– Come and join us on an exciting Partner Day! say students Karianne Sunde and Chanice Sørlie Johansen.
Partner Day is an online event that will be arranged on 15 September. The purpose of the meeting is to inform students about the option of taking a semester abroad.
Karianne (22) and Chanice (26) have both studied abroad. It was a unique opportunity to learn about other cultures and to try something new, they say.
Economy not an issue
– There are good economic support systems for studying abroad, such as travel support, exceptions from tuition fees and additional grants, depending on the institution and exchange programme. This is one of the things we will inform about on Partner Day, says international coordinator and one of the organisers of Partner Day, Kaja Skårdal Hegstad.
– The feedback from our students abroad show that the economical part is not an issue, she says.
She adds that there is a discussion about whether a semester abroad should be the normal arrangement that students actively have to withdraw from.
Experiences of a lifetime
Warm encouragement: Karianne P. Sunde (to the left) og Chanice Sørlie Johansen encourage everyone to take a semester abroad. Photo: Svein-Arnt Eriksen. Karianne was on an exchange in Australia in the spring semester of 2020. She used the opportunity to visit large parts of the country. She was stationed in the city of Gold Coast, and remembers the sailboat trips, a detour to New Zealand and visits to some of the world's most beautiful beaches.
– I took a few elective courses that are not offered at Nord University, such as hotel management, which I found extremely interesting.
She travelled with a fellow student, they became good friends and shared wonderful experiences.
Both Karianne and Chanice will participate on Partner Day, where you can hear more about their experiences. Chanice has also made a video that will be a part of the event.
Chanice, who is now the leader of the Student Organisation in Bodø, tells about her stay in the city of Fukuoka in Japan in the autumn semester in 2019. Fukuoka turned out to be very different from Bodø.
– It was very unusual to see tourists in this city, so I got a lot of curious looks on the tram, Chanice laughs.
It was also common for students to go out to eat with their teachers, but nobody spoke English, she says.
– So I had to learn a few basic Japanese phrases. The Japanese also work long hours. It was not unusual for students to attend evening classes after a long day of studies.
– What was the most important thing you learned?
– It was great to learn about other people, their values and way of living. Our way is not necessarily the correct one. It is nice to challenge oneself in a new and foreign culture.