This was a tongue-in-cheek go-to guide with helpful tips to get you set up in Norway and integrate into Norwegian culture.
As a largely homogenous culture, with a deep-seated belief system centred around equality and monopolistic government practices, Norway can be a difficult country to infiltrate as a foreigner — particularly from the author’s viewpoint as an American.
Whereas the American mindset celebrates freedom and free speech, Norwegians are far more polite, which can lead to misunderstandings when their discomfort is not voiced. Norwegians can also appear “stand-offish”, and their tendency to keep to themselves may be very unhelpful to newcomers. This guide aims to counteract that by giving ex-pats a few quick tips to get started.
There are some aspects of practical advice — job sites and real estate sites, setting up telecommunications, stocking up on vitamins and meds, transferring money, duty-free shopping, setting up a bank account, accessing healthcare, using transportation, and much more.
There are also some suggestions of things to do to fit in with the Norwegian culture — firstly, understand the law of Jante! This refers to the cultural values that encourage Norwegians not to excel above and beyond their peers, and to remain modest and humble. With that as the centrepiece of your approach, you can try a taste of Norwegian culture: go skiing, try brunost, attend a nachspiel, do a dugnad, go to the hytte, try snus, eat a Kvik Lunsj on top of a mountain, attend a julebord, or perhaps jump into a freezing fjord.
In terms of the writing style, it was very brief and jaunty so that you can quickly scan through — both figuratively with your eyes, and literally with your phone. Several sections throughout the book have QR codes to go directly to the resources the author provides — joining ex-pat groups, finding job listings, visiting the Utlendingsdirektoratet website (the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration), and even links to get discounts for shopping for clothes and accessories.
Apart from the general tips, there was also some background information to give greater cultural context: atheism is common, Swedes are their rivals, and casual sex is the norm. A few survival tips will also come in handy — know the mountain weather rules, take your vitamin D, and enjoy the rare appearance of the sun! Finally, a glossary ties it all in with a reference guide for some of the language used throughout the book.
Fair warning: as with the other book in the series that I reviewed prior, keep in mind that this guide is based on personal experience rather than formal research, and therefore it would not be representative of the entire gamut of all reader types especially in terms of diversity, race, gender, sexuality, disability, cultural and geographical background, etc. Nevertheless there is a huge wealth of information here, presented in an easily digestible format for a modern tech-savvy audience — illustrations, large fonts, and QR codes; and this book would serve as a great starting point for anyone. It gets you to the point quickly and efficiently, and definitely hits the sweet spot for those who want a light, short “cliff notes” guide rather than a scholarly tome.
As a second-time reader of this author and this series, I again enjoyed this swift, humorous read — which I snapped up quickly once I saw it was available! I loved the easy-to-read format with tips and accessible resources, and I feel that I also gained a deeper appreciation of what it would mean to uproot my life and move to a country that is so special and unique (especially with all that “nature porn”!).
Now, bear in mind you can’t take things too seriously while reading this book. It’s not meant to be the only research you do before migrating! I can see this being the perfect book you’d gift to a friend who just got a job and will be moving to Norway. It might save someone a bit of stress in the earliest stages of such a move, and may bring a smile to their faces when they do inevitably meet that (somewhat rude) Norwegian who says: “Welcome to Norway! Do you plan to stay?”
