Finding Friends
Travelling provides a lot of opportunities to strike up conversations with the strangest of strangers. My theory is that when it comes to jobs that require significant amounts of travel, most people love the way others perceive what they do, crave the excitement of the next big trip, and dread the lonesomeness that ensues when you actually hit the road.
This leads all of us to open ourselves up to any conversation that we can get. Most people who know me probably view me as an outgoing guy who is not afraid to strike up a conversation. While I do okay in inpromptu situations, the reality is that I dread those awkward moments...but I do miss having people to talk to.
International travel awards you the opportunity to meet really interesting people from a lot of unique backgrounds. However, it also means fighting through language barriers and putting up with discussions surrounding politics. Being American, it's easy to get hammered with discussions surrounding war, oil, gun control, and of course obesity. Some of my favorites.
My lonliness and discomfort are subdued a little more often now however. I've lived in Norway long enough to feel a part of the culture and speak the language. I can read the newspaper and get the gist, I can teach a kid how to throw baseball in Norwegian, and I can have a conversation with just about any 5 year old in the country. The most comforting thing however is when you're on the road, lonely, and you hear people speaking Norwegian. It's like a little secret that is widely dispersed throughout the globe.
According to most statistics the population in Norway is about 4.5 million people. I figure it is either much higher or lower considering the number of Norwegians that travel. First, it's a wealthy country which means it is cheap to go other places making travel affordable. Second, Norway is a small country focussed on survival in the global picture resulting in a large percentage of the population focussing on understanding other cultures and speaking English. Lastly, Norwegians have always been adventurous from the time of the Vikings to the modern day travels of Thor Heyerdahl.
All this means that anyplace I go, I'm bound at some point to hear Norwegian. Every time I do I feel a little less homesick.
This leads all of us to open ourselves up to any conversation that we can get. Most people who know me probably view me as an outgoing guy who is not afraid to strike up a conversation. While I do okay in inpromptu situations, the reality is that I dread those awkward moments...but I do miss having people to talk to.
International travel awards you the opportunity to meet really interesting people from a lot of unique backgrounds. However, it also means fighting through language barriers and putting up with discussions surrounding politics. Being American, it's easy to get hammered with discussions surrounding war, oil, gun control, and of course obesity. Some of my favorites.
My lonliness and discomfort are subdued a little more often now however. I've lived in Norway long enough to feel a part of the culture and speak the language. I can read the newspaper and get the gist, I can teach a kid how to throw baseball in Norwegian, and I can have a conversation with just about any 5 year old in the country. The most comforting thing however is when you're on the road, lonely, and you hear people speaking Norwegian. It's like a little secret that is widely dispersed throughout the globe.
According to most statistics the population in Norway is about 4.5 million people. I figure it is either much higher or lower considering the number of Norwegians that travel. First, it's a wealthy country which means it is cheap to go other places making travel affordable. Second, Norway is a small country focussed on survival in the global picture resulting in a large percentage of the population focussing on understanding other cultures and speaking English. Lastly, Norwegians have always been adventurous from the time of the Vikings to the modern day travels of Thor Heyerdahl.
All this means that anyplace I go, I'm bound at some point to hear Norwegian. Every time I do I feel a little less homesick.
posted by Andy Johnson at 12:01 AM
2 Comments:
Så, du snakker norsk du!
Lykke til med reisene...
Romulo
Yep, You are getting native that's for sure mate!
Romulo
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