From John Alrid and Nikolai’s place I moved on to Anna, whose far away husband advised her not to stay alone with me. About life with a free massage, interviews, interviews, interviews and religion…
Nikolai woke me up this morning at 10, announcing breakfast at John Alrid’s place in half an hour.
Nikolai had already been to school this morning and woke up at 6, complaining -with a smile- that his assistent Thomas overslept himself in time.
It was Nikolai who had introduced my project with Sturle Holstad, who runs a massage saloon called Puse Rommet (Breating Room) in town. Assistent Geir drove me to the place around noon in the so-called company car (which was adjusted so that a wheelchair could be placed at the passenger’s seat) and during that trip Geir told me about him being an assistant.
It all started when John Alrid, his cousin, asked him to assist him to the cinema. From one thing came another and now he gets paid by the state to be an assistant.
“I am un-educated,” he told me, “And I am now getting paid even better than with any other job I could get. Because it is so rewarding. It’s not hard work, it’s more about being there and helping out with meals and housecleaning.”
“And it has its good and sad times,” John Alrid added somberly. A disabled friend of his and Nikolai’s had passed away the previous week, having lost the strength to keep living. The news had been a tremendous shock, a profound and unbelievable blow to their lives.
Geir dropped me off at the massage saloon, where I got a free 90 minutes full body massage, one I had never ever experienced in my life before!
While ambient music was played from a stereo on the background and a water floated down a rocky fountain in the corner of the room, all my muscles were brought back to life again, giving me the feeling like I was reborn and ready to start my “around-the-world”-project all over again.
After the massage I had to rest a while on the table and I almost fell asleep in this atmosphere.
I thanked Sturle for the massage and headed back to John Alrid and Nikolai’s apartments, recharged and full on new energy. I understand why they have Sturle as their personal therapist, because he is sooo good!
It was later this afternoon when I packed my backpack again and thanked John Alrid and Nikolai for the really pleasant stay I had with them.
I walked to the carpark at the Grieghallen, the local music hall in Bergen, where my next hostess picked me up to take me to her home.
Anna Margit is a librarian in a local Economic and Business School and read about me in the Aftenposten newspaper two weeks ago. She decided to invite me, as Bergen was not on my list of places-to-go.
Anna brought me to her apartment in the north of Bergen where she lives with her husband Johnny, who currently stays on an oil platform in the sea.
When she told him I would come he asked her not to be alone with me out of safety, so Anna had invited her friend Suzanne to stay for the night too.
Anna prepared a simple but good dinner with cutlets, potatoes and vegetables. When we were up for dessert, a reporter and a photographer of the Bergen Tinede (Bergen Times) joined in for an interview with us.
The reporter was, like all reporters, floored about my simple web project. I told him about the fun I had with the American tourists and how I get overloaded with almost pledging emails from Asian people. Some Asians even want to get married with me!
It’s always hard to answer the question “What has been the best experience until now, looking at the past 4 months?”
Of course, not everybody takes me microlight flying at 300 feet high, goes out with me to a celebrity movie premier or lets me sleep in their castle tower room, but that is not what this project is about! I already get full enjoyment in the little things people share with me in their everyday life. That’s mostly my main answer as I don’t want to rate or grade anybody who just opened their door to me out of simple hospitality. A night with a DVD gives me great comfort too!
And of course that isn’t always that interested for the media. They want adventure, romance; details, Ramon!
When the ice cream dessert was finished and the news crew had left I had a phone interview with Shannon from the Miami Herald in Florida (USA), followed by an email interview with the Times of India, with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, and one with the European male version of Vogue, GQmagazine.
And that is when I loose a lot of energy. Most times I get those same questions and my answers won’t be always that different.
I spent the rest of the night with Anna Margit and Suzanna while drinking coffee. We also talked about religion, as Anne Margit is a christian person and I am not like that at all. I see any religion in a most respectful way as a stick to lean on in life: it gives balance to many people and something to hold on to.
I slept in the guest room when everybody went to bed. Johnny didn’t have to worry, because how would I ever get to travel the world and stay with total strangers who invite me if I would harm my guests?
Good night Bergen!
Ramon.
