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My
name is Justin, and I am a Norwegian.
That
just doesn't sound right to me yet.
I don't know if it ever will.
I'm
still an American.
I still look like an American, talk like an American, think like an
American. But
now I'm not only an American, but also an International 4-H Youth Exchange
(IFYE) participant from America.
I'm told my new title changes the rules of personal origin somehow.
I'm an American, but I'm also allowed to become a Norwegian for
half of a year.
At the same time.
So my question to myself is this:
how can I do this?
I've always wanted to be considered
as a dynamic individual.
I've always wanted people to think of me as a person who could
adapt to new ideas and new experiences.
But a new culture?
I had never given it much thought.
When
I was young, the only things I knew were family life, school life, and a
little bit in between.
Life didn't exist outside of what I could see or understand.
I heard about faraway lands in school, but I only recognized them
as "foreign".
I didn't bother to empathize with people from another society,
because I didn't know anyone from another society.
But
when I did finally meet someone, everything changed.
I
remember the first time I ever became friends with someone from another
country. When
I was in ninth grade, the family of one of my good friends took an
exchange student into their homes for an entire year.
I didn't know much about her background except that she was from a
place I didn't even know existed.
At the naive age of fourteen I was still trying to become accepted
by the popular children in my class.
I didn't want to have to worry about accepting someone else outside
the popular circle, especially someone who would only be in our school for
a short time.
It was only because of my good friend, who chose to include the
exchange student in his activities, that I learned to view people of
another culture in a different way.
I learned so much from that exchange student, more than I could in
any classroom.
I learned I could think differently and that other people could
think differently, but it really wasn't all that different.
Everyone lives their lives in a similar way:
you are born, you try to find happiness, you die.
You may go on different paths along the way, but life is the same
basic idea all over the world.
Now it's easy for me to see how someone can just pack up and leave
home in search of new adventures.
I'm
living life right now.
As far as Norway goes, I'm having a great time.
I've found quite a lot of happiness here.
The culture isn't much different than what I'm used to (except I'm
eating a lot more potatoes and a lot more sandwiches).
Everyone I've met has been extremely open with me.
Everyone I've met has been willing to include me, someone who
doesn't really know the language or the culture.
I appreciate that.
I don't even want to think about how I would feel if people
wouldn't be open-minded enough to accept me here.
I'd probably just want to go home.
The
older you get, the more you realize how little time means.
One week, one month, one year--time just comes and goes without so
much as a whisper.
Days don't last for entire days but seemingly for just a few
minutes. Life
becomes routine and therefore time goes by quickly.
It's the same priniciple for living in a new country.
For a few weeks everything is new and somewhat intimidating.
But after that life becomes routine and time goes rather quickly.
That's
what it means to be an IFYE.
As an IFYE I can manipulate time in whatever way I want.
I could sleep the entire day away if I chose to do so.
I could make six months go by in a matter of a few weeks.
I could stick with what I know:
my own thoughts and way of life.
My old routine.
As a rule, time would pass with my old routine.
But I choose to go out on a limb and pursue happiness.
I've found that wasting time isn't really living--it's just wasting
time. I
want to live.
I need to live because I need happiness to survive.
I have found bliss in the personal relations with the people of
Norway and in the culture.
I don't know if I can ever say I am a Norwegian, but I can
be happy.
I
know I can handle being a Norwegian for six months.
And
if Norway would only lower the price of beer, I might consider staying
longer (like I said, everyone needs happiness).
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