How to make friends in Norway

hi, i m srilanken and working and staying in italy...so i like to make friends with others...i like to know you all. my e-mail   dissanayakearavinda@yahoo.com      also i like to move to norway.

Hi Line,
I am also new in Norway, Oslo and would be pleased to meet you.
Ha en fin helg!
Chadi Mallat.

Hey guys, Count me in if you arrange a meetup in Oslo. a4asifiqbal@yahoo.com

I just went to reply to this topic happy to see that lots of you have replied already I think this is something so, so many people struggle with when they move to Norway as the people on a whole can come off as a little unfriendly - At least on first impressions.

Make the most of the people you DO know.

Even if you know ONE person, that person will know several other people so even if you don't particularly want to go to that outing or that party they invited you to. Go. It'll be nerve racking but you never know who else you may meet. Don't pass up chances you get even if you think they aren't worth taking.

Join...Something! - I saw this already mentioned above but its so important!

For me I opted for joining a Norwegian language class, now even if I didn't find that many friends off it I bump into people I know in town, in the grocery store etc and it just makes things feel more homely! If you're lucky you'll make friends out of it too, maybe even a job! It doesn't have to be norwegian classes just anything - art classes, cooking, anything!

You also have to think about making friends not in terms of making new friends in a new country, but making new friends, period. Language barrier aside, how does one go about making friends? Mutual acquaintances, common interests, common habits (jobs/school). These are the most common ways to make friends. So use that as a starting point. It's intimidating and scary, yes, but I'm sure so was your first day of (new) school. You just gotta go out and make friends like you're in kindergarten again.

Mutual acquaintances: I have to agree with the above post. I'm new to Trondheim and have some friendships developing out of one point of contact. Make use of what you do have. If you don't have that person, then you've gotta go out and make that contact. Again, think kindergarten.

Common interests: I also think joining a sports team (someone mentioned rugby up there Not my cup of tea, but I would love to join a football team or curling in winter) is a great option too. Sports are easy ways to socialize with people. I think the biggest issue is finding a team to join. A lot of companies have recreational teams you can join (some you don't even need to work at the company), but as a not-so-fantastic-Norwegian-speaker you may not be able to navigate your way to the right places to join these teams/groups/social clubs. I don't really have any answers on how to find these things (I haven't yet), but that's one option.

Some people might not like sports - but Norway super cultural and there's always something you can join - a knitting club, a biking group, hiking groups, yoga etc...

Common habits: work, school, etc... This can be, by far, the easiest way to meet people. I know there are Norwegian language classes offered by many municipalities. This is a good start - not only do you have common interests/goals (learning Norwegian) and are going to school together, but I bet there are people there that can understand your perspective: new in the country/city, working through language issues, navigating a different culture. These may be people who will become great source of support as they're going through similar things. In addition, you can find yourself a Norwegian-language study buddy.

I can't speak to the work place, but I imagine it's not impossible to have work friends; it just might be a little more difficult.

Hello everyone. I just arrived in Oslo. Staying here for a couple of months cos of work. I am free during the weekends so i hope i can find someone to show me around Oslo and maybe have a couple of drinks, or more then just a couple?   Cheers. If anyone from Oslo would be kind enough to show me around please send me a message.

tante_pus wrote:

This is especially noticeable at the grocery store where personal space goes out the window and being first one out of the store is PRIORITY number 1.

LOL! So true about the grocery store!

Iam a 27 years old male , civil Engineer,Iam looking for a job offer in Norway.Any ideas guys where to look ?

Yeah it's really hard to move alone to a country where you don't know anyone one that's why i think people should start making friends before they move there so they can make their life less lonely there.Good luck everyone

Want to know some new friends here, got back to Norway for almost one year

[Moderated: off topic]

hey i am from norway but live in england

a friend with a good character

@don mekki -> Can you please introduce yourself?

Thank you,
Aurélie

People in different countries socialize in different ways...

Like if you go to Morocco or India you might be invited into someone's home straight away even if you only started talking with that person - and in contrast a country such as Scotland would seem extremely reserved in comparison when it comes to hospitality - but for someone from Scotland going to Scandinavia, he would feel the exact same about Scandinavians.

I think it's due to some cultures favouritising "Collective behaviour/mentality" and other country favour "Individuality". Personally I like a mix of the both - sometimes I love it when you are always welcome in someone's home , while at other times it is nice just to be able to shut the door and not have neighbours/friends/family come in/out of the house all the time!

I read that the welfare system , the collective redistribution system in Scandinavia or Norway means that there is less personal contact between people obviously, like between the "taker and giver" whereas if you were unemployed or needed money in a non-welfare state then you would have a whole network of people you could rely on ...like kinships which people have to include in their lives at all time whereas in a welfare state you can focus on the individual/self should you wish to do.

[Moderated: Off topic + No free ad on the forum pls]

I am warm ,open minded person who likes to get new friends
I am 38 ,single woman from Drammen,Norway
Just write me here or at kjersti.nyhagen(at)live.no
Hugs from Kjersti

hello talk to me

hello i will like to be your friend,if you don't mine

new_in_norway wrote:

I read that the welfare system , the collective redistribution system in Scandinavia or Norway means that there is less personal contact between people obviously, like between the "taker and giver" whereas if you were unemployed or needed money in a non-welfare state then you would have a whole network of people you could rely on ...like kinships which people have to include in their lives at all time whereas in a welfare state you can focus on the individual/self should you wish to do.

that's an interesting idea, but so far I've found this is not how Norwegians have been. I made 2 Norwegian friends in 2005 when we were all living in Iceland, and now in 2013 I've finally moved to their country after years of seeing each other once a year or so. My fiance moved a few weeks before I did, and one of my friends invited him over on Sundays before I came to eat with her family so he wouldn't be lonely. I've got a few former colleagues in the area too, and when they heard we were looking to move to Norway, I was flooded with emails containing suggestions of places he could apply for work, suggestions of where to look for apartments, offers to show us the best places to ski next winter. Part of why we chose to move here is because compared to Germany (another option we considered), the people here have been crazyfriendly and welcoming. Maybe it's just that I'm coming from Iceland where people are even more ..insular

Yes...even I too think that Norwegians are very supportive and if you have the right approach and attitude, one can make many friends.

Generally, we should open up the conversation with their favorite topics (ski, fishing, hiking) and then see how these Norwegians can really be good friends. They speak very good English which I suppose is one of the most important factors for all expatriates. Same is not the case in other EU countries.

Learning norwegian language can further boost the chances of making friends.

Get some time to party out with them on the weekends.

Cheers.

Amit

just arrived here in porsgrunn and want to have some friends.. very lonely place..

anyone who is from porsgrunn here? want to make some friends. its kinda hard makin friends here, this place is quite lonely

hi all friends...

hi...any body here can help me?I want to know about Norway higher study (Master degree) programs.How can I apply?I have a degree and experience.Tanks alot in advance.

hi im here in telemark, no friemds also... im ton by the way :-)

thonexio wrote:

anyone who is from porsgrunn here? want to make some friends. its kinda hard makin friends here, this place is quite lonely

I am from Porsgrunn. We can be friend. Do you have fb ,skype or else ? You can message me.

hi,Are u studing in university?

Hi,
I have the same problem as most of us "maybe!" well I've been here since over one year and I could make "zero" friends
I work offshore, and will go bk home in Bergen after two weeks.
"zaher taki" if u want to contact me on FB....to arrange for a coffe
cheers

sansu13 wrote:

to the newbies in norway,

hello everyone!

i have started a blog about being new in norway. maybe you can try visiting it. i will try to put more information about language course and social life in norway.
here's the link.

(moderated)
cheers!

where is link .................. ?

..

Hi Oma,

I think you are only partly correct.
Norway has extremely cold and long winters and it makes almost impossible to have a get together and meet new people. But then this is true even for other cold countries too...(like Canada).

My experience says that Norwegians are very co-operative and as such I haven't found any problems with them. It is the climate that makes them very isolated. In winters, there is no social activity that you hear off other than the skiing. And in summers, they are out in the mountains and beaches.

Norway is a very sparsely populated country. I simply cannot imagine of a capital city that has a mere population of 500,000.

Another thing...one of my own logic is that as the richness grows, people tend to have a smaller friend circle and thus very limited social activities. Opinions may vary on person to person basis.

And yes, as rightly said by you, Oslo isn't a big tourist attraction. There are cities in Europe like Paris, London, Amsterdam, etc where ample options are available for entertainment. Its high time now that the super rich Norwegian government allocate a good amount of funds to develop the local tourism. In today's fast moving world, you cannot compete only based on 2-3 museums and some parks. Be it modern day attractions, but there has to have several other things to do in Oslo. See the way how the deserted Dubai has been developed into a tourism hub.

There's another reason to Norway's unpopularity. People tend not to visit this country because of very high taxes which makes everything costlier (eg: travel, accommodation, food, etc). Instead, people prefer to go for other cheaper options in Europe.

All of the above said factors contribute towards a lot of negativity on Norway. The only thing which everyone looks for is a high salary. Immigrants come here for earning quick bucks and in doing so they automatically get adjusted to the Norwegian way of life. They know they cannot get rid of the cold winters.

I too haven't be able to make lot of friends. But I have my office friend circle who are full of energy and always find out ways of getting together.

Hi I got lot of information from you..my dream is coming to Norway >>>.Its big dream for me

I like making friends that will add value to my life and people around me.

i want to meet some likes adventure

hi i want you as a friend.am from Ghana and i work @ an insurance company..bye

Hi everybody.

Sounds like we are all having similar experiences... I have been here since January but am really struggling to find some good friends. Lots of casual acquaintances but I am finding it difficult to find people to meet up with regularly.

Feel free to drop me a mail.

Hi M_a_t_t,

Welcome to expat-blog!

Participating in the forum might be helpful, I suggest you to get involve on the Norway forum, Networking. This can be helpful.

Thank you,

David.