Norway ranks first in the world in terms of living standards - that's how they present it.What are they hiding?

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Below the cut are several shocking facts that complement the story of the heroine of the video.

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1. Norway allocates about a billion euros a year to remove children from families. Russians - first of all

The Norwegian State Statistics Committee published information on its official website that the state annually allocates 8.8 billion kroner (44 billion rubles or about 1 billion euros) for the maintenance of punishers from Barnevarn. The money goes primarily to encourage the forced separation of emigrant families and the alienation of parents from their children, the press service of the Russian Mothers International Movement reports.

Statistics on foreign origin Children who have fallen under the compulsory care of Norway's punitive social welfare system are given by the local State Statistics Committee once every five years. Norway publicly published the latest data on the countries of origin of prisoners as of January 1, 2010. On this day, there were 5,176 Russian children in the dungeons of Barnevarn.

Goskomstat notes that “Russian children” represent one of the largest groups in Barnevarn. At the same time, the number of Barnevarn wards who were born in Russia and were “imported” by their parents to Norway is among the top four among all nationalities. But among the selected children born in Norway, “Russian children” are the absolute leaders and occupy the highest position in all tables about children who have become “clients” of the Norwegian children’s police Barnevarn.

People are afraid of everything, afraid to go to bed, afraid to go to work, afraid of losing their children. At any time of the day or night, the Barnevarn children's police can come to you and destroy your family forever and take your children away forever. This practice is widespread on a pan-European scale of hunting children.

In Norway, the so-called socialists are trying to implement the idea that everyone should be the same. All children should go to kindergarten ic from the age of one year, sleeping in kindergarten is prohibited from the age of 3, and before the age of 3, sleeping in the kindergarten is undesirable. In Norwegian kindergartens, infants and children are fed warm food once a week. Russian mothers are outraged and ask to increase the provision of food to their children in kindergartens to twice a week. Instead of food, Norwegian teachers take children away from Russian mothers who are dissatisfied with the regime. If a child is different from others, stands out from the crowd (even if he is shy or restless), he takes on the work of Barnevern.

Socialists claim that it is easier to shape a small child than a teenager who is already spoiled. Therefore, Barnevarn’s goal is to take the child away from Russian mothers as early as possible, best of all - right on the day of birth or even at the moment of birth. 1/5 of all children in Norway are currently under the jurisdiction of the state - that is, these are Barnevarn clients, juvenile clients. They are separated from their biological parents and live in juvenile facilities. Some call them foster families and orphanages, others call them family-type juvenile prisons.

The Norwegian juvenile police, Barnevarn, pride themselves on seizing 1.5 children per hour from good parents in Norway.

2. The Norwegian guardianship service took the child from Russian citizen Svetlana Tarannikova on the second day after giving birth

The Norwegian guardianship service took the child from Russian citizen Svetlana Tarannikova on the second day after giving birth. As it turned out later, foster mother She stood “in line” for a baby for two years and was promised Svetlana’s child. Before this, the Russian woman’s two eldest sons had already been taken away.

Russian mothers become donors for Norwegian families who receive big money for adopting migrant children. This Norwegian adaptation has become a kind of state policy.

In 2003, Murmansk resident Svetlana Tarannikova married a Norwegian citizen, moving to this country with her six-year-old son. But very soon it became clear that this marriage had no future. The husband turned out to be an alcoholic, who also distilled large quantities of moonshine in the basement own home. As Svetlana says, she was afraid of the explosion of this meter device and reported her husband to the police.

But it turned out that in Norway there is an organization that is much more influential than the police - this local service Children's Rights Protection, or barnevarn as it is called in Norwegian. In retaliation, the husband contacted this service, demanding that her son be taken away from Svetlana. As he later admitted, it is a common practice to take revenge on people by reporting them to the barn. Service specialists began regularly visiting the woman, writing reports about her behavior, threatening to take the child away. Frightened by these threats, Svetlana chose to return to her husband.

Unexpectedly, she became pregnant. But the husband was categorically against this child. Realizing that Svetlana was not going to get rid of him, he once again reported her to the barnyard, this time accusing the woman of alcoholism. “The next day, Barnevarn took her eldest son from school and took her to a secret address. They didn’t give me news about my son for about three months - they simply didn’t answer the phone. And they sent me for examination to a special clinic. Tests showed the absence of alcohol.

But the staff also recommended an abortion, because, knowing the barnevarn system, they feared for the health of the mother and child,” says Svetlana. Since the woman refused an abortion, she was placed in a special institution where the barnevarn sends “problem” mothers. There was no way to refuse. no possibility - otherwise the child will be taken away immediately after birth. In addition, Svetlana was promised the return of her eldest son.

“But when I arrived, I realized that I was placed in this institution only to take away the child. Everyone there was looking for real or unreal reasons for this. No matter what I did, everything was used against me,” says Svetlana.

One example explains everything. One day a woman went for a walk with her eldest son and his 12-year-old friend. The next day, the establishment's employees wrote in a report that she was "using her son to attract young fans." What kind of perverted mind do you have to have to write something like that about a 30-year-old woman who is on... latest dates pregnancy. These kinds of reports were fabricated every day.

It is not surprising that most of the women who ended up in this institution had their children eventually taken away. Well, mothers who lost their nerve after losing a child were sent to a psychiatric clinic for treatment.

The birth was difficult, but a week later Svetlana was ordered to get up and go on a ski trip to the mountains. Her refusal, she was told, would “cause concern.” As Svetlana says, “from their point of view, it turned out that a truly Norwegian mother immediately after giving birth gets on skis and goes to the mountains. If she doesn’t go, then she is not capable of raising a child.”

In the end, the woman had a nervous breakdown and made a fatal mistake - she signed an agreement with Barnevarn that she would hand over the children to them while she regained her health. The agreement was formalized as temporary, but it quickly became clear that no one was going to return her children. Some time later, Svetlana was told that her two sons were being sent to a lesbian family.

One can imagine the reaction of a woman raised in traditional values ​​- she was categorically against it. As it turned out later, this refusal was also used against her: is it possible to entrust children to a woman who has a negative attitude towards homosexuals? What about tolerance and political correctness?

As a result, Svetlana was allowed to meet with the children only four times a year. To protect her maternal rights, she hired a lawyer. And he gave her unexpected advice - to give birth to another child, and then, it seems, there will be a chance to return the older children. But, as it turned out, the fate of the third child had already been decided by the Norwegian guardianship service.

On the second day after giving birth, the newborn girl was taken from her mother - it later turned out that she had already been “booked” by one foster family, which had been waiting in line for two years for the baby.

The existence of such queues is not surprising. Being foster parents in Norway is very profitable: for each child the state pays from 300 to 500 thousand crowns per year (1.5-2.5 million rubles), plus 10 thousand crowns per month for everyday expenses. How much does a child need? It is clear that the bulk of these amounts goes to family income, which, moreover, is not subject to any tax at all. So, thanks to adopted children, such a family becomes much more prosperous and can afford previously unplanned expenses.

But it would seem, what is the point for the state to take children away from their natural parents, who are completely law-abiding citizens and do not lead an asocial lifestyle, and then pay such a lot of money to foster families? There is a meaning - and a very significant one. After all, children are taken away not only from Russian citizens. We have already talked about similar story with a Polish family who even had to hire a detective to kidnap their daughter from her foster home and bring her home.

In Norway there is also an organization for Somali women, which was created several years ago by one of the mothers who was also deprived of her child with light hand barnevarn employees Mothers belonging to this organization fight together for the return of their own children. It looks like the Norwegian state has come up with original way"adaptation" of migrants. It was possible to follow the path of France, Germany, Great Britain and try to “integrate” adults into the existing state system. However, as sociological experience shows, this method has not been particularly successful in the above-mentioned countries - migrants, even in the second and third generations, prefer to live within their communities, according to their cultural traditions.

The Norwegian authorities invented much more effective method- take the child away from his biological parents and transfer him to a family of true Norwegians, thus violently eliminating the problem of adaptation and assimilation of foreign children. That is why the local guardianship service Barnevarn makes a decision to remove children without waiting for a court order. This service has been given some incredible powers, and its workers are free to decide who is worthy of being a mother and who is not. Without a government “order,” this would simply be impossible. At the same time, the requirements for adoptive parents are much softer than for relatives.

Irina Bergset, whose dramatic story Pravda.Ru has repeatedly told, recently received her first date with her sons in two months. She was horrified to discover a stitched wound on the forehead of her youngest son, and an injured leg joint on her eldest son. In response to her complaints, she was told that there was nothing to worry about - everything was normal. The main thing has been done - the children have been transferred to a foster family, and there their problems no longer concern anyone.

But one more difficult question remains - the position of the Russian state. After all, most of these children were Russian citizens. And after they are transferred to foster families, the children get a new passport and even change their names. Svetlana Tarannikova’s daughter is now being prepared for this kind of adaptation in order to completely cut off all ties with her birth mother. There can be no talk of any upbringing taking into account the native culture and language.

Really to the Russian state to such an extent does it matter what happens to its minor citizens in Norway, where they are forcibly made Norwegians?

3. Norway: children are more often confiscated from Russians

Norway has officially recognized that half of all children removed from families are children of emigrants who came to the country with their parents. Russia occupies fourth place in this sad ranking. But among those who were born already in Norway and were selected by local guardians, most of them turned out to be children whose one of their parents came from Russia.

Last Wednesday, several Russian women came to the Norwegian parliament in Oslo to hold a rally permitted by the authorities. Women stood silently at the walls of parliament with posters: “My children need me, their own mother.” In a story about the picket on local television, official figures were announced for the first time.

More than half of all children removed in Norway come from immigrant families. The first lines of the “top list” are occupied by people from Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan and Russia. The Minister for Family and Child Protection admitted that these numbers are constantly growing. In 2007, the total number of children removed from their natural parents was 7,709, in 2010 - 8,073, in 2011 - 8,485. But according to local human rights activists, the real numbers could be several times higher.

For children of immigrants from Russia, the situation is currently known only for the period of January 1, 2010 (the local statistics committee summarizes it every five years). At that time, the guardianship system included 5176 Russian children. The Norwegian State Statistics Committee notes that “Russian children” represent one of the largest groups among those seized from their parents. Among those who came to Norway with their parents, Russians rank fourth in “popularity” among social services. But among those who were already born on Norwegian territory, the children most often taken away are those whose one of the parents (usually the mother) is Russian.

True, the Norwegian Minister for Children's Affairs himself does not see anything special in these statistics. And when asked to comment on the rally of mothers whose children were taken away, he said that this only shows that Norway is a democracy, and immigrant parents are not prohibited from organizing pickets. Yes, the majority of parents who have lost their children, thanks to state kidnapping, really have only one right left - to go to silent pickets with candles and posters.

It is impossible to prove anything in the courts. Simply because the claims that the local child protection service (Barnevarn) makes against foreign mothers do not fit into the head of an ordinary sane person.

Pravda.Ru told the story of Inga Eikevog, who lived with her husband in Norway for a month and a half with her child. Her words are a warning for what you should be prepared for. “My husband forbade me to walk with my child after 8 pm, although it was very light and completely safe. The explanation is that this will attract Barnevarn’s attention. He also ordered me to curtain the windows so that the neighbors from the windows of the house opposite They didn’t see anything “wrong” in the way I fed the child and didn’t report it to Barnevarn. Don’t change the baby’s diaper without closing the curtains, since our baby doesn’t like diapers, screams and dodges and his reluctance is the neighbors opposite or living across "the wall could be regarded as my violence against him. I began to be afraid to be in the apartment without the blinds drawn, to feed the child by the window, and tried to go for a walk with the child as soon as possible so that his impatient cries would not interest the neighbors," Inga recalls.

4. How Norway takes away children from visiting foreigners

Indian culture, in principle, is not capable of giving a child a happy childhood. Employees of the Norwegian social service for children came to this conclusion, and therefore decided to save two little Indian citizens from the prospect of returning to their homeland with their parents - highly qualified specialists who worked in Norway under a contract.

And the shock of Indian society, the problems of Norwegian business in India, the rivers of children's and parents' tears are an insignificant price for representatives of the state machine launched for the sake of building children's happiness in a single country. When parents drag their sleepy children to kindergartens in the morning, the corridors of these institutions are sure to be filled with roars. As a rule, for every dozen minor Russian citizens there is at least one supporter active methods protest against early introduction to official discipline.

Russian nannies and educators know: almost every second child begins their integration into society by declaring a hunger strike and a multi-hour sit-in in the corner of the group, with the refusal of any negotiations until the mother is presented. In our kindergartens, staff take this behavior for granted. Perhaps this is precisely where the anarchism of the Russian soul manifests itself.

This is not the case in Norway, where much more attentive people take care of children. In a country where children's rights are protected by special legislation and a powerful bureaucratic machine, no three-year-old toddler should sit sadly on the sidelines of the kindergarten playing group, with his forehead buried in the wall or floor. The child must be happy - and he will be, even if this means separating him from his mom and dad forever. Don’t cry, baby: the state knows better what you need.

This is exactly the kind of story that Indian citizen Abigyan Bhattacharya, two and a half years old, got into last spring, living with his parents and four-month-old baby sister in the Norwegian city of Stavanger. His separation from the team in kindergarten was regarded as a sign of obvious trouble. And the Norwegian social service for children must respond immediately to every signal of this kind.

The family of Anurup and Sagarika Bhattacharya was placed under legal surveillance. For a week, social workers visited a suspicious Indian family, observing their lives. These were ethnographic observations based on qualitative material.

The surname Bhattacharya indicates belonging to the Brahmin caste (translated as “knowing Vedic rituals"). Sagarika's maiden name, Chakraborty, is no less high-born. But despite their noble origins, Halliburton's senior geologist and his MBA wife failed to live up to the high standards of Norwegian society.

To their horror, social workers discovered that Indian parents took their children to bed, and the son even slept with his father in the same bed (one can imagine what associations arose in the minds of Norwegians lacking an oriental temperament). Sagarik's mother shocked social workers by feeding her eldest son not with a spoon, but simply with her hand. And she put her youngest daughter to the breast not by the clock, but by the first squeak.

It was these issues of guardianship that Sagarika remembered later, trying to explain to journalists what exactly happened during those hours that the social authorities in Norway came to the conclusion that the Bhattacharya family was completely unable to raise their children. True, much later, the head of the Norwegian social service for children, Gunnar Thoresen, denied that it was these habits of family life that became the reason for such a harsh decision. He officially refused to comment on the real motives. Not out of personal impudence, of course, but solely for the sake of compliance with the law, which requires delicate silence from the servants of childhood.

This is one of the main features of the child care system built in Norway. Children's social services and family courts, like the Holy Inquisition once upon a time, are not subject to the profane judgment of the public. This is explained, of course, by protecting the interests of the children themselves. Who knows what nightmarish details can surface and affect the future of children? The public can only take their word for it: if the guardianship has decided that horror took place, then it is so.

In the case of the Bhattacharya family, the confidence of the Stavanger children's defenders in their rightness was one hundred percent.

Overcoming criminal indifference judicial system, they made every effort to save the unfortunate babies. When the family court of first instance overturned the decision to remove the children, social workers still did not return them to their parents, but filed an appeal. And the Stavanger City Family Court accepted their arguments, ruling: to place the children in Norwegian foster families until they reach adulthood. Their parents were allowed to visit them three times a year, with the court allotting no more than one hour for each visit. More children were separated from each other. Apparently, so that the native language does not remind of an unhappy Indian childhood.

Despite the confidentiality, the press still got hold of the guardianship arguments presented to the court. It turned out that the list of unacceptable mistakes of the young family was very extensive. The eldest child not only did not have his own crib, but the clothes he was wearing were not exactly his size, and he played with toys that were not appropriate for his age. However, his parents also gave him little space to play.

Little Aishwarya was also in danger: her mother, holding her in her arms, made “sharp movements.” Although some of the crimes of the irresponsible couple - such as changing diapers on the bed, and not on a special table - were not considered significant by the court of first instance, the children's defenders did not dwell on individual episodes. In their opinion, the whole situation indicated “serious doubts” about the ability of parents to care for their children.

In particular, social workers were concerned about “the mother’s inability to meet the child’s emotional needs.” After all, when she breastfed her daughter, she did not press her to her with her hands, as European women usually do, but held her on her lap. In general, Sagarika seemed to the guardianship staff to be somewhat anxious and tired - clearly prone to depression. After all, why else would she worry if she found herself in the center of the caring attention of social services?

Thus, the court was absolutely right in deciding to take Abigyan and Aishwarya away forever. The court acted in full compliance with the Norwegian Child Welfare Act, the court acted and was guided solely by the interests of little Indians. In the foster family, Abigyan was guaranteed a separate bed, without any suspicious fathers around, as well as a high chair and cutlery, which his parents deprived him of. And Aishwarya - a bottle of milk and a changing table.

The behavior of the Norwegian social workers seems crazy, but in fact they acted in full compliance with the above-mentioned law. Article 3-1, regarding child conditions, clearly states: “Child Protective Services is responsible for determining whether or not early stage neglect, as well as behavioral, social and emotional problems in order to eliminate these problems and take steps to resolve them.” And Article 4-2 specifies as the primary grounds for removing a child from the family “serious omissions in the daily care received by the child, or serious omissions in terms of personal contact and security at the level that the child needs in accordance with his age and development.” So, according to the law, everything was done correctly.

A SOCIALIST VIEW OF SAVAGES Much to the bewilderment of the Norwegian authorities, India became very interested in this story. After all, we are talking about the forced detention of two Indian citizens for assimilation in Norway. Anurup Bhattacharya was in Norway not a guest worker or an illegal immigrant who was hungry for Scandinavian prosperity, but a highly qualified specialist, invited to work under a contract in 2007 for an international oil corporation. An Indian couple was considering Norway as a temporary residence and their visas expire in March 2012.

Moreover, literally every detail of this case offended the Indians. Firstly, it was a shock to them to learn that, from the point of view of the Norwegian courts, the entire Indian nation, without exception, was unworthy of raising its children. The Indian opposition recalled in the debate that even the god Ganesha slept in the arms of his mother when his enemies deprived him of human head(after which he had to find an elephant's one). Secondly, the Indian embassy, ​​which began to officially take an interest in the fate of the Bhattacharya children in early December, was first politely sent away by a petty manager from the guardianship, who did not see a direct connection between the Indian minor citizens and the diplomats of this country.

Only Indian Foreign Minister SM Krishna and the country's President Pratibha Pratil turned out to be worthy interlocutors for the Norwegian children's social service in the dispute that arose. Now the service has backed down. In accordance with the agreement signed between the two countries, social workers agreed to hand over the children to India to their uncle.

However, the guardianship continues to torment the hapless parents and the Indian public by delaying the handover of the children and forcing the uncle to take courses on the proper care of babies.

However, Indian officials found something to answer. Coincidentally, at the height of the scandal, the continuation of work in India by the Norwegian telecommunications company Telenor was called into question. February 2 Supreme Court India, remembering the corruption scandal four years ago, revoked 122 licenses. But the market mobile communications in India is the second largest in the world, and Telenor invested $1.24 billion in investments only when entering it. However, the Indian Foreign Ministry managed to touch the Norwegians' nerve even before Telenor had any problems.

The Indians used a terrible weapon - they accused Norwegian social workers of intolerance. This forced the head of the service, Gunnar Thoresen, to break his proud silence in January and write a press release saying that cultural differences had absolutely nothing to do with this story, and what the matter was, the law does not order one to admit.

This is not the first time that Norwegian officials have been accused of intolerance towards other cultures and even racism. Back in 2006, African Press International warned that Norwegian guardianship authorities were deliberately breaking up the families of African immigrants. But it’s one thing when unknown journalists write something in Africa. It’s quite another thing when headlines like “It’s becoming dangerous to work in Norway” appear in English-language media around the world. After such PR, Norwegians need not fear that foreign cultural migrants with MBA degrees will take away their jobs. Only those migrants who do not read newspapers in principle will continue to arrive in the country - because they do not know how.

Our EdgeP reader writes:

1. Norway is a fantastic country. The richest and most diverse nature, huge reserves of energy resources and their reasonable development make the Norwegians an extremely wealthy nation.

2. The population of Norway is insignificant - they do not even reach 5 million people. This is about a quarter of modern Moscow. More than 1.5 million Norwegians live in the capital Oslo and its suburbs. Any city with a population of more than 30 thousand is considered large.

3. Know this: 100% of Norwegians speak, write and read English perfectly. Children learn a language from the age of 5–6 years or earlier. Any child over 10 can easily communicate with you in English. The exception is very old pensioners 75+.

4. Norwegians love and appreciate the sea. They prefer to live no further than 200–300 meters from the water, or in direct visibility of it. Those who live inland still buy a second house by the sea. 80% of the population has boats or motorboats.

5. Norway has an incredibly variable climate. Fog, sun, sharp wind, rain, and again fog can change with fantastic frequency. The Norwegians even coined a saying: “Don’t like our weather? wait 15 minutes."

6. The nature of Norway is majestic and diverse. Forests, mountains, rivers, lakes, sea, and everything else are in pristine condition. The attitude towards nature is very careful. There are no poachers, and there is practically no garbage either. Thanks to the sea, there are no mosquitoes or other evil spirits. It's not hot in summer... paradise!

7. According to the law, any resident of the country and its guest have the right of unhindered access to all natural resources without restrictions - both in the forest and at sea. You can walk and swim wherever you want. If the land is private or fenced, it is advisable to ask permission out of courtesy.

8. The stories that Norway is a very expensive country are true. In general, all products are expensive, and the most regular products everywhere they stand as in the ABC of Taste. It’s easy to go to a supermarket and spend 200 euros without really buying anything. Services (for example, taxis or construction) will cost even more - they simply cost unrealistic money. Gasoline is almost 2 euros per liter. Car taxes are crazy. At the same time, Norway is the second oil exporting country in Europe. Giants such as Shell or Statoil are Norwegian.

9. Products in Norway are of the highest quality. Especially dairy ones. The local ice cream is simply superb. Even at McDonald's, the meat in the hamburger is quite edible. By the way, here are the most expensive hamburgers in Europe. By the same principle, any ordinary fast food costs terrible money. In an ordinary pizzeria, paying 200 euros for 4 without alcohol is the norm. However, the pizza itself is not very good.

10. Compliance with laws and the absence of crime is almost everywhere. Theft is unthinkable for most residents. Only large ones retail chains have frame-detectors for theft of goods at the exit, or surveillance cameras. Otherwise, they are practically nowhere to be found.

11. Almost 100% of the population is connected to high-speed Internet. Due to the climate and long distances, Norwegians spend a lot of time online.

12. Norwegians love and protect their monarchy. The older population is more proud than the younger population of maintaining the royal family.

13. In comparison with other Europeans, almost any Norwegian who travels outside the country is a mini-oligarch. In Asian countries this is generally the case with kings. The average salary for many Norwegians can be up to 5–7 thousand euros per month. Thus, for visitors, local prices are prohibitive, but for locals everything is ok.

14. Sea and lake fishing in Norway is a connoisseur's paradise. There is an incredible variety of fish and various sea creatures. Fishing regions exist only in northern regions, but starting from the city of Bergen and to the south there is no fishing. You can catch it anytime, in any weather, almost anywhere. Crabs, mussels, sea snails and other goodies are also in abundance. No fishing licenses are needed.

15. That is why many Europeans have recently developed a profitable hobby: coming to Norway in refrigerated trucks, living in the cheapest houses or tents, fishing for two weeks without a break, stocking up on fish for 6 months in advance, and leaving back. The Germans, Dutch and Belgians are perhaps the most active.

16. Norwegians do not collect gifts from the forest, do not understand mushrooms and berries, and do not know the properties of herbs. Therefore, in good season All this stuff is just piled up. IN good year There are so many mushrooms that in 2–3 hours one person can collect a 100-liter bag of selected white mushrooms. I’m not even talking about blueberries, wild raspberries and blackberries - they grow everywhere like weeds.

17. Norwegians are terribly surprised and admire the knowledge of Russians about mushrooms and berries. Many are sure that we are brave and risky people if we go into the forest to collect them. They refuse to try. In the supermarket they easily buy greenhouse mushrooms and chanterelles, completely ignoring the forest 10 meters from the house. It's shocking at first.

18. You can’t just buy strong alcohol in Norway! It is sold only in special stores - Vinmonopolet. Translated as alcohol monopoly. Owned by the state. They work strictly Monday-Friday; in the capital there seem to be shops on Saturday, open until 7 o’clock maximum, with a long break for lunch in the middle of the day. And they are not available everywhere. Alcohol is incredibly expensive there: a bottle of vodka for 70–100 euros is the norm.

19. In supermarkets you can only buy beer or cider no stronger than 5.2 degrees. Everything above, including wine, is only available in a restaurant, bar, or as already stated in the wine monopoly.

20. Norwegians love to drink, but they don’t know how. They get drunk quickly, lose their minds just as quickly, and act noisy and funny. The skills to recover from a hangover, or the knowledge of how to cheer yourself up with cucumber or cabbage pickle, are absent as a fact. They become wildly delighted if they are brought to their senses in such a simple way.

21. Norway has the longest fjords in the world. A fiord is a wide, often winding and deep channel with rocky shores, piercing from the sea deep into the mainland for many kilometers. Fiords also exist in Canada, Chile, and New Zealand. The ones in Norway are the most beautiful.

22. Norwegians are very mediocre women in terms of beauty. Of medium height, stocky, tightly built with wide-set eyes, snub nose, and generally very independent.

23. But Norwegian men are the opposite: tall, athletic, many have natural blondes, a kind of Vikings with a wide smile and blue eyes. One can understand why they are not always in a hurry to marry local Norwegian women.

24. Many Norwegian children are extraordinarily beautiful. Blonde, slender, athletic, some with curly hair - the purity of genetic lines is visible. Children are raised quite strictly. It is not customary to pamper.

25. You can drive all day through central Norway, or indeed through any other part of it, and not see a single police car. Or the police themselves. But a tractor on the road at a speed of 40 km per hour is quite common.

26. Every next day is similar to the previous one. In the sense that everything flows very calmly and measuredly. Norwegians start working at about 10 am, and by 4 am they wrap up. On weekends, only restaurants or supermarkets are open. Nobody is in any particular hurry.

27. Almost 100% of the population skis and snowboards. Women are often no worse than men.

28. Children start skiing from the age of 4–5. Seeing a dad pushing a baby down a very decent slide for that age is a normal thing. Children of about 10 years old make me, a person with 12 years of experience, almost effortless.

29. On country roads, usually near a farm, you can often find a table with vegetables or fruits. And the price tag is worth it. On it there will be scales, shopping bags, and a jar for money. This is a form of self-service. Everything is built on trust. There's no one around.

30. Young Norwegians and even middle-aged people are very fond of science fiction and fantasy as a genre. Movies like Lord of the Rings or Star Wars are very popular.

31. Most of the programs on TV are in English, with Norwegian subtitles at most. It is very comfortable.

32. Norwegians dress very casually and simply, like all of Europe in general. It is difficult to see a beautifully dressed girl or guy.

33. Local cuisine is simple and unpretentious. They don't cook very well, to put it mildly. But the Norwegians have succeeded in preparing fish recipes: dried, salted, smoked, etc., a lot of it is delicious. It is customary to prepare seafood very simply: a minimum of any additives, a minimum of processing. Try local fish caviar in iron tubes like RekerOst - very tasty.

34. For the most part, Norwegians are well-mannered and trusting people. The older generation is quite pedantic; many follow the traditional way of life and business.

35. Getting a very large loan from a bank at 3–4 percent per annum is not at all difficult. In general, everything is done for the sake of man. You can plan your life 10 years in advance, including any expenses and career advancement. And the plan will come true.

36. The attitude towards foreigners is reserved but friendly. Norwegians calmly invite people to visit, share food, and help with advice. It is quite possible to make good friends.

37. Outside big cities There is practically no active life. No clubs, no cinema, no shopping centers. However, there are almost no Norwegians themselves either.

38. The state does its best to support the population's employment in at least some way. There are subsidies in many areas of private business. So, you can buy 30 sheep, nail tags on their ears, declare to the state that I am now a cheerful farmer, and let them graze for a whole year on some island. For this you can receive subsidies, equipment, and benefits from the state. At the end of the year, catch and sell - and earn a little more.

39. The murder of at least one person is discussed on national TV and radio for at least a week. Robbery too.

40. Roads in Norway are very good, but almost the entire regional transport network is single-lane. The highway offers only one lane in each direction. This is terribly annoying.

41. In recent years, Norway has increased the influx of immigrants from other countries. And not only from traditional Africa or Asia - but we even met Chechens! Most immigrants behave arrogantly, don’t want to integrate, don’t learn the language, gather in groups, breed like cockroaches, don’t like to work and exploit the system. This was not the case 10 years ago.

42. Learning Norwegian, or Norsk, is quite difficult. Lots of jumping intonations, different root words. But if you try, everything is ok in two years.

43. Many young Norwegians complain about boring lives, over-enforcement of laws, high prices and a harsh climate. However, they are proud to be themselves and part of the nation.

44. In summer South part The country is a very warm place. Strawberries, plums and pears ripen in abundance. The water in some places is up to 20 degrees, and swimming in the North Sea is very fun. You can even get a tan.

45. Airplane flights within the country, as well as abroad, are extremely cheap. At the same time, the quality of service is higher than that of European airline discounters. Flying to Dubrovnik from Bergen (3.5 hour flight) for 40 euros, or to Amsterdam for 35 from Oslo is common.

46. Smoking is being fought with unrealistic tobacco prices. However, Norwegians love to smoke. Many people buy cut tobacco in briquettes and smoke hand-rolled cigarettes, or bring cigarettes from duty free.

47. Norway has the largest total number of tunnels in Europe. There are simply hundreds of them everywhere. There is one that passes under the sea strait at a depth of about 4 km. Some tunnels are tolled, as are some bridges.

48. Renting a car, even the simplest one, is expensive. 2–3 times more expensive than in some European countries. There are very few gasoline ones. Diesel is our everything.

49. Norway is the northernmost point of mainland Europe. Called North Cape, it is located on the edge of a cliff far to the north. IN good weather you can see the edge of the Arctic glaciers.

50. Despite its geographical proximity to Sweden, the people of Norway are different people. And in general, among all the Scandinavians, they must be the most original. Nature also differs.

51. The funds Norway receives from the sale of resources are distributed wisely. Norway has an unrealistic amount of real estate and land abroad. But few people know about this - they prefer to behave with restraint.

52. By virtue of large quantity islands and straits, a very developed ferry network. Ferries go anywhere and very often. You can save hours of travel by taking a ferry. Mostly in my car. The ferries themselves are large, comfortable, and relatively inexpensive.

53. In Norway it is legal to catch sea crab, but it is forbidden to catch lobster. If a lobster gets to your crabber, and this happens quite often, according to the rules it must be released. When asked “what do you do with the lobster,” most Norwegians smile and say that, of course, they release this wonderful arthropod into the wild - while winking slyly. Live lobsters are sold at the fish market; their catch is subject to quotas.

54. Silver is inexpensive in Norway. Silverware good quality.

55. If you come as a tourist, do not forget to ask for Tax-free everywhere you go. It can be issued almost everywhere and for any goods, from a purchase amount equivalent to 50 euros. As a result, you can return up to 30% of the money spent.

56. A hero of Norwegian folklore, the troll is a very popular symbol in many establishments. Despite their very demonic appearance, trolls are spirits of nature, they protect it, and also help good people. There you are interesting fact: take a troll figurine, place it next to it, and try to compare it with the appearance of the surrounding local residents, especially women. An attentive observer will be able to spot unexpected similarities!

57. Pets, especially dogs, are extremely well-mannered. They bark a little, are very friendly, and do not bother their owners at all. Even with each other they are very reserved.

58. It's not easy to piss off a Norwegian. Many will prefer not to get involved. But if you achieve your goal, don’t expect anything good. Norwegians can be terrible when angry.

59. Energy in Norway costs crazy amounts of money. In 4 weeks, a family of 5 people can easily spend about 1 thousand euros on electricity. And even more. Be very rational with your energy expenses.

60. The care of children and young people is very strong. It is not at all uncommon for 20–30 children from one area to go to kindergarten, and no one else. Another kindergarten is being built for others. And this is not just a house with game room. This is a whole complex of a playground, locker rooms, toilets, kitchen, etc. It is customary to take off your shoes at the entrance. Being a child in Norway is a blessing.

61. There are few high-rise buildings and residential complexes, almost none. Mostly people live in private houses. The houses are simple but comfortable. They are usually painted red or blue and white, often with a field grass lawn on the roof. This is not only a tribute to tradition - such a roof insulates perfectly in winter. Looks funny.

62. There are not many generally known facts about Norway. The most famous associations are the Vikings, Edvard Grieg, mountains, fiords and trolls.

63. Most of the economy's income comes to the treasury from the sale of petroleum products. Next comes marine fishing, shipbuilding, engineering and the construction of deep-sea platforms.

64. The northern part of the country is very different from the southern part in climate. In winter it is cold and snowy in the north. In the south there may be no snow at all and the temperature in winter is above zero.

65. You can buy whale meat at the market or supermarket. It is scarce and expensive. Whale meat is dark, almost black, and tastes like elk meat. They sell steaks and minced meat.

66. In some cities, the local fauna has become completely accustomed to the proximity of humans. Pigeons in the square can land right on your hand and dashingly start eating your bun. Seagulls can hover a meter from the deck of a passing ferry and grab thrown bread right in the air.

6 7. Engineering universities, maritime academies, as well as oil and gas institutes are very prestigious.

68. According to tradition, every man must make a knife and sheath for himself. With my own hands. Everything you need for this is sold in abundance. Blades, blanks, tools, leather. Handles made from scraps of Karelian birch are especially good. Difficult to process, but beautiful and durable.

69. Along the road you can often find small cairns. They are called “tog” and no one touches them. Previously, they were folded so as not to lose their way after a snowfall or in heavy fog. Now this is a funny tradition.

70. There is a lot of game and wild animals. A deer or a galloping roe deer running onto the road is not uncommon.

71. When drinking, Norwegians clink glasses and say “Skol!” In this case, the letter “O” sounds like something between “o” itself and “e”. Toasting is not accepted.

72. The population of the country is not very religious. Of course, there are churches and cathedrals, but not many. Mostly adults attend the service.

73. If you live in nature in your house and have only electricity, you can get 80% of your food from the land. The sea is rich in all types of marine food, the water in streams and many lakes is drinkable without pre-treatment, and the forests are rich in game and fruits. However, the population is very wealthy, and in general does not burden nature with its presence.

74. The Norwegians have nothing, and there is no need to share with each other. In addition, many people usually know each other. As a result, there is a complete absence of clashes or hostile groups. But visitors who were generously allowed to come and live in the country often crowd out the locals with their behavior and arrogance.

75. It is not the Norwegians who write correctly, but the Norwegians :) Forgive me, everyone, for the habit of writing incorrectly.

76. Finding decent Russian products is not at all easy. It’s easier to order them online and have them delivered. But there are exceptions. So, Kefir is sold in supermarkets everywhere. Almost like ours. But it’s easier to pickle cucumbers or ferment cabbage yourself.

77. If you set a goal, then in a fairly short time you can achieve a meeting with the prime minister of the country. To do this, it is not at all necessary to be a famous oligarch, a member of his party or a classmate from his student days.

78. If the owners are at home, it is customary to raise the national flag on a flagpole next to the house. Many people have it. When leaving, it is lowered.

79. Respect for private property is observed throughout. During the day, most houses are not locked at all, except in large cities - and this is completely safe. It is customary to visit by invitation.

80. Recently, online poker has become very popular in the country. Today this is a common trend throughout Scandinavia. Norwegian players are popular and very dangerous: they are aggressive, persistent and calculating. Many achieve excellent results in the world poker arena.

81. You can bring high-quality alcohol as a gift to Norwegians. From the hands of the Russians this is even recommended. There are no clichés in this.

82. After sea fishing, many people want to try lake or river fishing. Often at the entrance to a freshwater lake you can see a poster prohibiting the use of marine gear in the lake. In especially fishy lakes, there are devices with detergents for your fishing rods and tackle. This measure prevents marine microorganisms on the gear from moving into fresh water. There have already been cases of algae infection.

83. There are practically no expensive cars on the roads in Norway. In half the cases, the new S-Class or BMW X6 will be driven by Germans or other Europeans.

84. It is almost impossible to meet people begging on the streets. The only exceptions are big cities, and almost always it is someone from immigrants. In the nineties this did not happen at all.

85. Registering your own company is quite simple. Be prepared to pay high taxes and remember that the Norwegians are very conservative in their choice of goods and services.

86. There is a beautiful amusement park near Oslo. It is very interesting and fun, there are very few queues.

87. Civil aviation pilots are cold-blooded and fearless guys. Takeoff and landing are often very rapid, and the weather conditions are not the most ideal. But this is justified - there are solid mountains around, there are not many direct platforms, and you need to take off quickly. Dozens of flights across the country under very harsh conditions have repeatedly proven to me their professionalism.

88. When traveling in Norway, splurge on a traditional wool sweater! Usually they are painted in a multi-colored pattern, sometimes with deer, squares or broken lines. They can be very expensive, from 300 euros - but the quality is excellent, and they will serve you for an incredibly long time, without fading or shrinking.

89. Unless it's a foreigner or an immigrant, the chances of someone throwing a cigarette at you on the street are zero. If you share it with a friend, he will try to return it to you.

90. Local residents are not inclined to be overweight. They spend a lot of time at sea and in the fresh air, their food is not greasy and of good quality. There is very little fast food.

91. When Norwegian wives get married, they become very homely. They are often very educated, hardworking and well-mannered. Considering the fact that many citizens have been inheriting wealth for several generations, women are often quite wealthy even before marriage.

92. All cars on Norwegian roads have a built-in low beam mode that is always on. It is not disabled in most cases. This is due to the changeable weather.

93. For renting a boat with an engine less than 9 hp. no management license required. It is almost impossible to rent anything that is more powerful and faster without special water rights.

9 4. The English word Thursday comes from the name of the Norse god of thunder, Thor. At first, the day was called Thor's day.

95. Showing off, showing off and showing off are not held in high esteem by the Norwegians. Mostly immigrants and tourists behave this way.

96. There are few Russians, almost none. This is good, because our citizens tend to do shit and behave provocatively. Recently, more often in the summer, our tourists have become more numerous. The majority are wealthy and so far behave in a civilized manner.

97. Go to the grocery store, find a large refrigerator with bags of frozen shrimp sold by weight, put them in a thermal bag, weigh them, pay for them - and at home just dump them in the kitchen sink and turn on the boiling water. Once the shrimp are thawed and heated through, remove and serve. The shrimp will be juicy, flavorful and already quite salty. There is no need to boil or specially prepare them.

98. Finding a sushi restaurant or cafe that serves sushi is almost impossible. They are only in Oslo, Bergen, and it seems in Stavanger. In other cities there is only one such establishment. The quality is very modest. And of course, expensive.

Friends, hello! This is a photo post from a series of articles about life and everyday life in different countries. I already wrote once about life in Holland, I also showed how Armenians live, and today we will go to visit the Norwegians and see how people live in Norway - one of the most expensive countries in the world!

House in Norway No. 1. In the mountains.

It so happened that during a summer trip to Norway our driver was the charming Norwegian Truls. A wonderful person who worked as an ambulance driver in the city of Ålesund for more than 20 years, and now earns extra money by driving tourists.

A visit to a Norwegian house was not included in the program of our blog tour, but Truls was kind enough to invite us to look into his nice, cozy Scandinavian house at the foot of the mountains in the village of Gaupna.

Truls' house in Norway

The Norwegian village of Gaupna is small, and the houses are generally built in the same style with a predominance of light and bright colors. This is perhaps a typical picture of how they live in.

Houses in Norway with Truls' neighbors

Norwegians love flowers, so Truls, like many others, has roses and other flowers and bushes growing in his yard. Norwegian houses:

People in Norway are friendly and easy to get along with. Smiling Truls invites us to visit:

Let's take a look at Norwegian house and see how people live. On the ground floor there is a kitchen, living room with fireplace and dining room. I really fell in love with these blue curtains and white chairs.

The house is small, but very clean and cozy. We go up to the second floor, there is something like another small living room:

The windows have sheer curtains, not curtains:

Also on the second floor is the bedroom of Truls and his wife:

There is a handmade blanket on the bed

The children have grown up and do not live at home, but their bedroom remains untouched, and the height front door in the nursery it hardly reaches 1 meter. Room in a house in Norway:

In the corners you can find very interesting details that complement the interior:

Chest in the corner
Singer machine
Candles and books on tables

House in Norway No. 2. In the city.

Thanks to the same Truls, who seems to know a good half of the country’s population, I had the opportunity to visit very unusual Norwegian houses, this time in a city that survived several fires and was completely restored in 1904-1905.

These houses were brought to Ålesund 200 years ago from a Norwegian village, and since then they have stood untouched on the property of Ivar and Anna-Maria Voldsdal. If you are a simple tourist, you can only see the houses from afar

But thanks to great connections we got to private territory to admire the unusual home up close and meet the owners:

I thought that there was someone’s grave on the property, but the owners assured me that the stone in the photo below was there just for beauty:

I think I’ve already written about grass on roofs in Norway, but I’ll repeat it anyway.

Birch bark has long been popular in Norway as a material for waterproofing. It was laid with the outer side down, and covered with a thick layer of turf on top to secure the birch bark and insulate the roof. The turf was laid directly with the grass - it’s warmer. This is why grass on the roof is a common practice in Norwegian homes.

To care for the roof, even in our time goats are often put on the roof, which during the day carefully “cut the grass” with their teeth, after which they descend to the ground. Anna-Maria, the owner of the house, admitted that they don’t keep goats and don’t take care of the grass.

Cozy courtyard Scandinavian house:

Mailbox
Entrance door

There is a music studio in the guest house (the owner of the house plays in a rock band).

I moved to Norway. I remember sitting and reading the news: “Norway ranks second in terms of living standards in the world after Finland.” But I remember a few years earlier, when I was living in Finland, the situation was the opposite: Norway was in first place. There’s no way I’ll get to live in the country that’s on the first one.

I lived on the island of Hundvåg (this is part of Stavanger - the oil capital of Norway). We often went to Oslo, Bergen, and traveled around the cities around. And I could not understand the peculiarities of life in this country: why, for example, despite all the efforts of the owners, almost all houses in Norway are “the same in appearance.”

For the first few months, I was perplexed: how to understand the standard of living of a particular family if all the houses are “the same”? It turns out that only according to the number of floors of the building. And also - according to the footage of the yacht, which is moored next to the house (when it is on the coast). It is not customary in Norway to build stone castles in the Baroque style and in other sophisticated ways, trying to show prosperity right on the facade. I remember I was even upset, “Where are the good quality stone houses that I love so much?” Is it really forbidden to have such things? We still managed to find a few.

Pictured: the Norwegian house, my absolute favorite. “Yes, this is a former factory,”- my Norwegian friends were perplexed and sincerely did not understand what was special about this building

Solid stone houses and extensive estates are usually inherited here. There were no revolutions or dispossession in Norway, so it is quite possible to receive an inheritance in the form of a significant plot or a huge house from a great-grandfather, a local baronet.

In the photo: another example of a stone mansion

What kind of houses and apartments have I not seen during my life in Norway! The thing is, one day I needed a piano. I remember my Norwegian husband and I put together an ad something like this: “I’m looking for a piano: vintage, not new, and at the same time in good shape. On long winter evenings I will practice by candlelight and delight the ears of the guests.” We submitted an advertisement and began to consider proposals from residents of surrounding cities. For another two months I traveled around the houses and apartments of Norwegians, looking for a piano and, at the same time, looking at how people lived.

I’ve also seen enough pianos and cabinet grand pianos! They were offered in mahogany with lion paws, and black with metal candlesticks and some kind of mythological bas-reliefs on the legs, and simple in design, from the 1960s. Most of the sellers had never played a piano; it was used as interior decoration or a stand for some things. The search took a long time.

At some stage, I caught myself thinking that I was no longer looking for a piano, but looking at how their home life in Norway was organized - that’s why I couldn’t find an instrument. I pulled myself together, got ready to receive the piano, and soon saw an advertisement from a man from our island, who said that he was ready to give the piano for a very nice sum. good condition. We arrived, I sat down on a chair upholstered in pink velvet, and started playing - testing the keyboard. The owner was so moved that he ended up giving away the piano for free, and also a stool with a special built-in box for sheet music.

Cult of purity
In Norwegian houses (this is clearly visible in those windows and large loggias that are not curtained and can be seen from the street), the rooms are simply impeccably clean. It doesn’t matter whether a family of five lives there or a single man. Shine of polished surfaces, thoughtful free space and incredible accuracy - national traditions Norway. This completely sincerely amazed me.

I saw the same thing in every home when looking at pianos. Each interior looked as if any minute now a film crew would be arriving in the rooms and they were eagerly awaiting it. No curtains torn from their hinges, no rags pulled through ropes (as happens in my beloved St. Petersburg), rubble on the chest of drawers or piles on the hanger in the hallway, boxes on the balconies, and so on. Nothing. Perfect cleanliness, shine, neatness and space. Every second morning I watched a neighbor crawling on all fours along the sidewalk around the house - using a special shampoo and a brush, he washed away the dirt between the tiles.

Life on the mountains
The country of Norway is mountainous, plains are extremely difficult to find, so we have learned to build houses in such conditions. The fun here begins in winter, when all the roads turn into an ice slide. It was scary to look at the parked cars - the angle of inclination of the roads was, without exaggeration, 45 (or more!) degrees. And it was even scarier to drive. Moreover, all the roads there are ideal, there is plenty of parking everywhere, and traffic jams only occur in front of the ferry. Norway consists of many islands, which are not always bridged. Often you have to wait for a special ferry, which you enter directly in a car or truck. And then, waiting for the next ship, queues of cars form.

In the photo: historical houses in Stavanger

One of the questions that still worries me is: were the previous inhabitants of Norway really that short, because the window of the first floor of this house is at the level of my knee. It looks like a decoration to attract tourists to the historical center. But the curtains, flowers, glass angels and dolls behind the glass are a miracle! In general, in Norway it is very popular to place entire compositions of figurines, candles and other decor in windows. Moreover, so that this beauty can be seen from the yard. Especially around Christmas.

The sea as part of interior design
Of course, in a country obsessed with the sea, marine themes in the interior are extremely popular. For example, anything that imitates the deck of a ship is welcome. The floor and furniture elements are coated with a special yacht varnish. Wall decor in nautical style and the blue and white color scheme in textiles is an important part of the culture. Some Norwegians go diving. At first I didn’t understand what exactly they were looking for underwater in this cold and grayness. It turned out that here you can dig up delicious scallops, grab a crab leg, find sunken vintage plates...

Entrance doors
They always surprised me - too thin, with glass inserts, too flimsy and friendly. Let's start with the fact that houses do not have fences - there are decorative, low fences, no higher than the knee. Add to this the absence of a dozen locks with super locking systems and these are the doors. Everyone trusts each other.

Unnecessary and necessary furniture
Goes to a second hand store. These stores, I must say, have become my love. In Norway, the custom is this: everything unnecessary “for the house” is left at the door of the store. Anything brought for free is sold and the money goes to charity. And often these are not just candlesticks, mirrors or small decor, but also furniture in perfect condition.

The exhibition in a second-hand furniture store is arranged into “rooms”. At some time, I realized that I had become an “interior addict” - I hung out there for hours, studied all the schedules for new deliveries of the entire chain of stores. From time to time, my husband and I also went to antique stores to buy crystal lamps and silver spoons from the last century. Usually such stores are located in wooden mansions; the owner greets guests warmly, but does not bother with advice. You choose calmly. Against the backdrop of such interior decorative grace, the Stavanger IKEA (small, quiet and rather miserable) looked simply like a consumer surplus of civilization. Moreover, it is unreasonably expensive (in Stavanger there are some of the highest prices in Europe).

Boathouse - second home
In the warm season, the boathouse becomes a full-fledged second home for Norwegians. Usually it consists of two floors: on the first there is a boat on the water, and tools are hung on the walls, on the second there is everything, like we have in a typical Russian dacha: a table, chairs, a refrigerator, cabinets with utensils. Often there is a separate large banquet hall covered in wood. It is located on the second floor exactly above the yacht, and the windows overlook sea ​​spaces. It is customary to decorate such a hall with fishing nets, treasures caught in the depths of the sea, shells and strange alcoholic bottles from all over the world. Noisy feasts and celebrations are held here, and men meet for conversations. Often there is a separate bar. Norwegians are a calm, even quiet people, but they also know how to have fun, especially in warm company near the water and with a box of dark ale or potato vodka brought for the occasion.

Special decor: scallop shells
Delicious scallop shells are a very popular option for wall decor. First of all, of course, the boathouses. But especially creative citizens decorate bathrooms and corridors of houses and apartments with them.

Marina: continuation of the house and boathouse
In principle, one glance is enough to understand why the pier becomes an extension of the house: here they drink beer, communicate with neighbors, and check their catch. Not only fish - in season they bring huge nets with moving lobsters, pots with freshly caught shrimp boiled right in the boat and buckets of scallops. All windows face the sea. Housewives conduct conversations with their husbands sitting at tables directly from the second floor. The conversation is unhurried - Norwegians are stern people, it is not customary to talk much or emotionally here. They silently smoke pipes on the pier and brew beer for the whole company in special barrels.

If you are particularly lucky, you can see paired swans near the pier. Feeding them is a special pleasure; somewhere nearby they have their own house, and they come for food. The main thing here is to take care of your fingers - despite their beauty, swans are not much different from geese, and they can inadvertently nibble with their small-toothed beak.

This floating house contains everything you need for food and sleep, including even a refrigerator and a dry closet. To drive it, you must have a special license to drive a watercraft and not be caught fishing for lobsters out of season. All this is strictly monitored by the water police.

In Norway you can travel to any small islands. Despite the fact that the islands seem uninhabited and completely deserted, each of them belongs to a farmer. His sheep graze there, there are toilets and tables with benches, and a neat pier has been built. But he cannot prohibit people from mooring to the island, fishing there, or simply taking a walk.

Usually people want to move from Moscow to warmer climes. But for the sake of love, you can endure the cold. Continuing the series of materials about Russians living abroad, Lenta.ru publishes the story of Elena, who got married and moved to Norway.

It's simple

I moved to Norway in 2010. The cause was a man. My friends and I were on vacation, and he was vacationing there with friends. We met, then called each other on Skype every day, and often visited each other. And a year later they decided to get married.

In Moscow, I graduated from the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation. After studying, she worked as an auditor in Austria and Russia.

Since I was getting married, there were no problems with documents when moving to Norway. A month after submitting the necessary papers, we received a response from the embassy. First, a temporary residence permit is issued - for three years. After which you need to pass a language proficiency exam (conversational level) and re-collect documents in order to obtain a permanent residence permit.

I started taking language courses in Moscow, and continued here. Due to knowledge of German and English learning Norwegian turned out to be a feasible task.

Small towns

I moved to Trondheim - the third largest city in Norway, but despite this, it is very small: you can walk around it all in a few hours. We live here now because of my work, but next year I plan to transfer to move to Oslo. The capital is also very small, it cannot be compared with Moscow in any way.

We live in an area that is 15 minutes from Trondheim. In Oslo, basically no one has a car - everyone uses public transport. In smaller cities it is much more convenient to travel by car.

Children are sent to kindergarten here from the age of one year or even earlier. This is because maternity leave lasts eight or nine months. You can choose 10 or 11, but with a loss in salary. Usually, after this period, the husband sits with the child for two months.

The kids really like the local nurseries; here the child has more freedom. He can choose what he wants to do or refuse some lessons. A reward system has been established. Despite this independence, educators gently convey to their charges what is good and what is bad.

Therefore, local residents grow up with a strong sense of civic responsibility. If a wallet or bag is found, then with a high probability this item will end up in the police.

What are they even about?

It is very difficult for visitors to find mutual language with locals and friends among them. The most difficult part of my job was communicating with colleagues. From the outside it seems that we get along great, but even after six years it is very difficult for me to maintain a conversation with them.

The conversation with the Russians goes like clockwork. Norwegians are also comfortable with each other, of course. They raise topics during conversation that are difficult for a non-local to understand. For example, they can discuss some little thing for a long time. You sit and don’t understand what else you can add to this.

Locals try not to give visitors the impression that they are unfriendly to you, that you are a stranger to them. It's even prohibited by law. Despite this, they will talk to the newcomer less openly.

For example, if the conversation turns to travel, they are more likely to discuss the depth of the hotel pool rather than attractions; they are unlikely to exchange impressions. It is difficult for all foreigners to join the team. I am lucky that I have friends of my husband who have become my friends.

But, by the way, all my colleagues - great professionals. At a Russian university, students have a lot of subjects - about 60, but here there are about 15 of them in three years of classes. The advantage of this is that locals have deeper knowledge of specialized sciences. During classes, no one cheats or plagiarizes by downloading abstracts from the Internet.

You're getting expensive

Each small village here has its own dialect. The courses will teach you how they speak in Oslo, but in practice you will have difficulty understanding what they say to you - sometimes they themselves do not understand each other.

In their free time, Norwegians usually stay at home. The problem is high prices. If you go to a good restaurant a couple of times, you can lose a significant part of your salary. Even frequent trips to the cinema can result in big expenses.

Therefore, people play sports in the fresh air, cook their own food, walk in nature - they don’t have to pay for it. From the early age children are taught to go to the mountains and ski - a kind of national sport. Healthy organic food is very popular. The most popular meats are elk, venison, and lamb.

Most men are very tall and handsome. The eye rests on them. Women are also nice, but only when they are young. After 30 years, Norwegians for some reason stop taking care of themselves. They don’t put on makeup or dress up too much anyway, and then they start to fade early.

King of loans

Everyone lives on credit. We also first bought a house, and then an apartment in Oslo. The interest rate in banks is very low: for housing - 2.3 percent. Therefore, only students rent apartments; the rest buy real estate.

There is a concept called the “luxury trap” - when you buy everything you want on credit, but don’t pay the bills. A lot of people here are doing this. If you do this in Russia or the USA, your property will be taken away. Here you can live with debts of millions of crowns, and this is only fraught with problems with the purchase of real estate - you will no longer receive another loan for it.

Didn't come out due to depression

Norway is very high level life. There is no risk of losing your home or job. For quite a long time, you can live on benefits that are close in amount to your last salary. In this regard, the population is provided for. And if the family breadwinner is ill or has mental problems - for example, depression - the state will definitely help you.

True, many people abuse this and end up on sick leave for several years. Even problems caused by divorce or an unpleasant atmosphere at work can be a reason for the appointment of such benefits.

Mine is not yours

For many people, it doesn’t even get to the wedding. Civil cohabitation is very common here. In such a union, people have children, live for years, and then can easily separate, find another partner and start a family again.

For locals, a wedding ceremony is a simple holiday for which you just need to spend more money and fill out additional paperwork.

Most couples don't get married. Contracts are signed in advance on the division of all property into shares - in this case, upon separation, everything happens very quickly and there is no need to divide anything, argue or contact lawyers. If people get married, then everything is divided in half.

Blue-eyed cleaning lady

There are a lot of immigrants in Norway. The capital is divided into two parts: West and East Oslo. In the first, you can often meet Norwegians and wealthy visitors, in the second, mainly visitors from China, India, Pakistan, and so on. Housing and food prices there are lower, so locals who want to save money move to the eastern part of the city. But there are few of them.

In Norway, especially in small villages, any profession is valued. There are no stigmas about mopping floors or being a garbage man. And newcomers most often do not work at all, but live on benefits. They cannot withstand competition with local residents (you need to prove your knowledge of the language, experience, education, and so on). An employer would rather hire a Norwegian, but with a clear understanding of his qualifications.

True, there are many visitors from nearby states who are looking for work. Our salaries are higher due to the strong Norwegian krone. That's why there are a lot of blonde cleaners from Sweden, for example.

Back at the desk again

Next year I plan to enroll in a master's program at a private university in Oslo, if my employer agrees to pay for my studies. And so - all education in Norway is free if you score high in the entrance exams.

I miss Russian films, music, people, entertainment. I miss my family, but I would never go back. My family has a stable future here.