Before we left for Norway we were told that it is two
times more expensive than Sweden so we came prepared courtesy of Lidl. Luckily
for us as one bottle of water cost me £4 therefore it would have been a very expensive
five days.
Later we went back to the hostel
where we got on the bus with a group of 40 international students and we had a
long over night journey on the bus. When we got to Bergen the sunny weather we
had hoped for was non existent but not surprising as it is known to be the
rainiest town in the world. The lack of sun however was quickly forgotten as we
were privileged to spend The 17th of May in Bergen which is Independence day. This is the biggest
celebration of the year with parades, parties and music and we were lucky that
our trip coincided with such a major celebration. We got fully involved marching around along with the crowds who
were dressed in traditional costumes
and many impressive performances took
place. I am really glad we took this opportunity as National Day in Norway is
something I may never experience again in my life.
The next morning we took a boat
through the beautiful Fjords of Norway. They were absolutely breathtaking and
Megan and I felt like we were in the movies. We sat on the front of the boat
for two hours in silence admiring the most amazing views I had ever seen. When
we arrived at Ladreal we spent another
wonderful two days exploring the fjords, playing tennis and relaxing in a
beautiful town and we really felt like we were on holiday. We both felt like
our Erasmus experience was still going on and that we would be returning to Trollhattan.
However we were going home to Ireland and the reality was beginning to sink
in. We enjoyed a lovely barbeque with a
new group of international students from various university's in Sweden and
Denmark. It was good to talk to them about their experiences many of which which
were similar to ours.
I am going home
to Ireland a changed person as have grown
so much at so many different levels throughout the past few months in Sweden. I most definitely have become much more independent. I have improved
my time management skills due to the fact that I was solely responsible for
everything I had to do and the Swedish are very punctual. I also have developed
more confidence giving presentations as it is something I dreaded in Stranmillis
and I now really enjoy. Perhaps this is due to the laid back relaxed atmosphere
in the Swedish classroom and the fact that this means of assessment is much
more common. I have now done more presentations than I can even count.
I cant believe
this is my last blog as time has gone so fast and I cant believe my Erasmus
experience has come to an end. However, this experience has broadened my horizons and I hope to have many more
experiences like this one in the future. I have loved every minute of my time
in Sweden and would recommend Erasmus to everyone. It is a great opportunity to
not only enhance your CV but to meet people from all over the world and make
some lifelong friends. It is hard to describe the last five months in words as
it is something which you have to experience for yourself to understand. It is
an opportunity I would embrace fully and you only get one chance so take it
with both hands I'm glad I did.
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that
you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines.
Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain
My Erasmus
experience has ended but I am going to start a new adventure in one week when I
set of to Italy to teach English to foreign students. I hope to use some of the Italian which I have learned whilst in Sweden
and I'm looking forward to experiencing a new culture in a new country.
As the Swedish
say, for the last time 'Hey da'
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