I HELP YOU INTEGRATE TO LIFE IN NORWAY. From an insider. Venha conhecer os bastidores da vida na Noruega.
The Southern region in Brazil is now under water. It means 150,000 people lost their homes. I saw a two-month-old baby being rescued by a row boat. You and I have no idea of the dimension of this tragedy. Almost 100 deaths, bridges have fallen apart. The international airport is closed and under water. There’s […]
When is the best time to visit Norway? A follower asked me in January. Not in January, I thought of answering. Then I gave it a thought and said. If I have to pick a month, it would be definetely May. Days are brighter and longer. Flowers are blooming everywhere. Big azaleas fill my days […]
No, it has nothing to do with snow in Winter wonderland. Perhaps you have heard that Scandinavians are heavy drinkers. In general, one in three Norwegians drink alcoholic beverages every week. The rate varies according to the gender. Around 37% of Norwegian men drink alcoholic beverages once or more every week, while 31% of the […]
Já pensou em aprender norueguês a partir do português, de forma leve facilitando a memorização, onde você já sai falando a partir da primeira aula? E com uma professora brasileira que mora na Noruega há dez anos? Chegou a hora de você aprender a falar, entender, ler, escrever e se virar na vida real na […]
Nowadays, Vinterferie, or Winter break is a students’ relief between Christmas and Easter. A wonderful opportunity for families to head up to the mountains and enjoy skiing.
Every year, I get this question from my Brazilian followers. It’s hard not to compare Mothers’ Day in Norway X Brazil when you grew up in such a festive country. If you ask a Norwegian how it’s celebrated, many of them will probably say “I don’t know.” It has nothing to do with how much […]
Romjul is the week from December 27th til 31st. It’s school break. Only SFO is open. SFO is the recreation time offered to kids from 1st to 4th grade. They stay at school after the regular teaching time. SFO is a social arena where children learn through play. Though it’s not a holiday, many Norwegians […]
Many of us that live in cold weather countries experience irritation, lack of motivation, sadness. If it’s your case, please take a look at my book. It’s easy to read, goes straight to the point and it’s super pleasant. Let’s take good care of you and your life quality in the Winter and year round.
If you’ve heard bits and pieces of this amazing story somewhere, now it’s time for you to know the whole truth. Let’s start from the beginning. Ok, not that far away in history. A closer beginning. The late Queen Elizabeth II of England and the king Harald of Norway were second cousins. They had the […]
I If you haven’t taken a road tr to West coast or South of Norway, then this post is essential for you. 1- 50 shades of green. The abundance of the nature is impressive. I can’t get enough of this vivid light green on the grass and trees. As you drive along the fjords in […]
Norwegians really appreciate the warm and bright Sunny days. July is the main holiday month. Anywhere they go, an important activity is: Bathing. By bathing I mean jumping in the water and leaving right after. That’s what you do in the Norwegian Summer. The water is usually between 15 and 19C degrees . That would […]
Feeling cold for at least nine months a year, Norwegians praise the Summer. I have written on this blog how citizens change humor when it’s Sunny and warm. We can actually see Norwegians smile on the streets. They seem relaxed. I usually say that, in the Summer, hapiness comes for free, as opposed to Winter, […]
2022 in Norway is called “skeivt kulturår” or “skewed cultural year” because of this date. Fifty years ago, in April 1972, section 213 of the Norwegian Penal Code was repealed. The law, informally called as Gay Law, stated that sex between two men was a crime in Norway. In 1978, due to an activist’s efforts, […]
Tough topic. Though necessary. When I talk about my feelings I feel better, and I get warm messages from you guys, saying that I help you deal with your own feelings. So here we go again, mamma mia. I’ve read other immigrants saying things like: Your life is never going to be complete again. You’ll […]
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They say: When a child is born, a mother is born as well. So true! This whole new world of being 100% responsible for a tiny human being’s survival and well being along with a roller coaster of hormones no one prepared us for. When I see myself in pictures from my child’s first month, […]
Christmas lights, electric car, phone charger, two or more tvs, computer, hair drier, shower, home office, homeschooling. And in the Winter, it’s cold. We all want to live in a warm and cozy home. In addition to higher consumption, electricity prices in Norway are sky high. The reasons can be: too little wind, too much […]
I love Christmas time in Norway. The best part to me is the whole season, preparing and waiting for Christmas. Decorating the house, baking gingerbread, the atmosphere is magical. This year it even snowed in Stavanger (very rare), making the julestemningen (Christmas mood) even better. 1.Christmas is a longer season in Norway than in Brazil, […]
October 21st is Reflexive Vest Day in Norway. In the Fall, the days get shorter. Sunrise in Stavanger (further South) starts after 8:30 a.m. School starts at 8.15. This means that children have to walk in the dark. People in cars, bicycles and scooters find it difficult to see a child approaching because of their […]
The first thing you need to know about birthday parties in Norway is that Norwegians are practical people. They are used to doing things themselves. Therefore they keep it simple. Children’s birthday party. Forget about the big birthday parties for children that look like an amusement park, when parents’ friends are invited and spend a […]
Speaking Norwegian is not enough. When you live in Norway, the unspoken social codes can lead to misunderstandings. Check out my the most important ones. 1.Norwegians are practical and direct. Would you like coffee? They never ask if they aren’t willing to do it. So no reason for you to be shy. And they expect […]
There are common rules for campfire in Norway and special municipal rules for Sankthans, the Summer Solstice celebration.
“If all foreigners traveled back to their countries right now, Norway would literally stop”. That sentence I have heard from Norwegians, a few times here in Stavanger. It makes sense, I’d say. Let’s see why. Immigrants make Norway go round. I have met many Brazilians all over Norway. They have different jobs. One is a […]
The most important lesson I’ve learned on my first year in Norway was: Not only Winter is different from Brazil, Spring and Summer are also exotic. Nature isn’t to be taken for granted. Nor is the weather. These are the items you should be careful with: 1) Ticks = Flått. They are small insects that […]
The idilic dream of you and me and a cabin in the mountains can turn into a real nightmare if you’re not prepared for the unexpected. Beside the weather conditions, there are the unspoken rules that every Norwegian should know, but obviously not all foreigners do. Here’s what nobody warned me before I took my […]
1.Crime books and films marathon. It’s a fever. Every Norwegian I know read and watch films to feel scared this time of the year. They have a word for that: Påskekrim. Easter crime. It’s on national tv too: each evening, a crime film. Jo Nesbø is a Norwegian author known worldwide for his thriller books. […]
Luckily, it’s Spring. It means we can spend time outdoors. And we should. Studies have proven that spending time outdoors, preferably in contact with nature, increases the production of our feel good hormones. There are so many advantages (check more here), but the one I’m focusing on now is the possibility to go for a […]
Being pregnant for the very first time can feel wonderful but also scary in itself. Imagine when you live abroad and have to adapt to the new system, rules and culture. Not to mention giving birth in another language. What can go wrong? Everything, in fact. Birth is not mathematics. I was both super happy […]
What is your name?Do you like your name? Do people have trouble pronouncing your name in another country?Does it bother you?For some immigrants, it doesn’t matter how others pronounce their name.For me, it does.I’ve read once that “your name is the sweetest sound you’ll ever hear”. My name is my identity. My name is Juliana.Some […]
Music is magical. It fills up the air with Christmas atmosphere. I have created a Spotify playlist called Feel Good Christmas Songs by Juliana Linares Øverland. Feel free to listen by clicking here. Here on the blog, I have listed only those sung in Norwegian or by Norwegians to inspire you. It’s actually a great […]
It’s affordable to have electric cars in Norway because of tax reduction. If you buy a normal (diesel, gasoline) car, you pay almost double price because of taxes. I’m happy that Norwegian government gives such incentives. We have an electric car and we are satisfied. We bought it this year thinking about the environment. Electric […]
I love coffee, capuccino, latte and hot chocolate. Luckily, I’m not alone. Stavanger has a cool cafe culture. A nice cafe to me is a cozy place to enjoy myself alone or in good company. What I appreciate in a cafe is: good coffee (of course), cozy atmosphere, good service, decent toilets. Did you know […]
Lom is such a lovely town. It’s one of may favorite cities in Norway. Here’s why. Lom (is pronounced Loom) is located in the midst of the highest mountains in Northern Europe. It has only 2347 inhabitants. The city is small and you can park your car and walk downtown. Lom is cut in the […]
Midnight sun is a natural phenomenon that can be seen in Norway. It means the sun stays above the horizon, and then it rises again. It happens in the Summer, above the Arctic Circle. The cause is the angle of the North Pole toward the Sun. Midnight sun can be seen from 12th of June till […]
17mai, syttende mai, Nasjonaldagen or Grunnlovsdagen as they call it, is biggest day for the Norwegians. It’s the constitution day. I’ve never seen such a beautiful celebration that cherishes the country in a positive and embracing way. It’s so catchy I am glad to have become a part of it. Everybody is welcome. Check my […]
Pulpit Rock or Preikestolen is one of the most popular rocks in Norway. It has been crowned one of the most spectacular viewpoints by CNN Go and Lonely Planet. The rock is 640 meters over Lysefjord, a beautiful fjord in Norway’s Southwest coast. People from all over the world come specially in the Summer to […]
Today is May 2nd. Spring has come and so has barbecue season. It’s part of the Norwegian culture to grill food in the Spring and Summer on a daily/weekly basis. Spring smells like barbecue. Norwegians spend more time outdoors from April to September, and they eat meals outside as well. Grilling is practical as it […]
Easter in Norway is a big deal. When I left work last Friday, before Palm Sunday, it was like Christmas. Everybody saying Happy Easter with a broad smile. The atmosphere was different. However, it has nothing to do with religion. Have you noticed that most Norwegians nowadays are not religious? For them, Easter has nothing […]
As a working mother who came from Brazil to Norway seven years ago, I had to adapt to a new life. Norwegians do everything in the house themselves. Ingen kjære mor (No dear mother) they say. In Brazil we have help to clean, cook, even babysit. Here in Norway, I had to learn how to […]
As a mother who was raised in Brazil, I got confused when my kid started at kindergarten. It was a whole new world for me. I had passed Bergens test (a high level exam in Norwegian language), but kindergarten vocabulary is quite unique, and you don’t learn how to be a latin mom in Norway […]
When I was a child, I loved ice skating. We don’t have snow and ice in Brazil, but on Summer holidays, our biggest shopping center had an ice rink at the parking lot. I was there every year. First, I needed to hold the bars that surrounded the rink. After a few minutes I managed […]
Watching local tv is a cozy and effective way to improve your Norwegian language skills. Plus we get updated on the the Norwegian society. Be that news, comedy, debates, home improvement, thriller, even reality shows if this is your thing. Add Norwegian subtitles to make it easier to understand while you train your ears. 🙂 […]
Danish tradition Fastelavn is also popular in Norway. Read to learn how to bake the sweet bread and the decoration.
If you have just arrived in Norway or if you’re planing your trip, you must be wondering which clothes to pack? Should I bring my coats or buy them in Norway? Is it really warm in the Summer? What of it rains? Worry no more. I have made a complete guide for you. And I’m […]
Ski in Norway is like soccer in Brazil. It looks like every Norwegian baby is born with skis on their feet. There are two different types of skiing: cross-country and downhill. Downhill is probably the most famous. You take a lift up to a steep mountain. You leave the lift once you are up there […]
Clothes, shoes, decoration objects can be very expensive here in Norway. That’s why end-of-season sales are a great deal. You can find seriously discounted prices. I’ve just bought nice Winter boots for 199 kr. The original price was 500 kr. It’s amazing. My friend from Brazil went crazy here in January. Parents can buy all […]
Christmas is a time when many people feel lonely and incomplete. It seems that those we miss the most, we miss them even more on Christmas. Those who are single may feel more vulnerable this time of the year, seeing couples everywhere. Others feel pressure to buy the perfect gifts, make the perfect food, when […]
One of the things I like the most about the Norwegian Winter is Christmas time. There’s so much to enjoy and to do. Preparing for Christmas is a mood booster for me. This year, due to Corona pandemic, it seems like Norwegians have begun to decorate their houses a little earlier and with more enthusiasm. […]
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If you have read my blog for a while you probably know that Norwegian fathers are very engaged to spending time and raising their children than many countries we know. Paternity leave helps a lot this bonding. In Norway, fathers have at least 15 weeks to stay at home with the baby while mommy goes […]
