From Skogfjorden, Where Magic is Real, and it’s Norwegian

This was my second year at Skogfjorden, and I have absolutely everything positive to say about it. I would recommend it to everyone and anyone regardless of prior Norwegian language experience. The memories you make, and the things you get to do are worth the world to me. So I’d like to tell you a little bit about it.

For those of you that don't know, Concordia Language Villages is a program that invites people of all ages (especially kids between 6-18) to spend anywhere from a weekend to a month experiencing the culture and language of a country. There are many camps but I’m here today to talk about Youth Overnight Camp at Skogfjorden; the Norwegian village, and my favorite place on earth.

Skog is wonderful for many reasons but one of the most important is how it’s a place for kids to be kids. Every new day is a new, incredibly fun, experience that you’ll remember for years to come. Whether it’s learning the polka, or having to defend Utgard from the Swedes, or swimming and playing volleyball at the Badestrand, or hanging out and eating Norwegian candy we brought into strenggruppe, or it could just be chilling in the hytte laughing our heads off at an inside joke no one from the real world will understand, while quoting Valhalla (the movie), and planning the next step in Teodorism. Each day creates memories that will live on for a lifetime, ones I wouldn't give for anything.

But as much as Skog is fun it’s also maybe the best way to learn Norwegian other than literally going to Norway. Everything and everyone is steeped in learning opportunities. We sing songs in Norwegian, the foods we eat are Norwegian, the instructions are in Norwegian, you order at the kiosk in Norwegian. You are completely immersed while at Skogfjorden. Everyone chooses a new name to go by at Skog so it feels like you are actually in Norway surrounded by Arne, Einar, and Anders. You end up speaking so much Norwegian that when you leave it feels like having an alien conversation just speaking to a waiter in English. It’s truly a life changing experience.

All of this said perhaps the most important part of Skogfjorden is how everyone feels like they belong. When you're at camp you can be the truest version of yourself and not be judged. When you come to Skog the first time you immediately make friends and are welcomed like you’ve been going your whole life. The feeling of being there is very intangible, it's just so freeing. Everyone belongs, everyone matters. You don’t have to worry about life back at home, sometimes you miss your friends and family but it’s in some far off land. Here everyone is family. They say home is a person not a place, and I think that’s the most accurate saying there is. I’m where I belong when I’m at Skog with my friends, and I miss them more than anything when I leave.

But that can’t happen without the staff. I can’t stress this enough, they are the best counselors on earth. They make everyone feel special, there are always people there to brighten your day. I like to think that the Dean of Skogfjorden is a bit like Dumbledore. The wisdom that comes with many years of experience, but with the soul of someone in their 20s. Tove Dahl is truly special. I remember talking to her for the first time and I distinctly remember how she always treats everyone as an equal. I remember feeling a bit like Harry Potter, the chosen one, who with just a couple of weeks of experience is having a full-fledged conversation with the Headmaster. However, unlike at Hogwarts, everyone is Harry, everyone is the hero.

Skogfjorden is special. There really isn’t any other place like it. It’s like no other summer camp. The 2 weeks I spent there this year were the best of my life. I don’t how I lived the first 12 years of my life without it. It’s a place where all the best memories are made. It’s a place of magic, learning, lots of laughs, and most importantly, friends for life.

Photo above, left to right: Jens Eklund and Anders Lenhart enjoying Skogfjorden language camp.