Don't You Ever Give Up with Your Dream

by Diah Fauziah Nurhayati (Indonesia)

I didn't expect to find Norway

I have no idea when in started or why I do like travel. Sometimes and somehow, I kept looking for a reason, but couldn't find a good explanation. For sure, travel make me happy because I have a chance to meet new people, get some unbelieveble or unforgettable experience, and the most important is (at least for me) to know my self better. So, here's the one unforgettable experience while I was travel to Tromso, Norway, by my self, a few years ago. As you know, Norway is beautiful country with amazing nature. Not only for fjords, but Northern Light. That's why, I put Norway as one of my bucket list to visit. One day, I read an article about Northern Light and said if this year will be the last time you see Aurora Borealis with strong lights. Otherwise, you have to wait 11 years to see that or without strong light. That's why I decided to quit a job and catch my dream. I prepared everything like visa, plane ticket, train ticket, accomodation, etc. Just beciause Norway is expensive country for me who came from Indonesia (a third country), I asked my friend, a Norwegian man, who lived in Bodo about tips and trick to travel on budget in Norway. Suddenly, he offered me to come to Bodo and stay at his place because he will travel with me to Tromso for accompany me to catch Northern Light. I agreed and booked a train ticket from Oslo to Bodo with cheap price, which is not refudable. Everything was going ok, until 2 day before my flight, he texted me that I can't come to his place because he has a new girlfriend. He doesn't want host me in Bodo because of his girlfriend will be jealous. To be honest, it's ruin my original plan. Eventhought I was upset, angry, but trying to make new plan. I opened couchsurfing norway and read a post if someone have plan to seeing Northern Light in Tromso from the mountain. Without think, I send the person an email to let him know that I interested join him. He replied me, one day before my flight and we tried to organize everything in short time. But yeah, something missing. Because of different time, I got another email from him when I was on transit in Istambul. He said that I need to bring a winter equipment for hiking. It's late information and yeah, I think I can just rent in Tromso. Problem solved. Since I'm not going to Bodo anymore, I need a new ticket to Tromso. I choosed a plane, eventhought it's very expensive. I booked the ticket when I was in Oslo and the agent said, "Are you sure gonna buy this ticket? It's expensive. With this price, you can fly to Jakarta and back to Oslo." I said, "Oh man, just book it, please. I don't care. I came here for Northern Light and I don't want regret later if I didn't book this ticket." So yeah, I booked a return ticket from Oslo to Tromso with expensive price. If you think everything is ok after that, you're totally wrong. It's because I got lost in Tromso. Yup, somehow, I took everything easy. My friend's friend will be host me in Tromso before I meet my travel mate in the next morning. But, I didn't write his address and suddenly my phone is dead. In the middle of night on winter time, I walked in city center of Tromso for almost 2 hours, trying to remember the address. For sure, I couldn't remember his address. So yeah, I try to find a hotel and bargain the price just because I don't want to die. Lucky me, I got a room with at hotel with special price. The next morning, I met my travel mate and started our hitchhiking to the mountain. Build a tent and finally, I saw a Northern Light in the evening. That's amazing and yes, every problem I got is worth after I seen a Northern Light with my eyes. I feel blessed for that.