Education: The
education system requires students to attend school for a nine-year
period. This is divided into six years of basic lower school and
three years of basic upper school. Upper secondary school generally
lasts three years. There are thirteen fields of study to choose
from. Courses that are common to all areas include Norwegian,
physical education, science and social studies.
Family life: The
family unit is very important in Norway. Husbands and wives usually
consider each other equal in authority. Families tend to be small.
The standard of living is very high and most Norwegians are middle
class. Norwegian parents emphasize shared family responsibility in
the upbringing of their children. The variety in nature and season,
combined with family life are important qualities in Norway.
Meals: Norwegians
consider it very important to be on time for meals. The potato is an
important part of Norwegian food and also different types of fish.
Laks (grilled or smoked salmon), reker (boiled shrimp), torsk (cod)
and lutefisk (dried cod made near-gelatinous by soaking in lye) are
among the most popular Norwegian meals. Pickled herring and sweet
brown goat cheese (geitost) are also very popular.
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Recreation: The
beauty of the mountains, fjord and shores is outstanding. The
majority of Norwegian families have leisure cottages and cabins in
the country. The wild nature makes Norway a beautiful place for
mountain climbing and hiking, but also bird watching is very
popular. Norway is a major ski country and most Norwegians ski. They
have thousands of maintained cross-country ski trails, but also many
down hill ski runs like Holmenkollen and Lillehammer.
About
YFU Norway
The first
exchange in YFU Norway took place in 1967. Jakob Omholt-Jensen, a
retired school principal and Rotarian, had not lost his interest in
youth. With help from good friends, he ran the program the first
year from his home. As the program grew, it demanded a more
permanent organizational structure and administration. The volunteer
system with local representatives was developed and an office was
established. YFU Norway is registered as a non-profit youth
organization and gets financial support from the Norwegian
government. Today, YFU Norway has some 200 active volunteers in 11
regions and a staff of 3-6 in the National Office in Oslo. YFU
Norway offers an inbound academic year and semester programs.
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