Discovering Oslo

One of the main learning possibilities for the Telenor trainees is to share our experiences from different subsidiaries with each other. In order to do so, we will have six workshops during the entire trainee program. While the first workshop took place in Oslo in October, just after we all started, and the second took place in Kuala Lumpur in January. The most recent took place in Oslo, just one week ago.

Me and my Bag
After six weeks in Pakistan, it actually felt a bit refreshing to go back to cold Norway for the trainee assembly. Not that I have had enough of Pakistan, but it’s always good to have a little break to go home and meet up with some of your old friends again. Anyway, my ten days in Norway was not for holiday. In fact it almost could not have been less holiday. The tight schedule never allowed me to stay more than two nights at one place; therefore I leapt around the city with my bag, staying at six different places during those ten days. My bag and I have a relationship that to an outer viewer probably would resemble that of Scrat and his acorn.

Lessons in Culture
As I mentioned, the Oslo schedule was pretty full. The first days at the trainee assembly in Oslo were spent winding up a report that was to be delivered on Monday 19th. On Tuesday the program proceeded with theory in personal type characteristics. Although I can’t say that I found myself, this was still a jolly interesting day. Wednesday was yet another interesting day as we were about to share our cultural reflections and analyze them with the help from an external consultant. Thursday was spent talking about the teamwork on the report delivered three days earlier and to talk about the third trainee module. Most of us don’t really know where we’ll be going, but it’s a little bit up to ourselves make the possibilities happen.

Balkan Party
As I mentioned in the heading, this time in Oslo I went to places where I never went while I was living there. One of these places was a concert scene at Grünerløkka. Grünerløkka is a cosy part of the city situated just a kilometre north of the central station. And Friday evening there was a Balkan party. István, our only Hungarian had been invited and he brought with him Anna N, Nicole, Mala and me. The party was fun and made me interested in Eastern European culture, but what really stroke me was that I might have never gone to the party if I was living in town. Actually this was the first time I experienced Oslo at the national day. In fact, I got to see the city from a new side, and I believe staying in Pakistan really teaches me something about my own country too.