The Norwegian Wilderness
I’ve always dreamed of visiting Norway, for as long as I can remember. I’m entranced by the enticing lure of the beautiful Norwegian wilderness; the mountains, lakes, streams, waterfalls, clean air and clear water. Even the idea of long snowy dark winter doesn’t put me off. I long to experience the beauty of the sub-arctic, near the top of our world.
The Norwegian language
I’ve been curious about the language for a long time too. In fact, I am on a 288-day Norwegian streak on Duolingo and have just signed up for another online language course to supplement this. No doubt my previous language studies hold influence, but I feel an instinctive ease for learning the vocabulary. I can guess the meaning of new words I’ve never seen before.
A strange pull
I imagine myself in the country one day, conversing in Norwegian over a coffee with friends. It doesn’t feel impossible. Is this just an idealized image, a fantasy concocted by my imagination? Is it a midlife case of maybe the grass is greener somewhere else? Why Norway though? There are plenty of other beautiful places on earth. I’ve been fortunate enough to see many. I believe it runs deeper than logic. Something similar pulled me to Japan before I came here. I’ve made Japan my home for getting on for twenty years. Is one day living in Norway a possibility?
Click here to read about my first impressions of Japan
Reality knocks
The mere thought brings in a plethora of worries and fears. Would I even find a job? Would my family like it there? How would my children’s education suffer if I dragged them away from the home they know and took them to a place where they have to embrace yet another language. Would they be subject to discrimination being half-Asian? Could we sell our house? Could we afford to maintain our current lifestyle if we moved and started from scratch again? Would we be able to take our dog with us? Could we cope with the logistics of moving to the other side of the world? Would I be able to afford to buy another piano? What if we got there and changed our minds?
Yet still I dream of the Norwegian wilderness
But despite all these genuine concerns, still I occasionally find myself researching visas and dreaming: imagining a beautiful home, surrounded by wintery scenery. I can see myself writing in front of a log fire, snow falling outside, the wonderful sound of near silence nurturing my imagination and inspiring my creativity.
Is this just an impossible dream? I guess time will tell.