The diary of David, a just-turned-30 Brit living in Norway
On Thursday the whole of Norway got together to celebrate its 198th birthday. Last year I had only been in the country for two weeks before the festivities began. I had little idea of what to expect and it felt like I was crashing a party. Fast forward 12 months and with my future in Norway assured, I was ready to enjoy myself :) So what is Norway's Birthday Party - Constitution Day - really like? Instead of embarrassing games of Twister … [Read more...]
Other than celebrating my first year in Norway, I've been a little quiet on here of late. Reason being, I've been incredibly busy! A New Job When I moved here one year ago it was on a temporary contract, so my future was always unclear. Sadly things didn't work out so the past couple of weeks I've been looking around for a job. Not an easy thing to do when you don't speak the language fluently and you're running out of money! Well, I have some … [Read more...]
Regular guest writer Gerry picks up his pen again, this time to tell us all about the process of a non-European getting a work permit in Norway. His tales do not surprise me one bit! I’ve always been kinda lucky when it comes to professional development. Even before finishing my graduate program, I had already been offered a position to work in Norway. I’ve already talked about the environment here, so now I want to describe a bit … [Read more...]
Hey folks! I began this blog one year ago for many reasons. I wanted to keep in touch with family and friends, keep motivated to explore the country, meet new people in Norway, document my time here to look back on in years to come, and also flex my geeky muscles and build my Wordpress skills. One year on, it's time to take stock of what this blog has become and where it's headed. And what better place to start than with you, my lovely … [Read more...]
A further glimpse at the lampposts and bus-stops of Oslo... … [Read more...]
A whole year has passed since I packed my bags and headed north to Scandinavian lands. Some days I can't believe it's gone so quickly, other days it feels like I've been here a lifetime. But rewinding one year, I knew very little about Norway. The experiences I've had since then, many of which I've described right here on this blog, will stay with me forever. Here are 26 things I've learned about this wonderful country this year. Enjoy … [Read more...]
Here's the third installment of our monthly round-up of the best blogs from Norway's international community. Children of the Rainbow by Corrine on Northern Natterings This one passed most of the international media by. Last week 40,000 people gathered together in the rain to sign a song hated by Breivik, Children of the Rainbow. Just another example of the truly inspiring way Norwegians are dealing with the terror trial. One Year in Oslo … [Read more...]
This is the next post in a series on the great Norwegian language struggle between Bokmål and Nynorsk. Click here to read the background post and here to read the first part of Bryce's conversion guide... here is part two. Enjoy, share and comment :) Consonant Alterations You didn't think it would be as easy as throwing a few “j”'s around a bit and doubling some letters did you? Sorry peeps, but there's a bit more to it than that. Let's … [Read more...]
The run of public holidays at this time of year continued today with the traditional 1st May celebration - Labour Day. It also coincided with the first anniversary of my move to Oslo. My, how time flies! Today was widely predicted to be a "different" 1st May due to the ongoing terror trial, but the day was embraced and celebrated, no doubt helped by the glorious weather, a welcome change for me after an awful weekend of rain on a trip back to … [Read more...]
This is the second post in a series on the great Norwegian language struggle between Bokmål and Nynorsk. Click here to read the background post! This post is written by Bryce, a student of Nynorsk... Having read my last two articles on how to say please in Norwegian, and how to say thank you in Norwegian too, you may be wondering how someone who can only spell venlegst [vennligst] correctly in square brackets after having spelt the same word … [Read more...]
When is Norwegian not Norwegian? When it's Bokmål. or when it's Nynorsk. or when it's Danish. or when it's Old Norse. What? The Norwegian language struggle Okay, first things first, there is one official language of Norway - Norwegian. But there are two official forms of written Norwegian (together with several Sami variants officially recognised as regional languages) Bokmål is the most common written form. It's used daily … [Read more...]
Last month Visit Oslo, the organisation charged with promoting the city to a worldwide audience, joined the iGeneration. A free app for iPhone, iPad and Android allows visitors to Oslo access to a wealth of information to aid their stay. Let's take a closer look... Welcome to iOslo My first impression of the iPad version is positive. It's bright, colourful and appears to be pretty user-friendly. Clear navigation is displayed down the left hand … [Read more...]
This weekend saw the biggest local rivalry in Norwegian football, the Oslo-Akershus derby between Lillestrøm (LSK) and Vålerenga (VIF). Lillestrøm are known by many outside Norway due to their regular appearances in Europe during the 80s and 90s, whereas Vålerenga are the biggest club in the Oslo area; in fact they are now the only team to play (at the professional level) within the city itself. I'm still new to Norway so don't know the … [Read more...]
So far I've introduced you to Datarock, Erlend Øye and Sondre Lerche, all three of which I've had some great feedback on. Long overdue it might be, but it's now time for the next in my Discovering Norwegian Music series. And this bunch of kids are real gems. Introducing... Team Me. The first time I heard them I instantly thought of the Polyphonic Spree, followed by Patrick Wolf and Sufjan Stevens, and hell, I'll say it, even a little drop … [Read more...]
The trial of Anders Behring Breivik finally gets underway on Monday. It's hard to believe almost nine months have passed since the Oslo terrorist attacks. Life in the capital has long since returned to normal, although the government quarter which bore the brunt of the explosion is still out of bounds. I live a few hundred yards away and walk past the area most days, but with the impending trial and increased media interest, I decided to take a … [Read more...]
He writes here about his new life in Norway: his observations and experiences, the language and culture, the people and places. [Read More …]
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