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Norwegian newspaper highlights PLU student
December 08, 2006
While studying away at Hedmark University in Hamar, Norway, this semester, student Christy Olsen shared her experiences with family and friends through an online photo gallery and blog.
However, Olsen’s blog reached beyond her family and friends. A Hamar resident randomly found the blog at the beginning of the semester, and after following along with her stories for the past few months, submitted her name to the local newspaper, the Hamar Arbeiderblad.
“Blogs aren’t just for the family and friends that I intended it to be,” Olsen said. “I’m reaching people all over the world.”
A journalist at the paper found Olsen’s discussion of her experiences as an international student both amusing and insightful, and set up an interview, said Claudia Berguson, assistant professor of Norwegian and Scandinavian studies. The article, which appeared in the paper’s weekend section last month, was a combination of the interview and excerpts from Olsen’s blog entries.
In the article, Olsen tells of a very positive experience of the culture, the people and the lifestyle, though she does admit that international students have some difficulty meeting Norwegians. Since the article ran, she’s received emails and messages from Hamar residents offering to be her friend, Olsen said.
“So I’m gaining friends by publicly announcing that I didn’t have any Norwegian friends,” she said.
Olsen also described some of her favorite places and experiences. The best part of the trip has been the opportunity to travel, and she’s visited eight countries and “explored more of Norway than most Norwegians,” she said.
“To be uninhibited and able to travel with just my backpack is a liberating experience,” she said. “I have almost 10,000 pictures to prove it.”
The article also stressed Olsen’s Norwegian heritage, her curiosity and excitement about being able to experience the local culture and her wish to return to Norway in the future. Both sides of her family have Norwegian roots, and she was able to meet family members from each, she said.
“I’m the first in my generation on these sides of my family to visit in Norway, and the connections that I am making with my family here are to be treasured,” Olsen said.
Olsen said being interviewed by the reporter was definitely a highlight of her trip. The article didn’t reflect her experiences exactly, but it did a good job of representing her and her perspectives on Hamar and Norway.
Since the article’s publication, Olsen and the other four PLU students studying at Hedmark have been recognized on the street. The PLU group, which includes Lauren Holly, Marie Lieberg, Jessica Roberts and Nat Woodsmith, are very close, Olsen said.
Overall, the experience has been positive and Olsen is glad she decided to spend a semester abroad. Since she was so far from home, friends and family, she was forced to embrace her individuality and was able to find a peace she didn’t know she was looking for, she said.
“Sometimes on the road of life, there comes a point where you need to take a rest stop to stretch your legs, get some fresh air and enjoy the scenery,” Olsen said. “To me, this semester in Norway is that rest stop I have needed.”
The students return to the United States this week. To view the thousands of photographs Olsen has posted online, visit www.flickr.com/photos/christyolsen. Her blog entries appear in the photo albums.
To learn more about PLU’s study away opportunity to Norway, click here.
“Blogs aren’t just for the family and friends that I intended it to be,” Olsen said. “I’m reaching people all over the world.”
A journalist at the paper found Olsen’s discussion of her experiences as an international student both amusing and insightful, and set up an interview, said Claudia Berguson, assistant professor of Norwegian and Scandinavian studies. The article, which appeared in the paper’s weekend section last month, was a combination of the interview and excerpts from Olsen’s blog entries.
In the article, Olsen tells of a very positive experience of the culture, the people and the lifestyle, though she does admit that international students have some difficulty meeting Norwegians. Since the article ran, she’s received emails and messages from Hamar residents offering to be her friend, Olsen said.
“So I’m gaining friends by publicly announcing that I didn’t have any Norwegian friends,” she said.
Olsen also described some of her favorite places and experiences. The best part of the trip has been the opportunity to travel, and she’s visited eight countries and “explored more of Norway than most Norwegians,” she said.
“To be uninhibited and able to travel with just my backpack is a liberating experience,” she said. “I have almost 10,000 pictures to prove it.”
The article also stressed Olsen’s Norwegian heritage, her curiosity and excitement about being able to experience the local culture and her wish to return to Norway in the future. Both sides of her family have Norwegian roots, and she was able to meet family members from each, she said.
“I’m the first in my generation on these sides of my family to visit in Norway, and the connections that I am making with my family here are to be treasured,” Olsen said.
Olsen said being interviewed by the reporter was definitely a highlight of her trip. The article didn’t reflect her experiences exactly, but it did a good job of representing her and her perspectives on Hamar and Norway.
Since the article’s publication, Olsen and the other four PLU students studying at Hedmark have been recognized on the street. The PLU group, which includes Lauren Holly, Marie Lieberg, Jessica Roberts and Nat Woodsmith, are very close, Olsen said.
Overall, the experience has been positive and Olsen is glad she decided to spend a semester abroad. Since she was so far from home, friends and family, she was forced to embrace her individuality and was able to find a peace she didn’t know she was looking for, she said.
“Sometimes on the road of life, there comes a point where you need to take a rest stop to stretch your legs, get some fresh air and enjoy the scenery,” Olsen said. “To me, this semester in Norway is that rest stop I have needed.”
The students return to the United States this week. To view the thousands of photographs Olsen has posted online, visit www.flickr.com/photos/christyolsen. Her blog entries appear in the photo albums.
To learn more about PLU’s study away opportunity to Norway, click here.