My name is Oscar Michael. I have been in Norway for over a year now, through an exchange with Fredskorpset. I’m working with Lent as a representative of TICC and Tanzania in general. I would like to share some of things I have done and experienced.

Appreciative Inquiry Courses (AI);

Trough my one year in Norway I have been inspired by Lent and Arbeidsinstituttet, especially the way they conduct Appreciative Inquire courses with their customers and youth. Their courses are based on practical way of learning, and it is conducted through participatory method where people talk in smaller groups. I have also experience how appreciative interviews can be a guide of discussions for positive way of learning. Lent and AIB also use tools as strength-cards and response-cards to energize people for a positive way of learning. Also youth are taught to make a roadmap of their dreams and wishes of their life.

Appreciation from Lent and AIB;

I`v been inspired by the way Lent and AIB appreciate other people’s opinions, suggestions and work. Always when I have been working with them they encouraged me and appreciate what I have done, even if it was little. That gives me energy to learn a lot of things from them.

Trustfulness and security,

I have been safe and surrounded by trustful people so I haven’t got any problem that scared me. One day I lost my important documents with bankcards, than after a month someone called me and said that they have found them.

My biggest successes was:

I have learned how to use cards and making roadmap and preparing appreciative Inquiry interview questions. I have also been working a lot with youth and observing how youth practise AI methods, especially at the department of car mechanics where I was working with youth. I experienced how they learn in positive way and start to be able to tell their own success stories and evaluate themselves.

Other courses that I have succeeded to learn from is Presentation Techniques courses and Study Technique courses conducted by Lent. This is some of the courses that me, Therese and others looking forward to bring into TICC in Tanzania.

All this learning’s gave me motivation to combine the youth successful stories that I have experienced in Norway and Tanzania. So I have now collected all my experience in a book and I hope my writings will inspire other youth to adapt the positive way of learning.

The biggest challenges was:

Norwegian Language and cold weather;

It has been a challenge for me to understand some of Norwegian discussions and sometimes I fail to contribute my opinions. Although someone help me to translate,  it have been difficult for them to always translate everything. But all in all I managed to do what I was able to do and people appreciate it and I appreciate them too.

Weather has also been difficult, especial when it is cold wind and ice. And when I can`t do exercise outdoor I sometimes has felt a little bored to be inside all day.

The things that I will miss most about Norway is:

I will miss the appreciation from Norwegian people, trustfulness and security; all these make me live more confortable and confidence. I go to work without worrying about thieves at home, I walk around any time day and night and no one ever frightening me. I will really miss that.

I will miss all my friends that I had great and funny times together with. Not only that but I will also miss brown cheese, brown bread and vegetables. This is my favourite food every meal, and my friends at Lent think it is very funny with my combination of brown cheese and salmon on my slides of bread.

Now I look forward to:

I really look forward to work with youth and staff of TICC so I can share what I have experienced and learn from Norway. I am also looking forward to the things that me, Therese (Lent) and others are going to do. Hopefully we will conduct a course of presentation Techniques to the students and TICC staffs, facilitating AI courses and processes and much more.

My dream for the future is:

I would like to continue with further studies; Master degree. Hopefully I will do it in Norway if I got a scholarship. Before that I have to work almost one year then I can look forward to further studies.

Written by Oscar Michael Kilua