From Chapel Hill to Bergen

Deciding to study in Bergen was a decision that did not come easy for me as I approached the second semester of my sophomore year. Already being there twice I knew the city and little about Norwegian culture, however, the idea of being away for so long brought me out of my comfort zone enough to take a couple months to decide. Then after my decision became final, I found myself on a plane headed to what would be the coldest place I had ever been to just the day after new years. I arrived with a single sweatshirt on, thin pants, and no gloves. As I hauled my language around looking for my apartment I remember the pain of the cold stinging my hands and my ears. When I arrived at Bergen I had no clue what to expect and to be frank I had no reason for wanting to come here in the first place. For me it was simply the right place at the right time.

Within time, I started some of my classes, first populism, then political economy, then regions and federalism. I was taken back by the amount of lectures there were and the length that they each had. Despite this they were still very informative and professors were very easy to talk to. Quickly I discovered differences in the class structure, such as no assignments and much more reading. This was something that took me a second but got used to over time.

Over time I was able to settle in with my school work and start to enjoy the city. It was the most beautiful city I have ever been to with its nature and amazing architecture. There was always something to look at, and I always made sure to take my time in the city and appreciate it while I could. The dark and cold was something that threw me off at first, being from a very sunny place, however, over time I was able to settle in and by the time I did, it was already starting to warm up and be sunny all day. 

Culture was something that I loved experiencing. However, I would not say that I experienced Norwegian culture the most. I stayed in Fantoft, where I was able to learn about cultures from all over the world and met people from all over the world. In fact I knew more people from outside of Norway than Norwegians. This was truly my favorite part of the stay, the people, all of the amazing stories and experiences that I shared with them. I could not have been more grateful to meet them.

I would definitely recommend Bergen to a student looking to study abroad. I would say you have to be able to adapt to change enough, but not too much, or it will be very hard to go home.

I loved my stay in Bergen and I will never forget it!