Keeping myself from bursting into tears as I hugged my mom at the airport to say goodbye was when it became real for me. I was about to get on a plane and go to a different country alone. Shaking I made my way through the security line with no problems. The plan was to fly to Newark, New Jersey. Then from there we would head to Oslo.
This was not only my first time going out of the United States, it was my first time to fly alone- hence why I almost broke down when my mom told she could not go any further. I think subconsciously I was expecting her to be there until I arrived in my dorm at the BSN.
I was not alone for long though. After changing flights I sat next to a girl going to the same summer program as me! Upon arrival we discovered that we were also going to be roommates for the entirety of our summer adventure.
The rest of the people I have had the privilege of meeting range from thirty-nine different countries, and because of this trip I can now confidently say that I have made a friend from every continent!
Academic wise, this management class is very similar to MKTG 321. The end project was selecting a product from your home country and marketing it to Norway, but prior to this project we spent a week focusing on Norwegian culture. Norwegian culture is fascinating, with their shy tendencies and their complete avoidance of sitting by others on the bus. However, I believe I enjoyed listening to my fellow students compare their culture to my own. Even just comparing cultures with people who live in the US but not in Texas.
Norway is an amazing and beautiful country, despites the fact that it is ridiculously expensive. My favorite thing about Norway is that everyone speaks English! Most signs are written in Norwegian, but I have not asked anyone for help that could not speak English, at least not yet.