Okutambula e Taagaabu n’enkya y’omusana

There is a lot going on here. The new physical and social environment promotes the ability to open up to new people. And what these people have to say! According to the advantages of studying abroad, I can definitely confirm that you increasingly confront your own negative prejudices and only then realize that you completely misjudge people in most cases. Even though I consider myself someone who sees the positive in others, sometimes judgments still creep in. It is a true joy to see that such judgments are debunked more and more as you get to know the people they apply to. Your own hasty judgments are put in their place and humility is taught. That is why it is worth participating in excursions even more.

Through various communication networks, there are plenty of opportunities to do so. You can also ask the groups if there are people who are interested in one activity or another. So there is almost always a group gathering relatively quickly. Among other things, trips to cabins are popular. The university's sports club "NTNUI Koiene" is the perfect starting point for this. The Koienegruppe has several cabins within a radius of about 180km around Trondheim. These can be rented by students at minimal prices.

Since most cabins are in the middle of the wilderness, a hike from the bus stop/parking lot is usually necessary. These hikes vary from just 10 minutes to 7 hours. In the case of the 7-hour cabin, it is important to know that this is during the winter time and you cannot reach this cabin without snowshoes or skis. Unless you enjoy wading through knee-deep snow for double the amount of time and occasionally risking frostbite. It should also be mentioned that this particular cabin is closed half of the time during winter due to the risk of avalanches. So it is definitely a more challenging adventure. However, most of the 22 cabins are easily accessible for average fit people.

Since cabin trips have always been a highlight for me, a trip was planned very soon. Unfortunately, all the other travelers were German, so we spoke German for convenience. It is sometimes not easy to achieve a good international mix. Even though most exchange students come from Italy, France, and Spain, Germany is the leader, making it all too easy to find yourself in a German "bubble". In this case, however, there was no other way, and the weekend at the cabin was still a true experience.

After about 80 minutes drive through a beautiful winter landscape, I entrusted my loyal vehicle to a local farmer, on whose property we were allowed to park (official parking spaces in the middle of nowhere are difficult to find there).

After fitting the snowshoes, we could start our 2-hour ascent to the "Taagaabu" cabin. The paved forest road smoothed by snowmobiles ended in the last phase and the snowshoes were put to use. Since we only had a rough direction and the tracks from the previous weekend were blown away, finding the way was challenging. Even with snowshoes, we sometimes sank 20cm, which gave us a rough idea of how deep the snow seems to be in the untouched wilderness. However, the moose, whose tracks we discovered, seems to be unbothered by this, as they have no problems with snow in their hiking boots... Eventually, we reached the safe cabin with its cozy -15°C interior temperature.

It should be added that these cabins, according to Norwegian tradition, do not have running water or electricity, and any degree of interior temperature must be fought for. The small stove, in which the available wood is burned, takes some time to get going, but after about 2 hours, we had a cozy atmosphere. Drinking tea in the glow of the candles and melting snow for pasta water (what else😉) creates an atmosphere that is rarely experienced.

The following day, we took a hike to the nearby snow-covered peaks. The bare rock, the icy wind, and the snow could have made you think you were in Antarctica. If it weren't for the distant view of the towering masses of the Scandinavian Mountains.

Only the local wildlife, apart from tracks, did not make itself known. So it was a positive surprise when a fluttering pheasant brought me near to a heart attack on the way back to the car.

The snowy days came to an end, but that didn't stop the skiing. You can tell that Norway is the country of skiers, especially by the fact that it feels like every Norwegian grabs their skis after work and especially on weekends and drives through the city and towards the forest. And they definitely don't ride the bus through the city, they ski themselves. So pedestrians sometimes share the paths with passing skiers. My response that I haven't had the "opportunity" to try cross-country skiing yet shocked my Norwegian roommate Jørgen so much that he felt compelled to force me to go for a Sunday run. And indeed - after an hour, the fall counter had only reached 6, which exceeded all of my most optimistic expectations. Jørgen also seemed to have expected worse, nevertheless, we made our way back home after the hour. Apparently, I am too exhausting of a student... Or he is afraid that I would surpass him in no time due to my breathtaking natural talent. Of course, I am inclined to believe the latter.🤷‍♂️

Shortly after, spring arrived here as well. But not in a gentle wave, it broke in like a heatwave. It is quite strange to step outside now, as you have become accustomed to the comfortable -15°C. Suddenly, you are confronted with up to +10°C, which is not a problem in itself - you simply leave out 3 layers of the otherwise 5-layered onion look. Due to enduring the frosty temperatures for weeks, the body has acclimatized so much that even 5°C feels like t-shirt weather. Another interesting effect of the rising temperatures - the ice on the sidewalks, which has been frozen for several frosty weeks, intends to change its aggregate state. The thin water film on the ice on the sidewalks leads to dance floor-like movements for maintaining balance, which under normal circumstances would make everyone look old in the disco. The consolation is that Norwegians seem to have the same problem. And so the days glide by happily in the town of Trondheim.

To mention something unrelated to university - I have now chosen all the courses I wanted. However, the teaching and learning style is slightly different from what I am used to at my home university. There is a higher focus on various smaller assignments throughout the semester, rather than basing most of the grade on one exam. It requires a slightly higher level of independence, which I welcome on my part.

In addition to university, the upcoming weeks will bring at least one more cabin trip (with a sauna!) and the Easter holidays are approaching. The perfect opportunity for a road trip.

Hang in there. Better times will come in Germany as well. Until then, my thoughts are with you. Best regards.