Meeting with Norway by Kamau Muiruri (web based ebook reader .TXT) 📕

INTROODUCTION

So you will be in Norway? Being in Norway is meeting with challenges as well as opportunities. The challenge of being in a new system and totally a different culture and the chance making new discoveries of another culture is life transforming experience.

This is a guide aimed at motivating experts from around the world coming to work or for training in Norway, to learn a little about general aspects of Norwegian life before arriving and a quick start point on arrival. It is to help you to get the most out of your first time stay in Norway and help you to enjoy working and living in Norway.


Chapter 1

I arrived in Norway on Feb 2001. The first thing that welcomed me with an embrace hit was cold. It was biting my skin and my toes were numb the minute I came out of the airport. The people were nice but except for the smiles I did not understand a thing of what they were saying. For three more months the cold continued: I hated to go out and at one moment the snow came. I stood at the window for hours on end enjoying the sight of it. It fell for days and it seemed as though it would snow forever. There was snow everywhere. I tried to ski for the first time. It seemed easy when the Norwegians we were with did it but as soon as I got the ski on me, I fell. I fell so many times and in fact that first day on the ski indicated to me that there were more challenges to overcome if I was to successfully live and work in Norway. At least I needed to learn to ski or to love snow or rather to enjoy winter. By all courage, I learnt to ski like the way a child learns how to walk. With all patience I learnt the language as a baby bubbles its first words and slowly without knowing it, I was not just skiing, I was also loving snow and speaking Norwegian.


GEOGRAPHY

Norway stretches out 1750 km from South to North and 420 km widest width from east to the west. It has a total area of 387,000 km2 and shares borders with Sweden, Finland and Russia. The country is characterised by mountains, deep valleys and coastal plains. There are many extensions of the sea going deep in the country. These extensions are called fjords and make Norway to be very beautiful especially in summer. The country is a united kingdom achieved by st Olav in 11th C. It has been under Denmark and also Sweden. In 1905 Norway achieved independence. It is today a limited monarchy with a government led by a Prime minister. Temperatures dramatically ranges between minus in deep winter to +30 in a good summer. There are three distinct seasons.

Winter: Dec, Jan, Feb. when temps are very low. Snow falls and can be on the ground for days. Snow is beautiful to see but it affects daily life. Without proper clothes, it may cause serious health damage. In heavy snow busses, trains and aircraft may be disrupted. Winter is depressive sometimes due to the shortness of the day and the dark atmosphere. Snow is so slippery and can cause serious accidents. Fortunately, you can have a lot of fun on the snow skiing. Do not be afraid to ask someone you know well to take you for a skiing trip. They may not ask you if you wish to but when you request someone will be happy to learn you. Never go alone! It can be dangerous if you are a first timer.

Spring: March, Aril, May when temps begin to rise. Flowers spring up and the leafless trees begin to bud. Birds and insects follow and soon the country are full of a beautiful and colourful season.

Summer: June, July august are the most longed for months. People take vacation from work to enjoy the long missed sun. People go to the beaches and sunbath with minimal covering on them. The days are long and nights short. In mid summer, comes the midnight sun. In summer ask someone you know to go with you to the beach and swim if you can or play with sand if you can’t swim. Just enjoy the sun as it lasts. But it should be noted that it is not guarantee that there would be sun in summer, some summers can be as good as a winter. It is therefore advisable to make the best use of summer by socializing and outdoor activities that enhance relationship with others.

Autumn: The leaves change colour as they dry up. Then comes heavy wind and rains as temps begin to fall. Before you know it, it is winter again.


POPULATION and ECONOMY

The country has a little above 4.5 million people and has been named by the UN as the best country in the world to live in. Life expectancy is as high as 78 years there are not so many immigrants compared to England and France. You will hardly find a person from e.g. Kenya or Brazil. However, the rapid growing economy has made Norway an attractive country to work in. Due to this reason, the number of experts from all over the world has increased. In Aibel for example, there are over 60 nationalities represented.

Oil, natural gas, farming, Shipping, fishing, production of electric power and industrial activities are chief earners for the Norwegian economy.


PLACES, PEOPLE AND CULTURE

The capital city is called Oslo and other important places are Bergen, Trondheim, Stavanger Tromsø and Kristiansand. The people are friendly and not all can speak English. Not all people know well about the country you come from except on what they see on the TV. However Norwegians are well travelled and they can share so much about their experiences abroad. It is advisable to share so much about your country. That is one reason why you are in (or going) to Norway. Norwegians are very cultured. They like the nature and the best thing one will do for you is to take you to one of the beautiful nature sites, beach, nature hikes or just being out there in the woods, mountains, parks or garden. I must say that Norwegians enjoy gardening around the house. And the dream of most is to have a cabin and a boat. Camping and skiing originated from Norway. There are also Norwegian traditional foods, clothes, use of candles and family gatherings. I should not forget rich love for music, art, painting and literature. Work begins normally between 8 and 9. As a worker you get well paid, protected from injury and accident and discrimination on grounds of race, gender, age etc is highly discouraged at work place. Everything in Norway rotates around time. Keeping time is important when you will get to transport, work, meeting, appointment, visits etc. Do not think about time the same way you do in your home country, in Norway time is a shared resource. People should keep time to the dot and follow schedules to every detail. Be careful to be tidy or to tidy up after yourself during a visit and some restaurants. Sometimes it may be taken for granted that you understand what is going on, so ask where you doubt and whenever you differ or feel uncomfortable, accept that this is a different culture and make the best out of it. There are many areas of likely disagreement and controversy which include homosexuality, divorce, abortion, smoking, partying, drinking, punishment, clothing, love, marriage etc. Tips: You will of course find unique patterns of behaviour which will seem alien to your background. It is normal to sometimes feel lost and disoriented when you are in another country because it is a new culture to you. However, with time you should find familiar grounds, people and ways from where you will almost unconsciously learn the language and the culture easily. BUT be interested otherwise it can be boring. It does not mean that you forget about your ways, but rather understand that differences in culture and way of life are a vital essence of human existence. The Most important day in Norway 17th MAY: On 17th of May, everything stands still and all people young and old go to the local town to participate or see national day procession. On this day, Norway celebrates the moment it became constitutionally independent. This is when you can put on your best official clothes and expect to meet everybody in town.


Leadership model in Norway: To be a leader or a manager in Norway is not a big deal. A Norwegian leader is rather a servant than a master. Women leaders are very common and must be treated with respect even if they be younger. Bureaucracy is less and relationship between people and their leaders is usually down to earth. That does not mean that they are not respected or that they are weak. This is a desirable model of leadership used in almost every aspect of Norwegian life including family. Relationships: In some cultures, relationships are very easily forged. Not so in Norway. It is possible to be neighbours with someone and never have any interaction. Relationships between people develop very slowly.


Chapter 2

ESSENTIAL SERVICES:

Find out the postal address of your residence in good time and use it correctly. The postal services are available at the nearest town.

Health: In Norway you pay for medical consultation and dental services but the state pays for serious hospitalisation. Check with Aibel HR about medical services as soon as possible. The most common sickness is Norwegian cold. It is a cold that is combined with coughing, sneezing and high temperature in the body. It is common in winter.

Banking: As long as you have the right documents and work permit, you can open a bank account. in any local bank.

Public Library is free to use and is rich with books on most languages and free internet services are also provided. There, you can borrow books but also movies, DVDs, music or just read topics of your interest.

Holiday and Free time: You are entitled to a 5 weeks holiday in a year. It is advisable to plan your holiday in such a way that you get the most out of it. There are many places you can visit in Norway. There are also possibilities for developing a hobby or a sport. Aibel has its own sports club which you can join but there are also many free time places such as swimming halls, sports centres and so on. “When I was free in winter, I spent my free time learning how to paint and with this knowledge I organised a successful summer art exhibition which was attended by over one hundred people”

Free time in Norway could be a time of exploring your imagination. If you can do something that can portray your country to Norwegian people, you will have played a role of a cultural ambassador., but you can also explore the country’s reach nature.

Immigration: On arrival in Norway, you must register yourself at the nearest Police station. Norway is a relatively new destination for immigrants. There is only 4% immigrants at the moment of which EU make the highest percent, people from other European countries and Russia make about 16%, those from Asian origin 9%, and North America and Canada 5%, people from Africa make 6% and South America 3% of the immigrants.(2006)