Sabrina Szeto (’06 – ’08)

I deeply treasure the two years I spent in Fjaler at Red Cross Nordic. Not only did I make friends with schoolmates who are now embarking on inspiring pursuits, but I also formed relationships with teachers who I count as mentors even today. It was here also that I was introduced to the joys of folk dance and music through the local community dance group that meets on Thursdays. I was also welcomed into the folk orchestra (Dalsfjorden Spelemannslag) and travelled with them to summer music festivals around Norway. I feel blessed also to have gone hiking or skiing every Friday with the Outdoor Discovery student group, which introduced me to the importance of “friluftsliv” (“free air life”) and also to the truth in the Norwegian saying that “There is no bad weather, only bad clothes.”

These experiences led me onward to focus on Anthropology for my undergraduate studies, and branch out into Forestry for my masters degree.

I had a strong interest in geography and sustainable development while I was at RCN, and having lived with students from over 80 nations, I wanted to understand more about how human societies and cultures work. My love for folk dance and music led me to write my undergraduate thesis focusing on Fjaler, and I traveled back to interview members of the local dance group and the folk orchestra. Their enduring friendship, support and welcome is something I treasure very much. It makes this place feel like a second home.

The time I spent outdoors here also deepened my love for nature and sparked a curiosity about the relationship between humans and the environment, and how natural and social systems interact. This is, in fact, what I see myself doing for a long time to come. I am currently working as a geospatial analyst at Yale University, for a research group focusing on land management and ecology in the American West. I make maps and analyse satellite images, and might also be found outdoors gathering data from the field. I will also use my anthropology skills in understanding the social landscape of the place we are working in.

While I was a student at RCN, some classmates and I were part of a humanitarian and education focused student group called DROP (which stands for Do Remember Other People). This simple motto is something that has followed me after leaving. One thing I learned from our fundraising efforts selling souvenirs donated by classmates, or coffee and cake in the Flekke shop, was that change can start anywhere. Indeed, one person or a small group of people can make a big difference. As someone who has been given tremendous opportunities through the education I have received in my life, I hope to put these skills and knowledge to good use in time to come.

2018-10-16T09:32:27+01:00September 21st, 2016|

En Unik Mulighet – Bli Vertsfamilie

Jeg har vært vertsfamilie i ett år for to 2.klassinger; Gautham fra India og Maja fra Polen. Hvorfor vil jeg anbefale det samme til deg/dere?

Flor Fernandez Montes (far left) with her host family

Flor Fernandez Montes (far left) with her host family

Å få lov å åpne opp sitt hjem for disse flinke, positive og høflige studentene har vært en stor berikelse. Jeg har fått innblikk i det å være student ved UWC, både på godt og vondt. Jeg har fått lære og øve meg i å snakke engelsk. Jeg har overvunnet en skepsis til å ta fremmede inni huset. Lært nye kulturer og religioner å kjenne. Gjennom diskusjoner med opplyst ungdom har jeg måtte reflektere og begrunne, ofte revurdere, mine standpunkter i aktuelle saker. Jeg har fått flotte opplevelser gjennom det å lage mat sammen – indiske spesialiteter, piroger og kaker fra Polen.

Gautham og Maja på sin side fikk møte mine utflyttede barn som de nå selvsagt er venner med på Facebook. De har måttet smake på jølstraørret og lutefisk i godt vennelag. Følge med meg på kunstutstillinger og vært ute i naturen, både på fisketurer og på gårdsbesøk. Ofte slappet vi bare av sammen hjemme med lange frokoster, så en god film sammen eller de arbeidet med sine studier. Jeg stopper her, men mye mere kunne blitt fortalt.

Helt til slutt; frivillig arbeid utføres uten å få betalt, MEN du får betalt, ikke i form av penger, men med livslangt vennskap, ny kunnskap og takknemlighet.

Eva Marie Halvorsen

If you are interested in becoming a host family, please contact us at: hostfamilies@uwcrcn.no

2021-02-09T09:24:59+01:00September 18th, 2016|

International Food Festival

On Saturday 17 September RCN students Azlin (US), Juan Pablo (Colombia), Paula (Germany) and Ximena (Guatemala) joined local 4-H youth and young asylum seekers from Afghanistan and Syria to prepare a feast for members of the local community at Hyllestad School. This was the realisation of our first collaborative project with the 4-H, and we learned that food can bring people together in wonderful ways!

The planning for the event began in the spring, but the concrete preparations took place in three sessions this term. First the students joined their partners for an afternoon of ice-breakers and cooking, followed by a dinner together where they sampled and learned about each others’ dishes. The night before the event we met to set up tables and prepare the gym at Hyllestad School. On this occasion Juan Pablo’s chicken dish was the focus of a meal before we headed home to rest up before the Big Day.

The kitchen at Hyllestad School was a hive of activity on the 17th, with food from Afghanistan, Syria, Norway, Guatemala, Colombia, Germany and Mexico prepared at different stations and a harmonious, supportive, enthusiastic atmosphere fostered by the cooks and supervisors. The meal was scheduled to begin at 13.00 and we had no idea how many to expect, but visitors began arriving at 12.30 and patiently waited as food was gradually brought to the gym, served, and – as many empty plates and smiling faces suggested – enjoyed by those in attendance.

Once the food had all but disappeared the Mottak youth set up speakers, put on their music and danced, drawing others into their orbit and adding a special element to the day. We have been enjoying the company of youth from Sørbøvåg mottak at our weekly community gammaldans, but this time they showed us their dances, filling the school lobby with their energetic movements and sounds.

2018-10-16T09:32:28+01:00September 18th, 2016|
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