Are you going to visit Scandinavia? Did you know thatnot accepted in Norwaygive an odd number of flowers as a gift? What else is important to know to avoid getting into trouble? How to prepare before a business visit to Norway? What are they like?those weird Norwegians? And what does it require ethics in Norway?

In all my trips to Norway, I have never seen a local resident raging with rage. Most often, Norwegians smile, make way for you on the road, and because of this they are in a particularly joyful mood. You would rather be weighed in your favor than shortchanged, and the relationship here is built on trust. They seem so similar to us. Norwegians have a wonderful sense of humor and are not averse to laughing heartily. The image of harsh Vikings is in no way associated with Norwegian character. These are nice and friendly people.

But each nation has its own characteristics of upbringing, norms of behavior that they establish or are inherited from their ancestors. Norway is no exception.

So, let's get started, what is important to know about the Norwegians:

They say that you don’t go into someone else’s house with your own rules. It’s good to know in advance how you can hurt or offend people, and not correct the situation when it’s too late. Always be yourself, but be polite and respectful to others - this is a lesson you can learn in Norway.

…….”Well, I’ll start with the fact that everything written below is my subjective opinion and it was formed solely by my environment and just two years of permanent residence in the northern beauty. Nevertheless, I hope you will be interested in reading my conclusions about the Scandinavian fellows.

And one more thing - with this article I am not trying to offend men of other nationalities, to each his own, as they say. Each culture has its own pros and cons, habits, and characteristics. And isn’t it wonderful that we are all so different?

Well, let's go...

Family. Children.

As a rule, people start a family by the age of thirty, or even later. The same applies to children.

Before this they pay great attention study, work, sports, capital accumulation, some kind of financial buffer that will play an important role for their family in the future.

At the same time, they, of course, have a girlfriend or lover, or they are open to a relationship. Often, they even live in the same house, go on vacation together and behave like an open family, sharing joys life together. And women are very happy with this; they, as a rule, adhere to the same position in life.

When it comes to children, the approach here is more than serious, and not only from a financial point of view: in no other country have I seen more caring fathers.

Norwegian dads adore their children... They love and care for them to the same extent as their mothers. They change diapers, take them for walks, dress them, feed them, maybe not breastfeed, take them to kindergarten, in general, they share all the difficulties and joys of parenthood.

Yes, I forgot to say, fathers also sit on maternity leave, replacing the woman after six months. Children love both parents equally, without giving preference more for mom, as often happens with us.

Viking fathers do all this naturally, without losing courage, but on the contrary, doubling it, or even tripling it. This fact didn’t exactly surprise me, but it definitely pleased me. By sharing child care from infancy, men learn to respect the work of being a mother and this is certainly a positive thing.

Olav Johan Horgen, cyber engineer and avid skier.
“Pulk” is a special trailer for skiing with a child.

This is a separate fabulous song! You probably already guessed, this will be an ode to skiing...

Norwegians are avid skiers... It’s only just the first snow outside the window, and the Norwegians are already waxing their skis.

We must give them their due - in this matter they have almost no equal in the world, not counting the Russian heroes of the Winter Olympic Games, whose names, by the way, they know well (which even I, being a Russian, cannot boast of).

In summer you will always see Norwegians cycling or hiking in the mountains. Actually, you don’t need to go far - mountains are everywhere here, and mountain lovers are everywhere.

They continue their sports habits even as fathers. And it doesn’t matter at all how many children there are in the family, the only difference will be that the bicycle will have a special trailer, on a ski tour they will take a special pellet, and in the mountains they will pull an additional backpack with a child on their back.

Character.

Of course, everything here is purely individual, but if you characterize a Norwegian according to the system of “hot Italian”, “thrifty German”, “romantic Frenchman”, the picture is as follows: Norwegian men are sedate, well-mannered, friendly, sympathetic, trusting, but in public they have their own feelings and emotions don't show. The smiles are real.

There is no “American smile” in the culture, but there is sincerity and cordiality towards others.

We see all this from the outside, and the personality traits and subtleties of character are known, as a rule, only to close family members or friends.

As for me, among the Norwegians you can easily find brave northern “Vikings”, although it’s not so difficult to meet just “barbarians” :):)..

My personal negative impression of Norwegian men is the lack of gallantry.

The same one when a man in a transport gets up and gives way, when a man carries a suitcase, when a woman is given a hand and the door is opened, letting her go forward, or, at worst, to push back a chair in a restaurant.

No, I’m not a naive fool... living in Russia, I didn’t live like Natasha Rostova, surrounded by all this gallantry. And I didn’t extend my hand to kiss either.

And I don’t expect anyone to throw their sheepskin coat at my feet, covering a dirty puddle.

I'm talking about basic invisible things... I think girls will understand me...

Most likely, it's all about insidious emancipation.

Equality mercilessly kills male gallantry. Everything that is happening now with Norwegian men is the long-term result of women’s struggle for their place in society and equality in everything. By the way, women are happy with this and they like it.

So, my dear Slavs, if you expect a “sheepskin coat for your feet” from a Norwegian, then I will disappoint you, you will end up waiting near a puddle, and they will also look at you like you are a fool.

To the question, how do I get along with this?

No way! My husband just realized that I was different, “I’m waiting for the tram.” :):)

Well, actually, I’m not a “complete fool”; I should wait for the tram when there is “traffic” all over the country. ::)

In general, an ideal compromise was found, we are a team and I adore this fact, although it took a decent amount of our lives.

Appearance.

Now we get to the most interesting part... After all, as it should be, dessert is served last :):)

I want to dispel the illusion that there are universal Scandinavian blondes.

No, seriously, hundreds of years later, do you still think that 99% of Norwegians are blonde? Norwegian men are different, there are blondes, brown-haired and even brunettes!

The thing is that over the last hundred years, Norwegian blood has mixed quite a bit with the gene pool of other European countries. And here are the Italians, the Spaniards, the French and others, other neighbors.

But a Norwegian will always remain a Norwegian! In every little wrinkle of their faces, in the depths of their eyes, you will see the power of the mountains, the beauty of the fjords, the blue of the sea and the love of freedom! What can I say - look at the photo... Look into their eyes, they are handsome, aren’t they?

Henrik Johan Ibsen (1828-1906) Norwegian playwright, poet and essayist.
“Norwegian Viking” is exactly what he calls himself, his name is Lasse. An officer and an Instagram star rolled into one. @lasselan
Norwegian skier Petter Northug, two-time Olympic champion and 13-time world champion, two-time World Cup winner. I am Maria and I am 31 years old, almost 7 of which I have been living in distant, fabulous Norway.

Quite by accident I met my current Norwegian husband when I lived and worked in the city of Murmansk. We met by phone))). Well, this romantic story is most likely for the plot of some kind of comedy melodrama, but here I will tell you about something else.

It was not difficult for me to integrate into Norwegian society. Even at the stage of the candy-bouquet period with Bjornar, my future husband, I met many of his Norwegian friends, and by the time I moved to Norway I knew quite a lot of words in Norwegian, although my husband and I to this day, out of old habit, we can speak in English. By the way, English is almost like a second native language in Norway; the entire population speaks it masterfully.

After moving, getting married, and completing all the paperwork to live here, I began taking Norwegian courses, which the state offers free of charge to the wives of its citizens. At the same time, I communicated a lot with native speakers, and after 3-4 months I could speak quite fluently. One circumstance complicated the matter a little: during the courses we learned Bokmål, book Norwegian, and in the area where I live, they practice Nynoshk, modern Norwegian, and also a local dialect, which is very different from the standard Norwegian language. But where did ours go?! The most proven way to master a dialect and new language is to speak it, read it as much as possible... in a word, practice it, since theory is theory, but practice is still more productive.

During my first stay, I managed to work on a project for a furniture company that was establishing connections with Russia, in the office of a large shopping center, in the photo workshop. And when I felt that I had reached a good conversational level, I brought my resume to a local hotel. My specialty is eco-tourism and hotel management, which I studied in Russia and the USA.

The first year of work I practiced, i.e. I was not paid a salary, I received little money from the state, and I had almost no responsibility at work. And then I began working as an administrator in a hotel restaurant: I met guests, told about our hotel and menu, was responsible for groups that came to conferences, etc. IN at the moment I work at the reception in the same hotel and sell fishing tours to Russian tourists.

Another important aspect of my Norwegian life is the birth of a child. Compared to the experience of my Russian friends, everything is different in Norway. The birth rate here is high, so there is no particularly reverent attitude towards pregnant women, but everything else is at a very high level. It is believed that the father must “bear” the child together with the mother, namely: attend appointments with a doctor, midwife, ultrasound, be present at the birth and go on maternity leave. Maternity leave for the mother begins from the 37th week of pregnancy, and then the mother chooses the duration of maternity leave: 7 months with 100% of the salary retained or a year with 80% of the salary retained. The father has the right to maternity leave for 12 weeks. All this is provided that the mother works. If mom doesn’t work, dad is not given maternity leave, just like mom is not paid. In this case, parents are paid a one-time maternity benefit in the amount of 35 thousand crowns. Well, since I worked and chose a year of maternity leave, during this year I was paid 80% of my salary.

Exactly one year old, my son went to kindergarten. There are 2 groups in our kindergarten: children from 0 to 3 years old and from 3 to 6 years old. There is one teacher for every three children. Children are treated as individuals. It is forbidden to scold them or shout at them. At the end of the day, parents are provided with a photo report of what they did during the day. The children walk a lot, go to the forest, the theater comes to them, they cook soup and bake cookies together with the kindergarten staff. All Norwegian children simply adore kindergartens. My Espen is ready to run there even on his day off.

In general, of course, there are a lot of differences between Russia and Norway. In Norway, life is leisurely, people are slow. The main motto of the country: “Say No to Stress!” Everything should be pleasant, people should be polite and friendly. Medicine is based on nature, i.e. minimum of medications, maximum of movements and walks in the air. Pension from age 67 for both women and men.

HOW MY MOTHER CAME TO NORWAY AND LIVES HERE

It so happened that my mother, by the will of fate, ended up here in Norway and just two hours away from me. When my mother was flying to my wedding, an incident happened to her in Oslo: the battery in her mobile phone died, and she had to call me to tell me how she got there. My husband and I were waiting for her at Trondheim airport. Mom was not at a loss, because it was not for nothing that she worked as an English teacher at the university all her life!

HOW TO MARRY A NORWEGIAN? IT'S VERY SIMPLE!

Norwegians are friendly people, always ready to help. Mom asked the man to help her find a pay phone... Word for word, this is how their acquaintance began, which lasted a couple of years and was accompanied by mother’s visits to Norway, and her husband’s to Russia. Now they have been married for 4 years. My mother’s husband is an emergency doctor, has four adult children and the same number of grandchildren.

Mom also quickly learned Norwegian, thanks to her knowledge of English. For some time she worked at a school, teaching English. Now she is registered with the bureau for replacing sick teachers: if a teacher falls ill in some school in the city, they call the bureau, and they, accordingly, call their employees. She and her husband travel a lot.

Norway, of course, may seem like a fairy tale, but, of course, it has its downsides. My personal opinion is that it is better and more fun to have fun in Russia, and to live as a family and raise children in Norway.

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While working on this article, I abandoned the topic many times and wanted to change it. The reason is simple: I have never been married to a Norwegian and, frankly speaking, I am in no hurry to be there. However, I still decided to complete this article, since having many Norwegian friends and having enviable powers of observation, I can give valuable advice and recommendations that would help many women win the heart of a Viking and find their happiness.

So, marrying a Norwegian is actually not that difficult; it’s enough to know some of the nuances of the mentality of these harsh northern men. Let's start with the fact that Norwegians are also different, depending on age, level of education, social status and geographic location. Southern Norwegians differ from northern ones, residents of large cities from residents of villages. Workers are different from professors, and everyone has different tastes. So, it is worth remembering several features of a relationship with a Norwegian.

Norwegian men often leave the right to initiate a relationship to the woman.

You are unlikely to scare off a Norwegian young man, if you write to him, call him or propose a relationship. All the advice that “the girl herself should not show interest” can be safely forgotten. Norwegian women are strong and independent, able to show interest in a man. The rights of men and women in this country are equal, and a woman without a twinge of conscience can invite her beloved to get married, as usual, with champagne and a ring. Feel free to write, call and start a conversation first. Norwegians are polite people and will carry on a conversation anyway. Your advantages are that you choose who you want, and don’t wait in the corner for an invitation to dance.

Norwegians hate stormy showdowns.

Are your plans to conquer him with your temperament? Leave this for purely intimate moments, and try to maintain an even mood in everyday life. In Norwegian families, it is not customary to clarify relationships in a raised voice, and any disagreements are usually discussed at a round table, arriving at a common decision. Excessive impulsiveness discourages and irritates Norwegians, so even if your chosen one accepts your explosive nature at first, over time it will begin to irritate him. Learn to have constructive dialogue whenever possible. Your advantages: no one will shout at you at the moment of a showdown.

Norwegians put children first.

If your chosen one has children, get ready for the fact that he will devote a lot of time to them. Norwegians are excellent fathers and the well-being of their children is of paramount importance to them. Therefore, if you dream of a trip to the sea, and your loved one’s children ask for a trip to the forest with a tent, buy mosquito repellent cream instead of sunscreen. Your advantages: he will treat your children and your common children in exactly the same way.

Norwegians support good relationship with your exes.

This rule has many options - from simple friendly communication with ex-girlfriend to very close contact with the mother of his children. Sometimes former, current and others gather around a friendly table for Christmas and other holidays. This is a difficult test for the psyche of a Russian person, who is usually guided by other moral standards - “out of sight, out of mind.” I advise you to pull yourself together and remain calm, because you have a great bonus: you, too, can communicate with your exes without a twinge of conscience. In Norway there is equality.

Norwegians prefer independent women.

About equality: you can hardly expect a Norwegian to open doors for you, hand you a coat, kiss your hand and give you flowers for no reason. In the country of victorious feminism, you will be given the right to buy him flowers yourself, pay in a restaurant and give a man a gift. There is, however, a big plus, and it is that Norwegians re-educate themselves quite well, since pleasing a woman is in their blood. So feel free to explain to your loved one exactly how to care for you, and the results will not keep you waiting. There are also already converted Norwegians that you should take a closer look at.

Norwegians expect their spouse to work.

Families where the wife devotes herself to the home and children, and the husband works a lot, are very atypical for Norwegian society. Life in Norway is based on two incomes, so many Norwegian husbands expect you to find a job as quickly as possible. In this case good knowledge language is simply necessary. At first, you can focus on learning the language and gradually look for a job close to your specialty.

Norwegians love nature and sports.

Although there are some Norwegians who do not like sports and skiing, approximately 80 percent of Norwegians still love this leisure activity. Therefore, it is worth paying attention to your skills and mastering skiing. If this is not possible, then you should fall in love with hiking, get closer to nature, and find a hobby together.

Fluency in Norwegian or English will significantly facilitate your communication and help avoid omissions and misinterpreted situations. Therefore, I advise you to start hunting for Norwegian grooms by learning the language. This hobby will also help you easily establish contact with the people of Norway.