To Tromsø She Goes!

Greetings from the North...the waaayyy North! Tromsø, Norway, to be exact.

Yesterday was my first solo travel excursion from Lillehammer to Tromsø....and it was exhilarating, slightly terrifying (actually, just the preparations and the prerequisite period of worrying about it was the terrifying: the actual experience was about as smooth as it could have possibly been!) and wonderful! Hanna and I took the train from Lillehammer to Oslo together, as we were the only two of our American crew that were not setting off for Stockholm this weekend, so we opted to do some travelling during the daylight hours.

After we said goodbye, I was on my own to navigate the airport and make sure I was in the right place at the right time, while she road on further to catch her bus. The funny thing was, I got all of 100 yards away from the train when I found someone I know: one of our fellow international students at HiL was dropping his girlfriend off after her visit, so we spent a bit of time chatting and those few moments with a familiar face calmed my nerves and then I was good to go! Found my gate and ended up waiting, waiting, waiting (I was NOT going to risk any travel mishaps, so I made it to the airport nearly three hours prior to my flight. Probably not necessary, but whatever!). Once on the plane, I made a friend in my seat neighbors: a young mother and her two year old son who were flying home to Tromsø after spending some time in Oslo. It was so refreshing to chat with her, to ask questions, share my experience....what a gem of a family!

And what, exactly, am I doing in Tromsø, you might ask? I am here visiting the Elvemo family, who I know from my time at camp...first from doing a day camp three summers ago just prior to their moving to Norway and then again from our week at Family Camp together this past August. We had spoken briefly about the possibility of a visit during my time in Norway, and I was way excited at the thought of making the trek north, but what really set my determination was what Jonas (the seven year old boy) told me when we said goodbye this summer: ``Next time I see you, you will be at MY house!``

Here I am! What a treat to be among friends, to challenge myself to travel alone, to hang out with some wonderful kids and play and laugh for three days! I am humbled by the radical hospitality that they have shown...from picking me up at the airport, to greeting me with food and conversation, a bed with sheets (Don`t laugh-this is actually a big big deal for me! Our flats only have duvet covers and a fitted sheet and for a girl who LOVES the combination of sheets, blankets and a comforter, it has been a bit of an adjustment! But I digress.)

As I write this, I`m sitting, sipping a cup of coffee (again), listening to the wind bow through the trees and pondering all that the day will hold! I was up early to say hello to the kidders before they headed off to school for the day. Kamilla, Jonas, Sigrid and I were all very excited to be reunited! Darin and Ann Christin told me last night that yesterday at daycare four year old Sigrid announced that: ``America is coming for a visit!`` Amidst a breakfast of giggles and conversation and trying to get everyone out the door on time, I found myself so content...to be among friends, to hang out with some of my favorite kids, to have some independent experiences to share with my group when we all come back to Lillehammer on Monday morning-what a neat thing!

In a couple hours, Kamilla and I will be headed into town to show me around and walk a bit, have a treat and catch up! It is such a treat that she is done with school early today, Ann Christin and Darin are off this weekend, and I get to be a part of their lives for a few days! Tales of the weekend will be coming shortly!

Love from Tromsø!