Hei Norge! (Hello Norway!)

On Sunday, June 27, I landed in Norway. After a ten hour flight from Sao Paulo to Germany, a 7 hour lay-over in Munich and a 2 hour flight from Germany to Norway, I had arrived. That afternoon, I set foot on the land of my ancestors...good old Norway.

It was an interesting feeling. A bit uncomfortable, a bit exciting and a bit adventurous. As I stepped off the plane, I was among a sea of blondes, something I had certainly never seen in Brazil, and maybe hadn't seen to that extent in my entire life. And that's when it hit me... I was in Norway!



I will be here for six weeks, taking courses at the University of Oslo along with 600 other students. As many of you know, I am here on a Peace Prize Forum scholarship covering the fees for my room, board, airfare and tuition. I was one of 10 American students to receive the scholarship.

At the university, I will be taking an intensive course in Scandinavian Politics every morning from 8-10. In the afternoons, I will be attending a seminar for Peace and going to guest UN lecturers and visiting UN sites. It's quite the program!

Here is a picture of the dorms I live in... beautiful!



While I am currently antsy to get home, I think this time in Norway will be a great adventure for me. It will be a time for me to look at the politics of a different country and really see how the UN is playing a role in world peace. I'm hoping to really learn and grow from this experience.