Battling Culture Shock and the Norwegian Language
Life in Venezuela is very different from life in Norway and Europe in general. The problems my home country faces do not even exist in the uber-developed Nordic nation I have had the fortune to live in. When I moved to Boston during freshman year, while already familiar with the American way of being, I did not experience any type of culture shock because at least I could speak and understand English.
Norway has been a whole unique experience on its own. My first day in Oslo was very frustrating, trying to find my apartment and university with no data on my phone to translate what I needed to communicate. Instead of going through the initial honeymoon stage, I went straight to the frustration stage of culture shock, as a result of having to settle in a new city as soon as I arrived. I did not understand the public transportation system, gestures people made at me, why everything was so expensive nor how I was supposed to live here for four months on my own. It took me a week to adjust. I learned key phrases in Norwegian, studied the map of the city, went to IKEA four times, and had my only local friend on speed dial in case I got lost.
In the acceptance stage, which arrived rather quickly, I realized how lucky I am to be living in Oslo. It is a culture very different to mine and to the one I am experiencing in Boston. Norwegian mentality is unique, as a result of Viking history and a love for nature. After realizing that almost everyone speaks fluent English, I haven’t had any real trouble communicating. I have learned new cultural traditions that I respect but do not necessarily partake in all of them. I still will not eat a shrimp/octopus cocktail for breakfast or swim in the freezing water canals for fun, but I will immerse myself in Oslo’s forests and learn how to ski (Norway’s national sport).
