Houseguest
One of the things that traveling abroad has changed about me is that I am now very comfortable being a guest. It started when I lived in Germany, because I was constantly being invited to friends' homes. In fact, part of my strategy to see the country was making friends with people who had grown up in interesting places and then hoping they would invite me to their hometown. The plan worked splendidly.
I think the key to being a good guest is openness. I've gradually become comfortable in a variety of arrangements, whether I'm sleeping on the floor or a queen bed in the guest room. There's a delicate balance to be found whereby I accept my hosts' offers without being greedy, participate in a conversation without being either domineering or too shy, and remain comfortably myself while taking part in the lives of those around me. It would be inaccurate to say I always find this balance, but I'm definitely much closer than I was in 2011.
This weekend, my friend, Ingeborg, invited me to travel to Oslo with her. She wanted to see a concert and visit her mom, who lives there. I was grateful to Ingeborg for inviting me along and to her mom for hosting me. I think you learn a lot about a person when you see them in their native context, among their family or in their hometown. It was cool for me to see some of the personality traits and interests that Ingeborg shares with her mom, and family photos scattered throughout the apartment were both insightful and adorable.
I got to know Ingeborg's cousin a little. He works in marketing but is also very into music. In fact, he's one of the few people I have ever met who appreciate music for what it is, rather than sorting artists into those they like and those they don't like. He treats all kinds of music as inherently valuable but just applicable to different situations. His Spotify features genres as diverse as Gregorian chant, electronica, and metal. He actually gave me a comprehensive introduction to the genre of Norwegian Black Metal, which I had never encountered before. I'm not so sure I'd ever like to encounter it again, to be honest, since the sacreligious lyrics draw on imagery from paganism and the occult. Still, it's good for me to be aware that such a thing exists.
It ended up being an incredibly musical weekend, as I'll describe in later posts. I saw two concerts, three museums, and experienced Norway's capital. Stay tuned.
I think the key to being a good guest is openness. I've gradually become comfortable in a variety of arrangements, whether I'm sleeping on the floor or a queen bed in the guest room. There's a delicate balance to be found whereby I accept my hosts' offers without being greedy, participate in a conversation without being either domineering or too shy, and remain comfortably myself while taking part in the lives of those around me. It would be inaccurate to say I always find this balance, but I'm definitely much closer than I was in 2011.
This weekend, my friend, Ingeborg, invited me to travel to Oslo with her. She wanted to see a concert and visit her mom, who lives there. I was grateful to Ingeborg for inviting me along and to her mom for hosting me. I think you learn a lot about a person when you see them in their native context, among their family or in their hometown. It was cool for me to see some of the personality traits and interests that Ingeborg shares with her mom, and family photos scattered throughout the apartment were both insightful and adorable.
I got to know Ingeborg's cousin a little. He works in marketing but is also very into music. In fact, he's one of the few people I have ever met who appreciate music for what it is, rather than sorting artists into those they like and those they don't like. He treats all kinds of music as inherently valuable but just applicable to different situations. His Spotify features genres as diverse as Gregorian chant, electronica, and metal. He actually gave me a comprehensive introduction to the genre of Norwegian Black Metal, which I had never encountered before. I'm not so sure I'd ever like to encounter it again, to be honest, since the sacreligious lyrics draw on imagery from paganism and the occult. Still, it's good for me to be aware that such a thing exists.
It ended up being an incredibly musical weekend, as I'll describe in later posts. I saw two concerts, three museums, and experienced Norway's capital. Stay tuned.
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