Life in Norway Show

Life in Norway Show Episode 89: Friend of the show Lorelou Desjardins is back to talk about becoming a Norwegian citizen and her latest book, 'How To Be Norwegian'. Lorelou from 'A Frog in the Fjord' is always a popular guest on the show. As she’s just written and released a new book, it felt like the ideal time to invite her back to talk about all things Norwegian culture. We talk about her own journey to becoming a Norwegian citizen, and some of the cultural insights she shares in her new book, ‘How To Be Norwegian.’ Full Show Notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/how-to-be-norwegian/ Lorelou's Book: https://afroginthefjord.com/book-how-to-be-norwegian/  

Life in Norway Show Episode 88: Artist Tania Winther joins the show to talk about the people and places of Trondheim and Trøndelag in central Norway, and what it's like growing up with a mix of cultures. Tania Winther is a multidisciplinary artist, poet, designer, and interior designer based in Norway. With a background that spans both science and the arts, she brings a unique perspective to her creative work, drawing inspiration from her training in biology and her passion for conservation. Tania's book, 'The Trønders: A Quirky Guide to Trondheim, Trønderland and Its People', is available now in selected bookstores in Norway, and online across the world. Full Show Notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/tania-winther-podcast/ Tania Winther: https://atelierwinther.no  

Life in Norway Show Episode 87: Matthew Tolley of Cycle Norway joins the shows to talk about the joys of cycling in the Norwegian fjords and beyond, and how to plan your own cycling trip. Matthew Tolley moved to Norway in 2016, after, as so many Brits do, having met a Norwegian girl. He was no stranger to living abroad, having spent time in several countries previously. After falling in love with exploring the country on two wheels, he began publishing videos of his adventures on YouTube. He quickly built a loyal following because of successful videos like this one about cycling in Fjord Norway: https://youtu.be/om-NSynX0I8 After building a loyal following for his videos on YouTube, he now runs Cycle Norway to share his passion for cycling with a community of others interested in planning cycling trips around Norway. Full Show Notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/cycling-in-norway-podcast/ Cycle Norway: https://cyclenorway.com  

Life in Norway Show Episode 86: Prismatic Pages has made a splash in its first year of operation as the only English language bookshop in Norway’s capital city. We chat to the owner. Originally from Seattle, Indigo Trigg-Hauger moved to Oslo in 2016, but that’s not when her Norwegian journey began. She grew up with a strong Norwegian influence as her mother had spent some time in Norway. Despite many people having a lifelong dream to open a bookstore, Indigo says that wasn't the case with her. She did, however, work in a bookstore for a year, a job she says was the best she'd had. The store is in what Indigo describes as an "off-the-beaten-path" part of the Grünerløkka neighbourhood, north of downtown Oslo. It sells both used and new books, with an emphasis on a cozy environment and personalised service. Full Show Notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/english-bookstore-in-oslo/ Prismatic Pages: https://prismaticpages.com  

Life in Norway Show Episode 85: From the US to Horton via South Sudan, Nyagoa’s story is a fascinating one. Today’s guest is Nyagoa William Nyuon, a U.S. citizen who spent much of her adult life working in South Sudan. She now lives in southeast Norway working in international relations, but also helps to run a charity focused on raising awareness of child marriages in South Sudan. We talk about South Sudan, her charity work, the move to Norway, and her first impressions of the culture. Niagua is also honest about what life is like for a black woman living in a small Norwegian town. Full Show Notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/south-sudan-african-culture/ Catwalk to Freedom: http://www.catwalktofreedom.org  

Life in Norway Show Episode 84: Today’s guest is Anna Kross, a landscape architect who works with the design of common spaces in the Oslo region. Full Show Notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/being-russian-in-norway/ But the reason Anna is on the show today is to tell her story of relocation from Russia, and what it’s been like living in Norway as a Russian over the last few years. We talk about how the current situation in the world has driven Anna and her friends to start a podcast explaining the Nordic model to Russians, not because that is the solution but to show that there are other ways. We also talk about the experience of voting for the first time, and the relationship between Russians and Ukrainians in Norway.

Life in Norway Show Episode 83: Buying a house in Norway is not something you might think about early in your relocation, but for today’s guest it was the main reason they chose to move. Full Show Notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/buying-a-house-podcast/ Christoph Graf is from Switzerland, and a big reason he chose to move to the Oslo region with his Norwegian wife was because of the better value housing than in his home country. On this episode, we talk about the house buying process. We cover research, viewing, and bidding. We also chat about some of the other reasons Christoph chose to relocate, including easy access to nature.

Life in Norway Show Episode 82: Florencia Meinardo from ‘El Podcast de Noruega’ joins us to talk about her relocation from Argentina, and the experience of native Spanish speakers in Norway. Full Show Notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/spanish-speaking-community/ Originally from Buenos Aires, Florencia spent some time living in the US before deciding to make Norway her home together with her Spanish partner. We talk about the relocation process, Florencia’s decision to learn Norwegian as quickly as possible, and what life in Norway is like as a native Spanish speaker.

Originally from Canada, Kristine moved to Trondheim with her partner and is now happily settled working in research. But it hasn't all been plain sailing for her. Full Show Notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/challenges-of-moving-to-trondheim-podcast/ Kristine arrived in Norway just weeks before the pandemic, which led to a unique relocation experience. Everything from meeting new people to learning Norwegian suddenly became more of a challenge. On today's show, we talk about what to expect when job hunting as a foreigner, some of the cultural barriers you’ll need to overcome, and the challenge of learning Norwegian. We also cover the things that Kristine likes about living in Trondheim, and those things she still finds challenging.

We often feature interviews with people relocating to Norway from the U.S., or like me, from the U.K. Today I welcome Surendra Thapaliya to the show for a different kind of story. He’s originally from Nepal, and moved to Norway in 2016 to study at BI, the Norwegian Business School. He’s since gone from strength to strength and now lives with his wife in Oslo, where he has a senior marketing position.  We talk about studying in Oslo, the differences between life in Nepal and life in Norway, and his own projects helping other from Nepal study abroad. Full Show Notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/moving-from-nepal-to-norway/ Links from the Show: Surendra's employer Culture Intelligence Our Complete Guide to Oslo Connect with Surendra on LinkedIn Surendra's videos for the Nepalese community on YouTube  

Life in Norway Show Episode 79: Abby Noble shares her inspiring story of planning exactly how she would find a job in Norway, obtaining a job-seeker permit, and finding her ideal job in an Oslo architecture firm. Moving to Norway is a dream for many, but finding a job is often the biggest barrier. Today I’m joined by Abby Noble, an American who moved to Norway without a job in order to find one. She applied for Norway’s job-seeker visa in order to carry out her plan. She joins me on the show today to talk about the visa, and her process for finding work in the architecture industry in Oslo. Full Show Notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/job-seeker-permit-success/

Life in Norway Show Episode 78: Daniela Laguniak, an expedition leader with Havila Voyages, tells us about her relocation to Northern Norway and her working life on the Norwegian coastal route. Originally from Germany, she is fluent in three languages and lives in a remote part of Finnmark, Northern Norway. Daniela worked a seasonal tourism job at the North Cape in 2012 and then made the decision to move to Norway permanently. She now lives in Tana, one of the most remote parts of Arctic Norway, with her Sami partner. She also talks about her working life on board the Havila Polaris, where she works for 22 days, followed by 22 days off. It's a shift pattern that wouldn't suit everyone, but it suits Daniela perfectly. Full Show Notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/moving-from-germany-to-arctic-norway/

This is episode 77 of the Life in Norway Show. Moving to Norway from outside Europe poses a whole heap of challenges, not least convincing an employer to take a chance on you. Today I’m joined by Isabelle Loh, originally from Singapore and having relocated to Oslo with her Norwegian partner, she shared her frustrations about finding a job on LinkedIn, and drew a big response.  We talk about life in Oslo, how she’s gone about the job search and how that has changed over time, and some advice for fellow job-seekers. Full Show Notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/moving-from-singapore-to-oslo/

Life in Norway Show #76: From the Sami Parliament and efforts to keep the languages alive to the importance of handicrafts and song, we hear all about Sami culture in 2024. Full Show Notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/sami-culture-podcast/ The recent wind turbine controversy has brought Sami culture and indigenous rights back into the headlines here in Norway, and around the world. Bodø is about to start its year as European Capital of Culture, and the team has put Sami culture at the very heart of the program. So, who better to introduce us to the various aspects of Sami culture than Maria Hernes Bær, the coordinator of the Sami program for Bodø 2024. We talk about Sami identity, some elements of the culture including what tourists experience and what they don’t, and the plans to showcase Sami culture at Bodø 2024.

Life in Norway Show Episode 75: One of the most common questions I receive at Life in Norway is about retirement, specifically the idea of moving to Norway to retire. Full Show Notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/retirement-to-northern-norway/ Now, while at the moment I plan to retire here, that’s not the same thing as moving here when already retired. I always thought that was a difficult thing to do, but a Life in Norway reader recently got in touch to share their story, and I immediately invited them on to the show. Not only have they retired to Norway, but they’ve retired to a remote part of Northern Norway. In today’s show I talk to Trevor Rulton about the benefits of challenges of living in a remote area, what everyday life is like, the admin process of moving to Norway, and lots more.

This show is going to be a little bit different because I don’t have a guest, it’s just me, as I look ahead to all things Norway in 2024. Full Show Notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/norway-in-2024-podcast/ I’ll talk a little about what to expect for those of you planning a trip to Norway in 2024, plus information on what’s changing for those of us who live here in Norway. Finally I’ll talk a little bit about what you can expect from us here at Life in Norway over the coming year. First things first, if you’re not already a member at Life in Norway, head on over to lifeinnorway.net/weekly. You’ll join more than 17,000 people who receive our popular Norway Weekly newsletter every Tuesday morning.

Life in Norway Show Episode #73: Agnes Erickson joins the podcast to talk about her move from California to Norway, and what life is like in a small town on the south coast. Full Show Notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/living-in-mandal-podcast/ Agnes works in the marketing team at Norrøna House, the headquarters of Norwegian outdoor clothing brand Norrøna. She works from Oslo a couple days per week and works the rest of the time in Mandal. Mandal is a small Norwegian town of about 10,000 people on the southern coast of Norway, about 30 minutes west of Kristiansand. As with many southern coastal towns, Mandal is known for its white, wooden houses, beaches, and busy harbour.

Life in Norway Show Episode #72: A repatriate to Norway joins the show to chat about her experiences returning to Norway after many years abroad, and how mentoring can help foreigners find employment in Norway. Full Show Notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/work-mentoring-podcast/ Tone Indrelid was born in Norway but spent many, many years living overseas in India, Oman, Syria and Borneo before she and her family returned to Norway. She now puts her years of experience as a anthropologist, interculturalist and language instructor to good use by becoming project leader in Stavanger for the organisation Sammen om en jobb. We talk about Tone’s experiences, some of the challenges in adapting and finding work in Norway, and how a mentoring program could help you. Sammen om en jobb: https://www.sammenomenjobb.no/

Life in Norway Show Episode #71: Two recent hires in Norwegian gaming company Riddlebit Software join us to talk about game development and their journey to working in Norway. Full Show Notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/working-in-norwegian-gaming/ Today I’m joined by two newcomers to Norway who are working in a small games development studio here in Trondheim. I have got to know both Jordan originally from Texas and Lyubov from Belarus over the past months as they work in the same coworking space as me. We talk about the gaming industry in Norway, how they found a job in a small games studio and what life is like here in Trondheim. Read more about Setback: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1119780/Setback/ Read more about Riddlebit Software: https://www.riddlebit.net/  

Life in Norway Show Episode #70: A US-Poland dual citizen joins the show to chat through her process of moving to Norway, and why she wants to share what she’s learned with you. Full Show Notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/unlock-norway-podcast/ Gabriella Mikiewicz is the founder of Unlock Norway, which she created to help fellow newcomers understand the country better. She said her experience of living in Norway has been enriched by her Norwegian partner and friends, who have given her so much content and context to understand the country better.