Home to tragedy

And then I'm home again. I must say, it is pretty weird. Everyone speaking Norwegian, people driving on the right-hand side of the road, Norwegian spreads, and in general, food. It sure is good to be home. At the same time, everything is just the same as when I left, so it is almost as if I never left. Yes, it has changed from winter to summer, but it is still the home I know and love.

I had just come home and settled down when tragedy struck. We listened to the radio in disbelief on Friday the 22nd of July. A huge bomb had gone off in the centre of Oslo, in the area where the government have their offices. The blast could be heard all over Oslo. Windows were blown in many blocks away. In the words of the media, the area looked like a 'war-zone'. Just as the horror of what had happened to our peaceful country and town was sinking in, reports started coming in about a possible shooting somewhere else. At Utøya, a man dressed as a policeman had gone into the summer camp of the labour party's youth. When he was in their midst, he had begun shooting around him, killing with a purpose. It turned out that this man had also set off the bomb in the government area in town.

The streets of Oslo were transformed into a sea of flowers under the memorial march

Most people were in shock. How could this happen to our peaceful country, in the middle of the summer holiday? Why would anyone do this? As the death toll started growing beyond anything that has happened in Norway since World War II, shock turned to disbelief and grief. The Norwegian people went out to show their support and stand together in the face of tragedy. Yesterday, a rose march was planned, but too many people turned up to show their support of the victims and their families. The Prime Minister, luckily unharmed by the bomb, addressed the crowd, and the marchers went home again, decorating the city in hundreds of thousands of roses as they went.

As shocking as this is, I can't say I haven't been expecting something horrible like this to happen. But at the same time it is horrible when more than 75 civilians are killed in one day in peace-time. Many of my friends have lost their friends and family members. As far as I know, none of my friends are harmed. My thoughts and prayers go out to all the people who are affected by this. I pray that peace and love will prevail, and that this will lead to an even more united, but at the same time open and including, Norway.

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