NORGE

When you really want something so bad, the world will conspire to make it comes true.

I forgot the quotee, but that's one of few quotes that I really do believe in. You dont know how, but it just happens that way. If you want something so much, and you keep on thinking about it, there is always a way. Always.  This story is one my experience.

Fjords, aurora borealis, Svalbard, Nobel Peace Prize, Kings of Convenience, Jostein Gaarder, Alexander Rybak, Vikings are things that may come to your mind once you hear the word "Norway". Indeed, its natural beauty made me put that country into my bucketlist. Last February, I had the chance to finally fulfill one of my life-time dream, stepping my feet in Norwaaay!

Attending International Student Festival in Trondheim, Norway, i flew half of the globe up to this cold small country in northern Europe. When I was changing the flight in Frankfurt, Germany, I met the other participant from Zimbabwe who turned out to take the same flight with me to Oslo. When the plane was landing in Oslo, i thought "where the hell am i? is it in north pole already?", since everything was vastly white and all i could see along the horizon was this plain white terrain....... Butterfly flew in my stomachs. Once I arrived in Oslo, it was pretty weird cause there was no immigration booth or anything. Me and that Zimbabwean guy named Jimmy wondered if we could just enter this country without any security checks or anything. But turn out that there really wasnt any (This country really has issue on trust -_-). 

The airport was small and filled with other ISFiT participants, youths coming from every corners of the earth, even from countries you might havent even heard of. But we came here not to represent our countries, races, beliefs, or universities, we came here because we are youths, students, who believed that our voices should be heard. ISFiT is the biggest thematic student festival in the world, and this year's theme was Globalize this: Health.

Me, Jimmy and 2 of my new friends from Puerto Rico and China decided to take a walk around the city, before leaving to Trondheim in a 7hours bus-ride. Well, I didnt wear any socks inside my boots that day, cause i didnt know that it would be THAT cold. Walking around the city, we were freeeezed out. Every five minutes walking, we stepped inside a minimart to warm our selves up and continued walking. The city of Oslo was still packed even when the snow was falling in cold February winter. Oslo was more of a traditional mixed with modern kind of city. The architecture was this typical conventional European city. We also visited the parliament building, and the Nobel Peace Center. 

After couple of hours sightseeing in Oslo, we went back to the airport, took the ISFiT bus to Trondheim for 7 hours. Trondheim, in fact, was the Jogjakarta of Norway. It is the city of students, city of art, traditional mixed with the modern sophisticates. My host family were 4 students, all girls, 2 were sisters. They lived in this very comfy red wooden house, typical Norwegian house. The first night there I was welcomed with a dinner and we had a taco-night! (Taco is like 'mie-instant'nya Norwegian students)

In the morning, the participants were divided into several workshops and I got into literature workshop. During the workshop there would be games, discussion, activities, dancing, debates, coffee breaktime, etc. I had 30 something workshop friends coming all the way from Nigeria, Guatemala, Tanzania, Brunei, Iran, South Africa, Moldova, Georgia, Canada, Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia, Mexico, Belarusia, Finland, Japan, Romania, Argentina, Pakistan, Brazil, India, Bulgaria, Denmark. They were all very amazing people, journalists, scriptwriters, poets, some of them already had their own anthologies, or at least they were on social project, people who really dedicate their lives to open the world's eyes through their writings and words. I felt like i was just a living chunk of meat interfering the brainy discussions............ although im meatless t(-_-t)

After the workshop, we usually spend time strolling around the town, buying souvenirs, sightseeing until night came and it was time for plenary session. In that session, all participants would gather in the big hall in STUDENTESAMFUNDET (Student Center) and there would be some famous speaker presenting their thoughts and ideas. In this year's ISFiT, we had His Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, Student Peace Prize Laureate Dusko Kostic, Winner of the Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award of 2008, Dr. Sima Samar, Vice President of the International Association for Suicide Prevention Dr. Viljayakumar, Foreign Minister of Norway Mr. Gahr Støre, and  two of the world's decidedly most knowledgeable men when it comes to global health:  Sir Michael Marmot and Hans Rosling. In their previous festivals they succeeded in bringin Desmond Tutu, Dalai Lama, former Director-General of WHO Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland, Jose Ramos Horta even former US president Bill Clinton through video conference!  


After the plenary session, it was time for leisure, the student lounge or bar in studentesamfundet would be packed with students and participants, sometimes there would be great DJs like Phanta du Prince or some cool indie bands such as "Team Me" playing in the underground club.  The famous "Axis of Evil" comedian, Aaron Kader also enlivened the event I just simply couldnt stop laughing during his stand-up comedy! We also get to watch a circus performance from Circus Khaoom, dancing along during the unique national costumes party, and walked around the town in Walk of Peace.

Besides the plenary session, workshop sessions, sightseeing, parties etc, we also had a chance to try cross-country skiing! That was a real new experience to me, fell twice on my butts! We also did this sleighing thingy and it was so much fun! Many of the participants had never tried skiing before,  it was so funny watching those people kept on falling on their butts! 

ISFiT 2011 in Norway really was one of my life-time most amazing experience, it really has widened my view of the world, opened new perspectives, and ofcourse, new networks! Although the temperature could get til -15 degree celcius, but all the experiences i got there was really worth it. During my night-ride on a bus back to Oslo, i reflected through those 10 days in Trondheim, amazing. As I gazed through the window, the stars were all blinking above, and sometimes the moonlight reflected on the shadowy fjords. It was really a beautiful country, I will definitely come back to Norway somewhen, take my words!

 "If you really want something, the world will conspire to make it comes true" - in this I'll always believe.


Stay cool,
Tami