A YEAR LOST UP NORTH.

After all, i can say my ERASMUS was one of the best experiences of my life....

It all started when i was given

Kristiansand

as my exchange destination. I was thinking in going to Gdansk or Turku... but luck and grades weren’t my forte; beside this i started to think about what the hell i was gonna do in Norway.. Kristiansand is Norways fifth biggest city, and is located in the south of the country surrounded by small islands.

ESN was in charge of our cultural trips, party and drinking culture which was even more possible with the participation of all our international friends, especially Americans, that often decided to organize “Tip the Cup” leagues. As you can imagine mornings where so hard! Party was only a part of the experience. On the other hand everyone was amazed by Norways nature so hiking and trips to the mountain were an important part of our day a day survival (Norway is not known as a very cheap country especially for drinking). During the semesters every country was able to present itself in an International Pub and twice in the year we enjoyed a multicultural potluck dinner were we tasted food from many countries: Greece, Italy, India, Kurdistan, Albania, Germany, Poland, America, Latvia, Estonia, Australia, Austria, Brasil, Bolivia, Denmark... Making Spanish omelet for so many people was not an easy task, luckily “THE SPANSK” team made it possible.

Winter came which meant days were shorter, roads were frozen and that having a good mood was the only way to survive coldness. Slips and bike falls started to become normal and coming back home totally wet was part of the routine.

In Universitete I Agder I applied for NORSEC (Norwegian Society and Culture) and Comparative Educational Studies; study programs where we had the possibility to compare different education systems and take practice in primary, high school and special education centers. AHHHH!.. and to finally win the teachers-student soccer match.

For the students staying the whole year, saying goodbye to our friends in Christmas was a total blow, but in spring new students brought the happiness that winter had taken from us. In Spring we had the opportunity to hike to Kjerag and Preikestolen, two of the places i really recommend everyone to go.

June came and we were starting to notice that the adventure was about to finish. We decided that the parting was only the continuation of great friendships and that is what really has been after 2 years.

I can only tell: “get on a crazy ride... EXCHANGE YOUR LIFE”

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