NORWAY - TRONDHEIM

It was a late night in early August, after an extensive day of travel with a long layover in Oslo, that I finally arrived in my new home for the following few months, Trondheim. Upon landing, I boarded the airport bus to my accommodation in Moholt Studentby, the largest of the many ‘student towns’ in Trondheim. It was nearly midnight, and to my luck, I met a group of Ugandan students - one of whom ended up being my upstairs neighbor - who had a representative from ‘Sit’, a company that rents out student rooms, assist them in collecting their keys. I was grateful to have met them during that night; it would have been a daunting task to get to the office with the luggage on my own and find my building without getting lost. That encounter marked the beginning of a new and exciting semester.

After settling in my room in the 4-person flat - as the first arrival among my new flatmates - the following few days, I noticed an interesting phenomenonl; I was wearing my jacket outdoors despite the temperature being 18 degrees Celsius. Typically, I’d consider that warm enough to wear just one layer of clothing comfortably. The brisk wind however, may have contributed to that. In fact, the weather, and the locals’ attitude towards it is one of the first things I noticed since I arrived: they are quite athletic and active with outdoor training sessions regardless of the weather, a stark contrast for me as a Southern European. Wear shorts and a t-shirt in such a weather and even colder temperatures while training outdoors is not uncommon. It is no surprise that Norway is often a champion in winter sports. One particularly interesting sight was seeing individuals train for cross-country skiing during the summer months by wearing special skis fitted with rollers. Their active lifestyle, regardless of weather conditions, is something I’ve come to admire.

Another aspect that caught my attention was the closing time of markets and supermarkets. Usually, they close at 11 pm, unlike what I am used to. This means that one can drop by and buy some groceries if friends spontaneously decide to make dinner or bake something together at the last minute. Or, even satisfy some late-night cravings.

NTNU is the largest university in Norway, and Trondheim is considered a student town, welcoming many international students per semester. With that that, I’ve noticed the people's openness, who are generally quite friendly. For instance, there are many social media groups a new student can join. It is common for someone you’ve never met before to post a message and ask for a hiking buddy the following day or even offer an extra seat in their car for a trip to another city. It is generally easy to make friends as plenty of new students find themselves in the same situation as you.

Lastly, volunteering as a student in Trondheim is a long-standing tradition. Many of the roles one can sign up for involve serious working hours, and applicants go through a selection process with interviews; however, it is obviously perceived as a self-development pursuit rather than merely a means to make a living. There are student organizations or project groups for almost every study field; nearly everyone is involved in an extra-curricular activity. At the beginning of the semester, it was a bit overwhelming, yet quite interesting to walk around the many organization stands and chat with student representatives at a big fair organized specifically for that. It was also exciting getting to know all the projects and activities one can participate in. I ended up signing up for a cultural festival called UKA, considered the most prominent cultural festival in Norway, running biannually and organized exclusively by student volunteers. It was inspiring to see the culture of collaboration and organization of such a big event by students who have signed up for it voluntarily and it was certainly an honor to be a part of it - as a stagehand - during my exchange semester.

Studying in a European country doing an exchange in another European country, I wouldn’t label anything particularly striking per se. However, some aspects were certainly curious and new to experience since I have never been exposed to a northern European/Scandinavian culture for an extended period. However, it has been quite an enriching experience