Norway the land of peace and contradictions Past Review
By Catherine C (Political Science and Global Studies, Pacific Lutheran University) for
Pacific Lutheran University: Hedmark - PLU Gateway Program in Norway
There were challenges and things I wish had been different, but that's just the way life is. Norway, Hamar, Hedmark, the program were all just simply wonderful. There is always room for improvement, but I would urge interested people to go with my whole heart and I would go back at the drop of a dime.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The international student advisor was extremely busy and this made it difficult to contact him with questions and concerns. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I love Fredrick Monsens. It's a great place to stay while you're in Hamar, but I think it would have been better if every PLU and Namibian student was placed with another international student or with each other than PLU-PLU and UNAM-UNAM. |
| * Food: |
food was expensive, but everything in Norway was expensive. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I wish we had had more intentional intercultural experiences. I think the language component should not have been excluded and should be put back into the program. I think it'd be great if there were a few families willing to host or "adopt" us for the semester to get a better feeling for the culture and have a better sense of family with Norwegians. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I got hit by a car while riding my bicycle and the health care and everything was great and really easy to navigate. The doctor system was easy to navigate as well. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Here are my ten tips for the Hedmark program: 1. bring a face buff to cover your face when it gets cold 2. SAVE money...Norway is expensive but SOOO worth it 3. take advantage of the easy trains and the bikes the program owns to travel the area. 4. plan ahead if you want to travel within Norway because it can be expensive if you wait til the last minute 5. be patient with the conflict management class run by Nansenskolen and the Nansen Dialogue Network, they're crazy busy all the time doing amazing things so just be patient. 6. Inger is so wise take time to just chat with her, and ALWAYS go on her walks when on excursion they lead to beautiful places. 7. apples are plentiful in Norway, but surprisingly expensive in stores--however many homeowners are willing to let you pick their apples for free! 8. bring LAYERS and dress in layers because it gets really cold but they heat the buildings really hot. 9. SWIM IN LAKE MJOSA! 10. bring the basic school supplies they're cheaper to buy in the US. BONUS tip: go into Norwegian nature and just be it is so life giving. |
