One of the best aspects of being a traveler is that you can make friendships just about anywhere. It’s easy to make friends with a big smile and open heart, and even easier to keep in touch with them these days, thanks to skype and facebook. I tend to keep contact information for everyone I meet if I can, because you never know when it might come in handy. Like one day, when I searched through my contacts, looking for a friend to visit in Oslo, Norway. I came across two very unlikely candidates: an old classmate from elementary school, and a Polish friend of mine that I hosted in Budapest, over a year ago. I immediately contacted both of them, and was fortunate in that they both positively responded, Kramar taking it even a step further, inviting my 3 friends and I to stay on his farm for 2 nights.

I felt extremely fortunate the night that we all came together with our friends in Oslo, catching up on old times, and recounting new adventures. Kramar drove us all back to his farm (well, his collective housing that was a farm in the recent past) and we began a new adventure in the only aerable part of Norway, with rolling hayfields and corn rows. During the next few days he had us exploring the countryside, as well as the island fortress where he worked.

We learned that Norway didn’t grow just any corn: the corn we picked was so delicious, we swore we’d never tasted anything so sweet. As we cooked, cleaned, and meandered around Kramar’s house, we experienced the simple joys of living in the countryside: picking our own vegetables, grilling them over a barbecue as Kramar played the guitar and we sat outside watching the stars slowly appear in the sky. It was an exciting moment for all of us, Kramar included, since we were all foreigners, appreciating a new lifestyle in a new land. It seemed silly, but at that moment, we were all so happy to see time pass us by, without caring to measure it. All we needed was each other and a little bit of conversation to make the moment worthwhile. And I thank my lucky stars every day that I have friends like Kramar, that after one selfless act on my part, will always return the favor, years later.