Living in a country so far up north has its advantages and disadvantages. Indeed I could do a whole dissertation on Norway, the country that has been my home & base for more than 30 years. That would be from my perspective, of course. I could write about how I experience being an immigrant with a background from a non-European country, how I experience being a woman here, or my understanding of Norwegian political system from a global perspective. The list is merely long, and there is a lot to take off, but I want to dedicate this blog post to the four seasons.

In Norway, we have four proper seasons, although this year, there was hardly any snow here in Oslo. I spent many years getting used to snow, but now I love winter and the snow that lights up the dark season. The snow creates magic.

Then comes the spring, with the birds, as its messengers. From early in the morning until late evenings, they are busy announcing the entrance of the light. The light that shakes us alive.

I wake up every morning to a chorus of birds. Their songs are a reminder; the dark season is over. Nowadays, the trees are in full bloom, their fragrance makes me natural high, and I observe that it is not only me. The smile is back on people’s faces, and the outdoor areas are packed. Cause who wants to be inside, as hungry as we are for sun and light, right?

“Do people never go home here?” asked my aunt, once she visited me during summertime. Living in California, she had not seen anything like Norwegian summer before. She was kind of shocked.

Springs and summers are appreciated in the northern sphere, maybe not so strange, as you read. The video above is just a small taste of how a spring evening walk can lead to in Norway. The Brokeland Bullets, with their lovely pleasing music, was spreading happiness around 9.30 pm in the park. Do you see how light it still is outside by that time?