Egersund

Egersund was by far my favorite stop on our trip in Norway.  We stayed with host families and did more than sight see.  We were able to invest in the community and have the community invest in us.  It didn't have the perfection of Bergen, but it was more inviting, smaller. We arrived to a delicious lunch at the church's community building.  The mayor of the town came to welcome us and Karen, our coordinator, was so accommodating.  Karen ended up being my- and three other girls- host!  We were all incredibly excited because she is an amazing cook and is so kind.  

We went for a walking tour about the town...

this picture is taken from a bridge- I love the boat sheds! The water leads right out to the bay...

the church we sang in

Another view of the church...

City Park

After the tour, we met up with our host families to eat dinner and settle into the homes.  Karen and Thorfin were welcoming, accommodating, and genuinely kind!!!  Their home was located about 20 min ourside of Egersund overlooking the water... it was so peaceful and such a nice break from the hustle and bustle in the hotels/big cities.

That evening, we went to a concert.  http://www.hummingpeople.no/  Humming People, y'all. Check 'em out!!!  One of my friends, Anna, said she,"Just saw hipsters in skinny jeans singing Johnny cash in a barn... If I didn't know better i'd think I was in Washington" AND IT'S SO TRUE!!! Oh my gosh, you don't even know.  We were in a barn all decked out like everything was from pinterest and they were playing their own songs, Johnny Cash, and U2 in true folky/bluegrass/hipster style... Seriously, check them out!

http://vimeo.com/29229881

The next day, we had the privilege to sing in a local community gathering in Egersund in support of the developmentally delayed.  We joined in the festival with some of our favorite songs and got to plug our concert This day, though, was the day I was going to leave... That made everything especially poignant... During our free time, I went to a local coffee shop and ordered a mocha.  I proceeded to write thank you cards and cry my eyes our in a corner; I got some weird looks! aha!

I am not a big crier.  Or at least I wasn't until this trip lol!  During and after the concert I was a terrible mess! I finally had to tell myself, "no more tears" so I would stop dehydrating myself (and stop blubbering, of course)!!! But I said my goodbye's at the church and then the pastor drove me to the train station so I could ride to Stavanger to catch my flight...  He walked me through buying my ticket (everything was in Norwegian) and then, because there was still one hour until my train, offered to drive me out to the BBQ that the choir was going to. Sensing my hesitance (I didn't want to miss my train/bus/flight) he said that if I missed my train, he would drive me to Stavanger himself. His words: "trust me."  I said "ok" and proceeded to have a half hour more with the choir.  I did end up making my "train" (it turned into a bus that would take me to another train two hours away...) and I am so thankful for the pastor and Karen, who was the best host AND gave me money so I could purchase something to eat at the airport.  WHAT? These people were so kind. What a lesson in trust, receiving gifts, and Norwegian hospitality.  I am looking forward to the day when I can serve in this capacity for someone.

 This is an excerpt from my journal when I was traveling to the Stavanger airport to catch my 5:40 am flight: 

"Now, I am sitting in the Hotel Radisson in Stavanger writing this on a word document because I don’t have the guts to ask for the wifi password and I don't want to unpack my bags to get my actual journal…. The staff here was already kind enough to allow me to sit in here waiting for the 3:30 airport bus… I can’t even imagine what I look like right now… Vagabond extraordinaire comes to mind- I am wearing 2 scarves, my traveling boots, corduroys, and I haven’t showered in a while.  I've been crying and my eyes have large dark bags underneath them from sleep deprivation.  Add to that: I'm carrying my large camera, backpacking backpack, and side bag I bought in Mexico for something like 14 pesos... I am a sight to behold!!!"

I ended up taking a taxi to the airport, sleeping there, finding out my flight had been canceled (but it had already been rescheduled months ago, the computer just didn't realize it yet) so I walked back and forth from the baggage check to this one window... ah! it was a nightmare... but I did end up in Gokturk, Istanbul safely, tired, and on schedule after many an adventure on bus, train, foot, taxi, plane, another plane, then chauffeur. (Yes, chauffeur... the family I am staying with has two drivers...!)

But now, of course, I am playing catch up on my blog... haha sorry mom and dad!  I will try to keep you more informed!  More on the next post specifically about Istanbul! =)

Cheers!

Hannah