Work

During my internship, I helped different teams of researchers to gather empirical data on various projects. These were focused on the impact of climate change on coastal heathland and montane ecosystems. This involved a lot of fieldwork where we collected plant and insect samples. Reaching the different field sites required a lot of travelling through western Norway, hiking and good rain gear. I also helped set up the infrastructure for a new project called THREE-D where pieces of turf were dug out and then relocated onto a lower elevation level in the mountains. I also worked on the collected samples in the lab sorting and weighing them. Furthermore, we measured different plant traits and entered the collected data in a database for further analysis.

Experience

I really enjoyed working in an international team of like-minded researchers. Even though working long hours was a regular occurrence it was lots of fun because the working environment was very pleasant with lots of social interaction. During my stay, I lived in a student dormitory where I met lots of Erasmus students and Norwegians. In our shared kitchen we cooked together and tried dishes from our different home countries. On the weekends I travelled a lot with the other IAESTE interns from Poland, Portugal, Belgium, Spain and many others. We also met up in the evenings after work and shared our experiences, had pizza and some beers. We travelled together to the IAESTE weekend in Oslo or did the famous Trolltunga hike. Living expenses in Norway are very high compared to other European countries but the salary was adequate so I didn´t have to worry about my spendings too much. Overall I highly enjoyed my stay in Norway and took home so many great memories and experiences.

Discover

My internship in Norway really inspired me to also study abroad for my master's degree. Spending time together with so many people from different countries and cultures really broadened my horizons. If I had the chance to do an IAESTE internship again I definitely would and I can really recommend it to everyone else.