Hei Trondheim!

'Hello!' :)

One of the most important words here in Norway, which is used to greet neighbors, bosses, and even the king! :D We learned this and much more about Norway at the Welcome Meeting yesterday morning. Here are a few tips for you to keep in mind when in Norway:

1. Please never sit directly next to someone on the bus. If there are no double seats available, tough luck, you'll have to stand :(

2. When hiking in the mountains/fjords, here we greet other hikers with a 'Hello!'. However, this is not practiced in the city.

3. Want to strike up a conversation with a Norwegian? Just talk about the weather! :) The best topic to start a conversation!

4. Never trust the weather forecast! :D The weather changes here from minute to minute. It's best to always have sunglasses and a raincoat with you, in case of a sudden rain shower :)

As mentioned before, the weather changes daily/hourly/minute by minute...! This morning I left the house bundled up, and this afternoon I strolled through the city in a light shirt. Trondheim is really great, especially the view of the fjord is worth walking a few more meters. In the past 3 days, I have walked a total of 36 km, which is a lot for me :) But it was worth it! As you can see from the pictures.

Yesterday the Orientation Week began, and I got to meet many people from all over the world. It's really fun and super interesting! The events are all very casual and quite funny. You won't get bored and even 2 hours pass by in no time :) A lot of emphasis is placed on fostering the cohesion among the nearly 40,000 students, so that everyone finds their place here at NTNU :)

The schedule is very tight and the first three days are filled with many information meetings. Today, the traditional Matriculation Ceremony took place, which was celebrated in a big way. There was a band playing, professors entered with their own drummers, and the various student associations were introduced.

Starting tomorrow afternoon, things will be a bit more relaxed and we will go on a scavenger hunt across Trondheim :) On Thursday, we will go on a great 5-hour hike towards Ila, and the more relaxed part begins :) On Friday, the first 'official' party will start ^^ and the weekend will continue with various outdoor activities.

Goodbye!

Yours, Sabi :)