Sarah Howell

The first full week I was here was Introduction Week for the international students. We had informational sessions each day, chock full of information we needed about getting set up for a successful semester here at UMB as well as in Norway. This included some basic Norwegian language lessons as well as a trip to Oslo during the middle of the week! We travelled by train from Ås to Oslo, and then were split into groups. My group walked to the castle, where the king resides (it was undergoing exterior renovations which you can see in the photo). The grounds surrounding the castle are beautiful, with well manicured flowers and a duck pond.

We then ventured to the bus station, where we rode the public transportation to the Folkmuseum, which is located on the western side of Oslofjord, a little outside the city. The folk and cultural history museum was very cool. We received a guided tour through several farms that have been set up, which reveal the pastoral and agricultural history and culture of the Norwegian people. We also were able to see an original stave church, which is located at the museum as well. The church reveals numerous carvings of dragons and other serpentine patterns which I thought were very beautiful.

After the folk museum, we took a boat from the western shore of Oslofjord back to the main part of the harbor. We got off the boat and had some time to kill, so a few of us walked around the area, where there was a lot of crazy new construction. My friend, Linn, who is half Swiss and half Norwegian, was telling me all about how the area has taken on such a new feeling, and in the process has lost the character of the old parts of Oslo, which included a ton of public space. This public space, which also happened to be all along the harbor, has now been developed into exclusive apartments, retail and pricey restaurants. So much for “development”…

After our walk, we met up with the rest of our group for a tour of the Nobel Peace Prize museum, which sits right on the square near the Oslo City Hall.

The museum had a few great exhibits, one of which I felt particularly moved by: a dual exhibit which helped to reveal two overlooked sides of recent history in Afghanistan. On one side of this exhibit hall were photos by photographer Lynsey Addario (which originally appeared in National Geographic) takes a closer look into the lives of Afghani women both before and after the fall of the Taliban regime. This exhibit was titled “Veiled Rebellion” and was absolutely fantastic. The photographs were stunning, and mine simply do not do them justice.

The second exhibit, which I thought was very ironically (and purposely, I assume) placed on the side of the exhibit hall directly across from “Veiled Rebellion,” was an exhibit titled “Infidel”. It is a collection of photographs taken of Bravo Company and the lives of the soldiers who lived in their remote outpost in Afghanistan. The images of powerful camaraderie, amidst the brutalities of war, were very jarring. All in all, I thought it was a fantastic exhibit.

Another exhibit we wandered through was for the 2011 recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize. The winners of the 2011 award were three outstanding women, and thus the exhibit was titled “Sheroes” playing off of the heroic and strong leaders that these women have been and are.

The three winners – Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (Liberia), Leymah Gbowee (Liberia), and Tawakkol Karman (Yemen) – were joint recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2011 “for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work.”

Oslo is a beautiful and quaint city, and I am certainly looking forward to exploring what the city remains to share with me over hte past few months. This weekend we have plans to attend a few free events (cinema on Friday and free concert on Saturday) so there is a promise that this country and its capital can be slightly more affordable than originally thought. I think one just needs to be a little more resourceful in finding these activities.

Vi snakkes! (Talk to you soon!)