An average working week consists of five seven-and-a-half-hour workdays. The average Norwegian takes every weekend off — and has five weeks paid vacation per year. Good health and an active lifestyle are important. Evenings and weekends are often filled with activities, from theatre performances and concerts to outdoor activities and sports.
Norwegians have also become an adventurous people who love to travel. Norwegians generally have a simple approach to clothes — often focusing on practical, comfortable garments. This is also reflected in educational and professional settings: there is, for instance, rarely a strict dress code.
That said, it is worth noting that there has been a significant change in recent years. The same tendency towards formality is also evident in other areas of public life, for instance in conversation and public debate. This shift towards formality does not mean that Norwegians leave their all-weather jackets and practical shoes at home, or adopt more formal forms of address. It is rather a sign that Norwegians, as a result of increasing globalisation and prosperity, have learned to adapt to the expected etiquette.
Compared to other countries, people in Norway have a lot of free time. Norwegians admittedly work nine to five, but they have afternoons and evenings off — in addition to almost every Saturday and Sunday, as well as Christmas, Easter and summer holidays. Norway does not dub films or television for people over like the age of six or seven.
And their English skills are much, much better because of that. There is nothing like moving to a new city alone … and being able to instantly communicate with the locals. After living in both the US and Germany, I can say that Norway really gets it right when it comes to work-life balance. Your kid is sick? Stay at home with them. Need a mental health day? Take the day off and recuperate.
Need to make an appointment with the bank and the hours are unsuitable to your work hours? Take a break from work and head to the bank. Never has a phrase had so much truth. And, as a result, working with Norwegians was a very pleasant experience for me overall. Trust me, they will tell you that they do.
I worked in a cafe for a while and getting a complaint was a rare event. I think the people just complain when it is absolutely vital and keep their mouths shut when it is not. I long for that Norwegian mentality again. It took me a while to get it. I later realized that their jokes were far above my dumbed-down, slapstick usuals that I was hearing and were actually pretty dang funny.
But many people tell me it is a very difficult thing for them to make Norwegian friends after moving to Norway. I am not really friends with people I grew up with. New friends and empty wallets. Norwegians like to drink. But, alcohol in Norway is expensive, adding to its appeal. Norwegian men and women may not go out for a chilled out Happy Hour on a Tuesday night like Americans, but they will go out… and then some… on a Saturday night.
I have never seen the levels of intoxication on the streets that I witnessed living in Norway. I remember walking to work one Sunday morning and counting seven piles of vomit on one block alone.
I have since been to Blackpool, England. No words. Becoming friends with a Norwegian is no easy feat for a lot of folks. However, once you have a Norwegian friend, you have one of the most loyal and sincere people in your life. This is obviously a generalization, but I have found it is pretty accurate. I have also found Norwegians to be very inclusive to foreigners or expats on their holidays. They love celebrating with new people and including you as a genuine part of their special days Christmas, In fact, Norway is more diverse than many people realize until they arrive there.
Oslo, especially, is rather diverse in its inhabitants and you can find people from all ethnicities, nationalities, and backgrounds calling the city home. Some of my favorite, underrated musicians from Norway are Anna of the North, Maya Vik, and an oldie but goodie- Royksopp. Many Norwegians really believe that renting a place is bad and you should purchase one as it is a better investment. Where did I go wrong? I guess that the value you place on a home or owning a home may just vary with what I find prevalent in the US.
In the US, buying a home or flat is something that you do because it is the next step. Many Norwegians I know genuinely want their own place and will actively save up for the deposit at really young ages. And when they build or buy a place, they invest a lot into turning it into what they want. Norwegian people spend so much time, money, and energy into building the perfect almost always white bathroom. With heated floors and beautiful, minimalistic tiles on the walls, the bathroom is often the most stunning room in a Norwegian home.
It still fascinates me in a good way. I think most Norwegians would cry if they saw my bathroom in Germany. Norwegians often joke that they are born with skis on their feet. Well, this is probably true. Or maybe it is an evil plot against the rest of the world every four years when the Winter Olympics take place.
They are good at most forms of skiing, but especially cross-country skiing. I have noticed Americans play sports because we are competitive and just like winning. Many Norwegian people love skiing for the sport, but most do it for fun. Not so that they can be number one or anything like that… they just genuinely like rocking around the trails on a pair of skis with little obligation.
I lived in Norway for four years and never put a pair of skis on. And I love Norwegians for their desire to keep their nature clean and pure. Norway was blessed with some of the most beautiful nature on the planet and Norwegians know this and take advantage of it on a regular basis.
I have lived in Kazakhstan and I found it astonishing how few Kazakhs took advantage of the easy to access nature in and around Almaty. Norwegians are the complete opposite. You can always find them hiking, active, and playing around in the forests. It was one of my favorite things about living there. The Norwegian lifestyle can be a bit too relaxed for me at times… but then I realized I lived on the most picturesque place on the planet and I was bored no more.
This is a phenomenon that I never understood. I always thought Americans were bad with being obsessed with the daily lives of others and then I moved to Norway. Some Scandinavians even indulge in ice baths and other extreme experiences in the cold to improve their sense of mental toughness.
Being exposed to cold seems to have significant benefits for your health. The concept of Lagom from Sweden is all about balance. Scandinavian people believe in getting not too much and not too little of anything.
This includes balancing things like screen time, exposure to stress, and even work. A Lagom lifestyle reduces the risk of Scandi people just burning out by over-doing it at work, or anywhere in their lives. Part of the politeness of a Scandinavian person comes from their unwillingness to interrupt people or force others into a conversation without an initial invitation.
Most people see small talk as impolite, as it bothers people unnecessarily. However, not every Scandi person will feel this way. The culture is rich and varied, with people from different walks of life joining together in the same Nordic melting pot. Although people in Scandinavia do vary, however, they seem to share some especially important traits, like a commitment to staying fit and healthy, and a love for nature.
Scandinavians live at peace with the stunning surroundings around them. They take advantage of the fresh air and know how to balance exposure to cold and heat with saunas and ice baths. While some Nordic traits might seem a little extreme, Scandinavian people are all about strength, resilience, and balance.
While there is a little truth to some of the Scandinavian stereotypes that you might think of when you hear about this region, most of the features you think are common are overly exaggerated.
Some experts believe that blonde hair came from a genetic mutation that occurred from a lack of sunlight in the Nordic parts of the world. Another slightly controversial theory is that Scandinavians are blond because of selective breeding. People in the region may have found blonde hair more attractive, which meant that people with this look got more mates.
However, Scandinavian countries are often very misunderstood. Politically, three of the most common Scandi countries are constitutional monarchies. Iceland and Finland, however, are republics and have been this way since the beginning of the 20 th century. See also Articles What is the Nordic Model? Explaining the success of Scandinavian economies. Currently, the Nordic countries are seen as highly democratic, as they all have a unicameral governance strategy. This is a Scandinavian stereotype that flies in the face of what we know about Scandi people.
As mentioned above, many of the people in these countries are extremely kind and good-natured. Although Nordic behavioral patterns can be challenging to understand from the outside. The Nordic model combines social welfare with capitalism, and this is powered by quite high tax rates. Norway, Denmark, and Sweden are pretty expensive countries to live in when you consider the cost of groceries, rent, and power. The good news is that most Scandinavian people also earn a decent income so that they can afford the extra expense comfortably.
Yes, IKEA comes from Sweden, but Scandinavia is also responsible for some of the most beloved interior design icons in the world. The region has an incredible range of designers to choose from when it comes to decorating a home, so you can expect to see a wide range of home settings if you were to go exploring here. Scandi people do believe in functionality and minimalism, however. This means that you might get smaller homes in Denmark and Sweden than you would in the US.
Having said this, Scandinavian people know how to use space cleverly, so nothing is wasted. Now we come to perhaps the biggest Scandinavian stereotype of all — the idea that everyone living in Sweden , Denmark, Finland , and Norway are deliriously happy. Scandi people have the same everyday concerns and problems as anyone else. According to the World Happiness Report conducted by the United Nations, Denmark is the second happiest country in the world.
Norway came in at number five, while Sweden achieved number seven. For instance, GDP, social support, generosity, life expectancy, corruption, and freedom are all considered.
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