As you might have noticed, just like London is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world, City University is one of the most international British universities too, with a student population drawn from over 160 countries.
A big part of this population is represented by Scandinavian students which every year come to London for new adventures and to complete their studies. As such, this week’s Her Campus Celebrity is Mariann Eliassen, a second year journalism student, who last Saturday celebrated the Norwegian Constitution Day together with hundreds of other Norwegians who live in London (royalty included!!!).
Mariann, first of all, tell us why it was so important to you to properly celebrate the 17th May? The 17th of May is the biggest event of the year for most Norwegians, and this year was the 200th anniversary of our Costitution! It would kind of feel like betraying my country if I did not celebrate. Luckily, here in London there are so many other Norwegians who are devoted to celebrating this day that it makes it possible to get an authentic national day feeling. In Southwark Park there was a traditional 17th of May celebration going on, with a parade, speeches, lotteries, ice cream and hot dogs.
Do you feel particularly homesick? How hard is for an international student to settle in a city like London? I am not very homesick, but it is nice to bring with you some of your traditions and cultures from home. London is a big city full of people from the same place as I, and it is always easy to find someone to remind me of home if I ever miss it. Norway is also very close and plane tickets are cheap, so if it gets too bad it’s never difficult to go home. Also, London is a great city for international students. There are so many others in the same situation as you, who are trying to figure everything out and looking for new friends. This also means that you are likely to learn not only about British culture, but also about all kinds of other nationalities. Even though you might not get to experience the British culture in the same way you might in a smaller city, you will at least never feel an outsider.
Do you think it is important to keep traditions? Yes, to a certain extent. Celebrations like the 17th of May are good for reminding us of our history as Norwegians, as well as for sharing it with anyone who cares to join. I think keeping traditions is great as long as you are open to updating and sharing them so that they fit to your surroundings.
Do you want to go back to Norway after graduation? I am still not sure what I will do after graduation. I have enjoyed my time in London so much that I would hate to leave. However, I also feel that there are so many other places I want to experience in the same way. Norway is a great place to live, but I think that I still have so many other places I would like to live in that I need to try those first.
I’ve heard you want to start up a new City Scandinavian Society next year… Next year will be the last year of my bachelor so I think my main focus will be on my grades. However, I think that getting more involved in what the uni has to offer regarding societies and clubs could be a good idea. We don’t currently have a Scandinavian society but I think it could be a good idea to start one if there is an interest from both Scandinavians and non-Scandinavians, in order to share our culture with the rest of the students.
Can you suggest our readers a nice place in London where to enjoy a proper Norwegian lunch/dinner? If you are interested in trying Norwegian or Scandinavian food I would recommend Scandinavian Kitchen. It is a great place to stop by for lunch as they serve typical Scandinavian dishes like Swedish meatballs and open top sandwiches. They also sell a lot of Norwegian, Swedish and Danish products like brown cheese, slaty liquorice, wasa crisp bread, and sometimes even the very Norwegian frozen pizza Grandiosa. I would also suggest the cafe Fika in Brick Lane, which is more Swedish than Norwegian, but still serves some excellent Scandinavian food.