Re: Is anyone here Norwegian?

by **Kil'drakor** Mon May 31, 2010 10:53 pm

Wicked healthcare.

by **Jakins** Mon May 31, 2010 10:55 pm

Yeah but so does the rest of Europe.

by **Shandrea/Nar'Gaya** Mon May 31, 2010 11:05 pm

Oo Where do you all get the idea that Norway has friendly people? We're almost as bad as finland when it comes to cold unfriendly people.
Fjords is all good and well I suppose, but moving to a country only because of the scenary...? Get a summerhouse or something instead. Razz

I myself live on the other (read: Correct) side of the "fjord" Etular, but I know Renhali for example is from/knows some people in Sandefjord. You should try to hook up with her and get her to show you around Smile

Good luck on moving to Norway! ^^

by Guest Mon May 31, 2010 11:33 pm

If I'd move to Scandinavia, I'd check out sweden or finland first. People there are more awesome (sorry Whoops/Kenneth, whereever you are). Norway seems like an intensly dull place.

Also, what happened to <The BIades>?

by **Etular** Tue Jun 01, 2010 12:33 am

Jakins wrote:While I would like to move out of the UK myself (bloody awful country, political wise among other things, like people), I don't know if I'd want to move to Norway, of all places.

Any other reasons you'd want to move there?

Perhaps because I haven't found one good reason not to move there yet...? Other than, ofcourse, that annoying Jante Law... Points 9 and 11 of that law are unbelievably annoying to try and obey. I've found plenty of reasons to move there, as I am highly interested in the culture/cuisine/landscape/every other bit of research I have done on the country (also, *cough* all the HDI Values *cough*), but yet very little to dissuade me from going there. Quite frankly, comparing where I live to Norway (or what I've heard); where I live is a yobbish public estate where local thugs constantly harass other residents. I am house-bound, myself, and whenever I ever leave my house it's to go to school... In Norway, however, their Egalitarian outlook apparently means that pretty much all students are brought up with respect and decency (more so that Britain, in any case), whereas they are still able to (and encouraged) to express their individuality/thoughts/opinions (in comparison to Britain, where we're ignored for the most part).

Felitzia wrote:Oo Where do you all get the idea that Norway has friendly people? We're almost as bad as finland when it comes to cold unfriendly people.
Fjords is all good and well I suppose, but moving to a country only because of the scenary...? Get a summerhouse or something instead.

Perhaps "Friendly" is the wrong word, now that I think of it (*cough* Rule 9 of Jante Law/Janteloven *cough*), but respectful and humble are most certainly the correct words! Anyone who views the Americans as being "too prude" are valued and respected highly in my books. If there are certain values I place highly they are humility, respect and honesty - of which I know that most British People lack, and I am led to believe that these are key traits of Norwegian Values.

As for the scenery, I assure you, it's more than just the scenery. Razz

As said, Culture, History, Humility, Equality, High HDI Factors, Cuisine (Mmm... Smoked Salmon, Open Sandwiches, Reindeer, Moose, Fish etc.), A casualness not found in most other countries and other factors (such as Educational values) all play a role in my decision.

Felitzia wrote:
I myself live on the other (read: Correct) side of the "fjord" Etular, but I know Renhali for example is from/knows some people in Sandefjord. You should try to hook up with her and get her to show you around

Good luck on moving to Norway! ^^

Do you know where I might contact this "Renhali", by any chance? Also, any advice on where I can learn the language would be greatly appreciated - as, for now, I seem to be stuck with learning Galstrim's Youtube Videos. Laughing

Just to clarify to people, when I say I'll move in the "not-too-distant future", I was actually referring somewhat to a few years time - after I've passed GCSEs, A levels and possibly even university. For now, it's mostly just pre-pre-planning. Razz

by **Shandrea/Nar'Gaya** Tue Jun 01, 2010 12:47 am

Renhali is the sweetest girl in the world (or atleast here in Norway), you should be able to find her here on the forums Smile

I've never heard or gotten the impression that Norwegians are humble though, so I've no idea where you've gotten that Razz

And on another note, all that couisine you speak of can be experianced in a week's holiday.
I don't really think we're famous for honesty or respect either though... Norway is nothing like hte fairy tales say it to be. Yes it's a beautiful country with a great history. Just a shame we've been sloppy with preserving that history, and have close to nothing left from it.

Schools and Healthcare are decent here I guess, but the country is simply too expensive to live in, unless you're a millionaire. Sorry to disappoint you dear, but Norway isn't all that great Razz

by Guest Tue Jun 01, 2010 12:53 am

Norway in this thread sounds very much like stereotypical England.

Yeeeeah...

by **Shandrea/Nar'Gaya** Tue Jun 01, 2010 12:58 am

It's not all that different to be honest. It's a cold and excluding community.

If you want friendly people, the food and the beautiful nature of Norway, move to Canada and import norwegian food. They're much more awesome. *nods*

by **Aadaria-Ioanna** Tue Jun 01, 2010 1:00 am

Greetings Etular.

This was a stunning read. I am not the first one to say: Sandefjord is such a lovely town... I'd rather move out of Norway, so why my town hmm? *peers at supiciously*

And yes suspiciously. As my town despite its history shouldnt be the first one to pick. There is nothing with Sandefjord in particular that makes people go: "Omg I want to move to Norway, to this town.. People tends to go for Bergen, Trondheim, Stavanger, Oslo.. We have viking ships, whale hunting, the possible most active Wiccan town except from Bergen you will find in Norway, we have Viking dig outs, we have fjords, women, we are not more warmhearted, genuinly welcoming than other cities. Some do yes pride themselves in the code of honesty and humilty but like all other places, this is not the majority. Warmhearted, welcoming, go to Spain, go to Greece or somewhere else^^ Or go for Ireland or Scotland *dreams* also places to dream of for some years.

So why?^^

One has to ask. And as Feli stated with some changes, I do not bite that hard so feel free to poke with questions:)

by **Aadaria-Ioanna** Tue Jun 01, 2010 1:01 am

And btw. Norway isnt more dull than Finland or Sweeden, sorry^^ They are all very mutual on the: Excitement is what you make it be, and life is what you make it be.. Same as the rules of rp. Dont search it, make it^_^

by **Shandrea/Nar'Gaya** Tue Jun 01, 2010 1:04 am

That is true dearest. And the people I call friends are ofcourse awesome friendly and open people, but sadly that's not the norm here.

by **Etular** Tue Jun 01, 2010 1:24 am

Felitzia wrote:Renhali is the sweetest girl in the (or atleast here in Norway), you should be able to find her here on the forums

Thanks. I'll be sure to search her tomorrow.

Felitzia wrote:
I've never heard or gotten the impression that Norwegians are humble though, so I've no idea where you've gotten that And on another note, all that couisine you speak of can be experianced in a week's holiday.
I don't really think we're famous for honesty or respect either though... Norway is nothing like hte fairy tales say it to be. Yes it's a beautiful country with a great history. Just a shame we've been sloppy with preserving that history, and have close to nothing left from it.

These "impressions" are mostly from first-person accounts of various researched internet articles of people's opinions on the country. As for the cuisine, although it may be experienced in a weeks holiday, surely a weeks worth of Norwegian Dishes doesn't show the true nature of Norwegian Cuisine. It's like saying that Fish and Chips, Yorkshire Pudding and English Breakfasts are typical of English Cuisine (which, although true, isn't everything there is to English cuisine. For example, we enjoy various other dishes such as the Italian pizza, Shepherd's Pie etc. of which aren't associated as being "English dishes", yet are frequently eaten throughout England).

As for the history, Sandefjord has a Whaling Museum - as well as having been found to have one of the best preserved Viking Ships (before, ofcourse, it was moved to some museum in Oslo or some such city and replaced currently by a model of the antique...).

Felitzia wrote:
Schools and Healthcare are decent here I guess, but the country is simply too expensive to live in, unless you're a millionaire. Sorry to disappoint you dear, but Norway isn't all that great

*Is currently getting A's academically, and is expecting to get A's to A*'s in GCSEs* I doubt money will be much of a problem for myself, as I have found myself financially preparing currently for such a move in the future. By the way, I'm still not dissuaded. Razz

And, to quote this source:

2.6.2 A Nordic national character?

Since nordishness can be depicted only in contrast to other cultural
patterns, the following features have been collected among immigrants
to Sweden, as representative for their impression of their new
compatriots. The cultural anthropologist Åke Daun has written quite a
few articles and books on this topic in the Swedish language. The
following is an attempt to concentrate the most important of his
points.

Many point out how they never get invited to neighbors or colleagues.
This is easy to interpret as a suppressed hostility, i.e. as
xenophobia or discrimination. To a limited extent such interpretations
might be justified, but it could also be explained by the social
pattern among the Swedes. Also Nordeners can be good colleagues - year
after year - without this making them meeting privately. We tend to
draw a clear border between our private life on one side with a few
close friends and a bunch of relatives, and on the other side social
contacts with others. To one's home one receives siblings with
families maybe an old schoolmate or some friend since the childhood,
and maybe one or two "recent" friends with their families, for
instance a former or actual neighbor or colleague.

But it's typical how this circle is rather narrow and additionally
stable over the years. A consequence is that it's rather hard for
newcomers to a town or a village to break into such a narrow circle,
particularly for aliens.

This feature is enforced by the strong tendency among Swedes to
achieve socio-cultural homogeneity. Another typical Nordic feature
contributes to this tendency: the wish for conflict free encounters in
the private life.

Swedes are particularly prone to achieve consensus in attitudes and
opinions, and avoid socializing with others than like-minded people.
Confrontations are regarded as particularly unpleasant. Nordeners are
not curious enough to balance for this fear for the different. We do
also not believe ourselves to be interesting enough to wake the
curiousness of others, and to compensate for this there must be food
and beverages, and maybe particular activities, when meeting others.

Another feature worth to note is shyness, which is particularly
prevalent among Finns and Scandinavians. People feel inhibited around
others one doesn't know well, and one is very observant on one's own
behavior since it is regarded as very important to control which
impression others get of oneself. Among less well known people, one
gets extra careful since it is harder to anticipate their perceptions
and reactions.

Another reason to not visiting others and not inviting others is the
high requirement one wish to comply to regarding food and cleanliness
when foreigners visit one's home. To feel comfortable with foreigners
at home, one needs a long time for emotional and practical
preparations.

A sign of the borderline between the private sphere and work is the
Nordic resistance against small talk about private matters with
strangers, which has been reported to be a great hinder in business
contacts in foreign countries.

The lack of passions strangers might perceive in Nordics is surely
both reflecting a genuine trait and the fact that most strangers don't
meet Nordics in a context the Nordics would regard as private and
unrestrained (except for drunk appearances - see section 2.10!).

Rational reasons have a strong precedence over for emotional reasons.
Emotions are not at all disapproved in all contexts, but they are
regarded as "pure" emotions of no further value than to signal one's
general unhappiness with life or fate.

Quietness is regarded as the commonly accepted norm, and noisy fellows
are strongly disapproved. Vociferous stubbornness is deemed as very
ill-mannered. As is interrupting and talking in the mouth of others.

The Nordic ideal is to think twice before one speaks, and to utter
only one's most firm beliefs, and only when there is a considered
intention. What one says is remembered for ages, and if one says
something stupid or "wrong" it will be proof of one's stupidness and
general incompetence,
...and can be used against one in encounters ages afterward...

To be kind and good-natured is important. One prefer to be quiet or
agreeable instead of uttering an opposing opinion, unless one really
aims at hurting.

Leaving the professional ethnologist Åke Daun aside, we can note how
the Norwegians and the Finns, who gained independence first in the
20:th century tend to be much more nationalistic than Danes or Swedes.
Tor Slettnes points out how Norwegians are generally strongly affected
by their own culture. Norwegian national romanticism has of course its
roots in the independence movements from Denmark, Sweden, and German
occupants, and is much more accepted and appreciated by Norwegians
themselves, than by outsiders. Because nationalism often (in Germany,
Sweden, USA etc) has been a political taboo, later to be picked up by
anti-establishment semi-nazi groups, citizens of these places might
find the Norwegian national pride hard to swallow.

...oh, and I almost forgot! Nordeners usually think we are very good
at upbringing children, condemning the "cold" and unfriendly attitudes
to children in for instance France or the UK. Spanking of children is
not acceptable anymore, and actually unlawful in most countries.

Whether reliable or not, despite referring to the entire Scandinavian Area, these people more than likely sound like people I can relate to greatly. The Bolded (which is pretty much all of it) refer to traits that seem to match my own behaviour perfectly - yet is frowned upon social in Great Britain.

Renhali Telenar wrote:Greetings Etular.

This was a stunning read. I am not the first one to say: Sandefjord is such a lovely town... I'd rather move out of Norway, so why my town hmm? *peers at supiciously*

And yes suspiciously. As my town despite its history shouldnt be the first omg I want to move to Norway, to this town.. People tends to go for Bergen, Trondheim, Stavanger, Oslo..

So why?^^

One has to ask. And as Silje stated with some changes, I do not bite that hard so feel free to poke with questions:)

Simple reasoning. I wanted a city that wasn't too big, nor too small. I wanted a city that was rather inconspicuous, thus, it won't have too big of a community. Still, I wanted it to have a similar population to the city I live in currently, have a national language of Bokmal and not be considered a "major city" of sorts. Fate had it that I chose Sandefjord. From further Wikipedia research, I was drawn in by it's historical attraction, it's landscape (although the same can also be said for most of Norway Laughing

) and, most of all, the discovery that it is considered to house one of the top Norwegian Cuisine Restaurants! Twisted Evil

So, yes, my choosing of the city was rather random - but after having learnt so much about it, I doubt I would really choose to change my mind now if given the chance.

As for questions, I'll most likely decide to PM you tomorrow. Thanks.

by Guest Tue Jun 01, 2010 1:25 am

Felitzia wrote:If you want friendly people, the food and the beautiful nature of Norway, move to Canada and import norwegian food. They're much more awesome. *nods*

HA HA HA HA HAA!!! Yesss...come to Canada, come to me... Twisted Evil

And you don't need to import silly Norwegian food, you can have this!

by **Aadaria-Ioanna** Tue Jun 01, 2010 1:32 am

Hehe.. He is still a young man Felinaa. I doubt he is going to move anywhere for the next 5-6 years^^

by Guest Tue Jun 01, 2010 1:33 am

Renhali Telenar wrote:Hehe.. He is still a young man Felinaa. I doubt he is going to move anywhere for the next 5-6 years^^

*disappointed* Having Etular here would so totally make Archal jealous. And that'd be worth importing him myself, I think.

by **Halya** Tue Jun 01, 2010 1:42 am

Yeah, I don't think Etular has the means to support moving himself any time soon. Look to take some holidays before you move completely fella; when you have the means to pay for either.

by **Chase - Esou** Tue Jun 01, 2010 2:04 am

Say whatever you want about Norway, Slartibartfast did a pretty good job on those fjords.

Edit: To actually contribute on the topic, I went up to Trondheim in february to see someone and the norwegians seem to have a sixth sense of balance! There was ice everywhere on the street but I was the only one having trouble walking. Everyone just seemed to dance over the frostbitten pavement like they were speedhacking or something. Mad

by **Nayan** Tue Jun 01, 2010 6:55 am

Etular, how on earth did you manage to have in the same uneditted post "I'll be sure to search her tomorrow" about Renhali and quote her and reply to her...? O.o

But yes, reading the location, that was the first name sprung to mind, as well.

by **Nithel** Tue Jun 01, 2010 7:12 am

Moving in itself is indeed an expensive happening. Moving to the most expensive country in Europe even more so and makes it a big ordeal. So as Halya said, explore the country in person.

My tip is to go work there for (a) month(s) during summer holidays or perhaps go to a summer university course. It's hard to judge the entire nature of a country from what you read. In the current university system, it is also quite easy if you have good grades to go study in different places with the erasmus projects going on, try enlisting for one of those if you can.

by **Lilenath/Ilynaeth** Tue Jun 01, 2010 7:18 am

Renhali Telenar wrote:

Or go for Ireland or Scotland *dreams*

Do not, under any circumstances, move to Scotland.
I have family in Ireland, it's a nice place, if a little dull.
But do not move to Scotland. The accent will kill your ears, along with all the other problems our terrible country has.

/pessimism

by **Shaelyssa** Tue Jun 01, 2010 7:23 am

Scotland is absolutely fabulous and beautiful and so is the accent uh <3! I'm personally planning to go there for uni.

by **Jakins** Tue Jun 01, 2010 8:36 am

Lilenath wrote:
Renhali Telenar wrote:

Or go for Ireland or Scotland *dreams*

Do not, under any circumstances, move to Scotland.
I have family in Ireland, it's a nice place, if a little dull.
But do not move to Scotland. The accent will kill your ears, along with all the other problems our terrible country has.

/pessimism

Our accent kills us inside...no, really.

The Inverneign accent is terrible! I mean, check out how Karen Gillan speaks if you want to know how bad it is.

Why Karen Gillan? She's my sister's friend and only a few months older than me *shrug* So she still has the accent.

WE CAN'T GET RID OF IT!!!

Otherwise, Scotland's actually nice to live in. I'm actually having a horrible time deciding to live elsewhere from where I live now.

by **Halya** Tue Jun 01, 2010 9:08 am

Argentina's quite nice.

by Guest Tue Jun 01, 2010 9:46 am

Felinaa/Dijie/Finnabhair wrote:
Renhali Telenar wrote:Hehe.. He is still a young man Felinaa. I doubt he is going to move anywhere for the next 5-6 years^^

*disappointed* Having Etular here would so totally make Archal jealous. And that'd be worth importing him myself, I think.

Nigger what?

by **Etular** Tue Jun 01, 2010 10:55 am

Nayan wrote:Etular, how on earth did you manage to have in the same uneditted post "I'll be sure to search her tomorrow" about Renhali and quote her and reply to her...? O.o

But yes, reading the location, that was the first name sprung to mind, as well.

Haha. I remembered that just as I was going to bed at 2AM last night/morning. Laughing

I ended up writing that in, clicked post to find out there were new posts and then quoted her without removing the "I'll search her up tomorrow". Razz

Nithel wrote:Moving in itself is indeed an expensive happening. Moving to the most expensive country in Europe even more so and makes it a big ordeal. So as Halya said, explore the country in person.

My tip is to go work there for (a) month(s) during summer holidays or perhaps go to a summer university course. It's hard to judge the entire nature of a country from what you read. In the current university system, it is also quite easy if you have good grades to go study in different places with the erasmus projects going on, try enlisting for one of those if you can.

I plan to go on holidays as soon as I can, but my parents can never fund any holidays abroad (mostly due to my exceptionally high Electricity Bills and WoW Rolling Eyes

). As for the erasmus project, it sounds like an excellent idea that I think I will most likely try to apply for. The fact that I'm predicted A's and plan to do A levels also helps. Very Happy

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