{"id":2370,"date":"2015-09-09T13:51:34","date_gmt":"2015-09-09T11:51:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/summerschoolsblog\/?p=2370"},"modified":"2017-01-04T11:45:02","modified_gmt":"2017-01-04T09:45:02","slug":"victoria-experiencing-norway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/summerschoolsblog\/2015\/09\/09\/victoria-experiencing-norway\/","title":{"rendered":"Victoria experiencing Norway"},"content":{"rendered":"

At the beginning:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The hard part about preparing to leave home for 5 months was not putting all of\u00a0my belongings into storage, the mounds of admin or packing for a winter like I\u2019ve\u00a0never before seen. Rather, it was achieving closure regarding what I was leaving\u00a0behind. I was surprised by how shaken I was at the prospect of being away and it\u00a0was useful to recognize that feeling overwhelmed was reasonable given the\u00a0circumstances.<\/p>\n

I have moved around a lot so I am fairly comfortable with the shock of being\u00a0thrown into a new country. Orientation and the community of international\u00a0students make it a soft and fun landing but keep in mind that this cushion is also\u00a0a kind of insulation making it trickier for you to access the \u2018real world\u2019 of your\u00a0host country. I live and study with international students and continue to feel\u00a0somehow isolated from Norwegians.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Celebrating<\/a>
Celebrating Norwegian National Day with my floor-mates: Emi, Lynne, Viktoria and Arina<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bridging this gap is important to me and\u00a0getting a job has helped me to feel a little closer to Bergen life.\u00a0The University of Bergen guarantees accommodation for all exchange students.\u00a0We live 20 minutes out of the city center in what is fondly referred to as \u2018the\u00a0international ghetto\u2019. Our rooms are spacious, have lots storage and are well\u00a0maintained. I live with 2 Russians, 1 Chinese girl, 2 Japanese girls, 2 Bosnians and\u00a0a rogue Norwegian guy. As you can imagine we have a magnificent variety of\u00a0foodstuffs in our kitchen. I am pretty sure that the value I gain from my exchange\u00a0will in large part be through coming to know my housemates. I have been\u00a0surprised that my attitude towards Russia and China has been altered through\u00a0my close engagement with housemates from these countries.<\/p>\n

\"I<\/a>
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.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bergen is the second biggest city in Norway but this title doesn\u2019t give much away.\u00a0The city is small, easily navigable and doesn\u2019t have that urban kick of a big city.\u00a0There are a number of hiking trails nearby and it is important to get outdoors –\u00a0sometimes it feels like this is where the real Norway is. Norwegians have a\u00a0special relationship with nature and when you are out in the beautiful icy\u00a0mountains it easy to see why. Given its size, Bergen has an relatively large\u00a0number of concerts and festivals – some of which are for free. I have enjoyed the\u00a0security and ease of being in Bergen – all hail public transport.<\/p>\n

A note on the weather:<\/em><\/p>\n

I spent a lot of energy figuring out what clothes to take to Europe\u2019s rainiest city.\u00a0Keep in mind that Bergen isn\u2019t actually that cold – it rarely gets below zero. Key\u00a0to survival in Bergen is a good quality warm waterproof jacket. I recommend\u00a0buying some winter items in Europe as South African brands have less\u00a0experience with this kind of weather and invariably make lower quality cold –\u00a0weather clothes at equivalent prices. Do some research into layering of clothes\u00a0(wool against the skin) and consider investing in a thermal vest. As Norwegians\u00a0say, \u2018there is no bad weather, only bad clothing\u2019 – a few simple changes will allow\u00a0you to get out as normal rather than hole-up next to your radiator.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"<\/a>
Bergen is the rainiest city in Europe. Be prepared.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A few months in:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Having been in Bergen for 4 months I have come to miss aspects of home that I\u00a0didn\u2019t expect to. The order, consistency and reserved culture of Norway can feel\u00a0restrictive. I crave chaos, intensity and difference. Luckily, cheap flights and the\u00a0EU, means that the more relaxed southern European countries are within reach.<\/p>\n

\"Visiting<\/a>
Visiting the Academy in Athens<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I took advantage of a gap in my classes and headed to Greece for some sun and\u00a0some Mediterranean boldness (and food). While in Athens I visited The Academy\u00a0– founded by Plato and the model for the university as we know it today. It was\u00a0an incredibly emotional experience to see the birthplace of Western Philosophy –\u00a0the market where Socrates pestered young Athenians and the hilltop upon which\u00a0democracy was first enacted. It was mind-blowing to actually see the places that\u00a0I had for so long only been acquainted with through books.<\/p>\n

\"Just<\/a>
Just chillin\u2019. This was part of a European Student Network (ESN) organized and subsidized trip.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Another highlight of my time in Bergen has been learning to ski. I first went on a\u00a0trip organized and subsidized by the Erasmus Students Network. Fellow UIB\u00a0students taught us the basics and after crying on the top of a really big slope,\u00a0being left behind by the bus back to Bergen because I took a wrong turn on a run,\u00a0and accidently pushing someone off the ski lift (twice), I am actually pretty\u00a0competent. There are a number of great ski resorts around Bergen and I\u00a0managed to visit many of them. Skiing is not as terrifying or difficult as it looks\u00a0and given that it is so central to Norwegian culture it is well worth trying it out.<\/p>\n

\"We<\/a>
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.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A note on expenses:<\/em><\/p>\n

If you know anything about Norway, you know that it\u2019s the most expensive\u00a0country in the world. It seemed to me that everyday items such as groceries and\u00a0transport are only marginally more expensive than in other parts of Europe.\u00a0What is expensive is any luxury item (excluding salmon but including haircuts),\u00a0eating out and of course alcohol. If you like to drink perhaps don\u2019t come to\u00a0Norway. Consider getting a weekend job – if you are persistent and have a fair\u00a0amount of waitering experience you will find work and will earn more as a\u00a0waitress than you ever have. Norwegian minimum wage is kr100 per hour.\u00a0Dumpster diving is pretty big amongst international students and can help you\u00a0save a few 100 kroner each month. I spend around kr6800 per month but I don\u2019t\u00a0ever drink or eat out. This figure excludes any travel outside of Bergen and my 5\u00a0month transport card that I bought at the beginning of the semester. If you are\u00a0really interested in Norway don\u2019t let the cost put you off – just make sure you get\u00a0a job.<\/em><\/p>\n

Finding a job:<\/em><\/p>\n

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.<\/em><\/p>\n

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. <\/em><\/p>\n

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. <\/em><\/p>\n

* Servit\u00f8r-Kokk-Bartender Bergen: https:\/\/m.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=499817990115447<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

My last week in Bergen:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u00a0because of 1) oil money and 2) deeply entrenched social democratic values. Hierarchy,\u00a0acting or thinking you are superior, conspicuous wealth, not pulling your weight,\u00a0disregarding the rules or seeing your situation as an exception- these are all very\u00a0un-Norwegian. The fairness of Norwegian society points both to obvious big and\u00a0not so obvious small injustices in South Africa. Yet I haven\u2019t come into contact\u00a0with an overtly caring, interested or humanistic side that I – perhaps naively –\u00a0expected to find at the heart of such an equal society. Norwegians are known for\u00a0being close-knit and suspicious of outsiders. I haven\u2019t really managed to connect\u00a0with Norwegians. Though I live in a welcoming community of international\u00a0students, being without much link to local life has bothered me.<\/p>\n

My classes at the University of Bergen were small and the student-lecturer\u00a0dynamic was markedly non-hierarchical. Lecturers set tasks that allowed a lot of\u00a0room for students to shape their own projects and assessments. On the one hand,\u00a0this was frustrating as we felt like we hadn\u2019t been given sufficient guidance and\u00a0didn\u2019t know what was expected of us. On the other, it was challenging to not only\u00a0produce the work but also anticipate and define for ourselves how it would or\u00a0should be judged. Many UIB Philosophy students have only ever taken\u00a0Philosophy courses and their zealous commitment to their subject often came\u00a0across as an inability to put Philosophy in the context of a world. My SU honours\u00a0class was a moment of convergence for people on totally different tracks and this\u00a0was part of what made it so rich.<\/p>\n

My courses have now come to an end and I am occupied with saying good-bye to\u00a0friends and thesising. Soon I too will pack up here in Bergen and will make my to\u00a0Stockholm. In August I will begin a Masters with just a little apprehension about\u00a0living in cold Scandinavia for another 2 years. In many ways these places of the\u00a0far north are difficult for someone from the far south – it is something about the\u00a0tempo and intensity of life. A take-home from my exchange is a more coloured-in\u00a0sense of the differences between myself and Europeans coupled with my first\u00a0experience of feeling somehow related to Europe. That is to say; being here has\u00a0awakened a curiosity about my place-related-identity; a curiosity that as a white\u00a0English speaking South African was previously without much grip.<\/p>\n

I cannot say that I will miss Bergen but I am lucky to be able to say that I will\u00a0miss the people that I met here. I have made friends from places otherwise\u00a0inaccessible who have opened me to new ideas about the places they are from. I\u00a0am very grateful to have been given this opportunity and would like to thank\u00a0Stellenbosch University for helping students experience new places and learn\u00a0through exchange.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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