Also I did notice a number of adopted ethnically Asian young people who have names like stig olav and such; they may be ethnically Korean or Chinese, but are otherwise completely Norwegian in every respect. This must be common as people often spoke to me in Norwegian with every expectation that I would speak Norwegian, even though I obviously looked of Asian descent. I am sure hearing American-style English coming out of my mouth was a surprise for them.

But at the University, I never really experienced any negativity of that sort. If anything, I was questioned from other European students with regard to what Americans were doing in the middle east (this was 2001-03), and once had my American flag stolen from my window by some French kids.

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from L-Jay:

I find that university is a lot different to daily life in Norway. Mixing with average Norwegians who have average jobs and average incomes and average lives, attitudes are a little different. Asylum seekers have it hard as they are seen as getting something for nothing. ‘Import’ immigrants – brides and kids – suffer behind the back gossip. Norwegians don’t approve of people being ‘bought’. And immigrants like me have it hard in being seen as job and language hi-jackers. Because of this people don’t make an effort to help me or to make things easy (for example – they pretend that they don’t know what I’m saying with my pigeon-Norwegian, when in actual fact, they do.) I’m sure if you spoke pigeon-English with an Asia ascent you might have experienced your visit differently. You were also in Norways fourth biggest city, but most Norwegians live in small communities and towns. Imagine what it could have been like if you lived in a small farming community up in the mountains with no immigrants but only asylum seekers – I’m sure your experience would have been different than at Uni.

One anecdote I heard was during DUI checkpoint where the policeman kept repeating: “Blow me HARDER!”
He was of course referring to the breathalyzer, but his instructions were so hilarious that blowing harder was interrupted by fits of laughter. Eventually he got a negative reading.

First of all LJ thank for this blog its fascinating and helps me to realise i am not alone in struggling to come to terms with Norway. I am a Londoner who moved here six months ago with my Norwegian wife, we met and lived together in Britain, before she decided to come home. I have kind of a different take on the whole discrimination thing. My parents are from the West Indies and emigarted to London in the sixties, so i am following in thier immigration footsteps. What i do find is that when people find out that i am from London their attitude changes, people see me intially as a black male, and some people make assumptions andn think i am out to swindle them, mug them, get them to marry me etc etc. When i start talking and they find out i am from London, everything changes, you can’t stop them talking. So i think on the discrimination front, those us from ‘western’ countries have it easy in this country speaking to friends from Africa and Asia and to some extent Eastern Europe, they get treated appallingly in Norway (and on occasions in Britain as well i hasten to add) I will continue to read you blog with interest, keep up the good work.

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from L-Jay:

Thanks Jermaine. I know that I have it much easier than people from Africa or Asia. I feel a little guilty about that but at the same time I feel lots of pressure because more is expected of me (especially with learning Norwegian). Even though I’m an ‘immigrant’ I often don’t fit in with ‘the immigrants’ because my back ground is so different. With being an Australian in Norway it feels like I don’t fit anywhere. (Come On Aussies, Come On, Come On over to Norway)!