Lyubo's experience from the trip to Norway

            And so, on November the 4^th the Bulgarian group took off on a trip to an incredible country, called Norway. The trip was very long and exhausting, but nothing could compare to what we saw trough the plane’s windows: the amazing beauty of this land. The people there were so kind, always smiling and ready to be with you in any situation. While we were waiting for the other groups from Spain and Ireland to arrive, we had some spare time to go sightseeing around Tromso. I’d say, this is a magical city, which warms you with it’s coziness and beauty, and even the northern cold wind couldn’t disturb us. And after a while we left Tromso with the other groups, heading towards the town of Storslett. After another 4 hours of travelling we found ourselves in Storslett, an even more magnificent place, where the northern fiords were spreading their beauty. It was about 1 AM, but the hosts were waiting for us with smiles on their faces, and separated us in different families. I, a boy from our group, and a boy from Spain were accommodated in a nearby town, about 20 minutes by car away from Storslett. Tired of all the travelling, we were searching for a place to lay down our heads. They showed us their lovely house, which glowed with its romance and warmness. After we woke up for the morning coffee, trough the window we saw a magnificent view- huge great mountain tops surrounded the whole town, and just across the street, the ocean was hitting a small pier across the street. The family was great. They were people, who show you with their happiness, that you should feel like home, and after a while we started to get to know each other, and we realized that we can create a true friendship. The girl that was our host, was Nadia, a very beautiful and always smiling girl, with who we quickly found common interests in many things.

            The project tasks were to attend in some of Nadia’s classes, and to observe her life. This country, which at a first glance is a very rich country, with a very high standard, is loaning a lot of money for the education. Probably for this reason, their school is so modern. It was so interesting to get to know Nadia and her friends, as well as other groups from Ireland and Spain. On a special press conference, the 4 different groups presented their countries, their customs and traditions, using different presentations and film materials. So we get to know the different lifestyle of the countries. In the middle of the afternoon it was already dark outside. In every house there were candles lit, and it felt like they were asking you to come inside. Amazed by everything, I was shocked – 40 crones for a coffee and a Coke, or about 20 levas in Bulgarian money. But even though everything was so expensive, it all faded away when I looked around me. The hosting family was making everything perfect for us, they were taking care of us, as we were their own children. Probably this is why we felt them so close. We had fun together, we enjoyed the fiords’ beauty, the Sami-culture, and, what is very important, we learned a lot. Even their dog, Bajan, became a very good friend of ours. Every day, every night there was something amazing happening to us, something fun and interesting. And we felt really happy, for living their lives, even for a few days. This is why we had a Bulgarian evening one evening, talking about the different cultures. With the other boy from my group we decided to make them “shopska” salad, and to drink a Bulgarian traditional brandy, called rakia. And just before we sat on the table, we gave away some Bulgarian souvenirs and gifts. All evening we enjoyed and talked about our country and their country. If I start describing all interesting things there, a whole notebook won’t be enough. I write about just a part of our adventures, and very shortly, too. The other part of our visit there just cannot be described in words. I was mostly interested when we were introduced to their Sami-culture and language. Things I will remember my whole life. Even if we were separated each one of us in a different house, we still got to know each other with the Spanish and Irish teams. At the end, when we were saying goodbye, we felt the friendship between us, the friendship we created just in a few days, with a smile, happiness and good mood, from all the adventures we went through. More or less, I started loving these people, the Norwegians, who took care for us, and made us feel loved. When we were leaving towards Bulgaria, I wished myself just one thing- to meet again these people, and enjoy once again this great country, Norway.