- Emily Northway, 31, moved from Utah to Oslo, Norway, after graduating college in 2014.
- Northway said Norwegians think of Americans as outgoing and that has created opportunities for her.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Emily Northway about her experience moving to Norway in 2014 and acclimating to its culture. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
My family moved from Wisconsin to Utah when I was 16 and it was a massive culture shock. As hard as it was, it ended up being the coolest experience, getting out of a small town of 3,000 people and into Salt Lake City. I learned that the world is so big, and there's so much to see. It gave me a wild sense of adventure.
In 2014, when I was about to finish college, I figured I should gain some international work experience and it would give me a competitive edge in the US. I thought I would spend two years abroad and eventually move back.
My family and friends were very supportive. My parents raised me and my other siblings to "love them and leave them." I bought a one-way ticket to Oslo in July 2014 after I graduated. I had just three suitcases.
I wanted to blend in as a Norwegian, but standing out as an American helped me at work
There's this online portal called FINN.no. It's a marketplace like Craigslist, where everyone does all of their looking for apartment rentals. I found a very small place outside the city for around $500 per month.
I got my first job off FINN.no as well. It was for a woman going on maternity leave, which is nine to 14 months here. I got my foot in the door at this big IT company called Visma. They hired me for a year-long contract as a content marketer.
They asked me after a few months of being there if I would want to stay on permanently, which was amazing. I remember I started crying in that meeting. That's what I had been going for. That was my ticket to staying in Norway.
When I first moved here, I was trying to be Norwegian, but then I started using my Americaness to my benefit and it has really helped me at every job.
Norwegians view Americans as being very outgoing, outspoken, and social. It's something that is a bit exotic and fun for them because it's so different. They're generally a bit quieter and not as outspoken. So I became the person who was always expected to be social and outgoing.
It's been a benefit for me, but it's taken a long time to embrace it. People are like, "Yes, we need someone social and outgoing and energetic like you on our team." Bosses like having a representative who can go out to events and be social.
The first job I had here, my boss told me, "We need you to be perfect in English because that's why we hired you." They saw previous expats lose some of their English-speaking skills the more Norwegian they learned. So I didn't take any formal Norwegian classes or anything like that.
I speak it now. I hear a lot at work or, after a few drinks, all my friends speak Norwegian. I'll listen to Norwegian podcasts. I read the newspapers. It's been a slow process for me.
I don't plan a lot. I just kind of go with whatever feels right in the moment. I've been that way forever. And I think what has kind of led me to stay. I'm going for my citizenship now and that process takes like 22 months.
It is difficult for me to say where I'd be career wise, had I stayed in the US. It's not something I've reflected on much, and maybe that's an ode to feeling that I'm right where I'm meant to be.
The people are just like the weather: Cold at first, but warm them up and it's magical
Making friends was really, really difficult here. That became a second job for me. I was on Facebook, messaging random girls. I googled "American girls in Norway" and anyone who popped up, I would just send them a cold message on Facebook. It ended up working out when one of 15 messaged me back. We're still friends today.
I remember I would just show up at events like "Entrepreneurial Women in Oslo," "American Women in Oslo," or random book clubs. It's a big hit or miss. You often meet other Americans but the only thing you have in common is that you're American. After a while, it's not really sustainable.
It probably took me four years to find a really good tribe of people here. A lot of Norwegians move away for school and then come back and find their childhood friends. They are tight knit and getting into that group is not easy.
I think it's interesting to draw similarities between the weather and the people. It is cold here and people can be a bit cold at first. They're rushing from point A to point B. They're not taking it slow. We're not stopping to say hello to anyone. But that being said, once summer comes around, it's just magical here. Everyone is smiling and happy and outside drinking beer.
It's the same with the Norwegian people. As soon as you warm them up a little bit and I show them that I can speak a little Norwegian or tell them I've lived here for nine years, I think I kind of gain some respect.
The winters are not for the faint of heart
The winters for me are not it. There are some cities in Norway where the sun doesn't show at all and they have mirrors on the mountain to reflect what little sunlight there is. Some of my friends have sun lamps they wake up to every day.
I've gone on trips to Cape Town the past two years, so that's my life hack. You also make plans with friends to stay social because it's so easy to go home and hibernate and just go to bed. But if you plan to meet for a glass of wine after work, or go for a walk, hike, cross-country ski, or snowboard, that's really fun.
Oslo is perfect in so many ways, though. It is really beautiful. It's clean. It's efficient. Public transportation is phenomenal. It's a small city. You can get from one end to the other in 30 minutes on a bike. I think for internationals, it's a good entry city to Europe. If you're looking for a London experience, this isn't it. It's quieter.