Nice neighbors from Norway

Why do so many people go on vacation over Easter? The Museum had record attendance figures over the past couple of weeks.

As several of my blogging buddies have reminded me its been a while since I last wrote a post on the museum,  and as it’s the day for FrizzText’s weekly challenge – which is at “N” – here are some recent “N” stories from the Museum.

“N” for nasty:

Thankfully I don’t meet many nasty people.

Last week an American woman walked up to my cash register picking at the fever blister scab on her lip. Ewww! I didn’t want to touch her money. 😦

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“N” for Names:

A woman paid with a check and gave me her driver’s license as her I.D, but the two names on the check were totally different from the two names on the license.
“Look at the signatures,” she said.

I did. “Sorry, they don’t look at all alike to me,” I said.
She got really angry. I won’t repeat what she said.

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“N is for Neighbors

I see Canadians and Mexicans all the time.

I really enjoyed chatting to Carolina and Christian from Mexico City (in the photo below) who are both studying for their Masters Degrees in the U.S.

They told me they’d be happy to show me around Mexico City.  Aren’t I lucky!

Carolina and Christian (from Mexico) studying in Chicago.

Carolina and Christian were such a friendly Nice couple.

“N” is for nice –

I can honestly say that 99% of the people I meet at my cash register are really nice.

Many groups of international students visit the museum. Last month I met a group of eighteen-year-old who were spending the year studying at American high schools.

The two girls (in the photo below) were going to school in Wyoming.  They told me they loved their U.S. families and their school, we laughed about the strange food in the U.S. and discussed what its like living in a small town in Wyoming.

Josefine Kroeswagn from Austria on the left, and Merel Snyders from Holland

Esther and Marit (in the photo below) lived in Kentucky.  They also love their American families and their school and will be friends for life!

Esther Yo Wu (from Taiwan) on the left, and Marit Gjerjordet Prytz (from Norway)

I had an interesting conversation with a guy who told me he was born in Iran, and he and his Norwegian-born wife both grew up in Dubai. He explained that he spoke with an American accent because he went to the American school in Dubai, and his wife who went to the British school, spoke with an English accent.

Their two children aged eight and ten who also spoke perfect English, have lived in Dubai, Norway, Paris and they moved to Los Angeles at the end of last year.

I asked them with all their travels whether they had a favorite country:

• the children both answered “Norway!”
• Dad said, “Paris.”
• Mom giggled and said “Norway.”

After the family left I realized that I keep meeting the nicest friendliest people from Norway.

So N is for Norway.

I’m always impressed that Norwegians speak such good English.

Though I can’t speak Norwegian, I’m able to mimic the accent. When I served two Norwegian girls yesterday I read out their names and the names of their banks on their credit cards, and they told me that I pronounced it all perfectly.  Tusen takk :D

Bjornar Saettem and Heidi Larsen from Norway with their baby daughter Solveig

I really enjoyed meeting Bjornar Saettem and Heidi Larsen and their cute little baby (in the photo above). They are both teachers from Norway.

They told me about  their travels around the U.S, their town on the west coast of Norway, the long winters and short days (the sun only rises around 10 am in the winter!),  that they also like hiking, the food they eat …

Bjornar showed me some his photos on his phone, and very kindly remembered to email them to me.

The photo below is of a famous road through a Fjord in Norway. I stand corrected, but I think it’s called the Trollstigen road.

Just looking at the narrow road with its hairpin bends on those steep inclines, I’d imagine you need to be a highly skilled driver to even attempt it.  I couldn’t do it.

(You can see Bjornar  – on the right – waving from the viewing balcony which overlooks the road).

I can’t imagine driving on this road. (photo credit Bjornar Saettem and Heidi Larsen)

They took the photo of the fjord (below) overlooking the village of Geiranger in western Norway (near the famous road)

(Can you see Bjornar waving from the rock near the top on the right?)

Beautiful view of the fjord at Geiranger (Photo credit Bjornar Saettem and Heidi Larsen)

 

Geiranger is a small tourist village in the western part of Norway. According to Wikipedia 

Geiranger is home to some of the most spectacular scenery in the world, and has been named the best travel destination in Scandinavia by Lonely Planet.

The Geirangerfjord is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

I hope Bjornar or Heidi will come by and tell us what it was like to travel on the road or hike up the fjord.

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I can’t resist this one: Nosepicking. When people are tired and sit on the bench opposite me relaxing …

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and finally Never

One accent I Never guess correctly is Belgium. I was stumped again today.