Norwegian Saga

I hope everyone had a merry Christmas and a happy new year. I’ve probably been too quiet again as of late. The honest truth is that writing for this blog has become more difficult for me lately for a few reasons none of which I will go into. However, one thing I do wish to say is that I’m not leaving anything juicy out. My life in Oslo has calmed somewhat and I have turned into a creature of routine to some degree. I wake up, I do my work, I go for a walk to nowhere in particular and I go to bed. On Saturdays I teach English. Since each of you knows this I don’t feel the need to constantly write about it.

But we did just have a big holiday and I can say a few words about that. I was in Canada from the 15th of December to the 11th of January. I had an incredibly wonderful time. The people in my life have become even more important to me than they were previously and I was graced with the presence of my best friends over the holidays. I got to spend time with my family with whom I always feel I can be my silly self. Sometimes there’s nothing so relaxing as sitting in front of the TV with the family. I never actually paid any attention to what was playing but it was the sitting together that made it worthwhile.

2009 was a busy year for me. I made a bunch of friends in my second and third semesters here. I learned a great deal from fellow students and professors. I changed my perspective on many things as a result of the events of 2009 and I think that was for the better. I also (re)learned how fast time flies. I am now beginning my fourth and final semester at the University of Oslo and while I look forward to it I also know that it will come quickly and that means that my time here as a student will come to a close.

I look to the future with excitement obviously and hope for all of the things that I’ve planned for myself but I cannot help but think about how much I will miss being a student here. As some of you may know I plan on moving to Norway permanently once I finish an MBA in Canada. So while I will be back in Norway it will not be as a student but as a working man lookin for the dollars (or kroners as they case may be). My point is that I have four more months in which to write my thesis and make my mark on the study of Icelandic medieval society. When I first arrived here I was so caught up in the strangeness of it all I missed the finer points of Norwegian life. I was too busy making my own noise to listen. I think more recently I’ve been able to do that. To listen to the thing that is Norway. I’ve never been immersed in a culture like this before and it’s intoxicating. 2009 has taught me how to be more patient in this way, to listen to the world around me.

Well, as I’ve got a few things planned yet I’m going to be writing about them. One is a planned journey to Trondheim, I’ve got a hike planned with a friend to Bergen, and I hope to hit the far north as well to see the midnight sun. Also on the list are Stockholm and Copenhagen. As the stories develop I will be writing them.

Thank you all for your support and patience with me.