Yesterday, Rebekah and I celebrated our first Easter together and our first Easter in Norway. Since Norway's state church is Lutheran, I had half of Wednesday and all of Thursday, Friday, and Monday off. One of Rebekah's co-workers, Sally (an American from Minnesota), invited us over for Easter dinner on Sunday. We joined a two Americans, an English woman, and several Norwegians to partake in a mixed Norwegian and American Easter celebration.
Sally's is about an hour south of Oslo. We took a metro train, then drove through the Norwegian country-side with another of Rebekah's co-workers, Tracy (an American from Tennessee). If it weren't for the Norwegian road signs, we could have just as easily been driving through the rolling hills and rocky out-croppings of New England. We drove by farm after farm, through numerous tunnels, and passed an amusement park. Off the main highway, Sally's home was in a small neighborhood nestled close to the Oslo fjord.
After we arrived, other guests started pouring in. In addition to Rebekah and I, Tracy brought her two children. Mina, a friend of Sally and Tracy's, brought her two children, too. Some of Sally's in-laws joined us, as did her husband and daughter, Emma. One of Emma's playmates and her mother joined us, too.
After a filling meal of ham, potato salad, corn pudding, and salad, we looked on as the kids searched the yard for candy and multi-colored, hard-boiled eggs. Painted, hollow eggs hung around the yard as decoration. They were made by poking small holes in raw eggs, blowing out the contents, and painting the shells. Rebekah assures me that egg-blowing is quite gross ("It's like blowing snot"). Once all the candy had made its way into Easter baskets (or mouths), the kids sat down to admire their findings.
Following the in-yard festivites, we walked down to the Oslo fjord (Sally's back porch has a wonderful view of the fjord). We joined various sun-loving Norwegians on the rocks by the shore to soak up the sun. A lesson in skipping rocks for the two young boys, digressed into a rock throwing contest instead. I managed to make the biggest splash, but they put in a valiant effort.
Back at the house, we sat down for some dessert and casual conversation. Rebekah brought her new favorite dessert, apple cake. It was really pleasant being in the company of other Americans while still learning some Norwegian traditions. Sometimes I felt a bit lost, as the conversation turned to Norwegian, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
It was nearly time for supper when we finally left Sally's. Tracy offered to drive us home, but we weren't sure we could take her up on the offer. Though we've been in this apartment for nearly six months, we haven't directed anyone here by car. We did our best to get Tracy through the city while making it easy for her to find her way out. Since we didn't hear otherwise, we assume she made it out alright.
I hope that one day Rebekah and I will have the opporunity to share some of the traditions we pick up here with our children and other family members. I want Oslo and Norway to be more than just a place where we live: I want us to absorb our surroundings and pour out what we've learned for the rest of our lives. That's half of the reason we're here, after all.
May God bless you in your Easter escapades as He did us.
