Nursing in Norway Blog Post for 31.5.24
By: Megan Ginter, Adriana Díaz-Ross, & Mara Walters
Megan: I met with my COIL group this morning to work on our project. We decided to practice a few different dimensions of wellness this morning by sitting on the balcony at Lovisenberg University while collaborating. We enjoyed social wellness by chatting and getting to know each other more during breaks, intellectual wellness by chipping away at our project work and emotional wellness by enjoying the nice weather and view!
Here’s a picture of my COIL group typing away!
My group includes Hannah, Adriana, Matilde, Nathalie and myself. We’ve really enjoyed each other’s company while working together to research potential improvements to sexual health education in both Norway and the United States.
A view from outside of LDUC
Adriana: When the sun rises at 4:08 a.m. and sets at 10:30 p.m., so does my circadian rhythm. Even though experts recommend getting 7-9 hours of sleep, it is hard to sleep for so long when there is daylight for 18 of the 24 hours of the day. Surprisingly, the city of Oslo usually sleeps until 8 a.m. Most cafes, pharmacies, and supermarkets open at 9 a.m.
Since I naturally wake up between 5:30 and 6:00 a.m., I practice physical wellness to pass the early morning hours. Going for a run around the city is a serene experience. The streets are empty and so quiet that you can easily hear the birds chirping.
Oslo is a city designed for pedestrians. With its wide sidewalks, multiple street crosswalks, and drivers waiting for you to decide if you are crossing the street, it is easy to see so many people running and biking early around the city. No wonder, according to the SDG index, Norway ranks number six in its performance for SDG3: Good Health and Well-Being.
Today, on my run, I went by the Royal Palace.
Mara: After we finished our meetings with our COIL project groups, some of us went to a place called Hønse-Lovisas hus, which is a small cafe located in Grünerløkka, a neighborhood of Oslo located along the Akerselva river. The cafe was in an old sawmiller’s house and was built in the 1800s. We each got a rhubarb slush to help fight off the heat, and we sat near the waterfall to practice some Environmental Wellness. After we finished our slushes, we took a walk along the river and enjoyed our time in nature. We even saw a rainbow near a waterfall! There is such an abundance of green space around Oslo and so many unique neighborhoods that sometimes you forget you’re in a large city!
Later in the evening LDUC hosted a party at the school to celebrate the beginning of Pride Month. The students decorated the cafeteria with pride flags and infographics explaining what each flag represents. The Norwegian students’ promotion of inclusivity is connected to both the dimensions of Social and Emotional Wellness. Furthermore, the students’ and school’s commitment to promoting inclusion of all no matter their gender or sexual identity represents WHO Sustainable Development Goal 10: Reduce Inequalities. We had a blast celebrating the beginning of Pride Month with our Norwegian hosts!
The LDUC cafeteria decorated for the Pride celebrations