Experience Norway Student Blog

The days here just aren’t long enough! Yes, the sun rises before 5 and it doesn’t really get dark until after 11, but we need more hours in our days here — they are jam-packed! Monday was our first visit to the University of Agder, one of seven universities here in Norway. We received a crash course in Norwegian values from Andreas Asse (no, it is not pronounced like that), who provided us with this top three list: equality, moderation, and nearness to nature. During our few days here, we have already begun to see the truth in his assessment.

Take the last one. Just north of Kristiansand’s city center is Baneheia, which is kind of like a really big park. It’s a wooded area with trails winding through it; the terrain is rocky, and there are some ponds here scattered throughout it. It is incredibly beautiful.

After the lecture at the university, we took a trip to Aker Solutions, a company in the area that has locations worldwide. They design and build equipment and technologies for all parts of the oil production process. (They explain things a little better at http://www.akersolutions.com ) While we were there, they showed us their drill simulator. They have virtual models of all of their operational rigs and receive all the data for each rig, as well. Then they built a replica ‘command center’ where people can train to run the technology on the rigs. They even have the technology to run all of the rigs remotely, if desired (though they aren’t currently). Take a look at the simulator video on youtube; there’s only one word to describe it: sweet! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PJt7MYJxM0

We ended the day with a delicious barbeque on the beach and a bit of volleyball (we lost….pretty miserably….but it was still a blast!).

Tuesday started with a lecture on E-democracy, basically about how politics are being effected by multimedia and online social networks. After lunch at the university, we went to a local elementary school to see what education is like here in Norway and meet some Norwegian students. We were split between the sixth and seventh grades. The students gave us a tour of the school and school grounds. The kids live close enough to the school that they can walk, bike, or skateboard there. They taught us a couple of Norwegian dances, and let us participate, as well. A few fun things we learned about their school:

They don’t wear shoes inside.
In 5th grade they go camping in the forest; in sixth grade they go to a lake; in seventh grade they hike up a mountain. During each of these trips, the kids do their own cooking and cleaning, with teachers only there to supervise. They are incredibly self-sufficient. They build mini houses at school, and make sure the girls learn how to do it just as the boys do! They learn about nature in nature, and spend a great deal of time outside. It was a blast to get to meet all of the kids. We had a couple hours for shopping, and then we went to the university for a tour and supper. Finally, we walked to one of the student dorms where the students here threw a little party for us. And now, it’s time for some breakfast before we head to the university for our final lecture.

jlwhisler General