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My building at Sogn student village. My floor is the second terrace above the garages, if you look closely you can see the small US flag hanging on the right side. These buildings were originally constructed for the 1952 Winter Olympics as accommodations for the Olympians.

My room






Sogn Lake, just a mile or so north of my apartment. Clear, but chilly, water with extensive hiking and biking trails all around.







Ullevål Stadion, popular soccer stadium 1/2 mile south of my apartment





Mela Festival in downtown Oslo, a multicultural event including musical performances, dances, art, and food.



National Theater in downtown Oslo






Stave church at Norwegian Folk Museum, constructed in the 12th Century





Inside the stave church





Sod-roofed house complex at folk museum





Group of students from my program, after visit to Norwegian Folk Museum






Viking Ship Museum







Holmenkollen Ski Jump, served as host to the 1952 Winter Olympics.
My host Rotary Club also bears the same name, Holmenkollen. The club meets in the Holmenkollen Park Hotel Rica nearby.






Holmenkollen Ski Jump

Our tour guide describing the artistic motifs and themes of Vigeland Sculpture Park. Gustav Vigeland was a popular Norwegian sculptor and a contemporary of Edvard Munch.






Vigeland sculptures

Vigeland sculpture, angry child

Vigeland sculpture, mother and children

My host Rotarian, Trond Schumacher, identifies edible mushrooms to a group of fellow Rotarians and friends from Holmenkollen Rotary Club. The Holmenkollen Rotary Club had a mushroom hunting excursion for their meeting this past Tuesday. Trond is a biology professor and knowledgable on the various species of mushrooms found in the forests surrounding Oslo.

Photos!

Royal Palace

T-bane

Walkway from University of Oslo, looking towards Oslo Fjord

Tiny car

Nobel Peace Center

Oslo Fjord with cruise liner



Cruise liner



Oslo harbor 1



Oslo harbor 2



Oslo harbor 3

Oslo harbor 4

First week in Oslo

I have survived my first week in Oslo! The city is quite nice, with a population of approximately 550,000 people and a wonderful public transportation system, including buses, trams, trains, and ferries (to get to some nearby islands), making it easy to get around. This past week the University of Oslo hosted an orientation for all incoming international students and Norwegian first year students. The orientation events allowed for me to meet a number of other students, mainly international students with the majority of them coming from other European countries.

My master’s program courses already started on Thursday with a basic introduction to biology, targeted especially for those students in the program who have not reviewed the material for a number of years. The total number of students in this International Community Health master’s program is 20. I’m the youngest of the group, and one of only 3 total from North America. The rest of the group consists of 8 students from Africa, 2 from Asia, and 7 Norwegians. Among these there are a few medical doctors, nurses, and midwives. It is an impressively diverse group and fun to share stories with people from such different backgrounds.

I’m staying in a university-affiliated residence hall, part of a student village named Sogn located northwest of the Oslo city center. I have a furnished single room and share a bathroom and kitchen with 5 other guys on the floor. It’s a fun mix of individuals, with 2 Norwegians, a German, a Latvian, a Sri Lankan and me. I also am curious to see how this year is going to work out regarding meals, as I’m responsible for cooking on my own. I suppose this will be a good learning experience…

Last point to mention is that I have met my host Rotarian, Trond, and his family. They are wonderful people and I look forward to spending time with them over the year. Trond and his wife both work in the biology department at the University of Oslo, conveniently situated right on campus.

Ha det!
Dan