Norway is not an easy place to live in
Especially in mid-November in the dark, under the snow and freezing temperatures
Knowing that the Sun will not be back until May
And that most of your life will be spent between four walls for the next six months
But let us think for a moment about how beautiful of a country Norway is
And how beautiful people Norwegians are
It is place where cities are small, clean, well-organised and unpolluted
People come from all around the world to admire Norway’s stunning fjords and mountains, and its pristine nature
Norwegians themselves are quite beautiful, and that keeps many of us here!
The welfare system is one of the world’s most generous and provides the very best family support
Everyone is considered equal and very little social classes exist
There is a strong feeling of community where everyone is expected and willing to contribute to society
People respect each other, it is a peaceful place with little aggressiveness and low criminality
Two things make it challenging
The climate and connecting with Norwegians
Norwegians are peaceful, helpful and trustful
They are often shy, reserved, well behaved, well organised, calm, efficient, pragmatic and serious
When Norwegians are sober, rigid norms frame their social interactions
If you do not obey these unwritten social norms, you may easily end up not succeeding socially
This changes with alcohol and the contrast can be shocking
I wrote two social guidebooks to help you adapt socially
And Sean Percival wrote a great book helping you Working with Norwegians
Enjoy Norway and Norwegians
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Read more about our amazing Norwegian friends in our Complete Norwegian Toolkit
