The Last Week, Graduation & Goodbye

So now I'm back in Fresno!... It's 25 degrees warmer and gets dark 3 hours earlier; I don't have a veiw of the ocean from my room and I can't walk out the front door and take a stroll through the woods; on the brighter side, I have a cell phone and a car and my mom and my best friend (among other great people)! But despite the vast differences between the two places, it doesn't feel all that strange to be home. That's the weirdest part about coming home, is that coming home isn't all that weird. Home is the same as it always is: comfortable and safe, the place I come back to. The only difference is our new psycho-kitty named Punkin, which my mom acquired while I was gone. I'm not really a cat person, but I must admit I like this little ball of fur so full of spunk and personality :-).

My last week in Norway was fabulous, and I think I could have used another week or two to spend time with my friends without all the distractions of class, packing, and cleaning. Friday after taking our six hour final exam (for which I could have used at least another 2 hours if we hadn't had a time limit), all the SOI students and staff went to an apartment in town to celebrate with a yummy dinner of fresh Norwegian shrimp. It was a great time to relax and celebrate all God had done during our school. On Saturday, we had a Talent Night initiated by yours truly (surprised?), although it turned out that only Gunna and I had prepared any talents! Luckily, we had plently of material to keep the show going for over an hour, and we just renamed it "Lisa, Gunna & Friends." Everyone else seemed to be happy with the entertainment :-). Sunday some friends and I went on a final boat trip out to the lighthouse you can see from my balcony. It's nice to be able to walk down the stairs from where you live, hop in a boat and take a trip out on the ocean!

And then came Monday, the final hour of my time in Norway. We spent the morning cleaning the base and then both schools had graduation in the evening. It's so hard to really comprehend saying goodbye to people who have become such good friends, and who I can't be sure I will ever see again. But I guess I can't follow that road too far... my closest of friends I always end up seeing again, somehow. That night I stayed up until 2am to say goodbye to Gunstein, who left on a train at 2:15 (crazy). The next morning I woke up, ate breakfast, said goodbye to my friends still left at the base, and proceeded to the airport, where Gunna and I had an extended goodbye. I have many good friends from Norway, but Gunna is definitely the best, and I already miss her. She has been a light in my life for the past 3 months... that and I don't think any of my other friends have been so eager to engage in craziness with me... our plethora of funny videos and pictures I will treasure forever! :-)

So after about 20 hours of travelling, I stepped off the plane in Fresno, my home sweet home. And on Monday I'm leaving for a week in Hawaii with my mom and sister! The excitement never ends! I'm looking forward to the next 3 months or so at home before I take off again for Kyrgyzstan. I have a lot ahead of me in terms of preparing for this next big step and putting into practice what God has taught me about Himself and intercession. The journey continues!

Just FYI, my cell phone has been activated again, so feel free to call (559.906.2519). I won't have much time to hang out with people before I leave again on Monday, but I'm looking forward to getting together with all you Fresno-people again and catching up once I get back on July 5th!

Signe Elise, Torgunn, Gunna, Eili, Eleanor, Jessica, and Cecilie (Signe Elise's daughter) enjoying shrimp at Torgunn's apartment balcony. 

Steve and Gunna lounging on the balcony. 

Elisabeth enjoying a piece of cake at our Friday night school-end celebration. 

Doing the Limbo at the Talent Night. 

Me, Lina, Gunstein & Gunna on a boat trip to the lighthouse (this is the lighthouse in all the pictures of the view from my room). 

Torstein and Gunstein on the boat. 

SOI students at graduation.

Our very holy SOI staff :-) 

Me and Gunna and our fabulous one-on-ones, Jessica and Magni. 

Steve, Gunna & Fred, celebrating Mission: Impossible-style. 

Saying goodbye to Gunstein--so sad! 

Me & Gunna with our Stevie-weevey, the wind beneath our wings. 

The Last Hurrah--saying goodbye to Gunna at the airport. What will I do without my wonderful roommate?? 

A Note From Gunna

"Dear Roommate,

As a vindication of me as a quite good lookin' girl, I would ask you, Lisa Freeman, to put a site on your blog where you apologize and deeply regret and repent from posting pics of me, your dear and faithful roommate, where I look like a fatty. Yes, yes--that would be an appropriate thing to do indeed, and I would suggest that you put on some real nice pics of me in addition to your apology... like 10 or something. Yes, yes--that would work. Then I will consider forgiving you for this most rude, disrespectable act of yours.

Sincerely,
Gunna"

Ok, dearest roommate, I don't know if this is exactly 10 pictures, but I hope this will suffice as restitution...

Very Well-Loved Gunna 

Cutie Pie Gunna 

Stuffing Face Gunna 

Gunna & Torstein 

Adorable-on-the-Bus Gunna 

Kitchen Worker Gunna 

Thrift Store Gunna 

Hard Core Gunna 

Ireland!

Even my closest of close friends and family will be surprised at this post, because my decision to visit Ireland was extremely last minute! But yes, I spent this past weekend on the Emerald Isle! It was a random trip, but not quite as random as it may seem at first :-). I have basically been trying to decide for the past 3 months whether or not I would take a trip to Ireland in June to visit Ben (from Alabama :-)), who is there on a missions trip this month. I went back and forth between deciding to go or not go for a long time, until about a month ago when I decided that I would go for sure! Usually, those kinds of "for sure" decisions are immutable in my mind, due to the amazing Lisa-will. But after a few weeks of thinking about it more, I decided for sure that I would not go after all. I felt like I should take advantage of the time I had here with friends. But this uncharacteristic schizophrenia continued! This past week around Tuesday I was overwhelmed with a sense of needing to get out of Norway. Some of us were planning a trip to Denmark, but that looked like it was going to fall through, and I was faced with the prospect of spending another weekend hanging around the base. I spent at least an hour on Wednesday researching flights to just about every major city in Europe :-). Finally, on Thursday morning I decided to take a long shot and email Ben (who was alreadin in Ireland) to see if it would be possible for me to come visit that weekend after all. I had no idea if he even had access to email or would be able to write me back in time for me to book a ticket, but I didn't really have anything to lose. After checking my email about 20 times on Thursday with no reply, I had halfway given up on Ireland as an option. But on Friday morning I checked my email one more time, and Ben had written back: "Come!" So I checked Travelocity again, and amazingly, there were still tickets available to Dublin for cheaper than they'd been a month before! So I booked my flight out for the next morning (Saturday), and headed out for my adventure. Crazy!

It was awesome to have the opportunity to visit Ireland for the weekend--I mean, when else will I have have that chance again?? I flew into Dublin, and then took a bus up to Belfast where Ben is staying. I decided to fly into Dublin instead of straight to Belfast because it was cheaper, but I'm so glad I did. I was able to see some beautiful Irish countryside that I would have missed flying straight into Belfast. I met up with Ben around 2:30 that afternoon, and I just got a kick out of that: meeting up with my friend from Alabama...who I met on a trip to Russia... while I am living in Norway... in Ireland. I really enjoyed my time in Belfast and exploring the City Centre. I got to see the City Hall, Queen's University, take a stroll through the Botanic Gardens, and enjoy listening to the Irish accents :-). I stayed in a youth hostel, and my experience also really boosted my confidence when it comes to travelling internationally by myself. Everything was so easy, even though I didn't have it all planned out (details like how I would get to Belfast and where I would stay weren't worked out until I actually arrived). But above all, I was struck by how well I am taken care of by my Heavenly Father. No matter where I go, I never go by myself. My Father is always with me, taking care of me, and I don't have to worry about a thing because He is by my side. I was very aware of His presence with me this weekend.

On Monday afternoon I headed back to Norway very happily. Of course I enjoyed my time away, but I also missed my awesome roommate and the other wonderful people back at the base. I think going away was actually the best thing I could have done to prepare me for this last week in Norway. It was a good break from life on the base, and made me really appreciate everyone here, and get a sense for how much I really like them! So I'm even more prepared to get the most out of this last week with my wonderful new friends.

So I'm sure there's no doubt I had a great experience in Ireland, but I must admit one of the best things about going away was coming home! I arrived in Kristiansand at 11:30pm and expected Steve to pick me up, because I'd asked him if he would before I left. BUT to my surprise, I was met at the airport by 6 yelling friends, greeting me with Norwegian flags and signs saying, "Welcome Home!" and "We love the USA!" I have never been so warmly greeted at an airport before! Especially after only being away for 3 days :-). The guys (my bodyguards) were dressed up in black suits and sunglasses, faithfully protecting me from harm :-). My bags were carried, doors were opened for me, and I was even escorted to my room when we returned to the base! Needless to say I felt very welcomed and very loved! Most of this was orchestrated by Gunna, my fabulous roommate. What awesome friends I have! Enjoy the pictures!

A typical view of Ireland, taken from the bus from Dublin to Belfast. 

Me and Ben. From Russia to Alabama to California to Ireland, our paths always seem to cross :-) 

One of many churches along the main street in Belfast. 

City Hall.