Photography

This is Norway (and My Cute Puppy)

15:41:00

I spent last weekend at our cabin in the mountains. We share it with our extended family, and it is truly one of the most beautiful places. Everything is so old-fashioned and the village (if it can even be called that) is so tiny, it feels like you're stepping into a fairytale.


We have no neighbours there; the closest one is a farm on the other side of a creek and up a hill, and it is just all so idyllic. The village has two shops: one for food, and one that stocks everything else: candles, yarn, tools, warm clothes, toys, you name it. The kids who live there have to travel over an hour to the closest town just to go to secondary school. 

It all feel so surreal when you're there. This time, I decided to bring my camera and show you the hike we usually go on. Also, my puppy. She's featured in basically every shot, so apologies if you're not too big of a dog-fan. 


The leaves and nature in general was surprisingly green for it to be the beginning of October. Usually they'd either be dead already, or at least a darker shade of orange or red.


Yes, this was my face as I was looking at my cute puppy. Look at her here though, isn't she just the cutest?


She's a surprisingly good poser.


We didn't go very far on our hike, but we did get to the Big Rock, which is just balancing there, large enough to walk around on. Fun fact: there's a huge rock balancing on a flat berg somewhere in western Norway, called The Man. It's been there for thousands of years, but a few years ago there were rumours it was about to roll down. The Norwegian equivalent of the BBC did a 24-hour livestream of it, waiting for anything to happen, but nothing did and it's still there.


These next two show the difference between when my dog was focusing on something above me, and the moment she grew curious and wanted to sniff my camera. I'm pretty sure I now have dog slobber on my camera lens.



And last but not least, me and the puppy.


Weekends like this make me realise how proud I am of Norway and our nature. I wish I could invite you all over and show you, because it's the kind of thing that needs to be seen with your own eyes. I've also previously done a post with photos of what is known as Norway's best hike, and it can be seen here if you're interested.

I hope you enjoyed this post, and that you didn't mind all my doting on the dog. She's adorable, and I miss her a lot since I don't live with her anymore.

Other

Moving out Update: Everything Feels Strange and Overwhelming

12:57:00

I told you all that I'd keep you updated on moving out and everything that's happening this year, so that's what I'm doing today.

In case you're unfamiliar, in the middle of August I moved out. My old town was tiny, and I went to a school of 100 students, where everyone knew everyone. In this new city, I knew close to no-one. I started a huge new school, and moved into a flat with a girl I'd met once. At 17, this sounds like a recipe for disaster, and that's certainly what it felt like for the first month.

Everything felt new and unsafe: I didn't know anyone at my school, I had no idea how to get around the city, and most overwhelming at all, when I got home at  the end of the day, my family wasn't there, and instead it was someone I barely knew. Living with a flatmate is the one thing I was most nervous about, but it's also become the one thing that keeps me sane on a day-to-day basis.

We bonded so quickly. We spent the first day exploring the city, and then went to Ikea. She's such a lovely person, and I depend on her an insane amount for only having known her a month. We make dinner together, and go shopping together. On particularly bad days, she's sat with me in the kitchen for hours, listening to me crying and comforting me, all while sharing a bucket of cookie-dough ice cream. She's the best flatmate I could imagine, and if I didn't have someone like her here, I think my first month would have been a lot worse.

It wasn't a great month though. I can probably count the days I haven't cried on both hands, and all I wanted was to go home. Everything's settling down a bit now. I'm at home with my parents for half-term this week, but I spent last weekend in my old hometown staying with friends.


That weekend was exactly what I needed. I got to see some of the people I love most, and it was a weekend filled with long hugs, laughter, and nostalgia. I love my friends there, but with every second I spent there, I realised how glad I am to not be living there anymore. Of course I miss my friends and I'm making an effort to go back more often to see them, but every street, every corner had so many memories on it.

There's something very special about small towns like that: At 10pm on a Sunday, my friend and I sat in the McDonalds eating McFlurry's, and within the half an hour we were there, we bumped into three people I know. I'm glad I went back that weekend, but I'm infinitely more glad that I don't live there anymore.

Everything has brightened up a bit after that. School isn't so bad anymore. Sure, my classes are stressful, but I've met nice people who make me laugh, and I've hung out with a few of them outside of school, and actually had a great time.

As for the city life, I love it. I'll probably do an entire post about this soon, but as of now, the best thing about it is the public transport. It sounds stupid I know, but in my old town the buses went barely once an hour, whereas here I can get anywhere in the city within twenty minutes.

Things are getting better, and I can only hope that continues. I've discovered that most people feel like this when they first move out, whether that's to Uni, or just in general. I know I've struggled quite a bit with all the changes, and although on paper I should be having the time of my life, it hasn't exactly worked out like that.

I make it work the best I can though. I make sure to never leave myself alone, as that is usually what makes me overly emotional. I never stay in the flat overnight if my roommate isn't home, because I find evenings to be especially tough. I go home most weekends, and if not, I make sure to have them fully-packed with plans.

So far, I'm doing okay. This all feels overwhelming and strange, but I'm starting to get used to it. If you've just moved out yourself, or if you're just going through a tough time in terms of loneliness and feeling lost, please know that you're not alone, and everyone around you has felt like this at one point or another. Also, you can always reach out to me on twitter if you just fancy someone to chat to and keep your mind occupied.