I came to Oslo, Norway in August with a friend from GVSU to study geology and history for the
fall semester. Unfortunately, when I first saw the city my first thoughts weren’t about how big it
was, how beautiful it was, or how impressive it was. Instead I thought I am so going to get lost,
and I did indeed get lost. How’s that for prioritizing?

I got to where I needed to go, though, and I met a few interesting people along the way. Most of
those interesting people were other international students from Europe, but a few were from the
U.S. and Canada. I managed to make it to my room and unpack despite my jetlag, but then I had
to address another important matter, food.

I went into the on-campus store to find some decently-priced groceries and I almost turned right
back around. Everything was so expensive! I did some research in Norway before I had arrived
and knew that they had a good health care system, tuition is only a $100 to $200 (makes you
wonder why we have to spend $5,000 a semester, doesn’t it?), just getting a part-time job helps
pay for most everything you will need while in Norway, and some things were going to be a little
more expensive than I was generally used to, but not food!

I went to the check-out with my purchases and I asked the guy why food was so expensive,
and he said, “Yeah, Norway’s one of the most expensive countries in the world. Welcome to
Norway.”

It has been a month since my classes started now and I have already been on one geology trip
that took us around southern Norway. My class and I went up northwest to Sognefjorden (the
largest fjord in Norway) and then northeast to the Rondane National Park, making a sort of loop
back down to Oslo. I got see a lot of awesome sights, mostly glaciers, mountains, and fjiords
which are glacially eroded valleys (U-shaped) that contain seawater.

One of the glaciers, Nigardsbreen, was truly impressive. It had a pale blue color and was
surprisingly clear despite the light covering of dust and dirt on top. There was also a very large amount of water being discharged from a natural tunnel underneath the glacier that was filling the lake below. Needless to say, I learned a lot on that trip, but the best part of the entire thing came after we stopped for the first night.

The girls had one cabin and the guys had the other. We ate a hot meal, and then I took the best
shower of my entire life. The floor was heated; I think the toilet seat even had its own little
heater; everything looked brand new and spotless; and the shower itself was nothing to sniff
at. I took my time and loved every minute of it. When I got back, I found out that I was going
to have to do three papers 10 pages long and one paper six pages long before November came
around. Reality can be so harsh.
lakerlife@lanthorn.com