Nordicfest 2008

Well, I decided 40 hours spent in Walgreens pharmacy really sucked ass and I deserved a bit of a weekend holiday. What better way to celebrate than to travel back to the land of my college years for some good old fashioned fun? Yes, welcome to Nordicfest 2008.

I do really wish the citizens of Decorah would be honest with themselves though. They claim that it's a festival celebrating nordic heritage. That's a bold faced lie. It's a celebration of Norwegian heritage. Nothing more. They try to placate the four other Scandinavian countries by hanging probably a total of 5 or 6 flags around town. Which are readily dwarved by the Norwegian flags on every lightpost. Sweden is sort of like that girl that you used to like in high school, but don't think of much anymore. And Denmark, Iceland, and Finland just get shat upon. Which is really a shame. I think it should just be called Norwayfest. Much less risk there, and you can just dispense with those other four intruders. I hope they give those 5 Finnish flags to me though.

I swear, Nordicfest is one of the strangest social situations in the entire country. Here you have a town completely obsessed with its Norwegian heritage, enough to fly Norwegian flags in front of houses and businesses, enough for seemingly half the town to bust out their traditional costumes, enough for parents to hold their children back school grades so they have the prestigious opportunity to become a "Nordic Dancer." Contrast that with the legions of Luther students and alums who draw to Decorah like moths to a flame, desperate for a chance to relive their glory days in the midst of summer. Meaning, drink a lot and do stupid college shit. Then there's what seems like an army of be-slutted high school students who feel entitled to dress like strippers and parade up and down Water Street. I particularly liked the girl in the tight black "Sinful" shirt. I'm just, well, confused. It's like three separate forces converge in Decorah for these three days, the old and historically obsessed, the young and stupid, and the younger and sluttier.

Of course, I fit right in with my group of "young and stupid." There was plenty of fun to be had, for sure. And it legitimately was nice to see some old friends and have that experience of being in Decorah with them again. Visiting our local haunts, doing our usual things, talking about common interests, all that jazz. I've never seen money fly so quickly out of my wallet though. That was somewhat unnerving, spending the budget for a week in a matter of 36 hours, but eh. What's money anyways? I don't want to be controlled by it.

My friend Benjamin and I decided to play a round of frisbee golf at Luther, and to have a bit of a walk about campus. This was something I had dreaded as I drove the familiar road on Friday night. I never wanted to be one of those people overly nostalgic for their college years, for their college. Maybe I thought it a sort of weakness, who knows. But the truth is, I think I might be one of those people. And my friends too. It was odd, walking around Luther, the routes I've walked hundreds of times before. But now, it's no longer our campus in the way it used to be. And that was a very strange, somewhat saddening prospect. I suppose it's always sad to leave a place you've loved. Hell, I should know that by now.

I think the most frightening aspect, for myself, is starting anew at a new college. I guess I'm afraid that Luther will lose its meaning. I don't want it to, I don't want it usurped by a place I'm going to learn a trade. That's really the difference. I went to Luther to gain knowledge, to learn about myself, to buy into all that propaganda they always told us about combining faith and learning. Now I'm going to learn a skill, to figure out how to do a job. Hamline, although I'm happy to attend, can never be what Luther was. The campus is a shithole, I'm not living there, there won't be the same variety of classes or extracurriculars, it's a place to learn the law. Fundamentally, everything is different. I don't want to be cynical, but maybe I am. Maybe I'm just scared shitless. Or maybe I'm just sad to be away from Luther, away from friends, away from so many things.

Anyways, it was a fun weekend though, even with the dash of melancholy. I got to play my trombone, which was quite fun. Just got to escape for a while. And it was good.