So I finished up with my summer school. I really have to say that I had the time of my life. I met so many amazing new friends and learned so much about the world and about myself. I have such strong, positive feelings for my time at ISS 2011, I can’t quite put it into words.
I am thankful for my amazing roommate, my new-found friends (I would go so far to say best friends), my thoughtful professors, and my many many Norwegian adventures.
Some of my favorite things: Sogsvann where I laid in the sun on the dock, laughed with my friends and also went for night swims, excursion to the Norsk Folkmuseum on Bygdoy where I saw folk buildings from across the country, excursion to the cathedral ruins at Hamar where I learned that the interplay between new and old contains so much beauty, my roommate Diana with whom I clicked with right away and found crazy adventures, Opening Ceremony and City Hall where I felt so heart-warmingly welcomed to my stay in Oslo, conquering Mount Slogen and Bessaggen with some intense hikes, ‘the boys’ who I could always count on to do something or have deep conversation with, and in general ISS where there was always something to do or someone to meet.
You may ask how everything will be now that summer school is over and I must return to real life… and I can’t answer that quite yet. At the moment I am staying with a Norwegian family on the Sognefjord (the longest fjord in Norway). Today I was honored to be able to go on a boat tour of the fjord, drive through the mountains to the town where my friend Camilla was born, hike up the mountain to take in the landscape, watch Grandma make jelly from berries in her own yard, and have good conversation. Tomorrow I will be returning to Bergen for a last day of shopping and sightseeing before my flight leaves on Wednesday morning.
I am ready to be home and see my family, but I wonder how everything will have changed. I know that I am coming home a different person. I have taken in great life experiences. Great in the sense of awesome in some instances and thought-provoking in others.
When I speak to Norwegians, they still ask: were you in Oslo when that crazy man was there? It’s always that wording “crazy man.” I like that the name and face of the person are unimportant, even though that seems to be the opposite of what the newspapers think. They can’t believe any person could have it in their heart or head to commit such an act… I can’t believe it either. Until the day I left Oslo, there were still flowers and candles all over the city. Very few of them had been cleaned up. (In Bergen there is still a gathering of flowers and candles at the city center, but not all over as in Oslo) Yet, buildings were again open and the streets (besides where it is unsafe to go) were accessible. Norwegians seem determined to keep their way of life as open as possible. I can’t believe that they would let any more security and scrutiny occur in the future than necessary.
With that I must begin to say my goodbyes to Norway, to where I found my many friends, my fun adventures, my new views on multiculturalism, and most of all, myself.
