Study Abroad

As I write this, I am down to my last week abroad. To say that I am sad this adventure is wrapping up is a bit of an understatement, but as the saying goes: All good things must come to an end. With my return to the U.S. imminent, I have made the most of my last month here in Norway, and I have tried to pack as much into the month of June as possible. As soon as my exams were over, I was on a plane up to Tromsø to see the midnight sun. This time of the year the sun never goes below the horizon, so they get a full 24 hours of proper daylight. Unfortunately, it was cloudy a number of the days I was there, but there was one night of clear blue skies that allowed me to experience this phenomenon in its full glory. I went for a hike in the evening and stood on top of a mountain in full sunlight at midnight. I also did a bit of kayaking around the Sommarøy Islands and spent some time with Alaskan huskies at the Villmarkssenter.

Once I was back from Tromsø, I packed up my camping equipment and headed to the famous Trolltunga, a rock formation that juts out into the open air 700 meters above the lake below. While it was certainly the busiest trail I have been on while I’ve been in Norway, it was quite the sight and definitely worth the hike. After I got home, washed my clothes and got some groceries, I headed back out with a friend for a camping trip near the tiny town of Bakka. This was a bit of a special trip, because we packed up a little charcoal grill and some steaks to have for a nice dinner on my last backpacking trip in Norway. They tasted fantastic, and I think the effort of carrying them 700 meters up the mountain made them even better.

My last trip here in Norway was a kayaking trip along the Nærøyfjord. The first day was phenomenal. Calm waters, only a little rain, and spectacular views. Both lunch and dinner were great, and the people I was with were very nice. The second day, however, was a bit less ideal. We had 23 mph winds with gusts up to 40 all morning and into the afternoon, and it rained all day. This wouldn’t have been an issue if we were kayaking with the wind, but we weren’t. We made an attempt to paddle into the wind to get to where the buses would pick us up, but given we had 12 kilometers to go, and we were only able to go about 1 in 45 minutes, we made the decision to go back to camp and wait for a pick up instead. It was unfortunate, but the weather is uncontrollable. We did make the best of it with a campfire and food though.

My last adventure abroad will be a four-day trip to Berlin to visit some of my friends from last semester again before heading back to the U.S. This past year has been incredible, and I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity. I’ve met some amazing people and made new friendships that will hopefully last for years to come. While I am sad about having to leave this amazing country, I am excited to see my friends and family back home, and I know that someday I will be back for more adventures across Norway.

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