E: Elated from farewell on DVD

June 18, 2005: It’s the Saturday before I depart Melbourne after one amazing year down under. I am blessed with a whole bunch of friends who partake in my farewell gathering.
November 18, 2005: It’s a regular Friday in Oslo, but today I receive a special envelope in the mail. On the very date five months after, I get the film from my Aussie farewell converted onto a DVD. I am able to watch the happening for the very first time.

Close to 90 minutes of raw film was enjoyed to the max, with a thrilled, excited and moved spectator. Several times I laughed out loud in between moments of emotional silence. Memories are brought back with overwhelming strength, and it’s like experiencing everything all over again. And all the greetings and scenes I never witnessed before were spectacular! To all of you who had fun, spoke, left a message, ate the food, but most importantly showed up that night: THANKS A MILLION! This increases my already great desire to return to Melbourne. (So do all you others I know, who didn't make it that night)

And now for the time gap explanation. The film is shot with a borrowed digital camera (purchased in US). It runs with NTS movie format with a digital Hi8-tape. In Europe the standard these days is the PAL system with Mini-DV tapes (- technical elaboration here). Hence, it was harder than expected to locate a camera that could play the tape. I asked friends, media people and walked around in major city stores in Tromsø (major city in north of Norway, close to where I am from) without any luck. A tip from the father of my first housemate here in the capital (I moved down here in mid August) gave me a number to a guy who thought there was a store for electronics in the city of Harstad (named Expert) that could help me out. I rang them and they said yes. I shipped the cassette back up to North of Norway (where Harstad is). After confirming that the tape had arrived safely, I waited. From three weks later, and every week since, I have been calling to check upon the progress. Sometimes the people replying didn’t know what I was talking about, other times they said it’s underway. At last they admitted that “Expert” was not capable of doing the conversion either. However, they did now about another firm, “Aktiv Media” who knew. A week later, adding up to this Friday, I finally received the cassette AND the film in DVD format that I could play on my computer. After five months of waiting, and after watching the whole thing, I am in no doubt that it was worth paying pricy NOK 522 (USD 78/AUD 106) for the conversion.