Norway – Liam
Student: Liam
Course: Bachelor of Environmental Science (Wildlife and Conservation Biology)
Program: Trimester exchange T1 2024
My exchange trimester at Nord University in Northern Norway took me across into the Arctic Circle. To say the least, this was an incredible environment to live and study in for 6 months, one that experiences much change through the year. When I first arrived Bodø – the city of my exchange – it was a winter wonderland, covered in a thick blanket of snow, with a brisk air temperature of minus 14 degrees celsius. It was truly an incredible experience to be able to live in an environment so different from home, and one that enabled me to learn skiing, ice-skating, snow shoeing, arctic swimming and how to get by in the Arctic. I was lucky enough to make friends with other students who also enjoyed the outdoors, and we were able to spend our free time doing activities such as these, plus lots and lots of hiking in Norway’s incredible mountains and fjord lands. On top of this, we were even able to watch the Northerns lights from right outside the student houses, witnessing this phenomenon more times than I could count!
As winter fell away to summer, it was amazing to watch the landscape change from the blanket white of snow, to lush green forests. As we were living beyond the Arctic Circle the city undergoes extreme fluctuations in daylight hours across the year. When I first arrived in January there was only two hours of light each day, which was a strange experience and one that took some getting used to. Fast forward to my last month in Bodø, and we had entered the period of the Midnight Sun, where there was 24 hours of light every day. This enabled us to make the most of each day, including completing a hike through the night in the Lofoten Islands, where we were able to sit on top of a mountain and watch a pod of orcas swim past below!
Whilst living in Norway it was wonderful to be able to experience a new culture and language. The Norwegian people are very kind and have a great love for the outdoors, something I certainly appreciate. I was lucky enough to be there for National Day (17th of May), where the entire city celebrates with big breakfasts and multiple parades, whilst wearing their traditional national dress, Bunads. It was also very nice to be able to learn about the cultures of other international students, and I will forever be grateful for the chance exchange gave me to broaden my knowledge and perspective of the world.
Through my classes at Nord University, I was also able to gain learning and experience in practical work. This included a week spent in a genetics laboratory, where we had the opportunity to use very fancy (and expensive) equipment. Additionally in my Marine Biology class, we had a weeklong field course that included time spent out in the fjords on a multi-million-dollar research vessel and we even went snorkelling in the Arctic waters! These experiences certainly helped to broaden my knowledge and have helped to give me direction as to where I would like my future career to progress.