Experience Norway Student Blog

Just in case anyone wanted to practice their Norwegian, you can check out this link and read the article posted on the The Norwegian Centre for International Cooperation in Higher Education (SIU) site.

Hope everyone has enjoyed going through pictures and sharing about your experiences in Norway!  Maybe someone hopes to study abroad there soon…

-Zac

PS — Dr. Wolcott provided a translation for us:

Celebrated 17th of May in Kristiansand

A group of American students and staff from the University of Nebraska at Omaha got a chance to experience Norway and the national holiday in conjunction with a 10-days visit.

The program for the group of around 30 people was tightly packed, with lectures at the University in Agder, visits to Kristiansand, Stavanger and Oslo, sightseeing and celebration of 17th of May.  A partnership between UiA and UNO is part of an Educational and Cultural Immersion project.

For Nick Monge (23), the trip was his first encounter with Scandinavia.  A lecture on Norwegian culture and core values was for him among the interesting.

“In a week in Norway I’ve seen how different the concept of ‘equality’ is understood and practiced here in comparison to the USA.  It’s almost a joke when we Americans talk about equality; we don’t really practice it,” he says.  Monge is pursuing international studies and Spanish at UNO.

Jessica Clem (25), a student of urban studies, thinks it was interesting to see how the local community came together to celebrate the 17th of May.  “It was fantastic to march in the parade and be a part of the community’s celebration,” she says.  The students, who are pursuing undergraduate degrees in variety of disciplines, had time to get to know students at UiA who are planning a trip to Nebraska at a later time.

“For me this was some of the best part of the visit,” says the 22 year old Felician Synowicki, who is studing teacher education and social studies.

The students have blogged regularly, and you can read more on how the visit seemed to the 20 students at http://norwaytrip09.ist.unomaha.edu/

By: Kjersti Brown

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Hello everyone! Zac again. Krista and some of the students just left gate 43 from the Oslo airport on time.  They will be going through Amsterdam on fl. KLM 1142.  Once in Amsterdam they have a short layover before departing for Minneapolis.  If everything holds up with the flights the group will be back in Omaha at 6pm fl. NWA 274.  It will be a long journey home, so smiling faces at the airport will be much appreciated!

Some students and myself have stayed for different flights and will continue some personal travel over the next few weeks. 

It has been a great trip!  I have been excited to share Norway with the students for a long while. Both Krista, Deepak, Ilze and I appreciate the enthusiasm, the patience, and the excitment that everyone had during this trip.  You all did a great job!

Jenny et al may post more pictures once they return, so come back to the blog at least once or twice!

–Zac

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	We walked in the National Day Parade with the students from the school we visited during the Service Learning day.
	Students walking in the parade with Deepak: Catie, Shazale, and Michelle.
	One of the teachers from the school we visited.
	Krista, Jackie, Catie, Shazale on Pulpit Rock
	Checking out the 3D show in the Oil Museum (Stavanger)
	Zac holding a large spider.
	Nick making friends at the Kristiansand Zoo
	Andrew loves Kristiansand.

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	First the student posed in our trip t-shirts in front of the University of Agder campus.
	Here we have some of our students with the school children during our service learning visit.
	Before the tour of the silicon plant, we had to put on red safety gear: fireproof coats, a hardhat, and steel toe shoes.

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Make sure you check out this page or http://flickr.com/norwaytrip09 to see the photos Jenny is sharing!

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Hello blog-readers!  This is Zac, one of the staff chaperones on the trip along with Krista C.   Today we left Kristiansand for a few days to see another part of Norway: Stavanger.  Stavanger is a city on the west coast of Norway, south of Bergen.  We arrived in the early afternoon and had a walking tour of the city, which included a walk through the old wooden parts of town as well as the sardine canning museum.  (That’s right.  And, it’s the only one of its kind in the world!)  Did you know that a can of sardines can survive a nuclear event undamaged?  That’s what the guide shared with us while talking about how long those little fishies can last if they are canned properly.

On the 4 hour bus ride from Kristiansand to Stavanger, we took the scenic route.  The bus meandered through the coastline rocks and hills — such a beautiful countryside.  We even stopped at a small beach for a rest.  It was Shazale’s first time to a beach!

We will be here for two more days before heading back to Kristiansand for National Day.

Jenny might pop back on later for a little more descriptions, but for now, this is where we are!

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Our trip was featured in the Omaha World Herald on the 11th.  Read the article here: http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10631822.  The article features quotes from Jessica and Felicia.

Perhaps you may have seen it in the paper!

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Students,

Please register your trip with the US State department at: http://studentsabroad.state.gov/.  This site has great information about students who travel abroad.  The actual registration area is at: https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/index.aspx.

Be sure to plan ahead for packing.  We leave on Friday!

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