Halfway. In the Grey.

I try to not dwell on time. There is really no point. The past has already happened, and the future is completely uncertain. Now really is all that matters. Still, I cannot help but reflect upon the fact that I am halfway through my 90-day tourist visa stay in Norway. In many ways, that feels about right. So much has happened. It is hard to even digest everything, but in other ways, the time has gone much too quickly and I know that before I know it, my legal stay in this country may come to an end.

So what do I do with that?

The only thing I can, continue walking forward by pursuing the paths in front of me at this moment.

Bergen from the top of Stoltzekleiven on a weather-filled day!

As of today, these are the options that I am navigating:

Working to attain a seasonal tourism job in Norway and apply for a 6-month seasonal visa. This is one of two options that could keep me in Norway, but only for 6 months, though it could open more doors here.

The other option to keep my feet in Norway is production. I still have many feelers out in the video/photo production world and some good leads that I am following. This could potentially result in a company sponsoring my long temporary resident visa journey, which can take anywhere from 2 months to 8 months to attain.

Or, I leave (mainland) Norway behind (for now) and try to find a summer job in Svalbard, the Norwegian Island far to the north, where a visa to live and work is not required. This is beneficial because I would be building a resume in the tourism industry (as with a summer job in Bergen) and continuing to be around the Norwegian language. I would also get a Norwegian D-Number, equivalent to a Social Security Number which means I would already be in the system for the future.

Great Britain/Scotland, maybe? I have not looked into this but I could hop over there for six months and then back to Norway for another three. Just a thought at this point.

Or I go back to the United States, Alaska is on my mind. There is loads of adventure tourism there with the added bonus that I speak the language and don’t need a visa to live or work. Also, I may have the opportunity for a reduced-price Antarctcia-style boat excursion from Juneau to Sitka. What better way to kick off an exploration of the local tourism scene than that?

I am also actively applying to fully remote, travel industry jobs that interest me. More on that later. Maybe.

Yet, something tells me that what actually will happen is something that I cannot predict at this moment. How could I really?

Lessons from: Halfway. In the Grey.

Norwegians really enjoy hiking in the sun but also in sideways rain and 50-mile-per-hour winds. We have this in common.
In the past week, I have seen many people running for the train. Fascinating. If you have no idea what I am talking about, read last week’s post!
As usual, I have no idea what is going to happen and I, not-so-secretly, like that. I remember feeling bored not 18 months ago. I am no longer bored. At least I can say that.

One Ocean Week, promoting ocean sustainability, began in Bergen on Saturday. Ships of all kinds were docked.

Something interesting: Americans studying in Norway.

I looked into student visas since I have decided to explore all options.

Getting accepted into a full-time University program is the only requirement to apply for a student visa. And while a student, it is legal to work up to 20 hours per week.

However, the option is not as sweet as it used to be. In 2023, Norway began charging International Students fees for the programs. Before this, if an American was accepted into a program, all the coursework was completely free. Hard to imagine, but it is true! Now the cost is somewhat significant, especially when factoring in the cost of living in Norway.

Adding to this, the deadline for non-EU students to apply for Fall 2024 courses was last November! And most programs require B1* level Norwegain because they are taught in Norwegian. There are a few programs at the Arctic University in Northern Norway that are taught in English, and one of them is of interest to me. They have a 3-year Adventure Tourism degree. But, of course, because I missed the deadline, the next program start date would be the fall of 2025.

*Language levels are: A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2
I recently learned that this same categorization exists for English. I am currently working through the first half of A1. B2 is required to apply to be a permanent resident in Norway. C1 is considered fluent. C2 is considered academic level.

A look behind the curtain.

One thing I have learned about myself over the past few months is my propensity to exist only in black and white. It has been a tough reality to accept, but it is mine. Something about the way I was forged and developed has made my brain see one extreme or the other, never anything in between.

I have struggled with OCD for well over a decade. It hits me at night before bed. Did I lock my car, turn the stove off, lock the door, put my keys back, or leave my wallet somewhere? It has been completely debilitating at times. I am now reflecting on something my OCD therapist told me a few months back when I decided I had to move beyond this brain bug. She told me that the grey area is my best friend. You see, OCD doesn’t like grey. It only accepts black and white. It likes control. It does not like uncertainty.

How do I square this with my complete submission to uncertainty when I am on the road? How can both people exist in one? And which one am I? I know which one I want to be. I know which one I like best. I know which one has led me to flow states while the other has only led me to misery. My best guess is that I am witnessing my true self, my true nature, being suppressed by the shit that we all carry some version of. But knowing this, acknowledging this, and accepting this is my only path forward.

I recently listened to a podcast, and the guest explained his personal tenets to self-actualization: Know Thyself. Be Thyself. Love Thyself. We may all spend our entire lives working towards this, but what else should we do with our time? For how else can we have a positive effect on the world?