But what is Norway?
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Norway is high mountains and deep fjords. It is plains and coastal landscapes, islands and islets. It is lush fields and gentle heaths. It is dark winter days and bright summer nights. It is both salty and sweet, dried fish and fermented trout, mutton stew and cured lamb ribs.
But Norway is, above all, people.
Norwegians are people from Northern Norway, Central Norway, Southern Norway—and people from all the other regions.
Norwegians have also immigrated from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Poland, Sweden, Somalia, and Syria. My grandparents immigrated from Denmark and England 110 years ago.
It is not always easy to say where we come from, to which nationality we belong. Home is where our heart is—and that cannot always be confined within national borders.
Norwegians are girls who love girls, boys who love boys, and girls and boys who love each other.
Norwegians believe in God, Allah, Everything, and Nothing.
Norwegians like Grieg and Kygo, Hellbillies and Kari Bremnes.
In other words: Norway is you. Norway is us.
My greatest hope for Norway is that we will be able to take care of one another.
That we will build this country further—on trust, solidarity, and generosity. That we will feel that we—across all our differences—are one people. That Norway is one.
We all should find our Norway.
We must look for that space, whether it is a place, a community, or a state of mind, where we are entirely free to be who we are. We need to seek out a home built on trust, wide open to differences, and anchored wherever our hearts feel whole. We must not let borders or expectations define us; let us build lives surrounded by people who welcome every piece of our story. Wherever we land, let us make sure it is a place of belonging, kindness, and boundless curiosity.
