Last days in Oslo

After all the exams were done, only a few days were left. Next to the farewell parties, we had some Christmas dinners organized by InSA and the other Dutch people. InSA organized it for around 60 persons but unfortunately they didn't plan a good afterparty which made us search downtown Oslo for a nice place to go out. The next day we went of to the slopes of Tryvann once again. We allready went skiing, sledging and cross country skiing, so it was now time for snowboarding. After a long day at Tryvann some friends from the Netherlands came over so the weekend was all about sightseeing and going out in Oslo. The days after the weekend I had to clean everything, get all the necessary papers signed and keep hoping our flight wouldn't get cancelled. With all the snow problems at amongst others Heathrow and Dublin, many flights got delayed and cancelled. Also the ones going from Oslo to Germany and the Netherlands. The day we left it was -21°C. Therefore the bus trip towards the airport provided us with great views over a frozen Oslo fjord. Luckily this weather didn't cause any delay whatsoever so we arrived at Weeze without any problems.

It was impossible to write down everything we did in Oslo so I hope the short blogs combined with the photos can give you a good impression. I can say I had a wonderfull experience in Oslo and I would recommend everyone who thinks about going on exchange to do it!

Snow fun

It has been some weeks but here is another short blog. The last weeks have been very busy and therefore I didn't find any time to place new blogs. The end of November and the beginning of December meant exam time. It was quite different from the exam times I'm used to in Tilburg though. I only had one written exam since the other 4 consisted of term papers, a presentation and a group discussion. At Tilburg University papers and projects often account for 30% of the total grade, together with a written exam, which counts for 70%. At BI however, these papers and presentations often accounted for 100% of the total grade. This meant a smaller amount of reading and learning but it gave it a more practical approach.
Since we did not need to read that much, we had quite some time left for fun. So during and after the exams we went to explore the slopes of Tryvann vinterpark. This ski resort is located only 25 minutes by public transport from the city centre. Unfortunately only 5 out of 14 slopes were opened these days but that didn't spoil the fun. Next to downhill skiing, we also did some cross country skiing. We rented the skis at the University of Oslo to go into the nature located next to Kringsja, our student housing. There are multiple, quite well prepared, tracks that lead into the woods. You might think that you only have a few hours every day to do this since darkness sets in at 15.30, but this is not true. Not only are the tracks well prepared, they are also lightened untill 22.00 all the way into the middle of nowhere. Since running outdoor is not an option with that much snow, cross country skiing offers a great alternative for a work out.
Next to the slopes and cross country ski tracks, the area surrounding Oslo offers more places to have fun. One of the other activities we did was downhill sledging. It might sound lame but going downhill on a 2 kilometer long icy road with no traffic is quite nice. So in case you decide to go to Oslo in winter, go and do that too! During these weeks the first farewell parties also took place since some people allready left around the 12th of December. That's it for now, you can check the pictures of the skiing etc at http://picasaweb.google.com/111250985095698712771/Oslo#

Stockholm, Tallinn and Halloween

Hello everybody, as mentioned before we went on a student cruise to Tallinn two weeks ago. Since the boat left from Stockholm we decided to go a few days earlier so we could explore Stockholm. The train left from Oslo central station on Friday from where it was a 6 hour journey to get to Sweden’s capital city. With almost one hour delay we arrived at our hostel around midnight. The next day we explored Stockholm’s old & new city centre. It’s quite different from Oslo’s city centre but it looks nice.

In Norway you can get beer at the supermarkets during weekdays until 20.00 and on Saturday until 18.00. Wine and liquor can only be bought at premium prices at the state run shops called Vinmonopolet. In Sweden this is quite similar however they already stop selling alcohol on Saturdays at 15.00. Since we discovered this at 14.25 we hurried to find the nearest Systembolaget, unfortunately we were not the only ones who still wanted to buy some alcohol at the last moment. When we arrived there was a queue of almost 40 people waiting outside to get in. Once most of the people currently in the shop had paid the bouncer let the next group in. After diner and pre-drinking at Stockholm University we went downtown to see more of Stockholm’s nightlife.

Sunday morning we checked out of the hostel to head for the harbor to board the student cruise. The public transport towards the harbor was packed with hundreds of students just like us. Despite the fact that around 2000 students had to board at the same time, checking in went quite fast. The cruise offered a lot from sauna’s and Jacuzzi’s to restaurants, bars and a small casino. In the evening we had dinner at one of the restaurants and went to check out the bars on the boat. The next day we arrived in Tallinn around 10 in the morning. The old city centre looks quite nice; you can check the photos on picasaweb. Coming from one of Europe’s most expensive cities, the biggest difference we noticed were the prices. Everything is only a fraction of what it costs in Oslo. At 18.00 we had to be back on the boat to go back to Stockholm. A few days after we returned from Stockholm & Tallinn we discovered Norwegians are very much into Halloween. They dress up and party just as a lot of Dutch people do during carnival. You will see the best outfits around.

That’s it so far, you know where to find the photos.

oktoberfest

With the beautiful nature, hiking is a good way to spend your time here in Norway. You can walk for hours without seeing anyone else. In order to facilitate these trips, there are many cabins in the middle of nowhere that you can rent for a night. You can book them online, hike there, sleep and go on the next morning. They have pretty much everything you need and you only have to bring some food and blankets (the beds with pillows etc are there). We also did this last week. We went on a 4 hour hiking trip towards a cabin north of Oslo with about 40 international students. It was not as challenging as the hiking trips near Stavanger, but still it was nice to see more of Oslo’s surroundings.

In the mean while temperatures are falling and the first outdoor ice tracks are already being prepared. A nice discovery we made last week was that the Norwegians have copied the Oktoberfest. All over the month October student associations and bars have organized multiple editions and last week we went to the biggest one. This took place in a big tent at the student bar Chateau neuf. It had pretty much everything an Oktoberfest needed like the right music, lots of beer, lederhosen and dirndls but still it was far from the real thing in Munich.

Prices in Norway are really high and so are Norwegian wages. Therefore quite a lot of Swedes come to work here for some time and then go back to Sweden. A popular bar amongst those here in Oslo is sports bar O’learys. The same bar we randomly picked to watch the football match Netherlands – Sweden. Watching the Dutch team beat the Swedish team with 4-1 in a bar with 300+ Swedes is great but you won’t cheer that loud.

This week we are going on a trip to Stockholm and take a ‘student cruise’ from there to Talinn so more stories and photos are still to come.

Since my last post I have started to explore more of Norway than just the city of Oslo and its surroundings. Our first trip was to Stavanger, a city on the east side of Norway. As this is a really popular trip organized by InSA, we were happy to be one of the 100 exchange students to get a ticket.

We left Friday morning at 6.30 by bus to arrive in Stavanger at 17.00. The bus ride took a long time, but the views you got in return were breathtaking. It started with surroundings that remind you of Switzerland, whereas it ended with huge fjords. In comparison to the beautiful landscape, the weather was quite bad. In between the rain there were only a few moments of sun. Stavanger is the third biggest city of Norway but has got only 120.000 inhabitants. As the harbor is intensively used by the oil companies drilling offshore, the many small white houses around the harbor are often overshadowed by huge oil tankers.

On Saturday we went on a hiking trip to Preikestolen. Once you’re at the start, it will take you about 2 hours to reach the top but the trip offers you beautiful surroundings. Good hiking shoes are recommended as you will have to climb over waterfalls, walk through swamps, etc. But it is all worth it, the view from the Preikestolen is great. Take a look at the pictures on picasa to get a better impression. Once we arrived back at the hotel, the sauna at the 11th floor of the hotel proved to be the best way to relax. It provided a great view over Stavanger.

On Sunday we went on another hike, this time to Kjerag. The hike up the mountain, towards the rock that is plugged between two mountains, was even more steep and challenging than the one on Saturday. Once we arrived at the Kjeragbolten, we took turns to step on it. A small edge will lead you to the 5 m3 rock that is located almost 1000m. above the ground. The way back down the mountain was somewhat more difficult. As the rain started pouring again, the steep slopes became very slippery which made us more or less slide all the way down.

Other trips are still to come but I’ll keep you posted. You can find the pictures for the Stavanger trip here;
http://picasaweb.google.nl/111250985095698712771/StavangerTrip#

The first weeks in Norway

Hello everybody,

I'm in Oslo for almost three weeks now. Only 3 days after returning from my holiday I had to pack my bags to leave again, but now for a longer period of time. Once I arrived at Oslo Sentralstasjon a buddy from BI, the Norwegian school of management, was there to pick me and the others up and show us our rooms. From other exchange students I had heard that your buddy would give you your key. Unfortunately ours didn’t so we were one of the hundreds of students standing in line for multiple hours to receive it.

Norway is, amongst others, known for its beautiful nature and that is something I have noticed. The city of Oslo is really green and quite spread out. But still you can be from the city centre in the forests within fifteen minutes by public transport. During winters this means you can reach the slopes by public transport from downtown Oslo in less than half an hour and go skiing. From my flat it’s just a 5 minute walk to Sognsvann, a big lake with beautiful surroundings. Ideal for sporting or relaxing on a sunny day.

The first weeks InSA made us familiar with the school, took us to the best parties and showed us all around Oslo. This introduction week, fadderullan, is pretty much the same as the introduction weeks in the Netherlands. It is all about meeting new people and having a good time. Beforehand many people told me that the Norwegians would be more on their own but I don’t think they are that much different from the Dutch. Something I and other people from the Netherlands have experienced quite often during, amongst others, the fadderullan.

The BI building is quite different from our Tilburg university campus. Where Tilburg has multiple buildings spread over the campus, BI Oslo consists of one huge building. A really nice one but it looks a little bit like a shopping mall. It contains pretty much everything you need from class rooms, canteens, book stores, a sports centre, to everything you don’t need in a school, like an intersport store.

That’s it so far, for a better impression take a look on http://picasaweb.google.nl/111250985095698712771/Oslo#