During our stay here in Maun, we are being hosted for dinner each night by different staff members at LBOM. It has been a real blessing and a fun opportunity to get to know some of the staff that we hadn't known very well before. Every night thus far has been a lot of fun, each with its own unique "adventure" of sorts. There was the child-with-a-finger-stuck-in-Tupperware night (which ended with a combination of pruning shears, blood, and band-aids). There was also the night dinner was delayed till nine o'clock because all the pizza places were randomly closed and we had to revert to Nando's.
Tonight was a real blast. We were hosted by a Norwegian family; while they aren't particularly new to LBOM, we have never had a chance to get to know them before tonight. We laughed so much! Having never known Norwegians before, I didn't really have an expectation in my mind but I guess I figured they'd be similar to a Finnish woman I know (since Finland and Norway are somewhat neighboring Scandinavian nations). The Finnish woman is very prim and proper; I guess I figured the Norwegians would similarly be very reserved and refined. By saying that they were not reserved and refined, in no way do I mean that negatively. I so enjoyed their laid back, vibrant personalities. Their funny facial expressions, dry humor, and hilarious stories made the night one I'll never forget.
We discovered a phrase that is used in Norway that had us cracking up with laughter. Norwegians have an expression they use when something is wild, crazy, and just out of control. They say it is "so Texas". When the kids are running wild, you can say, "Stop being so Texas!" When you are telling a friend about things being out of control at work, you can say, "It was like Texas in there today". When there is a bizarre bank robbery in your small town, you can describe it by saying, "It was so Texas".
We thought this was so funny. It is always amusing to hear what people of different nationalities think of America -- and to discover that Norwegians have a phrase about Texas that is synonymous with wild and crazy was very humorous to us.
Tonight was so Texas!