Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University

Greifswald

Germany

ENGLISH VERSION
 

(Translation by Jens Haugan)

Year/semester and subject at Hedmark University College (HUC):
Autumn 2007, 7th semester, course at HUC: Norwegian language and culture for foreign students, first module; additional course: the first two modules of the one-year study in Norwegian (Norsk årsstudium).
 

Subjects/study before the stay in Hamar:
B.A. 1st major: Skandinavian studies, 2nd major: Art history
 

How does the course/s in Hamar fit into your study plan?

Since Norwegian was the main language of my Scandinavian studies the semester in Hamar first of all extended my knowledge of colloquial Norwegian. Because of their different perspectives, both of my majors have enriched my knowledge of Norwegian with respect to understanding and talking. Since I already had studied the basic module 'Language acquisition' in Greifswald, the basic introduction to Norwegian language and culture was relatively easy for me, that's why I chose to extend my study with 'Norsk årsstudium'. In this course, Norwegian literature and grammar was presented for Norwegian student teachers; but I just attended classes without taking the exams.

Especially interesting were the cultural aspects related to the course (e.g. a trip to the theatre in Oslo) and to get to know distinctive characteristics of Norwegian language and literature, e.g. the comparison of Norwegian Nynorsk and Bokmål.
 

What made you choose to come and study in Hamar?
Hamar is a partner city of Greifswald and since the location seemingly wasn't as popular with the other students as for instance Trondheim or Bergen, it was easy to get a place in Hamar via the German Exchange programme DAAD. I liked that Hamar was so close to Oslo and the variety of course at Hamar University College - and the relatively small size of the campus.

How did you like Hamar?
I really enjoyed living in Hamar. This small town at the shoreline of the huge lake Mjøsa welcomed us in August with hot summer days. The accommodation of the students was good - me and my friends, who came with me to study in Hamar, were accommodated in a small flat in the centre of the town, whereas the other students lived in a student home further away from the town centre.

It was easy to reach everything by foot and there were several small parties at the student club 'Hydranten' right beneath were we lived.

We made many trips around Hamar, were to student parties in the countryside, but we also took our car (that we brought with us) and went to Bergen, Jotunheimen and to the south coast. Living in Norway is much more expensive compared to Germany, therefore, we were happy about the scholarship from the DAAD (which covered a flat-rate).
 

How did you like your study in Hamar?
I really enjoyed the study and the stay was well organised.
Introductory events, formal papers, contact persons - everything was fine-tuned and we always knew where to go and whom to talk to.

Altogether, the contact with the teaching personnel and the contact persons was direct, friendly and even matey. We got help with all of our questions quickly and without much bureaucracy - which was very different from what I experienced in Germany. One reason for this might be the rather small campus compared to many of the big universities in Germany. But quickly getting to know fellow students (Norwegian and international) and staff was a positive surprise. Despite good follow-up of students and small courses, our impression was that the task demands were high; the lectures were demanding, but they gave room for own ideas and input - ideal for dedicated students who are interested in Norwegian language, culture and literature.
 

Do you have tips for other students who want to study in Hamar?
I can only recommend to join a sports or student club (for e.g. DVD evenings, handicraft or other activities) as soon as possible to build a social network and practise the language. I went to Hamar together with a German-speaking friend with the effect that we didn't speak as much Norwegian as we had planned beforehand, but we attended many an event with a lot of fun.

Especially suitable for such occasions are student parties were the new students drive by buss into the countryside for barbequeing and partying. At the semester opening event there are also some "godfathers" for the freshman students and foreign student who can be asked for advice.

There is no reason to be afraid of asking in case of questions and problems. You are always met with goodwill and understanding.

I would advise you to make as many trips as possible if your curriculum allows it. We were for instance in Oslo (there is a good train connection), in the art gallery and in Vigelandsparken, in Lillehammer in the  open-air museum at Maihaugen (there is a stave church) and at the ski-jump arena of the Olympia park, we went walking in the woods of Elverum and we even spent some days in Tromsø in Northern Norway. During our trips we usually got accommodated via Hospitality Club and we got to know a lot of interesting people.
 

Other things you would like to tell from your stay in Hamar?
So many things come to my mind, but that would be too much to share here. ;-)