goodbye is the hardest word for me to say...

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November 18th 2009

Published: November 18th 2009

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kjdammerman

Norwegian Language Class

Picture by Kit Stover!

So today was NOT the best day...actually, it was downright sad. My roommate and I both were on the verge of tears and we haven't seen the worst of it yet. Today was our last Norwegian language class with Kit. I went to the afternoon session while my roommy and some of my later class favorites also went to the morning session. So in the afternoon one, there were only about 9 people and we had a short class with Kit before getting some parting advice from her. Then she took some pictures of all of us and Lucia, the Italian girl, made us some food so we all ate these sweet balls of sugar, cheese, and flour. And Kit looked a little sad as she said, "Ha det bra" one last time. Then it was a stop in the library to print off a sturgeon article before going down to our last International Coffee hour which of course resulted in even more goodbyes and pictures.

You see today wasn't our last day of the semester or even the day when we were all flying home, but it was the last day that a lot of us international students will

Good news on this sad day--the view from my kitchen

I never get tired of this view of the sunset. My camera just...doesn't capture the beauty of it, the golden glow amist the snowcapped mountains...ah pretty!

be together. Most of us will go off on our own little adventures, finishing our own finals in our different departments, and won't have Norwegian language to bring us all together. And as we sat there eating fruit and laughing, it made me sad to think of never seeing any of these people again. I guess that is the life of a traveler though. Today...I am solemn and filled with a quiet grief that is eating away at me because of the goodbyes. And next week, my roommy and I will both have to face the hardest goodbye as we say "Ha det bra" to part of our Russian group. Now that is going to be hard.

Okay, enough sadness. Nevertheless, we all enjoyed our company, put on a smile, and snapped some beautiful pictures. And all of the international students but two will be leaving in the next 5 weeks. For me, I take off back to the states exactly 4 weeks from Saturday. Wow, has it been 3 months already since I've been here? Where has the time gone? I don't regret taking chances or hibernating in my room or taking two months to adjust to Norway

The pink clouds a little after sunset

or not even knowing that my great-grandmother was Norwegian before I came here. I don't regret meeting all of these beautiful and wonderful people that have shared part of their lives with me the last three months. And even though I'll cry even more in the next 4 weeks, I have enjoyed every moment with them and my time here in Norway.

And so, today is the beginning of the end and it's going to be a bumpy road. There will be A LOT more tears soon, but many more travels to come also and some wonderful times spent with some great people. And tomorrow, we may even go barbeque and wait for the northern lights to appear since they're supposed to be very strong tomorrow. And this weekend, well it's off to Merry Old England which just reminds me of my friend Robert and how we joked at ERA about having tea and crumpets with the queen. And then next Thursday, an American thanksgiving in Hoglimyra hallway if we can find stuff to cook. See, lots to be happy for...so I should stop crying and be thankful! Travels and smiles to come another day when this dreadful one