Tag Archives: friends

cross-cultural living

Homesick?

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I tried my best to prepare for it. For everything that was about to happen as we headed to the states. But I knew we could’t truly be prepared, that we couldn’t totally know what to expect.

And especially when it came to our boys.

They had not been to the states in over three years. Norway has become home, probably more so for them than for us. Daniel has actually lived in our home in Sandefjord longer than he’s lived anywhere else in his entire life.

They were super excited about going to America. But we didn’t know what it would be like for them. I anticipated a mix of emotions, of highs and lows. And I imagined that even with all the excitement,  at some point they would become homesick.

And as I thought about that a bit more, I realized that homesickness is actually a constant in this life we live.

We have experienced homesickness on a fairly consistent basis since probably 2007.

I remember being incredibly homesick our first time in Ukraine. It was our first time in a non-English speaking country. The availability of internet, even 8 years ago, just wasn’t what it was now. There were so many unknowns and so much uncertainty around us (plus, we were about to become parents for the first time – yikes!).

And yet, when we arrived home with our first son a month later, we found ourselves feeling a bit homesick for Ukraine. Sounds weird, but it is true.

It happened again in 2010 when we adopted our second child. Homesick for America, then homesick for Ukraine.

We experienced it when we lived in Canada. And at that point, I started realizing that the homesickness we are experiencing is not necessarily about a place. It is more about family, friends, and familiarity.

We felt it it when we first moved here to Norway and made it through that initial ‘honeymoon’ phase.

And while I love our city and friends and life in Norway, we still experience it.

It seems there is always a lingering homesickness in me. It is there regardless of where I am.

After three years living outside of my home culture, I’ve come to realize that I might never feel totally at home again. There will always be something I miss from one of my homes.

It’s one of those things you learn to live with, that you accept as a part of this cross-culture lifestyle.

And I also see now that it doesn’t necessarily have to be a negative thing.

Instead, I consider it a reminder of the opportunities we’ve had in life, the people and places who’ve impacted and changed us, and the memories of the family, the friends, and the familiar.

 

So thanks to so many of you for making us feel at home in so many different places.

 

For making us feel homesick.

 

 

And for keeping up with us, through the crazy times, the boring times, and everything in between.

 

Travel

More November Highlights

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November is already gone – hard to believe! We are almost three weeks into our nine week visit – and we have been BUSY! In addition to multiple Thanksgiving meals (and WAY too much food) we…

  • Helped decorate for Christmas
  • Had amazing pizza in Atlanta
  • Visit the Atlanta Botanical Garden Christmas light display
  • Enjoyed two open house events
  • Had a visit from Sasha
  • Found several cool walking trails
  • Celebrated Jenn’s 40th
  • Celebrated Zack’s dad’s birthday
  • Checked out a coffee shop in Atlanta
  • Went on a boat ride (yes, in November!)
  • Went fishing
  • Ate Mexican food… several times
  • Spent the night several times with grandparents, great-grandparents, and lots of aunts, uncles and cousins

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

celebrate

Independence Day

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So I’m almost a month late in posting this, but better late than never, I guess!

We had a fun time celebrating American Independence Day here in Sandefjord, Norway.

 

In America, I wanted the fourth of July to land on a weekday, because that meant a work holiday. But as expats, it is really nice when it falls on the weekend. It makes it much easier to invite friends and celebrate together!

We had about 35 gathered on our landlord’s balcony.

 

We enjoyed hamburgers, hot dogs, lots of good side dishes and desserts, and even s’mores!

 

It was even better because one of my best friends from America was here celebrating with us!

 

 

We are thankful for good friends and good food. And we look forward to getting together again soon!

 

Day-to-Day

Lørdagsjazz – Saturday Jazz

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You never know the connections you might make on Facebook! We are in a few groups that have allowed us to meet some really cool people. And we met yet another one this past Saturday.I connected with Kelly in an expats group. And then I found out that she is quite the accomplished vocalist. So when I found out that she and her partner were performing at a local place this past Saturday, I thought it might be fun to check it out.

We had never been to Draaben before. We invited a couple of friends to meet us, and it turned it to be a really fun evening. I had been sick all week and started to back out last minute, but I am so glad I didn’t. We had a great time. Draaben is a cool place: not overly large, a bit more intimate, perfect for a concert like this one.

Here is a quick peek at a special number that Kelly and Werner performed especially for us. You can check out more from Kelly at http://kellydickson.com.

Coffee Tour / Kaffetur

Alternative Coffee

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Can I just say how much I love this man of mine? I wrote a little about him last week for our anniversary (that blog post can be found HERE).I think most people that know Zack would agree that he is laid back, easy to talk to, friendly, funny, and passionate. If he likes something, he’s all in. He doesn’t typically do things half way.

Yeah, when Zack has an interest in something, he tries to learn as much as he can about it. And coffee is no different. In the past couple of years, and particularly the last year or so, he has been delving into the world of coffee. He hasn’t made it to the level of roasting at home as some of our friends have, but he has gotten quite enthusiastic learning about non-traditional coffee processes.

This weekend, he had the opportunity to show some of our friends a bit of what he has learned so far. It was fun watching him as he worked with his V60 and AeroPress, and shared a recent batch of cold brewed coffee as well.

If there is one thing that is quite common in Norway, it is an enthusiasm for coffee. So perhaps Zack is living in the right place…

Not sure if you can see it well in the pics, but
he is sporting a really cool coffee shirt we picked
up in Gothenburg last week at Da Mateo.
Norway, Travel

Oslo in Spring

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No matter how many times we find ourselves in Oslo, we are always finding new areas and new things. And no matter how many times we go, I always enjoy going back.

Oslo is especially lovely when the sun is shining and the flowers are in bloom. And that is exactly how we found it when we there about a week ago.

It was a perfect day for walking around the city, with coffee in hand and friends by our side.

And that is exactly what we did. Once we arrived in town, we kept our distance from public transportation and just enjoyed the city on foot.

I loved seeing all the colors, both in decor, and in nature.

 

 

 

 

As is always the case in Norway, when the sun comes out, the people come out.

And Karl Johans Gate, the main pedestrian street in Oslo, was certainly bustling with people and activity.

It was another fantastic day in the capital city!

 

 

 

adoption

Art with a Story

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They say a picture is worth a thousand words. In this case, it’s a painting, and it tells a story that is near and dear to our hearts.

We asked our friend Anna to create something for us, and didn’t provide many specifics. We wanted it to have something to do with adoption, and at one point we had talked about the colors of Ukraine’s flag (yellow & blue).

We were already familiar with Anna’s work so we knew whatever she did would be good. But when we picked it up on Sunday afternoon, we were amazed. It is incredible how an artist can take a request and make it into something so personal and, in my opinion, powerful. That is exactly the case with this piece. I also think when it is an artist that knows you well, the depth and power is even greater.

It really does say a lot about us.

It shows the boys’ interests. And their individual background colors reflect their Ukrainian heritage.

Daniel, the artist
William, the athlete

The red at the top reminds me that it all started with a love story 🙂 And the rainbow reminds me of promises: from God to us, from us to God, in our marriage, and within our family.

I think the use of color symbolizes a lot as well. The colors are beautiful on their own. But their real beauty is seen when they come together. Kind of like our family: each of us holds gifts and talents that become more when we come together.

We are so excited about the way this turned out. As Anna pointed out, someone that didn’t know us would simply see it as a piece of art. But those that know us can see that it tells so much more!

Travel

Budapest: Dove family Top Ten

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We had a great time in Budapest. As we normally do, we looked for ways to make the most of our time without spending a lot of money. So we didn’t pay to go in a lot of places (only the cave church, and it was a nominal fee). But you can see and do a lot for free!I thought I would share some of our favorites from our time there (in no particular order).

  1. Castle Hill – we explored the area twice, once in the daylight, and another time as the sun was setting. Our walk down the winding paths at sunset was especially enjoyable, with so many spots to stop for a great view of the city and the Danube.

     

     

     

     

  2. Matthias Church – we only saw it from the outside but it was beautiful.
  3. Bridges (the bridges across the Danube between Buda and Pest) – we walked across Margaret Bridge, Chain Bridge and Liberty bridge. The best was walking Chain Bridge at night.

     

     

     

     

  4. St. Stephens Basilica – only saw it from the outside but it was pretty and there was a nice Christmas market just outside.

     

  5. Mexican restaurants – our favorite kind of food, and we have no Mexican restaurants in Norway. We enjoyed the food at Iguana. But we kept finding ourselves going back to Arriba Taqueria (similar to Moe’s or Chipotle).
  6. Central Market Hall busy, crowded, and lots of interesting smells! But a great place to purchase souvenirs, including paprika and goose liver pate. And be sure to stop at Fakanal for goulash (we tried the stew and the soup).

     

     

     

  7. The Gellért Cave Church – heated by the thermal springs in Gellért Hill

     

  8. Memento Park – a ‘statue graveyard’ of Communist monuments

     

     

     

     

     

  9. Váci utca- a great pedestrian street with shopping, restaurants, and so much to see

     

     

  10. City Park and Heroes’ Square – a large park that is home to a circus, zoo, ice skating arena, thermal bath, and a Transylvanian castle. And Heroes Square reminded me a little bit of Independence Square in Kyiv (Ukraine).

     

     

     

Christmas cheer

Christmas Cheer (part 19): Sometimes it’s tough

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Christmas 2012 was our first outside of Georgia. We were living in Vancouver at the time. Thankfully we had quite a few good friends around and it made things much easier.

Christmas 2013 was our first in Norway. Everything was new and it was cool to learn about the traditions. And to be honest, Zack’s horrible stomach flu made it hard to think too much about what we were missing.
But for whatever reason, our third Christmas away from the states seems to have hit us harder.
I hope this doesn’t come off as ungrateful. We are very happy here. We have good friends. We feel at home. We’ve been invited to a variety of activities and get-togethers during the holidays. We are attempting to make some of our own traditions. And we have really had a lot of fun the past few weeks. But some days are just harder than others. And the holidays can hit pretty hard.
Thankfully, we had a plan in place. We’ve learned that scheduling a trip just after Christmas works wonders. It provides a nice family gift without cluttering the house with things that are quickly forgotten. It gives us something to look forward to. And it minimizes the post-holidays blues (that seem to intensifying overseas). So we looked for the cheapest tickets and that is the main parties of our gift to each other as a family. Last year was Paris, and this year we ended up in Budapest. (Crazy as it sounds, it is almost always a good bit cheaper for us to fly to another country than to vacation somewhere in our country!)Weare currently enjoying a week of rest and relaxation, including time with some US friends we hadn’t seen in a long time. And lots of Mexican food, something we can’t get in Norway. In fact, we went out for Mexican food the last three nights!

Here are a few photos of our time here so far. I’ll share more in the coming days.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

celebrate, Travel

Godt nytt år! Happy New Year!

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Sending greetings from lovely (and COLD) Budapest, where we are already three hours into 2015…

Hope everyone has a safe and happy time celebrating New Years Eve. We’ve enjoyed a fun but busy day, exploring more of the city with friends.
Here’s to a new year filled with lots of opportunities to improve areas that need improvement, get rid of things that are holding you back, focus on things that matter beyond just today, and find ways to show love and help others.