How to deal with Norway?

Written by Maria Ærø Nielsen, Charlotte Schumacher & Jacqueline Winkler

Since when is cheese brown and sweet? Since when is a bar of chocolate more expensive than a litre of washing detergent? Since when is Oslo the capital of hotdogs and not salmon? This is what a lot of international students ask themselves after arriving in Oslo. So, how does one deal with it?

“I was at my first party in Oslo and suddenly all the boys started to take off their clothes!” tells a laughing Siebe from Belgium about his first contact with Norwegians. This outgoing behaviour is actually not the picture a lot of people have in their heads when thinking about Norwegians. Kyra from Aruba had a different first impression of them, “It can be intimidating, especially in the first few days when you go on the bus and no one talks to each other or when you carry your entire luggage and no one offers to help you.” This represents more the Norwegian stereotype. People here are said to be closed up, serious, unfriendly and stressed out. This combination makes it really hard to get to know a ‘real Norwegian’, but where there is a will there is a way. Kyra’s solution: try to make friends during the night time, “Norwegians get really social when they drink”.

“If you belong to a group, you really belong to it. No matter where you are from and which language you speak”

Another possibility is to join a society or do voluntary work. Jann-Jakob from Germany had the experience that people tend to be shy at the beginning. However, as soon as you start talking to them, they are really friendly. “You have to take the first step”. This realization was also the reason why he joined the Radio Nova team in ‘Det Norske Studentersamfund (DNS)’, the Norwegian Student Society. Australian exchange student Courtney also has joined one of the many student societies in DNS, ‘Tappetårnet’, the Bartender’s Society. “I actually heard about it by word-of-mouth and it is a great opportunity to meet new people and pick up some Norwegian phrases”. The Norwegian Student Society is located at Chateau Neuf and not only can you enjoy a great party there, but it is also a nice place to just hang out, have a coffee or meet up with fellow students. “If you belong to a group, you really belong to it. No matter where you are from and which language you speak”, says Jann-Jakob about his own experiences.

All four of them, and probably every other student here, agreed on one thing: everything is really expensive. So it is very important to know where you can get cheap things. One piece of advice is to shop at Grønland, “It is the home of the low prices” Courtney says with a big smile. Another one is to look for the cheapest place to go out and participate in the Norwegian tradition of “Vorspiel”, which means meeting up with friends before going out, having some drinks and socialising.

Get involved

The only way to really be part of Norway is to explore the way of life here and adapt to it. Participate in the activities and take the first step. Help is provided by the universities, the Det Norske Studentersamfund and if you are really desperate and out of ideas, watch the videos by Julien S. Bourrelle. It helps! So go on, buy some brown cheese and soon you will feel like a real Norwegian!