My First Love

That's me in the yellow. Oscar is on my right in white. Isn't he a Swedish god?

Inspired by Keely, at The Un Mom, I've decided to do a boyfriends greatests hits. (And Big Man, if you're reading, you are number one.)

My first love has to be Oscar, from Sweden.

The from Sweden bit is important, cause this is the kind of summer camp love they made TV-movies out of in the 80's and we now can enjoy on sunday mornings.

It's 1989. I'm 11, and dreaming of that romantic love I've seen in the movies. The ideal men (or should I say boys) in my mind were 'Elliot' from 'ET' , Sean Astin in 'The Goonies', Corey Haim in The Lost Boys' and Atreyu in The Neverending Story. I used to make myself dream about them at night. Writing notes on yellow post its and sticking them to my bed for some dream inspriration.

But then. I'm off to Brazil with CISV (Childrens International Summer Villages). A month in camp with 48 other 11 year olds from 12 different countries. I knew I was in with a chance of finding someone to replace the movie boys currently stalking my dreams.

And there he was. Beautiful Oscar from Sweden. Tall, tanned, and I went for the kill. Fortunately love at that age has got just as much to do with talking someone into a relationship. I talked. We hooked up.

Now. We were in no way the only couple in the camp, but thanks to winning the kissing competition a few times, and me sneaking into his bed one night we got established as one of the offical couples at camp. We even got 'married'.

(Here I have to digress. When I retold the story to my girlfriends back in Norway I conveniently left out that the rings were made of tin foil, and that it was a mass wedding. It's about keeping the romantic illusion. I had learnt that even at the ripe age of 11).

After a month in Tween Love Heaven it was time to go back home. Without Oscar. I cried. And cried. And cried a bit more.

The next month I kept on pining for my boy untill the fateful letter arrived. The didn't want to be my 'kille' (boy) anymore. The distance was too far. I was heartbroken, playing the role of the pining girlfriend had been my thing. Now all I had was the memory.

I still have that memory. And a blurry picture of me next to Oscar from Sweden. My first love.