The Moholt Ghetto

Tekst: Lasse Georg Tønnessen, Assistant editor, Under Dusken

Moholt, also known as Trondheims own little ghetto for international students. If you arrive in Trondheim as an exchange student this is likely the place where you will be staying, along with all the other international students. The question is, why? Why do international students live at Moholt and not with other Norwegian students?

Foreigners are often warned that Norwegians can give off the impression of being cold and unwelcoming to newcomers. And let’s be honest, Norwegians have room for improvement in the warm welcoming department. The way to change this reputation is simple, Norwegian and international students need to get know each other better.

We should assume that students choosing to travel to Trondheim have a genuine interest in getting to know the city and its people. Grouping all the international students in one village is therefore counterproductive, as it encourages them to only socialize with each other. Sure they mingle with people from many different nations, but they don’t learn to live in a new culture. They are in effect forming isolated communities that exist separate to the rest of the students in Trondheim.

We should encourage international students to face the challenge of befriending the rest of the student community in Trondheim, not just the international community at Moholt. Likewise we should challenge norwegians to be more open and welcoming when meeting new people. All of these things require that we spread the international students in Trondheim, rather than put them all in the same student village.