There are only two months left to my exchange, and I have to say, I’m rather conflicted about it.
On the one hand, I’m very excited to leave. That sounds bad, but I won’t lie about it. I’ve chronicled to a silly extent how much the Norwegian winter affected me, and I am excited for some California sunshine. Also, the prices here are ridiculously high, I miss the selection of food and products I get in the US and Canada, and I feel as though my life has been on hold for the last eight months and I am more than ready to pick it back up.
Now that the negative is out of the way, Norway really is a beautiful country, and I’ve felt safer here than anywhere else I’ve lived. I’ve loved living in Europe and being able to travel, to learn more about cultures and languages I can otherwise only read about in textbooks. More than that, I’ve made a home for myself here; I have friends that in less than two months I’ll possibly see for the last time in my life. Soon most of us will move somewhere else, with only a couple staying in Norway longer.
I’m used to goodbyes, and I’m good at them. I’ve never been someone who struggles with emotional attachment, unfortunately (I’m afraid it gives the wrong impression to those I’m saying goodbye to). Why make a big deal out of the inevitable? It’s not as though feeling bad about something will postpone it from happening. At this point I’ve had three homes, and friends in all of them. Goodbye doesn’t have to be forever, but even if it is, it doesn’t mean the last while with that person in your life was any less sweet.
I’m concerned that I’ve spent too much time being excited for the next adventure and not enough enjoying what I have left of this one. The way the next couple of months will unfold will both make it harder and easier to appreciate my situation, as I will have finals and packing to do, and then a trip to Poland directly followed by a family trip around Norway. I suppose I’m excited, but I feel bad about it. Nonetheless, I’m glad I came to this beautiful land, and I’m looking forward to the next two months.
dream.think.work. 