Comments on: From Australia to Norway for Love

By: Ange Patten

Ange Patten — Wed, 31 May 2023 23:34:38 +0000

Hi, I stumbled across your blog – I’m an Aussie currently living in QLD and my friend lives in Porsgrunn. (He’s an Aussie too, married a Norway lady had a kid and now split up etc)…

Long story short, I would move to be with him as he doesn’t want to leave the country while his boy has to live there, I’m 47yrs pretty adaptable to most things and not afraid to start again, I just left Tasmania a couple of years ago, so I do love the colder climate. I would like to learn more about this beautiful place and to keep on reading your travels – thank you for your blog.

Best of luck and hope to tell a similar story one day

Ang

By: Adrian

Adrian — Mon, 21 Oct 2019 19:21:12 +0000

Hei Talitha! For et interessant innlegg! Takk for at du delte historien din.

Jeg kommer også fra australia og har aldri reist til norge før.

Det virker det har gått tre år siden du skrevet dette inlegget. Jeg ville gjerne vite hvordan det går med deg, om du fortsatt bor i norge, om du nå snakke norsk, osv.

Vaer så snill å gi oss en oppdatering!

By: Tahira

Tahira — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 08:09:15 +0000

Hi everyone here! I’m Tahira. 25 Yr from Afghanistan. Its like a pain relief that we are here to speak with one other about our same situation. I have been to Australia for 5 years and my husband have lived in Norway since 2003. 3 years ago I came to Norway with my 7 Yr old son to live with my husband. Firstly its a big change for me to come from a warm country to a long cold winter country. Secondly its a bit difficult to find myself easy with the language comparing to English. Sometimes I find myself hard with the weather and the same time hard to find a job. Feeling anxious. This day’s passing very hard for us because we reach to the point deciding where to live Norway or Australia. The main problem is that my husband likes to live here and I like to go back to Australia. We look forward to each other to choose one place that we three are happy but still hard to choose. I will be so thankful to hear some advice and good ideas please.

By: Jane Lean

Jane Lean — Sat, 08 Dec 2018 21:16:23 +0000

I moved from the UK to Norway in 1973. Learning the language is a must. Engaging yourself in what is in your new country and do not make comparisons to what you have come from in my view is the is the way forward. Saying this I did exactly the opposite to my own advice. I expected everyone to speak English and did not attempt to learn the language for 4 years. I compared Norway to the UK all the time. I worked for a company which operated with the the UK so English was used both written and verbally. Then I saw the light. I was married to a Norwegian who I had met whilst studying in Manchester. We were expecting our first child. A child who would be a Norwegian a child who would be mine and who needed my help and guidance in life a parent who could understand and speak the same language as her own child. I learnt Norwegian. I can relate to everything that has been written in this article. Life was hard initially but that was my doing. In time I grew to love my adopted country. A country I am eternally thankful to be associated with and will love until I die. The irony to this is I now live in Australia. A long story and one not for now. I return to with my husband fir 5 months every year to visit my daughters and five grandchildren, in fact I leave in a few days to spend Christmas there. I guess life is unpredictable for many of us and at the end of the day it is up to us to find a way around situations that challenge and provoke our expectations. Good our Aussie friend in Norway may you find what you are looking for in life.

By: Patrick J. Maloney

Patrick J. Maloney — Fri, 24 Aug 2018 11:52:53 +0000

Moved from Minnesota, USA, to Norway in 1967 and studied law at the U in Oslo, graduating in 1972. By then oil had been discovered offshore Norway so I have had work as a lawyer for several major oil companies as well as practicing as an independent lawyer in Stavanger for many years. Retired in 2014. Your experiences brought back memories for me. If you stick to it, you will mange OK in Norway. I am now living a good life with 6 children and, thus far, 11 grandchildren.

By: Nicholas

Nicholas — Thu, 01 Mar 2018 11:58:27 +0000

G’day, my family moved us to Norway exactly two years ago today. I didn’t really have a say in the matter and since leaving Ipswich (Near Brisbane) I’ve gone through alot and can definitely level with alot of what you’ve said. Like the mental health issues and old memories I didn’t know I had suddenly popping up, I see a psychologist here as well and they believe Moving has triggered PTSD as well. I guess getting to the grit of my point is that, Well, today is a hard day for me. I’m only turning 19 this year, Due to the fact we moved to Norway so suddenly I didn’t get to say proper goodbye’s and I missed out on experiencing my graduation, Formal and Schoolies. Many family members have passed away in Australia since coming to Norway and I can’t leave the country yet due to my Visa still being processed. Norway brings Positive and negative feelings for me, Especially today of all days, I guess I’m just confused on how to feel and was wondering what life would be like so I googled other Aussies in Norway to see their stories and boom there you are. Your story has really helped put me at ease, I just wanted to thank you for sharing it and wanted you to know it’s helped out another Aussie going through somewhat a similar situation. Hope to one day catch up, Keen to hear your response. Till then have a good one gal, Take care aye

By: Jody

Jody — Thu, 25 Jan 2018 12:56:00 +0000

My daughter fell in love with a Norwegian and moved to Norway in 2007. They met when she was studying at the University of Oslo in the summer of 2006, before she graduated from college the following December. She went back in 2007, but she did not do her immigration requirements correctly so she had to return home to Texas 90days after she left. Nothing stood in the way of true love, because my now son-in-law quit his job in Oslo and moved to Texas and lived with us for 3 months. We got to know this wonderful man and fell in love too. They returned to Norway got engaged and married in 2008. I now have 2 beautiful grandsons and my husband and I have been to this beautiful country 19 times. My daughter teaches English in a vocational high school and college. She speaks fluent Norwegian. Even though she lives so far away, we now have Norwegian relatives that we love and have had many great adventures. It was a tough process, but I feel they are in a wonderful environment on the Northwest coast. I have been reading that the government is looking into passing a law to allow dual citizenship. Thank you for your story I could relate.

By: Ailene

Ailene — Mon, 01 Jan 2018 16:15:12 +0000

Hi there,
It’s 3am here in Sydney Australia and I have been up every night researching on ways to relocate to Norway (I also have a 6mth old bub so I’m usually awake reading up on things at this crazy hour haha).

Hubby and I visited Norway 2yrs ago (Oslo, Bergen, Tromso) + Finnish Lapland, but we really fell inlove with Norway – the people, culture, weather, lifestyle. We’ve always felt that if we were to start a family, we wouldn’t want them to grow up in Australia. We’ve always been big on travelling and connecting with a country and the people – something we will be teaching bub as she grows up.

Long story short, Norway really “stayed with us” and we have been talking seriously about relocating. Have read so many blogs and have even signed up to a some Norwegian job sites to get a feel for what companies are looking for. The language seems to be an important component in every job.

Hubby and I are planning on upskilling this year. However, we also know that jobs are quite competitive in Norway.

We met anc have stayed in touch with 2 Norwegians we met in Bergen, but apart from that, we don’t know anyone.

What other tips would you recommend? We’re both close to 40yo with a bub. We’re hoping that our current situation wouldn’t be too much of a setback. I love a good challenge and persevere to achieve something. But this whole relocating plan….we feel stumped!

Takk for reading this far 🙂

By: Hege

Hege — Sun, 13 Aug 2017 17:34:18 +0000

Hello,

I am a Norwegian woman living in a foreign country, and I can relate to a lot of what you’re writing in this post – very interesting read. I’m a writer, and I’d like to get in touch with you to ask you a couple of questions about your experiences in Norway. Please contact me via email if you’re interested.

Thank you very much in advance.

By: Barb

Barb — Wed, 31 May 2017 13:17:58 +0000

You sound very lucky. I met my husband in 2012 and we have gone back and forth to the u.s. and Norway for 4.5 years, now. Our spousal immigration application was rejected, last week because my 37 year old Viking husband apparently doesn’t meet the income requirement for proof of future income. He’s a freelance photojournalist and in school. And was short by 5000 kroners. Definitely count your blessings that you have a permit to get language classes and work, even if you haven’t found a job. I just hope we can eventually live together while I’m still capable of having kids. (37 years old also.)