56: The Psychology of Moving to Norway

Life in Norway Show Episode 83: Buying a house in Norway is not something you might think about early in your relocation, but for today’s guest it was the main reason they chose to move. Full Show Notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/buying-a-house-podcast/ Christoph Graf is from Switzerland, and a big reason he chose to move to the Oslo region with his Norwegian wife was because of the better value housing than in his home country. On this episode, we talk about the house buying process. We cover research, viewing, and bidding. We also chat about some of the other reasons Christoph chose to relocate, including easy access to nature.

Life in Norway Show Episode 82: Florencia Meinardo from ‘El Podcast de Noruega’ joins us to talk about her relocation from Argentina, and the experience of native Spanish speakers in Norway. Full Show Notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/spanish-speaking-community/ Originally from Buenos Aires, Florencia spent some time living in the US before deciding to make Norway her home together with her Spanish partner. We talk about the relocation process, Florencia’s decision to learn Norwegian as quickly as possible, and what life in Norway is like as a native Spanish speaker.

Originally from Canada, Kristine moved to Trondheim with her partner and is now happily settled working in research. But it hasn't all been plain sailing for her. Full Show Notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/challenges-of-moving-to-trondheim-podcast/ Kristine arrived in Norway just weeks before the pandemic, which led to a unique relocation experience. Everything from meeting new people to learning Norwegian suddenly became more of a challenge. On today's show, we talk about what to expect when job hunting as a foreigner, some of the cultural barriers you’ll need to overcome, and the challenge of learning Norwegian. We also cover the things that Kristine likes about living in Trondheim, and those things she still finds challenging.

We often feature interviews with people relocating to Norway from the U.S., or like me, from the U.K. Today I welcome Surendra Thapaliya to the show for a different kind of story. He’s originally from Nepal, and moved to Norway in 2016 to study at BI, the Norwegian Business School. He’s since gone from strength to strength and now lives with his wife in Oslo, where he has a senior marketing position.  We talk about studying in Oslo, the differences between life in Nepal and life in Norway, and his own projects helping other from Nepal study abroad. Full Show Notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/moving-from-nepal-to-norway/ Links from the Show: Surendra's employer Culture Intelligence Our Complete Guide to Oslo Connect with Surendra on LinkedIn Surendra's videos for the Nepalese community on YouTube  

Life in Norway Show Episode 79: Abby Noble shares her inspiring story of planning exactly how she would find a job in Norway, obtaining a job-seeker permit, and finding her ideal job in an Oslo architecture firm. Moving to Norway is a dream for many, but finding a job is often the biggest barrier. Today I’m joined by Abby Noble, an American who moved to Norway without a job in order to find one. She applied for Norway’s job-seeker visa in order to carry out her plan. She joins me on the show today to talk about the visa, and her process for finding work in the architecture industry in Oslo. Full Show Notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/job-seeker-permit-success/

Life in Norway Show Episode 78: Daniela Laguniak, an expedition leader with Havila Voyages, tells us about her relocation to Northern Norway and her working life on the Norwegian coastal route. Originally from Germany, she is fluent in three languages and lives in a remote part of Finnmark, Northern Norway. Daniela worked a seasonal tourism job at the North Cape in 2012 and then made the decision to move to Norway permanently. She now lives in Tana, one of the most remote parts of Arctic Norway, with her Sami partner. She also talks about her working life on board the Havila Polaris, where she works for 22 days, followed by 22 days off. It's a shift pattern that wouldn't suit everyone, but it suits Daniela perfectly. Full Show Notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/moving-from-germany-to-arctic-norway/

This is episode 77 of the Life in Norway Show. Moving to Norway from outside Europe poses a whole heap of challenges, not least convincing an employer to take a chance on you. Today I’m joined by Isabelle Loh, originally from Singapore and having relocated to Oslo with her Norwegian partner, she shared her frustrations about finding a job on LinkedIn, and drew a big response.  We talk about life in Oslo, how she’s gone about the job search and how that has changed over time, and some advice for fellow job-seekers. Full Show Notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/moving-from-singapore-to-oslo/

Life in Norway Show #76: From the Sami Parliament and efforts to keep the languages alive to the importance of handicrafts and song, we hear all about Sami culture in 2024. Full Show Notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/sami-culture-podcast/ The recent wind turbine controversy has brought Sami culture and indigenous rights back into the headlines here in Norway, and around the world. Bodø is about to start its year as European Capital of Culture, and the team has put Sami culture at the very heart of the program. So, who better to introduce us to the various aspects of Sami culture than Maria Hernes Bær, the coordinator of the Sami program for Bodø 2024. We talk about Sami identity, some elements of the culture including what tourists experience and what they don’t, and the plans to showcase Sami culture at Bodø 2024.

Life in Norway Show Episode 75: One of the most common questions I receive at Life in Norway is about retirement, specifically the idea of moving to Norway to retire. Full Show Notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/retirement-to-northern-norway/ Now, while at the moment I plan to retire here, that’s not the same thing as moving here when already retired. I always thought that was a difficult thing to do, but a Life in Norway reader recently got in touch to share their story, and I immediately invited them on to the show. Not only have they retired to Norway, but they’ve retired to a remote part of Northern Norway. In today’s show I talk to Trevor Rulton about the benefits of challenges of living in a remote area, what everyday life is like, the admin process of moving to Norway, and lots more.

This show is going to be a little bit different because I don’t have a guest, it’s just me, as I look ahead to all things Norway in 2024. Full Show Notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/norway-in-2024-podcast/ I’ll talk a little about what to expect for those of you planning a trip to Norway in 2024, plus information on what’s changing for those of us who live here in Norway. Finally I’ll talk a little bit about what you can expect from us here at Life in Norway over the coming year. First things first, if you’re not already a member at Life in Norway, head on over to lifeinnorway.net/weekly. You’ll join more than 17,000 people who receive our popular Norway Weekly newsletter every Tuesday morning.