Windsor, Ontario----My name is Santino Viselli and I will be a senior at Wingate University in the fall of 2011. I am a freestyle and backstroke swimmer for the Bulldogs’ swim team. A group of approximately 25 students recently traveled to Norway and returned to complete our W’International experience. We as a group grew and socialized…I can say we all became good friends.

We began our journey with a seven-hour flight to Oslo, Norway. I was so anxious to finally land, the flight felt like it lasted for days. I have never been across the ocean, so this was a new experience for me. Once we landed, no one knew what to expect. The first images of Norway from in the plane seemed as if we were landing back in America. As we exited the plane, we were greeted with Norwegian hellos and welcomes. The airport was very neat and organized and seemed to not have as much stress levels packed into it as Charlotte does.

The group set out to our first city of Oslo, about a 45-minute bus ride from the airport. To our surprise, we entered the city on one of the most celebrated holidays in Norway. The streets were covered with people waving Norwegian flags. The women were dressed in the colors of their home land. I have never seen so many people covering a single area. We were shocked at the prices in Oslo; we soon found out Oslo is one of the most expensive cities in the world. A Big Mac meal costs close to $20 (US). We stayed in Oslo for first three days of the trip and the last two. We experienced the wonderful nightlife, Olympic ski jump, museums and buildings of Oslo.

We discovered the next cities on our itinerary to be the most amazing. The city of Bergen was our next destination. A small city of approximately 200,000 people, Bergen is a city located on the coast of the Atlantic. It is a great fishing town. After a hike around the city, a few us decided to check out the fish market.

At the fish market, we had a chance to try smoked salmon and whale. I tried both and found out they were good. Sogndal was our next town. Sogndal is a very small town, but it gave us the climax of our experience. We kayaked through a glacial lake where the water was sparkling aqua as we reached the other side of the lake. After our kayaking adventure, we strapped on spikes and hiked up a glacier. The hiking experience for me is the most memorable…to be able to see a giant mountain of ice and be able to hike up it was breathtaking.

I recommend everyone to try the W’international experience at Wingate University. My Norway trip will go down in my books as one of the best times of my life so far. I would hope the same for future travelers.

WINGATE UNIVERSITY’S W’INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM

Each year, eligible students in their junior year of study are offered an opportunity to spend 10 days abroad with a Wingate faculty member after a semester of study related to the relevant destination. The W’International program, created in 1978, makes a study-abroad experience available to students at little extra expense beyond the semester’s tuition charge.

Since the program’s inception, students have traveled to more than 30 countries in virtually every corner of the globe. Typically, eligible students may choose one of six different destinations. W’International trips either leave after Christmas each year, or after Commencement in May.

WINGATE UNIVERSITY

Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a comprehensive university with more than 2,300 students on three campuses in Wingate, Matthews and Hendersonville, N.C. The university offers 32 undergraduate majors, 36 minors and career concentrations, numerous pre-professional programs, graduate degrees in business, accounting, physician assistant studies and sports administration and doctorates in pharmacy and education.

Wingate students gain the tools and support they need to excel in academics and apply that learning toward an extraordinary career and life. The campus community offers in-class learning, out-of-class experiences, strong mentors, a competitive yet caring environment and rewarding community service opportunities for a complete educational experience.

Bulldog student-athletes compete in 19 NCAA Division II sports. Wingate University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past five years.

Wingate University is ranked number three among NCAA Division II Academic All-America® producing schools in the 2000’s with 39 honorees during this millennium. Only Pittsburg State (Kan.) University and Truman State (Mo.) University have produced more Academic All-America® honorees during this time period. Wingate’s 48 Academic All-America® honorees (lifetime) is tops among all SAC schools.