On Monday, 66 new exchange students had their first official day at the University of Inland Norway (INN). They are spending the spring semester in Lillehammer and had an orientation day with introductions and social activities.
Additionally, 20 exchange students from the autumn semester are staying for a full year, so there are 86 international students on campus in total.
A range of nationalities
The students have varied backgrounds and represent 16 different nationalities.
Most of them come from countries nearby like Germany, France, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic, but there are also students from outside of Europe. This includes Japan, Gambia and Bolivia.
– I always wanted to visit one of the Nordic countries, and I love winter, says Finja Schmidt.
Finja comes from Germany and is very excited to experience INN, Lillehammer and Norway in general. The German group of exchange students is the most numerous this semester.
Finja is joined by Daniela Scheuerová from the Czech Republic. For her, choosing Norway for exchange was a bit random, but she expresses great enthusiasm and loves it already.
The majestic Norwegian winter has also attracted students from far away.
– I came here because I love skiing and because of the Norwegian landscapes, says Kibum Kim.
Kibum comes all the way from South Korea and Pusan National University. He is one of five Korean students who decided to spend the semester across the globe in Lillehammer.
Introduductions and activities
At the start of each semester, the International Office at INN arranges an orientation day and a social week to ensure that all international students receive the practical information they need and get to know each other.
The students logged in to different academic platforms, met the student chaplain and a local student ambassador, had a rebus to get familiar with the campus and participated in a lecture on intercultural communication.
The lecture is the first part of the INN model that has been developed to assist all exchange students in developing skills to communicate effectively and appropriately across cultural differences during their exchange.
In the evening, there was a social gathering at the campus bar, "Studenten", and everyone was served pizza. There was also a quiz, and the new students could spend the evening chatting and getting to know one another.
There are also more social activities for the exchange students in the following days, ensuring a warm and welcoming environement in a new country.
INN is happy to welcome the new exchange students and values their enrichment to the academic and student environments at campus. Have a great semester in the forests and mountains of Norway!