Good-bye

Gave my first Kosovo farewell today. In a crowd of internationals working for government organizations, good-byes rank up there with death and taxes on the list of inevitables - actually, higher than taxes since most of those living abroad manage to avoid them. Thor, the big Scandinavian teddy bear, was the first person I met here. On my first night in my apartment he called me to see if I needed help with any settling in issues. The St. Olaf connection bound us together immediately. Because of Thor, my first two-and-a-half months in Kosovo have been full of things to do and a crowd of people with whom to do them.

In this past week leading up to Thor's departure, I've been very aware of the fact that adjusting to this place has been extremely easy. Theories of culture shock say that you will most likely have a downward mood swing early in your time abroad, once the initial thrill of being in a foreign country has worn down. Aside from maybe my first week here when I wasn't working much, a night has not gone by where I was sitting home alone wishing I had someone to call or a reason to go outside. Thor and his Thor-ganizing of events, dinners, Frisbee games and road trips saved me from the feelings of homesickness and loneliness of living abroad.

Three of us met at Thor's place at 5:30 this morning to escort him to the airport. He has been saying good-bye for the past week and has shed his share of tears for the three-and-a-half years of energy and emotion he's put into his job and his friendships here. He has been a literal social and professional icon here for a long time. He's leaving quite a bit and there are several people who have been with him through the best and the worst. He's lived in a lot of places and said a lot of good-byes and knows that he will see again those that matter because of the past they all share. I feel a bit of a void without him here. Probably leaves some room for the loneliness to finally set in. I'm about due, I guess. In the mean time, I'm counting on Olaf to be the tie that holds me to Thor. I just might be seeing his Nordic face strolling on The Hill some day.