Before my flight to Norway back in August 2023, I was terrified. The anxiety around moving to a foreign country for a year kept me awake at night. What if didn’t make friends? What if the harsh winter led to depression? What if all of my efforts to get there ended in failure? These fears, though disruptive to my sleep, motivated me to put myself out there once I arrived in Oslo. Determined to make the most of this experience I was so lucky to have, I fought through jet lag and attended every new student event I came across in my first couple of weeks. I met many international students, all equally excited to make friends as I was.
While I formed great friendships with other international students, my interactions with Norwegians were limited. In the brief exchanges I had, I found Norwegians polite but not particularly welcoming. I joined a student rowing club consisting of mostly Norwegian students, but stopped attending after several months because I felt like too much of an outsider. They spoke only in Norwegian to each other, excluding the international students. Although I understood what they were saying, I was too insecure in my Norwegian to participate in their conversations.
Over time, I realized my initial impressions were mistaken. Norwegians, like me, were often shy about initiating conversations, especially in English, despite their proficiency. Their reserved nature came from a cultural emphasis on privacy rather than exclusion. I learned that they are much more likely to initiate conversations when they are in nature. As I started going on hikes, skiing, and venturing on cabin trips, I had more friendly interactions with locals. One memorable incident occurred during a road trip to a cabin in Rauland with my friends. Our car slid into a snowy ditch in a small village. We hardly had time to panic before multiple locals came to help us. One man drove into town to fetch a rope to tow us out, and each passing car stopped to check on us. This experience revealed to me the value for community and quiet kindness of Norwegians. I saw how their reserved nature was out of respect for privacy and personal space, not exclusionary. Further, I saw how they look out for each other and will help one another in a time of need without a second thought – with minimal words spoken.
One of the most important things I have discovered about myself while abroad was my capacity for adaptability and ability to form deep friendships with people from different backgrounds. Before coming to Norway, I was terrified I wouldn’t do well living by myself and
that I would struggle making friends as I did when I first attended UCSB. I quickly learned that I was highly capable of taking care of myself and did not have a problem making friends. I have met some of my best friends living in Oslo, simply by putting myself out there and being authentically myself. I have a newfound confidence in myself, knowing that I’m capable of moving to a new country across the world entirely alone and building a great life for myself.
Initially, I wrote that I hoped to further my Norwegian language skills and expand cultural competence, hopefully working for the U.S. State Department in Norway or an international company. While I did not speak as much day-to-day conversational Norwegian as I hoped I would, I feel that my Norwegian language skills have improved significantly. I took an advanced Norwegian course in the Fall semester which improved my language skills and taught me about Norway’s culture and history. I have also taken advantage of Norwegian libraries and bookstores to read some of my favorite books in Norwegian. I now feel comfortable and familiar enough with the region, culture, and language to pursue a job in Norway in the future.
Thanks to the generosity of this scholarship, I have had the best year of my life studying abroad in Oslo. I have furthered my education in Linguistics and the Norwegian language, all while learning more about who I am. I have formed lifelong friendships with people from all over the world, and built a better relationship with myself, feeling more comfortable and confident in the person I am.