Amjid Hussain runs a café, a kiosk, and a grocery store with the name Rojan Cross Roads in Grymyr, a village in the Gran municipality. He has no problem finding something to do in his free time; he has none!

Amjid grew up in a rural town in Pakistan where he went to primary school and afterward had various small jobs. He lost his mother early so he lived with his sister who raised him.

His father had traveled to Norway and lived here for 17 years before Amjid came in 1981 through the family reunification process. As a 15 year-old Amjid had sought a travel visa but it took three years before he was granted one.

He first lived in Holmestrand and then in the Oslo area before he moved to Hadeland in Oppland in 2001. The business he runs, Rojan Crossroads, is named after his sons Roy and Jan.

From the beginning Amjid was eager to learn Norwegian and said that he learned most by being out among Norwegians. “I especially learned a lot from the children. They don’t laugh at you, but tell how it should be said, “ he said. Now he speaks better Norwegian than his native language and now and then must think carefully before he finds the right expressions when he’s visiting Pakistan.

Even though Amjid has plans for a future in Norway, he can still long after Pakistan where he has family and friends. He also misses parts of Pakistani culture. He has good contact with relatives through the Internet and telephone, but tells that when he first came to Norway they sent cassette tapes between Pakistan and Norway.

Amjid feels it has it good in Norway even though it takes a lot of work to run his store.