A Story of Many Stories

I know it's hard to believe sometimes, but I do have a bit of a life outside of my kids.  But yes, this blog has really been my outlet to discuss all things Nur and TT. Because well, I'm not that interesting.  But I do have one story I want to share that occurred year before the thought of Nur and TT even existed. 

My sophomore year of college, a friend and I were trying to decide where to live the following year.  We knew we really wanted to live together on campus, but we also knew we wanted to live in one of the 4-bedroom, 2-story townhomes that were available on campus.  The problem was, is that you needed a theme to live in those apartments.  (Oh, how I love my college in the city and their progressive dorms) So, this friend and I decided to have a US/International  theme where the two of us would help welcome international students into the community. 

That entire summer before my junior year of college, I could not wait to see what 6 other individuals we would be placed with.  Where would they be from? Would we all get along? Before I knew it, it was time to move into our new on campus apartment and meet the roomates.  And what a group it was!

We had 4 roommates from Norway, 1 from Estonia, and another fellow American who is not pictured.  We were a melting pot of cultures and languages.

I loved this group of women.  Besides a trip to Canada while in high school, I had never traveled internationally, and was intriqued by the different cultures and intrigued by this beautiful group of women who went outside of their comfort zone to study in a foreign land. 

These women taught me so much.  For one, they helped m to dress more "European."  I didn't know what that meant, but they assured me that they were way ahead of the U.S. in terms of the fashion game, so I should follow their lead closely.  (This meant wearing a lot of black and gray, and throwing away every white sock I owned) They taught me about having a global perspective, about realizing that the U.S. is not the center of the universe, that many other countries exist and flourish. They told me that almost everyone in Norway speaks 3 languages and know so much about foreign policy compared to my limited exposure to anything outside of the U.S.  I fell in love with this strong group of women.

The months went on and they became my best friends. We shared everything. I would often find these women turning to me to speak Norwegian, forgetting that I didn't know the language.  (Although after a glass of wine or 2, I always seemed to pick up the language) I brought them home for holidays, we talked about boys and heartaches, we spent every moment while not in classes together.  They taught me how to be a strong woman and to get out something that I shouldn't be into. They were my best friends. 

Unfortunately, the year had to end, and my friends had to go back to their homes.  It was my saddest goodbye to date. 



These friends had sparked so much in me.  That summer, I applied for my very first passport, and headed to Europe for the first time, and have enjoyed traveling ever since.  I've been to Norway twice to visit these beautiful people and they've been here a couple times to visit me. 

It's interesting to how every experience in our lives shapes and molds us.  I don't remember having a lot of interest in things international before my junior year of college.  They opened a whole new exciting world to me, and I often wonder if I would have been so open to international adoption without this new, global perspective.  These people were put in my life for a reason, and even though an ocean separates us, I still love them all dearly and consider them some of the best friends I've ever had. 

And the reason this story is on my mind heavily today, is that there is a very good chance that they two of them (the two in the very last picture) will come visit me this summer! Oh, how I"m hoping that happens.  I need these girls in my life. :)

Happy Wednesday!