Hi,I am waiting in US to return to Norge and get married,start the processes.Spent 3 months ,and it was all about changing to fit in.Which I am not averse to,but at times ,it was overwhelming.Does anyone have any ways they used to adapt? I would appreciate Any advice.I am trying to learn Norske by translating FB posts and news articles with google ,but it is very hard to get people to interact more than a sentence or two.I understand the idea of not talking without saying anything meaningful,but with no language course available and conversation so short and to the point,how else is there to learn? We visit very little,and people seem taken back when I try to communicate,I have heard my Pennsylvania accent sounds really harsh to some...Also how long does it take to get used to the low house temperature,at 18 to 19C my body perceives the coldness as pain...what fabrics are best for retaining heat?The womens clothing I found was fashionable,not functional.Layering and wool did not help much. Thankyou for any input,and any other subject is welcome also.
Any adaptation techniques?
norway is a beautiful country but all people of this country are very cold like the temperture of this country
i can not live in this country never.is very good to stay in norway in the summer....i met a selfish man who does not deserve me and looked at me as a maid
I am really sorry to hear that,Caroline,I hope you have other options.I have had some cultural differences and misunderstandings myself,things are much harder when not familar.I wish you the best,though.
thank you
Miss us: Yes it gets cold in Norway, but I think Norwegians use long thermal underwear etc , and also the outer layers can be thermal or something so it doesnt look like people are wearing too many layers but it keeps them warm - but you can cover yourself up all the way you want to, the most important thing is not to freeze - and then try not to go out much in winter, just jump from bus to bus 
Integration is always a challenge - but now Oslo has many cultures - local, global , Norwegian, Asian, African etc , and sometimes these cultures overlap so it gets easier and easier ... don't worry too much about it, and try to have a mixed circle of friends of Norwegians and foreigners.
NewIn Norway,Takk,I appreciate the advice.I should have said will be in Levanger ,and the temperature problem I have extends to in the house as well,it is kept at 18C,and I never felt warm unless I was just returning from exercise...I layered in the house and felt like something was wrong with me,since others could wear just one set of clothing,and I must wear 2 or 3...Im not from a tropical climate ,either.The option to turn up the heating is not there.But thankyou for the response:)
Okay but 18 degrees is below room temperature - I would say 20 or 21 degrees celcius is optimum.
Usually Norwegian houses are warm and have good insulation - do you have a basement apartment (sokkel leilighet) or something?
Can you not purchase a small eletric heater? Obviously you need to be careful with those and never cover them with anything due to a risk of fire.
Missus T wrote:NewIn Norway,Takk,I appreciate the advice.I should have said will be in Levanger ,and the temperature problem I have extends to in the house as well,it is kept at 18C,and I never felt warm unless I was just returning from exercise...I layered in the house and felt like something was wrong with me,since others could wear just one set of clothing,and I must wear 2 or 3...Im not from a tropical climate ,either.The option to turn up the heating is not there.But thankyou for the response:)
New_in_Norway,Takk,I guess that is his personal preference then,I thought it was colder than most of the houses we visited.He can get up and stay undressed for a long time at that temp,and I have to put something on just to go to bathroom at night...It is a modern house,but the floors feel like refrigerator temps,and of course a window is always open...ah,this feels like Im complaining too much,will try the thermal fabrics,Thanks again,very sweet to be so helpful!
No, you misunderstood me - the thermal clothes I meant for outside use only.
Norwegian homes, unlike say British homes, dont turn off the central heating system at night.
You can tell him that the average room temperature is 20-21 , and if he is your roomate and not partner, then why not consider moving out ?
www.finn.no
Go to "eiendom" then "bolig til leie" and you find plenty of apartments to share for maybe 7000 NOK monthly or 4000 NOK monthly - it is better to have a smaller older place to live which is warm than a new modern cold home you know.
Also , if you decide to stay where you are then try at least to get a small heater in your room.
Missus T wrote:New_in_Norway,Takk,I guess that is his personal preference then,I thought it was colder than most of the houses we visited.He can get up and stay undressed for a long time at that temp,and I have to put something on just to go to bathroom at night...It is a modern house,but the floors feel like refrigerator temps,and of course a window is always open...ah,this feels like Im complaining too much,will try the thermal fabrics,Thanks again,very sweet to be so helpful!
I'm sorry about your bad experience in Norway, Caroline. Norwegians are not easy to socialize with. That's what I tell all people that consider moving here. But you can also find Norwegians that are more understanding and supportive. I wish you all the best for the future, and I hope your dreams will come true.
Changing yourself to fit in doesn't work very well in the long run. I'm sure if you spend many years in norway your mannerisms will naturally change, but trying to not be yourself in hopes people will accept you is only going to backfire after a while IMO.
Duolingo and the ntnu online Norwegian course are some ways you can work on learning wherever you are, plus watching NRK. they have an app which allows you to turn on subtitles for anything you watch, which I've found very helpful (note: app only works with Norwegian IP addresses).
I've heard of some people who only wanted to be friends with Norwegians as a way to integrate better, but IME, be friends with who makes you happy and comfortable, even if they come from Africa or somewhere else in Europe. Sometimes it's really nice to have a friend who can empathize with the occasional low moments of living abroad.
As for Norwegians being "cold" I don't agree. There are friendly chatty ones and more reserved ones too. I think a big part of it is just that many people have their same close knit group of friends since childhood so they don't always feel like they need more friends. I've found that the Norwegians who've moved from their home region or lived abroad tend to be a bit more open to friendship with all sorts of people.
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