Entry to Oslo

Normally when you land after a 16+ hour journey to another country, relief sweeps over you when you step off your last plane – the only thing standing between you and a couch or a decent meal is receiving your luggage from baggage claim and/or the journey from the airport to your abode. Even if that journey might be long, you can usually roll down a window, or your body feels overjoyed at some sort of movement. Anything different than that stuffy airplane.

Not the case this time.

I don’t sleep well on planes, if at all, so I’d been awake for about 23 hours when I stepped off my second flight on my journey to Oslo, Norway, where I will be attending a masters program for the next two years. Abnormally, I had begun to feel nauseous about 7 or 8 hours into my first flight to Copenhagen. It was a grueling 3 hours before landing at my layover destination, and perhaps an even more uncomfortable 5 hour layover ahead of me. Luckily, after dosing for about 40 minutes at a nearly vacant gate, I began to eat crackers little by little, and started to feel like my usual self. I knew that if I didn’t feel better by the second flight, it was going to be a rough afternoon.

I had read on a Facebook group that for those sent to quarantine hotels, the process from landing to collapsing into your hotel room can take anywhere from 4 to 6 hours. The rumors are true.

But before I discuss that experience, let me back up, because by this point unless I’ve spoken to you in the last few weeks, you’re confused: didn’t Europe open up to US tourists?

Most of Europe did, yes, but not Norway. The only reason I could get into Norway in the first place is because I am a student, and there is a very short window when we can enter – 1 month, between August 1st and September 1st. The other factor here is that you can’t freely enter the country unless you are vaccinated, and by “vaccinated” the Norwegian government means you must have proof of vaccination with either the Norwegian or EU QR code.

So yes, I am fully vaccinated as of April 2021, but because I only have my CDC card and California state QR code to show it, I had to quarantine for the full 10 days (there are caveats to the number 10 here). You might think that’s outrageous, and yes, I think that the Norwegian government is going to have to rethink only allowing those two specific QR codes, but let’s be real, there have been plenty of cases of college students faking their CDC vaccination cards.

The next 5.5 hours consisted of a lot of waiting in lines that snaked in different areas of the airport. A waiting area to be walked to the next line, which was a line where you waited to be called by an airport staff member who took you to pick up your baggage and walked you to another line. This line was for the rapid COVID test. They took groups of 5 or so from this line every 15-20 minutes outside to a tent for the COVID test. Once confirmed negative, you waited on the other side of the tent for testing to be picked up and taken to a hotel. At the hotel you waited in line to be checked in. Then, at last, no more lines! For me this was perfect timing. It was 7 pm in Norway, and I only needed to be awake for a couple more hours before I could feel good about falling asleep and attempting to avoid too much jet lag.

Pro-Tip: When in a long series of lines, make yourself some friends. Major thanks to my new buds from Dubai and Wales, who not only helped me with my baggage (I’ve got a strained Achilles tendon), but who also made 4 hours of this cue-complete adventure far more enjoyable than it would have been!

In quarantine itself, life isn’t too bad – I can’t complain about the accommodations! The food, however… that’s been interesting. For breakfast, we get a small yogurt and two slices of bread with cheese and ham for a sandwich, along with orange juice. For lunch, a salad or pasta salad comes with a small white roll. Dinner is a hot meal served at 4:15 pm, with a bag including a piece of fruit (apple or pear), four slices of bread for two sandwiches, salami and a slice of cheese.

On my fourth full day of quarantine, I was so disenchanted by the pasta salad for lunch (and I had slept in until noon…) I decided to try out intermittent fasting. The approach I’ve taken is eating between the hours of 4:30 pm and 9:00 pm or so, plus drinking the orange juice served in the morning. Forget my original goals of learning how to meditate and studying Norwegian for 2-3 hours a day – this would be a challenge, right?!

Yes. Yes it is a challenge. BUT! I’m much less disappointed by the hot dinner served because anything tastes pretty good after you’ve been waiting 19 hours or so.

Worried about my eating habits? Don’t be. This is definitely a temporary strategy to get through the food situation here.

Let me tell ya, I cannot wait to have some bananas or blueberries or whatever kind of fruit I can find – and chocolate. Or cookies. Or chocolate cake. Or PIZZA.

Quarantine, apart from the food, isn’t so bad. We do live in the age of the internet (the wifi at the hotel is A+), I brought several books with me, and we are allowed outside for up to 4 hours each day. Since I strained my Achilles tendon back in March and it still hasn’t healed (and won’t for another 5+ months) I get a good hour in outside either walking or sitting by this pretty pond not too far away from the hotel. Inside, I’ve been reading, writing, 30 minutes of language learning (not quite 2-3 hours), indoor exercise, and watch a movie a day.

Today I got tested for COVID, a PCR test, and I find out the results tomorrow or on Thursday. As long as I test negative (Which I’d be really surprised if I test positive – I haven’t been around anyone this last week!) I will be able to get outta here, and the real journey begins!