As the new students come from China in Telemark University College, we are so lucky to be invited to an activity named “Crash Cultural Weekend” at first week. This is not only the first time we leave our campus and have a short trip in Norway, but also an very important experience to feel the cultural differences between East and West, to learn how to take a better life in Norway.

Maybe most of the students are not stranger with the term cultural shock, or we can say crash culture. We have written more than one occasion when we were still in our home country. It express the lack of direction, the feeling of not knowing what to do or how to do things in a new environment, and not knowing what is appropriate or inappropriate. The definition becomes a reality after we leaved China to a new country—Norway. This feeling becomes very strong in the first few days, the way that we lived before is not accepted as or considered as normal in the new place. Everything is different, for example, not speaking the language, not knowing how to use banking machines, not knowing how to use the telephone and so forth. Coming weekend of the crash cultural is very timely.

This is a special weekend to prepare for the Chinese students by the Inger who is responsible for the studylink. Because the story of Inger’s family and China, we are so lucky to have the chance came to the beautiful mountain and live a wonderful night in the wooded house with green grass. Everyone was shocked when they expressed the warmly welcome in Chinese smoothly. Then the feeling of shocking changed to admiration, cultural conflict and integration is perfect reflected in them. And now us, the new student came from East and studying in the West, are experiencing the culture of conflict and learn how to melting it.

With the meticulous arrangement, we walked into the famous Norwegian woods to break fresh air and to enjoy get blueberry, we also have a wonderful lunch of Chinese tasted. But more significant, we learned a lot the way of the Norwegian life. For example, enjoyed a variety of Norway food to get used to the Western diet; learned how to identify and use a variety of cleaning tools; know more about the living habits of Norwegian and so on.

Two days are very short, but each of us got from it further longer than the time. We understand the essence of the “Crash Cultural Weekend” is that:'one can experience real pain from culture shock; it is also an opportunity for redefining one's life objectives. It is a great opportunity for leaning and acquiring new perspectives. Culture shock can make one develop a better understanding of oneself and stimulate personal creativity.'