The beginning

I was born in Kirkenes, Norway an early morning in April 1978. At the time, the Soviet Union constituted the "biggest threat to the western world". It was a really great thing I was growing up far, far from all that, a whopping 7 km from the Norwegian-Soviet border! Anyway, I have lots of good memories from that time, maybe because the Soviet's weren't that bad after all? I especially remember my first sweethearts when I was 4-5 years old, my legendary "fighting shaft" and the evening I laid in my bed, four years old, and suddenly could read. I ran to my mom and dad and started reading from a book for the first time. These are things you simply don't forget!

Growing up

When I was 7, my parents decided to move. We ended up moving 900 kilometers south, to a village named Nordkjsobotn in the county of Troms. The village had about 3-400 inhabitants. Compared to the Kirkenes it was a big change, but I adapted as I always have since. It was lots of fun living in the countryside! I started doing stuff only coyntryside kids do. I built a raft (which sank on the first trip), a big cabin in some treetops, a catapult (that did't really work) and had lots of other more or less sane projects going on.

Moving away

I moved away from home to go to secondary school. I didn't have to, but I guess I felt the need for change and other challenges than those existing in Nordkjosbotn. This decision led to many things, for example that I ended up making a computer program for nationwide use for the biggest insurance company in Norway, Storebrand. That job was a several months long commitment, in parallel to school and exams, but the reward was worth it both on a personal and economic level.

Out in the world

After secondary school I decided to take a year off from my studies. I felt I deserved something else than just studying and working, so I got a part-time at a gas-station to make som money before heading off for a road trip to the USA. I had 2 magic months on the road with my sister and a wonderful Ford Thunderbird. I got to know iconic places: San Francisco, Route 66, Las vegas, New Orleans, Miami... the list goes on! There were so many people too! I remember the old mexican that owned a laundry shop in Nogales who I talked a lot to; he taught me to ask for breakfast before entering Mexico. I had lots of "huevos con tocino" there! And what about the elderly American couple in Los Alamos who used to spend their vacations with their caravan in Mexico every year, and took us with them to their favourite restaurant? Great people! By the way, I'm still amazed things went as well as they did when I debuted with my week old driver's license in San Francisco rush-traffic!

Not long after arriving home from the USA I was off to my compulsory military service at Nes Coastal Fortress. I served there for 9 months. When I look back at it, it wasn't that bad really, even though I wanted to throw my medal of service in the sea at the time. After I finished the military service I wasn't quite tired of the life abroad. A week after I came home I moved to Portugal with my life in a suitcase weighing 50kg! The trip went to Guimarães, a town up north in the country with about 200.000 inhabitants.

Taking my degree in a foreign country

Without speaking Portuguese I took entrance exams in Mathematics and Physics. I got 6 in Mathematics and 2 in Physics - it was unfotunate that the scale went to 20! However, my marks from secondary school helped me getting access to the course I wanted, Mathematical and Computational Sciences at the University of Minho (in Portugal).The first year didn't go very well. I didn't learn Portuguese over night, a natural consequence was that the first term was practically wasted for me. It also didn't help that the teachers treated me badly because I didn't speak Portuguese - I was ignored and even refused help. Of course I stood no chance passing the year. At the end of the school-year I decided to change course and got admitted to Management Informatics at the same university. Five years later I had my degree, and finished top of my class. It was really rewarding receiving academic awards every year, and the best of all was the last ceremony where I received a prize for being the best graduating student; it tasted quite good for someone that had been dismissed and ignored because of the language som years earlier. The last two years of my course I also did some freelance work on my spare time; I lacked commitment to my causes!

My first steady job

I worked at a Portuguese bank after finishing my degree. I started out as a trainee and ended up Senior Programmer. Those were hard times with long hours and a completely different working environment and culture than one can expect as a Norwegian. More than once I came home exhausted with a pounding headache so agonizing I had to thow up and stay in bed until the next work day. In spite of this it was the job I had aspired to; the pay and carreer opportunities were good and considering the other alternatives in Portugal it was a fair workplace. However, the reverse of the medal was too dark and I missed Norway. In this period of my life I was married and had a wonderful daughter that still lives in Portugal with her Portuguese mother.

Back to the roots

Early 2007 I got an opportunity to return to Norway that I couldn't reject. I got a job offer from the University of Tromsø, the northernmost university in the world. I decided to accept a position as Head Engineer within the central IT Department where I now work with development and administration of identity management related systems. At first, I moved back to Nordkjosbotn where I suddenly had lots of spare time on my hands, something I hadn't had in many years! I caught up on earlier activities like volleyball, soccer, running and hiking and there was no doubt that the decision to move back to my own country was right. After a couple of years in Nordkjsobotn however, I started to miss the urban life I had been so used to in the years in Portugal; then the road was very short to Tromsø.

What now?

Now I live in Tromsø with my wonderful girlfriend. Life is to be enjoyed and I've never been as well in life as here!