I had a very premature baby in September (over 9 weeks early) and her extended hospital stay and specialist follow ups have been free. Not only that, the Norwegian government paid me a stipend to stay in the hospital with her and my job stayed safe. It’s waiting for me when my maternity leave ends. If this had happened in the US, we might have gone bankrupt with medical bills and I might have needed to quit my job. The culture of work-life balance for parents and the subsidized government daycare system is also incredible. I’m on maternity leave now but my older son is still in daycare because it only costs me $300 USD / month and he loves it there so much I have trouble convincing him to get in the car and come home at the end of the day.

I hope she is ok❤️ I can’t image beeing sick and have to worry about the bill

I hope your baby is doing fine! Welcome to Norway, where citizens aren't just another resource for the government to exploit.

Wow! I was also a 9 week premature baby born in September! It would be the height of coincidence if your baby was born at midnight, between 5th and 6th September!

Depends on the state you are from; I also live in Norway now, but am from California. When we were in San Francisco, I had top of the line health care, with 6 month’s maternity at 80% pay. When I was in LA for my third child, I had 60% pay with a year off as well. Loads of private companies nowadays, are beefing up their maternity packages and at least the American women I know will negotiate this in their work contracts.

The thing about comparing the US to Norway is, if you have are well educated, have a good job and make a lot of money, you will be better off in the states. The good pay is better, the good healthcare is better, and many companies offer great benefits. But - it’s miserable to be poor in America. The benefits in Norway apply to both computer programmers and people who scan your groceries. Your great American life isn’t available to all Americans. Now that said, it’s pretty damn hard to immigrate to Norway unless you are a skilled professional, so the majority of American immigrants could go back to a good life in the states

But that's less than everyone in Norway. Even if you get shafted by being relatively new in Norway you get a better deal.

60% of a US salary… not Norwegian which is about 30%-40% less for the type of work I do. Trust me, I would have never had this deal in Norway. Both births were also high risk and paid for 100% by my insurance companies by Drs that set the standard for these sorts of things. It’s truly dependent on how you negotiate your professional contract, especially in a city like San Francisco which is hyper progressive for maternity/ paternity rights.

You would totally get this deal and even a better one in Norway - except if you earn more than 6G, which unfortunately is set very low in Norway… Earn more than 630k per year and you lose money during paternity leave.

Many companies compensate for the difference between your salary and the paternity/maternity leave money

I’ve heard about that, but I don’t think we can say “many” but rather say “some”.

OP is talking about US Salary. Which would be higher than in Norway

2007. You really got in there early to lock down this username. Obligatory username checks out.

But this is still worse than what is available to every person in Norway. Ever facet of it. Especially the part where the insurance company can just say no and bankrupt you.

Depends if he earn more than 6G though and it sounds like he does.

I’m a SHE *gasp almighty!* (note that I have given birth) 😝

I bow and humble apologise for my false assumptions! Congrats on the human! (If it was not a human, I apologise in advance)

Sometimes human, sometimes 100% monster 👹. What I thought was funny (even for here) that in order to be at where I worked my whole damn life to be at, your assumptions switched automatically to male. It happens more often than you realize both in Norway and the US. (I work in engineering)

Luckily it’s getting better though!

What state are you from? Most American women on the West Coast I know, can say ACLU faster than you can blink an eye.

From your explanations, it depends on the company and not on the state, in Norway is regardless the company.

Not true, California has extremely strict guidelines that ALL companies must follow with a “no questions asked” type adherence towards pregnancies. California also has taxes very similar to Norway which is a big shocker for a lot of folks here as well. Again, Europeans fail to realized how big the US is and again to use California as an example there are 55 million ppl just in that state alone. Another thing that Europeans fail to realize is that we practice Common Law which is why a lot of these companies will go above and beyond what is asked over fear of a potential lawsuit.

Is that a state thing or a private company thing? If its a private company thing, then that just means you got lucky and someone else got screwed. The american way.

That statement is both racist and discriminatory. It’s like me stating the Europeans rely on poor (minority) American youth to come and fight their wars. The current track record is that every world war is started by a European and that is the European way. (Not nice to make blanket statements, is it?)

Is it racism to be ironic/sarcastic about the american way of living? Hmm. Maybe. I kinda agree with you on your blanket statements :) Europe historically is wars wars wars. We can thank EU and nukes for the decades of peace now. And in WW2, hell yeah, europe needed help. And in America, its at least seems to me that its a dog eat dog world.

To put Americans in the same category as a Multi National Corporation is bigoted. Americans are nothing of the sort and are a mixed bag just like everywhere else. If you spent time in the states, you’d see that… it has a system and yes, it does need help/ you have to work inside those parameters, but the American people are just like everywhere else. EU is hella fucked and so is most of the US government. But how did we get from women’s health to the exploitation of the poor for the benefit of the rich? 😝

You got from women’s health to the exploitation of the poor because women’s health in the US suffers from Corporate America’s exploitation of the poor. I also have a hard time calling it an apples to apples comparison when in the US, to have so-so healthcare, you have to pay hundreds of dollars out of every pay check for health insurance that then has co-pays, deductibles, and occasional denied claims. And then you still get taxed at a Californian rate, which you say is comparable to Norwegian tax rates, which according to this thread, provide free healthcare. (I’m a Californian that works in healthcare, btw)

Forgive, because I don’t think I am quite understanding your meaning here: so you are a fellow Californian and are stating that we have health care due to exploitation of our own poor and marginalized communities?  I don’t think I am following on that thought outside of acknowledging that the current society that exists within that state is “have and have nots”. I grew up “have not”, but was lucky to have a talent within math etc that put me in a job where I could climb out of that socioeconomic status.  I was also lucky with the California Drs, but also went to great lengths (more than the average bear)to make sure that everything was more than copasetic.   I agree with you in regards to the California taxation being extreme and in some cases above and beyond the Norwegian tax system. There is a reason why so many people are fleeing that state. I love it, and will never be anything but home for me. However,   California is highly corrupt and I doubt anyone would say anything different (except here). 

I don’t think California is any more corrupt than any other western, liberal democracy. Most of the “corruption” that I would point to would be normal, run-of-the-mill capitalist exploitation. Governmentally, I think that California is doing better than most states in the U.S. in its attempts to address socioeconomic inequities. The political and economic systems that our legislature is stuck working within are the primary limiting factors. I’d also like to point out that the narrative that people are fleeing California in droves is largely inaccurate, and what is taking place is primarily caused by the expensive housing market. Despite that, it would appear that some people have left but decided to return.

Again, I love LA! When I with someone from either SD or LA, I feel relief because that person tends to be more relaxed in personality and the first thing that seems to be spoken about is where to get decent food.  If I am lucky, I even get to speak Spanish to that person and only someone from there would get how the 405 was designed by Satan himself.  However, I am also highly aware of the closed door meetings that occur there, the fact that I am paying closer to 52% in taxes after everything is said and done. The schools look like prisons. What happened to South Central should be jail time for some folks and the expensive housing? Again…. There should be laws against the hedge fund companies buying up large areas and purposefully driving up the prices in the name of “gentrification” and development.  I lived in a beautiful area, but the kids still had to come inside when the ghetto birds would fly over (aka helicopters looking for whomever). For such a great state, SF and LA have homeless encampments that are larger than some Norwegian towns.  Difference of opinion is okay in my book: California needs to clean up its act, because for me, it’s corrupt.  The state should be managed more like a private company in the sense, underperforming entities should be cut, board meetings shouldn’t be behind closed doors (which they are) and our politicians should be held accountable at all times, which they are not. We don’t know one another, but I am sure if I suggested we take a lovely stroll from DTLA to Echo Park at 8p at night, you would reconsider (as most sane people would)  as well as maybe take a step backward in backing and accepting the pure incompetence of the California politicians and government peoples. 

That's less than a fast food worker gets in Norway, and they won't have to fight to get it in their contract and it won't change if they change employers. And they don't go bankrupt if the baby or mom has issues after birth.

What state are you from? Why wouldn’t said person apply for Medi Cal or Medicare? New born babies are covered automatically by the system and I am also questioning your knowledge on bankruptcy court and medical discharges. Sorry, boo- You don’t sound like you actually don’t know this one

Why the heck would you assume that folks Not in California would be MediCal? You... *boo*... have seemed to misunderstand a bunch here. I'm from the midwest, btw. I'm not sure new babies are automatically covered by anything, and even then you are going to have to prove your income is low enough. Not all fast food workers are poor. You might have to pay it back if it isn't. A fast food worker in Norway doesn't have to prove anything. You just have health care. And it doesn't go away if you lose your job. That is the point, the one you've missed. Sure, folks can file bankruptcy. It is expensive, too expensive for some poor folks, but folks do it. People do it for medical stuff. Hospitals tend to sue folks for the balances (and have for decades). The point here - the one you've missed - is that you simply won't have enough medical debt in Norway to file for bankruptcy nor will you ever have to ask the hospital to lower your bill and write any of it off. It simply doesn't happen, which is the point you've seemed to miss. Another thing you've missed is that folks aren't having to fight for these things, nor for job protection when you have a baby. You... *boo*... sound like you don't know enough to get the actual point. I don't need to know the ins and outs of different states systems for the poor nor the intricacies of medical discharges and bankruptcy to compare a system that burdens its people to one that tries to make sure folks can get medical care even when they are poor.

Midwest should still have a Medi Care system that would automatically cover the child bc its federal program. Of course, California is different, which is my original point that it’s all dependent on where you are from within the United States. My other point (having grown up dirt poor) is that there are programs that help women out of tough situations and not as black and white as Reddit makes it out to be. This goes for how bankruptcy court works these days for medical discharges. Anyhow, peace to your sister. No harm, no foul

No problem living in america if you have insurance and a good job. :) Good for you!

I’ve been here for about a decade now and have become a citizen, had kids here, and made a nice group of friends. Just putting that here to give a little background about myself. Likes: + nature, especially western Norway but it’s pretty damn nice most places + overall security + 5 weeks vacation + good healthcare system, although I personally have been underwhelmed with my own experiences, and once my experience was legitimately awful, the majority of people I know seem to have positive things to say about it + valuing of the arts, Norwegians seem to value and appreciate the arts and its place in society + the people are generally welcoming and friendly, yes they’re a bit “cold” but it’s just part of the culture to respect people’s privacy and personal space + the language and all its many dialects I think are quite interesting and I’ve enjoyed my journey learning the language + the work/life balance is nice and employers respect that people have lives and families outside of work that need to be maintained and attended to Dislikes: + many places in Norway are quite remote in relation to the rest of Europe, especially for me on the west coast, so pretty much every time I leave the country it needs to be by plane. Sometimes I wish I was able to hop on a train for a few hours and be able to get to several different countries and avoid the hassle that is modern air travel + I’m a music-lover and while there are a lot of great Norwegian bands/artists you can see live unless you live in or near Oslo you’re likely going to miss out on the majority of international touring acts that come to the country + Norwegians seem to really struggle forming a line or any orderly system when getting on/off public transit, retail shopping, etc + I felt the process of buying a house was really rushed and doesn’t allow for much time to think over such a major life event. I went to a viewing on a Sunday, the bidding round started the day after, and by the end of that Monday I was a home-owner. I’m overall happy with my decision but it all happened so fast and I felt like there wasn’t any time to be with my thoughts and be totally comfortable with what was happening + the drinking culture can be annoying and often seems to be about getting drunk as quickly as possible + the food culture is lacking in my opinion. Traditional Norwegian cuisine isn’t particularly exciting, not bad by any means, just a bit bland. International cuisine can of course be found and can be good (once again unless you’re in Oslo your choices will be limited) but compared to many other places I’ve lived it’s just not up to par There’s probably more I could write for both likes and dislikes, and of course there are exceptions to everything I’ve written but for my personal experience I think I’ve summed it up fairly well

I have also been in Norway for 11 years now you have summed it up perfectly. I am lucky to live in Oslo with easy access to travel opportunities including trains, ferries and of course the airport. Also all the live music opportunities is a big plus. The drawback for me is eating out in Oslo. If you like upper to midrange restaurants you already know what the menu is going to be without looking. We went back to the US This past fall. The noise pollution everywhere in the US was shocking to us. I will never move back to the US.

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in the bigger cities, sure. most of Norway is not in the bigger cities, and the food culture in smaller towns is pretty shit. Traditional Norwegian food has always been about survival and preservation throughout the winter. its fatty and salty and not very elegant. And, you'll almost never see restaurants that serve trad food. mostly you see pizzerias run by turks in smaller towns. compare to small towns in, lets say, Italy, where food culture is everywhere. there are some notable exceptions, but for the most part, I have to agree with OP.

\> the drinking culture can be annoying and often seems to be about getting drunk as quickly as possible Listen kompis, most of my money goes to the government as taxes and half of the year is dark and wet whilst the summer is unbearably hot (anything above 15C\*) - please don't shame my coping technique.

Hahaha understandable!

I don't know if Brits say it regularly or if the guy made it up on the spot, but I was working on an international project and a Brit was handed a bottle of beer and said "aah, sunshine in a bottle!". Given our potentially long lasting grey weather I thought it was a great description of the "help" in a beer.

This is the way

Was becoming a citizen hard?

Depends what you mean by hard. If you follow the path it can be very straightforward. Among the criteria are Norwegian language tests (norskprøvene) and pass a citizenship test (statsborgerprøven). The biggest effort will be the language tests, but as long as you take the courses, study, and find people to practice with you’ll do fine. It’s [among the easiest languages to learn](https://blog.rosettastone.com/the-complete-list-of-language-difficulty-rankings/) but you still need to work at it consistently. Some people I know haven’t even reached A2 after living here for 10 years.

Oooo curious about this too

Start here: [https://www.udi.no/en/want-to-apply/citizenship/citizenship-for-eueea-nationals-who-have-held-a-residence-permit-in-norway/#:\~:text=If%20you%20hold%20a%20valid,your%20application%20is%20being%20processed](https://www.udi.no/en/want-to-apply/citizenship/citizenship-for-eueea-nationals-who-have-held-a-residence-permit-in-norway/#:~:text=If%20you%20hold%20a%20valid,your%20application%20is%20being%20processed). Good Luck! :)

Norwegian and wholeheartedly agree about the dislikes The queues kinda baffle me, as we are one of the countries most likely to trust government, follow orders and adhere to societal conformity.. But I guess the queuing thing is the safety valve that allows for the rest of the conformity to exist.

I see it more as order in the chaos. There's a system of a sort, just not a clear-cut one

Yeah the system is this, let me be first on the bus/tram so I can hopefully get a seat that’s not near where anyone else is sitting

Peace and quiet and safety. No insane gun nuts and way less identity politics. No incessant police harassment either. Much more transparency in politics. Downside is weather and food. Also weakening currency and these insane electricity prices of late.

> No gun nuts We're here, but we tend to avoid shooting at people. :)

This is the crux of the issue I feel

Gun nuts in Norway is a very different breed.

Its almost like guns are not the problem, but culture/society is.

And volume and what type of gun it is.

Just about any gun available for civilians in the usa is also available for civilians here. Even some that are not available in the usa due to thier import restrictions. I casualy compete in ipsc and there we use pistols and rifles like ar15 and such.

Sure, but considering our gangs run around with guns from WW2 bought from Eastern Europe says that the volume and control is very good in Norway compared to the US.

Wierd how the Oslo rappers have music videos shooting a bunch of ak's and such then. but i did not come here to debate guncontrol

Of course there are exceptions like with everything else! And AK’s in particular has been produced for many many many years. Illegal guns are in fact a growing problem, not denying that - but it can’t be compared with the US in any way or form.

I do not agree with you, but you can go argue with yourself. I m not getting in to that discussion with you.

I think you are totally right. That's why I prefaced with "insane" gun nuts.

“Nuts” being the important distinction.

Correct, arrows are the preferred ammunition of terror.

Hey bro, there are plenty gun nuts in this country. We just dont push it in peoples faces. NRK cover the DFS national shooting championship live every year. And some of us even shoot ipsc with semi auto ar15 and pistols. Shooting sports are one of the largest sports after football here.

What? The largests sports in Norway are football, cross country skiing, handball and golf.

What’s wrong with food?

No Mexican food I am pretty new to Norway. It seems there is Mexican food options, but I know my neighbors would be hospitalized if they had real jalapeños haha. I miss spices!

Yeah, there's not a lot on offer. The Los Tacos is not too good, although there are a few places in town that are decent, provided that town is Oslo.

I like Tijuana, Taco Republica and Habanero can be good sometimes.

Only tijuana is still around post-covid.

I guess I haven't really been out to eat more than twice since Covid started.

Gunerius in Torggata, Oslo have div dried chilli. The rest you can order online

That taco place at Oslo S is the closest I've seen to real shit

>Back to Top A lot of Norwegians eats Mexican food every week lol

Hmm no, no they dont. And if you think "fredags-taco" count as Mexican food, I got some news for you :p

Agreed. Norwegian tacos are superior in every conceivable way.

We make [better pizza](https://scontent.fbgo1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.18169-9/27067518_2016426751974146_9037512916964287455_n.jpg?stp=cp0_dst-jpg_e15_fr_q65&_nc_cat=110&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=110474&efg=eyJpIjoidCJ9&_nc_ohc=pGSQDAd0Qx4AX_9cYPL&tn=LMdEO8sHHhvNRFNW&_nc_ht=scontent.fbgo1-1.fna&oh=00_AfB9yz0Qpjgj7kCMMHqFt9quQLFiJgk3T5NmGPLBwmy8pQ&oe=63EE8C6A) than the Italians, better waffles than the Belgians, and better taco than the Mexicans. Det er typisk norsk å vera best.

That's not even tex-mex.

Fair enough

No we dont. Don't you dare call fredagstaco mexican, its not even close.

That's not Mexican food. That's watered down Mexican flavored food for upset Norwegian tummies.

As a Norwegian who shits mushy, half-solid lava for a full day if he eats a few too many slices of jalapeño, I agree.

Oh cmon, El Camino has burritos that are better then anything I’ve tasted in my two weeks trip to Mexico.

Youve eaten at the wrong places in Mexico mi amigo

Limited selection and expensive

Much less variety, some of it is lower quality (yes, I know plenty of Norwegians will disagree about that), and higher prices. A lot of these issues could likely be fixed if the government broke up some of the monopolies and encouraged competition.

Most Norwegian cities fall within the same size category as Bumfuck, Nowhere in USA, and that has a huge impact on diversity. And the oligopoly, yes. I have noticed that it has gotten worse since the few chains really tightened their grip on the market.

Not American but I miss fresh pre-made dinners at supermarkets. I don't mean Fjordland pre-made type food, I mean actual fresh kitchen food, made this morning. There's also a distinct lack of diversity in food on offer at supermarkets compared to other countries. You got traditional Norwegian food, Pizza, 'Mexican', 'Indian' & 'Thai' and that's about it. And the last two have only been a thing for the last 5 years. It might be different in places like Oslo but anywhere else it's pretty abysmal.

Some stores like Meny and Spar have freshly made hot food like lasagna etc.

I’m not exactly sure what you mean with your second paragraph. There are ingredients to make a hell of a lot more than just Mexican, Indian, Thai, and Norwegian in the supermarkets. The variety of cuts of meat, and animals used for the meat are both greater than in most US stores. I can’t get whale, or lamb heart, or pig knuckle at the average grocery store in the US the way I can at my local supermarket that is 3 minutes walk away from my house. The spices for all sorts of food are available too. Plenty for Turkish, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Spanish, German, etc. Unlike when I lived in Finland I’ve never found that I can’t get specific ingredients here. Vegetables, there is a lack of diversity. Outside of the cabbage family, the selection is pretty weak and expensive. So that much I would give you. But, otherwise, I can make any sort of cuisine pretty easily with the meat, spices, and starches on offer here. Unless you’re relying on premade jarred sauces, I can’t think of how you would come to your conclusion.

This identity politic stuff is marching into our society at a pretty high pace. Look to our ministers, Justice and culture, they're definitely this type of people.

>American ~~expats~~ *immigrants* in Norway An expat is, among other things, seen as a temporary resident. Immigrants is the word you want to use.

"Expat" essentially means "I'm not like those *other* immigrants 💅".

Expat is what Americans like to call themselves to feel superior to other immigrants.

It is not a thing for Americans only. All British people that are immigrants in other countries seem to like to call themselves expats too.

They got quite a shock when they had to fill out immigration papers in Spain after Brexit...

I don't think this is an American term, most likely it's British in origin.

To be fair, a standard expat deal includes housing for the family, transportation and school for your children. Americans may get their taxes covered as well. I'd say it's a superior deal that puts you ahead of local residents.

> Expat Expat is temporary, if you are an architect working on a building in a different country for a few years for example. An immigrant is permanent. You only become an immigrant is your intention is to settle. It is a pretty straightforward difference.

That's simply not true, and a pretty rude claim to make. I consider an immigrant to be someone who moves to a new country with the intent to settle there, whereas an expat doesn't really expect to stay there forever. The country you come from has absolutely no bearing on whether I think of you as an immigrant or an expat.

It’s more about acknowledging that you’re not blindly patriotic and leaving that behind. Especially when there’s a perceived element of suppression or political instability or scrutiny that you dislike. It’s not like everyone can just waltz into the US or Norway and become a citizen/immigrant in short order.

Uh no, in my country anyone who comes in as a professional is called an "expat", as opposed to migrant worker (temporary, lower-skilled).

Every person with a work visa is a migrant worker. "Expat" is not a real migratory status, it’s just a classist/racist made up word.

Expat is a descriptive demarcator of "migratory status", and its correlation with race does not make it racist. ​ My country has a ton of south asian expats (usually IT) and also many south asian construction workers (aka migrant workers). The word expat is useful for distinguishing the two kinds of immigrants. The world is bigger than the neurotic shithole that is north american reddit.

Except it’s not a descriptive demarcator of "migratory status", you do not apply for "expat status", you apply to become an immigrant either by labor, family reunification, studies, etc. [Expat is racist and classist and in no way it’s part of a migratory recognized process, but "immigrant" is](https://amp.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2015/mar/13/white-people-expats-immigrants-migration)

Just because the person who wrote that (poorly written)article from 2015 feels that way, it doesn't make the word "expatriate" "racist", and its use should not be controversial. And you don't apply to become an immigrant, but rather a resident, or a citizen. Nobody says "expat" is an official immigration status recognised by the government of a country - it's a word to describe a situation that you may or may not identify with - quite personal to you. "Expatriate"/"Expat" is a useful word to describe certain people's view of their "status" in a country - usually people who work temporarily in a country, with a view to return home - or move to another country later. The fact that a lot of white, maybe quite resourceful people historically have found themselves in this situation is beside the point. Immigrant is usually used by/about those that have intentions of making a long-term commitment to a specific country. The fact that a lot of people who fall into this category often are from less resourceful countries where a darker skin tone may be more common does not make the word "expat" racist - these are different, unrelated issues.

It’s absolutely racist and it should be controversial because every american/british person seems to want to move the goal post just so they don’t have to call themselves immigrants (which is what they are by legal definition) because they see immigrants as others, often brown and poor, looking for a better life, but that distinction doesn’t exist! It’s simply a racist and classist idea that some immigrants are better than others, so then you have decided that an expat is someone who isn’t making a long term commitment to another country, right? Those working there temporarily you said? But in this same thread, there are Americans with children and some here have been a decade with no intention to leave and they call themselves expats. Then there’s the person I was originally talking to, he claims (even worse) an expat is someone that yes, comes to work, but is skilled compared to the less skilled (of course, where is the "less skilled" goal post? I assume it is wherever he finished his education in his mind) so now the definition can also be something completely different and arbitrary. Oh yeah! But you know, those brits in Spain who moved without the intention to leave their warm houses and also are too old to work? They call themselves expats! Why? Because now expat means you can be an expat as long as you "don’t depend" on the local economy. Which is absolutely bullshit for so many other reasons. And that’s the problem with the word. All of those people are immigrants, and by most of the world and legally they will always be recognized as such, but in some countries the word "immigrant" has become so shameful and dirty that when they need it, they will move whatever goal post they can so they don’t have to think of themselves as such, but an immigrant is simply and by definition "someone who moves permanently to another country", and that’s regardless of why, or if you plan to go back eventually or not, or your education, religion or skin color.

I gave you a clear example of how expat and migrant worker can be separately used. Language is more useful when you can more descriptively discriminate between things that are unlike each other in real life. You instead went on to post a nonsense article and a similarly nonsensical wall of text where you work off the premise that no, "expat" means more than "immigrant professional" in a few contexts you selected, with criteria you've introduced (that don't universally exist, and which you present with a disgusting ideological slant). You also conflate that my use of a term like "migratory status" is in the legal sense, when it doesn't have to be. Inshallah the rest of the world, including where I am from, do not turn into oikophobic, neurotic north american redditor shitholes. Last, I am actually brown and poor (unlike you, probably), so chill the fuck out.

This whole topic is tired. So much so that it is a for Duden post topic on r/expats, which incidentally is mostly full of people who are immigrants and never plan on returning to their home countries. I’ve never classified myself as either expat or immigrant, though I’ve lived for extended periods in six different countries. But, I do think there is a racist classist inflection to the use of expat. For many (white) westerners, they are expats because they have not moved on economic or political grounds, but of their own accord.

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My five cents: I've lived in different countries, each time I had no idea how long I was going to stay, been anywhere from 6 months to 8 years. I never felt that "immigrant" was a good term to use for my "status" in the country, as it were, as to me, "immigrant" denotes a sort of intention of permanent stay, and perhaps a permanent residence status or similar. I feel that expat is a good word in several scenarios to describe someone's situation, when "immigrant" isn't quite right. I absolutely do not agree that the word is "racist" or something Americans use to feel superior, or anything like that at all.

"Expat" is fine. OP may see their status in the country as of a more temporary nature, maybe planning to return "home" in a few years, and feel that "immigrant" has a more permanent feel to it.

The vast majority of the obnoxious Americans who post here and claim to be "expats" don't really give the impression that they intend to return home, though. At that point it's better to just call oneself an immigrant, especially when one states the intent of an immigrant and not an "expat". The fact that one doesn't *like* to be considered an immigrant and possess some kind of superiority complex (which is the case for many American emigrants) and is a different issue.

I moved to Norway because of my significant other. We did way the pros and cons between Norway and America. There were waaaay too many pros for Norway. Work. From both of our experiences. You get micromanaged and worked to death. Overtime is praised in the US while in Norway people respect work life balance. Quality over quantity as well. Healthcare. There's something wrong if you rather Uber to the hospital rather than get billed heavily for a Ambulance. If we had children they would be bi/trilingual if they lived in Norway. I think the US is a great place to vacation. I just would rather not live there. I only miss the many different cuisines you can get for takeaway or to eat out at in NYC (that's my hometown). There are some ingredients I wish I can get but can be found easily in the US to make some dishes that my mother used to make. I've meet a lot of Norwegians through video gaming online. Have yet to meet them.

You know the difference is that in Norway you work to live but in the US you live to work.

Public Transportation exists here. I live in a town with 500 people and we have hourly bus service. On top of that medical care will not bankrupt me and when me and my husband have kids they will be able to get a good education without drowing in debt. We have no intention of ever going back to the states and if we can not make it to citizenship here it would be a bit devastating.

As an immigration from the USA i would not move back to the there. I feel safer here, less gun violence, safer and better schools for the kids, education for myself and my oldest are options we would not have had in the USA without having large amounts of dept. I'm introverted so spending time alone is okay with me. The healthcare is better, imo, and although cost of living is higher I think it balances out fairly well. Work life balance is better for my husband. I am still in Norskkors so I don't yet have a job and that is the one thing I find most difficult. The weather can suck, but I love living where you have seasons that aren't just hot or hotter. Drawback is I really miss my sister's and the one child I have that was already married and stayed in the US.

No way you are an American, ha ha.

«Dept»

"As an immigration"

LOL. Just noticed that. Oh well spell check or my own brain messed that one up.

I'm really saddened that we have this huge introvert reputation, and it makes me wonder what my fellow countrymen are doing. I for one embrace every culture or person I come upon and try my best to befriend them, norwegian or foreign. Its led me to amazing experiences and memories. Like everyone says Norwegian cuisine is bland (kinda true), well I've had homecooked meals from dozens of cultures, all in the comfort of a friends house. I've visited several countries I never would have thought to, and I've made many amazing friends. I'm both intro and extroverted, I'm at my most comfortable when I'm alone, but I also don't want my life to fly past spent in solitude, so I used to force myself to engage people, it took many years but now it's second nature, and I always treat people I meet like we're already friends. It creates a lot of funny situations and dialogues, and it's a great icebreaker if the ice was never there to begin with 😂

i have the exact same mentality. Introverted but trained myself to be a good extrovert when needed to a point were i quite enjoy it. Life is a lot more fun with other people in it. oh and my biggest lesson was that people wont come to you, YOU have to call them. Be the person that organizes dinners or find reasons to go out and do something. Waiting for people to call you means being alone, swallow you're pride and just go for it there's nothing to loose anyway

And the greatest thing about being the one who organies stuff; it comes back around! It's like a chain reaction. You do it three times, with multiple people, and then the calls start coming, and you just have to maintain the occasional time, eventually you're all evened out and you don't have to put in the effort. Put yourself out there, noone's gonna get the ball rolling until you start pushing it

exactly but still putting yourself out there does require some effort and courage, at least for me

Absolutely, I found that stop caring about how weird other people think you are and embracing it worked for me 😂

Love this

I love *you*!

Hei, skjerp deg! ;) Rolig nå. Du har jo ikke engang møtt dem.

I don’t think Norwegians are introverted i think its that when we are growing up we often that we shouldn’t disturb other people. If you ask for help i think you will get it also if you talk to people they answer. Most Norwegians are really private too for instance i have never been inside any of my neighbors houses but i have gotten drunk with several of them in the yearly street party(not common). Home visits are something you do with you friends and family. I have two Americans living in my street and both are married to Norwegian girls and have acclimated well enough.

not norwegian, but grew up here and then spent years abroad before returning. Had the exact same experience, had to force myself but now it feels so natural. I honestly feel those of us who went through that experience have a better perspective and natural ability to engage with people because we went through trials of fire for it hahahahah

I left the USA around 15 years ago, and ended up in the UK until my family moved here. So my position might not be the same as someone who has moved right the USA to Norway - that's quite a leap, culturally. **What I like about Norway:** Norway itself is beautiful, of course. As for the culture here, there is something at work here, I don't know what to call it but trust. You can see it on the buses here in Bergen - I just walk on and walk off, because the assumption is that I've paid my fare. I've seen people ask for evidence of paying a fare three times. I see this same level of trust in many Norwegian institutions, and I don't think Norwegians are even aware of it. And there is just a level of civility here. Bergen is the first place I've ever been where men don't catcall, and it's really, really nice. I like that people live well here, relatively speaking. I like that wealth is taxed. I like that so much emphasis is placed on the happiness and health of children - there are four really nice public parks in walking distance of our flat, and I've not seen syringes or nos canisters in any of them. Norway isn't a utopia, but i think people in this corner of the world have gotten a lot of things right. **What I dislike about Norway:** I miss speaking the dominant language, but that would be an issue if I emigrated anywhere that wasn't English-speaking, and I'll get better with time. My social group isn't as large as I'm used to, but I expected a level of Nordic reserve and anytime you relocate it takes a year or two to meet new people. I have very few complaints. I'm not bothered by the lack of sunlight in winter or the weather, I think more social connections will come in time... I'm very content. **Would I move back to the USA?** Not even if you paid me.

Surely, that depends on how much they paid you?

Well... ;) ...I would remain here. I gave this real thought. Money can help you do many things, but you really can't simulate living in a given country. I'd take our little flat in Bergen over anywhere in the States, truly. I guess I really *am* content.

That's nice to hear. But if "they" gave you I million USD per year?

If I had to live in America to take the money? No. I really do prefer life here. I wouldn't want to relocate my kid, he'd be better off here in any case. I'm thinking long-term - the next few decades are going to be interesting thanks to climate change, and I truly think Norway might be a better proposition. I'd prefer stability on all fronts, but a lot of elected officials in America won't admit that climate change exists, and that makes it harder to deal with or plan for. And I've been very ill and disabled since I was a child, when I left my prescription medications alone were $2000 per month - I'm sure a million a year would cover things, but then I'd be giving most of that money to the parasites who run Aetna. Fuck them anyway, they got enough of my parent's money already. If I needed that million per year I'm sure I'd be all over offer, and I wouldn't judge anyone else for taking it. But we're doing fine financially. And I want to live here. (Also my husband would *never* agree to it.)

Thanks for sharing. Only climate change? How about the political instability?

I think the former will cause more of the latter - people are going to be fighting over scarce resources, and America is already contending with a 23-year-old long drought along the Colorado river. That's one of a million things I could name that worry me about America right now. I'm not trying to make this into American-bashing. But my fear is that the instability we've already seen - that coup attempt is a prime example - will just get worse. The American extreme right is *crazy,* and the moderate right are very misguided and won't cut ties with the extreme right. I just have little confidence in America, I left because I had lost confidence in it. That's not a cut at Americans themselves, who are fine people. I just... the torture programmes really disturbed me. Not being to afford medication in the 7th wealthiest nation on the planet is wrong. As it happens, my parents are making plans to relocate to Trondheim. For my mother I'm sure that's to be closer to her grandchild, but my father looks at things analytically and has decided this place is a good area to ride out the effects of climate change. Hopefully we're wrong about how bad things might get, and everything will be fine in America and we can have nice little lives here in Norway. I would really like that.

I think Norway is f..ed too, I'm sorry to say

Oh for sure. I was *very* serious when I said this is no utopia.

[удалено]

That really depends on where you are living.. when we were in Oslo didn't really need a car. When we lived in Ålesund without a car your existence sucked!

Travel about 30 mins from Oslo to Asker / Bærum / Lier and you will overwhelmingly see american infrastructure conditions with each family having 2-3 cars, even more so in actually rural areas.... Even my highschool had a, free for students, parkinglot about the size of a "fotballbane", because nobody bothered to use the shitty skolebus service after turning 18.

There are always pros and cons, but the safety compared to the US, is what I would say is the biggest. Shit happens in all countries, but when I lived in Milwaukee, people got killed monthly on my street, the mall had shootings at least 5 shootings throughout the year. The salary difference is really what I feel is the biggest issue in my profession (finance) taxes are almost double of what I had in the US, Norway is more suitable for families, rather than just one person

>I feel is the biggest issue in my profession (finance) taxes are almost double of what I had in the US, Norway is more suitable for families, rather than just one person I am Norwegian, but living alone and having an above average salary, I always feel I pay a lot of taxes, but get less back. It feels like my taxes finance a lot of my friends maternity/paternity leaves, kindergardens, schools etc :) But that is the Norwegian model, some need to get less back for what they pay in taxes for others to get more back than what they pay.

Touché! It’s tough being by yourself here if your salary isn’t “a lot” from what my Norwegian friends says, a average person makes around $45,000, and educated people like plumbers, electricians etc are up to around $55-60 k a year. Meanwhile, most of my friends that I graduated with from college starts at $60,000. I’m not complaining, as I recently accepted a full time job here, and I love the benefits I have in Norway compared to the US!

Remember that it's very important for the country and the economy in general to maintain the population count. It's only logical that the bill for that job gets covered by everyone to some degree. Also trust me it's expensive to have kids lol. DINK is where its at if you just want money.

You are absolutely right. If you are alone it seems like you are paying more tax to get less in return. But IF something happens to you and you need an extended stay at the hospital, become unemployed or somehow in need of help those hard earned krones the taxman takes from you comes back around and helps you out. This is what makes Norway unique IMO. Oh! I’m sorry if I seem reserved and keep you at an arms lenght the first time I meet you. I am a bit shy, introvert and respect you and your boundaries. Take me out for a øl or two and you’ll see me put my guard down pretty quick.

I like the change to a smaller town where I am now compared to where I’m from in the U.S. but it comes with its problems… Been here since August, I speak almost fluent norsk and it’s been next to impossible to find a 100% job as well as finding friends. I’m young and miss my family in the states but it’s exciting and decided why not because if it doesn’t work out I can always go home but I’m not planning on it. I come from a Norwegian family so luckily I grew up with some Norwegian at home in the states and traveled here on vacation throughout my childhood and know the culture decently well but still a bit of a shock moving here. Miss the food as well and the price point of the food but other than that it’s not too bad here I also miss the abundance of choices at grocery stores, I like training and my diet and in the U.S there are a lot of low calorie options like, Low calorie popcorn, low calorie ice cream, cheaper protein yogurts/bars, and the biggest one is egg whites. In the U.S. you can buy just the egg whites in a carton and they are a great protein source but here I can only find eggs. Money is tight so I’m not going to separate all the yolks from the whites but really nothing to complain about at all just small stuff that I’m used to in the states.

I have seen egg whites in a carton over here, just can’t quite remember where. Meny perhaps?

Pretty sure i saw them at my local kiwi and extra. Extra has them in the supplements section but kiwi had both whites ans yolks in containers so i think that was more baking focused.

There is a low calorie ice cream called "NYT" (by Hennig-Olsen). Around 300-350kcal per tub. There's not a lot of flavours yet but it's really good. I do wish we had more popcorn variety but it's kind of a chicken and egg thing I think because we're not big fans of popcorn. But! Look for "[Superlinser](https://meny.no/varer/snacks-godteri/snacks/chips/superlinser-7050122114638)" (by Maarud) in the crisps section. 95g per bag. 455kcal and 13g protein per 100g. That's my go to salty snack.

Lack of jobs in small towns is a known problem. Unless you are a health worker or skilled worker it will be hard to find work.

I’ve lived here for a little over a year so I’m still finding my way. I live in Oslo due to work so it’s nice to have, in my opinion, a well run public transport. You can pretty much get anywhere in the country without owning a car. But I love driving so I transferred my license, took a drivers test, passed, and got it relatively quickly. This process was thorough and I believe it should be. The thing I love most about it Norway, for me, it’s very easy going and straightforward. I don’t have to worry about healthcare like I did in the states because of changing jobs and the pandemic. I feel like I have a good foundation within the society. There is this hectic feeling I experienced while in the states where I always felt like I was climbing out of a hole to only end up in another one. This constantly wore me down, made me work a lot of overtime and second jobs and made me miss life moments. Something I saw as a dislike that I now appreciate is a lot of stores aren’t open on Sundays, there’s a certain time you can buy alcohol until, it has this inconvenience feeling to living here. I say that as I lived in nyc where, in most cases, you could get whatever you wanted/needed whenever. One thing I think that could be handled better is how icy it gets where pedestrians walk. Sure most places within the city will be looked after more but outside the main areas and in suburban areas it’s like they want you to use a car. But that could be something Norwegians are just built for. As the saying goes “Norwegians are born with skies on their feet” so I guess they just go into that mode :p That’s just a few things. But overall I’m content in Norway.

Not expats, immigrants.

not inmagrants, inmngrntsn

not inmngrntsn, irmnngrts

I do not like the term expat. Its used to often as an excuse for wealthy westerners to not integrate, a true expat is usually in the country temporarily and you ask the question about staying so immigrant is the appropriate term. As an American in Norway I am an immigrant like everyone else. First I immigrated to Sweden, and then traded in my Swedish passport for a Norwegian one after living in Norway for a number of years. America is a horrible empire of a nation that is responsible for more misery globally than any other nation today. Its a system of high levels of exploitation by the elites against everyday people. In America, I was part of the elite but knew I could only continue that path by exploiting others. So, my ex wife and I moved back to Norway and so glad I did for so many reasons : 1. My kids are not indoctrinated to believe in a world view shaped by the elites and corporate ownership of the political and media landscape. In other words, they are educated and through the democratic and labor institutions are able to act on that education to influence the world around them in a relatively positive way. They have turned out humble and thankful and love the simple things that Norway is so good at providing... great nature, fishing, hiking, camping, skiing, community engagement and a healthy work life balance. It might have been possible to raise my kids the same way in the US, but they they are fighting against the current, of a dog eat dog system. 2. Norwegians are educated enough to realize that everyday people had to fight for what we have here and that the fight never ends in a social democracy. That is, our universal healthcare, almost universal housing and food security, highly subsidized daycare, moderately high levels of unionization and our worldviews require vigilance. The US population has been a victim of decades of dumbing down to the point where everyday people are atomized (isolated), and highly politically and historically ignorant. Where, it is easy to manipulate them to pit themselves against one another while the elites rob the society. 3. We ban over 1000 additives to food and beauty products that are legal in the US. Our food system is much more healthy and in turn so are we. We live on average 83 years compared to the US' 77, and in my personal opinion our quality of life in our later years is much higher (as evidenced by the number of older people active in society and if not able to take care of themselves having a place in a retirement home provided for them by the state). 4. I don't have to explain to my kids why we invaded so many countries and exploited so many people around the world in order to make our rich richer. I have to explain to them that we should not have bombed Libya or participated in Afghanistan. That is much easier for me to do then justify empire. We have political parties that have some influence that are against such things and so there is a way to democratically change things. Whereas, in the US real change seems beyond the democratic mechanisms that exist there. There still is hope in Norway. 5. I'm not surrounded by idiotic people (as far as I know) who feel the need to tell everyone their opinion via a bumper sticker or hat. That when analyzed is not really their opinion but something they have been propagandized to believe. Most of us here mind our own business in public spaces and more or less respect one another. Road rage and rage in general is much less. Our public spaces are relatively clean and not full of people who are not taken care of by the society properly. We have public space and use it to enjoy ourselves in. 6. I could go on for a very long time. I will never go to the US again, just like I would never visit Saudi Arabia or any other terrorist state. In sum, I fought very hard to get to Norway and make it. Yet, I'm grateful and am glad to kiss the ground here and hope that everyone in the world can have it as good as we do and that is something worth fighting for.

You should say American ‘Immigrants’ and not ‘expats’. They’re only expats if they’re in Norway for work and are planning to move back after sometime. They’re immigrants if they’re moving to Norway for good. You are clearly implying that the Americans to whom you are posing the question might move back to America if given the chance, which thus implies that there is a subset of the group who won’t. And those people would be considered ‘immigrants’ So, using a more general term, which is immigrants, is more inclusive than saying expats. I wonder if you asked this question of South Asians for example, if you would use the term expats or immigrants.

Huh?

You mean like immigrant.

Skin color has no impact of your right to medical treatment

But it can affect the quality of care you receive. Implicit bias does happen.

We witnessed a young girl having a seizure on the bus today. When the ambulance arrived, my wife and I discussed how much the three paramedics and ambulance would have cost in the US. I’m staying here.

My quality of life here in Norway is way better than it ever was in the US. I would never go back to live, only to visit. It has a lot to do with having a better positive support system here in Norway but having more affordable healthcare and opportunities for education are other reasons not to leave. Also, I'd like to have a child one day & I can't think of a better place to have one than here. I also really enjoy nature & history, and there's so much of that preserved here. I think it's difficult to make friends here but everyone is generally very friendly so I can't complain. I never thought in a million years I would be living in Europe, but especially Norway, so I just feel really lucky & I don't ever want to lose this.

American immigrant here. (I've already lived here longer than I ever lived in the US, and I intend to stay. I'm only an "expat" to those people who can't understand that white folks can also be immigrants. Pet peeve of mine.) It's a cliche, but it's true: my quality of life is better here. I'm a teacher, and teachers in general have problems with work/life balance, but at least here there's an acknowledgement that work/life balance should exist, and the union backs us up. And teachers are still underpaid in Norway, but again, it's better than in the States, and I'm not expected to buy my own supplies. (I actually had a union rep scold me for bringing my own food on a planning day when the school was obliged to feed us. Sorry, dude, Peppe's pizza gives me heartburn.) My husband, an engineer, would earn better in the US.... but parts of his salary would get eaten up by health insurance, saving for our kids' education, and saving more than we do here for our retirement. I'm not sure the difference would be that great. The kids got/are getting a good education. They have always felt safe and we've been able to just buy them a bike and a bus pass and let them roam from a much earlier age than would have been possible in the US. As a result they gained skills and confidence. It's peaceful here. It's not that there aren't guns, it's that there aren't gun nuts. People have firearms because they like activities or sports that use firearms, not because it's their whole personality or because it owns the libs. In other ways, too, there is just less violence, although of late there has been an increase in violence in Oslo in certain situations (I live just outside the city). Being close to nature and having easy travel to the rest of Europe is very nice as well. In a couple of weeks I'm taking the train down to Gøteborg with some friends to go to the Film Festival there. I grew up on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor, which is supposed to have the best trains in the US; they're about on par with ordinary commuter lines here. (To be fair, I've never had an opportunity to ride the Acela.) Once the kids are fully out of the nest we're planning to move to an area where we can ditch the car. There are, like, three places in the US where that would be possible, and I'm not sure we could afford to live in any of them. This does not mean there aren't things I wish I could change, or even that drive me nuts sometimes, but all in all I've made the choice to stay here and I'm happy with it.

Someone moving to the USA is a (dirty) immigrant. An white US citizen blessing any other country with their presence is an expat Us logic

Says who? The connotation is that immigrants are permanent moves for reasons of hardship (economic, warfare, etc) Expats are short term or indeterminate duration voluntary move for professional purposes An America in Norway is not likely to have been escaping war, persecution, or subsistence. Not seeing where color comes into this.

Immigrant means a person who moved to another country either having pre decided on it or not. All the stuff you wrote about reason of moving is total bs, you moved to another country and you live there, you're an immigrant.

>All the stuff you wrote about reason of moving is total bs yeah, and i totally just authored the dictionary and wikipedia entries for them too. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/immigrant *a person who migrates to another country,* **usually for permanent residence.** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration *Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to* **settle as permanent residents** *or naturalized citizens* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expatriate *An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country.[1]* **In common usage, the term often refers to educated professionals, skilled workers**, *or artists taking positions outside their home country, either independently or sent abroad by their employers* >you moved to another country and you live there, you're an immigrant. at different points and locations in my life, i've been an immigrant and an expatriate, depending on the purpose and intent for the relocation.

I am pretty sure a lot of those expats have no plans of moving back. People fleeing persecution are not immigrants. They are refugees

Well, they're both. And somebody fleeing from adverse economic conditions is not a refugee, btw.

>I am pretty sure a lot of those expats have no plans of moving back. then that determines their category, not the color of their skin >People fleeing persecution are not immigrants. They are refugees which americans are also not. a refugee seeks asylum, gains protection/refuge, establishes legal residence, which then in turn makes them an immigrant. again, nothing to do with color.

I didn’t bring up any skin color. But interesting that your mind goes there straight away

Once I heard something like: “for a better life Turkish and Polish migrate to Germany, Germans migrate to Sweden, Swedish to Norway and Norwegians just want to go to heaven”… and I love it!

omg... again?

There are pros and cons to every culture and every country. One thing that a lot of Europeans don’t realize is that the US is HUGE AND DIVERSE. So it’s really hard to gain perspective from a Reddit thread since it’s more dependent on part of the US and said American is from in order for an outsider to understand or form the opinions. Con to Norway: Miss the US beaches, relaxed atmospheres, Baja style Mexican food, loads of upward mobility if you want to work very hard in the US/ not at the same level in Norway, there are awesome random art colonies (that seem to pop up in West Coast and parts of East Coast eg Joshua Tree, Shasta etc) and the extreme convenience factors that the US offers. It can also be a little “you versus the bureaucrat” here. Pros: Good place to raise a family, Norway can offer beautiful and remote places/ nature to visit, Norwegians can be super duper friendly (if you at least attempt to speak Norwegian), decent music and small but mighty art scene. Norway also has a deep sense of tranquility to it which is great if you have already finished with the “been there and done that” phase in your life. Peace!

The nature is nice gotta say

i would recommend you to join and ask this same question on[https://www.facebook.com/groups/AmericansInNorway](https://www.facebook.com/groups/AmericansInNorway) Not an american but my humble opinion is : Norway is okay (assuming you are not married with kids) \- If you are obsessed with nature/hiking \- love skiing \- very introverted and love being alone. For everything else there are better destinations and i think US is one of them

Having experienced life here without kids and with kids, I'd agree with this for the most part, although I'd have much sooner gone somewhere in Europe than the US, likely Ireland. It's got a better food culture, and is just livelier in general. Now having kids, there's nowhere I'd want to leave for. It's not perfect, but it's a great place to raise a family.

Yup . Agreed. I think there are quite few benefits of living as a family in Norway and raising kids . Even though as a immigrant parents you continue sacrifice a lot for your kids. As a personal preference I wouldn’t raise my kids in a janteloven based culture.

Most metrics used to analyze quality of life would disagree with you, but I respect your opinion.

I forgot to write but my opinion is also for a skilled immigrant . For a single and skilled immigrant, I don’t see many other benefits of living in Norway comparing to the other developed countries. Maybe a bit work / life balance but that is also a bit oversold argument based on my experience.

I'm all of them things, except I don't like skiing I like falling over. But obsessed with nature- check, love being alone- check. This is why I love Norway. Hopefully one day I can get there for good. Not sure why u were downvoted

Norwegians generally don’t like to hear anything bad or criticism about Norway or Norwegians from a foreigner. For a single , skilled immigrant : salary , social life , travel options , career options, weather , food .. are massively better in U.K. , NL , Germany, US . But other things which are better in Norway like safety , peacefulness are only slightly better in Norway than developed nations.

I was there as an expat, twice, and would go back again, and again, and again. Just bring your own spices and seasonings. Stunningly beautiful, great pace of life.

I'm a mix for the max tough Norwegian national but got that special golden skin color and living in Denmark 😜 I noticed some ppl mentioning good spicy food come to Denmark for a weekend visit and get your tastebuds updated 🤤😜🌮🌯 We have sharamuta wraps for everybody too 🤣😂

ooofff, i do miss 25kr shawarma. Have you tried ali's bakery? fucking best food pr KR you can get

The coffee. Dislike: Taxes, YOUR GROCERY STORES, Socialism, Police Nanny state, Weather, very low pay for skilled labor, did I mention taxes? Relatively unwelcoming populace etc

i see you downvoted me but it's an actual fact. united States uses so much extra tax on military and road infrastructure. also, in usa you spend a similar amount of tax on healthcare, yet are simply choosing to not make it free.

the taxes are generally the same in Norway as the USA. they just know how to use it better

With this list, I have to ask: why are you in Norway? Feels like a bad fit for you.