Mario Venegas (El Papiol, Barcelona) grew up studying Norwegian. He started at the age of 14, finished all levels, and now, recently graduated in International Business, has an internship in Oslo. It is not common among young people to study a Nordic language, but he is proud to have done so. Learning Norwegian at Institut Nordic has been of fundamental importance in his life.
By Hannu Arvio
Hannu: What interests me a lot is your start with Norwegian. You were 14 years old when you started. Who made the decision?
Mario: Actually, it all started because I played handball since I was little, and since I saw the Norwegian handball team on TV, my mind fell in love with the concept of Norway as such. I started searching the internet and Instagram for pictures, following pages from Norway. And my mind was like I was living in Norway, aged 13-14. And from there, I started with the typical: downloading apps to learn Norwegian, but just to pass the time. Little by little, I saw that I liked it, and it was my mother who told me that if I liked it, we could investigate and look for something for me to really learn. I am a person who likes languages very much, and I have the ability to learn them. And my mother was the one who told me to sign up (for a course). She was the one who introduced me to Institut Nordic, and I said, “Go ahead.” I did the intensive summer course, and the rest is history.
Hannu: Interesting. So your interest in Norway came through your hobby, which was handball, after watching the national team on TV. Why the Norwegian team? What stood out?
Mario: Well, I don’t particularly remember; I just remember watching them play (it was the women’s team). I don’t know if it was a specific game that marked me, or a game against Spain, but for some reason, a seed was implanted in my mind. And from there came everything else.
Hannu: Then your mother told you that this could be taken seriously. I guess she saw that you were an industrious child, that you were serious about Norwegian.
Mario: Yes, my mother has always been my biggest support. If I liked something, she always encouraged me to pursue it. And she found Institut Nordic.
HannuHannu: At that time, you were in your fourth year of secondary school.
Mario: Yes, more or less.
HannuHannu: At this age, many children do things other than study Norwegian.
Mario: Yes, yes.
Hannu: At school, how did your friends take it, and did you have to explain why you were doing it?
Mario: Yes, at school, my friends, as I have always been a very studious person, were not so surprised that I studied something different. It’s true that everybody asked me why Norwegian. I think the question “why do you study Norwegian?” has been asked to me non-stop by family, teachers, friends, acquaintances, even in job interviews. It is always the typical question. It was strange and surprising, but people also said it made sense, because I have always been a person who loves learning. If anyone had to do it, it was me.
Hannu: During all these years, have you enjoyed answering that question?
Mario: Yes, it’s something I’m very proud of. It’s something different that I think at the time I chose a bit at random, but then during the years that I’ve used it, in class or travelling, I’ve enjoyed it a lot. My answer is perhaps not as clear as that of people who study because they want to go to work, or because of their partner… I say it’s because of handball, and it looks a bit strange, but that’s what I always say.
Hannu: You were in the classes with Martine for 5 years, more or less, you completed up to level B2.2. In a way, you grew up with the Norwegian classes until you became an adult. How did you feel in class? I’m not talking about the language itself, but about your experience, since you went into class with adults, where there were people between 30 and 60 years old. You were the little one trying to study a language with adult topics: housing, mortgages, work, etc. .
Mario: Yes, yes, absolutely.
Hannu: Now that you are 21 years old, do you think it has affected you in any way in your growth?
Mario: Well, it’s true that now I think, what courage, what bravery, to get involved at the age of 14 with people who had been working for years, who had a lot of opinions about life… When we worked on topics such as looking for work, housing in Norway or social issues… In the end, I’ve always been a fairly mature person, but with Martine, we would sometimes laugh, and I would adapt to the questions. For example, if we had to talk about our first job interview, well, at 14, I didn’t even know what it was like to work; I was just studying and not much else. So my answer was more about how I imagined that first job interview would be. It’s true that I’ve always got on well with older people, and I’ve never had any problem talking to them. In fact, I even met up with some of my classmates for coffee, even though I just had a Fanta. In that sense, the dynamic never affected me negatively, and in fact, I think it’s something that has helped me a lot in continuing my studies and now at work, where I find it very easy to relate to all kinds of people. Since I was 14 or 15, I’ve been with people who were 50 years old, and we were such good friends. It helped me mature a bit, and it’s funny that it happened in Norwegian class, because I only spent two hours a week talking to adults.
Hannu: Yes, it’s funny because you got into Norwegian and Norway as if you were an adult, but studying as a child in Barcelona.
Mario: Yes, in fact, when we were dealing with tax issues, there were things that I didn’t really understand and that I have learned through Norwegian classes, in general, as a concept of life. Tax issues, job search issues, or historical issues, for example, the Vikings. These are things that I had never worked on, and that when I dealt with them at 18, 19 years old, I somehow already knew them, and it is strange to have learned about them in Norwegian class, it is something very concrete.
Hannu: Sure, in Norwegian classes, you’ve already dealt with topics like job hunting, taxes, and social issues, which come after school.
Mario: It’s funny to have learned it through these classes. It’s true that I learned other concepts in addition to the language, so it was twice as dynamic and interesting for me. It was also what, being so young, kept me in class. I really learned a lot about everything: about life, the country, the culture, the language itself, from the people around me. I also learned a lot of things. I was like a sponge, I took it all in, and I hope that in the end it has served me well in life.
Hannu: The language itself, Norwegian – did you find it easy to study?
Mario: Yes, I don’t consider it to be one of the most complicated languages.
Hannu: What other languages have you studied?
Mario: I am quite fluent in French, and I am at a B1-B2 level in German. I find German much more complicated grammatically than Norwegian. I don’t know if it’s because I was younger when I started Norwegian 7 years ago, but this has made it stick with me more, even though I haven’t practised it too much these years. But I retain and maintain it quite well, and I think it’s partly because of the language itself and the way I learned it didn’t make me heavy at all, plus I think it’s not one of the most complicated. I think it was quite bearable, and I learned the basics very well, and I still maintain it quite well. Then there is specific vocabulary that, as in all languages, you forget if you don’t practice it. But the base is well established.
Hannu: Speaking of the country itself, you’ve been to Norway a few times. Your first impression was the handball team. And from there, you have been building your idea of Norway. How do you see it?
Mario: The first time I went was on the Institut Nordic trip to Bergen with Martine, the Norwegian class and other students from other languages. I remember that first trip as something special because I had a great time, and because I went with my mother, because I couldn’t go alone as I was so young. Already from that moment, Norway made a very good impression on me. Then, when I have travelled with friends, I have had more opportunities to practice Norwegian, for example in a cafeteria, and in the end, I have also met more people. I was on Erasmus in Copenhagen because in Oslo and Norway, you couldn’t, so I chose the closest option. And I also met people from Norway there. I think that the society, although perhaps in Spain we are more open to everyone, the people I have met (from Norway) have seemed super nice, the country itself has given me a good impression. What I had so idealised when I was younger has translated well in reality. I like the country.
Hannu: Personally, do you see it as a project to live there at some point in your life?
Mario: Yes, in fact, I will be moving to Oslo in August to do an internship in the operations department of a motorhome company. I’m finishing my degree this year, and I knew that once I finished it, I wanted to move to Norway. If only to get rid of the thorn of having lived there. So many years talking about Norway and I still haven’t really lived there, and I haven’t been able to see first-hand what it’s like to live there, beyond a week, which is the most I’ve been in Norway. I looked for this internship and my idea is to get a good idea of the country, meet people, get to know the culture, travel around the country and, if I see that I like it, that I can relate and that I end up with a good impression, I would of course love to extend my stay and develop my life there, if possible. I can’t say for the rest of my life because I still have many years to go, but for now I would like to spend a fairly long time for sure.
Hannu: By now, you have finished school, high school, you are about to finish International Business, and you have an internship in Norway. In a way, your childhood dream is now coming true.
Mario: Yes, totally, 100%. When I think about that idea that was so far away and that was not structured in any way, little by little, everything I have been doing has led me to be able to achieve it. And it’s something I’m very proud of.
Hannu: Would you advise other people to follow your path? I mean, start learning the language and then go to the country.
Mario: Yes. It’s true that today we live in a world where I probably don’t need to have a C1 in Norwegian to live there, because maybe when I get there, people will speak to me in English, unless I impose myself and try very hard to speak and be spoken to in Norwegian. Maybe it’s not mandatory, but if someone, as a kid, has an idea and loves a country, I would recommend that they learn the language. If you love Norway because you love the Norwegian fjords, or you love Finland because of the thousand lakes, learn the language. Whether it’s because you want to get to C2 for professional reasons, or simply because by learning the language, you learn the tongue, which on a curriculum level always stands out, but you also learn about the culture and the country. In class, I learned a lot more than just grammar and vocabulary. And then, learning languages, for those who like it, is a lot of fun. You meet a lot of people, and the classes are fun. And if you want to learn more languages later on, it’s also useful. Now that I’m studying German, I realise that knowing Norwegian has made it easier for me to learn German, especially at the beginning. So yes. My path is a bit particular, but if someone has that idea as a child, even if it is far away, I recommend that you go for it. You have nothing to lose, and you can always quit if you don’t like it. I recommend it. I love languages myself and will always support anyone who likes them.
Hannu: Would you like to add anything?
Mario: My relationship with Institut Nordic is very special. It’s a strange thing, but being so small also helped me to be independent. For example, the first time I took a train by myself was to go to a Norwegian class. I am from a village, El Papiol (El Baix Llobregat), and to go to Barcelona, I had never gone alone, and my mother left me to go to Norwegian classes. Whenever I walk past the Urgell metro station and see the door, I always think of Institut Nordic. I hold it very close to my heart because it has made me mature a lot. I understand that the path is different for other people, but I have that connection.
Hannu: Somehow, you have entered adult life through Institut Nordic.
Mario: Yes, yes.
Hannu: In that world where the Norwegian and Nordic language students are. They are usually quite nice people. It’s a very diverse world.
Mario: It’s such a unique thing that there aren’t that many people who sign up, but it creates a cool atmosphere. For example, my classmates. There is a classmate from when I studied A2 who is now living in Tromsø, and I have already talked to her about going to see her. It’s been 6 years, she’s about 40, and I’m 21. In the end, as we have that in common, it creates that good vibe, and the truth is that I have a lot of affection for them, my mother even more (laughs). My mother loves Martine (Mario’s Norwegian teacher), and she hardly knows her (laughs). So yes, there is a lot of affection.
