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High Arctic Change 09

Dear Mike: I appreciate the insights on Norwegian culture and customs - but, I have to say that re language and groceries you have it easy, Dude! Norwegian and English are very close cousins. Check out my journal entries from May 7 and May 8 if you want to see what it's like trying to read labels in Finnish.

One of your fans, Mike Wing (Finland 2009.)

Tue, 07/21/2009 - 00:42

Mike Rhinard

Hey there "Wing"!   I did go back and read your journals from those dates.OK, ya got me there.  Wow!  It does look very hard to decipher.
Most of the signs here are in Norwegian AND English, so it's even easier.
 
I do agree with your comment about literacy.  I am becoming more and more empathetic with our ELL students back home.  This experience will certainly help me be more conscious of them in class from now on. Now I can somewhat realize what it must be like for them.  I'm getting to know a little bit of Norwegian.  As you said, many words are very close to English.  But then when I hear a conversation, it goes much too fast for me to be able to figure out all that's been said.  
So, yes, I think I've learned to be more "helpful" back home in the classroom to students who may be like I am now: sometimes frustrated that I don't understand.
I've been encouraging our REU students here to throw in some Norwegian when we can.  They were coming up with names & designations for our instruments yesterday. I said, "Why don't we name them in Norwegian? It'll give us some practice with the language.  Plus make the experience more authentic."  Not sure what they came up with yet.
 Thanks for checking in on me.  And thanks for pointing out the language  . . . I won't say barrier, but maybe just um, differences . . . 
I think as teachers, especially science teachers, we need to take this "language experience" back with us.
"Ha det! Wing"