting familiar with a new liturgy, and it will get easier. In any case everything went fine. I met a woman who is active in the parish who said a minister from Red Wing, Minnesota lived here in Sandnessjøen for a year in the late 1990’s. (Red Wing isn't far from where I grew up).

Friday morning I played for a funeral. Another is scheduled for next Tuesday. I will have played for nearly as many funerals in Norway in the past 3 weeks as compared to the number of funerals/memorial services I played for Harvard-Epworth Methodist Church in Cambridge in the past 20 plus years. I guess Methodists don’t die.

Friday afternoon four of us from the church office took the ferry to Dønna Island, just north of Sandnessjøen, to a confirmation party for the son of one of my co-workers. The Seven Sisters Mountain Range is beautiful from the sea. Some of the trees on Dønna Island are budding out. The weather is predicted to be warmer the next few days. By next week it should be spring.

Saturday afternoon I took a long bike ride to Alstahaug. I got some great pictures. The headwinds were really strong on the way back. Today it really felt as if spring has arrived. It’s amazing how quickly the trees turn green here. It’s such a short growing season.

I’m looking forward to Monday, the Norwegian Independence Day. There will be a church service at 10 am, parades from 11:30 to 1, speeches, and a couple movies at the end of the day.

Sunrise today is at 3:30 am, sunset at 10:41 pm. Total daylight: 19 + hours. The views from my kitchen window are awe-inspiring.

First week

Today is Saturday. I’ve just completed my first week at work. Saturdays and Mondays are my days off. Last Monday we had a raging snowstorm. I trudged into town and bought some supplies for the kitchen. I also looked around at stores for a mobile telephone, a bicycle, and a sofa. The first item of business at the office each morning is to have a cup of coffee and informally discuss what is coming up. I got my e-mail account set up for the church office, despite an ancient computer. Wednesday the whole staff went to Tjøtta, on the other end of Alsten Island to help clean up the cemetery. The collective work is called “dugnad”, a community project. I only got one blister from all the raking. The other organist with whom I work, Venera Holm, a Russian lady, had two blisters. I got a glimpse of Alstahaug Church, a medieval stone church, about 12 miles from Sandnessjøen. I can’t wait to get there again and explore. Thursday the dean of the parish, Olav Rune who is an avid cyclist, took me to a bike shop. I picked out a nice bicycle. Olav Rune told the clerk that I should get a discount on the accessories. After everything the price wasn’t that bad, despite the rotten dollar. Friday was a gorgeous day, with only a cloud or two. This weekend is Båtmesse – a sort of blessing of the fleet. The harbor is filled with small and large boats. Everyone is milling about. People can buy food including shrimp right off the boat. In a large tent many tables are set up for boat & fishing equipment. The weather was perfect on Friday evening. A cold, damp day is forecast for Saturday. This area continues to astound me in is rich natural beauty.

Sunrise is at 4 am, sunset at 10:13 pm. Total daylight is just over 18 hours. Dusk is at midnight, twilight at 2:15 am. It is no longer completely dark at night.

Sunday morning we had snow on the lawn, but it melted by the afternoon.

First Weekend

My landlords: Trond and Ann-Kristin are a very nice couple. For each it is a second marriage. They have one child together: Nikolai – a very cute boy of about 5 years old. Trond lent me some dvd’s. I watched “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and “The Girl who Played with Fire”, crime stories by the late Swedish author Stieg Larsson. Saturday afternoon I went for a long walk and got some great pictures of the surrounding areas.

Sunday: My first official day as organist for the services. I awoke to snow: not much but enough accumulation to be visible. Both confirmation services went well. The church was packed. There were 340 at the 11 am service and 360 at the 1 pm service, with 23 confirmands at the earlier service and 22 at the later. Bjørnar Oybekk, the head minister for the parish, was pleased that everything went well. I met John, one of the employees at church who helps out on Sundays. I couldn’t understand much of what he said, even though it was Norwegian. He spoke very quickly and in dialect. I tried to get him to speak slowly but it didn’t help much.

Daylight increases by about 6 minutes a day. Sunrise is at 4:24 am, sunset at 9:50 pm. It is completely dark only 2 hours now. So far I’ve had no problems sleeping.