Page 53 of The Secret to Belonging

ashtrays on every surface

all girls and women in your small class

everyone knits and rolls cigarettes

smoking, talking, laughing

new dialects from around Nordland

a few who don’t know English at all

many students aren’t from Gledevik

they come to study, rent rooms in town

you’re in the minority, living with a family

some students are younger than you

some much older, married with kids

no age categories or grade levels here

only levels of mastery and desires to learn

your knitting pinner click in your blue wool

your ears track new turns of phrase

you close your eyes

breathe in the newness

visualize your arms opening

you notice Norwegians wear the same clothes

for a few days before switching outfits

less self-conscious

less laundry

more efficient

you buy a pair of Swedish clogs to leave at school

you feel like Mister Rogers changing your boots each day

but everyone else does the same, since clogs

are easier to slip off when sitting at the looms

at home with Bjørn and Elinor

no one wears shoes in the house

everyone has their own set of slippers