How foreigners in Norway make themselves 'more Norwegian' to fit in

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<a href="https://www.thelocal.no/tag/reader-insights" class="tag">Reader insights</a> <span>For Members</span> </div> <h1>How foreigners in Norway make themselves 'more Norwegian' to fit in</h1> <div class="meta"> <div class="article-single__author"> <img width="47" height="47" src="https://apiwp.thelocal.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=webp,width=47,quality=75/https://apiwp.thelocal.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/image1.jpeg" class="rounded-circle" alt="Frazer Norwell"> <div> <span> <strong><a href="/author/frazer-norwell">Frazer Norwell</a></strong> - frazer.norwell@thelocal.com </span> <div class="article__published"> <span>Published: 19 Jan, 2024 CET.</span> <span>Updated: Thu 25 Jan 2024 16:12 CET</span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="article-single__social"> <div> <button class="copy">Share</button> <ul class="social-sharers"> <li> <save-article-js :data="{"currentEditorial":"no","articleUrl":"https:\/\/www.thelocal.no\/20240119\/how-foreigners-in-norway-have-made-themselves-more-norwegian-to-fit-in","isCommercial":false,"save_article_route":"https:\/\/www.thelocal.no\/api\/v1\/user\/save-article","saved_articles_route":"https:\/\/www.thelocal.no\/members\/saved-articles","articleId":232941,"userId":null,"websitePlatform":"web","isArticleSavedByUser":false,"inSavedPage":false,"isPaidUser":false}"></save-article-js> </li> <li> <a class="comments-link" href="#article-comments"> <i class="fas fa-comment"></i> <span>Add a comment</span> </a> </li> <li> <button class="social-share facebook" data-sharer="facebook" title="Facebook"> <i class="fab fa-facebook-f"></i> </button> </li> <li> <button class="social-share twitter" data-sharer="twitter" data-tweet="How foreigners in Norway make themselves 'more Norwegian' to fit in" title="Twitter"> <i class="fab fa-twitter"></i> </button> </li> <li> <button class="social-share linkedin" data-sharer="linkedin" title="LinkedIn"> <i class="fab fa-linkedin-in"></i> </button> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="app-btn"></div> </div> </div> <figure class="figure article-single__feature"> <img width="850" height="550" src="https://apiwp.thelocal.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=webp,width=1200,quality=75/https://apiwp.thelocal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Credit_-ROMAOSLO-GettyImages-918103440.jpg" fetchpriority="high" class="figure-img img-fluid" alt="How foreigners in Norway make themselves 'more Norwegian' to fit in"> <figcaption class="figure-caption">The Local's readers have shared the ways in which they have made themselves more Norwegian to fit in. Pictured is a Norwegian woman cross-country skiing with dogs. Photo by ROMAOSLO/ Getty Images.</figcaption> </figure> <h2 class="article-single__excerpt"> From taking up new hobbies, tweaking their diets, and placing a more Norwegian name on their CV to changing how they act in social situations, foreigners in Norway have shared their stories of fitting in. </h3> <div class='tl-ad-container'><h3 class='tl-ad-heading'>Advertisement</h3><googlead-js :data='{"current_editorial":"no","name":"mpu_1","size":"[[300,250]]","css_class":""}'></googlead-js></div> <div id="articleBody" class="article-single__content cXenseParse"> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Moving to a new country is full of challenges, and there’s plenty to suggest that Norway is a harder country than most to adapt to. </span></p> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Several surveys have typically ranked Norway as <a href="https://www.thelocal.no/20230713/readers-reveal-is-norway-really-one-of-the-worst-countries-for-foreigners" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one of the hardest countries in the world for foreigners</a> to adapt to. </span></p> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">In our own survey among readers, many said that <a href="https://www.thelocal.no/20220714/readers-reveal-is-it-easy-to-settle-in-norway#:~:text=One%20of%20the%20biggest%20challenges,2022%20survey%20published%20by%20InterNations." target="_blank" rel="noopener">Norway deserved this ranking, or even if it didn’t, adjusting to life in the country wasn’t easy</a>. </span></p> <p><strong>READ ALSO: <a href="https://www.thelocal.no/20230627/how-norways-views-on-immigration-have-changed-over-time" target="_blank" rel="noopener">How Norway's views on immigration have changed over time</a></strong></p> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">We recently asked our readers if they had tried making themselves “more Norwegian” to fit in, and while there was a small sample size, 84 percent said they did. </span></p> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">The ways in which people have tweaked the ways they behaved varied greatly. Many said they had changed the way they dressed and the things they ate. </span></p> <div class="ml-manual-widget-container"></div> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">When it came to dressing “more Norwegian,” a previous survey among our readers revealed that <a href="https://www.thelocal.no/20220826/dress-for-the-weather-six-tips-on-how-to-dress-like-a-norwegian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the most distinctive aspect of dressing like a Norwegian was dressing for the weather</a>.</span></p> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">One other respondent said that they had changed the name on their CV to try to boost their job prospects. </span></p> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Many found the process of trying to fit in quite pleasant, picking and choosing the aspects of Norwegian life they liked best. </span></p> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">“Yes, I have enjoyed trying to be more Norwegian, particularly going </span><em><span data-preserver-spaces="true">på tur</span></em><span data-preserver-spaces="true"> in whatever weather with the right clothes on! I’m so used to saying <em>hei hei</em> when I pass people, especially out on a hike, that I got some strange looks when it slipped out in Ireland,” Katherine, who has lived in Canada and New Zealand but now lives close to Bodø in northern Norway, wrote. </span></p> <div class='tl-ad-container'><h3 class='tl-ad-heading'>Advertisement</h3><googlead-js :data='{"current_editorial":"no","name":"mpu_2","size":"[[300,250]]","css_class":""}'></googlead-js></div> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Others said they tried to remain themselves while picking up Norwegian habits. </span></p> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">“I have tried to remain myself while embracing aspects of Norwegian culture, for example, I’ve started skiing, I’m enjoying the concept of </span><em><span data-preserver-spaces="true">frilufsliv</span></em><span data-preserver-spaces="true">,” Marie, a South African resident who has lived in Norway for five years, said. </span></p> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Anthony, an American who recently relocated to Norway, said that while he wasn’t trying to be “more Norwegian”, he had changed his behaviour. </span></p> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">“It’s not that I’m trying to make myself ‘more Norwegian’ but more that I’m trying to become ‘less American.’ Changing my expectations and behaviours to better match my environment in a very ‘When in Rome...’ manner,” Anthony wrote. </span></p> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">While many enjoyed the process of becoming more Norwegian or felt that they haven’t had to try and be more like the locals, others have had a more frustrating experience of trying to fit in. </span></p> <div class='tl-ad-container'><h3 class='tl-ad-heading'>Advertisement</h3><googlead-js :data='{"current_editorial":"no","name":"mpu_3","size":"[[300,250]]","css_class":""}'></googlead-js></div> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Kari, an American who has spent a decade in Norway, said that trying to adapt had left her feeling frustrated. </span></p> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">“I’ve tried to suppress my emotions like happiness and sadness, etc, and have tried to speak more quietly with fewer words. I give less compliments to others, and I smile less. In doing so, I’ve ended up feeling more frustrated,” she wrote. </span></p> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Will, a Brit who has lived in Norway for almost nine years, has said that trying to become more Norwegian in his approach to work and education had left him feeling “unfulfilled”. </span></p> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">“At university, I was repeatedly told I was ‘showing off’ and therefore I stopped trying hard on exams, because as one examiner told me ‘you’ll lose marks if you keep referencing’,” he wrote. </span></p> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">“At work, anytime I came up with a critique of how we could improve things, I was often met with criticism that ‘I don’t understand Norway’ (even though I speak fluent Norwegian and have lived here nearly nine years). </span></p> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">So, in the last year, I’ve kept my head down and done the bare minimum. Yes, it’s more relaxing, and the relationship with my colleagues is better, but I feel very unfulfilled in my job,” he said. </span></p> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">In a previous survey among readers, while many shared their experience of preferring work culture in Norway to other countries, <a href="https://www.thelocal.no/20230922/high-wages-and-a-good-atmosphere-the-verdict-on-working-for-a-norwegian-firm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">several shared how the approach of their colleagues and higher-ups left them frustrated</a>. </span></p> </div> <div class="member-container"></div> <div class="article-single__tags"> <h3 class="block-title border-0">More</h3> <div class="tags-block"> <a href="https://www.thelocal.no/tag/reader-insights">#Reader insights</a> <a href="https://www.thelocal.no/tag/living-in-norway">#living in norway</a> <a href="https://www.thelocal.no/tag/quality-of-life">#Quality of life</a> </div> </div> <div class="article-single__comments" 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How foreigners in Norway make themselves 'more Norwegian' to fit in