Author: froginthefjord

I am The Frog in the Fjord: a French lady who lived in Denmark for a bit before moving to Norway for good (or for now, who knows!). This blog is about all these new realities foreigners like me face when trying to adapt to a new culture, language, country and most of all to new people. In this case, trying to understand the Norwegian culture and blending in (or trying hard). I am hoping to give non-Norwegians a glimpse of what makes Norway and Norwegians so awkward and so loveable; and to give Norwegians something to laugh or to think about. Bonne lecture!
Illustration: Ole Johnny Hansen for www.afroginthefjord.com
Blog of Norway, Dating

How the Corona will affect your dating life in Norway

Let’s face it, dating in Norway was not that easy to begin with. The tall masculine yet sensitive-looking guys with well trimmed beards, muscles and long blond hair you fantasised on hardly exist in real life. Except for this guy Lasse Matberg, who personifies everything about the Viking male fantasy these days. The tall blond Scandinavian women you imagined sun bathing their long blond hair … Continue reading How the Corona will affect your dating life in Norway

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Blog of Norway, Language

Learning Norwegian with the Corona Crisis! 15 (New) Norwegian Words to Know.

Since the Corona virus has hit us and measures have been taken, many new words appeared in the Norwegian media as well as in daily conversations. The Norwegian language has a huge creative power since one can put two words together to create a new word. So new words can appear very quickly as people can create them themselves. For more posts on Norwegian language, … Continue reading Learning Norwegian with the Corona Crisis! 15 (New) Norwegian Words to Know.

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Blog of Norway, Work

Cheer up! The 10 Positive Sides of the Coronavirus Quarantine

You are stuck home, feel like this is going to be a long 14 days, maybe even longer. Cheer up, here is a list of positive outcomes that will and might come out of this quarantine. Positive things have come out of the worst crisis. Think of World War 2 which gave women more economic independence because all the men were at war. The Corona … Continue reading Cheer up! The 10 Positive Sides of the Coronavirus Quarantine

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Blog of Norway, Environment, Equality

Briser les mythes sur la Norvège

En tant que blogueuse je reçois de nombreux emails de compatriotes cherchant des informations pour s’installer en Norvège. Jusque là rien d’anormal. Mais ce qui est frappant est le fossé énorme entre les attentes que certains de ces nouveaux arrivants ont regardant la Norvège et les Norvégiens. et la réalité que je connais bien après 10 ans de vie ici. Tout y passe, des gens … Continue reading Briser les mythes sur la Norvège

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Blog of Norway, Work

7 Obstacles to Finding a Job in Norway

Norway seems like the new Eldorado to find a job. Unless…? Looking for a job in Norway seems like a pretty easy and attractive solution for foreigners. Unemployment rate is low, at 3,8% in 2019 and average salary is high, as seen on this graph from 2018. Obviously it depends on your field, with finance being the oil sector with an average of 6,000 Euros … Continue reading 7 Obstacles to Finding a Job in Norway

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Blog of Norway, Language

After 60 years of presence in Norway, the French Cultural Institute is shut down by the French Government.

It is now official the French Ministry of European and Foreign Affairs has decided to close the French Institute of Norway, alongside the French Institutes in Canada, Costa Rica and Brazil. This is in the Notification number 2303 made by the Ministry to the State Budget for 2020 on the 10th of October 2019, which can be found in this official document from the National … Continue reading After 60 years of presence in Norway, the French Cultural Institute is shut down by the French Government.

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Blog of Norway, Politics

EU, Alcohol policy, the King, Whale Hunting. A List of Dead Political Debates in Norway.

Many foreigners believe that almost any political change is possible in a democracy like Norway, and they are right in theory. But in practice some debates are just dead in Norway and political parties don’t even fight for them. Most of the time it is because there is a general consensus in the population that no change is wished for. they are listed in their … Continue reading EU, Alcohol policy, the King, Whale Hunting. A List of Dead Political Debates in Norway.

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Blog of Norway, Motherhood, Politics

The 10 Golden Rules of Being Pregnant in Norway

Illustration: Tori Lind Kjellstad, all rights reserved. Learn pregnant-Norwegian. You learned Norwegian, nynorsk or bokmål, but now that you are pregnant, words you’ve never heard before pop out of nowhere. In my case despite living and working here for 10 years and speaking fluent Norwegian, I had never heard the word bekkenløsning (pelvic pain in English, which in Norwegian is “lose pelvic floor”). I also believed … Continue reading The 10 Golden Rules of Being Pregnant in Norway

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Blog of Norway

Beforeigners Review- 5 Reasons to Watch HBO’s New Norwegian Show

This article may contain spoilers (although I tried hard not to give any). Imagine a super modern society, a country as industrialised as Norway. A country aiming on top of UN charts for human rights and gender equality. Think of its capital city, Oslo, where dads walk around the city centre pushing prams and drinking cafe lattes during their 4 months long paternity leave, and … Continue reading Beforeigners Review- 5 Reasons to Watch HBO’s New Norwegian Show

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Language

8 Strange French Words with Meanings Foreigners Cannot Guess

I am French and have been living in Norway for almost 10 years, and mostly blogging about Norway, Norwegian culture and language. But more and more I get questions about my own country, society and language. How is it to be a foreigner and especially a Norwegian in France? Is it hard to learn French? So in collaboration with the French cultural and education institution … Continue reading 8 Strange French Words with Meanings Foreigners Cannot Guess

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