If I had a dollar for every time I was asked «what are you doing in Bodø?» or «why did you decide to come all the way to Norway?», let's just say that I wouldn't need to go to university at all.
Yende AdeleEugene Dominican Exchange Student and one of ISUs «Voices of Our Time». This is her exchange student story.
Coming from the small paradise island of Dominica (not to be confused with the Dominican Republic) in the Caribbean, where snow, or even a day without a dose of sunlight, do not exist, even I question my decision to throw myself out of my comfort zone and into the blistering cold and culturally opposite town of Bodø.
My quest for higher education was not one without its many challenges and constant discouragements. From a young age, I was drawn towards the field of science, and after much deliberation, I decided to pursue marine biology. After completing my associates degree in biology at the local college back home I worked several jobs, the majority being totally unrelated to my area of interest. Working for roughly 2 years pushed me and made the need for my undergraduate degree much more urgent.
From that moment, Norway, which was honestly