My morfar ('grandpa' in Norwegian) emigrated from Norway to the US back in the 50s. He was a big part of my life growing up — I remember him watching tennis and golf in his bright red jacket, teaching me how to play chess, eating kumquats from the tree in his backyard, and giving me those red-and-white mints that he'd take in handfuls from restaurants.

In my family, we always wore our Norwegian (and Danish) heritage on our sleeves. I grew up very proud to be a Scandinavian, yet I had never actually been there. Finally going there last year and meeting more of my family was an incredible experience, and one that I'll be grateful of for years to come.

I also found a bright red jacket just like my morfar's at a thrift store there— I think he'd be happy about that.