Hallo! My name is Phillip and I’m a junior studying computer science and math. This semester, I’m studying 4,200 miles away from Mizzou at the University of Bergen (UiB) in Bergen, Norway! Over the next few months, hopefully I can show you what it’s like studying abroad and some of the experiences specific to living in Norway!

Initially, arriving in Bergen was a very jarring but exciting experience. The culture is not dissimilar to the U.S. in many ways, but there were some differences in things like the local food culture’s pragmatism to how small talk is done (if at all) that caught me off guard. On the other hand, there were aspects of Bergen that surprised me with how great they were. The public transportation system in Bergen is incredibly convenient. For example, the city’s airport and my apartment are connected directly by a 25-minute ride on the light rail. Being able to see views of the mountains, lake shores, and colorful Scandinavian houses from the light rail while traveling to my apartment on the first day was an experience unlike anything you could find back in the Midwest. Norwegians also deeply care for their environment. The city is filled with electric vehicles, categorized recycling bins, and many green spaces like parks and lakes.

Western Norway, especially the mountainous region around Bergen, is extremely beautiful. Bergen has a population of around 300,000, making it the 2^nd largest city in Norway (~5.4 million people total). However, the city itself is compact since it’s built in the valley between the seven surrounding “city mountains.” It’s also a coastal city, and the city center itself is built on a fjord called Byfjorden (“the city fjord”) facing the sea. All this nature means that one of the most popular activities here is hiking, and I’ve been roped into climbing five of the seven mountains in Bergen so far. The views on these hikes are breathtaking, but the weather can quickly interfere with your plans if you’re not careful. In the middle of an 11-mile hike, my roommates and I became stuck in a sudden thunderstorm, and it took nearly three hours to finish the hike all while it continued to rain. Bergen is one of the rainiest cities in Europe, and there tends to be at least a little rain or cloudiness every day. However, this chaotic weather doesn’t deter anyone in Bergen. In any weather during any time, you can find Norwegians hiking, swimming, or practicing skiing with roller-skates and hiking sticks. The frequent wet weather just makes clear days even more special here.

Thankfully, adjusting to Norway has been much easier thanks to how the student housing is set up. At my apartment complex, I live in an area with 15 other roommates with a shared kitchen/common room and eight double rooms along the sides of the common area. While it sounds very crowded, it’s already become like a second family away from home for me even after just three weeks. There are people from Germany, Belgium, China, the Netherlands, Ireland, Japan, France, Lithuania, and (of course) America all living under the same roof here. It’s been really interesting being able to have daily conversations about our different cultures and shared experiences living in Norway. There’s much more to say about UiB and life in Bergen, but I’ll save those for next time!

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Learn more about this blogger’s study abroad program: University of Bergen