Today is the last day of the 2020 Oslo Interim Internship Reflection Seminar. I’ve had a great group of students who have been eager to dive into life in Oslo and in their internship experience. Here they each are to tell about their unique experiences!
Carl Bohacek ’22
Majors: Political Science & Environmental Studies
Internship: Norwegian Trekking Association
My name is Carl Bohacek, I’m a sophomore at St. Olaf College where I’m pursuing a Political Science, Environmental Studies double major. This month, I’m interning at the Norwegian Trekking Association (Den Norske Turistforening, DNT), Norway’s largest outdoor life organization, established in 1868. In Norwegian the term friluftslivs means outdoor living and it is a central part of DNT activities. The non-profit maintains a vast trail and cabin network across all of Norway, available to any member. DNT is currently aimed mostly at Norwegians, their main website, trail maps, etc are all in Norwegian. However, as trekking in Norway becomes more popular they have found that tourists, who often don’t speak Norwegian, have a harder time using their facilities. Therefore, the majority of my work, as an American (and a big hiking fan) is to polish their english website and trail descriptions. I work in the communications department, where all DNT publications originate, and it has, so far, been a lot of translating Norwegian information to English. Getting to experience and learn more about the way that Norwegians Trekkers interact with nature and how they manage their amazing natural landscape in a sustainable way is especially interesting when I consider my experience working in the parks system in the US. I hope to be back to Norway sometime soon, perhaps to continue work for DNT or even just to experience more of the cultural and natural beauty.
Natalie Lembeck ‘21
Major: Exercise Science
Internship: Make-A-Wish Norge
My name is Natalie Lembeck and I am a junior majoring in exercise science at St. Olaf College. For the month of January I will be spending time working with Make-A-Wish Foundation. Make-A-Wish is a nonprofit that creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses, ages 3 to 18. I spent time organizing future fundraising events, and I am currently planning a volunteer training session which will take place at the end of the month. In the future, I hope to volunteer with various nonprofit organizations. Working with Make-A-Wish has helped me use and learn skills, such as event planning, that will benefit me regardless of my career path. Working with Make-A-Wish was a perfect opportunity to test my Norwegian language abilities as I was able to emerge myself in a Norwegian speaking environment. I was given the chance to meet individuals who keep Make-A-Wish up and running, and I was able to grasp a better understanding of what it meant to be a nonprofit organization. I cannot thank everyone enough for this experience which has taught me independence and confidence.
Nolen Wine‘21 
Majors: Mathematics, Norwegian
Concentrations: Statistics, Nordic Studies and Linguistics
Internship: University of Oslo Tekst Lab
This month I am working with Professor David Natvig on his research. Professor Natvig was a visiting professor last year at St. Olaf and he taught a class I took, Introduction to Germanic Linguistics. This year however, he has been living in Norway working on his post-doctorate at the University. His research concerns Norwegian heritage languages- the variants of Norwegian spoken by immigrants to America and their descendants.
I’ve primarily been working with a speech analysis program called Praat, using it to go through recorded interviews of heritage speakers and marking out where the “r”s are, since figuring out how said heritage speakers define “r” across time is an important part of our wider understanding of heritage Norwegian. Praat is a useful program as it lets us view sound formants, which are a bit complicated to explain here, but can show important phonetic characteristics of recorded speech. To help with this, I’ve also been doing some reading on acoustics and auditory phonetics. My other main task is to go through old census records of primarily Norwegain towns in Wisconsin and compile them into Excel spreadsheets. This will help us identify any social or socio-linguistic trends that could be illuminating. I was able to gain a much fuller understanding of what a career in linguistics looks like and have identified several ways in which my math major and statistics concentration could be used in such research. During the trip I also improved my Norwegian language skills, went on several awesome hikes, and ate some good food. It was pretty neat!
Kristian Noll ‘21 
Majors: Political Science and Norwegian
Internship: AmCham Norway
My name is Kristian Noll, and I am currently a junior at St. Olaf majoring in Political Science and Norwegian. While I was born in Pennsylvania, I have spent the majority of my life growing up abroad—in Russia, Norway, South Korea, and Germany. As a participant in the 2020 Oslo Reflection Seminar Program, I have come back to Oslo, Norway, for the month of January, to intern at the American Chamber of Commerce in Norway. The Chamber is a non-profit organization whose mission is to develop Norwegian-American business relations and support companies that have investments in both the United States and Norway. The three pillars of the organization are membership services (which includes expanding the AmCham network and facilitating connections), policy advocacy, and the planning and facilitation of events. Because I am interested in pursuing a career in international relations, the exposure to the behind-the-scenes operations of international business is incredibly valuable; participating in this internship has assisted me in narrowing my focus to a specific type of international career. Additionally, this position enhances my understanding of international relations in the 21st Century, which will prove helpful regardless of what international career I ultimately decide to pursue. Over the course of the past month, I have also learned much about life and work in Oslo. Ultimately, my biggest takeaway from this month is that I would love a chance to come back to Oslo sometime in the future, preferably to work in international relations and politics. When I return to St. Olaf, I plan on researching job and educational opportunities in the Oslo area, with the goal of returning to Norway after graduation.
Lauren Dahl 
’21
Majors: English, Environmental Studies, and Norwegian
Internship: ZERO
This interim, I am interning at an independent, environmental non-profit called ZERO. The organization, founded in 2002 by former environmental activists, proposes zero-emission solutions in an analytical and knowledge based response to the current climate crisis. At ZERO, I have been researching and compiling data on carbon neutrality within oil refineries and bio-regulations in the USA, searching for zero emission solutions, and analyzing statistics from the last seven annual ZERO conferences. Over the month, I will continue to research a variety of environmental cases at both the Norwegian and international scale. This internship provides for an intersection between my Norwegian language skills, text analysis and composition strategies, and passion for the environment. Additionally, this experience has allowed me to explore the beautiful country of Norway! I am grateful for the opportunity to hike and ski in the beautiful Norwegian forests, and connect to the heritage of both St. Olaf College and my family through the food, people, and language. During this program, I have gained a new perspective on the process of finding a career that aligns with individual passions and values.
Sophia Skinner ’21
Majors: Political Science, Norwegian
Concentration: International Relations
Hello, I’m Sophia Skinner and I am currently a junior at St. Olaf College studying Political Science, International Relations and Norwegian. For the month of January, I will be interning at “Klimafestivalen 112”. Through live music, keynote speakers, Scooba divers, and much more, klimafestivalen aims to draw attention to article 112 of Norway’s constitution. This portion of the constitution recognizes the human responsibility to protect the earth natural places by close management of natural resources. These types of issues are in direct alignment with current interests and future goals as an environmental advocate. I hope to maintain the connections in Norway and come back to explore more career paths after graduation.
Deb Kapiloff ’20
Major: Environmental Studies and Political Science Concentration: Nordic Studies
Internship: ZERO
This interim I am interning at ZERO (Zero Emissions Resource Organization), an environmental non-profit that works on finding ways to reduce carbon emissions in all sectors. (Me and Lauren at ZERO! I’m on the left). At my internship I do research, write reports, and visualize data on topics ranging from biofuels regulation to electric ferries to how the EU’s carbon emissions trading system impacts individual countries’ climate goals. It’s exciting to be at an environmental non-profit that puts out such helpful resources and policy suggestions, especially because I am considering a career in environmental economics and policy. My biggest takeaway from my month in Norway is a new attitude to problem solving. It’s been a pleasure seeing how the staff at ZERO works on tackling climate change, a huge issue, by breaking it up into smaller issues, and finding solutions to those individual problems. This kind of attitude has been instrumental in helping me think about my future in the environmental field and to solving everyday problems, like figuring out how to navigate ordering a kebab in Norwegian!
Kell Knutsen 22’ at Luther College
Majors: Psychology and Nordic Studies
Internship: Tøyen Sportsklubb
My name is Kell Knutsen, I am a junior at Luther College studying Nordic Studies and Psychology. I am an intern at Tøyen Sportsklubb assisting in coaching basketball, helping with activities in a classroom to teach post high school grads about what they want to see in their community, and supervising activities for younger kids. This helps shape what I want to do in the future, because I know I love to work with kids and want to be able to have that opportunity in my future career. Also I find doing community work to be extremely important and helpful for future generations. This experience working with Tøyen Sportsklubb has been very valuable to me, I have learned a lot about Norwegian culture as well as myself throughout this trip. The best part about this trip for me was working with the kids, they taught me so much. I also had an amazing experience of being able to work with another company Frigo during their Ø På Sno project. This project was a way to get kids who for some wouldn’t have an opportunity to go skiing to do so, this is great because skiing is strongly tied to Norwegian culture. It was amazing to watch how their skills developed through the days, and was great to see the joy they got from skiing.
Ariel Byerly ‘21
Major: Norwegian and Political Science
Concentration: Nordic Studies and Family Studies
Internship: Frelsesarmeens (Salvation Army)
I work for the contact center for Salvation Army. They work with people with drug and alcohol addictions. We are a low threshold facility. Anyone who is using drugs or alcohol can come in as they are. The main goal of the contact center is to help those who come to us regain their dignity. We do this by helping them get clean clothes, a shower, warm food, and a good conversation. I have the same duties as the other employees and volunteers. I help serve food, give out clothes, and watch to make sure everything runs efficiently. In my future, I would like to work for a facility as a social worker but more in the Norwegian sense not necessarily having a college education in the social worker field. My preference would be to work in a setting helping people one on one with a more hands-on approach to establish a more personalized relationship. My goal is to better their lives and make a difference. During this interim I have been able to see my host family, become a better cook, and explore Oslo. This month has allowed me to become more independent and figure out where I see myself in the future. I am truly grateful for this experience.
Emily Johnson ’20
Majors: Biology, Norwegian
Concentrations: Educational Studies, Nordic Studies
Internship: Multikulterelt Initiativ- og Ressursnettverk (MiR)
MiR aims to build a network between children, parents, schools, and the greater Norwegian society. Specifically, the organization focuses on aiding those with immigrant backgrounds in their adjustment to Norwegian culture. MiR and MiR-UNG (the division specifically focusing on youth) coordinate a number of activities to help form this network, with activities ranging from homework help to family retreats in nature. In addition, MiR provides information through pamphlets, videos, and sessions in various languages to help socioeconomically- and ethnically-diverse families understand more of the Norwegian education system and culture.
Skylar and I planned and developed numerous activities to lead English language courses for adults; we also assisted twice a week with after-school homework help (focusing on English) for school-aged children. In addition, we translated most of the website from Norwegian to English (http://www.mirnett.org/wp/), along with film subtitles. The last weekend in January, we attended a camping retreat at Sæteren Gård, hiking, grilling, playing games and getting to know 20 other youth from the Oslo area.
Interning at MiR has drawn upon skills developed from previous education courses I’ve taken, such as purposeful lesson planning and interactions with children, yet this specific internship has also been unlike any experience I’ve had before. We are immersed in a Norwegian-speaking environment—and are not able to rely on English as a backup—which has definitely strengthened my Norwegian communication skills and confidence in my language abilities. Planning and executing the activities has developed my leadership and teamwork skills, and by working with English learners, I now have a more nuanced view of both Norwegian society and individual learning styles. This internship clarified my desire to have a career working directly with other people, ideally children. Experiencing the Norwegian work-life balance and having the independence to re-explore a familiar city, while forming new connections and memories with others, resulted in interim passing by (too) quickly.
Aleks Jenner ‘22 
Majors: Music and Norwegian
Internship: Klimafestivalen §112
My name is Aleks Jenner and I am a sophomore student from the United Kingdom majoring in Music and Norwegian at St. Olaf College in Minnesota. For the whole month of January I have been spending time working with Klimafestivalen §112. It’s a nonprofit that advocates for climate change based issues, and raises awareness of these issues by holding an annual festival, this year, on the 18th of January. I’m spending time organising various parts of the festival, and I am also producing promotional videos with footage filmed at the festival to be used for marketing purposes in future years. In the future, I hope to explore videography in a professional context. Working with Klimafestivalen §112 has helped me use and learn skills, such as event planning, that will benefit me regardless of where I go with my career. Some of the biggest takeaways from the experience have been the connections I have made through the workplace. I’ve met so many different people who will I’ll be sure to use for references when I move to Norway to work. One of the more unexpected things that happened during my work with the organisation was that I got an opportunity to work as an audio technician for Anna of the North, one of the most popular Norwegian Pop artists.
Skylar Whitcomb ‘20
Majors: Physics, Norwegian
Concentration: Nordic Studies
Internship: MiR
MiR (Multikulturelt Initiativ- og Ressursnettverk): Non-profit organization that provides families of all ethnic and social backgrounds with information, resources, and support in regards to day care, school, family, and community life. Some of their projects include after school homework help, courses for families and parents, and hikes outside.
Over January, Emily and I are helping MIR plan and lead English courses for adults interested in improving or practicing their English skills. In addition, we are assisting with homework help sessions twice a week with a focus on helping students learning English. In between planning and teaching, we are working to translate more of MIR’s website and videos into English as well as assisting in the preparation and execution of a cabin trip with members of MIR-Ung (the youth branch of the organization).
As a Norwegian major, working with MIR is a wonderful opportunity to practice and improve my Norwegian language skills. Although I have never taught English before, interning with MIR this January is giving me the chance to build upon the teaching skills I have from working as a TA at St. Olaf and a wilderness guide in the summer. This internship allows me to apply my problem-solving and leadership skills in a new context in addition to learning many new skills such as intentional lesson planning. I hope to use my refined skills in the future to continue teaching and working with youth.
Some highlights from this month have been meeting so many new people, both from my internship and other students from the program, as well as exploring what the Oslo area has to offer. Working with MiR has been a wonderful opportunity to gain insight into how small non-profit organizations function and how important collaboration and communication is. We were able to experience a cabin trip to Sæteren Gård outside of the city, which was one of my favorite parts of the month. Over the cabin weekend, we went hiking, cooked lots of delicious food, and played a lot of games.
Kari Garnett ’21
Majors: Norwegian, Psychology
Concentration: Nordic Studies
Internship: NORAM
I’m working at Norge Amerika Foreningen | the Norway-America Association this interim. NORAM is a non-profit organization that gives scholarships to students to study in Norway, The United States, and Canada. I’ve been working with their social media and marketing different scholarships. I’ve also been helping with collecting and displaying information about NORAMs partner schools, as well as helping NORAM make connections with new potential partner schools. This experience for me is about seeing how the Norwegian workplace functions and how its different than back home. I’ve been able to use and broaden my Norwegian language skills here in the office. Most importantly, my time here in Oslo has helped me learn more about myself.