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Category: Culture & People
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The Joys and Miseries of Raising Children in Norway
When I had my baby in Norway, I thought “this country is the best to be a mother, and the best to raise kids”. At least that is what every single Norwegian person I met told me. (To read this article in French, see Elever des enfants en Norvège: à quoi s’attendre) But “best” is…
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How to Survive a Norwegian Christmas
You might have been invited to a Christmas dinner, Christmas “frokost” or lunch, a vacation or a cabin trip during Christmas time in Norway. How to act, what to say? Don’t panic. The good news is that if a Norwegian family has invited you to their close intimate Christmas family dinner, it means they count…
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Is it still worth it to live and work in Norway?
Since I moved to Norway, foreign friends have come and gone. Students, people with short contracts, people who can’t stand the cold and the rain. People who meet someone and want to try other countries, travellers. But it is really in the past 2-3 years that I’ve noticed a pattern of people leaving despite a…
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Moving to Norway: Essential Questions to Ask Yourself Before Moving
Norway has it all, doesn’t? Happiest people on Earth, a yearly Nobel Peace prize to hand out, a low unemployment rate, high gender equality, paid parental leave, red cabins in the woods facing the fjord, clean water and air. My goodness, what are we doing still here, we should all move to Norway! Calm down.…
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Are Norwegians rude? What to expect from a people with no word for “please”.
On my first trip from Paris to Oslo, I was struggling to put my luggage in the overhead compartment. I looked around, and all Norwegians around me, especially men, were around 30 cm taller than me. But they were just looking at me struggle without offering any help. Smiling. Who does that, really? Smile and…
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Busting Norwegian Myth #2: Norwegians are all Tall and Blond
The first myth about Norwegian people that we broke in this series “Busting Norwegian Myths” is that Norwegian people are cold. Myth #2 we will try to break now is that Norwegians are all tall and blond. This is a misconception about Scandinavians in general and Norwegians in particular. When you think of Norwegians pictures…
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Busting Norwegian Myth #1: Norwegians are cold
There are many myths about Norwegian culture, society and country, and many of them are constructed, rumours or even plainly wrong. I am starting a series on breaking Norwegian myths. The first up is a classic: I haven’t made any Norwegian friends because NORWEGIAN PEOPLE ARE COLD. Are they, though? Sure, compared to your village…
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How to make Norwegian Friends During a Pandemic
Many many years ago (in 2013) I wrote a blogpost called How to make Norwegian Friends. Although there were lots of great tips there, such as joining activity groups and mingling in parties, this pandemic changed a few things. If you are feeling lonely in Norway as a foreigner, or are just willing to make…
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10 Norwegian Tips to Keep Warm in the Winter
Snow is accumulating and temperatures are sinking. So I’d say winter is here for good. And although you might cheer yourself up every morning by counting the days to Spring, you still need to get warm until that comes along. Time for a little Nordic course on how to keep warm whatever the temperature. Learn…