The 17th of May is celebrated as Norway’s birthday.  On this day in 1814 the Norwegian Constitution was signed and Norway declared itself a country.  The phrase ‘Gratulerer med dagen’, directly translated to ‘congratulations with the day’, is the expression used when greeting and wishing people a happy national day.  The same phrase is also [...]

The news reports make a farce out of the unusual job offer but, in fact, the position is a necessary post for Svarbard.

I thought this was so odd. Firstly, Norwegians don’t approach you aggressively. They might make comments to you to tell you off about something, mostly under their breath, but being ready for a fight was uncharacteristic.

I often can’t be myself, even when I speak Norwegian. I feel boring and uncreative. It is not fun to constantly guard you communication – language, facial expressions and body language.