An interesting article published by the BBC caught my attention recently. It’s about the Norwegian social phenomenon ‘dugnad’. It can be translated to to help or support, but as the author Oddrun Midtbo lucidly shows, the meaning goes far beyond its literal translation.
Tags: living in norway, life in norway, moving to norway, norwegian culture
Land is not something that could belong to anybody. That was the key message of Chief Seattle’s famous speech to George Washington in 1852; nobody can own ‘the freshness of the air’, ‘sparkle of water’ or ‘blueness of sky’. As human beings we are merely particles in the grand scheme of nature and we should thus regard all nature’s elements – down to each needle of a pine tree – as something sacred. Something we are to share equally amongst ourselves.
According to several expat studies, foreign residents who live in Norway are very satisfied with most aspects of life, particularly with their new work-life balance and family life. But what they are missing is friendliness of the local people.