It's D[eparture]-Day! The adventure begins in a matter of hours.
It's 3:30am and I'm up. Before beginning an international trip, many people must rise at oh-dark-hundred-hours to blearily find their way to a too-loud airport. I'm awake simply because I can't sleep. Thankfully, no crazy early airport departure awaits me, and I won't have to battle the grumpy corporate commuters.
Enough muttering, let's talk about this trip!
The genesis of this study abroad extravaganza finds its root in my rejected application for a paid summer internship with the Alliance Defense Fund. I had put most of my eggs in that basket, and really didn't want to do anything else this summer. I could have pursued another (probably unpaid) internship that lasted all summer, but I instead contemplated, "This is my chance! I can spend half my summer in Norway and half at a volunteer position at home! Travel, school credit, and still a little work experience!" Definitely having my cake and eating it. Moreover, this is probably my last chance for significant travel for several years, so . . . off I go!
But then the Israel program threw in a wrench popped up. The original plan was to do just the Norway program, not both. As I am part Norwegian, I am of course drawn to the prospect of seeing some of the land of my heritage. But mostly I'm just plain curious. Anybody who knows me knows that I prefer the path less traveled and, well, Norway is a little out of the way (in fact -- think fast! -- can you point to it on a map right now??).
Israel was never on the radar until after I'd already decided to do the Norway trip. It just came up at the last moment, and a professor at my school seemed really keen on me going. I was torn choosing between Norway (beautiful country, long summer days, and an interesting but not intimidating culture) and Israel (most historically and politically significant country on Earth but also famously, uh, "exciting"). After a friendly little chat with my Dean of Academic Affairs -- actually it was hours of carefully crafting a couple of letters to get him on my side and grant me some serious favors -- I found myself no longer needing to choose. Cha-ching! Enter the Epic Summer of 2011!
The plan
is to attend the Norway Program (click on the links for details including what I'll be studying and seeing) from May 21st to June 18th, then the Israel Program from July 3rd to the 29th. Astute mathematicians will notice something of a gap between the two. Seeing as traveling home between programs costs about the same as doing a blitzkrieg tour of Europe does . . . well, it wouldn't be an "epic" summer if I just flew home now, would it? Enter large map of Europe and one of those fancy rail passes that lets me travel whenever / wherever I want. Add one suitcase that converts to a backpack and pants that convert to shorts, and voila!
Of course, no trip would be complete without a trusty sidekick
So . . . this trip is going to have to be rather incomplete. Sigh. Although Alissa is welcome to attend both programs, and both of us would like her to, it just can't be done, realistically. Her workplace wants her (plus our budget becomes more comfortable when she doesn't skip work for months), our apartment would be consumed by termites become a burden if she came along, and, truly, she wouldn't hold up well to the strain of that much travel. Alissa has even more Norwegian blood than I do, but the "nomadic Viking explorer" traits failed to trickle down to her DNA like they did to mine. Which is strange, because she still enjoys pillaging and torching villages now and then . . .
So yeah. We've been apart before, once for 6 weeks. It was a total drag, but we managed through plenty of phone time together. This time around, we have that lovely invention, Skype (free video phone over the internet), which promises to be a lot better than a mere phone line was. Being able to see each other's face makes a huge difference. Furthermore, we will be monitoring travel deals to see if we can affordably fly her out for a brief visit (exploring the French Riviera together does sound ambrosial . . .), but we have no rigid plans yet. In the meantime, everyone local is encouraged to think of Alissa when you want to hang out with someone awesome!
Stay tuned to this station
Having never blogged a trip before, I can promise you nothing more than a good faith effort. I will share snapshots and highlights regularly, though probably not daily. Expect random embellishments in that Lukey-ish style. But fear not: I, too, tire quickly of pretentious stream-of-consciousness travel writing.
Before I go, let me briefly describe my journey there. Remember my first paragraph about early departures? I chose instead the red-eye flight that leaves Los Angeles at 7:30 this evening. Said flight arrives in Zurich, Switzerland at 4:30 tomorrow afternoon, then it's off to Oslo, arriving about 10pm Norway time (9 hours ahead of California). I will then check in to a hostel and attempt to fall asleep at what will be the equivalent of 2 in the afternoon, rising early to take a 7-hour train ride to Bergen, where the program begins. You now see the fortuity of my current sleeplessness: by Oslo, jet lagged or not, I should be tired enough to sleep standing up. I just may try.
