torsdag 24. juli 2014

Wanderlust in Norway.

"You will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart will always be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place" - Miriam Adeney

When deciding on a name for my blog, I had a hard time figuring out what I wanted it to be. Partly because I'm very indecisive, and partly because the idea of me writing a blog was a bit weird. In an attempt to be simplistic and to the point, I ended up with the name Wanderlust Suzy. The definition of wanderlust is "a strong innate desire to rove or travel about". To me it conveys adventure and excitement. I feel that this past semester has been just about that. I have challenged myself in ways I never thought I would; I have jumped out of a plane, scubadived in the Great Barrier Reef and with sharks (albeit harmless ones), abseiled into dark caves, and heaps more. More importantly though, I left my comfort zone of Norway, and traveled halfway across the world to a new place. I was lucky to meet so many wonderful people in Australia, people from all around the world that have made this past semester better than I could have ever imagined. I look back at my time abroad with fondness. When friends and colleagues ask me how my semester abroad was, it is hard to convey what a fabulous experience it was without me ending up rambling on about all the things I've done and the people I've met. 


As silly (and self absorbed) as it may sound, I have read through my previous blog posts these past few days. Going through my blog, post by post, reminds me of the all the good times I've had this past semester. However, my blog does not portray a completely accurate picture of my time in Australia; there were so many experiences that didn't make the blog. You know, all those little things that seemed arbitrary at the time or weren't exciting enough to share with the world, like long nights at the Macquarie library or walks to Woolworth's or the Macquarie Center. I never thought I would be one to share my experiences with the world through a blog; I'm very glad I did though. I'm glad I diligently wrote about the things I experienced because it makes me so happy to read about all the things I did, how I felt, and the little details that I likely would have forgotten.


To be honest, coming home was a little anticlimactic. I (somewhat naively) expected everything to be wonderful and fabulous once I got off the plane in Oslo. Although it was wonderful and fabulous in many ways, I missed Australia. I still do... Very much. Part of my heart is definitely still in Sydney. I have been back in Norway for two weeks now, and it is still a little surreal being home. It has finally hit me that my time in Australia is over. I feel like a different person coming back to Norway after my semester abroad. While in Australia, I was someone who said yes to daring things, someone who lived in the moment, and aimed to experience as much as possible. 

Though I am missing aspects of Australia (especially the sound of kookaburras outside my bedroom window), Norway is indeed a beautiful place to call home. I feel like I'm seeing Norway with new eyes and extra colors after being gone for so long. Norway in the summertime is spectacular, and the nature is breathtaking. The Weather Gods have granted us with many days of sunshine, reaching maximum temperatures of 33 degrees Celsius/91 degrees Fahrenheit. I'm slowly but surely getting back into the swing of things, but I still feel the need to actively battle the post-study-abroad blues by keeping myself busy. It has been great spending time with friends and family these past two weeks. It doesn't seem like a single day has passed when I'm with them, and that's truly a great feeling. After spending 6 months abroad, it is also time to replenish my bank account. I've started working full-time at the psychiatric ward again, and alternate between day shifts, evening shifts, and night shifts. I enjoy working with old colleagues and getting to know and helping new patients. 

Sunday stroll to Majordammen with Trine Lise and Ruben


Bestefar and I
I've missed having my own kitchen. 


I've also missed hosting dinners with the girls. Reidun, Tanja, Trine Lise, Hulda, Pernille, and Helene came over for dinner one of the first days I was home. 
My friend, Bjørn, took me out for a fabulous dinner before I went to the night shift at work (Fun fact: His name translates to "Bear" in English. How neat is that?)
My lovely neighbors, Helge, Inger, and Reidun, came over for coffee and cake one evening after work.
The view from my living room. This will never get old. 
I find myself striving to remain the adventurous person I was these past six months. I'm eager to explore more of Norway now that I am back. I've always known that there are heaps of things to do and see in Norway, but I I haven't felt the urgent need to do all these things. I've thought that there will be time to do those things later. No rush. After being in Australia, I realize there's no better time than the present, and it's time to get started on crossing off things on my Norway-to-do-list. 

This past weekend I crossed off one of these items. My friend Pernille and I rented a car, and drove the 4,5 hour drive to Jotunheimen to hike the Besseggen ridge. Besseggen is Norway's most frequently executed mountain hike with over 30 000 visitors completing the hike annually. It was time for us to give it a go! 


Our sleeping quarters for the night was a 16 person dorm at the cozy Gjendesheim Tourist Lodge. The weather forecast said it would be gorgeous the following day (i.e. lots of people going to hike) and we arrived at around 9pm, so we were very lucky that we got to stay in room with beds. The people that arrived after us, had to settle for mattresses on the floor in the common areas. 
We woke up early the next morning at around 6am. We packed up our stuff, had a quick breakfast in the car, and caught the first ferry from Gjendesheim to Memurubu. 

The first hour of the hike proved to be the most challenging. The rather steep incline was a reminder that neither of us had done much hiking the previous months. Once we got past the first part, the rest was fairly painless. We were likely distracted by our beautiful surroundings; the dark blue Bessvatn Lake and the emerald green Lake Gjende was astonishing. 

It was a beautiful day to go hiking. We were a little worried that we would be walking alongside heaps of people due to the beautiful weather conditions, but it wasn't too crowded. We stopped some of our fellow hikers to say hello. 

I don't consider myself to be a person that is afraid of heights, but walking on the narrow ridge proved to be a challenge for both Pernille and I. There is a roughly 400meter/1312foot drop straight down to Lake Gjende, so I guess it's understandable that we were a little apprehensive. You actually had to climb at certain points. Yikes! 
Pernille was ready for the challenge. 
Happy to be at the top. 
At one point when we were in Australia, my friend Sydney and I were addicted to King Size Kit Kat bars. Coming back to Norway, I realize that nothing quite compares to the Norwegian equivalent: Kvikk Lunsj (In English this translates to Quick Lunch). Pernille and I made sure we had an ample amount of these on our hike. 

We also made sure we had Gjende cookies. These are originally from the Gjende area, so it was a very fitting snack indeed.
The large pile of rocks in the distance marked the highest point of the hike, 1734meters/5689feet above sea level. 

I was excited to try out my new hiking boots. At the end of the 17km/10.5mile hike, I realized how foolish it was to go on such a long hike in new footwear. I knew I was taking a risk, but they felt so comfy before I left. Putting on my trusted Asics running shoes felt like a vacation for my feet after wearing those hiking boots all day.The hike usually takes between 5-7 hours to complete. The current record for completing the hike is 1 hour and 14 minutes. Due to frequent stops to admire our surroundings (and painful footwear), we completed the hike in 6,5 hours. Once we got back to the lodge, we packed up the car and hit the road. The journey home went by relatively quickly. We stopped and had a traditional Norwegian dinner ("kjøttkaker" and potatoes), and also made some new friends along the way. 

In a mere few weeks, the semester at the University of Tromsø starts. Jam packed days of clinical psychology lectures and therapy sessions await! I'm so excited to finally apply all the knowledge we have (hopefully) acquired in therapy sessions with our very own patients. Don't get me wrong, it will be nerve wracking having a live human being wanting help across the table... But it will be fun.

The goal of this blog was to keep friends and family updated while abroad, and I think I succeeded in this task. I haven't quite decided if I am going to continue posting. Perhaps continuing will encourage me to keep crossing things off my Norway-do-to-list? We'll see. Either way, thank you all for reading. It's been fun sharing the things I never thought I would do in a way I never thought I would. 

Until next time. 

Love, 
Suzy 

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