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By Allison Lazzaro

Living in another country mayÌýsound scary at first, but once youÌýjump in and warm up to it, it’sÌýworth it. I have come out of theÌýsmall bubble I was living in myÌýquiet Long Island town, and asÌýintroduced to the world that is outÌýthere. New people, foods, places,Ìýcultures, and the list goes on. IÌýfelt that I have not only just hadÌýfun, but have become a betterÌýperson from it.Ìý

This trip has made me see thingsÌýin a new light, from something asÌýbig as the world, and as small asÌýmyself. I would not hesitate toÌýrecommend studying abroad inÌýNorway for a second. I will takeÌýmy experiences here, and theÌýfriends I’ve met with me for theÌýrest of my life, and look backÌýwith a smile. If you ever findÌýyourself in the lucky position ofÌýchoosing a country to study in,ÌýNorway is your best bet.

I studied at the American CollegeÌýof Norway in a small town calledÌýMoss an hour south of Oslo, theÌýcountry’s capital. The studentÌýbody containsÌýmostly Norwegians,ÌýwhichÌýenables you toÌýfully assimilateÌýinto the culture.ÌýDon’t be afraidÌýof a languageÌýbarrier thoughÌýas almost 91% of the country speaks fluent English. I arrivedÌýhere with no prior knowledge ofÌýNorwegian but thanks to my newÌýfriends, I have picked up on aÌýfew phrases and don’t feel as leftÌýout in conversations.

The food in Norway is a lot moreÌýsimilar to home than I originallyÌýthought. Although they do haveÌýa few specialties, don’t be surprisedÌýto find things such as baconÌýin a tube (it really isn’t asÌýbad as it sounds). Reindeer meatÌýcould be on the menu. HopefullyÌýit isn’t Rudolph! Fish is a popularÌýmeal choice in many variationsÌýfrom fishgraten and fishÌýsticks to fish pudding and evenÌýfish burgers. Don’t worry if youÌýdon’t find those specialties appealing,ÌýNorwegian groceryÌýstores have a range ofÌýoptions similar to our own. Norwegian supermarketsÌýalso carry a rangeÌýof products for those withÌýfood allergies. StartingÌýthe semester, I was a
picky-eater but now I canÌýtruly say I have expandedÌýmy palate to enjoy manyÌýNorwegian foods.

Throughout my time abroad, IÌýhave had the opportunity of travelingÌýeven further, and visitedÌýmore than just Norway. I haveÌýbeen to Denmark, Italy, France,ÌýIreland, Belgium, England andÌýSpain. I plan to come back to ÌýEurope and expand that list. EachÌýcountry offered its own culture,Ìýbroadening and reshaping the world around me.ÌýFor me, studying abroad in NorwayÌýwas one of the greatest decisionsÌýI have made in my lifetime.ÌýIt is an experience that has left aÌýlasting impression on me, and hasÌýchanged the way I view theÌýworld. If you can take one thingÌýfrom what I’ve said, it’s this.ÌýSTUDY IN NORWAY!