Today I had a little talk with a guy in my class about the massacre that happened in Norway one year ago. It made me think... it made me think about what actually happened that day and how I was feeling. Even though I have moved to Sheffield to study, Norway will always be where I'm from. It's where I was born and it is where I grew up. It is my home.
I was home that summer. Not doing much, really. I remember that Christian and I were sitting at the kitchen table with our computers. Reading the news, updating social network etc. Just the normal thing you'd find yourself doing on a Friday afternoon. I remember updating the website I was on. A new headline popped up. "Big explosion in Oslo", or something along those lines. It didn't give much information, just where it had happened and when. I told Christian, and I updated my Facebook status "And Oslo has been attacked? Cool...". He put on BBC radio, I think it was, and the news came pretty fast. I remember saying to Christian that I thought it was odd that the explosion had happenend right outsite the government building, where our labour prime minister has his office. I said something like "I think this is an attack from someone who is unhappy with our government, someone from the right side". As we were talking about this, the woman on BBC news started talking about Al-qaeda... could it possibly have been them?
Not long after this the news ticked in about shootings on an island. At first no one made the connection, but it didn't take long to figure it out. I was absolutely devestated. When going to bed, the last thing I heard was that around 10 people were dead, I think it was. When I woke up, the number has risen to around 80. I remember the feeling of my stomach turning, I felt so ill. I wanted to cry, and I wanted to scream. What the hell had happened?
I still feel this way about what happened. It has been over a year, and the shooter has been convicted from the crimes he committed. He is behind bars, though it feels wrong to use that expression. Norwegian jails can't be referred to as that. Norwegian prisons aren't like other prisons, and this makes me angry.
Though I am sad we were totally unprepared for this, I still see it as some sort of comfort...let me explain...Norway is a peaceful country, and it is very unlikely that something like that would happen. It hasn't happened before, so why would we expect it? I do hope that Norway can continue being the country I know and love, but still remember 22nd of July 2011. So on that note, I would like to end this by saying rest in peace to all the people who were tragically killed in Oslo and on Utøya. And all my thoughts are still with their friends and family.
I was home that summer. Not doing much, really. I remember that Christian and I were sitting at the kitchen table with our computers. Reading the news, updating social network etc. Just the normal thing you'd find yourself doing on a Friday afternoon. I remember updating the website I was on. A new headline popped up. "Big explosion in Oslo", or something along those lines. It didn't give much information, just where it had happened and when. I told Christian, and I updated my Facebook status "And Oslo has been attacked? Cool...". He put on BBC radio, I think it was, and the news came pretty fast. I remember saying to Christian that I thought it was odd that the explosion had happenend right outsite the government building, where our labour prime minister has his office. I said something like "I think this is an attack from someone who is unhappy with our government, someone from the right side". As we were talking about this, the woman on BBC news started talking about Al-qaeda... could it possibly have been them?
Not long after this the news ticked in about shootings on an island. At first no one made the connection, but it didn't take long to figure it out. I was absolutely devestated. When going to bed, the last thing I heard was that around 10 people were dead, I think it was. When I woke up, the number has risen to around 80. I remember the feeling of my stomach turning, I felt so ill. I wanted to cry, and I wanted to scream. What the hell had happened?
I still feel this way about what happened. It has been over a year, and the shooter has been convicted from the crimes he committed. He is behind bars, though it feels wrong to use that expression. Norwegian jails can't be referred to as that. Norwegian prisons aren't like other prisons, and this makes me angry.
Though I am sad we were totally unprepared for this, I still see it as some sort of comfort...let me explain...Norway is a peaceful country, and it is very unlikely that something like that would happen. It hasn't happened before, so why would we expect it? I do hope that Norway can continue being the country I know and love, but still remember 22nd of July 2011. So on that note, I would like to end this by saying rest in peace to all the people who were tragically killed in Oslo and on Utøya. And all my thoughts are still with their friends and family.
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