Between the change of pace, the return home and the heartbreaking goodbyes, the end of Erasmus experience is not always as easy as you might think.

GOODBYE: A student on her way back to her country. PHOTO: Ella Biehler.


The exchange semester is drawing to a close for hundreds of students in Bergen. Soon, the experiences will be just memories. Then it’s possible to experience some form of «post-Erasmus depression», a non-scientific condition defined by the feeling of mundanity and sadness caused by returning from an exchange period abroad. We met a student who is expecting to experience it … Read More

Many international students share bunk beds with a stranger. – We have not received many complaints, Sammen answers.

SHARED ROOM: Exchange students Hannah Grevsmühl and Cécile Gros share a room at Fantoft. PHOTO: Maria Aysina


Hannah Grevsmühl and Cécile Gros didn’t know each other before arriving in Norway. But they ended up as roommates. They share a 17 square meter bachelor apartment at Fantoft. – It would be nice to have kind of own space at some point, Grevsmühl says. Applied for single rooms – got a shared room When they applied for student housing, … Read More

As the days get shorter, many are affected by seasonal depression. We asked some students and a psychology specialist how you can make the upcoming months a little easier.

DARK AND STORMY: The winters in Bergen can be unforgiving. It's common to notice a change in the mood when the days get shorter. ILLUSTRATION: Kamilla Gjertine Måseide Gjernes / archive


When you live in the Nordic countries, perhaps the most prominent sign of the approaching winter is the darkness. With that, symptoms of seasonal depression may arise. If you struggle with seasonal depression, you are not alone. Tiredness, sadness and lack of motivation are things that many people are familiar with during the darker months. The lack of light can … Read More

Many of the volunteers working at BIFF are international students.

EXPERIENCE. Exchange students Martyna Zawalska and Yannick Schmitt enjoy being volunteers. FOTO: Maria Aysina


The 24th edition of Bergen International Film Festival (BIFF) is taking place this week. From the 18th to the 26th of October Bergen cinema lovers have a chance to watch almost 120 feature and documentary films. The organization of the event would not be possible without the help of volunteers. Many of them are internationals. A variety of tasks 25-year-old … Read More

Students in Bergen, who wished to travel home for Christmas holidays, did not expect the rapidly changing quarantine arrangements that awaited them once they returned back to Norway.

QUARANTINE HOTEL. Anna Graffmann (20) wanted to travel home for Christmas but did not expect to enter a quarantine hotel once returning back to Bergen. PHOTO: Andreas Fjellanger


Anna Graffmann (20), an exchange student from France, and Francesca Savi (22), an exchange student from Italy, both wanted to travel home for the holidays and thought they were allowed to quarantine in their student flat in Bergen. – I was pretty upset when I heard that Sammen wanted students to stay at a quarantine hotel for ten days and … Read More

CORRESPONDENT: Before I went to Germany to celebrate Christmas, I didn’t think in depth about what to expect. I was pretty confident that getting back to Norway would be an easy task.

UNCERTAINTY. The corona situation turned travelling internationally into a different type of adventure. Illustration: Anna Jakobsen


«People do not travel right now». That was my only thought, before going home to Germany from Bergen. Once landed in Amsterdam that illusion went away in a heartbeat. KLM is one of the few airlines in Europe still operating and all their flights go through Amsterdam. Running through the long halls to catch my plane to Hamburg, I became … Read More

The end of the year is approaching, as well as the exchange semester. Use this quiz as an opportunity to look back on the semester that has been and get some last minute tips for the rest of your stay. Have you become Norwegian, or have you just been trying for nothing?

Illustration: Gjertine Måseide Gjernes


Are you most likely to be found eating frozen pizza or is brunost your favorite specialty? Have you been on all the seven mountains or spend most of your time wandering the halls at Fantoft? Are you really a Norwegian by now or is it more likely that the Norwegians roll their eyes at you? Find out what kind of … Read More

OPINION: Covid-19 brought my exchange year to a grinding halt. Meanwhile, other people have real life and death problems. Are my complaints even valid?


Around 36 hours before St. Patrick’s Day, all pubs and bars in Ireland were closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. You can probably imagine the carnage. Carnage even beyond the deep, internal dread of an Irish person faced with a pintless Paddy’s Day. St. Patrick’s Day is our national holiday, on par with the 17th.of May in terms of cultural … Read More

Many students in Bergen vote from a city that is not their own - but how do they vote?


– It is unfair that we had to choose between rent for a month and taking part in our democracy. Mary O’Connor is an exchange student from Ireland who lives in Bergen. She reacted with frustration as the Irish election was announced only twenty-five days before it was to be held. Over the last number of months, students of many … Read More

9 personer hadde ansvar for 150. Få lokale blir med på å gi utvekslingsstudenter en god start på semesteret.

ØNSKER ÅPENHET. Henry Moreda Rovisora håper flere nordmenn kan bli mer åpne for å ta kontakt med han og andre utvekslingsstudenter.


Buddyprogrammet

I starten av hvert semester arrangerer Erasmus Student Network en «Introduction Week», primært for utvekslingsstudenter med fokus på å bli kjent med byen. Årets introduksjonsuke ble gjennomført med oppmøte på 50–150 personer, avhengig av plassbegrensning, på hvert arrangement. – Ved årets arrangementer var en gjeng på ni hardtarbeidende personer ansvarlige, noe som var for lite, sier president i ESN Bergen, … Read More