"End? No, the journey doesn't end here"

 A breach in the motion of the accepted plan, in the expectations of "your life path". It has become customary to force ideas of the schedule onto one's life based off past experiences and interests.

"This is the best ever!"

A year ago, my whole head and heart were yearning to be accepted into a graduate program to continue my studies as a physicist, a facade I was unaware I was wearing. As graduation got closer and closer, I began to realize that going back to school immediately was not what I wanted or needed, but it was what was expected of me to do in order to be "successful". The turmoil of trying to convince myself that "I just needed a break in the summer" and "I really did want this commitment right now" became exhausting and I began to live in fear of getting accepted into a program.

Graduation: First day of my Freedom

At that time did I have any conception of the fact I would buy an impromptu, one way ticket to the lands of viking and trolls with almost no plan at all? Of course not, that would be silly and rash! Careful planning and logic are reserved for adults and I'm clearly not ready to grow up yet.

 I am now back home in the kingdom of the Rocky Mountains having left Norway on January 7th. While I was excited to get back home and see family and friends, when I stepped on the plane in Oslo I felt a pit of homesickness, and not for Colorado.

After the chaos of the conference was over, the air about the island was at peace again. Honestly all I wanted to do was sleep and I was able to sneak in some well deserved shut eye before getting back on my feet.

No time like nap time :) 

In celebration of the end of our Manshausen mayhem, Mie, Stein and myself took a short boat tour around the island in the neighboring waters. It was so quiet; the air was still, sitting with a sharp cold that was re-setting the tone from the past week.

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Sebastian returned the day before Mie and I were set to leave and, for me, it was a nice happy reunion to have everyone back on the island. We celebrated Mie's birthday that evening with wine and the plethora of leftovers waiting in the fridge.

The thought of having to catch the ferry the next morning instilled a pang of dread, in part because I was leaving this island and Norway that had become my home, in part because I was leaving these people I had grown so close to and mainly because I was leaving brown cheese and all this food! (just kidding guys, I miss you more than the food 😉)

Last Dinner on Manshausen

As per the theme of December weather, a storm was on its way to the island! Go figure...and to no surprise the ferry ended up getting cancelled and there was a thought that the bus was not heading down to Bodø either. I was panicked. As much as I wanted to stay, missing my flight home was not on my itinerary. Mie and I were able to catch the bus the night of the 6th and we parted ways with the island. Back in October, I never thought the day would come that I would actually start on my journey home but there I was (and don't tell anyone, but I was totally fighting back tears), saying my goodbyes to Sebastian, the island and the sheep. Just like that, Manshausen and the man in the yellow jacket faded into the black of the evening as we drove away.

The bus took longer than expected and we reached Bodø a little before midnight and since Mie and I both had early flights we set up camp in the airport. My last bed in Norway was the bench next to bag drop.

"Just shut your eyes, and imagine you're back in your own bed, with a soft mattress and a lovely feather pillow."

After arriving in Oslo, the rays of the sun started trickling through the window as we sipped on coffee waiting for Mie's train to arrive. It was the weirdest sensation ever! I don't even know how to describe the whirlwind of astonishment going on in my head. It was so beautiful yet so unwelcome at the same time and I couldn't stop laughing...I don't know why, the Sun doesn't have very good jokes but whatever.

The Gold Medal list

Mie and I said our goodbyes before she headed down to the train and I to my gate. Stepping onto the plane, I was headed back. By no means should I have expected my trip home to be a smooth one; when I landed in Reykjavík, due to technical difficulties at the terminal, I broke space and time making it through customs and sprinting to my gate and arriving at the last possible second. I suppose it was the Universe's way of reminding me that I needed to start working off the copious amounts of brown cheese and other delectables I have consumed the past month. 

Eye Candy of the North. I will miss this every night.

Now that I am back it feels like I have never left but the amount of living I have done the past two and a half months makes me feel as if I have been away for a year. When I was flying over Greenland I was living all of my adventures in a daydream and an overwhelming sadness came over me, but I smiled. I smiled because even though all of these experiences, special connections and situations I have encountered on this trip can never be duplicated ever again, they have happened. And in the end, it all brought me so much joy. I just lived the s*** out of life and It. Was. Awesome.

When it's cold out but you're repping Odell so it doesn't matter. Flateryi, Iceland

Every person I encountered was a special piece to the whole of my trip, so here is a shout out to all my Viking Tour people! To Ulfur who showed me my first taste of Icelandic hospitality when I was on the verge of crying into my hamburger from a mixture of exhaustion and aloneness, to Rico whose immediate friendship helped me settle into my stay in Iceland, to my University ladies who took me in, basically saved my life and took care of me when I needed it the most, to Thomas and Aaron who adopted me into their life where I got my first experience of Norwegian culture and enjoyed mushing adventures, to Anna for being my long lost sister (and how we have never met before this trip is just a crime to humanity ;)), to Nora and Beana because you two are awesome and adorable, to Sebastian for not hating me for missing the stop at Nordskott and being the best company to be stuck on an island with, to Børge for giving me the opportunity to work and be stuck on his island for a month, to Regina and family for taking me in and showing me a traditional Norwegian Christmas, to Bengt for the New Years help, company and talk of adventure and dog sledding, to Mie and braving the island alone together even when chaos struck, to Stein who tirelessly drove the boat back and forth for us in good and *cough* not so good weather and of course to Napoleon and my Dream Team! Thank you to everyone!
  

Sheep Headquarters

The great burden of "expectations" has been lifted and I rest happy with the knowledge that I decided to break that mold, jump off the ledge of my comfort zone and do this. I have the freedom to live now, with no guilt of doing "what I should" or "what is right".

"It doesn't matter where it's going, what matters is deciding to get on." -Polar Express

If we mourn because of the past we miss out on being filled with the joy that once had come from it

We often forget to "get on" as it were. Life is one hell of a ride my friends and whether it is good, bad or boring, be filled with the present, carry the spirit of the past and wake with anticipation for the future.

This is getting too preachy for my taste and I apologize. But seriously, all this preachy stuff has fueled my freedom, all because I "decided to get on".

Thank you to all that followed (and were part of) this crazy trip I decided to take! Norway, I look forward to my return. Skål!

Nyttår!

Smørbrød. Sandwich, directly translated, butter bread. Why does this fact linger on my mind? I haven't the faintest idea, but it is the small wonders of life that make your average day worth talking about. 

This stretch of New Years holiday time is everything worth talking/writing about, so grab a coffee or a cocktail and read on for the first great story of 2017!

Manshausen in a wind storm 

We had guests arrive shortly after Christmas and the island, Mie, Napoleon and his Dream Team and myself were all prepared for these human creatures to come grant us with their company. Mie handled the cooking which allowed me to go about my business continuing to limit my interaction with human beings; it can be scary transitioning back into the human world after being a sheep for so long. 

Earned my Sheep Card. Baaaaaaa

All 4 of the sea cabins were booked for New Years Eve and we had a collage of nationalities and personalities here on the island. I found that one of the special qualities of Manshausen is not these award winning sea cabins or the famous explorer that owns it (but those are pretty cool aspects as well, let's be real) but the personable nature of the island. It's small, very small, so when it is populated it becomes a temporary community. New Years was celebrated by groups of people who entered as strangers but then came together as family.

In This Issue: Manshausen laced with snow

Traveling ALONE makes you think that one would get lonely or feel like they are on a "self discovery" escapade. Grant it, I have felt lonely on occasion, but on a whole I've felt more fulfilled and surrounded by "family" than I ever have. I haven't known anyone here for very long, and some I may never see again, but each person has filled part of the hole that is "completeness" in my conscious. For a few years now I've been "itching"; nothing felt settled, everything seemed to be floating in 0 gravity around me and while I was surrounded by everyone and everything I loved I could never seem to keep everything together. I've been anxious, in every physical sense of the word.

This will never get old

Even the Asian disaster (another bar story to be asked about in person) somehow completed this crazy mess of uncertainty in my head and, while nothing is at peace in my mind, my little brain astronauts have finally got their act together and secured all the nonsense in my head.

Suddenly, after the New Years festivities were over and one by one everyone parted ways, chaos ensued and alone was no longer a word in my vocabulary *cue suspenseful music*

Accompanying Børge to Manshausen a few days ago was a group of 18 people coming for a conference. I was prepared. Everything was set up and cleaned except the cabins because people were checking out that morning, but I planned my diligence that I would be able to get everything completed before their arrival and then...BLACKOUT. That was not a word I wanted to hear from a guest during breakfast. All the lights in the cabins and the conference room were out. Excellent. Absolutely excellent.

Dried fish

 I've duct taped hoses that have been torn in half, I've fixed door handles, I've learned to communicate with sheep, I've helped moved flooring and building materials from the mainland to the island in a dinky little boat, I've even been told that I could have a career in baking if I didn't want to do physics so what is one little "blackout" to add to the list. On a morning that had a schedule laced like a corset. With 18 guests arriving. On an island with no easy access to an electrician. Ha. I see no issues.

Clearly there were issues. After being on the phone for a few hours and trouble shooting multiple circuits and being mystified with the causes of this event, the guests arrived, the cabins were decorated with post New Years chaos and there was still no power. I was heading down to the dock to start the final troubleshooting to find what exactly was causing he problem I saw the boat, masses of people in puffy jackets and suitcases were marching my way, so instead of going about my business I turned and ran back to the building in a panic with the intention of hiding...because that's how adults solve problems. Duh. 

The cause of the power outage is still not fully figured out, but for the sake of "the show must go on!" we got them up and running again.

"New Year new me" bulls**. I bake and am a unicorn now. Fight me. Skål

The rest of their stay was busy as ever; constant running around serving and cleaning and fixing and doing other chores, we never had a chance to sit down. Up until 1400 today I was pulling 15-17 hour days and running on 3-4 hours of sleep per night since December 30th. My feet still hurt.

The pain of the work day was soothed with the gourmet meals provided by the chef that was hired in to cater this event: Halvar Ellingsen. I have never eaten such food in my life before. Everything danced and died in my mouth just as God intended it to in an intoxicating cycle that is "taste and digest".  It was 5 star dinners all around, almost to fancy for me to be in the same vicinity.

Food and Stuff.

We now have enough food to last till Armageddon; this group over-estimated how much they would be eating for breakfast and snacks so leftovers and other fun things must be eaten soon!

I escaped for some peace during this tumultuous time so as to not fully go crazy. The weather has been quiet (God be Praised! -yes, you must say it in that voice please) and the last glimpse of the sunsets have been the supporting course to the meals that are for eyes only. One evening I had to go sit myself down at the south side of the island so I could be alone and let the dark silk ripples of the water flood my focus so I could watch the orange and red of the sky without a thought. It was an angry sky, Venus and Mars pierced the black that sat above the red horizon practically blinding the viewer. But the balance was restored with easy pastel lights yesterday afternoon.

I like sheep butts and I cannot lie.

I am honestly not quite sure what sort of coherent nonsense I have told to you today, or if I was able to convey the craziness that was the unforgettable start of 2017. I am still tired, but happy to ramble on and reminisce on recent days.

During these events snow has finally come to Manshausen. I have been anticipating snowfall since I left my mountains and the loud silence of the coastal snowflakes satisfied that hunger.

"Ah, excuse me, Marina. Can you fix weather? There snow on ground. Where are the studs on the Kayak?"

These hectic days can provide for wonderful stories to tell around the campfire someday with s'mores. The details will eventually fade and I will be left with only the summary of these past few days to recite at social gatherings for the years to come.

The turmoil of the logic behind "smørbrød" will be burned into my brain, as if it were an immortally fresh memory as will the joyous awe of the watching the heavy snowflakes fall to rest on the ground. Never losing the thoughts of the "now", never losing the curiosity of the mundane, as if it were all just one rippling moment that continues forever. I'm not sure what is owed to be taken away from that, but it carries weight to meditate on. 

Boats and floating islands