First time in Norway
It all started when some of my relatives from Norway came to visit me and my dad back in 2014. I was only 17 and they told me that I could visit Norway anytime and they would be happy to host me. I swear, I must have gained consciousness at that point because everything became clear. As Liz Lemon once said, “I want to go to there.”
Traveling to Norway became my biggest dream. To be honest, I didn’t start learning the language until I was out of high school. I did try and learn, but nothing really stuck and it wasn’t very structured. It probably wasn’t until 2017 that I finally decided to try and learn Norwegian. Mind you, most Norwegians are better English speakers than most native English speakers. It’s not a necessity to learn the language, but I believe it to be a courtesy. Anyway, my language learning journey is still ongoing and that could be its own blog post.
Fast forward to 2019. This year was not a good one for me. I won’t get into all of the details, but some are important for the overall story. Long story short, my mom had asked me, “If money wasn’t a problem, where would you want to be right now?” And without missing a beat I said, “Norway.” She promised me she would pay for my plane ticket. I had been in the hospital for three weeks at that point (I’m okay! Don’t worry). Another important point is, my father never traveled to Norway. My mother had told me and I had heard it from my father. I never found out why, but he wanted to travel to Norway, but never did. At this point in 2019, he knew I had contact with most of my relatives there via Facebook. And he also knew I was learning Norwegian. But once I got out of the hospital, I told him my plan to travel to Norway. He was so excited for me.
A picture of my father I brought with me to Norway. The mountain is named "Storhesten" and is located where his parents came from.
Unfortunately, my father passed away in the summer of 2019. I can’t get into what that was like or else I’ll never finish this blog post. But I made sure to bring him with me. I was more determined than ever.
2020: Well, we all know what happened in 2020. I was heartbroken when I found out that we wouldn’t be able to travel. I had been planning and then Covid hit and countries were restricting travel.
2021-2022: Just continuing my language learning.
July 2023: This was it. Finally traveling to Norway! The weeks leading up to this trip were exciting. Relatives from Norway were messaging me and asking me questions. Remember, I only met three relatives back in 2014. This would be the first time I would meet some of them. I was excited but nervous at the same time. It was the first time I ever travelled out of the country. I won’t go into all of the planning etc. That can be another blog post! ;)
The trip was amazing! We were in Oslo, Lillehammer, and Bergen. I ordered a camera for the trip and I took so many pictures. Bergen was my favorite city. So beautiful.
