Hi all, I’m Olly, a 3rd year MSci Oceanography student here at the University of Southampton. Last semester I was lucky enough to escape rainy England for even rainier, but much more beautiful, Norway. Through this blog I hope to share my experience and convince you that doing a semester abroad is one of the best opportunities you take advantage of during your university degree.
In the Beginning
Hi all, I’m Olly, a 3rd year MSci Oceanography student here at the University of Southampton. Last semester I was lucky enough to escape rainy England for even rainier, but much more beautiful, Norway. Through this blog I hope to share my experience and convince you that doing a semester abroad is one of the best opportunities you take advantage of during your university degree.
In the Beginning…
My first impression of Norway was the splitter splatter of islands that form its rugged coastline, relics of the last ice age – forged by glacial carving and isostatic rebound – an age I would see echoes of during the winter months. A tangle of fjords wove their way through the maze, creeping deeper into the Norwegian heartland. In addition to the network of islands and fjords, I could also see a large sign affixed on one of the many mountains as the plane approached the airport. It said ‘Bergen?’, as if the sign wasn’t quite sure where we were landing. To be honest, neither was I. The city is largely hidden in the valley of 7 mountains from which it gets its name ‘Bergen’ meaning ‘the meadow between the mountains’. And so it was that I only caught a glimpse of it before the plane touched down.
A short tram ride later I was standing in Fantoft, the student village where I would be living for the next 5 months. Just a short tram ride from the city centre, and home to a supermarket, bakery, a state-of-the-art gym, and games room, it was the perfect place live as a student. Indeed, I spent many hours in the games room and a fair few in the gym, which were quickly undone in a post workout trip to the bakery where I would demolish many a cinnamon swirl. I shared a ‘cosy’ room with a student from Austria, and although it didn’t offer the comforts of my house back in Southampton, the forest-covered mountains outside the window more than rivalled the beauty of Portswood.
How’s Life in the City?
The city of Bergen is Norway’s 2nd largest, yet despite this, it somehow manages to give the impression of one that is much smaller. The architecture keeps the place humble, with narrow cobbled streets winding their way around quaint wooden houses and apartments that are arranged and stacked in an organised but organic way. Nature is heavily incorporated into the urban landscape, with the surrounding mountains and fjords offering an escape from busy city life. Bergen also hosts a variety of shopping centres, restaurants, cafes and nightclubs. With such a large student population, the clubs are always busy and will give you a great night out provided you take the Norwegian approach to clubbing and drink loads at pres, otherwise you’ll be dependent on the generosity those in the club to buy you drinks. That is, if you don’t want to be in a financial crisis after each night out (the Turing Grant goes only so far).
Work – Life Balance
Whilst in Norway I spent a lot of time immersed in nature, a lot of time spent hiking and climbing in the mountains, and a lot of time swimming in the fjords. Bergen is a great location for this with beautiful hikes up mountains Floyen and Ulriken literally on your doorstep; and with Nordnes sea pool offering a sauna, swimming pool, and platforms 10m high from which you can jump into Norway’s second deepest Fjord. My friend and I were heavily humbled here in December, when jumping into the fjord saw us turn into cartoon characters trying to exit the freezing waters as fast as possible… We then watched from inside the sauna as some elderly Norwegian women lazily floated around in the very same water, as if they were relaxing in the balmy waters of the Mediterranean.
Over the course of the semester, some friends and I hired a car to go and take on the famous Trolltunga hike, a 20 km round trip that took us to, as was unanimously agreed upon, the most beautiful place we had ever been. We also went to Tromsø, known as the Capital of the Arctic Circle, where we went whale watching, exploring, and had many impromptu snowball fights.
One of the highlights of my semester was the social life. I got to meet people from all over the world and experience lots of different cultures, from Norwegian traditions to that time my mate and I accidently stumbled into a party celebrating Ugandan independence (we were warmly welcomed and fed some of their delicious cuisine). As previously mentioned, my friends and I spent a lot of time in the games room where we had some pretty intense table tennis matches against some Germans, and very competitive games of pool against some Zimbabweans.
In terms of the academic side of things, I didn’t have all that much work to distract me from enjoying my semester abroad, but I still learnt so much from my lectures and was able to study areas of polar oceanography that I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to here in Southampton. I believe it’s important to have a laidback approach to work whilst on your semester abroad, as you want to make the most of your time exploring the country and enjoying yourself – and need only pass your exams.
Final Thoughts
My semester abroad in Bergen was easily my best experience of university so far, not only was it an amazing opportunity to explore the Scandinavian outdoors, but I also made lots of friends along the way. I would highly recommend Bergen to anyone thinking about embarking on a semester abroad.
Tips if you do a Semester Abroad in Bergen
- Learn the exchange rate before you arrive, don’t find yourself paying £10.50 for a pint of Guinness on your first night…
- Don’t shop at Meny, go to Kiwi or Rema instead.
- Make the most of the summer months, make sure to travel and go on hikes before the height of winter arrives as many walking trails will be closed.
- Although expensive, the Gyros House outside Heidi’s Bier Bar hits different after a night of clubbing, just don’t drop it on the floor, or the tram, or be so drunk that you don’t remember eating it.
- Visit Nordnes Sea Pool and hike up Mount Floyen as much as you can – Southampton can’t offer you anything like this.
- Solros makes the best pastries in Bergen by far.
- And finally, make sure to bring a WATERPROOF coat and trousers… it rains a lot. You’ll also need these for when it snows and Fantoft turns into one huge warzone.
