When a study abroad semester paves the road for your career

Why did you want to study abroad in the first place? And why did you choose Hawaii?

"I chose Hawaii, because that was all I really wanted to be honest. It’s sunny, it’s all about beaches, there’s mountains and it’s just pretty. I once did a study abroad semester in Oxford in England, but that was too similar to being back in Norway. That’s why I wanted to do something completely new. Actually I thought about Australia too, but once I compared them, I chose Hawaii."

Did Hawaii Pacific University offer good programs based on your studies?

"Well, I was actually finished with my Bachelor’s, so I took five different courses from social work and psychology to group counseling. I used the semester to try out different things, and to pave the way for my Master’s degree which I am studying now. I found counseling very interesting and this is now my major in my Master’s. It was kind of like a gap year, but after my Bachelor’s."

Are you planning on taking another study abroad semester during your Master’s?

"I would love to. It depends if my program allows for it, but if they do, I will definitely go. This time I think I would like to go to Australia, since I feel I have done Hawaii now. But in the end I will have to see what my program allows for."

What is your dream job when you’re done studying?

"I wanna be a counselor in the sense I want to help students who are dreaming about traveling or studying outside of Norway. I would love to help them accomplish that and inspire them to see, that it’s a great opportunity. I think more people should study outside of Norway, and would like to be the one who helps them. Honestly, my dream job would be to do exactly this at KILROY."

Did you choose to go to Hawaii by yourself?

"I traveled with my friend from Uni in Norway, so I knew one person when I was arriving. It was really nice for the long journey to get there, which was like 40 hours or so. So we traveled together and then we stayed together at the student apartments. Of course, I still met a lot of new people during my stay in Hawaii and we also didn’t travel back together, since she wanted to stay for longer than me."

When did you arrive in Hawaii?

"We both agreed that we wanted to leave Norway in the Winther, so we arrived on DEC28 I think so we could celebrate New Year’s in Hawaii, and I think the semester started on JAN10. Unfortunately it was raining during New Year’s so we couldn’t be on the beach to watch the fireworks, but all in all it was really fun with a lot of partying and probably a once in a lifetime experience to be able to celebrate New Years in Hawaii."

So where exactly did you live in Hawaii?

"It was a student accommodation but in the forms of a hotel. It wasn’t on campus exactly, but it was in Waikiki Beach and the hotel had 4 different floors for students only. It was quite expensive though, and my guess is that it was more expensive than renting a normal apartment. But we did pay everything up front before we went, so all the money I spent in Hawaii was on experiences, traveling, food, drinks etc."

How was the daily life living next to Waikiki Beach?

"I had five courses at HPU, and I managed to schedule it so I had classes every weekday. So that was a little bit annoying. Some of my friends had classes only Monday and Wednesday, and I was a bit envious of their schedule. On top of that I had submissions every week, so I had to hand in something quite frequent. That meant a lot of work, of course, despite the level was more easy than when studying back home.

But to answer your question, I feel that the daily life was much different than being home. After school you would often go to the beach or the pool, we did some surfing or went on a hike. We did everything you can imagine in these surroundings, whereas there’s a bigger tendency to go home and watch Netflix when your in your home country. There was nothing like that in Hawaii."

What expectations did you build up before you went and were they met?

"I had really high expectations. I saw so many pictures on Instagram and everything looked so pretty and unreal. So I made a list before I arrived there, so that I had a plan for all the things I wanted to experience while being in Hawaii which included all the hikes I wanted to do, beaches I wanted to visit etc. Then when I finally got to Hawaii, I actually managed to tick off all the things I had planned, and to be honest, it was WAY better than what I expected. I thought to myself that what you see on Instagram is not real, but it really was. It was exactly like Instagram."

Did you travel around on the island?

"I did yes. I really liked to travel to the North shore of the island, so I spent quite some time there. And then I also got to explore two other islands in the archipelago while I was there. I went to Big Islands to check out the volcano landscape and then I visited Kawaii, mainly because I feel that Kawaii is what you really you think of when you picture yourself in Hawaii. It’s so green and almost like living in a botanical garden. It’s probably the prettiest place I have ever seen in my life, and I really want to go back there."

Who did you hang out with while you were in Hawaii?

"Well, many different people. But in my first week, we had an International bon fire day with all the international students. I think we were around 50-100 people that showed up, and I went all by myself because my friend didn’t want to go. I saw that as an opportunity to meet new people, so I made a lot of friends already during that evening. But I have to say, there was a LOT of Norwegians when I started. I guess it was because the Australian border was still shut down, so everybody chose Hawaii instead. But it’s obviously quite easy to find people to hang out with, when there’s a record number of Norwegians at the uni. Aside from the Norwegians, I was hanging out with German, Spanish and loads of other different people."

Out of curiosity, how was that specific bus ride when you were going to the bon fire party all by yourself?

"Awww. That was very terrifying and I almost jumped off the bus again before the destination, and again when I reached the bon fire party and saw how many people that were there and I was completely alone. I felt everybody was looking at me because I arrived alone. But I did it, and I really don’t regret going since many of my relations were build that night."

So how did you overcome that feeling when you were standing there alone?

"Literally the first person I saw, I just sat with them. I had an urge to just sit down immediately so I didn’t look alone, and it turned out that I was sitting next to a Norwegian, a German and a Danish person, so it was really easy to get the conversation going and in English. I had heard before going, that especially the Norwegians have a tendency to just speak Norwegian while being there, and I didn’t go to Hawaii to speak Norwegian."

Was that a specific rule you lived by in Hawaii?

"I would rather say, that the rule I was living by, was to just say yes to everything. If you want to live the best life while you’re there, then say yes. If you don’t, you’re going to miss out on a lot experiences and you’re not going to meet any people. And if you don’t have anyone to hang out with, it’s not very fun to be studying in Hawaii. And then you always have to remember, you’re not the only one going by yourself. There’s so many people going by themselves, so everyone is in the same boat, so to speak."

Did HPU arrange events so the students could get their social relations going?

"Yes, they did. I think they had student activities almost every week. You basically just signed up for specific events through your phone. There was for instance surfing lessons through HPU, which was more or less for free. They also had visit to some funky cat cafées, they arranged hikes and drawing classes. So yeah, they had something every week. Personally I signed up for the surfing lessons, because I really wanted to learn how to surf and it was much more fun to do it in big groups rather than renting a board by yourself. The group I was in was with around 20-25 people and everyone had the same level of experience."

So, now that you’re back home would you then say it’s a different Kaja who has returned?

"Yeah, I would say so. I have learned to appreciate to do stuff during the days. I do much more now than before going to Hawaii. I guess I got used to the lifestyle where you go to school and then do something fun afterwards. If I don’t do that now, I feel it’s a bit of waste of time. I also do more hikes now. Actually, I am embarrassed to say it, but I have never hiked before even though I have a ton of opportunities back home. But now I really enjoy it, and I don’t mind going on a hike on a Saturday. I have never seen the point in going up, just to go down again, but that has changed completely and I really enjoy the view along the hikes. My first hike in Hawaii was the Wiliwilinui, and it’s around 3-4 hours. At first I thought OMG that is so far, but once you have experienced the hike and the view you realize that it’s so pretty and worth it! From that point I decided I needed to do one more hike, and then another one and by the end of the semester I had done at least 15 hikes."

What would be your top 3 advice for someone who’s planning to go abroad for the first time?

"Like I mentioned earlier, I think you should say yes to everything. This way you meet new people which will lead to much more experiences during your time there.

The second one would be, that you need a car in Hawaii. I think that’s what I regret the most that I never got a car. You almost can’t travel anywhere without a car, and you’re pretty much stuck with Honolulu and Waikiki Beach and you don’t want that for 6 months. Of course you can take the bus to the North shore, but it will take you perhaps 3 hours instead of under 1 hour in a car. Cars are in general much cheaper in the US compared to back home, so if you have the possibility then you should buy one. The alternative is to rent a car, but it’s not cheap either. I rented a car with some of my friends that came to visit me, and the flexibility with a car in Hawaii is outstanding. We got to see everything on the island during those 3 weeks we rented a car.

My third advice is to explore as much as you can while you’re there. I did a lot of things, and in comparison I have a friend who studied at HPU for 4 whole years, and I got to experience much more than her during my stay. I’ve also heard that students that apply for full degrees don’t get as excited to do stuff in the weekends, because they have so much time and in the end, they just end up by not doing anything. So yeah, explore while you’re there – otherwise you will regret it in the end."

But isn't it expensive to keep exploring?

"It can be, but it can also be cheap. For instance, all the hikes are for free. If you have your own gear, you can go snorkeling for free. I skydived once, and that was of course pretty expensive, but it was a dream of mine, so I decided to prioritize that experience. So it’s a bit mixed this question. You definitely can make it cheap if you want to, but it can also become very expensive. In general living costs are pretty high, so try to be realistic with your budget."

Okay, if you must pinpoint one experience from your stay that really stands out, what would it be?

"Ugh, there’s just so many. But if I have to choose one, there was a really, really fun booze-cruise. Essentially it’s a party on a boat where you rent a boat together with 40 people, and we did it quite a lot. There’s a DJ onboard as well as a shark diver, who jumps in the water to secure if there’s any sharks around before you go swimming. The boat ride is usually 2-4 hours, and it’s just you with all your friends in the sun. You get a nice tan while partying with people you like, it’s probably the best experience for me."

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