I met up with Johanne Friday afternoon. She had an errand to run that required us to go back to her apartment, so I got to see where she lives. I was really happy about this. I haven't really gotten to see how any Norwegians my age live except in Kringsja. The apartment she's living in right now is really small, but SO cute! I had a great time with her. We got ice cream downtown, stumbled upon a gay pride festival, and hung out at one her favorite places, a bar/coffee shop and music shop called "Bare Jazz."
I met up with Kristbjorn and Eivind that night. Another great time. Took a walk to Sognsvann, got bit by some mosquitoes (oh wait, that was mostly Eivind :p), just hung out. That night I was trying to stay up for the sunrise so we stayed out quite late. I did stay up until the time I was supposed to, but it was cloudy and really cold out (10 C!) so I decided to just go to bed.
My last day (Saturday) was spent mostly just cleaning and packing. I had a bit of trouble packing at first, but it worked out okay. It poured in the morning. Luckily I made it to Kiwi to buy my brown cheese before that happened ;). Around 5 pm it cleared up and the sun came out. I was so excited about that and took the liberty to go for a walk. I think this was really my "goodbye" walk. It's funny how I never get bored on my walks. I just find myself thinking about so many things and all of a sudden I'm halfway around the lake. I took my time with this walk, enjoying the scenery and the feel. This time my mind found itself filled with thoughts of gratitude and appreciation for my time in Norway and for the people I met. I took time to say a "thank you" to Sognsvann, to Oslo, to Norway in general for the great experience.
I was trying to think of how to compare my love for the U.S. with my love for Norway. I decided that I love the U.S. like I would love a family member. At first I loved it because I was told to, because I was born here, just like you originally love your family because well...they're your family. But now, I love the U.S. because it is my home, because it is familiar to me and because it is in many ways (but not all of course), a great place to live. Norway on the other hand, I would compare to meeting a new "old" friend. I think of my relationship with Sarah kind of like this. First you meet someone and you don't know them so you need to get to know them, but the more you do you realize they feel like an old friend to you. You just fit together. I feel that way with Norway. It was new and took a bit of adjusting, but something inside me just feels like it is an "old friend" to me, someplace that I won't be able to set aside.
I will return to Norway. I know that. I can feel it. It may take some years, it may be in a completely different context, but I'll be back eventually. When I think of my time there, I am hit with a rush of memories: people, places, dances. It has been the best experience of my life. With that being said, I hope to have many more "best" experiences. Oslo (and Norway in general of course) will always have a place in my heart. Takk for alt Norge. Ha det bra!
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