Hi there!

I would like to share with you some of my experience and impression regarding my IA in Norway.  Hopefully, this will give you a better idea of the place and culture.

Norway is a whole new and different world from Singapore.  When I first arrived, I was really taken in by the sheer beauty of the place.  It had just snowed and the whole place was covered with a blanket of white clean snow, a totally new sight for me.  Of course, there was the difference in temperature too, but I think it is a nice change not to have to look for air-conditioned places every time I'm out in the open.

Trondheim, the city in which I'm working in, is a quiet and peaceful place.  It looks like a view straight out from a postcard.  There are vast mountains covering great areas which you can take a hike or walk in and at the same time enjoy the view of the whole town from the top.  The houses and buildings are beautifully coloured and furnished and you can easily see evidence of how people enjoy the luxury of space over here.  Merely taking a walk is enjoyable with the beautiful scenes you get to see along the way.  Everything here reminds me of some sort of art.  From the furnishing of a house to a mere simple household item sold in the grocery shop, you can see that beauty is part and parcel of Norwegian life.

The people here are friendly and kind.  They easily give a helping hand when asked.  My colleagues shared with me lots of valuable details about the country as well as some entertaining stories.  A favourite topic discussed is the ever-unpredictable weather, which, believe me, is truly unpredictable.  A constant suggestion was that I should try to do some skiing and I certainly hope to take up that suggestion one of these days.

My only problem lies in my inability to speak and understand Norwegian well which is the main language spoken over here.  Although you can normally get by with speaking English, I would recommend trying to learn some Norwegian before you come.  This can come in useful when you are shopping as most things are labeled in Norwegian.

What next?  How about food? J It's again a very different experience.  There aren't any food court centers or eating places around and people normally make their own meals.  So brush up your cooking skills before coming!  I'm sure you'll enjoy the different things you can cook up there as I do with the ingredients they have.  Better still, try observing what sort of food the people eat and try following them.  You'll be surprised at some of the delicious meals you'll be introduced to.  I'm currently helplessly addicted to a few of the simple but delicious Norwegian-styled dishes!

Life over here is definitely very different from the hectic pace I experienced in Singapore.  There's plenty of time after work and here you can really rest, relax and enjoy.  I will definitely miss this place when my IA is finally over.