How Do I Feel...?

I was asked the other how I felt about my stay in Norway. This to me is an important question. A question that I experience daily with out actually thinking about it. So how do I feel about it...?

I feel like it is an experience that I will never in my whole life forget. 

I feel like the people I met and built friendships with are people who I will spend the rest of my life being friends with. 

I feel sad that it is over and that I don't get to see everyone everyday. 

I feel alone when I realize that I can not turn and tell Gonzalo or Kate something funny that has happened.

I feel alone when I sit in bed facebooking at night and Danny is not there to share silly stories with. 

I feel like when I learn something profound that I need Catherine so we can discuss it while cooking noodles or while taking a long walk to no where. 

I feel blessed that I feel alone in these moments because that means at one point I wasn't alone, that at one point I was lucky enough to wake up every morning surrounded by love and support of my friends. 

When feeling alone I remember that of course I am not, Norway is as close as my computer is. That I can still share those funny stories, profound moments, my moments of unease and of fear, my moments of joy and elation. 

I feel unbelievably lucky that Gonzalo and I still talk nearly everyday. That Kate and I talk and share stories. That Danny is there for me when my life feels ridiculous. That Catherine is there to listen to me rant about theories and about great lecturers. 

The knowledge I gained while in Norway is hard to share. Its hard to always be saying, "Well when I was abroad..."

But it is knowledge that has profoundly changed my life and the way I do things. Its not only knowledge gained from class, from Inger and Steinar and Cliff. Its knowledge I gained from the Latins and from Kate and from Cath and Hailey and Danny and from Magnus and the boys. Things I learned from Norway and from Germany and London and Prague. 

Sophomore year was hard, and the summer after even harder. So I prepared my mind and my heart for the worst. For going away and meeting no one. For being by myself and learning my own way. 

Clearly I was totally wrong. From the first moment that Gabriele and I went shopping together I wasn't alone. And from that moment forward I could count the number of hours spend alone on one hand. We were a family, a closer family than any that I had built (other than my parents and siblings). We are still a family, sometimes not as close but always always there for one another. I had no expectation to start relationships like we had there, I've been asked if I regret getting so close to people because of how hard it made leaving. My answer is that I do not regret a single moment of my time in Norway or the choices I made while I was there. 

So how do I feel about my stay in Norway? That it was the best choice that I had ever made. That is has broadened my mind and enlarged my heart. That I will always love Norway and everyone I met while there.