Travelling solo is full of contradictions. It is great, because you get to do exactly what you want, when you want, within reason. You don't have to worry about what another person wants to do or how they're feeling or what their travel priorities are. But, you are also lacking that companionship that comes along with having a travel buddy. You have to make all the plans and arrangements yourself and when things go wrong, it is all on your shoulders with no one to share the burden.
I enjoy solitude and think it is one of the things I have loved most about my travel time - being more okay with touring myself around and doing things I want to do simply because I want to do them. There are moments of real empowerment and victory: figuring out the bus system in Oslo in order to get myself to the Viking Ship Museum (sidenote: Viking ships are SO COOL. They are huge. And pretty awe-inspiring), researching the location of Henrik Ibsen's apartment in Oslo and taking a tour of his last residence, and finding myself an a cappella Christmas concert to attend at the Konserthus in Oslo.
And then there are the other moments: realizing you have brought your European/UK electric converters but sadly neither of these works in Norway, being woken up at 1:00 am by hostel roommates wearing very loud shoes, and finding yourself at the airport in Dublin with only a vague idea of how to proceed to your hostel from there.
In the end, it's all experience and I've become acquainted with myself in fresh ways over the past 4 days as I revisit some of my solo habits. A couple things I've noticed that get amplified when I am alone:
I don't like to ask for help. I know that there are people who are literally employed as tourist information providers, and still I feel that I should instinctively already know where to go and how to get there. I would absolutely hate to be in a situation where I would have to ask someone who was not directly employed in the information-giving business - a person on the street for directions - as I would feel that I am infringing on their personal space/life/bubble.
I feel bad for not speaking your language. I don't speak Norwegian! Apparently I used to be able to count to ten, but that has not helped me so far. Sometimes I feel so horrible imposing my American, westernized English on the poor people of Oslo. Granted, their city benefits from tourism and speaking English is practically required to get a job there, but still...I'm pretty hopeless when I walk up to the counter and begin every sentence with "Sorry..."
I'm in a glass cage of emotions. My flight is delayed half an hour. The customs officer was short with me. I don't have correct change for my Pizza Hut meal. Well, that's it, may as well go home and cry, right? As much as I don't mind getting around myself, when I don't have anyone else around to bounce things off of I become a bit uber-sensitive to the outside world.
These are just some of the things I've been pondering during my travel times recently. I do love a good chunk of pondering time. It is interesting how the dynamic shifts as soon as I have someone else around to look after or converse with. A little alone time will surely make you appreciate a good friend. And also a good wi-fi connection....
In summary, I am glad to be out of Norway and onto Dublin where they at least speak English as one of the official languages, right? They even have Tesco's here, so I'm right at home. I did actually manage to find my hostel just fine, even though I had to get up and ask the bus driver to direct me to the correct stop (tragic I know....I should just quit right now...). Tomorrow is a new day, promising another rollercoaster ride of new experiences and sightseeing. I look forward to seeing what Dublin has to offer me over the rainbow!
I knew that it was all going to be ok when I got off the plane in Dublin and found this at the airport. An unmistakable sign that all is not lost in the world, and that goodness and truth will yet prevail....
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