There were many good and old memories that were brought back to life this weekend, and incredibly nice to talk to everyone again. Hedda Haraldsen Savosnick was a student on the theatre course with us in 2012-13 and a scholarship student in 2013-14. There were about 60 students in the school at that time, and we had the courses Theatre, Band, Sound-Light-Stage, Volleyball, Sports and Outdoor Activities. A good mix of creative and active lines.
Hedda was a bubbly and imaginative pupil who created a lot of life and fun around her. Back in Mosjøen there were many familiar faces. Here together with Brit Helene Valla, one of the teachers on the theatre line. Kari Melhuus Jenssen also went on the same course, and afterwards studied theatre in Trondheim.
What did you do after Toppen?
It's been over 10 years since I left Toppen. After Toppen, I travelled. I lived in Cambodia for 6 months and Israel for 6 months. I was a volunteer English teacher in both countries. I also worked a bit in Oslo before I started study medicine in Trondheim and got me a job as a doctor there. Now I'm back on the road, and I've been in Cambodia for a month. My roommate volunteers as a teacher and I as a doctor. It will be a different Christmas.
Why did you attend folk high school at Toppen?
I felt like trying something I hadn't tried before and sought theater lines all over the country. The reason I started at Toppen was because I was called by the theatre teacher (Pål Marius) who wanted to get to know me and tell me about the school. I also think I was sent a handwritten letter of some kind. I got very good impression, and accepted the offer. And I'm very happy about that!
What do you remember the best?
Everything. There were two absolutely amazing years. I was a “regular” pupil the first year and a scholarship student the second year. I remember people coming from all over the country and at first I didn't understand what people were saying. I was just used to the Oslo dialect. But eventually became dialects easy. I also remember very well how first impression of people can be completely wrong. That's what was so nice. You had the opportunity to get to know people properly, and the opportunity to see that stereotypes, as a rule, do not match. When you have breakfast, lunch and dinner with people for a whole year, you get to know each other on both good and bad days, and it makes you get to know the whole person. What I remember especially well was that at the theater course we had a “weather report” or “check in” every morning where you would tell how you were doing. People were very honest and I felt I got insight into people's lives in a whole new way. I also remember very well the “Lapper” or “Yellow ball” that we often played, and I often still play that in festive gatherings.
What has Toppen meant to you?
Toppen has meant a lot. I had two very good years where I got the opportunity to be with people all the time and do lots of fun things that I would never have done otherwise. I am very fond of people and am very grateful that I had the opportunity to get to know so many great, different people that I wouldn't have met if it wasn't for Toppen. Toppen showed me that there are many different ways to live one's life, and that there are many destinies.
I learned a lot about people and how we can be different, but also very similar at the same time. I learned not to take myself so seriously. I discovered that making mistakes, and then realizing the mistake just means that one has learned something. The top was also a very nice transition to live alone, and it was probably at Toppen that I learned to wash clothes and clean my room properly.
Do you still connect with your fellow students?
Yay! My partner and I met at Toppen, and went both freshman and the second years together. Several of the ones from those days are still my closest friends. And it's always great to meet someone from Toppen randomly somewhere. Even though we haven't seen each other in years, we have something special in common that makes it feel like we still know each other.
What was it like to come back to Toppen?
It felt surprisingly ordinary. There has been a lot of rebuilding since we went there, but the feeling was the same. Very nice to meet with former students and teachers and reminisce everything we experienced when we went to here. It was also very fun to see films of some of the productions we had at the theatre course. We did a lot that was outside our comfort zone, and that says a little bit about how safe you felt at Toppen and the people there.
Thanks for the talk, Hedda. It was great to see you again this summer. And good luck with your work and Christmas in Cambodia - see you!
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