Making friends in Norway

hi there....if you would like to call me my mobile number is 45437125 lets try to have a drink sometime I am an Australian and I have been here since May 5 and also have no friends....so it would be great to meet up...I will bring my boyfriend...and the three of us can have a beer....or coffee....

Hi,

II am a student of IIM Calacutta, coming for an exchange program in Oslo in BI Norwegian School of Management. I need accomodation for 1- 2 months starting Aug 28.
Can you suggest me a cheap accommodation around

Hi Shwetag,

maybe you should post in the classifieds ?

Thanks

Julien

Shwetag wrote:

Hi,

II am a student of IIM Calacutta, coming for an exchange program in Oslo in BI Norwegian School of Management. I need accomodation for 1- 2 months starting Aug 28.
Can you suggest me a cheap accommodation around

Hi Shwetag,

You might be able to find something on hybel.no and finn.no

thats right

Hello Britadian!!!

hahaha so funny! At the begining I thought you made a spelling mistake but now I know why Britadian !

Mmmh I can understand about the making friends. I felt little lonely too cos I missed my friends from MExico (im mexican by the way) but when i truely asked for friends then i started to find them!  I still do not know many Mexicans but i have find nice people in Oslo.

I do not think Norwegians are "bad" at making foreign friends, but in my opinion they tend to be kind a reserve. I have more Swedish friends and they are VERY open mind and sociable.

There might be friends for you too! Smile and just talk ! I think this is the easiest way to get friends.

Wish u a great day!!!

Clao

give me a call on 9804 6080, if u guys r up for another drink

Hi all! i'm moving to Bergen in 5 weeks and would love a coffee (black no sugar) a beer (bottled not draft) if anyone is keen?
I am moving as my fiance works out here at the airport so am going to give it a go, although from reading this forum I have slight reservations!!

Hi to all new members and a warm welcome to Expat-Blog!

This platform will allow you to share your experiences with other members and interact with them.

All the Best!

Regards,
Sheetul.

I have been living in Norway for 3 years and i am on the 1st year of high school and I still haven't got any good friend even to talk. They always and only stick to their old freinds and they ignore the new ones. They don't know even whether i exist.This is a part of their culture, I guess. This thing happens to almoat every foreigner who lives in norway. I am sri lankan and i have lot of friends around the world, mostly from US. US people are amazing comparing these crazy norwegians. I really can't bear this. I had such amazing friends, best friends in sri lanka, and now i don't have even anyone to talk at school!!! I am really sad about this situation ;(((

Hi, britadiantraveller,

Do you speak spanish as well?
I would like to move in norway, do you know how  can I do this?

I think I need to find somebody that can help me by renting a room first. I need an adress, right? I am interested to do this because I try to do live my life properly in Sweden, and I can't  
Its a bad moment to start living here in this season, specially if you don't come here to "take your chanse". They are keeping me completelly blocked. I need a work to live (of course), but can't do it without an adress, wich I don't have, I need a place to make my papers on...wich I don't have either... and so on but without happy end, of course.

Hi, TANYAg,

I always loved your home country... its my biggest dream to move in there. I would like to come in norway for now, and I have no friend either, maybe we can drink a beer "the four of us" , since you said about three....

I have been here for 13 years.  I live in Geilo, so a little rural in comparison with the larger population areas (I still will not acknowledge that Norway has cities)..
The biggest obstacle is that to make friends, real friends, you have to like what they do.  Norwegians are not big on disagreements, discussions or debate.  They mostly agree with each other.
Another factor is that as an outsider, we often have a different perspective on things, a differing world view and it is important that you do not criticise anything in Norway, that honour is reserved for Norwegians alone.  So even if you have noticed that nobody in Norway can build a road, or that in the 21st Century, the rail system seems dreadfully outdated (single track Oslo-Bergen), do not mention it.
The other thing is to get used to the misappropriation of words such as 'best'.  everything in Norway is the 'worlds best' or 'verdens beste'.  regardless of its actual quality and the fact that it has never been measured against anything else. 
I'm an Aussie, with an education and have never had problems making friends.  For me it is that there are not many Norwegians who I trust or share common interests with.  At 42 years old, I am not interested in going out drinking til I fall over, skiing in minus 30, hiking in pouring rain or eating fish that tastes like wallpaper glue.

If you want to find friends in Norway, doing it as and adult is hard. Even for other Norwegians its hard to make new Norwegian friends when they get adult. Being a foreigner doesnt make it easier.

The best way to make friends in Norway is to find someone with a common interest. Join a club or activity, either its sports, church or anything that you have an interest for. And remember that it takes time to warm up the Norwegians. Talk and chat with them several times. If you like them, and they are not obviously trying to avoid you, then invite them out/home to you/to do something etc. Dont wait for them to take the first step. The chance is that they have lots of friends allready and "have the time to wait".

And like another poster said earlier here. The Norwegians are sometimes a bit full of themselves. They are world best doing best in the world, allways, even if their country's infrastructure is falling apart around them. Its not a good idea to start out a friendship by critizising their country. (This goes for any country in the world I think)

Hope this post was helpful

Regards the husband of Mary_Jane

Welcome to Expat-blog Mary_Jane!

Thank you for your contribution.

Hi Everyone!
I hear what you're saying. Last week-end some friends and I discussed this very same topic. It inspired me to write about how to make friends here, based on my experience. Hope you find it useful!
http://expatsnorway.com/2011/05/15/expa … r-network/
Gisèle

soughtafter wrote:

britadiantraveller wrote:

Is anyone else finding it incredibly hard to make friends in Norway? I am a bit shy myself but it's to the point of rediculous with people here!

I'm at my wit's end...

That's quite sad. But don't give up, just keep on trying.

hi!am trying from nepal

Have any of you tried talking to your neighbours? Maybe not so much in Oslo, but in the districts, you're neighbour is always your friend.

Norwegians are a little lonely.

I have found however, I make friends faster when I pretend to be foreign rather than Norwegian..They just love telling you about their country. Lol

Not sure about the districts being easier, I find the xenophobia is worse if anything.  I know people here who have never spoken to their neighbours in over 20  years.
The biggest trick is to remember we are denied the right to make observations or suggestions about how things could be better, or easier.  A foreigners, we just have to play the role of grateful village idiot, smile all the time and agree that everything is the best here in Norway.
Problem with that is that after over a decade, the patience can run out and it can nigh on impossible to avoid any 'negative' comments.
Depending on where you are, try and network with other expats for a start, you will find a sympathetic ear to any frustrations and challenges you face, plus some advice as well from those who have been here longer.
Don't misunderstand me, there are great Norwegians out there with a wider world view, but it takes time to find them.

auswegian wrote:

A foreigners, we just have to play the role of grateful village idiot, smile all the time and agree that everything is the best here in Norway.

Don't worry...As a Norwegian expat, this somewhat provincial attitude is beyond me and I grate with alot of my fellow countrymen. But yes, they are nto all bad..but the superiority thing is irritating at the best of times. I'm looking to move back home to Norway after almost 2 decades abroad, with short stints in Norway in between..it's going to be a culture shock, but I am preparing myself..lol.

Auswegian is right 100%. Norwegians are extremely cold people and they simply cannot cope with foreigners.
   I've met nice Norwegians too, but all of them were in relation somehow with foreigners or a foreign country. For instance, I've a Norwegian girl who spent 8 years in Spain. She was amazing...I've met nice Norwergians married with Latin or Phillipina girls...they become very talkative, very open and most of all, no racists at all.
   My family doctor, a Norwegian, is married with an American lady. He is simply a real sweatheart! It's a pleasure to communicate with him.
   Another category of Norwegians who accept foreigners are young people who travel a lot. IT or banking guys who are very open minded, or who have expat colleagues.
   Unfortunately, all the others are very..special...icy look, dead-fish eyes and a tremendous desire to "eradicate" all the foreign presence in their country.

Could we please avoid stereotypes ?

Unfortunately, 'stereotyping' is inevitable as generalising is a result of peoples experiences.  I do not believe that anyone here is claiming that all Norwegians are cold, distant or xenophobic, in fact many of us have found love with, and married a Norwegian. 
That a blog like this, with other expats is used as an area to 'vent' frustrations and 'negative' impressions or experiences is practical.  As the foreigners here, it makes sense that we are not popular when we criticise the culture of the land we are in, however I believe that be sharing our experiences, we can learn from one another, perhaps help each other to see the opportunities or possibilities that are in a situation.  When subjected to discrimination, or excluded from a situation based on ones culture, ethnicity or nationality the frustration that is invoked can be obstructive in identifying the possible solutions or from learning valuable lessons.
Xenophobia is on the rise in Norway, this is documented in studies and is easily observed in media sources.  We do not have to accept that state of affairs and must have an avenue to complain, make observations, share impressions and propose alternative methodologies in tackling the challenges that immigrants face in a rather closed society.
Dismissing the ideas of 'stereotypes' is perhaps a little naive as in all data collection and statistical analysis, it is only by stereotyping that groups can be identified and measured. 
We are people with emotions, we can get angry, frustrated, saddened, disappointed, belittled and victimised.  That these types of emotions will colour our comments is not to be unexpected.  What we can do is propose solutions, alternative approaches and advice based on our own experiences.  It is our collective knowledge that will allow us to better participate in society here, to 'integrate' without losing our own identity.
I am Australian, I am proud of that, I don't want to be Norwegian.  I am proud of my culture and the accomplishments of my country and I don't believe that I should be made to feel inferior and have to sacrifice my self image to be able to engage in Norwegian society.  I simply believe that it is our differences that are the most valuable assets we have to offer the Mono-cultural society that we currently live in.  How we present that is the greatest challenge as it appears that it is our differences that are perceives as a direct threat to Norwegian culture by some closed minded people.

Hi, currently living at Gjovik.. new here! well, I must say it's hard to start a conversation.. but a SMILE to start a conversation will do