Monday, December 20, 2010

Life's A Beach

There was the faintest edge of panic in her voice when she called to me from the sofa where she was sitting with the computer on her lap, doing her online homework assignment.

"Mom?  Mom?  What is this?  Can they say that?"

I knew she was working on English.  I assumed her distress had something to do with one of the scary, irregular verbs both her and her teachers are always stumbling over.  I was elbow deep in dinner preparations, and frankly not in the mood to be very helpful.  I sighed impatiently, "For heaven's sake Emma.  Just sound it out.  One letter at a time.  You'll get to it."

"I can't say that."

"Of course you can.  One letter at a..."

"No.  Mom.  You wouldn't want me to say that word."

"What do you mean?"

"Look!"

So I did.



Now I ask you, what is the point of trying to teach them the difference between 'nice' words and 'naughty' words, when this is the shit they're learning from school?  I know I should be outraged.  And I probably will be just as soon as I can stop giggling about it.

Daniel, as usual, had the final word on the matter, "Well Mom, it makes sense. Sand is kind of annoying..."

It is a bitch, Boy.  Damn right.  It's a bitch!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Alpha Grandma said.....

Looks like a bitchin' beach to me!
Funny funny Wegie people!

Return to Norway said...

Mwhahaha - priceless.....

Unknown said...

Thanks for your comment on my blog. It's is reassuring, in a strange way, to know that others have gone through this. Although, it's not terribly encouraging--I mean, doesn't give me a lot of hope in the appeal process. And I see you're in school yourself. Going for an all new degree? Or repeat of Smith?

Your comment about the language learning is right on. I still have a ways to go before I would call myself remotely fluent, so yes, I will be spending the foreseeable future in language classes before I can even consider working. That is a plus. I had just naively planned that once I was "fluent" I would immediately start working, just effortlessly glide right in. I wasn't anticipating that once I was fluent I would then have to spend months or years doing student training to make up for my subpar American training. Bleeeeech.

I enjoyed flipping through your blog (if that is what one does, flip). I have spent waaaaay too much time of my day off surfing blogs this morning. But fun to see another former SLC resident out there, too. I think one of my favorite posts ended something like this: FUCKING SOCIALISTS! after a day spent waiting in line for your passports to be stamped, when instead they went into a ziploc bag.

If you do have the contact information on the Australian midwife, I'd appreciate it. It might help, might not, but always good to get one more perspective on it.

I think today I would have to vote that "Life's a bitch". Not too beachy lately.

poupette said...

Hi! just came accross your blog whilst searching for Bergen Blogs...

I think the only way they can get away with using 'Bitch' is that it is technically not a swear word, it actually means female dog...:)

hope that helps!

Poupette
www.poupettebulley.com

Jena Habegger-Conti said...

I think this explains the sign I saw in the bathrooms at Ikea which said "Shit!" and then told where to get free diapers. I could never imagine an Ikea in the US with that sign! Then again, I have no problem saying all sorts of profane words in foreign languages - they mean nothing to me!

My son is currently in 4th grade, so we'll look forward to this lesson! :)