Norway

 

It is true that in France/Europe we do not talk enough about India. And in India, we talk even less about France and other European countries. For the average Indians, somewhere, all the countries of Europe are a little alike. It is often by visiting, by staying in these countries, that we have a better understanding of cultures and citizens.

For my part, in recent years, I had the opportunity to get to know Norway better owing to my professional assignments. Through several trips to Oslo, and thanks to interactions with Norwegian colleagues, I was able to observe the many differences that exist between France and Norway.

Professional Culture

• The Greetings

In France, “Bonjour” (Hello) and “Au-revoir” (Bye) are the minimum requirements of politeness, prior to starting a conversation with someone and before leaving. Politeness also obliges us to greet the people who are around the person with whom we are having the conversation. In Norway, it does not happen exactly the same way. Here, you strictly greet the person you are dealing with. If because of your French background you greet other people, you risk surprising them or making them feel uncomfortable! According to the book “A social guidebook to Norway”, your unnecessary greetings can disturb the immediate and psychological space of a Norwegian [1]! So beware…😊

• Norvegian Offices

In general, employees start the day around 7 a.m. and the office is practically empty around 4 p.m. While the lunch is scheduled around 11 a.m. in the canteen to enjoy a convivial meal, consisting of a large selection of salads and fish. The fish soup is not to be missed…. 😊

Otherwise, I noticed a peculiarity in the offices of Norwegian companies: in the morning, a basket filled with fruits is kept in the open space for a free serving. What a great way to start the day…!

Desks are often equipped with a small motor so that you can change its height. This not only makes it easy to adjust the level of the desk according to your preferences but also to be able to work while standing. Something unheard of in France….  😊

Oslo

Compared to Paris, Oslo is a small city. Very pleasant to walk. In old Olso, there are very beautiful buildings.

The city is well equipped with a very good network of metro, tram, bus and even boat shuttles! All this with a unique "transport pass" valid throughout the suburbs. The boat takes you to the different districts crossing the fjord!

The Metro, the snow and the fjords!

One day in March, I decided to take a metro line "at random" and go to the last station. After a journey of about 45 minutes, I arrived at the last station of Frognerseteren which is a real ski resort, 469m above sea level! The difference between the altitude of this metro station and the Stortinget station in Oslo is 478m, being the greatest in the world between two metro stations of the same network [2]. Arriving in Frognerseteren, I saw snow everywhere when, at the same time, in Oslo, there was none! And the view of the Fjords from here was wonderful!

French public toilets, a tribute to France!

Since 2014, near the Norwegian parliament in Oslo, public toilets emblematic of the French Republic have been installed. Painted in blue, white and red (like the French flag and the Norwegian flag), and mounted on top are the French words “Liberté”, “Egalité” and “Fraternité”, these three toilettes imported from Paris make a work of art. This is an art creation by a Norwegian artist who wanted to symbolically bring the USA, France and Norway closer together: in the toilets are broadcast excerpts from speeches by Roosevelt, De Gaulle, and King Haakon VII of Norway - as well as the national anthem of these three countries [3]. The artwork caused controversy when it first appeared in 2005, shocking some that a toilet was associated with key moments in Norway's history and its flag.

Oslo’s Vigeland Park

Vigeland Park, which is free to enter, is the largest single-artist sculpture park in the world, with more than 200 bronze, granite and cast iron sculptures by renowned Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland (1869-1943), whose realistic work represents the cycle of human life and all its emotions. I have very fond memories of visiting this snow-covered park, one evening in March.

The Almost Nearly Perfect People

My contact with Norway led me to read a few books on the Scandinavian countries. Among these books, “The Almost Nearly Perfect People, behind the myth of the Scandinavian utopia”, appealed me a lot [4]. One of the interesting things I learned was how the discovery of oil changed the history of this country.

In 1965 Norway signed a treaty with Denmark to share seabed and fishing rights in the North Sea. The Norwegian government at the time obtained rights to a very large part of the seabed by ceding more fishing rights to Denmark. The first major oil deposit in these Norwegian waters was discovered in 1969, and there have been several since. Unlike Denmark, in Norway the oil industry is nationalized and managed by the state company, Statoil. In 2014, Norwegian oil wealth was $617 billion. To sustain this wealth, Norway has invested a large part of this sum in more than 8,000 companies around the world! Moreover, a law restricts the annual expenditure by the government of this wealth to 4%.

Somehow, the Norwegian welfare model is possible because of this oil wealth. Paradoxically, the country shows its desire to become more "green", while continuing to sell its oil and gas abroad.

Well, well, I recommend you a visit to the fascinating Norway!

 

[1] https://www.thesocialguidebook.no/products/the-social-guidebook-to-norway-1

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frognerseteren_station

[3] https://www.nouvelobs.com/l-histoire-du-soir/20140304.OBS8525/norvege-des-toilettes-de-la-republique-francaise-pour-feter-la-constitution.html

[4] https://www.amazon.fr/Almost-Nearly-Perfect-People-Scandinavian/dp/0099546078