Extra-Academic Programs

With an eager crew and the open ocean waiting for us out west, we looked at the weather forecast and there was no doubt in our minds that it was time for plan B.

After a day of technique and rescue practice on and in the Flekke fjord we packed the trailer, filled the thermoses, dug out all our thermals and headed to Osen at the far end of Dalsfjord.  Three days of kayaking and two nights in tents awaited.

Even though we chose the most sheltered trip in the area we still got out fair share of wind and rain on the first day. The wind and tide in combination with a couple of narrow passages made the first day of our trip both tiring, a little frightening for some and very challenging. With only one capsize we did very well in the conditions that we had; a strong head wind and some very choppy waves at times. Tired and wet we were very pleased when a local farmer let us camp with his sheep. After an hour or two in the sleeping bags the rain paused just long enough for everyone to emerge to make dinner and enjoy it too before dark and more rain made the sleeping bag the best option once again.

Saturday morning came with the cheerful greetings from the teachers and the sun at 8 a.m. The day was beautiful and the wind was with us. Camping on Dalsøyna we found a good spot for our nights rest and the mood in the group excelled after dinner and serious amounts of hot chocolate had been ingested (thank you to Marie for cooking ten pots of chocolate!)

Sunday morning the rain was back and after the wonderful teachers had yet again cooked porridge for the group, we set off a full hour earlier than planned and came back to the college nice and wet, just to perform one last buddy rescue each before finally putting on dry clothes and cleaning and packing away wet equipment.

All in all I think everyone was challenged, but rose to the challenge and can be proud of their efforts kayaking and working together as a group.

-Ragnhild

Frivannsliv (free water life) forms: Astrid, Ervin, Hala, Isabella, Naomi, Salah & Jele

We started our diving project on Sunday by trying hard to fit our ancient wet suits and fins onto the PBL participants. Fortunately Kjell from the “Frivannsliv”  center in Knarvik offered to rent us some suits and other equipment – within our budget.

The first diving session: several hours in our pools mostly practice – and some theory (in sauna); most students had no former experience with fins, mask and snorkel and it was amazing how quickly everyone picked up those skills; at the end of session all were able to perform some underwater acrobatics. On Monday we went to Førde swimming pool (with a 4m deep section) to practice compensating the pressure in the middle ear (to prevent pain and ear damage while diving deeper then 2m) and that was challenging for most. The same evening the proper equipment arrived from Kjell – but almost double then we needed (including about 80kg of weights) – it was to late to select what we need so we had to take everything with.

On next stormy morning, we departed with a nightmarish mountain of diving gear, backpacks and food boxes in 5 car shifts to Flekke.  Then we had to carry that very same mountain in-and-out-and-in for 11 more times: to and from 3 buses and 2 boats before we were welcomed and settled in Hans & Wenche nice house on island of Færøy (Solund komune). At least it was a good muscle and aerobic training. Due to stormy blasts of wind we were not able to go in sea that day. Instead we went for a beautiful windy hike with a view to wavy, foamy, rainbow-y open sea and islands. That evening we watched a cult movie for all divers: “The Big Blue”.

On Wednesday the preparations for the 1^st outdoor dive (including soapy donning of suits) took a couple of hours plus 15 min hike to a reasonably protected bay. The weather and the sea were murky but there was a lot of enthusiasm, laughter and screaming with 1^st jump into the sea water. During the 1^st diving tour, everybody tried to reach the bottom and marine creatures at different depths. Some crabs were hunted too and at the end we collected a heap of blåskjell (mussels). In the afternoon we went out for another longish diving tour in spite of rain, wind and really dark sea – this time close by. We (barely) saw quite some fish in that darkness and collected some limpets and kamskjell (scallops). Plus-minus everybody participated in preparing meals and cleaning up (a dish washer being a huge asset). In the evening we cooked all the shells and invited our landlords and neighbours for a “frutti di mare” feast. Reidun’s sister Bjarnhild prepared the scallops – a delicacy recognized worldwide.

Next morning,  the dive preparations were much quicker and we went 20min hiking to another somewhat protected bay (with a lagoon).  We were even blessed with a few minutes of sun between showers and wind blasts – to show us the beauty of Norwegian marine environment – an algal forest in full color.

After that the hardest bit was to wash, sort and pack all the equipment to be returned to Kjell and to clean the house. That was rewarded with the last moment pan cakes. Then Hans (with their dog Lisa) took us on his own boat to the main island and we again TSK-ed the mountain of stuff (minus food boxes) – this time “only” 8 times: thanks partly to Bjarte Morten who collected us at Rysjedalsvika.

All in all, according to the group’s evaluation it was a valuable and (mostly) enjoyable experience for all – in spite of extreme weather conditions which demanded increased attention and control of the group and thus less freedom in water.

-Jelena

In the beginning, we were a bunch of nervous people who were excited to start playing guitar and for most of us this was the first time holding it.

We started out with learning the basic chords for simple foolproof songs, (Jamaica farewell, Phata Phata and Hungry Heart). By the second we started to suggest songs and ended up with quantity over quality, we were introduced to various types of guitars (acoustic/electric guitars, ukulele and bass) and found out that the bass was a very useful supplement to our guitar band. By the end of the week, we had mastered some basic music theory, various guitar techniques (strumming, finger picking, etc.) and realized the benefits of playing and singing together with each other, (but of course we get to define “mastered” in this case).  While some of the students were sighing in relief at the end of their PBL, we were contemplating the end of the week with melancholic melodies.

After playing together for a week we managed to write our own ´hit song´ entitled ‘Sitting in the Boathouse’ (it’s cooler than it sounds). All of us seriously considered getting our own personal guitar. Overall, we had a lot of educational fun.

The absolute beginners are beginners no more!

This PBL is getting bigger and wilder each year and I am in awe of the response its energy gets.

The PBL has various components that are an explosive combination of knowledge, awareness, humanitarian work, socialization, hard work and sheer fun.

For 4 solid days we are in a non-stop merry go round starting at 7am of teaching Spanish language (Diego and Alberto) and culture (Felipe and Fabian) to the Aasane Folkeskule students who are taking a trip to Mexico and Cuba in the spring; rushing up and down Bergen’s cultural sights,  from the heights of the Floybanen to the depths of the Gestapo HQ’s; then a quick lunch followed by a spot of fund raising in the centre; back to our hosts to cook our dinner and then at 8pm off to a salsa or merengue workshop.

The cooperation with Aasane’s students and teachers was better than ever, with the whole student body attending the evening sessions that included Andean carnavalito (Adriana) and La Bamba by Joaquin who had to do his show two evenings by popular request.

The fundraising was very successful and our 10 members enjoyed the rich cultural world of the city’s museums from the Munch collection to the Viking ship, from the quirky architecture of the national theatre to Ibsen’s imposing statue. The highlight was having the Rozencrantz Tower opened specially for us to admire the port from a vantage point on the battlements.

Of course it rained and we got soaked and the schedule was very tight; but it was worth every minute and became an unforgettable experience for all.

-Maria Teresa