10th Grade Student Exchange: 10 Days in Oslo
Sarah, a pupil at the German School of Toulouse, took part in the first student exchange organised this year by the German Schools in Europe. She recounts her experience:
My host family
I was lucky enough to be able to participate in the first student exchange set up by the German Schools in Europe this year. I spent 10 days in Norway, attending the German school in Oslo the DENOSO (the German School of Norway). I lived in the centre of Oslo. To be honest, leaving your usual surroundings can be a bit stressful, but my fears vanished as soon as I was greeted at the airport by my “host mother”. The whole host family was incredibly friendly and made me feel at home during the 10 days. The family also introduced me to Norway beyond Oslo: we visited the “Kistefos”, an old sawmill in the middle of the forest that has been turned into an open-air museum. During the trip, I also got a glimpse of the Norwegian fjords and tried the famous brown cheese, though it wasn’t really for me.
The school
The German School of Norway (DENOSO) was just a 10-minute walk from my new “home” allowing me to walk to school and have a flexible daily schedule. Unlike the German school in Toulouse, pupils at the German school in Oslo have a permanent classroom and the teachers come to the classes. They also have a lesson called Samfunnfsfag (the history of the Norwegian community). I met some great people and, unlike my rather international class at the German School in Toulouse, the Oslo students have both Norwegian and German parents. I even learned some Norwegian phrases while I was there! I also had the chance to discover Oslo and Scandinavian culture after school or during free time: we walked around (there’s a great view from the opera house), visited museums such as the Munch museum and had a meal in the Streetfood-Hallen.
Conclusion
I was able to discover and see a lot of new things during these 10 days and was sad to leave. I highly recommend this experience. Meeting other exchange students was also interesting, as I learned how the other German schools in Europe worked.
