Towards summer, towards the end

Entering the last month of this adventure, I can`t believe how time went so fast from last October, how many steps further I made, and how much I got more aware of myself.

 

It`s been sometime since my last blog entry in April, as May was another very busy and memorable month. I have to admit that the arrival of spring (and now, summer) here in Norway was almost sudden, as I didn`t expect at all to have the high temperatures we`re experiencing in these last weeks. Feels like I`ve brought the warmness from Italy!

It`s also a period where night it`s almost non-existant, as the very late sunset and very early dawn both make the days like they never end.

It can be difficult to sleep now, but once you have the right curtains, it should not be a problem after some time. 
These circumstances let me to go for a walk late in the evening up in the mountains to see the neverending sunsets. And also some more activities in the nature during my free time, such as hiking in the woods, 
slappe av on the lakeside to take some sun and so on. Gudbrandsdal valley still amazes me to this day, with its nature, especially now that everything seems like a painting.

I had other trips too, such as the one to Trondheim, a very nice, colorful city (you can feel that it`s a University-city, full of students all around) with lots of parks, and with the famous Nidelva (the canal with the old buildings) and the Gamle Bybro, the Old Town bridge. Being an architect, you can guess how I was fascinated by everything!

The most important part of this last period were the many events in which I had to participate, organize and with lots of tasks to do. First my personal project, which was a nice kokkekurs for elevere in the local Vidaregåande Skole: it`s challenging when you need to publicize your event, but also very useful, as you take out all your resources and energy to get people know about it. It was good, in the end, to see the youths so involved and engaged to make hjemmelaget food, and to eat all the things we made together with an Italian chef at the end of the day. Then there was Statement Midtdalenon May 16th, a very fun and memorable event for youths, with lots of games and activities for them. This was a moment in which I realized, compared to my home country, how norwegians are so well-organized: as soon as the event ended, everything was clean in less than two hours!

 

May 17th
May, as probably many people should know, it`s also the month of the 
17th, the Nasjonaldag where Nordmenn celebrate their own Country. 
Being to Oslo many times before EVS, I never had the chance to see how was it like, so I decided to stay in Vinstra for the celebrations, as I thought it could be more pictoresque and memorable to see the parade with all the colorful 
Bunad, the typical dress weared by women, the concert with the band and the different children exhibitions in the countryside. Well, I couldn`t ask for more! I had a really nice time there, as you can see how Norwegians are proud of their Country and traditions, especially compared to my own.

 

The beginning of June also led me to Multikulti market in Ringebu, a nice little fest in which everyone from every country living around here can bring something typical from their traditions, from food to games to activities, music and dances. Being from Italy, you can guess what I did bring? Food and homemade pasta, of course. This was a nice way to see many cultures, and talk to many people.

 

 

And now that summer is almost here, I can feel the end of this adventure. These are my last weeks in Norway, still full of tasks and work to do, with Kåja Camp (a fun event that celebrates youths and states the end of the year for Vinstra Ungdomsklubb) and the Youth Exchange in the end of June, a last occasion to mix different cultures, this time between Italy, Portugal and Norway.
Last but not least for now, I couldn`t be more thankful to everyone who made all of this possible, and by how much I grew up since my arrival. Being now used to see and say hi to the people around here, know many of them, it will be not easy to come back to my previous daily life. I can now say that I feel half Norwegian and half Italian! 

Vi snakkes! A presto!
Emanuele

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