Life in Norway

Life in Oslo is going well!!

I love my internship in Electrolux. My job description is really interesting and I get everyday different tasks and financial analyses to do. I am supporting different persons in the company and I am learning a lot! :)
People are still really nice with me!
I am usually starting at 8 on the morning and finishing at 4 on the afternoon. But actully we have flexible hours: we must arrive between 7 and 9 am and leave between 3 and 5 pm! So that's great!!
But I am not use to that!! I remimber last year living the MC Office at 7pm, 8pm or later in the evening...
There is a cantine at Electrolux so that's perfect for lunch. People are use to have lunch at 11h30! too early for me, but i am getting the Norwegian habits!
Dinner in Norway is supposed to be at 5pm (but not for me :p). But who knows, maybe in one year I will have my dinner at 5pm also!

As you maybe saw in my last post, I am taking Norwegina classes!! But that's so difficult!!!!!
I don't understand anything!!! and i don't know if one day i will understand Norwegian language!! But I still have like 5 weeks of classes, so we will see!

AH, people who want to drink... don't come in Norway!!!
Alcohol is so expensive!!!!
The beer in a supermarket costs aroung 3€!!!
And the most funny part is that you can find only beers in the supermarket!! They are not selling any strong alcohol or wine. For that you need to go in a special shop! and you know more or less how cost a bottle of alcohol (like Vodka, Malibu...)? Around 35 € (at least)
It is crazy!!
Now I can confirm that life is expensive in Norway! :p

But it is a really nice country and I like it!!
Next week end I am going to Sweden to meet some friends from AIESEC! and in October I will go to Bergen, a city on the west part of Norway, for a national AIESEC conference!

Enjoy your life wherever you are! :)

My first days in Norway

Arrival in Oslo

I arrived on Saturday night after spending 3 hours in the plane going from Marseille to Oslo. At the airport I took a bus going till Oslo (because the airport where I arrived was bit far away) and after 2 hours in the bus I finally arrived in the center of Oslo. There, a girl from one of the AIESEC Local Committee of Oslo was waiting for me and we went to my new house. Because, yes, I am living in a beautiful house in Oslo!! J I would say that it is really different from what I was used to in Paris last year! I am sharing this house with two other girls: one from Norway and one from India.

Sightseeing

On Sunday I went sightseeing with one of my room mate. I saw a bit of the city, took a ferry and went till the Folk Museum. It was really nice: we saw some typical Norwegian houses made in wood, some typical dances, etc…

So far I don’t know enough the city to talk about it but Oslo looks really nice. Streets are quite big and there are no high buildings. Compared to Paris where people are running everywhere and stressful, here everyone is relaxed! :)

The public transports are also great: there is bus, tram and metro. You can find maps everywhere so it might be difficult to get lost! :)

About the weather it is still ok but bit cold on the morning or on the evening… But I will get use to and will be prepared for the winter!

First working days

But let’s me talk about my work… my first day work was awesome!!

I started working on Monday morning and the girl from AIESEC came with me. It took us 30 minutes before finding Electrolux building but finally we found it! The finance director, the woman who I am going to work with, welcomed me in the company and introduced me to everyone. She presented me a bit about the company and my job description. I also got a presentation from the company manager of Electrolux in Norway. Actually my first week is full of meeting with Managers.

So far, everything is going well and I couldn’t expect better!

I also going to start some Norwegian classes (Norskkurs:) ) and I hope to speak I bit Norwegian soon!!

IC 2007 in Turkey!!

The AIESEC International Congress 2007 was this year in Istanbul, Turkey. Because I was part of the Congress Committee (CC) I arrived there on 1^st of August. The CC was composed of around 60 persons!

We had more than 2 weeks of preparation before the conference. Two weeks during which we got to know each other and start working together. If you want to see my team, here you are:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wi8vCvNVL-w

Life in the CC

In one month we really had time to know each other better and to make good friends. Now that I came back to France, I am realizing such big this experience in the CC Team was. I met great and nice persons and I am sure that I will meet in the future some of these persons again. During one month we were working, living, eating and partying together.

Ok, about party, it was quite soft because we couldn’t make any noise in the university before the conference starts, but we found a way to spend the evenings together at the university: boys playing basketball and girls cheering J or some days around a table with one of the CC member playing guitar.

About work, we had some fun carrying 700 hundreds chairs from the law building to the second plenary at 1 am and singing: IC 2007 in Turkey, IC 2007 in Turkey!!! Or also making a human chain from the entrance of the building to the second floor to carry hundred of boxes full of chocolates!!

We also went sightseeing together. The first Saturday we left the venue and went to Istanbul to visit a part of the city (because Istanbul is a huge city of 20 millions habitants): Blue Mosque, Agia Sophia Mosque, Grand Bazar, etc…

Actually I really feel that the pre conference for CC was like a small conference before the real one. Every morning there was a Morning Plenary with some roll calls and country presentations. Sometimes some sessions during the day, some team meetings on the evening. We also made a Global Village, just for CC members!! :p

During the conference it was a bit different because we didn’t have too much time to spend together and there was a lot of stress around all of us. But as soon as IC was over we went for a boat trip in Istanbul. Then we continue the party in the university: party, just for CC, with beers and music on the basketball court.

Then we had 2 days to put the university and the buildings in order and the last day we went for the last city tour in Istanbul, on Sunday. But as we are AIESECers we forgot that it was Sunday and stores were closed… but never mind, we went to a Turkish restaurant, sitting on the floor and eating some Turkish foods. We met again some AIESECers in the city and I went back to university to pack my luggage and take my flight the day after.

Today, I really miss all single person of this team…

During IC

The pre meetings were starting on 18^th of August and most of delegates arrived the day before. Me and my Team (delegates servicing team) we were responsible of the delegates check-in. So just imagine how it is having hundreds of delegates arriving in the same time and waiting for getting their rooms and taking rest after several hours of travel… It was hard and tired but it was so nice to see finally all these delegates in the venue. Personally it was amazing and crazy to meet some of my friends again!!

Being CC during IC is sometimes: no sleep because we are waiting for delegates during the night or no meals because we are running as crazy that we don’t have time to stop five minutes and eat something. But it is part of the experience! J

Personally I really enjoyed talking with delegates, meeting my friends again, going to parties and making new friends in this crazy world!!

Next year International Congress will take place in Brazil… I would like to join it… but for persons you are thinking to apply as CC, I will say: “go for it”!!

Now it is time for me to move on and to prepare myself to go to Norway!! I am so exited and can not wait to be there. For people you don’t know yet, I am going there for 1 year to work in Electrolux.

I will let you know soon about my next adventures in Olso!!