Japanese, Chinese, and Gordon Ramsey

I heard about an exclusive hotel in Tokyo called the Conrad, and I got a kick out of their restaurant selection. They advertise that the restaurants a visitor can enjoy are - Chinese, Japanese, and Gordon Ramsey. Is Gordon Ramsey so popular that he has become and ethnicity?

Eurovision Melodi Grand Prix

It is only our first year living in Europe, but we have become fast fans of the annual Eurovision song contest (Melodi Grand Prix)! This is a competition that has been going on in Europe for many decades. Each country has a national contest to determine who will be their contestant in the final contest which is for all of Europe. The final competition consists of two nights of semi-finals and then the final grand finale night where the winner is determined. It is really fun hearing the songs and watching the performances! The countries have such varying styles and tastes and of course there are so many languages. I was surprised that Malta and Andorra, such tiny countries, were in the race as well. Norway had a strong candidate who came in 5th place, but the final winner in 1st place this year, crowned Saturday 24th of May was.... Russia!

Happy Birthday, Bryce!

Or "byce" as Charlotte calls you.

Russ

"Russ" is the word for students who are in their last year of school. During the course of their final year of school, they are intensely working on a big project... converting an old bus to a dance party on wheels. Seriously! Groups of friends pitch in the money to buy a bus and all the stereo equipment and materials. They decide on a theme (like reggae, hollywood, etc) and deck out the entire interior to fit the theme. They paint the outside, hire a driver, and drive around partying for the 3 weeks that lead up to Norway's national holiday (17th of May). And one other twist - they have special pants they wear during these 3 weeks. Blue or red work pants depending on the type of high school they went to. They put the Norwegian flag on the pants, the town their school is in, and then as they visit these other busses while partying, they write the name of those busses on their pants. Sound like fun?

10 days of sun

With ten days of beaming sunshine behind us and another four forecasted for the long weekend ahead, there has been little time indoors to write! Would love to hear what is new with you, so write in a comment!

Patriotism

What do Celine Dion and Patriotism have in common? Someone asked me a while ago if I have become more patriotic since moving abroad. I thought, "no... I have never been extremely patriotic, and certainly not now." But then, I sat quietly on a Saturday morning, watching country music videos, waiting for the family to wake up. These were not pop country videos, these were country (really country) videos. The only time one can catch them is at 6 AM. And I loved it! I was never a big country fan, but seeing something I consider really American made me happy. And there are a number of odd things that have filled a patriotic space in my heart. Don't laugh now, but that includes Celine Dion (I know she is an import, but nonetheless), wide open highways, grilled cheese made with American cheese slices and white bread, our flag, and yes, country music.