An Expat Talks about Living in Trondheim, Norway

What is the name of the city or town that you are reporting on?

Trondheim

How long have you lived there?

5 months

What activities, clubs and organizations would you recommend to newcomers to help them meet others?

Orienteering is big here and I had never heard of it before. There are groups that go out twice a week. There are many, many sports clubs you can join to meet people. I met many people through an adult education course on the Norwegian language which also helped assimilate me into the culture. Swimming at the pool Pirbadet is popular for families and those in the 20-30's at the last hour it is open when the rates drop. Hiking in the mountains and skiing (both alpine and cross country) of course are also popular.

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In terms of religious, racial, economic and cultural diversity, are the people of this city or town diverse? Are they accepting of differences? Describe.

In general, central and northern norway are not as religious as southern norway. The town is fairly diverse culturally. The Norwegians learn English in school and are really great speakers so even if you try to speak Norwegian to them and they know you speak English, they will talk to you in English so they can practice! The town is not really economically diverse-from what I can tell, most people seem to make around the same amount of money. With health care free here, it makes a big difference. The town is fairly diverse-there are a lot of foreigners at the university here and working in the technology trades.

What are the main industries in this city? What types of career opportunities commonly exist? How do most people find new jobs?

Technology is the main focus of Trondheim. You can find jobs at www.nav.no and apartments, cars or houses at www.finn.no. Find a good Norwegian dictonary first! Some work places are great about speaking English while others require you to work part time until you have completed a year of intensive Norwegian lessons.

In general, what are peoples' priorities in this city? For example, do lives revolve around work, family, socializing, sports, etc.?

Lives revolve around the outdoors and family. People work from 8-4 and after 4pm, the office is cleared out. There is a great emphasis to do something fun every day and it seems like they spend most of their time outdoors, at least in the spring, summer and fall. They hang out by the fjord and bbq and play volleyball and sun tan on the weekends. There is a saying here that there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing, which seems to sum up their attitude towards the outdoors! Family is definitely a priority with the one year maternity leave and love of children here.

If a friend of yours was thinking of moving to this city or town from far away, what other advice would you give them.

Norway is really an expensive country overall, but at the same time, all of the beauty is outdoors which is free to enjoy! If you enjoy hiking, skiing, fishing, biking, etc. then you will really like Trondheim.