Experience Norway Student Blog

Ya, Vi eslker dette landet
som det stiger frem!

[Yes, we love this country
as it rises forth!]

Sunday was the 17th of May, which is National Day here in Norway. The day was full of fun events and traditions. The morning kicked off with the children’s parade, when students from all of the local schools march in their classes, singing and chanting. The school we visited last week, Vardenosen, invited us to march behind them in the parade. So a group of us, got up, put on our Norway ribbons, and headed down to the city square. Everyone was very well dressed, and many people wore traditional Norwegian dress. Norwegian flags were waving everywhere, and everyone was cheering and celebrating. The Russ students were running up and down alone the parade route, throwing out their Russ cards and spraying everyone with water guns. (What’s Russ? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russetid )

The rest of the day was filled with singing, dancing, a tour of the ship Sorlandet, and a public parade. For our final meal in Kristiansand, we had Chinese! We all received certificates proving our participation in Experience Norway (and the girls got hugs, too!).

Around 10:30 p.m. several of us participated in Tapto, a local tradition. People meet up at one of the starting points in town, grab hands with their friends (and others, too), and run down to the harbor to see the fireworks. Tapto was crazy! People were weaving in and out of each other; we had to dodge the march band that was in front of us, other runners, lamposts, and trash cans. It was raining, so we were pretty soaked by the time we reached the harbor, out of breath and totally exhilerated. The fireworks were a little late, but awesome. There were a few that I don’t think are legal anywhere in the states.

We were still hyped when we, at long last, reached the hotel lobby dripping from head to toe. We stripped off our shoes and socks and got some towels (and hot coffee). Then came a bunch of hugs and well wishes, as we said our goodbyes to the UNO students and Norwegians who helped show us around Norway.

We had to leave at 5 a.m. this morning to catch our train to Oslo, and, when we got down to the lobby, there were our Norway friends with a bag full of chocolate for us! (Thanks Lasse & Kristian — it was all delicious!) It was the first train ride for a lot of us. Most of us slept along the way, but we also got to enjoy the beautiful Norwegian scenery. We made it to Oslo around 10 a.m., dropped our luggage at the hostel, and hopped back on the bus for a short city tour. We stopped by Vigeland Park, a garden of sculptures created by Vigeland themed around the circle of life. Some of the sculptures aligned with sunrise and sunset, those in the east centered mostly around life, working towards the west where they were focused on death. We were able to see the lovely downtown of Oslo, where we ate and caught a tram back up to our hostel. Our hostel is, in a word, freaking amazing. I know that’s two words, but I think it deserves it We have free internet (yay!), our own bunk beds, and good coffee. Most of us chilled here, and utilized the kitchen accommodations. We spent dinner reminiscing about our wonderful trip and shared our favorite experiences (and a lot of junk food). Zac made us a lavish Italian dinner aka pasta, and we had some “pizza au freezer.”

Now, we’re spending the evening digesting our Norway experience and turning in early after a wonderful and full day.

P.S. Nick ate whale. (live whale)

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Pulpit Rock: The beautiful view

Hei Hei! We made our way to Stavanger on Thursday, taking a scenic route. We stopped in the North Sea, which was gorgeous! But quite cold. After our arrival at the hotel, we took a tour of the city and learned many fun stories about its history. We also got to take a private tour of the world’s only canning museum and learned about how sardines are made! It was a great tour. We went back to the hotel and had a very relaxed night, just hanging out in the lobby and bonding with the group. The next morning, we woke up and took a trip to the Petroleum Museum. There, we took a tour and learned about Norway’s oil history- we also got to watch a 3-D film about how petroleum is made, and we all looked really cool with our glasses on. After the film, we took a trip to Statoil Hydro to learn about the business. We took a tour of the plant and learned about alternative energies and problem solving. The building had some beautiful artwork and our presentations were very interesting. The rest of that afternoon was ours! We were free to walk around Stavanger and go shopping. During the evening, we all went out as a large group to a piano bar and had a great time, dancing, chatting, and listening to some great music. Saturday morning, we woke up and took the bus on a ferry to Pulpit Rock. We grabbed our packed lunches and headed up the trail for our app. 2 hour hike up to the rock. It was a steep climb, and many of us realized how out of shape we are! Or how little experience we have with climbing because of Nebraska’s flat terrain- hopefully the second one We all made it up to the top, where an incredible view awaited us. From the rock, we could see the fjord, mountains, trees, and just an absolutely beautiful landscape. It was incredibly windy, but many of us braved it and layed over the edge to get some great photographs.

We ate our lunch and headed down the trail. It was a very tiring, but incredible experience for all of us. After the climb, we loaded onto the bus and headed back to Kristiansand. We stopped for an incredible salmon dinner at the Maritime Hotel, and arrived back at Kristiansand around 8:00pm. We all relaxed, unpacked, and got ready for the night, where we went right next door to “The Spot” for another night of dancing and hanging out. We called it an early night to get ready for some National Day celebrations tomorrow! [written by Felicia]

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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.

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Here’s a recap of day one in Kristiansand:

“The Sea! The Sea!”
~Xenophon c. 428-c.354BC

Thankfully, our first day here in Kristiansand began with a late start, which gave us a chance to catch up on sleep or spend the Sunday morning as we wished. The breakfast here at the hotel was a-mazing: bacon, sausage (we think either bear or reindeer, very delicious), fruit, cereal, bread, cheeses and meats, waffles, eggs, juices…getting hungry yet? After we loaded up, we strolled down to the seashore to begin our boat trip. Though the weather was rather nice, the chill sea breeze made us a bit cold. However, the view on the water was beautiful. We stopped on a couple of islands. The first, an old fort was tiny, and we were able to meet its sole inhabitants – a handful of sheep. The other was larger and we took time to eat a light lunch. Shrimp was the highlight of the meal, and this definitely wasn’t the stuff you buy at the store back home. Eyes, legs, and eggs were all still intact, waiting to be pealed. Once you got through all of that, the reward was delicious! (Kudos to the girls who tried the shrimp and mayo sandwich!)

Outside one of the buildings, Norwegian children were whittling sticks (well, we’ll call it whittling, but these knives were pretty large for such small hands). We decided that Norwegian children must be some of the toughest in the world. Nebraskan children certainly aren’t allowed to wield sharp objects! They did so quite carefully, though, and with adult supervision, of course. (Kids, don’t try this at home!)

We also took a mini-hike around the island, and a few of us attempted to use the children’s rope swings. Apparently, Norwegian children weigh less than American college students. The things we learn abroad!

We had some free time to roam after our boat tour, and then – pizza! It was so good! We wrapped up the day with a walking tour of the city. We were able to learn some Norwegian history, as well as many interesting facts about Kristiansand itself (did you know it was won awards for its beautiful flowers?).

To relax a bit after our long day of walking, a group of us stopped by a nearby bar to hear a local band perform and taste Kristiansand’s own beer. All in all, a rather eventful first day in Norway!

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Sorry about the delay - we’re having a few issues with our internet access on our laptop. Right now we’re at the library on the University of Agder campus. Adreas Aase just gave us a quick look at key Norwegian values - equality, moderation, and nearness to nature are at the top of the list. We will soon be leaving campus to visit Aker MH/Aker Solutions. Hopefully,we’ll get the internet working this evening. I just didn’t want you to think we’d forgotten about you now that we’re across the ocean.

Hope all is well in Nebraska!

(Pictures are on their way, I promise! You may be able to view them at http://norwaytrip09.ist.unomaha.edu/photos but it’s difficult to check on this computer.)

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You should not pain the chair, but only what someone has felt about it.
~Edvard Munch

We’re here! It’s been a long day (or two days….I’ve never been very good at all this time-change business), but we’ve finally made it. We had a long layover in Amsterdam, so we took full advantage and ventured out of Schipol Airport to see some of the city. Our awesome tour guide, Michael, took us around the heart of Amsterdam. So, yes, we saw the red light district and a certain plant that’s rather illegal to have in the U.S. But, more importantly, we saw the beautiful canals that give the city form. Cyclists were abundant, taking full advantage of the wide sidewalks and biking lanes.

Part of our tour included a walk through the Anne Frank House. It is a powerful display that takes you through Anne’s years of hiding in the floors above her father’s office with seven others, including the rest of her family. Quotes from her dairy are painted on the walls, leading you through her story. We were able to climb the steep, narrow steps that led to their secret hideout - the entrance to which was hidden behind a bookcase. At the top were the tiny rooms where they lived quietly through much of World War II always in fear of being found out. On August 4, 1944, they were discovered, and Otto Frank, Anne’s father, was the sole survivor of the group.

Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures inside the house, both out of respect for other visitors and so as not to damage the original items on display. However, the museum has an excellent website: http://www.annefrank.org/content.asp?pid=1&lid=2 Here you can view many items on display at the house, watch videos (including the only known video image of Anne), and even access a live webcam of the view out Anne’s window. In 2010, the site will launch a 3D virtual tour of the house in honor of the Anne Frank House’s 50th Anniversary.

We also went to the Rijks Museum. There was so much beautiful art, but here are a few of my favorites (search the collection here: http://www.rijksmuseum.nl/zoeken/?lang=en or view a larger selection of the masterpieces here: http://www.rijksmuseum.nl/formats/container_en.html):
Herman Doomer’s Cabinet
‘The floating feather’ by Melchior d’Hondecoeter
‘River view by moonlihgt’ by Aert van der Neer

And now, at long last, we are in our hotel in Kristiansand (http://www.hotellsorlandet.no/). Photos should be uploaded soon!

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“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”
~ St. Augustine

Hei!

Our semester is finally wrapping up here at UNO! We’re finishing projects, papers, and exams; selling textbooks back; and, of course, packing for our trip to Norway! (2 days ’til lift-off!) St. Augustine wrote that ”The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” On Friday, our diverse group of 20 UNO students, along with chaperons and faculty members, will begin reading a few more pages in that book. And we can’t wait!

So, this blog will be a bit like a SparkNotes guide (complete with pictures!) for all of our friends and family back home. Since we can’t take all of you with us, we’ll bring some of our experiences to you! Check in here while we’re away for daily updates on what we’re doing, the fun we’re having, the sights we’re seeing, and what we’re learning along the way.

Don’t forget to leave comments, and tell us what you want to know about our trip to Norway!

Vi sees! (See you [later]!)

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