FAll 2022 OA

Global alumni making a difference: What took you around the world?

Jill Wiley ’95, English Teacher at the British School and owner of Classroom to Home in Stavanger, Norway

especially as my parents age. But Norway is a good fit for our values and priorities. The well-known Danish concept of “hygge” is known in Norway as “kos” and refers to enjoying coziness, good company and the simple, quiet life - being happy in the moment. Norwegians also value “friluftsliv,” or outdoor life. Breath-taking hikes up mountains and along fjords become a normal part of weekend life. However, perhaps the best expression of why we love our adopted homeland is seen on May 17, Norway’s Constitution Day. Instead of armaments and military might, parades throughout Norway consist of the nation’s schoolchildren, who walk through the streets of towns and cities waving flags.”

“In 2015, I stood on the deck of a cruise ship in Stavanger, Norway, as part of my partner’s family trip to their ancestral homeland. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that less than five years later, I would call Stavanger home. In 2016, my partner Robb and I decided to make a change. Since we had both lived overseas, he in Germany and I in France, it was not a completely outlandish idea. It took two years of research, planning, saving and paperwork, but in August of 2019, he started a master’s degree program at the University of Stavanger on the western coast of Norway. Today, I teach French and English at the British School of Stavanger, and run Classroom to Home, a blog and coaching business for teachers who want to leave the classroom. Our three kids speak Norwegian, although

they still prefer English, and enjoy the safety and freedom that are still part of growing up in Norway. Being away from my wonderful parents, close-knit family and life-long friends is hard,