Charlie from China: System Engineering with Embedded System at campus Kongsberg.

Charlie (Zhili Shao). Photo.
Charlie is studying System Engineering with Embedded System at campus Kongsberg.

Meet Charlie (Zhili Shao)!

Where are you originally from, and what are you studying at USN?

I am originally from China, and I am studying System Engineering with Embedded System at campus Kongsberg.

What did you expect about life in Norway?

Before I came to Norway, I tried my best to get information about it, then the profile of Norway in my mind was like this: beautiful scenery, delicious seafood, friendly folks, decent and free education system, expensive price for goods and labor.

Was it different than expected, if so – how?

All of the things I expected before I came to Norway were too general. Now I have got more details about them. I went to the mountains, hiking, running, cycling and skiing, then I understand the beauty of its nature. I taste many delicious Norwegian foods: meatballs, moose meat, smoked salmon, etc. But I don’t want to try “old cheese“ and rakfisk anymore. My favorite is milk chocolate. The student life is very colorful, many activities are organized. Now I have many friends from different countries, we like sharing our experience and culture with each other. For the study, we have freedom to arrange our study, but the deadline and regulations should be followed, teachers are always ready to give useful advice to us. The price is quite high, so it is very common for student cooking food for themselves.

Please share one story from your life that will make us get to know something special about you:

The story I want to share about myself is the experience I had when I was applying to study in Norway. It was a hard time for me. I had to pass the English examination, collect information of colleges and prepare application documents in half one year, at the same time I worked for a company to support myself. Sometimes I felt depressed and confused, but finally, I did it and received my expected admission letter from this University College.

Anything you want to share with other students and employees that you think they should learn about your home country?

About China, I have so many things I want to share with other people: a long history, diversity culture, friendly people, beautiful sceneries, wonderful food. But I really suggest you to come to China, at least, one time in your life. It is the place for you as much as Norway is for me, you can learn about it generally through books, TV, and magazines, but once you are there, you will begin to understand it better.