Social activities

Each semester International Section arranges different activities. International students will be informed by International Section upon arrival.

Life around the studies

The Student Union offers a wide range of activities to all students. This includes skiing trips, sledge riding, work-out room, excursions to museums and galleries, as well as international evenings and international café. The exchange students will of course also be invited to all social events for students during the semester, in the hope that this will integrate the foreign student into the student life at Akershus University College. The Student Union runs their own house, Dusinet, in the centre of Lillestroem.

Akershus University College is located in a rural area. The Oslo Fjord is not far away and the forests of the surrounding area are very close. This allows for many outdoor pursuits, like boating, swimming, skiing, hiking and bicycling.

Norwegian Language Course

While foreign visitors find that most Norwegians understand and speak English, it should be remembered that Norwegian is closely related to German, Dutch and English, and little effort is required to obtain a working knowledge of Norwegian by those who speak any of these languages. The language belongs to the Scandinavian group and is immediately understood by inhabitants of Norway, Denmark, Sweden and partly Finland.

Akershus University College offers a course called "Introduction to Norwegian language, culture and society". In addition, we have a self-tuition course in Norwegian, “Bridges to Norway ”, consisting of cassettes and text books, available at International Section.

Living in Norway

The surroundings of Oslo are accessible to the public with a wide range of outdoor activities such as cross country skiing in the winter and walking, jogging and cycling in the summer, not to mention refreshing dips in the lakes and in the fjord. There are also excellent facilities for slalom and downhill skiing.

When the weather is hot, and that happens quite often in summer, many city dwellers abandon the town. To find them on such days, you will have to make your way to the numerous beaches on either side of the Oslo Fjord or by the lakes in the woods. Sunbathing, swimming and sailing are favourite pursuits for many in the summer. Visitors soon find out that Norwegians love the outdoors. On warm summer days many people meet at Aker Brygge (close to the City Hall in Oslo) for a cold beer!

We strongly recommend our visitors to try to see more of Norway during their stay. Norway is famous for its fjords, mountains, waterfalls and glaciers. With the Oslo area as a base there are excellent possibilities to explore our beautiful country.

Climate

Even though Norway is situated so far north, the climate in this area is temperate in the autumn and warm in spring and summer. There is usually snow 3 to 5 months of the winter, and skiing conditions are very good in the hills surrounding this area. The period from May to July can be hot and very sunny for long periods. Spring and autumn can be rainy, so please remember to bring adequate clothing.

The City of Lillestroem

Situated by Nitelva river, Lillestroem city has a long history, but achieved city status as late as 1998. The river was used for logging timber downstream and Lillestroem was first established as a small sawmill village. Many senior citizens still call their hometown Sawdust City (Flisbyen).

Some of the wooden houses representing old Lillestroem can be seen right across from the railway station. Now Lillestroem is the county´s main centre. There is a fantastic expansion going on because of the city´s favourable location half way between the capital of Oslo and Oslo`s new international airport, Gardermoen. New buildings are under development including a new shopping centre, national exhibition hall, hotels, pubs, as well as residential areas.

Lillestroem has lots of facilities. There are quite a number of banks, a post office, fast food restaurants and cafes. Lillestroem has also become the cultural centre of the area. The “Kultursenter” in Lillestroem hosts a variety of artistics events all year around, especially theatre, concerts and entertainment. A new cinema with several theatres opened autumn 2005.

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