- NEWDAY in one word: Change
Ten days of summer in Norway as a participant of NEWDAY 2017 has changed me a lot. Throughout the NEWDAY program, I had many chances to listen to spectacular lectures from global scholars, share ideas about global issues with participants and scholars from all around the world, and form unique friendships. Thanks to these rare experiences, I was able to encounter fresh and new viewpoints to see the world. I tried my best to absorb new ideas and in the process of that, I have accepted the good points of Nordic way of viewing the world. I have learned to always think about the background and the motives of events, free myself from the pressure of trying to be flawless and to reach out to foreign people who have totally different backgrounds from me. I feel very lucky and pleased to have been a part of this journey.
- Interactive and extraordinary lectures by global scholars
‘Philosophical characteristics of East and West’, ‘Pursuit of peace in Korean peninsula’, ‘Chinese meritocracy and media’, and ‘The legacy of Fridtjof Nansen’. These are only a few examples of outstanding lectures given by great lecturers at NEWDAY. Famous professors from major universities like Korea University, Yonsei University, Fudan University and University of Copenhagen came to give us unique lectures that would help us strengthen our understanding of Nordic and Asian regions. After each professor’s lecture, an hour was given for all of the students and the professor to discuss the issues covered during the lecture. Every creative and inquisitive question given by the students was replied back with comments by the lecturers and the whole discussion would flow like a ping-pong between the student side and lecturer side. I have also participated much during the lectures and asked a lot of questions. During the discussion covering the peace-keeping of Korean peninsula, I suggested a model to smoothen our relationship with North Korea to the professor. He actually seemed very surprised to hear what he has not been expecting and told me it was a fresh way of approaching the issue. It was absolutely exciting to hear great lectures from globally famous professors and to actually discuss with them.
- A lot of fun and special activities
Along with the academic lectures and discussions with professors, we have done a lot of fun non-academic activities as well. At our first night, we did ‘hygge’, a Nordic tradition of gathering at the fireplace altogether with a glass of wine and chat. Next day, we visited Maihaugen, the open museum in the mountain, and had an exotic Nordic porridge there. We have visited other famous museums as well throughout the course, have participated in various art courses, and visited the famous Lysgårdsbakken, a ski jumping hill used in Lillehammer Winter Olympic. Along with these activities that are special by themselves, we have also went on a city sightseeing and simple walk. Although they might not sound super exotic, due to the fresh air, cool air and peaceful scenary of Lillehammer made those activities as unique as other activities and unforgettable.
