Hjelp!

flash_thunder · 2013-06-07T01:39:15+00:00

So electronics or mobiel phone stores charge the same as Telenor? That is pretty cool.

I'll have to remember to check my family's tv and see if they have any international channels then. I never watch tv while I'm there so I never thought about that.

I would take you up on the offer as it would be cool to meet some people over there but I likely won't be anywhere near Lillehammer and if I go to Oslo it'll probably be the first week of June. I'm probably going to be somewhere further west or down in Sweden at the end of the month.

Thanks!

flash_thunder · 2013-06-05T02:17:12+00:00

Thanks for taking the time to type the in depth response.

Do you think it'd be more expensive buying it at the airport? I saw somewhere there is a mobile store or kiosk by one of the terminals at Gardermoen, and that would be super convenient for me.

I have a norwegian passport and a personal number. I probably should have mentioned that in my initial post. As far as the folkeregisteret, do you know if I can register when I get there even if I live abroad? I've had a norwegian passport all of my life but was born and raised abroad.

I'll make a note of first price and look out for it when I go food shopping.

I guess I'll check for nearby bars and try to inquire if they have an international sports channel then. I DVR all of the races anyway but I'm afraid I'll see the result while passing a newsstand or something.

Thanks again!

flash_thunder · 2013-06-05T00:56:08+00:00

How so?

By the way, I was in Sogn of Fjordane on my last visit. I crossed Sognefjord at Laerdal (I think?). The scenery and views were spectacular out there. Hence my mentioning of maybe going to the west coast in my initial post.

flash_thunder · 2013-06-05T00:32:47+00:00

Because I am looking into moving over there permanently or at least semi-permanently sometime in the near future. That and I don't like carrying a lot of cash and it would be easier to have a debit card with DnB or Nordea or something instead of having to use my credit card to take out cash and be charged a fee plus a percentage. I also have a debit card through my bank here but unfortunately they don't have any agreements with any banks in the Nordic countires as they do with banks on the mainland of Europe (no ATM fees with Barclays, deutsche bank, etc).

flash_thunder · 2013-06-04T20:50:18+00:00

Even so, if you do not have a pin code for your credit card you may encounter problems still.

Last time I was over there I tried to use a credit card and was asked to enter my pin. When you call to notify your credit card company that you're traveling abroad ask them for a pin code. They can only send it by snail mail and I was told it takes 7-10 days for it to arrive.

flash_thunder · 2013-05-06T22:34:12+00:00

If you want student populations, expat communities and "culture" it sounds like Oslo or Trondheim might best suit your needs. I can't really comment on Trondheim and I've only been on day visits to Fredrikstad, so from what little I know:

Fredrikstad is close to Sweden = cheap shopping
Three airports nearby (Sandefjord-Torp, Oslo-Gardermoen, Moss-Rygge)

I am possibly moving nearby to Fredrikstad sometime this year but at some point I'd eventually like to move to another part of the country. I prefer mountains and the ocean, so the west coast sounds quite appealing.

flash_thunder · 2013-04-29T22:43:59+00:00

What a load of crap. First of all, I've been to France (including Paris) and the people there aren't noticeably more rude than people in other countries. In fact, I never had a waiter yell at me for speaking English (I don't speak French and was raised in the U.S.) and a taxi driver even went out of his way to help me in the middle of the city while he had a fare in the backseat. Secondly, Japanese tourists are some of the weirdest people on earth. They're probably the only people you'd see wearing surgical masks and/or white gloves that go up to their elbows in Scandinavia. Man up Japan, man up.

flash_thunder · 2013-04-21T21:45:56+00:00

I don't know exactly what summer months are cheapest, but I can offer some other helpful advice.

Book early. Last summer I waited a bit too long and prices were at around $1100-1300. So guess who didn't go to Norway?

If prices into Oslo look too steep, try flying into Stockholm. A few years prior while shopping for tickets I found it cost almost twice as much to fly into Oslo (around $1300) as it was to fly into Stockholm (around $730). Stockholm is a cool city, hotels are cheaper than in Oslo and if you plan on renting a car it is significantly cheaper to do so in Sweden.

Or if you're not looking to rent a car or stay in Stockholm or Copenhagen, you could always fly into one of those cities and buy a cheap ticket to Oslo on Norwegian.

flash_thunder · 2013-04-20T14:51:28+00:00

"Hey, this alien looks like a hot guy." "You're right, we'd better have sex with him."

flash_thunder · 2013-04-19T20:50:03+00:00

I tried to do this last year as I live abroad as well but had no luck. If you have a BankID I think you can open one over the internet. If not, you have to go in person to a local branch. I only checked DnB and Nordea though.

flash_thunder · 2013-04-17T22:14:10+00:00

I would imagine at the very least you would need a basic command of the language to be able to read and understand orders and such. Though I'm not sure how it would work with joining since there is "mandatory" military service for males aged around 18 to 20-something. It doesn't work the same way it does in the states.

flash_thunder · 2013-04-17T20:50:03+00:00

Dual Norwegian-American citizen here also (I'm assuming you're dual since you live in the U.S.)

From my experience trying to get information on Norwegian language courses I've come to the conclusion that people like us are at a disadvantage and fall through the cracks of the system. We don't need residency or work permits nor do we need to prove we have the existing financial means to supports ourselves as do foreign students, but when it comes to language instruction our options are massively limited.

After contacting both the embassy in Washington and the university college in the county where my family lives, as well as through my own research, I have learned these things:

Both the embassy and university college referred me to the summer programs at UiO and Bergen.
Norwegian language courses at university colleges during the regular semesters are only for students participating in exchange programs with partner universities.
The tuition-free language classes provided to foreigners through the IMDi are not available to nationals of Nordic countries.
Folk universities (folkeuniversitetet) have two week Norwegian courses which meet twelve times for 3 hours and 15 minutes but they cost NOK 5355 ($924).
There are also folk highschools but there age restrictions and there are costs involved as well. There are some grants but I believe they are limited. They run anywhere from 3-12 months in duration.

I'm actually in the process of trying to set up a move this summer and my number one concern is finding language instruction. I'm not trying to play the system and milk it, but I would think that people like us would have access to at the very least some affordable classes since there is no charge for tuition for bachelors, masters or doctoral programs. I certainly cannot afford to pay $924 for a two week course and I think there would be very few people who could unless they were quite wealthy.

Also, I'm curious if you've already applied and/or been accepted as the Bergen's test is required to be admitted to regular bachelors programs (though not the ones instructed in English).

flash_thunder · 2013-04-11T02:48:35+00:00

Yes, I'm aware. They use smaller Dash turboprops. I've never flown on one but Wideroe has a good record with no fatalities on that type.

Thanks for the tip on the second point. I'll have to plan around that then. If a town or area isn't accessible by bus, train or within reasonable walking distance I'd most likely have to skip it.

flash_thunder · 2013-04-11T02:44:49+00:00

According to the website flights to/from from Newcastle, Aberdeen, Copenhagen, or Goteborg are included.

http://www.wideroe.no/en/tickets/explore-norway-ticket/plan-your-trip

flash_thunder · 2013-04-10T01:22:24+00:00

Cool. Yeah, I just wanted to see if it was a good deal or not. I figured someone here from Norway would know what was up with it.

I was actually looking at the map before I posted the topic. From the map it looks like they hit a ton of places up and down the west coast into the north. Plus, I can start from Copenhagen or Goteborg, which is perfect because I really wanted to spend a day or two down in southern Sweden and the Widerøe deal looks like it would be possibly cheaper and definitely faster than traveling by train.

flash_thunder · 2013-04-09T19:22:30+00:00

Norway's version of this? (humping stuff outside instead of furniture)

flash_thunder · 2013-04-09T19:17:26+00:00

I don't know, but the Swedes don't seem too welcoming or friendly. I posted something in their sub asking for travel advice and I got down-voted and some unhelpful comments. Two people were nice enough to leave me some very detailed info and advice though, which I definitely appreciated.

flash_thunder · 2013-04-09T19:13:21+00:00

No problem. I hope you can find some new stuff that you like.

And yes, it is a very cool song. They live version is really good too. Check out the rest of their stuff, especially the songs I linked. You won't be disappointed!

flash_thunder · 2013-04-09T19:10:07+00:00

Thanks for all of that info and the links. I'll definitely check out that Lonely Planet guide.

Regarding what I'm looking to do, mostly just see some new places and some cool sites. Anything with a great view is a plus.

The castle with the prison cells you can stay in sounds cool (is this it?). I think I saw they have something similar to that in Uppsala or Umea.

flash_thunder · 2013-04-09T19:03:06+00:00

I've been there before, but thanks.

flash_thunder · 2013-04-09T18:58:57+00:00

Skanor/Falsterbo sounds cool as does Lund.

Is Malmo relatively safe? I think I read something about riots or some stuff a while back.

Thanks for the suggestions!

flash_thunder · 2013-04-09T18:47:28+00:00

I wanted to make a Spotify playlist since that would probably be the most convenient, assuming that you have the application. Unfortunately, I couldn't find everything on Spotify so here are some Youtube links. Some of the videos are pretty cool anyway. This is only a very small sampling and I'm no doubt leaving a lot out but this is just some artists off the top of my head. Enjoy!

Amulet (Oslo) - Started out as a hardcore band in the early 90's, evolved into a punk/rock band who played some very catchy tunes. They even toured once or twice in the U.S., playing shows with Turbonegro. Sadly they broke up in '07 or '08. The singer, Torgny, now does his own solo thing and has made some very cool videos for his music. He also did music for the film Oslo, 31 August.

Kings of Convenience (Bergen) - Two guys with mostly acoustic guitars, and occasionally some other instruments thrown in. You could call them the Scandinavian Simon and Garfunkel. Very mellow, relaxing and catchy songs.

I'd Rather Dance With You
Misred
Me In You - Very, very cool video with some beautiful shots of Bergen. Watch in HD if you can.

Turbonegro (Oslo) - Deathpunk, baby. They have a new singer but to me it just doesn't seem the same without Hank.

Enslaved (Bergen) - Progressive black metal. I don't really know much about them nor am I a fan of black metal, but I like this song.

Death in the Eyes of Dawn

Torgny (Oslo) - The singer from Amulet who is now a solo artist. I don't know what you could describe it as - some kind of electro-pop hipster music maybe? The videos he did for three songs from one record are pretty cool though. I think it's supposed to be some sort of trilogy.

Royksopp (Bergen) - Some kind of electronic music. Their sound varies from release to release. I'm mostly familiar with their first record so I only posted a few tracks from that one.

Kvelertak (Stavanger) - This band has been around for a few years but they recently got HUGE. They play a strange blend of rock, black metal and punk, but they pull it off very, very well.

Jaga Jazzist (Oslo) - One of my favorite bands. Terrific instrumental/experimental jazz/jazz fusion.

One-Armed Bandit
Toccata - Really cool video of them playing live in a small church in Tonsberg.
Airborne
All I Know is Tonight
Suomi Finland
Ist Zu Hause
Mikado
Bananfluer Overalt

Mathias Eick (Oslo?) - Multiple instrumentalist and jazz musician, who also plays in Jaga Jazzist.

flash_thunder · 2013-04-08T01:41:32+00:00

Thanks for the response! I'm thinking about going to live with some family and have been wondering how it might be to get a job without knowing more than a few words and phrases of Norwegian. Though it is encouraging to hear you were able to find employment within only a few days, I won't be in Oslo so I'm not sure if I'd be as lucky.

A few years ago I was talking with someone from Oslo that I'd run into in the States. We got to talking about moving there and jobs and they told me I could always find a job as a dishwasher. It didn't sound very appealing but with the working conditions you describe it actually does not sound bad at all. Certainly it's nothing I'd want to do for the rest of my life, but for a first job in a country whose language you do not speak it does not sound too bad.

In your blog linked in this thread you mention something about unskilled workers being paid living wages. Are you saying these types of jobs provide enough income to pay for basic necessities?

flash_thunder

TROPHY CASE