When my father announced to the family that we were moving to the other side of the world to a city called Seattle my sister and I were horrified. Leave our beautiful home and all of our friends and family? No! Say it isn’t so! But my father’s will prevailed even though my sister, my mother and I were adamantly against the move. After we settled into a rundown guesthouse in Seattle, I still kept hoping and praying and expecting us to move back home any day. My hopes were dashed. When my parents became citizens, I had to go along for the ride. That meant I lost my Norwegian citizenship. It felt like a part of me, the best part, had been cut off. Every time I visit Norway, which I can’t afford to do very often, I love seeing the hills, mountains and fjords that can only be found in Norway. I love speaking Norwegian and seeing all my relatives who look like me, but I’m now a foreigner with a foreign passport and not really one of them any longer. Then, in 2020, a special announcement! Norway was changing its policy regarding dual citizenship and people born in Norway who lost their Norwegian citizenship when they became citizens of another country could now apply for dual. “Stand back!” I said to no one in particular. “I’m doing this!” So, I got all my necessary papers together, sent in my application and waited – for one whole year. Two weeks ago, I received an email from Norway saying I need to submit all my papers in person to their embassy in San Francisco. I immediately started trying to coordinate an appointment date at the embassy with a flight to SF that wouldn’t cost $600. It took awhile but I did it. In September I’ll fly up to SF for my appointment and they’ll send in all the papers to Norway for final approval. Then I’ll have to wait again to see if Norway wants me back. If I do get my Norwegian passport, I’m wondering when I’ll be able to use it. Considering all the restrictions going on and the fact that I refuse to be jabbed or tested I hope all of this effort has not been in vain. But it may take awhile to save up for another trip to Norway and maybe by that time the world will be normal again and I’ll be able to hike through the hills and mountains of my youth and pretend I’m 12 years old again.