Culture Shock in Norway
Most people experience culture shock when moving to a new country. Just having to create new routines and find your way around a strange city is a form of culture shock. There are specific areas where expats moving to Norway are likely to experience some culture shock. You will eventually get used to the prices, but you may need to budget differently, and adopt the Norwegian tradition of driving to Sweden or taking a ferry to Germany or Denmark to purchase cheaper food and beverages.
There is a Norwegian value called Janteloven, which can be difficult for expats to understand. It is similar to conformity and equality between all people. As a result, it is still considered inappropriate to flaunt your wealth, your achievements, or your career status. This is slowly changing, as oil-wealth and access to the world market is altering peoples’ views.
Getting to know Norwegians
Norwegians are known for being reserved, honest, humble, and straightforward people. They don’t like hierarchy in general, so your boss will be more likely to ask for your opinion than to give you orders. Expats often find that Norwegians are difficult to get to know. Norwegians can be wary of strangers, but open up once they are familiar with you. Once you are accepted and make a Norwegian friend, you will find that you have a friend for life.
You may also find that Norwegians are not outwardly social, and are unlikely to greet you in shops or in the street or even in social settings until they know you. If you are an extrovert, use your skills to get to know people. If you aren’t, but you want to meet Norwegians, find someone who can introduce you to others. Work is a good place to socialise and meet others, but after work, don’t be surprised if you are the only one wanting to hit the pub. Norwegians put a high priority on spending time with their families, and are likely to go home straight after work.
Office culture
Speaking of work, you may find Norwegian working hours surprisingly lax and flexible, and very family and sun-friendly. Norwegians work hard, and are effective during work hours, and Norwegian companies expect employees to work between 8am and 4pm. Don’t expect to find your colleagues or even your boss if you need something done after 4pm. On the rare warm and sunny days of the year, some companies close up shop at 3pm to allow their employees time with their families, to do sports and to be outdoors.
And if you have children, you can usually leave by 3.30pm or 4pm to pick them up from daycare, without the need for an excuse or explanation. If your children are sick, you are also able to stay home for a few days to take care of them. These general rules apply to the public sector and most private sector companies, but not all of them. Also, certain jobs do not allow for this kind of work-balance, such as consultants and senior management positions.
The great outdoors
Spending time outdoors and in nature is very important to Norwegians. You will often find the woods, coasts and waterways full of Norwegians indulging in på tur (hiking). It isn’t uncommon to hit the cross-country ski slopes after work and find the trails crowded. The 20% of Norwegians with holiday homes spend as much time as possible in them, either in the mountains or on the water, just enjoying the natural environment and the solitude they are afforded. Despite their love of quiet, the usually-reserved Norwegian will greet and happily chat with strangers they meet on backwoods trails.
Allemannsretten promotes the Norwegian tradition of going på tur. Allemannsretten is the general public’s right to access the vast majority of public and privately-owned land for recreation and exercise. This includes hiking, camping on someone else’s land (for up to three nights), to travel by boat on somebody else’s waters, and to pick wild flowers, mushrooms and berries. Everyone in Norway has this right of access to the countryside, which is written into legislation. However, it is important to remember that this right comes with a responsibility to take care of the land; not to litter or damage it in any way. The right is based on respect for the countryside, and visitors must always show consideration for farmers, landowners, other users and the environment itself. You are expected to leave the areas in the same condition as you found them.
Language
English-speakers have an advantage, since most Norwegians speak some English, and anyone born after 1960 is probably quite comfortable with, if not fluent in, English. However, though you won’t need to learn Norwegian (unless you want to become a citizen), it will certainly be useful in adapting to life in Norway. Many expats find it challenging to find a job once they are in Norway if they don’t speak the language, and most of the online services are in Norwegian, with an incomplete English translation.
Weather
One major challenge for those moving to Norway from warmer climes is coping with the cold weather and long, dark winters. These winters are one of the biggest challenges for expats in Norway. About 10% of the population suffers from some form of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), and most foreigners find the long, dark winter months tiring at best, and unbearable at worst. Those who fare worst may decide to leave. Others take the typical Norwegian approach of either a vacation in a warm country, or skiing, or a combination of both.
The best way to handle the winter season is to wear proper clothing, get a sunlamp for your home and office, take a mid-winter trip to a warmer climate, and practice winter sports like skiing. As the Norwegians say, “there is no bad weather, just bad clothing.” Norwegian houses are well insulated, so there is no reason for you to freeze as long as the heaters are on and you wear your woolies.
Cuisine
Depending on your taste in food, you may find the Norwegian cuisine boring and bland at worst, and unique and adventurous at best. Staple foods are fish, and rice or potatoes. Food, and especially meat, is expensive, and eating out will take a big chunk out of your wallet at most restaurants. Lunch is usually eaten during a half-hour lunch break, and consists of cold spreads of fish, meat, eggs or vegetables on slices of bread, often accompanied by a glass of milk. There is more variety than this in most cafeterias and restaurants, but don’t be surprised to find your colleagues eating these open-faced sandwiches every day. Dinners are more filling meals. Norwegian delicacies include pinnekjøtt (dried meat eaten at Christmas), lutefisk (dried whitefish prepared with lye), rakfisk (salted, fermented fish), risgrøt or riskrem (rice porridge), ribbe (fatty pork eaten around Christmas) and smalahove (sheep’s head). Many foreigners enjoy trying these typically Norwegian dishes, and may find them very tasty.
Religion
Though Norway’s government is officially linked to the Church of Norway (a Lutheran church), Norway is highly secular. Religion and personal faith are not common topics of discussion. There are many churches and a few temples and mosques, but there is controversy over other religious faiths and practices, such as wearing the Hijjab.
Alcohol
Norwegians, especially teenagers, see alcohol as an integral part of social life – sometimes to an extreme. Don’t be surprised if you come across vociferous and friendly alcoholics or drunken youths on public transportation, or in the streets after business hours and on weekends. There is a joke that if a stranger smiles or says hello to you in Norway, they are either drunk, a foreigner, or insane.
Hi-tech culture
Because Norway is such a modern, technologically-advanced and organised country, it is fairly easy to use the infrastructure, government services and online systems as long as you are aware of what they are. Some may find the structure of this Nordic society stifling, while others find it comforting. Things work well in Norway, overall. And with a solid welfare system in place, you will enjoy numerous benefits and quality services.
