The Hitchhiker's Guide to Flekke

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Flekke

Your comprehensive guide to living in the remotest part of Norway

2010 Edition

To our new first years:Congratulations and welcome to the diverse, crazy and fantastic RCNUWC family!

While attending RCN seems exciting, you are probably confused about what you should do next, and want to learn more about the college. We know; we (the second years) went through the exact same thing one year ago.

It is quite odd to fill in forms sent by people you have never met about a school that you have never seen. That is why we’ve created this booklet, ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Flekke’, so that you can see what RCN is like from a student’s perspective. We hope that it will help you understand the school better and give you some advice for your preparations.

Even though it is hard to leave home at a relatively young age, the second years will always be here to help you with whatever you need. So, don’t worry, you will be fully taken care of once you arrive in the land of snow and fiskekake. And if you’re not, let one of us know and we will take care of you.

For now, you can relax, celebrate your accomplishment, and cherish whatever sunshine you can get before coming here. We look forward to meeting you in your new home away from home.

On behalf of the Hitchhiker’s Guide Group,

Motaz(New Zealand)

Our college is located on the beautiful west coast of Norway and can be found on the shore of a fjord (one of these characteristic arms of the sea that reach far into the mainland).

This local community, Haugland, is three kilometres from the village of Flekke in the municipality of Fjaler. Living somewhere where well-preserved nature, mountains, and forest surround you gives you the chance to try out physical activities such as canoeing, kayaking, biking, swimming and skating.

Still it is very nice to get away from this very tight community every once in a while. Twice a week, the college bus goes to Dale, the closest town to the College. There you can find two small grocery stores, a café, a bank, and a bookstore. You can also buy food in a grocery store in Flekke, which is only a 30-minute walk from cam-pus. However, if you can’t wait for the college bus or don’t feel like walking, then simply hitchhike! It is very safe to do so in this small community.

For those who need the city atmosphere, you can take the monthly college bus to Førde (about 10,000 inhabit-ants), which is the nearest city and has three big shopping centers.

We also have our neighbour, the Haugland Rehabilitation Centre, where you can use the pool, gym, and get in touch with “real Norwegians”. Over the two years, many of the students will be involved in the Haugland EAC; a great possibility to get to know the local community and patients.

Finally, we have a host family programme that allows students to stay at the home of one of the locals for a few weekends in the year. We encourage first-years to apply for a host family as it is a fantastic opportunity to get to know Norwegian life and the wonderful community that has accepted us.

Angelika(Germany)

The Local Community and Our Surroundings

Intro WeekFrom the moment you arrive, you will be completely immersed in the culture of RCN. You will be greeted by your excited sec-ond-years as you arrive in the aeroport, when you step off the bus on campus and when you walk into your new room for the first time.

Tuesday through Friday, the four days of Intro Week, are the days when you will learn all about the campus and what it has to offer. During this week you will meet with Alistair, our IB co-ordinator, to confirm your subject choices and to receive a class schedule. You will also meet John, our Rektor (also known as a Headmaster, Head Teacher or Principal in English-speaking countries) and a few other members of the school’s administration. You will also learn about where to do your laundry and other basic living needs.

Most importantly, Intro Week is the time when you get to know your co-years and form bonds with them. Eve-ryone here will be new just like you, so you don’t need to be shy when meeting new people. Your second-years will help you get accommodated, and your co-years will be looking for new friends to get to know just like you will.

Ingilín, your second-year from the Færoe Islands, has created a short list of some fun things you might do dur-ing your first few weeks here:

1) Keep a journal and write down your first impressions of everyone you meet. You’ll be surprised at how different those people turn out to be, and it’s hilarious to read what you wrote after a year has passed.

2) Go up and talk to people you normally wouldn’t talk to if you were at home. Seize the opportunity to meet as many new people as you can be-cause you will always value the strong friendships you create now.

3) Jump into the fjord (or your second-years will probably throw you in!)

Bottom line: relax, have fun and don’t worry about anything (except your packing). We were just as unsure of what to expect when we came!

Matthew(California-USA)

Extra-Curricular ActivitesThere are many opportunities to take part in extra-curricular activities during your time at RCN. All students have to take part in CAS as part of the IB programme, meaning you will have to do at least one Creative EAC, one Active EAC and one Service during your time at college. Our EACs encompass a great deal; everything from Music to Amnesty International, Wheelchair Basketball to Ceramics, or Outdoor Discovery to one of our many charity groups.

Students also hold Campus Responsibilities to help with the everyday running of the college. Responsibili-ties include things such as library supervision, life guarding, being a First Aid, snow shovelling or working in Snikkerbua. Within individual student houses, each House Mentor allocates specific House Responsibilities to every student. Everyone also takes part in Wednesday and Sunday Cleaning so that our houses remain a clean place to live.

Though we may be far from civilisation, the Flekke Bubble has much to offer in ways of entertainment. Every Friday evening there is a World Today, where global issues are presented and discussed, followed by the Film Club’s movie screening in the Auditorium. Snikkerbua also opens on Friday night, for students to hang out and eat cake in.

For the musical amongst you, the Boathouse can be used by students at any time, and it contains many differ-ent instruments, sound system and recording studio. We also have regular shows that everyone can take part in to show case the culture and talent we have at our school.

Project Based Learning weeks (PBLs) happen every term, and they are a week out from regular classes when students spend their time working on a specific project, which could be on or off campus or even student initi-ated. Last year Surfing, Public Art, and Ice Climbing PBLs were some of these activities, while other students had the opportunity to travel further afield – to Lebanon or to visit a school for the blind in Laski, Poland. All first years will also take part in a First Aid training course, and a Model United Nations (MUN).

Katie(Wales-UK)

House and RoomYou are going to feel confused when you get here, like you don’t know what is supposed to happen. We all felt the same way. But you don’t need to worry because from Day 1 you will have a special group of people watching out for you, and these people are your room-mates.

Each room has 5 students; there are 8 rooms in each house; and there are 5 houses, for a total of 200 students.Each room has its own bathroom, as well, so you won’t be sharing your bathroom with anyone except your own room-mates. You can also get curtains for your bed, and the school provides strings to hang your curtains up with, so that you can have some small amount of privacy. In your room you will also have your own desk, shelf and cupboard. Everyone cleans room and house twice a week: once on Wednesday and again on Sunday. Also – rooms are single-gender only, so boys don’t share rooms with girls and vice-versa.

The dayroom is shared by all students in the house. It makes it possible for you to make your own food now and then. It has an oven, a microwave, a fridge (a freezer is located in the corridor) and a locker for every room where you can store food. In the dayroom we also have a couple of sofas, mainly used for cosy evenings when you want to watch movies, and for house meetings.

Next to your house lives your house mentor, who helps you with the resi-dential life. The house mentors’ responsibility is also to ensure that the common areas and rooms are kept clean and that recycling takes place. The house mentor leads house meetings, and also now and then invites the whole house to house drop-ins, to have some nice relaxing time with cake.

Another adult that will be sticking around is your advisor. The advisor is a caring adult for a group of both first and second years. They will help you to balance your academic life alongside your extra-curricular and social life.

Melissa(Finland)

i

Courses and the IBAcademics obviously make up a large component of RCNUWC, as this is a university-preparatory college. You will enrol in six IB subjects, one from each of the six subject groups of the IB:

Language A1 (native language) [1]Language 2 (foreign language) [2]Social Sciences [3]Natural Sciences [4]Maths [5]Arts/another subject from Groups 1-4 [6]

We attend classes Monday through Friday from 08:00 until 14:00 (2 pm). Your subjects are assigned a block letter (A, B, C, D, W, X, or Y) and you will sit each subject three times every seven school days, which are num-bered 1–7. Each block is 70 minutes long; your Higher- and Combined-Level classes will take the whole block. Standard Level classes are only 60 minutes long, giving you 20 minutes between your 2nd-block Standard Level class and your 3rd-block class.

Here is an example of my Day 1 schedule for this academic year:Time Block Subject08.00 – 09.10 A History09.10 – 09.35 COOKIE BREAK09.35 – 10.45 B English A110.55 – 12.05 C Philosophy12.05 – 12.50 LUNCH12.50 – 14.00 D Norwegian Ab Initio

Tea (Bosnia)

FoodIn a hectic place like RCN, you’ll need lots of energy, and so food is very important to think about. One of the first places you will be introduced to upon arrival is the big red building: the Kantina.

The meals that are served at Kantina during school days are:Meal Time Food ServedBreakfast 07:00 – 08.15 Cold cereal, bread, jams, orange juice (Tuesdays also porridge)Cookie Break 10:00 – 10:35 Knekkebrød, cheese, jam (Wednesdays also cold cereal)Lunch 11:55 – 13:00 Variety of warm foods, salad bar, bread, cheese (Mondays also porridge)Dinner 17:30 – 19:00 2 or 3 warm dishes

The meals that are served at Kantina at weekends are:Meal Time Food ServedBreakfast 07:00 – 11:00 Cold cereal, bread, jams, orange juiceBrunch 11:00 – 13:00 Variety of warm foods, salad bar, bread, cheese, jamsDinner 17:30 – 19:00 2 or 3 warm dishes (Saturdays: good food like lasagne, chicken or tacos!)

There is also evening snack at 21:30 or 22:00 Monday through Friday nights for those who like a bit to eat be-fore bed. It is either fruit or bread with cheese and butter. We also get milk in our houses twice a week.

A great part of your RCN experience is cooking with friends if you don’t feel like going to Kantina for dinner. Each house has a dayroom equipped with a stove, oven and microwave where you can cook. So if you have some special spices from home, bring along some to share the exotic flavour of your country.

To buy food, you can go shopping in Flekke or Dale. There is also the Student Shop every day at dinnertime where you can buy cake mix, spaghetti, or snacks like chocolate and chips.

One last reminder about RCN food is that you are going to encounter many different flavours, which may be very different from what you are used to. So, always keep an open-mind and try out every meal!

Yvonne(Hong Kong)

Your RCN Survival Kit

Clothing • Waterproof clothing • Rubber boots • Warm winter clothing • Formal clothing OR National Costume • Comfortable day clothes and shoes • Bathing suit • Pyjamas • Slippers/House shoes • Hiking boots, running shoes, etc. (per your interests)

School • Backpack • Dictionary for your own language • Translation dictionary between your language and English • Pens and pencils

Personal Hygiene • Toothbrush and toothpaste • Soap and shampoo • Deodorant • Towel and washcloths (wash linens) • Razors/shavers and shaving cream

Personal Living • Alarm clock • Ear plugs • Over-the-counter medication (for light illnesses like colds and coughs) • Prescription drugs (if you have a medical condition) • Moisturiser and lip balm • Cap and sunglasses • Extra pair of glasses or extra contact lenses • Religious texts (for the religiously inclined)

Electronics • Laptop (if you have one) • Chargers (for any electronic devices you may have) • Small supply of AA and AAA batteries • Plug adapters • Power strip (if you have lots of electronics)

Auditorium: The building where we have college meetings and other important presentations

Brown Cheese: A special type of Norwegian cheese that is served daily... you either love it or hate it

College Meeting: A meeting every Tuesday for the whole student body and teachers to discuss issues and events

Cookie Break: A misleading name for the small break for knekkebrød (see below) and coffee or tea between the first and second block

Dale: The small nearby town (population of 1000) where you can go shopping, sit at a cafe, and mingle with locals. There is a bus every Monday at 14:15 to Dale, or simply hitchhike with a friend

Drop in: A cosy gathering in the evening at your house mentor’s place to socialise and eat good food

EACs: Extra-Academic Commitments, they are the after school activities that we take part in. With such a wide variety of groups such as Climbing EAC, Political EAC and Ceramics EAC, you’ll surely find some that suit you. If not, start a new one!

Fiskekake: The classic RCN dinner – a patty made from fish. These Norwegians sure love their fish!

Flekke: The village community where we live, with one shop (a 20-minute walk from campus) and many farms

Flekke Weather: The unpredictable, sometimes frustrating, weather of the bubble we live in. Lots of rain and snow, but with a bit of sunshine now and then that makes everyone happy

Førde: The nearest city to us (only an hour’s drive away) where you can do some serious shopping or com-munity services. Since being recognised as a city three years ago, Førde has been awarded “Norway’s ugliest city” three years in a row...

Fjord: The body of water that makes our UWC special, a great place to jump into during the summer... or thrown into for your birthday

Haugland: Our neighbouring rehabilitation centre where we help out and in return gain access to many of their facilities such as the TSK (see below) and swimming pool

Heggnes: A beautiful old farm an hour’s hike from campus, with exciting possibilities for the school

Høegh: A multi-function building used for shows, fairs, cafes, recreational activities, and Saturday night par-ties

IB: The monster that is always watching you! Despite all the complaining we do about the International Bac-calaureate, everybody ends up surviving it. So don’t worry too much about it!

Island: The Island (actually two islands connected by a bridge) is a short walk from the Student Village where you can go to relax and enjoy the great forest

Jarstadheia: A big mountain near campus that all students should hike up at least once during their stay here

Kantine: The school’s dining area run by a cool moustached Norwegian by the name of Johnny. Breakfast is from 07:00 to 08:00; lunch is from 12:00 to 12:50; and dinner is from 17:30 to 19:00.

Glossary

Knekkebrød: Healthy Norwegian crackers that are quite delicious with cheese. Available in two flavours/colours

Lavvo: A big tent off campus that is part of the culture of the Sami (the indigenous people of Norway). It is available for use by students and they can even sleep overnight in the lavvo too

Leirskule: A camp for Norwegian kids hosted by our school during the spring and summer. The students will run many of their activities such as kayaking, climbing and dance

PBL: Project Based Learning, a one-week activity that focuses on a specific topic

Snikkarbua: Open every Friday night, Snikkarbua is the student-run cafe, which serves its delicious cakes made from a secret recipe

Student Council: The student body’s elected representatives that works to help the students and improve the college. You can approach them if you have any suggestions, problems, or queries.

Student Village: The part of campus where the students’ rooms are. There are five houses: Sweden, Iceland, Norway, Denmark and Finland house, each with 40 people (eight rooms with five people in each room) and one house mentor (a teacher who looks after the students in the house)

TSK: Trenings Sal Kjeller, the gym in Haugland where you can go to work out

Tusen Takk: Norwegian for “Thank You”, a very useful phrase that you will always use

24-Hour Notice Board: The board in the entrance of Kantine where all messages are posted. Check it regu-larly!

Uncle Tom’s Cabin: Where we do our laundry, there are eight washing machines and dryers. It is important to respect these machines and other people’s property in UTC

Vacations: There are four vacations in the year. The two big ones when you must leave campus are the Win-ter Break (December/early January) and Summer Break ( June/July/August). There is also November Break (mid-November) and Easter Break (early April in 2010), each of which are about a week.

W3: This is the school’s online database that you will get access to when you arrive. It is filled with many use-ful resources and class timetables (w3.rcnuwc.no)

“Years”: Zero-Years – Students admitted into a UWC and are about to start (that’s you!); Co-Years – Students that are in the same year (graduating class) as you; First-Years – Students who are in their first year in a UWC (that’ll be you in August!); Second-Years – Students that have been at a UWC for one year and will be graduating in one year (that’s us!)

Testimonials

`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````RCNUWC is a very special place, especially for all of you. The reason is, in my opinion, the so-called bubble phenomenon. We, two hundred students, live, love, fight, stress, stress even more, chill and go crazy in this place. After some moment you stop paying attention to your appearance, to your roomy scratching his balls or your own privacy being constantly disturbed. The student body becomes your personal environment, your bubble where everything is allowed and consequences of your behavior will never follow you outside the bub-ble. Freedom? Yes, freedom going alongside with dependency. Eventually you realize you have explored the bubble (or at least the segment you wanted), however, you cannot move onwards. You are stuck in it indepen-dently of your willingness. This is where it transfers from your ‘personal environment’ to your ‘family’. Now, coming back to my point where I said RCNUWC is a special place for you… I think it is you, newcomers, who are flashed by ‘The Bubble Phenomenon’ and now have to realize that these two hundred people are your family and you are responsible for the welfare of the bubble. Draw the analogy to the world we live in.

Benas(Lithuania)

`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````It was the decision that changed everything. “Are you sure that you want to do this?”; “Isn’t it really cold in Norway?” “What about the light?” “Are you going to leave your family and friends behind?”

These were the most common questions that I got back home before coming to RCNUWC. I can say that this is a big change, that’s the truth but this is certainly the best decision that I’ve made.

A new country, new school, new friends and a new lifestyle, you will all experience that.

But this can be put into different words: an amazing place to live, a new family, great experiences, so much to share, conversations that you will never forget, exciting activities, life-lasting memories…If you ask me what is the best thing that happened in my life, it will be coming to RCN, so be ready to enjoy two years that you will always remember and these go by fast.

We are waiting for you! Welcome to your new home, welcome to RCNUWC!

Irene(Spain)

`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````Imagine being thrown into the fjord at midnight by your friends on your birthday. Being able to share your own experience and listen to your different friends’ incredible life stories. Intensely dancing ballet night after night with a range of great dancers from different parts of the world. Challenging your intellect, your academic ability and striving to achieve your goals. Discussing world issues with people with unique backgrounds and different perspectives. All this - both fun, tough times and much more of my experiences here at RCNUWC have given me a unique and individual understanding of what is happening in the world today. This has enabled me to re-alize how important it is to have compassion and tolerance for other people, cultures and for the nature. As for now all of this has given me a strong foundation to stand strong and meet the future and I am sure that there is a lot more to come.

Jeanette(Sweden)

`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````Sitting at my desk in Sweden House at Red Cross Nordic UWC, I am trying to recall my most significant experi-ences in this place. It is hard to write about just one thing, since this would exclude all the other extraordinary things that have happened during my stay here.

The impression these experiences made on me have one thing in common: I learned how to approach various different ideas, events and conflicts from several points of view and mindsets, rather than just my own percep-tions and ideas. Being with many students and teachers with a lot of different cultural backgrounds together in one place made me realize that the solution to a conflict is not always found in the specific center of the prob-lem, but also in the broader terms.

To get to a supermarket is a half-hour walk on a hilly road, but we enjoy this a lot. I learned that ‘small things in life’ are not always to be considered small things, they can mean a lot. I do not think I ever enjoyed the things back home this much; I simply took them for granted.

Sophie(Netherlands)

Country First Name Last Name Email Address Other NationalityAlbania Ama Muhedini nc09amuhAngola Márcio Ngombe nc09mngoBelarus Maks Karpovich nc09mkarBolivia Claudia Calderón Machicado nc09cmacBosnia Tea Dejanović nc09tdejCambodia Kimhean Hok nc09khokCanada Mitchell Steele nc09msteCanada Sarah Melton nc09smelChile Renata Tobar Nilo nc09rnilChina Amannisa Sawuti Wupuer nc09awup

China Liwen Dong nc09ldonCzech Republic Jakub Stocek nc09jstoDenmark Amanda Palbo nc09apalDenmark Astrid Vestergaard nc09avesDenmark Cecilie Noer Rasmussen nc09crasDenmark Christoffer Ravn Rahbek nc09crahDenmark Hans Peter Geisler nc09hgeiDenmark Stine Hach Juul Madsen nc09smadEgypt Mohamed El Karawy nc09mkarEstonia Katerina Solomanjuk nc09ksolEthiopia Tangut Degfay nc09tdegFæroe Islands Ingilín Strøm nc09istrFinland Joni Hämäläinen nc09jhamFinland Matti Suomenaro nc09msuo TurkishFinland Melissa Haga nc09mhag Swedish FinnGambia Nyima Njie nc09nnjiGermany Angelika Benz nc09abenGhana Jeffrey Asala nc09jasaGreenland Regine Møller nc09rmolGuatemala Xavier Bonifaz nc09fbonHong Kong Tiffany (Yat Yee) Cheung nc09tcheHong Kong Yvonne (Tze Yan) Yu nc09tyuIceland Silja Ingólfsdóttir nc09singIndia Shivangi Pattanaik nc09spatIran Omid Malekzadeh Arasteh nc09oaraIsrael Astar Goldberg nc09agolIsrael Michael El-Hoziel nc09melh Arab IsraeliItaly Riccardo Maddalozzo nc09rmadJordan Farah Al Momani nc09falmKosovo Endrit Fejzullahu nc09efejLatvia Endija Kreslina nc09ekreLebanon Jaafar Al Fakih nc09jalfLithuania Benas Klastaitis nc09bklaMexico Vanessa Cuervo Covián nc09acovMorocco Myriem Benkirane nc09mbenNamibia Nikhita Winkler nc09nwinNepal Irina Giri nc09igirNepal Maya Gurung nc09mgurNetherlands Sophie Dekker nc09sdek

Email Addresses Get in touch with your second-years!All email addresses: @stud.rcnuwc.noexample: [email protected]

New Zealand Motaz Al-Chanati nc09malc Palestine, LebanonNicaragua Jennyfer Larios Martinez nc09jmarNorway Adrian Broch Jensen nc09ajenNorway Alexandra Solheim nc09asolNorway Andreas Qvale Hovland nc09ahovNorway Eivind Morris Bakke nc09ebak United StatesNorway Ingeborg Flage nc09iflaNorway Natalia Ophaug nc09noph UkraineNorway Nicholas Kirkvaag nc09nkir New ZealandNorway Oda Johansen nc09ojohNorway Øystein Skråstad nc09oskrNorway Sara Ambjørndalen nc09sambNorway Vilde Kreyberg nc09vkrePakistan Naina Qayyum nc09nqayPalestine Asil Abuassba nc09aabuPanama Anyuri Betegón Arrocha nc09aarrPeru Aurora Cano Choque nc09achoPoland Wojciech Michno nc09wmic SwedenSierra Leone Fatima Bassir nc09fbasSierra Leone Musa Komeh nc09mkomSingapore Rubez Chong Lu Ming nc09rminSouth Africa Thobile Nzimande nc09tnziSri Lanka Kasun Bodawatta nc09kbodSudan Joy Minalla nc09jminSwaziland Thabiso Kunene nc09tkunSweden Agnes Hammarlund nc09ahamSweden Axel Bjerke nc09abjeSweden Ellen Rehnberg nc09erehSweden Jeanette Trang nc09jtraSweden Kunal Chauhan nc09kchaSweden Sofie Pedersen nc09spedSweden Tea Thaning nc09tthaTajikistan Zukhra Sokhibova nc09zsokTanzania Ivonne Muganyizi nc09imugThailand Natana Kwangtong nc09nkwaThailand Nutcha Wattanachit nc09nwatTibet Tenzin Tayang nc09ttayEast Timor Octaviana Barros Faria nc09ofarUkraine Natalia Ophaug nc09nophUnited Kingdom Josie Tiedeman nc09jtie EnglandUnited Kingdom Katie Lindsay nc09klin WalesUnited States Matthew Enger nc09meng CaliforniaUnited States Tory Scott nc09tsco ColoradoUruguay Mariana Fernandez Bertocchi nc09mberVenezuela Rafael Contreras nc09rconViệt Nam Linh Tran Vu nc09pvuWestern Sahara Bakina Embarec Salec nc09bsalWestern Sahara Hamahu-Allah Mohamed nc09hmohYemen Abdu Gubran nc09agubZambia Kula Wandi nc09kwan

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Flekke © 2010 RCNUWC

All Images © 2010 Matthew EngerImages marked with white ‘i’ © 2010 Ingeborg Flage