Monday 16th was the first combined Norwegian and International friluftsliv day trip up to inverted boat in Jegersberg Forest. The aim of the day was to experience a typical Norwegian family outing, that would commonly occur on a Sunday as majority of citizens have the day off. We sent off at 9pm with a full day of play and hiking ahead.

We trekked through the forest for 1 to 1.5 hours, which was quite eventful as the ground was icy yet humid. This most likely due to in Norwegian underkjølt regn which translates in English to cooled rain. This is where the it has rained then frozen then rained again.

The hike in was a good opportunity to get to know the fellow Norwegian students and they outlook on friluftsliv. Many have very active backgrounds in outdoor activities and it was good to understand other peoples perspectives on how outdoor education/friluftsliv has affected there lives and how it contrasts to the UK.

As we arrived at inverted boat we explored the area and set about creating a fire to cook sausages and fire bread which is a tradition in Norway and this very common with families. Learning to make a fire was positive learning experience for myself as back in the UK there are laws preventing fire making in a wilderness environment. It took a while but with patience and perseverance it payed off.

Later on in the day we were introduced to typical Norwegian family games. This was a fun experience as it involved snowball fights and hide and seek games. These games were also good for group dynamics as although we were playing it improved group cohesive and being unserious and playing around shows fellow peers who you really are.

As the sun started to set we departed from inverted boat with a fun and positive experience where the cohesion between the two classes were improved and thus setting up good relationships. The comparison between the UK and Norway in respect to family bonding is that Norway has a more nature focused outlook whereas the UK has more of a materialistic outlook. This could be due to Norway’s identity of to respect nature. A quote by John Muir “In every walk with Nature one receives far more than he seeks.” This quote supports my experience as even though it was only a small walk and a fun day I did gain more from it then I expected.