Page 51 of The Secret to Belonging

you have a whole new appreciation

for your brain

summer above the Arctic Circle

is brief

Bjørn jokes that Norway has two seasons

a white winter

and a green winter

(he jokes in Norwegian

you get the joke)

the sun begins to dip lower

below sea level

school looms

on the autumnal horizon

the norsk equivalent of high school

is the gymnas

lecture-based

economics, philosophy, history

all in Norwegian

tons of vocabulary you’ll never use

Elinor suggests husflidskole

the art school up the hill

she knows the faculty

they’d love to have you

small classes, not huge assemblies

conversations, not lectures

you’ll continue to master the language

learn traditional norsk arts and crafts

Karl-Peter’s golden rules echo in your ears

keep an open mind!

try everything once!