Norwegian Students In Puerto
Why do so many young Norwegians come to Zicatela in September and February, one may well wonder. Short answer: they are university students enjoying a semester abroad at the Hotel Arco Iris through a program called Go Study.
During the three months they are here they take their required intro to Philosophy and into to Social Science classes with a Norwegian professor. They also take classes in either Spanish or Cultural Understanding (music and art). On weekends they explore the region with trips to Huatulco for snorkeling, the lagoon at Ventanilla and the turtle museum in Mazunte, and on horseback to the Manialtepec hot springs. Cuba, Cancún, New York and Miami are favorite destinations for their ten-day semester break.
This fall there were 25 students, 22 girls and 3 boys. Project coordinator Aina Østhagen explained this gender discrepancy by saying that Norwegian women were much more adventurous than Norwegian men. Go Study has similar programs in Bali, Cuba, Brazil and Australia. She said that Bali was the most popular destination, especially among male students, because it had a sports program. But even in Bali, the majority of the students are women.
