Dark Sides of Living in Norway

Hey everyone! Welcome to our channel. Today, we are going to discuss “10 Dark Sides of Living in Norway”. We will walk you through the dark sides of living in this amazing country and help you decide if it’s the right place for you. From high costs of living and inconsistent weather to social conventions of limited interaction with strangers – let's dive into some dark sides that often get lost when considering life in Norway. Stay tuned to find out more!
1. You will never be Norwegian
If you’ve ever been brave enough to visit Norway as a non-Norwegian, chances are that you’ve encountered the infamous “Viking Stare.” You know the one – it’s like the Norwegians have judged your worthiness simply from looking at you.
The food here is also something that us non-Norse folks struggle with. If your idea of comfort food is anything other than boiled cod or reindeer stew (aka lutefisk), then I hate to say it, but Norway may not be for you! Not only is this cuisine notably unappetising (to some) there's really no way around it either - but everyone also seems to eat "traditional" Norwegian dishes every single day - so don't expect any variety on the dinner table anytime soon.
On top of all these small annoyances however there is perhaps nothing more trying than learning how to speak Norwegian – an incredibly hard language even for those steeped in its culture. It is certainly one of the negative sides of moving to Norway.
2. Darkness
There are some dark sides of living in Norway that you might not be aware of. Take darkness for instance. With its northerly location, Norway experiences genuine polar night from late November to mid-January in some parts – that’s a whopping 8 weeks without seeing any daylight at all!
And if you thought those midnight suns were magical during the summer months, this kind of darkness could certainly feel like an interminable gloom settling over you. Just imagine 90 days with no natural light, try not to think about it too much or take on a gothic aesthetic - ‘tis best just brace yourself for it and accept your fate until February arrives!

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#norway

[Emma-ogjt]

I moved to Norway over 20 years ago and can tell you that the information in this video is out of date and inaccurate. I have never come across the Norwegian stare. The food here is international and eating boiled cod and lutefisk is eaten rarely by the majority of Norwegians I know. On special occasions people may eat lutefisk. Traditional Norwegian food is certainly not eaten every single day. The Norwegian language is the easiest language to learn if you speak English or German. If you speak both these language it is very easy. I know what I am talking about as I am a language teacher. If you live in southern Norway there is no problem with darkness if you come from northern Europe. It is no worse here than in Scotland. As far as taxes are concerned, you get what you pay for and the salaries are high. Medical treatment is free or low cost. Everyone in society is taken care of. There is low crime and the streets are clean. I got fed up listening to this video after 3 mins as I have never heard such nonsense said about Norway. If you are really interested in living in Norway use a wide range of sources to find out information and use your critical thinking.

[SugarBomb.]

Hey, Norwegian here. (and..the info in this vid is weird.)

- No one decides if you are a Norwegian or not. If you consider yourself one, then that's more than fine! (Just be yourself<3)

- If you don't like our food, you can always order from restaurants, or even make your own food you are used to. There are a lot of stores with different groceries and even international stores.
I know lots of Americans that loves our dishes, so don't be scared to try out our food. We eat lots of international foods as well <3 I eat my boiled cod sometimes, but there are many ways to prepare a fish dish. (Healthy and delicious)

- Language is easy compared to other languages in the world. Plus! If you learn Norwegian; chances are that you will understand Swedish or Danish, or maybe both.

- Taxes: Not the worst, taxes adjusts to how much you earn = fair play. The tax money goes to a lot of good things, free healthcare and free education is two to mention.

- Amazon: Its not something we look at too much, they are not stationed in Norway but you are free to buy from Amazon.


- Jobs: easy to find, if you want.

- Postal services: What? I mean... Patience comes with greatness. TBF; I don't find it slow.

- UID: I think its a struggle for people living outside EU only. But it is not a big hassle.

- Weather: Darkness can be beautiful too! I cant speak for everyone living in Norway but i love snow, i love winter, and i love the dark winter times. During winter, it feel so good to just have some hours of sun just gently hugging your skin. Seriously a blessing to me! Just remember to eat lots of vitamin D!

[PhilippeOrlando]

No Amazon! And you call that a dark site??? It's a blessing! Good for them!

[TyrkiaGunnar]

I'm a native Norwegian, and yes, as any other country on earth, Norway definitely has its dark sides, but what this video tells you, isn't the truth. I will advise all YouTubers to do some research before posting videos. The Learning Canteen unfortunately didn't so.

1. (00:57)
The "lutefisk" is eaten by extremely few people in both Finland, Sweden and Norway. Like most Norwegians I have never tasted it, and the few people who eat it, do it only around Christmas time.

(01:12) Claim: Traditional Norwegian food seems to be eaten every single day.
WRONG! Most Norwegians don't even eat traditional food weekly. Everywhere you'll find burgers, pasta, pizza, wok dishes, sushi, fish and chips, international vegetar dishes and so on.

(01:21) Claim: Norwegian is an extremely hard language to learn.
WRONG! Norwegian is a category 1 language for native English speakers, and is one of the easiest languages to learn. Almost 100% of all Norwegians speak English, so communication challenges are non-existent.

(01:35) Claim: Eight weeks without seeing any daylight at all.
Well, in the very north of Norway, where only about 5% of the population live, there are five to eight weeks without sunlight, but no days are completely dark. On the other hand, exactly the same areas have sunlight 24/7 through Summer months, and that's definitely an advantage!

(02:14) Claim: High taxes.
Yes, we have high taxes. Here's why:

- free healthcare
- free education (even universities are free)
- five weeks paid vacation
- one year paid maternity leave
- government start-up subsidy for start-up companies
- well-run prisons with a focus on rehabilitation to reduce criminal acts at the end of sentence
- subsidized public transport
- subsidized electrical cars, and that's why 80% of all new cars were electric cars in 2022, and now make up almost 25% of the car fleet

To summarize: We get a lot in return for our high taxes. It really pays off.

(02:51) Claim: It's cold most of the year.
WRONG! the southern part of Norway isn't very cold, and in the north, very few people live. During Summer months temperatures of 25 centigrades (77 fahrenheit) is normal, and some days will exceed 30 centigrades (92 fahrenheit). During Winter months the average temperature will be around 5 centigrades (41 fahrenheit). Inland, north and in the mountains it's colder.

(03:26) Claim: Norway is surrounded by cold oceans.
WRONG! There are warm ocean currents from the Mexican Gulf that make the climate milder.

(03:44) Claim: It's hard to find a job.
WRONG! Norway has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the world.

(04.35) Claim: No Amazon.
This is correct, but there's a lot of other options for shopping online.

(05:22) Claim: Eating out is expensive.
Yes, this is correct. But should this really count as a dark side of living in Norway? The main reason for this is that the wages of waiters and cooks are pretty high compared to the tiny amount those people earn in th US, making tips on restaurant bills necessary.

05:55 Claim: High rent
It depends on where in Norway you live, and compared to cities like London. Paris and New York the average rent isn't very high.

06:44 Claim: Postal service is very slow.
Is it? There is a guaranteed delivery limit of two or three days, and I have never heard about any of these made up jokes about delayed post. The last time I used postal service should be more than five years ago because nowadays everything is sent digitally, and everyone has their digital mailbox.

(07:17) Claim: There are immigration hurdles.
Norway is one of the most popular countries to immigrate, so that's why applications are handled very strictly. If there were so many dark sides of living in Norway, it would probably be much easier to immigrate. ;)

[syvannahperez]

i have family in Norway and I've been to visit and yes people are very introverted but they are respectful and kind. yes, taxes are high but it is a country that actually cares for its citizens and they have free healthcare and education as far as i know. i have NEVER experienced any staring. And about the language, it is surprisingly very similar to English and very easy to learn. about the pay, things may be expensive but they get paid VERY well, they also have one of the highest maternity leaves in the world and have great paid vacation time. It is a fantastic place to live, after all they are one of the happiest countries in the world, and all this is coming from a native Texan.

[patrickrussell]

My Irish brother worked in oil industry in Norway,

he found the Norwegians very friendly and respectful.
He went on to work for a Norwegian company doing overseas work.

[muhammadsaleemarahman]

I've been to Norway twice to visit my daughter, who's got the local passport and my son who is studying in Trondheim university . I travelled from Kuwait and carry a Pakistani passport . I found Norway a piece of paradise, with waterfalls on every corner, especially in the north . Been to Oslo, Trondheim, Jessheim and many of the touristic spots, particularly Trollstigen, Gieranger Fjord which I liked most . We rented cottages at Trollstigen and Hjelledalen for couple of nights . Well, all said and done, while the place is so beautiful it has a few drawbacks . Food is not of my liking and on the expensive side too. Arabic and Turkish food is available at a very few places .

[julierains]

I am an american who has been to Norway once and hope to go back this year. I think I've been there once more than this person. I totally disagree with most of what you have said. And, are you being paid by Amazon? I see companies like Amazon with way too much power. Thank you Norway for protecting your citizens.

[kzlfaku]

There are always many videos about this and that country, and these and those positive and negative sides. As a Norwegian, I give you the short, uncut version about Norway:

1) If you like a social secure country, awesome nature bathed in dark and cold weather, and you are an introvert. Norway is the place!

2) Are you the opposite? If you believe high taxes is theft, you prefer sunny and warm weather, and you like 'warm-blooded' people like in Italy or California. Avoid Norway!

[tessjuel]

A suprisingly good presentation considering that whoever made this video obviously isn't familiar with Norway. A few corrections though:
1. "You will never be Norwegian" Never say never. It's probably not easy though.
2. About the food. We do not eat boiled cod in Norway! Ever! Lutefisk is something we mainly use to shock foreigners, it's actually only eaten once or twice a year by a few enthusiasts and most Norwegian have probably never tasted it - I haven't. Reindeer stew is delicious but only really eaten in the far northern parts of the country. I'm afraid the most common dinner in Norway is pizza except on Fridays when TexMex food rules.
3. Polar nights and midnight sun is only in the extreme northern part of Norway.
4. No Amazon. I'd say that is an advantage! We have strict laws against false advertising in Norway and merchants are also required by law to offer at least years warranty. For some products, like electronics it's five years. So there's obviously no way the standard Amazon garbage can be sold here.
5. "Postal servie is very slow". No it isn't. Norway is a high tech nation so we don't really use snail mail very often but if you do, expect a letter to be delivered within two days and a standard parcel within three or four days.

[busytrain]

There are many Norwegian patriots in the comments that feel like their Norwegian ego gets hurt by watching this video. As an NEUTRAL Norwegian that has travelled and lived in many places, I can confirm that a lot of the things in this video are TRUE.

[trondellingmichalsen]

There is so much false information here, I have no idea where to start.

[totalfreedom]

*_1_* The happiest, *_least_* corrupt countries with the *_highest_* standard of living in the world are the Nordic countries—Denmark (with its autonomous territory Faroe Islands and Greenland, part of Denmark), Finland (with its autonomous region Åland), Iceland, Norway, and Sweden.
*_2_* They are social democracies, prosperous welfare states with developed high-income mixed economies.
*_3_* Most of their citizens speak English and are atheist, agnostic, or skeptic.
*_4_* Here are the top 10 happiest countries: 1 Finland, 2 Denmark, 3 Switzerland, 4 Iceland, 5 Netherlands, 6 Norway, 7 Sweden, 8 Luxembourg, 9 New Zealand, 10 Austria. Note that all but #9 are in Europe and that the five Nordic countries are listed. 💕☮🌎🌌

[colors_in_noise]

Learning Norwegian isn’t hard, I’ve found it to be one of the easier languages as no offense to Norwegians it’s somewhat of a simple language. Meaning it’s not complex with kanji or with loads of different words meaning the same thing and loads of similar sounding and spelled words mean very different things. Most of the words just make sense. Grammar can be difficult but as with most languages even with bad grammar you can get your point across. I think Norwegian is actually a beautiful language, it sounds soothing or feels like home when spoken, the written is quite interesting, and only some words can be different to pronounce.

[countryclub]

No Amazon??? Sounds great! See you there!

[NISDAOfficial]

Even after learning all the Dark sides of Norway I still wants to migrate to Norway. What a dream landscape to live. Love from Pakistan <3

[ladythalia]

I’m only a minute in and already in disbelief at a video that claims our comfort foods are boiled cod, lutefisk or reindeer stew. I’m 49 and have never tasted either and I would wager that is true for most of my friends as well. These are just super weird claims.
The Norwegian language is among the easiest languages to learn for English speakers due to both languages being north/west Germanic.

[exentr]

It is no point in becoming Norwegian. Be yourself. It is not more magical than that. South Eastern Asians living for 40-50 years in Arctic Norway. High rent may be a myth if we compare cost to income. The rent in the US is higher. Postal service is slow but formal post most often is online. Shipping takes like 2-3 weeks but you'll get used to it. Shipping isn't really postal. UDI application is time consuming but it all depends. It is not that bad if you live in Schengen area. UDI's homepage is very informative. They make it clear what they want from you. After all it might not be that bad. The worst part is the time it takes to process an application but again it depends on what Visa you're applying. Non educated people outside Schengen has near zero chance unless it is family related.

[richardjarrell]

No Amazon is a PLUS! No multibillionaire further enriching himself while immiserating workers. The Norskis are wise to protect their businesses—in the States e-commerce has gutted downtowns and malls.

[randomsheep]

1:29 Norwegian is a category I language for English speakers, making it one of the easiest languages for English speakers to learn