Grateful that it happened
Written by: Natalya Brown, Business and Economics
Manuel Litalien, Social Welfare and
Social Development
For our last full day in
Norway, we had to tear ourselves away from Breivoll Gård. Armed with hugs from
our amazing host, Anne, we made our way by bus to Oslo and headed to the Anker
Hotel.
“I feel like we just got here,” was a common refrain on the bus ride.
After stowing our gear, Jess and Esam accompanied us professors as we dropped by the DNT offices on Storgata to debrief and say an emotional goodbye to Glenn.
After leaving the DNT offices, we headed to the Akershus Fortress, for a last bit of sightseeing. We took in some phenomenal views of Oslo from the fortress walls which date back to 1299. As we arrived five minutes before the closing of the Armed Forces Museum, we lamented that there were just some places we could not pack into our already jam-packed trip. Something for next time, we hope.
The mood at dinner at the Abelone Kjøkken restaurant a few blocks from our hotel was a little subdued. We still enjoyed our usual lighthearted banter and camaraderie, but the realities of going home the next day seemed to have set it. While we were all anxious to reunite with family and friends, the field trip that we had spent so much time anticipating and preparing for was coming to an end.
As we prepare for the long journey home, we recognize how impossible it would have been to facilitate this field trip without the willingness of so many individuals to give of their time, energy, and talents. We are grateful to our colleagues at NiH, Simon Kennedy Beames, Jorgen Weidemann Eriksen and Karoline Oftedal. We were received with such warmth and generosity by DNT Oslo, especially by our friend, Glenn Menkin. Of course, Breivoll Gård was where we were really made to feel at home. We will never forget the kindness of Anne, Catia, Rikke, Tore, and Astrid during our stay.
Last but not least, we need to acknowledge and thank our kind, brilliant, funny, and resilient group of students who trusted us enough to come along for this journey. While we worked hard not to disappoint them, they kept us motivated and inspired.
For the field trip, we set out to create an immersive and inclusive experiential learning opportunity for our students, who, with a few exceptions, were not experienced travelers. With a few hours left to go, we believe we mostly succeeded. As we said to our students prior to the field trip, this is a journey, and not a pre-packaged experience. As we build from this adventure, we hope next time will be better, and we will have the opportunity to share and reflect on how to accomplish this when we get home.
For more photos and content, follow us on Instagram: @tilenorway2024.
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