What's up with Elisabeth & George?: Stuff about the Faroes

Sunday, June 07, 2009

Stuff about the Faroes

I go through cycles of obsession with... well, with everything. It's no different with the Faroes. A couple of times a year, sometimes more, a little tickle comes up in my heart, and I begin scouring the internet for anything even remotely related to the Faroe Islands. In case there are people reading who still don't know this about me: my mom, and my heart, are from the Faroe Islands.

I found a bunch of stuff from the Faroes through my Facebook connections. I joined Faroe-related Facebook groups. And when I joined Twitter recently (follow me! I'm "Smaflenna") I did a search for mentions of the Faroes. I found this guy who has a Faroe Islands podcast, in English! I still haven't figured out why - he's American, lives in the States, and has never even visited the Faroes. But it's a thorough and interesting podcast that includes weekly news updates, cultural tidbits, and FANTASTIC interviews. The only lame thing about the podcast is this regular segment where they play captured audio from various spots around the Faroes (recorded by the Faroese correspondant). It's a pretty silly segment, but I have to admit to still enjoying it a little.

One of the best interviews I've heard so far was with a writer for the New York Times who apparently wrote an amazing travel piece on the Faroes a couple of years ago. I tried to separate the interview out from the rest of the audio, but it was becoming a pain to actually put it online for you, so you'll just have to listen to that couple of minutes of news first or you can fast forward passed it if you want. Either way I think it is worth it. Anyway the interview part 1 is in episode 9, and interview part 2 is in episode 10. Wonderful, wonderful interview. Then again, I have loved almost all the interviews so far.

There are a bunch of webcams now around the Faroes if you're interested to see what it looks like right at this moment. This one shows you an alternate view of the scene in my unfinished painting.

Here is a crazy little film about doing something VERY unusual in the Faroes:

A nice video about the Faroes:

There's LOTS more videos on YouTube to watch. I'll probably put some more up soon.

1 comment:

abby jane said...: thanks for the offer, i will keep you updated and in mind if i need the help! i appreciate it, i trust you much much more than strangers!; 6/08/2009 1:21 PM

Post a Comment

How we're doing right now.

April 6th, 2009
Oh man, moving back home has been quite a transition! For Regin especially. It has taken him three months to return to being fully, or almost fully, potty trained. But we're home and happy to be with friends and in an environment where things are easier.

But of course, not everything is easier. George's first day back to work he learned that the company was exiting the business and he and all the other people that work on that product (including all those people he trained in Penang) were told to look for other jobs.

His last day was March 31st. No time for that cozy little 'sabbatical' though; after he finished his last day of work, his family called and told us they are coming (from Florida) for a visit on the 10th! This would be no big deal (other than being terribly exciting) if we were fully moved back in, but of course, until now, we've had VERY little motivation to fully unpack! So now we're preparing the house at warp speed!

You know, I do miss Penang. Hard to say what I miss exactly, because I know it's more than our friends there, but I feel a certain pang. And all the time we were there, other than missing family, friends, easy living, and snow, I never once actually missed 'Colorado.'

When we got back to Colorado, I expected to have a new and complete love for the place. I do appreciate some things a lot more, especially visual things. I see beauty where I didn't before. But it hasn't been the feeling of home that I expected, and I still have some of the same issues with the place. But what I do love IMMENSELY and will always love IMMENSELY is the people we have here. And it's been absolutely amazing to see how Regin has picked right back up where he left off with his loved ones here. There's no doubt in my mind that he somehow remembers them.