Jennifer in the Faroe Islands

When I decided to come to the Faroe Islands for a year, I knew that it would be important to try to learn the language. It turns out that there are quite a few other things that I need to learn, as well.

How to walk in the snow. This is a very important skill to learn. Even if I am getting a ride, I still need to get down the steps and out to the car. The important thing is to avoid icy patches, which sounds obvious to people who are used to snow. Yesterday I decided to walk to town to go to the grocery store and the bank. It took me longer than normal, but I made it. Except for the muddy slush on the main street, the town looked like a Dickens’ Christmas card. On second thought, Dickens’ Christmas cards don’t usually include so many boats.

How to drive in the snow. I haven’t mastered this one yet. Sunday, I drove to church, and when it was over there was snow on the roads (though not very much). Someone else drove my car down the hill, and then I carefully drove home. I haven’t driven up the main road out of Fuglafjørður yet. It has a couple of very nice hills. I plan to practice driving around town first.

How to shovel snow. This afternoon, it occurred to me that if I didn’t like the snow and ice that was accumulating on my steps, it was up to me to remove it (or else wait for rain). Fortunately, there was a shovel in my basement that served the purpose quite well. I also learned that if I stand close to the house to shovel snow, there is a good chance that melting snow will drip from the eaves and go down my back.

When it’s cold, wear wool. I only have two wool sweaters, so you will be seeing a lot of them. I ordered some wool pants from the LL Bean online catalogue, and I do hope they arrive soon. For about one third the cost of the clothes, they will ship them to the Faroe Islands.

I have also learned that the people here are very helpful, generous, and kind. I have given many of them the chance to help me out, in one way or another.

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My Faroese relatives had their first Thanksgiving Dinner on Saturday. It was hard to decide whom to invite, since I have so many cousins here, so I started with those who had invited me to their homes and came up with a list of many more people than could fit in my small house.

Quite a few people asked me what Americans do for Thanksgiving. I don’t know about other people, but for us it has always been family and friends getting together to talk and eat (maybe I should say eat and talk and eat and talk). I think this fits in very well with Faroese customs. With Bjørghild’s help, we used tables from the church fellowship hall and chairs and pots from the Scout House. I also borrowed dishes, silverware, serving dishes, silverware, and coffee pots.

Some of the food I served was a bit unusual for Faroese taste, and there was a lot of leftovers of cranberry sauce and bruschetta. They all liked the lamb, turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and gravy, and I don’t think there were any leftover sweet potatoes. There were no complaints about the apple pie or the ginger/molasses cake. Did you know that their name for molasses translates to “dark syrup”?

We ended the evening with Skype phone calls to my children and my brother, who have been to the Faroe Islands and know many of my cousins.

On another note, today we are down to 6 hours between sunrise and sunset. Tonight I am taking leftover pie and cake to our choir rehearsal in Gøta. Even choir rehearsals include time for eating and talking.

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This year I will be celebrating Thanksgiving on Saturday, rather than Thursday. I have invited a few cousins for a traditional American Thanksgiving Dinner, and 24 people will make my little house quite crowded. Fortunately, the manager of the grocery store was able to get some of the traditional American foods for me, such as turkey, sweet potatoes, and cranberries. There are always plenty of apples here, so I have made apple pie. Since this holiday isn’t celebrated in the Faroe Islands, I have had to explain what it is:

When the settlers came to America from England, the Indians helped them plant crops. After the harvest that first year, they invited the Indians to a great feast, giving thanks to God for the harvest.

I think the only crops that they harvest here in the Faroe Islands are hay and potatoes, which don’t make for much of a feast, unless you add the lambs and the fish.

I’m glad I got my shopping done early, because we have had stormy weather all day, with snow, hail, and lots of wind – not the kind of weather for me to learn to drive in the snow. The days are definitely getting shorter. Today the sun rose at 9:04 a.m. and set at 3:24 p.m., at least that is what my computer program tells me. We didn’t see any sun today, and even when we do, it has trouble getting above the mountains. I have realized that my house is brighter during a snow storm, because the light reflects off of the snowy mountain-sides across the bay into my living room and kitchen windows.

It is interesting to watch the storm on the bay. At home, in California, we have what we call “dirt devils” when the swirling winds whip up the dirt in the fields like a small whirling tornado. On the bay here, the swirling winds whip up a spray of water that whirls across the bay just like the dirt devils. Sometimes a gust of wind blows a wall of spray across the water. I have tried to take pictures of the storms, but it is so windy I can’t hold the camera steady.

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This morning I ate breakfast on my “patio” in the morning sun. In September, I bought two folding chairs and a stool for my patio furniture, so I could take them outside when the weather was nice. Today was the first time I used them. I have learned to act quickly when there is nice weather, because it can change very rapidly. By the time I had finished my first cup of coffee, the sun had gone behind the shoulder of the mountain, and I was wishing I had my coat and mittens. However, there was no wind, so I finished my breakfast picnic in my back yard.

I have an extra chair and plenty of coffee, so you are welcome to join me next time.

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Is the Faroese alphabet the same as the American alphabet?

No, there are some letters in the American alphabet that are not used in Faroese, and they have some letters that we don’t have. The Faroese do not use the American C, Q, W, X, or Z. The additional letters that they use are the ð, æ, and ø (sometimes called “umlaut O”). They also have an accent that can go over any vowel except e, which changes the vowel to a diphthong, for example á, í, ó, ú, and ý.

How high are the mountains around Fuglafjørður?

The mountains around Fuglafjørður are from 625 meters to 825 meters, or 1880 feet to 2500 feet. The tallest mountain in the Faroes is in the northern part of Eysturoy, and it is 882 meters or 2650 feet.

How long does it take to get to Tórshavn from Fuglafjørður?

In good weather it takes about an hour to drive to Tórshavn. The bus takes an hour and 40 minutes.

What sound does the letter ð make?

That is a very good question – one that I asked for several years before I found out. The letter ð (called “edd”) has quite a few different sounds. Often it is silent, especially at the end of the word, for example in the accusative form of this town, “Fuglafjørð”. In other conditions, between vowels for example, it is a “glide” that has a different sound depending on the vowels. It often makes the sound of an American “Y” (or Faroese “J”). There are other conditions when it sounds like a “V” and others like a “W”. There are a few words where it sounds like a hard American “G”. Actually the letter G is also a glide, which sometimes sounds like a Y or a V or a W.

Are there different accents in different places in the Faroe Islands?

Yes, according to books and teachers. For the most part, I can’t understand what people are saying, let alone tell the difference between accents. There is one sound that I can tell. The word for “no” is pronounced noy in Fuglafjørður and in the northern (and eastern) islands. It is pronounced like nigh in Tórshavn and the south and western islands.

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