International Connections

The International Summer School at the University of Oslo brought together students, young and old, from 87+ countries.  During a state of global crisis, there were young adults from Syria and Israel studying under one roof.  They were both able to stand on the stage on the night of our international cultural evening and not think about what was going on back at home. There was an entire group of students sponsored by the Rotary Club who were from the Baltic States.  They each came from countries that were once part of Croatia but due to war they grew up with different cultures and languages. When they all met for the first time they found out that they could understand each of their languages.  It was like listening to a different dialect or accent to them.  Students who were once citizens at war against each other were forming long-lasting friendships.

It was such a unique experience to find try and something in common with Punky from the country of Georgia and my home state of Georgia.  I am so grateful to have met such a true gentleman, Alejandro, from the country of Costa Rica.  In the beginning of the trip, it was comforting to find and meet people from the United States but, even after talking to them I learned that our states may as well be different countries.  Life in California is completely opposite to life in Georgia.  Yes there were some similarities but, there were so many more eye-opening differences.

Having spent the summer with all of these people makes me want to hold on to that summer of a lifetime so much more.  Abby, Alex, and I are fortunate to all live in the same state and we are constantly staying in touch. This weekend we were fortunate enough to all get together with Sophia. She is from Alaska and had never been to the South before.  We got her some sweet tea, threw her into a UGA football game, and introduced her to the Southern way of life. I am hoping to one day go and visit her and the friends I made from California, Chicago, Minnesota, etc.  There was a reason I met these wonderful people this summer and I think it's vital that I keep them in my life.  They won't just be a memory in my past but, friends I can count on in my future.

Staying Connected Thousands of Miles Away

One of the hardest things about studying abroad is leaving your friends and family behind.  I knew it was going to be difficult to stay in contact and that I would be missing out on some pretty important things.  When I first arrived to Norway I was only staying in contact with my family through wifi. The dorms didn't have it but the study room near the dining hall did.  The room was jam-packed with people downloading new apps to stay connected to family back home.  What I didn't realize was how well social media and apps were actually going to benefit me.


Some of my life-savers were:

Snapchat: There were so many different events that I wanted to share with my friends back home. Norway is so close to the Northern Hemisphere that during the Summer the country goes through something called the Midnight Sun.  In the middle of the season, it is daylight for 24 hours and then it slowly starts to get darker as the days go on.  There were multiple nights when I was walking outside around 11 o'clock and it still looked like it could be lunch time.  I just couldn't believe it and it felt like summer could last forever.

Facebook:  I knew I had to share with my family and friends all of the exciting adventures I was going on.  It also helped to ease Mom's mind on the fact that I was alive and breathing still.  When we started meeting people in our classes and around campus the best way to connect with them was through Facebook.  Now my Facebook newsfeed is full of languages I have never seen or heard before but, it is so neat because I started a friendship that will hopefully last a lifetime with people all over the world.

Facetime:  During the Summer, my best friend was planning her wedding.  She had multiple showers and dress fittings throughout the entire time I was in Norway.  When she went in for last fitting, my mom facetimed me and I was able to finally see what her dress looked like.  She look absolutely gorgeous and I started balling of course.  I am so thankful for apps like Facetime that allowed me to be there from thousands of miles away during one of the most important moments of my best friends life.

iMessage: This is probably one of the best things that Apple created.  If you are in wifi then, you can text another iPhone user and iMessage each other without using data.  The data plans were too expensive and I knew that I would at least have Facebook to stay connected if I really needed to. With iMessage I was able to regularly update my family and send pictures to my friends from back home.  I was still included in all of our group messages and it was fun to know how everyone's summer was going.

Tinder: I didn't realize tinder was in Europe... It is actually HUGE there.  All of the American guys were downloading it to see what the Norwegian girls were like and so I thought, "hey why not".  It was interesting to see how the guys communicated with women.  Tinder made it easy to see what the dating world in Nordic states was like.  In person the men are more preserved while on tinder they were not afraid to speak their mind!  Some of my friends were not afraid to meet up with people they had met on the app and they started friendships that maybe would have never happened in the first place.


While social media kept me close to my loved ones for the entire six weeks that I was gone; it was liberating to not be so connected to everything all of the time.  Taking a step back and distancing yourself from the internet helps you to just be.  I have come back now and know that my phone is not so vital.  Being away from it all helped me to strengthen my communication skills with people one on one.  If I am alone, I don't need to be constantly looking down at my phone.  Looking up and seeing the world around you is so gratifying.

Get Up and Go Learn Something

The best piece of advice I ever received from a friend who also studied abroad was to not spend any more time in your room other than what is absolutely necessary for survival.  I failed at this piece of advice a couple of times because some days weren’t the prettiest but every time I left campus I found one more thing I loved about Oslo, Norway.  One fact I found interesting about myself was that I didn’t mind going into museums as much as I thought I did. 

Some of my favorites were:

Viking Ship Museum

The day after we arrived, our program took us on a mini tour of the city.  One of the places that I really loved was the Viking Ship Museum.  Inside it holds three original ships: the Oseberg, Gokstad, and Tune.  Each was used in war and to transfer goods for trade.  The museum is famous for the Oseberg ship because it was excavated from the largest ship burial in the world and is nearly completely whole.  It is interesting that the ships were first found on a farmers land and the University of Oslo began to build shelters to keep the ships protected.  The museum also includes art, clothing, woodcarvings, and grave goods that were used during the Viking age.   The Vikings lived in a barbaric period of time and it was definitely exciting to see the original ships right in front of me. 

Oslo Opera House

When we first got to Oslo and started thinking about all the attractions each of us wanted to see, the Opera House was on top of Alex’s list.  She was dying to go there and we were happy to tag along.  The American Ballet was performing original African American tribal dances and we found that we had seen some things similar to their choreography and songs back home.  The theatre was absolutely beautiful inside and the roof was built so that you could walk on top to see an overlook of the Oslofjord.  The view was absolutely breathtaking.   

Munch Musset

Towards the end of my trip I knew I still had some places I needed to see!  Unfortunately, I couldn’t find anyone to embark on a new adventure with me but I took the opportunity to explore by myself.  It is very fulfilling to know how to get yourself from point A to point B in a completely different world.  It could have also helped that I had already been in the country for 4 weeks… The Munch Musset is somewhere that I knew I could not leave Norway without visiting.  Edvard Munch created the famous “Scream” painting and over 28,000 other pieces of artwork throughout his lifetime. Through his paintings and portraits of himself one could tell that he had many deep thoughts about love, life, and the afterlife. After walking through each of the exhibitions, I felt like I learned a little more about him and what he was trying to express in his art. 

The point of studying abroad is to expand your knowledge of the world and learn something new about yourself.  If you don’t think museums or opera would be something that interests you then, I challenge you to give it a shot.  You won't regret it!

What I Wish I Would Have Known Before Leaving the Country

Pinterest, blogs, and travel websites don't always have it right.  Unfortunately, I had to find out the hard way that I could have been a little more prepared for my first study abroad experience!  

1. Definitely make sure you check the WEATHER.  When packing, I assumed that it would be reasonable to have layers but nothing heavy because it would be summertime there.  Unfortunately, the first two weeks were extremely too cold and then the last four weeks were the hottest Norway has ever experienced.  You never know what to expect when you are visiting a foreign land so pack for anything!
   
2. When thinking about SHOES, my roommates and I packed all ends of the spectrum.  Abby had a full carry on suitcase and Alex brought only three pairs.  There is so much to do and see so you want to be prepared for any opportunity you have.  Make sure to pack: causal walking closed toed shoes, sandals, wedges or heels, and tennis or hiking shoes.  This could vary by season but I was not expecting my toes to be freezing when I arrived in Oslo on June 20th.
   
    
3. BUDGETING is more important than you think.  Just having a credit card and swiping could lead to dangerous outcomes.  Always bring more money than you think and limit yourself to a certain number a day.  Make sure to factor in the chocolate and beer that I know you are going to have at least once a day!
   
4. TIME FLIES BY.  Don't sit in your apartment or dorm after class one day and catch up on what's going on in America.  Go and see the beautiful country you are living in!  A museum might seem like a boring place at first but, you never know who you could run into or meet.
   
5. Go into every experience with an OPEN MIND.  Studying abroad means you are going to be around people from all walks of life.  No matter how different someone may look, they are most likely going to turn out being the most amazing individual you have ever met.  My favorite people in the world are the people of the International Summer School I attended.
   

I hope my top 5 tips help you for your next adventure!

Thank You, Georgia Rotary Student Program

I don’t even know how to begin to express my gratitude for the opportunity I have been given to study abroad in Norway.  Throughout college, I never thought I would be able to afford to go overseas, and the Rotary Club helped make it possible for me to follow my dream of traveling.  When I left Georgia there were many things going on in my life that had me spinning in multiple directions.  This experience came at the perfect time because it gave me the chance to take a step back (or a step over the pond for that matter) and really just think about myself without any external influences. 

The moment I realized that I was actually going to Norway was when I was sitting in the airport during a layover using the last little bit of data that America would allow me.  Then I finally met the two girls who I was going to spend the majority of my time with, Abby and Alex.  We hit it off from the start and had so much in common with each other.  It seemed like eating, sleeping, and studying together never got old, because we were constantly learning something new about one another.  Our group of friends continuously grew larger and larger the more time we spent with our classmates.  I felt like I was meeting someone new up until the last day! As my relationships developed, so did my view of the world and my place in it. Thank you for that opportunity. 

The class I chose was gender equality, because it was different from any class I have ever taken at the University of Georgia.  The classroom was made up of about fifteen masters and undergraduate students.  We went around the room and talked about where we all traveled from and I knew then that it was going to be a very interesting class.  There were so many different countries and lifestyles represented and everyday the topic of discussion was relatable to each of our homes.  It was very unique to hear a perspective from Sri Lanka and Bosnia on gay marriage compared to the American majority opinion.  I never thought that people actually lived in inequality until I listened to their first-hand experiences.  Gender Equality opened my eyes to the progress the Nordic Countries have made and how they have impacted us throughout the world.  The Rotary Club was created to end an epidemic and without this opportunity I wouldn’t have realized that there are still causes worth fighting for. 

My favorite part of being in Norway was exactly that, just being there.  Any chance I had to make a new friend, go to a museum, or take the tram to Lake Sognsvann, I took it.  I loved going into the downtown area and shopping at every single one of the H&Ms that were on each block and poking my head in stores I have never seen or heard of before.  Since people watching is one of my favorite past times, I also paid close attention to the culture around me.  It was so unique and so different from my southern state of mind and I found relief in that.  I knew coming into this experience, that it was going to be very different and I embraced that fact.  I soaked up as much of the Norwegian culture as I could and now I find myself missing the constant fashion show and exotic pins on Pinterest that were actually my reality.  Thank you for sharing your wonderful country and its people with me.  

I am so grateful for the opportunity you gave me because I became my better self.  Now, I have a much clearer vision of what I want and it is greater than anything I have ever dreamed of before.   I find myself seeking out foreigners that I have never met before because I know how interesting they can be and how much life experience they have that is still untold.  The University of Georgia will always be my home, niche, and comfort zone but now I am no longer afraid of being on the outside of it.  I can only attribute that to the experience the GRSP scholarship has given me.  Thank you for believing in me and selecting me for this once in a lifetime adventure.