Page 36 of The Secret to Belonging

saying goodbye

Ha det bra!

and thanking your host for dinner

Tusen takk for maten

Karl-Peter drills that last one into you

apparently saying thank you after a meal

is crucial to a successful home stay

no matter how hard you study or how long your exchange, you will never become Norwegian

Karl-Peter says

but wait

isn’t that why you’re here?

immerse yourself in a new culture?

leave preconceived notions of nationality behind?

embrace a new way of seeing the world?

assimilate? learn how to belong?

Kristen raises her hand

isn’t becoming Norwegian kind of the goal?

Karl-Peter smiles

en kan reise hvor en vil, men aldri fra seg selv

blank stares

one can travel anywhere, but never from oneself

you will always be where you’re from

no matter how assimilated you become, he says

your home countries created you

what if you don’t want to be where you’re from?

what if you’re ready to be someone new?

lunch is small open-faced sandwiches of white bread

with hard-boiled egg or cucumber and fresh dill

you take two and a bottle of orange soda

it tastes like Crush, but not so sweet. better