It has been a while since I have had an interview with an expat to share with you! I am excited today because I have here an interview with a fellow American living in Norway :) His name is Chris, and has some great thoughts on living life in a foreign country as an expat. Enjoy!

1.Where are you from originally, where are you now and what brought you there?

The US. I live in Bergen, Norway. My wife, whom is Norwegian, and I had always wanted to move here. We like the social and cultural “climate” here and thought it would be a great place to raise our son (..it is). Also, I got a really good job offer about a year ago which was the main reason for us moving here much sooner than we expected..

2.What do you like/dislike about your new home overseas?

Likes: climate (believe it or not), natural beauty of this country is a huge plus, government (social democracy), more egalitarian than my country of origin, environmental awareness, reliance on public transportation, slower pace, less materialistic culture, not a lot of disparity between the wealthy and poor, public health care, strong cultural belief in taking care of others, …I could go on and on.

Dislikes: Not too many, actually. If you need a big house (2 or more big houses is a bonus), big car, need to drive everywhere (including down the block to the convenience store), cheap gas, big freeways everywhere, trash on the streets, ghettos in one neighborhood and “palaces” in the next, Wal-Mart and McDonalds, then you won’t like it here. Ok, really, the biggest dislike is the cost of living. This place is VERY expensive. You MUST live on less. There is certainly not the cultural diversity to be had in my country of origin. Things can be pretty plain and homogeneous here. Also, people are not as open and friendly in public (can be downright rude) although they are when you get to know them.

3.Do you have any advice for Americans who want to get a job or visa in Europe? What was your experience with getting a visa/job? Was it difficult?

Don’t have much advice regarding the first question because my situation was probably quite different than average. The job was advertised although it required someone with a special skill in my field (which I have). Because of my job, getting the visa went very smoothly. I had an employment contract 3 months before my family moved here. I submitted the contract to the authorities (the police, I believe) and had a work visa within a few weeks.

4.What was the most challenging part of being an American living in a foreign country whey you first started out as an expat? Do you have any advice for those facing similar challenges?

By far, the most challenging part is not knowing the language. Even though English is the 2nd language in Norway – Norwegians speak their own language at home and most everywhere else. You can easily get by on English here but you will also feel isolated after a certain period of time. My advice, learn the language if you are going to be in a country for several years or more.

5.If you were to do it all again (moving to and living in another country), what would you do different?

It is very stressful to make an international move. I would have taken more time. We moved within 2 months after accepting the job offer. Also, our son was an infant at that time – very stressful period. Had we taken 6 to 9 months to make the move then it would have been better.

6.Do you want to move back to the states? If not, what is it about the expat life that makes it all worth it to you?

Sometimes I want to go back to the states but when I really think long and hard about it – I don’t. Yes, I get homesick for all of the things “American”. I guess it is especially family and friends that I miss most. Although, it is probably better for my mental and physical health here (see question 2 above).

7.What are some of the good, the bad, the ugly…and the funny things you have experienced as an American living overseas?

Ahh, for the good, see the second question. Again, I can’t tell you how beautiful it is here. Honestly, I have never been to a more beautiful place although note that I haven’t been to a zillion countries in this world (traveled a good bit around the US, very little in Canada, Bahamas, Greece, England, Scotland, Wales, Israel). Norwegians are VERY proud of the natural beauty here and they do a great job of keeping it that way. The public would never accept, for example, a strip mining operation as you see in the Appalachians and several western states in the US.

The bad and ugly – again, hard pressed on this but, again, I come back to the cost of living – knowing that public services/goods would greatly decline due to reduced taxation of goods/services. So, I can live with the cost of living.

Funny things – a number of “gaffes” because I don’t know the language and culture and most of my email messages don’t get read because they are in Norwegian. Also, there are cultural differences, especially in academia, that I am totally unaware of. I recently showed up to a student’s dissertation defense 45 minutes late because of the language problem. I was unaware that I was late, though, because I mis-read the announcement (it was in Norwegian). The door to the auditorium (where it was being held) was locked. I found this quite odd. I gently knocked 3 times. Finally, the door opened by, none other than, the student who was right in the middle of the defense. I came in the room and my colleagues, all sitting there dressed up (I also did not know that you were supposed to get so “dressed up”) “glared” at me. Actually, they were probably surprised (…”that American idiot” – ok, I’m just kidding) but I felt about 1 centimeter (oops, half an inch) high. At the end of the defense we all qeued up to shake the student’s hand, much like you would at a wedding reception – congratulating the bride and groom. When it was my turn to shake hands, I sincerely apologized and the student told me that “rock stars are always late”. Actually, it was a friendly reply as we have a good working relationship and a similar interest in music. I just felt way too embarrassed because I am unfamiliar with some of the customs here.

8.Any practical tips for the new expats out there (like me)?

If you are an American, make sure you respect the values, culture, etc., of the country you are visiting/living in. Even if you believe America is the greatest country in the world (something I’ve been told since the beginning – I don’t believe it), don’t give anyone a reason to believe you think this way. America does not look so good abroad right now. Don’t add fuel to that flame. I don’t have a problem here although I could easily pass for a Norwegian on the streets unless I am required to speak. When I do speak (e.g., if in a grocery store) I can easily get by on what little Norwegian I know. Norwegians really respect you if you try (again, they won’t see you as arrogant). Also, it helps to be just a little demure and shy in public. You will get “tagged” real quick if you are boisterous and gregarious (Americans are not so bad at that).

9.Where do you think you’ll go next?

Honestly, I may very well be here for the rest of my life but, who knows…

Featured Interviews With Expats Around The World:

• An Interview With Ms Adventures In Italy’s Sara Rosso
• An Interview With My Own Moon’s Star Child (Sweden)
• An Interview With La delirante’s Wendy (Malta)
• An Interview With Eurotrippen’s B. (Germany)
• An Interview With Migration Diary’s Caroline (UK)