I arrived here in December of 2009. My new life has been a series of ups and downs. This is where I write all the things that amaze me in living a new life here in Norge. Some are rants, some are funny experiences, some are questions and some are just random thoughts. I like sharing my experiences to fellow immigrants.
All photos are taken by me (unless otherwise stated).
Join me as I discover the costly, serene, sometimes crazy but definitely beautiful Kingdom of Norway.
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My New Life in Norway
Philippines and Norway : Top 2 in Global Business English Skills
Ten Best Countries for English Proficiency (Non-Native Speakers)
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http://finance.yahoo.com/news/globalenglish-business-english-index-reveals-120300513.html
http://news.idg.no/cw/art.cfm?id=4F806A4A-E603-1DA1-557B7DCC91F2817F
Anonymous
Q: Hi Miss Susan, just wanted to ask if doing a master's course in a Norwegian university entitles one to apply for permanent residency after graduation? Or is the approval of permanent residency conditional on getting a job in the country? Thanks so much for your reply!
A:
Hi Anon. Thanks for dropping by. If you are going to take up a master’s course here (once approved by the Uni), you will be under student’s visa. Having this will allow you to study and work at the same time (with a limited number of working hours). Your studies should be the priority and not your job. The student visa will expire and you cannot use it after graduation.
Permanent residency is conditional on the job that you will find. If you get a good employment contract after your studies, you can change your visa. Ha en god dag!
Work,work,work
It has been a long time since I last posted an “article” on what I have been doing in Norway. Winter time froze me and I got so busy going here and there, juggling family and work. Many things happened. Some decisions were made in a snap, winter holiday passed so fast that I cannot understand how and why. Maybe because I enjoyed the holiday a lot :-).I quit my job in the city. Yes, I did. It happened unintentionally and I just found myself being on 3 different interviews in 2 days right after I decided to quit. I found a new one (new oneS actually). I still do not have a permanent job but I have been working a lot that I am so thankful that everything is going so smoothly.
Laziness never strikes me but getting tired from work is a different story. So basically I don’t feel lazy to go to work. I always have the gusto to be at work but I certainly feel tired at the end of the day. But I am not complaining. I am very thankful of being employed.
2012 welcomed me with 3 different jobs. All part-time. I work as an assistant caregiver in an elderly center, receptionist/cleaner in a shipping company and a waitress in one fine hotel. All of these are giving me so many learning opportunities. From January to date, I am employed by three different employers. In Norway, employers can hire people with “ringevikar” or “extrahelp” contract. It means that you are not working for them permanently and you have this “I-will-call-you-when-I-need-you” relationship with them. If you have this, you are allowed to easily say “no” if you can’t work on the days you don’t want or cannot work. It’s quite advantageous to people who have a demanding family life especially to some who have 3 or more children. On the other hand, it is not so good for people who need a fixed monthly income. Since you are dependent on the employer’s “call”, you don’t know if you’re going to earn the same amount of money for the next month.
To find a permanent job in Norway is difficult especially for immigrants who are struggling with the language. The market has gotten more demanding when it comes to communication skills. But if you are not choosy when it comes to earning money, it is actually easy to find a job. As for me…I still wish to get a permanent job. I hope to get it soon.
Cursing in Norway
I found this video on youtube. To those who are curious about the word FAEN in Norway. For Your Information. This is just for FAEN…i mean FUN :)))
Anonymous
Q: Hi Susan. My name is Dina. I am from Kazakhstan and we consider Norway as the next home for us :) Being a mother of 2 kids (son and daughter) who have speech delay I am very concerned on how they will adopt in a different language surrounding. I read your post about your daughter's experience whis is in fact what I am worried about. I hope you got over that. I would be grateful to get some information if Norwegian system supports such kids. Thanks in advance. Best regards, Dina R.
A:
Hi Dina. Thanks for dropping by. With regards to your concern, I definitely understand your worries. Moving to a new country is a big challenge for the whole family. The norwegian government supports children with language/speech delay but it takes a long time for the specialists to take action (diagnosis/treatment) because there are so many kids who have this kind of challenge (both norwegian and non-norwegian kids) but the community has limited people/staff to address the problems.
Children with formal diagnosis on speech delay/language disability get free assistance on language/speech development. They get “assistants” in the classroom or they can attend norwegian “special classes” provided by the community (kommune). The language support in Norway is considered to be very important so I guess you don’t have to really worry about it. The only challenge is the timing. It takes a long time before you get it. Your child should be on the list/queue first. All the best to you and to your family :)
It’s a good attitude to push yourself forward and do everything just to reach your goal. But what about those times when it might be something that is not moving you toward what you really want, and is wasting your valuable time that could be spent on something that will move you forward? How do you know when it’s okay to quit and give up? How do you know when something you’re doing is no longer serving you and moving you toward where you want to be?
My Birthday Note to my husband. It’s his birthday today!
Til mannen min.
Det er tider at alt ser så grov.
Men jeg håper at kjærligheten er nok,
Å bære deg gjennom vanskelige tider foran oss,
Og for å hjelpe deg å sove fredelig. (men vent…. kanskje jeg må ikke ønske at det skal skje fordi du skal snorke enda høyere :-))
Jeg er alltid her for å hjelpe med alle deler av livet ditt.
Tross alt..det er det jeg registrerte meg for da jeg ble din kone :-)
Jeg elsker livet som vi deler.
Selv om noen ganger virker det som om jeg bryr meg ikke.
Jeg beklager hvis jeg blir lei noen ganger
Husk at du er ikke gift med en superkvinne.
Det er en siste ting jeg vil gjerne si:
Takk for at du er deg (men du alltid huske å ta søppel boksen til “pick-up” stedet hver mandag kveld).
Gratulerer med dagen, gammel man!
Elsker deg.
Anonymous
Q: hei po, saan po kayo sa norway, and do you have a facebook account so we can communicate? galing din po ako philippines. 2months palang ako dito sa norway and pareho din po ang nararamdaman ko, dati ako ang amo, ngaun ako ang nangangamuhan.. ok lng naman basta may sweldo, pero as of now wala pa ko trabaho, i have autorisasjon som helsefagarbeider, nurse ako sa bansa natin.. nice to meet you.. paano ko po malalaman facebook mo?
A:
Please send me your email address through: newinorge@yahoo.com Thank you!
