Four countries, four semesters, four completely different experiences
When I signed up to take my first semester of cultural studies, the goal was simple: I wanted to experience the world. I wanted to travel, meet new people, and challenge myself.
This text is translated using AI.
View the original article here.What I didn’t realize when I went to Nepal was how much I would enjoy this everyday life, and over the next two years I would take three more semesters with Kulturstudier. Each country has taught me an incredible amount, not only about the world, but also about myself.
Four semesters later I have lived in Nepal, Costa Rica, Vietnam and Ghana. Each country has been different, and precisely because of that I’m left with four completely different experiences, even though all the trips have been part of the bachelor’s degree I will hopefully have after a year in Oslo.
Nepal was the beginning of the whole adventure. It was my first trip alone outside Europe, and my first encounter with Asia.
I still remember how overwhelming that first week felt. New smells, new routines, and an everyday life that was completely different from anything else I had ever experienced.
At the same time, I was in Nepal and fell in love with hiking in the mountains and appreciating all the majestic nature. The mountain hikes became one of the highlights, and growing fond of walking in the mountains has given me so much afterwards here in Norway as well.
Even though it’s easy to reminisce about the mountain hikes, what was perhaps even more important was the sense of community that arose when we lived and studied together with all the students in the class.
Several of the people I studied with in Nepal are still my friends today and I consider them some of my closest.
Nepal gave me the confidence to keep exploring the world and experience everything the different countries have to offer.
Costa Rica made me reflect on tourism in a way I never had before. I had expected a country defined by nature and sustainability, and it was that as well.
At the same time, I experienced how big a role tourism played in everyday life. Many places were tailored for visitors, and the price level was not adapted to local wages.
The price level was probably better suited to the Americans who visited Costa Rica in the same way that we Norwegians visit Spain.
The stay and the unique places we got to visit through cultural studies made me reflect on how big the difference is between visiting a country as a tourist and trying to live more like the locals, and to understand the people who live there.
Vietnam surprised me with all its contrasts. The country was incredibly easy to travel in, the people were warm and welcoming, and its location in the heart of Asia made it a perfect starting point for exploring several other countries.
While we got to experience perfect days at the beach, we were staying there during a historic flood. In the middle of this challenging situation, the locals truly showed us what humanity, adaptability, and positivity are.
It was a reminder of how powerful community can be when everyday life is suddenly turned upside down. Because even though the locals and the people we were staying with experienced a natural disaster, they valued the people around them more than material things.
Ghana was the country that surprised me the most and was the biggest contrast to everyday life in Norway. None of the other semesters can really be compared to the experience of living there.
I was met with curiosity, laughter and people who were more than happy to share their culture. As obroni (white foreigner) I stood out everywhere, which I wasn’t used to, but which led to more encounters with people I otherwise would never have gotten to know.
What perhaps made the biggest impression was the relaxed attitude toward everything. Things work out. We share what we have, and we have a responsibility for everyone around us. I really hope I can carry that sense of calm and community with me going forward.
When I look back on the four semesters, it’s not necessarily the spectacular experiences I remember best. It’s the people, the conversations, the culture, and the small moments that gave me new perspectives.
I went out to experience the world, but came home with a different view of people, development and privilege, and of what really matters.
