Culture Shock Norway : Cost of Living
This is the twelfth of a series which takes a look at the cultural differences you may experience when living in Norway. The cost of living in Stavanger is always a topic that comes up frequently on the minds of expatriates and in forums. This article aims to give you a brief overview of the...
Culture Shock Norway : Getting Around
This is the eleventh of a series which takes a look at the cultural differences you may experience when living in Norway. Walking Stavanger is a very small city and if you live in the city or around the city (for example in Bergsted, Våland, Eiganes, Stokka, Storhaug, etc), walking there takes only about 10...
Culture Shock Norway : Holidays
This is the tenth of a series which takes a look at the cultural differences you may experience when living in Norway. Most Norwegians love going on holidays. After all, why not, when you get a minimum of 5 weeks vacation time and all that extra money in June, July and December (excess tax, vacation...
Culture Shock Norway : Families and Children
This is the ninth of a series which takes a look at the cultural differences you may experience when living in Norway. Marriage and Divorce In Norway, parents or others cannot enter into marriage contracts on one’s behalf. If such contracts are entered into, they are not binding. Here, after dating for a while, couples...
Culture Shock Norway : Language
This is the eighth of a series which takes a look at the cultural differences you may experience when living in Norway. Speaking English in Norway Norwegians learn English as a second language in school from when they are about 8 years old. Of course, this does not mean that every Norwegian is fluent in...
Culture Shock Norway : Recycling and Waste
This is the seventh of a series which takes a look at the cultural differences you may experience when living in Norway. You step into your new home here in Norway and you realise there are several different coloured bins for your waste. What goes where?? Terms like bioavfall, papiravfall and restavfall are not going...
Culture Shock Norway : House and Home
This is the sixth of a series which takes a look at the cultural differences you may experience when living in Norway. Norwegians take pride in their homes and make special efforts to decorate their homes in the cosiest way possible. Many Norwegians I know seem to have been born with the talent for decorating....
Culture Shock Norway : Weather
This is the fifth of a series which takes a look at the cultural differences you may experience when living in Norway. The weather, the weather…. it’s one of the most common things we foreigners complain about in Stavanger, isn’t it? The Stavanger winter weather is a major challenge, especially for those moving here from...
Culture Shock Norway : Work
This is the third of a series which takes a look at the cultural differences you may experience when living in Norway. Work Structure Norway seems to be extremely non-hierachical in its company structure. Everyone is addressed by their first names – no Mr/Mrs X or Sir/Madam. Some attribute this to the ‘Jante Law‘, which...
Culture Shock Norway: Law and Order
This is the second of a series which takes a look at the cultural differences you may experience when living in Norway. You may be convicted of an offense even if you do not know that you are breaking a Norwegian law. It is therefore important to be familiar with the most important laws. In...
Culture Shock Norway : Food and Drinks
This is the first of a series which takes a look at the cultural differences you may experience when living in Norway. Food Norwegians tend to eat one warm meal a day (middag) and have bread with pålegg for breakfast(frokost), lunch (lunsj) and supper (kveldsmat). What is pålegg, I hear you ask? It is basically...
