How did it all happen so quickly? When will I be back in Tromsø again? Why does it rain so much here? Og vil æ åverlev vess æ spis tørrfesk? (And will I survive if I eat this fish that's so dry after hanging outside for several months attracting flies that you need a hammer to break it?)

I can't answer those questions now, so let's stick to two that I can work with: How are all my friends that I'm leaving behind in Tromsø? And what are they doing these days?

Yesterday afternoon, I was thrilled by an unexpected surprise at AutoSim. Almost the entire team was here to say goodbye, and Martin had arranged for a cake and some drinks to celebrate the end of a successful summer. He presented me with a wonderful gift - an authentic Sami carving knife that, as he explained, will be certain to keep me safe among the crazy Americans in Boston next year.

I left some Canadian Maple Syrup in the office today, and there's something else on its way for AutoSim that I haven't finished making yet. Perhaps I'll be able to drop it off in person, as Martin is adament that I should visit Tromsø again to usher in the New Millenium under the Northern Lights. With Kjell and Anette now getting married at the church in downtown Tromsø on New Year's Day, that's sounding like an increasingly good idea.

From left to right, these are Håvard, little ol' me, Ole Martin, Tom Arne, Martin, Karen, Elisabeth, Tor Magne and Bjornar. Missing are John Markus (who took the picture) and Kjell, who is in Trondheim finishing an installation.

Kjell (on the far right, looking right at the mega-catfish) has been down south in Trondheim finishing work on an AutoSim installation. He managed to help me earn one-third of my Norwegian Iron Ring earlier this summer. Alas, we never had a chance to climb the mountain on Kvaløya or make the trip north to Longyearbyen to forge the other two-thirds.

Well, Kjell, we'll chalk those up as another two reasons why I should return to Tromsø! Best of luck preparing for your wedding, and thanks for being the coolest supervisor ever. Also, when you finish work on that Artificial Intelligence you've been dreaming of - let me play with it, OK?

Thor-Magne, pictured here at the bow of the RedHood, has been working on the physical components of a new simulator vehicle for AutoSim. He still finds time to sail, and suggested yesterday that perhaps, when I return, he'll have a vessel of his own. Thor-Magne, I will remember you not only as an exceptional engineer, but also as the wise and charismatic captain who sails with his family in the fjords of Tromsø.

Back yesterday from her trip to England, Elisabeth is up to her tricks again at AutoSim! She's got some very cool new Lego sets with a medieval theme, and the penthouse seemed like the perfect place for her to check them out. I think every office team needs an energetic, outgoing seven-year-old on board. Elisabeth, you brought out the best in all of us. Ha det bra, princess!

Karen, I think, was just as excited about the new Lego set as Elisabeth. She's wrapping up her Calculus course at the University, now back on academic track despite the myriad of things going on in her life. These pages are almost completely free of speeling and grammatical errors thanks to her meticulous proof-reading. She's even corrected some of my attempts to explain Norwegian history. Oh, did I mention that Karen and John Markus just found out last week that they're expecting a baby in about eight months?! Congratulations, you two!!

If this keeps up, John Markus is going to have a lot to teach his little gaffer. While Karen and Elisabeth played with the Lego castle, he was playing with his own new toy - Java. He's still hard at work solidifying plans for his Ph.D. thesis, which promises to revolutionize distributed processing. John Markus, I wish both you and Karen the best of luck as you learn how to multitask between your studies, your work, and a young family. It's a good thing you're both running Linux.

I can't believe I wrote that.

Bjornar (sitting) and Håvard (not at all sitting) don't have young families to worry about, but they've got their own baby: a promotional video for AutoSim that showcases the diverse work that goes on here. This week, in a mad dash of skippertak, I wrote the script for the video and had my voice recorded by Bjornar for the dialogue. Bjornar is designing the storyboards and visuals, and Håvard is doing the audio post-production and editing. And in their spare time, this dynamic duo continues to craft immersive virtual worlds. Have fun with your worldcrafting, gentlemen; it was a blast working with you.

And while we work, Martin's calm presence and thoughtful leadership continue to guide the AutoSim team. His soft-spoken nature and the trust he puts in his employees drives us to want to earn that trust and make him proud.

I wrote at the end of May that I wondered if Tromsø and AutoSim would inspire a sense of loyalty. I thought that perhaps, by the end of the summer I'd feel like part of ''da family.'' In June, I had come to realize that this really was becoming a ''dream job.'' I could research exactly what I wanted to research, and apply it in a novel and exciting way. Today, I do feel like I'm a part of the AutoSim family.

I've never seen a environment outside of academia in which I could better research artificial intelligence. And above all, I couldn't have asked for better exchange experience. A thousand thanks, Martin.

I'm really going to miss you guys.

Please click here to continue on to all my IAESTE friends and Tromsoevaeringene I'm leaving behind.