Guest Spot: Jan Havlas

I met Jan this August at the beginning of Fall semester at the University of Oslo. We were organized together in a "Buddy Group" set up to allow international students to get to know one another. In addition to having a class together, Jan and I traveled to Bergen with a handful of other international students in October. Jan also kept a blog while he was in Norway- it is written mostly in Czech but, as he reminded me more than once, Google Translator is a beautiful thing. You can find it here.


Where is your home university?
I study cartography at Masaryk Univeristy, in Brno, the second largest city in Czech Republic. 


Why did you choose Norway?
Norway was the best choice due to the limited choices from my department. I wanted to study English and Norway was the only suitable place. Nature and sports are a part of my lifestyle and Norway is simply the best in such things. 


What were your expectations before you went abroad?
Academic benefit is for sure an important part of study abroad. Independence (to be able to care for myself) and life experience in a  foreign country (multicultural benefits and a wider scope) were my highest expectations before I went abroad. I can't forget to mention improving language skills, traveling and making new friends! 


What were the biggest challenges for you? What surprised you the most?
Surprisingly, it was quite easy to care for myself in a foreign country and to balance some kind of "culture shock." The biggest challenge was to organize my time so that I didn't miss all the things I wanted or had to do, like school, socializing, events, sports, traveling, etc. I have never lived in such a "hurry" before. I was surprised by how fast the time went.


What was the biggest lesson that you got out of your time in Norway?
I have no doubt what it is- my stay abroad taught me to live more active than I was used to living before. Opportunities have to be taken and "shaken." It taught me to be active, live active.


What suggestions would you have for people who are thinking about studying abroad?
I have just one. Just go study abroad! It doesn't even matter where. Don't hesitate. It is going to turn into priceless life experience!


Any other comments?
Norway is a paradise for those who search for sports, nature and the balance with human being. If you are in search for high socializing or high culture, go a bit more south (Spain, for example), although Oslo isn't weak even in that stuff. 


Thank you, Jan!


What is this "Guest Spot" thing? You can find the introduction to the project here.

Røyrivannskoia

What is the best way to spend a March weekend in Norway, you ask? I think I've found the equation: days filled with sun, teaching newbies to ski, a "super moon" and a handful of good friends!

Six of us spent the weekend on skis in Østmarka, the eastern part of the forest around Oslo. I was joined by two charming Spaniards on the ski into the cabin. Despite it being one of the girls very first time on cross-country skis, she had an incredible attitude as we covered more than 20 K, skiing well into the night! She was a shoo-in for the "Good Sport of the Weekend" Award. We arrived to a warm cabin prepared by the other half of our group, who we assumed we would arrive before...

A few of us went back out on the trail after dinner for some moonlight skiing. The moon was at it's biggest since 1983, so it goes without saying that there was no need for headlamps. My high school ski coach rates night skis by how much writing on your skis you can read. This night escapade took it to the next level- I could see my shadow in the dead of night. There is nothing quite like a night ski on a frozen Norwegian lake under clear star-scattered skies.

Our ski back the next day took much less time than the trip in, and we spent most of it with sunglasses on and sleeves rolled up. I'm refusing to use klister until I absolutely have to, and I got by despite melty conditions. I'll take a little snow melt if it is accompanied by a little Vitamin D...

Those faces obviously haven't seen the sun for far too long...

Stay tuned for more... we are headed back out into the woods for another hut trip this weekend!

Guest Spot: An Introduction

The Institute of International Education (IIE) reports that over 260,000 students from the United States studied abroad during some part of the 2008-09 school year. They claim that "U.S. student participation in study abroad has more than doubled over the past decade." With the numbers continuing to rise and the destinations for students becoming more diverse every year, I want to know- what is the draw to studying abroad? What expectations do people have when they start out and what do they learn?

This blog has allowed me to share my voice about my own expectations and experiences, but my story is not the only one! I have asked some friends from different parts of my life to share their perspectives on the study abroad experience. Some are friends from high school, others I met at Humboldt State, and a few are folks I met in Norway.


Each week, I will present a guest who has graciously answered some questions about their time abroad. I want to show that everyone comes to the experience from a different vantage point and each individual gets something different out of the adventure.

Stay tuned! The first Guest Spot is coming up soon!

Night at the Opera

For my birthday, I was given the generous gift of a show of my choice at the Oslo Opera House. I took myself out to the theater tonight to redeem my birthday present. I was really lucky to go to a show in this beautiful venue. The Opera House opened in August 2008 after almost a decade of construction. It was awarded the World Cultural Building of the Year in 2008 and the European Union's Prize for Contemporary Architecture in 2009. It sits right on the harbor and the unique architectural design and slanted walkways make it appear as if it is coming out of the water. In the snow-free months, visitors are able to walk all over the building, including the roof! When I was there in September, there were sculptures scattered along the sloping roof tops that visitors could interact with. This building is much more than a venue.

I saw "Bewitched- With a Magic Wand in the Opera." The show was geared towards children, which was perfect since my Norwegian language skills are at the child-level. Plus, theater is always more fun when the majority of the audience is excited kids! The play was not the American 1960's Bewitched story line, but a tale of a classroom full of kids who get a first-hand lesson about opera through a spell-casting witch of a substitute teacher. They are transported into the world of opera and have to find a way to return Susanna to Figaro (en frisør, the barber, of Seville). It was a great show, complete with a Norwegian-sweater-wearing giant and a flying witch!

Thanks Chris and Charlie! It was a generous and much appreciated gift!

A Taste of Oslo Life

If only this was reality... although the World Championships were pretty darn close.