The event was organised by student welfare organisation Sammen and by Nordic Vagabonds, an organisation that plans festivals, trips, and other events. It was the first time the two organisations teamed up to arrange a speed friending event for students in Bergen.
– It’s fun to meet strangers
Victor Sanden, founder and CEO of Nordic Vagabonds, thinks that events such as these are much needed.
– People tend to spend a lot of time on their computers and on their phones. We don’t really talk to strangers that much anymore.
Sanden finds that it can be very rewarding to go out and meet new people in a setting like the one that Sammen and Nordic Vagabonds have provided on this occasion:
– This can broaden your horizon, and make you see how much fun it actually is to meet strangers.
– Someone to watch series with
Many of the participating students have not joined an event like this before. They want to step out of their comfort zone by talking to new people in a setting that is different from what they are used to, and hope that this will result in them making some new friends. Maria, for example, explains that she is
– a bit of a shy person, so maybe this will help me loosen up a bit.
For Erik, too, this is the first time participating in a speed friending event. He hopes to
– meet some people with the same kind of interests as I have. Just someone to hang out with, watch series with…
Others already have some experience with speed friending. Kristine has joined a similar event before. She thinks that
– you have to have new experiences to meet new people. That’s why I chose to come again.
– Everybody needs somebody
After chatting with strangers about assigned topics (such as what you would do with a million kroner) many participants seem to be content about having chosen to join the event. Maria, Erik and Kristine each think they have gotten something valuable out of this experience.
– You get to practice your small talk, and I met some people I might add on Facebook, says Maria.
Meanwhile, Erik found it
– very interesting to try and meet new people, and also to challenge myself.
Kristine will even have a drink with some of the people she just met right away. All in all, she would definitely recommend others to also join speed friending events such as this one:
– Everybody needs somebody, and this is a great opportunity to find someone you have things in common with; who you want to get to know and be with another time. And, maybe… someone met their soulmate.
