Taking a semester abroad in Norway - a thrill of anticipation and reasons why

Since autumn 2011 I am a student at the University of Mannheim, aiming a Bachelor o. Sc. in business administration, curr. 4th semester. But why did I choose Norway and the Norges Handleshoyskole? In order to give an answer, I have to reach back a little bit. I was born in Romania but we moved to Germany in 1992. Nevertheless, we visit Romania every year and I got to grow up in a multicultural family. Ever since I am very interested in getting to know other cultures and countries. Unfortunately I have nev er visited northern Europe before which narrowed down my search for a stay abroad. Moreover, horseback riding is my passion. I love those adorable and very social animals. Besides this, the vastness of the raw or silent sea is what attracts me to the wor ld's various coasts. So, when I was looking for a university to study a semester abroad, I wanted to combine these two passions of mine. And then I found the Norges Handleshoyskole (NHH) in Bergen. Partly located on a cliff, with a view over Norway's popu lar Fjords. I am really looking forward to seeing Bergen during my 5th semester starting in August this year. But I didn't only choose Bergen/NHH because of its beautiful nature. Taking a closer look at the University itself, one can clearly see it's fo cus on business administration and economics. Having a broad spectrum of research activities and a well developed net of collaborating companies in this area one can get a very good insight into practical work issues and questions related to it when study ing at NHH. To deepen my knowledge I would like to take courses in managerial accounting and finance which are my favorite subjects. Additionally I would like to take courses in business ethics. In my view it is very important to have skills which help to deal with ethical questions, especially in a globalizing world that seems to become more or less one big marketplace and thus a bazaar of different cultures, religions, languages and habits that one needs to manage