Norskkurs —-AAARGH!
Well I haven’t updated my blog in sometime because I have been busy with my Norsk Language Course i.e. norskkurs. I have to say that although I am exited I am also sooooo over it. I think the teaching is so backwards. First off the teacher only speaks Norwegian which I am like “How the hell am I supposed to understand you if I am in a class because I don’t speak norsk!!!” However I persevere. I take great pride in having motivation enough to go to the bookstore and purchase helpful books in english that teach in terms I can understand.
For some reason my school teaches grammatical before vocabulary. So in doing so she explains things in words I don’t understand. This is very very frustrating. I am determined not to pull my hair out.
My schoolmates however, are very diverse and have changed some of stereotypical out look on things. I have never called myself a racist however I did have preconceived ideas about people from say Iraq and Iran. However, in my norskkurs I sit by an Iraqi who happens to be one of the nicest people i have met here. There are also Romanians, Bulgarians, Chinese, Thai, Rowan dish, Somolia, Moroccan, and Rowan-dish! Its amazing how small our world is.
I am married to a Norwegian and we have a daughter together who is 2 year old as I write this, she is half Norsk half American.
We have moved from Texas to Norway in the spring of 2009. I've been here many times and love it here, I look forward to living here, but a permanent move is still daunting to me. So much is different and I have a whole new culture and language to conquer.
I could have wrote this myself.
I live in Halden now but when I first moved to this country my Norwegian class was the same. When I tried to explain it to my teacher he just nervously laughed and kept speaking to me in a language I was paying him to TEACH me . I would come home in a fit of anger explaining to my husband that “saying a word I do not know over and over again to me does not make me instantly understand the meaning of the word” The idea that something needs to be explained in a understandable language first was lost on most of my teachers and Norwegians in general.
I eventually found a better teacher in Fredrikstad and now a very , very good teacher in Halden.
I will say though that my Norwegian is hideous and I still struggle allot after 5 years of living here.
My first Norwegian class was so discouraging that I barely left my apartment here for over a year. ha ha
Good luck and keep that chin up !
Brenda
Thanks.. its so good to know I am not the only one going through this!
I have to say I really enjoy reading about others coming to Norway and their experiences!
I don’t know if you’ve heard but there is a show coming up on TV Norge called “Alt for Norge”. It’s about a group of Americans with Norwegian roots coming here to become a “true norwegian”. Maybe you’ll like it!
It premieres Thursday April 8th @ 9.30pm
I’ll keep reading your blog for sure
Good luck, future norwegian
Tim
I’m going to have to take a different point of view here, I’m afraid. The classes aren’t designed in a vacuum. They’ve come to be the way they are based on a combination of both practical and pedagogical factors.
In a class where Somalis rub shoulders with Thais, Rwandans with Bulgarians, and Americans with Chinese, it is simply not possible to teach everyone in a language they understand. Even if everyone in the class has some English, those who are native speakers will be at an advantage, and, those who have poor or little English, will have to learn English first, when they’ve taken a class to learn Norwegian. Practically, Norwegian is the best language to use in this situation, and everyone has the same advantage; everyone starts from the same level.
Pedagogically, people who learn a language monolingually, tend to learn the language better and faster than those who learn through the medium of another language (even if it is their native tongue). If you give up on speaking English (both at home, and in the classroom), then your only choice is to speak Norwegian. You will use Norwegian more, become more confident in the language, recognise the areas you need to work on, and you will improve a lot faster.
It’s like learning to play piano, and insisting that your teacher plays all the notes on the clarinet. You’ll never learn the piano without spending some painful and difficult hours actually playing a piano. Best to give up on playing the clarinet for a bit and just focus on the piano.
Hi and welcome to Norway! Just found your blog so thought I’d say hi.
I’ve been here 14 years so far and never once taken a language class. By the time I had time for one I had enough Norwegian under my belt so I just kept learning myself. My advice would be to not stress it- as long as you are planning on staying here indefinitely, you’ve got plenty of time to learn the language! It’s not like in Denmark where you have to learn the language in order to get a permit to live here! So we’re lucky in that way. I didn’t take my Bergens test until 2007 and by then I’d been here 11 years. I passed both- without taking a single Norwegian class! Very proud of myself!!
I read children’s books to my kids (word books and such), read text under American sitcoms to see what words they used in Norwegian for our American words. I now know many times whoeever is translating are not always using the correct words but ok…I also got a job in a barnehage which has allowed me to “learn” along with my little buddies who are also learning their own language for the first time. Of course this is dependent if you like working with kids but I enjoy it and the kids don’t mind if I mess up words so I feel more comfortable trying with them. Now I can be understood very well and I understand the Norwegians very well but in the beginning this is what I did. And again- don’t stress things if you’re planning to be here for awhile you’ll have time to learn and you’ll learn better then if you stress yourself up!
Where in Texas are you from? I graduated from Trinity high school in Euless Texas and lived in Bedford up in the DFW metroplex. Met my husband when I lived in San Antonio and he was an aupair in Austin. My dad now lives in Abilene, Texas.
Take care! Amy :-))
Hi,
Regina here, for ExpatWomen.com.
I would like to personally invite you to list your blog on our Expat Women Blog Directory (www.expatwomen.com/expatblog/) so that other women can read about and learn from your expat experiences.
Many thanks in advance for your contribution and keep up your great blog!
Regina
My husband got so frustrated in his first course that he left and signed up for a private course - it was a little better but he still needs more lessons. We are now moving to Asker and we are hoping that the course structure will be a little more ‘dynamic’.
There’s a blog gathering in Oslo the 21st August - quite a few Americans will be there - and of course us ‘other nationalities’ http://www.terella.no/OsloBG/
By all means, like Return to Norway says: You’re very welcome to the Oslo Blog Gather - and so does all you’re blog friends!