Dear NMBU, I am not Norway’s most satisfied (international) student - but I have some tips.

Dear NMBU, I am not Norway’s most satisfied (international) student - but I have some tips.  

Written by Lindsey O'Neal

In response to last month’s article titled “Dear NMBU, I am not Norway’s most satisfied student - so far”, I believe that an international student’s perspective is a missing part of the conversation. My hope is to shed light on concerns that students may not realize and to encourage conversations about inclusivity at NMBU.  

When I first learned I was coming to Norway, I Googled the NMBU website, excited to learn more about my new school, and saw they were “famous for inclusive student life”. This promise of inclusivity made me excited for the opportunity to learn about the language and culture in Norway, make Norwegian friends, and even learn from Norwegian students in my classes. But since day one, I was shocked at the many hurdles I had to overcome to feel like a normal student here in Ås. While adjusting to new places can always be hard, NMBU keeps international students in their own corner and calls it inclusivity. 

Welcome to your new bubble 

As Dear NMBU wrote, there is a dangerous bubble that comes with being in Ås. For international students, it started with our first week. The international students have a buddy week prior to the main NMBU Fadderuka. This means that our social activities, our first friends, and our orientation were with other international students. Since the international student buddy week occurs a week prior to August block, Norwegian students had yet to arrive to campus, thus setting the tone that we were isolated from the rest of the university. While it is great to meet people from different cultures, our buddy week forced people into bubbles. It didn’t help that after our international buddy week, most of us had three weeks off. It was highly encouraged to take this time to travel the country. Only the brave stuck around to join the main NMBU Fadderuka, which was painful as an international student. We were exhausted from the daily activities packed into the prior international student buddy week and the structure of Fadderuka made it impossible to find Norwegian students with common interests. It failed to help people form friendships, completely abandoned international students, and excluded international representation from the popular fraternities and sororities. We didn’t play “get to know you games”, we were often limited to small, awkward groups, and most activities only included alcohol or required you to know Norwegian.  

Talking to us is an inconvenience  

Of course, in Norway, it is completely logical to speak Norwegian as the primary language. It is not that speaking Norwegian is a problem. Rather, it is important to realize that the unintentional (and sometimes intentional) lack of English excludes the international student body that wants to be a part of the NMBU community. It is not for lack of trying. Many international students are learning the language but Norwegian students switch to English and do not take the time to help us practice - because it's awkward! It takes effort and courage on both sides, but it can reap major rewards if you work at it. Even when it’s inconvenient or a little uncomfortable, the truth is that most Norwegian students, faculty, and staff have a strong grasp of English, while international students are not yet fluent in Norwegian. Therefore, it is unfair to put the expectation on international students to get involved when we don’t know how. During many celebratory events at NMBU, such as the Fadderuka welcome, Jubileum, Samfunnet volunteer orientation, and the Grasskurs student associations fair, remarks were given in Norwegian. It was clear that people were willing to leave us behind in favor of the majority and because talking to us was an inconvenience. 

Big picture problems 

The challenges that international students face at NMBU reflect big picture problems of multicultural integration in Norway. Non-Norwegians face a number of invisible challenges that make it hard to fit in. There are limitations on work hours to limit our income and it takes months to open a bank account, which means that we don’t have Vipps and cannot buy certain things. For me, I have a certain privilege because English is my first language. But for many international students and immigrants coming to Norway not yet fully comfortable in English, learning Norwegian and everyday tasks become harder. Many of us become exhausted and it makes complete sense to find comfort with those that speak their first language. Over time, these communities are left behind, pushed into bubbles, and neither they nor the rest of Norway get to truly share all they have to offer. 

Thank you to the good apples  

There have been many good apples that have been exceptions to the broader exclusive cult-ure at NMBU. I think that some of the secret things about NMBU can be quite special like Tour de Kringla, the Duck Pond, and Uka i Ås. School spirit and inside jokes can feel traditional and - at times - unifying. I give credit to the few Norwegian students who joined the international buddy week, the organizations that have posted invites in English and given presentations in English, and the buddy leaders telling me about NMBU’s traditions in English, even when they were drunk. 

Tips on getting out of the bubble 

Despite it all, I am having an amazing semester and feel really thankful for this opportunity. I have personally benefited from building relationships with my Norwegian roommates, classmates, and friends, but it has not been an easy journey. Sadly, I have had to push past many moments of rejection, classmates not wanting to talk to me, buddy leaders not including me in party plans, or having Norwegian friends ditch me. I have had to get out of my comfort zone, awkwardly try to speak Norwegian, introduce myself to new students (sometimes who clearly do not want to talk to me), volunteer at Samfunnet and many times not understand what is happening around me, and spend a lot of energy adapting to Facebook communication culture to join events. 

My hope for everyone - international students and Norwegian students alike - is that you accept that cross-cultural exchange will take effort but that you must keep trying. When you give up and stick to your comfort zone, you give up on the opportunity to make insightful new friends, learn new languages, and experience new cultures. Even if it is just one person, one club, or one opportunity, make the decision to enhance your time at NMBU to grow as a person and help make campus truly inclusive. 

Illustrated by Ingvild Sperstad