Big exit

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It’s time to go home. After 24 months of travels, 21 countries, numerous studies, beers, bands, cod served 25 different ways, student houses, one big thesis, countless new friends and enough rain and snow to last forever, I’m heading back to my favourite place of all: Melbourne. I have a little detour via New York City for four days en route back to Melbourne, but the packing up and boxes around me suggest that the trip home is very much underway. I’m thrilled to be going home. The last two years have been brilliant, fantastic and an almost unbelievable opportunity to live and study in Europe. But after a while the lure of home grows from a happy background buzz to an undeniable roar and that’s the stage I’ve reached now. The comforts of my own home, and being amongst my family and friends from home seems so incredibly appealing that I feel 100% ready to leave Norway. I’ve had a nice last few days: a few museums, some souvenir shopping, and a nice final night out at jazz club Blå. I have mixed feelings about Oslo. On some levels I feel at home here and know my way around the place quite well. But on the other hand it’s hard to deny it is an expensive and not overly interesting place with truly appalling weather. The amount of rainy miserable days this summer is almost comical! I’ve certainly had a great time here overall and it’s my second home after Melbourne, but right now the year (all up) that I’ve spent here is enough for now.

So – onwards to NYC and then home. Away from the dreary Norwegian weather. And what’s the forecast for New York? Storms every day. Oh dear…