My times of teaching at the University of Oslo are over! It feels really, very bizarre to know that, and I'm sad too: whilst teaching in the department at home in Edinburgh is always good, here I was overwhelmed with course choices, always provided with the most in-depth assignment feedback not to mention pre-assignment discussion meetings, and the facilities of the most super library I've ever experienced. I will really miss the academic aspect of this year abroad, but am so glad to have experienced it and wouldn't think twice before applying to come back. The language thing (that is to say, studying solely in Norwegian) was a thought that intimidated me greatly in the beginning, but was never as difficult as I had imagined, and now presents no problem at all. For me, the fact that I study courses alongside Norwegians and receive no special preference is a milestone for me: something that I never imagined would happen, but proves to myself that I must be better than I often think. I now have to start thinking about exams! I have three coming up over the next few weeks, and am specially keen to do well in my Nordic Children and Young People's Literature course. The exam for the subject is a difficult one for me, an oral exam lasting half an hour where we go in unaware of the topic we must present on until given a short passage from one of the course texts and have to instantly recall all the relevant secondary literature and points in question. I am nervous, but I'm hoping that sensation will drive me to revise harder!
Before entering the period of exam havoc, C and S and I decided to take advantage of one of the best things about studying in Scandinavia: living here gives such ease travelling to other Scandinavian countries at a good price and without having to consider flying due to excellent train services (much more environmentally friendly and pleasant!) We took our final trip to Sweden, to the capital, Stockholm, for three days:
The weather was a godsend, the company was lovely and as a last trip of sorts, it was a really very lovely way to sum up this year in Scandinavia.
This weekend is going to be a big one: tomorrow the Medicine Students' Society stage their comedy 'review', which I saw last semester and am subsequently hugely looking forward to this week. Saturday is a goodbye party of some friends (in addition to the highly important Eurovision Song Contest, which I firmly believe Norway to have an excellent chance of winning with a young man named Alexander Ryback violining and jigging away!) and Sunday is an early start: Norway's national day that I have mentioned before. Friends are I will be meeting for a traditional breakfast, as is the custom, before heading to the main street to watch the parades before the day descends into inevitable barbecuing and merriment. As such, I predict my revision to be very nearly null this weekend, and must get on with some now in preparation for Wednesday's exam! The sooner it is over the sooner I can... well, begin revising for the next!
