Victoria experiencing Norway

At the beginning:

The hard part about preparing to leave home for 5 months was not putting all of my belongings into storage, the mounds of admin or packing for a winter like I’ve never before seen. Rather, it was achieving closure regarding what I was leaving behind. I was surprised by how shaken I was at the prospect of being away and it was useful to recognize that feeling overwhelmed was reasonable given the circumstances.

I have moved around a lot so I am fairly comfortable with the shock of being thrown into a new country. Orientation and the community of international students make it a soft and fun landing but keep in mind that this cushion is also a kind of insulation making it trickier for you to access the ‘real world’ of your host country. I live and study with international students and continue to feel somehow isolated from Norwegians.

Celebrating Norwegian National Day with my floor-mates: Emi, Lynne, Viktoria and Arina
Celebrating Norwegian National Day with my floor-mates: Emi, Lynne, Viktoria and Arina

Bridging this gap is important to me and getting a job has helped me to feel a little closer to Bergen life. The University of Bergen guarantees accommodation for all exchange students. We live 20 minutes out of the city center in what is fondly referred to as ‘the international ghetto’. Our rooms are spacious, have lots storage and are well maintained. I live with 2 Russians, 1 Chinese girl, 2 Japanese girls, 2 Bosnians and a rogue Norwegian guy. As you can imagine we have a magnificent variety of foodstuffs in our kitchen. I am pretty sure that the value I gain from my exchange will in large part be through coming to know my housemates. I have been surprised that my attitude towards Russia and China has been altered through my close engagement with housemates from these countries.

I live on the 15th floor of this building and take the light-rail into the center of Bergen to get to class. Sometimes there is more sun than this picture shows.
I live on the 15th floor of this building and take the light-rail into the center of Bergen to get to class. Sometimes there is more sun than this picture shows.

Bergen is the second biggest city in Norway but this title doesn’t give much away. The city is small, easily navigable and doesn’t have that urban kick of a big city. There are a number of hiking trails nearby and it is important to get outdoors – sometimes it feels like this is where the real Norway is. Norwegians have a special relationship with nature and when you are out in the beautiful icy mountains it easy to see why. Given its size, Bergen has an relatively large number of concerts and festivals – some of which are for free. I have enjoyed the security and ease of being in Bergen – all hail public transport.

A note on the weather:

I spent a lot of energy figuring out what clothes to take to Europe’s rainiest city. Keep in mind that Bergen isn’t actually that cold – it rarely gets below zero. Key to survival in Bergen is a good quality warm waterproof jacket. I recommend buying some winter items in Europe as South African brands have less experience with this kind of weather and invariably make lower quality cold – weather clothes at equivalent prices. Do some research into layering of clothes (wool against the skin) and consider investing in a thermal vest. As Norwegians say, ‘there is no bad weather, only bad clothing’ – a few simple changes will allow you to get out as normal rather than hole-up next to your radiator.

 Bergen is the rainiest city in Europe. Be prepared.
Bergen is the rainiest city in Europe. Be prepared.

A few months in:

Having been in Bergen for 4 months I have come to miss aspects of home that I didn’t expect to. The order, consistency and reserved culture of Norway can feel restrictive. I crave chaos, intensity and difference. Luckily, cheap flights and the EU, means that the more relaxed southern European countries are within reach.

Visiting the Academy in Athens
Visiting the Academy in Athens

I took advantage of a gap in my classes and headed to Greece for some sun and some Mediterranean boldness (and food). While in Athens I visited The Academy – founded by Plato and the model for the university as we know it today. It was an incredibly emotional experience to see the birthplace of Western Philosophy – the market where Socrates pestered young Athenians and the hilltop upon which democracy was first enacted. It was mind-blowing to actually see the places that I had for so long only been acquainted with through books.

Just chillin’. This was part of a European Student Network (ESN) organized and subsidized trip.
Just chillin’. This was part of a European Student Network (ESN) organized and subsidized trip.

Another highlight of my time in Bergen has been learning to ski. I first went on a trip organized and subsidized by the Erasmus Students Network. Fellow UIB students taught us the basics and after crying on the top of a really big slope, being left behind by the bus back to Bergen because I took a wrong turn on a run, and accidently pushing someone off the ski lift (twice), I am actually pretty competent. There are a number of great ski resorts around Bergen and I managed to visit many of them. Skiing is not as terrifying or difficult as it looks and given that it is so central to Norwegian culture it is well worth trying it out.

We took a ski trip to Voss, one of many nearby ski resorts, and I tried to teach this very brave group how to ski.
We took a ski trip to Voss, one of many nearby ski resorts, and I tried to teach this very brave group how to ski.

A note on expenses:

If you know anything about Norway, you know that it’s the most expensive country in the world. It seemed to me that everyday items such as groceries and transport are only marginally more expensive than in other parts of Europe. What is expensive is any luxury item (excluding salmon but including haircuts), eating out and of course alcohol. If you like to drink perhaps don’t come to Norway. Consider getting a weekend job – if you are persistent and have a fair amount of waitering experience you will find work and will earn more as a waitress than you ever have. Norwegian minimum wage is kr100 per hour. Dumpster diving is pretty big amongst international students and can help you save a few 100 kroner each month. I spend around kr6800 per month but I don’t ever drink or eat out. This figure excludes any travel outside of Bergen and my 5 month transport card that I bought at the beginning of the semester. If you are really interested in Norway don’t let the cost put you off – just make sure you get a job.

Finding a job:

Getting a waitressing job in Bergen is mostly about persistence. Don’t be disparaged by any one who says you won’t find a job or all the restaurants that turn you down. Print out 30 CVs and go talk to restaurant managers. I went to every restaurant I could find but you can also focus your search by joining this* Facebook group and visiting the places that post hiring adverts – emailing a cv is often less successful than dropping off your cv and having a chat.

Prior experience is pretty important. Being able to make coffee is a standard requirement and knowing something about wine and beer will set you apart. Being a native English speaker (if you are or can pass as one) will only get you so far – I think it might put you ahead of other non-Norwegian speaking applicants but more than that it won’t help much. If you speak French, Chinese or Japanese as well as English then you are a more attractive hire.

Other possibilities are as a tour guide in the summer (but then you probably need another language) or, less likely but still possible, odd jobs in your department (e.g. helping at a conference). Another option might be contacting Adecco – they provide cleaners to UIB and many big companies. Be prepared to do anything; you will pretty much always be paid and treated well irrespective of what work you are doing.

* Servitør-Kokk-Bartender Bergen: https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=499817990115447

My last week in Bergen:

I chose an exchange to Norway because I wanted to experience a working social democracy. In orientation we were told that as a social democracy Norway functions because of 1) oil money and 2) deeply entrenched social democratic values. Hierarchy, acting or thinking you are superior, conspicuous wealth, not pulling your weight, disregarding the rules or seeing your situation as an exception- these are all very un-Norwegian. The fairness of Norwegian society points both to obvious big and not so obvious small injustices in South Africa. Yet I haven’t come into contact with an overtly caring, interested or humanistic side that I – perhaps naively – expected to find at the heart of such an equal society. Norwegians are known for being close-knit and suspicious of outsiders. I haven’t really managed to connect with Norwegians. Though I live in a welcoming community of international students, being without much link to local life has bothered me.

My classes at the University of Bergen were small and the student-lecturer dynamic was markedly non-hierarchical. Lecturers set tasks that allowed a lot of room for students to shape their own projects and assessments. On the one hand, this was frustrating as we felt like we hadn’t been given sufficient guidance and didn’t know what was expected of us. On the other, it was challenging to not only produce the work but also anticipate and define for ourselves how it would or should be judged. Many UIB Philosophy students have only ever taken Philosophy courses and their zealous commitment to their subject often came across as an inability to put Philosophy in the context of a world. My SU honours class was a moment of convergence for people on totally different tracks and this was part of what made it so rich.

My courses have now come to an end and I am occupied with saying good-bye to friends and thesising. Soon I too will pack up here in Bergen and will make my to Stockholm. In August I will begin a Masters with just a little apprehension about living in cold Scandinavia for another 2 years. In many ways these places of the far north are difficult for someone from the far south – it is something about the tempo and intensity of life. A take-home from my exchange is a more coloured-in sense of the differences between myself and Europeans coupled with my first experience of feeling somehow related to Europe. That is to say; being here has awakened a curiosity about my place-related-identity; a curiosity that as a white English speaking South African was previously without much grip.

I cannot say that I will miss Bergen but I am lucky to be able to say that I will miss the people that I met here. I have made friends from places otherwise inaccessible who have opened me to new ideas about the places they are from. I am very grateful to have been given this opportunity and would like to thank Stellenbosch University for helping students experience new places and learn through exchange.