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