Senior summer

Scandinavian Review, Summer 2003 by McDonald, Joanne

The author found that she was far from being the only senior citizen to enjoy the enriching experience of attending the International Summer School at the University of Oslo.

HENRI MATISSE ONCE SAID THAT A PERSON'S LATER years should be a time of rebirth and not decline. While some adults take it for granted that their school years are behind them, more and more older Americans are finding their way back into the classroom, choosing personal growth instead of decline. In his book Prime Time, author Marc Freedman states that we are in the midst of a revolution in late life learning.

I talked to five students ranging in age from 57 to 75 who are participating in this revolution. They attended the 2001 International Summer School at the University of Oslo. Of the 108 students from the United States, 14 were over age 50. They came to the University for a variety of reasons, such as personal enrichment and adventure, but shared a lifelong love of learning.

"The older students are the most keen and dedicated," says Einar Vannebo, director of the Summer School. "They're not here for credits. The age range at the school-from 18 to 79-is very enriching. The younger students have a lot to learn from the older students, who in turn find interaction with the younger students rewarding and inspiring. This helps to make people more open to different professions and experiences."

The age range attracted William Hendrickson, a 75-year-old retired ecologist from Mancos, Colorado. "It's a chance to get with young people from all over the world," Hendrickson says. He was the only American out of 22 students from a mix of countries admitted to the Peace Research course. To illustrate the interesting students in the class he pointed to a classmate from Ethiopia, saying: "He's going to end up an Ambassador to the United States."

Hendrickson attended a summer school in Sweden in 1984, and often takes trips with Elderhostel, the self-supporting, nonprofit program that combines leisure, learning and travel for older Americans. The 2001 summer session at the University of Oslo was his third time at the Norwegian school. He participated in student talent shows with a humorous skit in Norwegian.

Roger Wangen, 58, of Burnsville, Minnesota, was another student. Wangen is a ski instructor at Buck Hill Ski School in Burnsville, and also coaches executives for management skills that lead to productivity. "Learning a foreign language is a major commitment," he says. "Here at the University of Oslo fellow students strive like I do. It doesn't matter what age someone is, we all can learn." But he adds that a few older people sometimes let their fears impede their learning opportunities. "The way they talk to themselves has a lot to do with how they behave. Some talk in negative ways so their learning habits are diminished," he adds. "For example, if you are skiing and afraid of falling down, you should go ahead and fall down and make it fun. If you can walk you can ski, as long as you have the physical health."

Donna Gilbery, 68, of Yakima, Washington, became interested in Norway late in life while doing genealogy research. She first visited Norway in 1984. The former teacher is a volunteer clothing and textile advisor, rents out formal wear through a shop in her home named Cinderella, and volunteers for her church and the Sons of Norway. "I'm like a sponge-always learning," she says. "I appreciate my family allowing me to come to Oslo. They said, go for it, Grandma! It's very interesting having all your meals with people from different countries, especially if you open up to them."

Gilbery adds that she didn't think her age was a disadvantage. "I'm here to learn what I can, to take home with me. The whole atmosphere has been fun." Like many of the American students, she lived on campus in the Blindern Student Home. More than a dormitory, it is a housing complex resembling a dignified manor house.

"The school is so cleverly structured, with cultural, hiking and rafting excursions to different parts of Norway on weekends," says Joe Jenkins Jr. of Lighthouse Point, Florida. A 57-year-old United Airlines pilot, he hoped to learn the language well enough to understand television and read the newspapers. He plans to live in Norway with his Norwegian-born wife part of the time after his retirement. One's age doesn't matter, he says, but previous foreign-language study is transferable and helpful. One new experience for Jenkins in Oslo: "I'm on a student council for the first time in 45 years."

It was David Christ's first summer session, but his tenth visit to Norway. The 60-year-old statistician from Iowa City, Iowa, hoped to gain increased facility with the language. "Most Norwegians below age 40 know English," he says, "but it is not fair for me to expect a roomful of Norwegians to shift to English. We should make an attempt to learn their language."

He adds: "Of even greater value than learning the language is meeting-students from other parts of the world. We then have an appreciation for some of the issues of other countries. Some of the most important work of the summer school is that done with students from less developed parts of the world."