American Woman Who Moved To Norway Shares 25 Things That Culturally Shocked Her
Same, but different, which could be said about many cultural differences between the US and other countries in the world.
Traveling and getting to know other cultures is very important because, no matter what happens, no one can take what you've seen and learned away from you. The joy and excitement of discovering how people live in different countries is a part of traveling and exploring new areas.
And the greater the cultural differences are, the more thrilling it is. Meet Jorie, a Chicago creative who has relocated to Norway with her husband, family, and dogs.
She has also used her TikTok channel to share all of the wonderful things she has discovered as an American in Norway. She points out items like bread-cutting machines in grocery stores, leaving baby carriages with babies outside, packing your own groceries, and more in her ongoing series of videos, fittingly titled "Things In Norway That Are Foreign To Me."
This video, along with others on her channel, has drawn approximately 24,000 subscribers and nearly 800,000 likes. It is always interesting to see a distant country through the eyes of a regular person, rather than a posh world traveler who focuses on high-end hotels with infinity pools and such.
This video will give you better insight into life in Norway. Be careful—it might make you want to travel!
1. "Dogs Are Allowed On Public Transport"
@just.jorie2. "Stop Light Buttons That Actually Make Drivers Stop"
@just.jorie3. "Grass On Roofs"
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4. "Double Beds With Single Duvets"
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5. "Leaving Babies In Strollers Outside"
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6. "Bread Slicers In Grocery Stores"
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7. "Everything Is Closed On Sundays"
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8. "Recycling Bottles And Cans"
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9. "Colorful Houses"
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Jorie originally intended to make these videos for an American-only audience to educate people about Norwegian culture. However, she quickly realized that Norwegians enjoy having their culture reflected back at them, and the audience swiftly grew.
"Of course, it’s a small country in population, and representation is exciting. I also think they enjoy explaining (as much as I enjoy reading it) why these differences are the way they are," she explained."So as my audience grew, I now try to point out things to Norwegian viewers here in Norway that are not common in other countries, especially in the Americas, that they might not realize (like how much they add canned corn to pizza; it's not something they notice until they realize many other places don't have it as a common topping!)."10. "Packing Your Own Groceries At Checkout"
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11. Clean Tap Drinking Water
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12. Date Format
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13. Newborns Get Gender-Specific Names
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14. Milk Is Not Sold By The Gallon.
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15. Smaller Refrigerators
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16. "People Would Rather Stand Than Sit Next To A Stranger On Public Transit"
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17. "Paprika Flavored Snacks"
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18. Folding Shower Doors
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19. "Roundabouts!"
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20. Blinds On The Wrong Side Of The Windows
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21. Windows Can Open In Several Directions
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22. Airport Security Is Not So Tight
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23. Norwegians Do Love Their Canned Corn
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24. "Different Outlets"
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25. You Don't Have To Buy A Whole Pack Of Beers And Sodas
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Jorie loves living in Norway and making these videos, but she points out that the subjects for them are slowly running out. Even though there are many differences, they are so small that they don’t deserve to be featured in videos, and she doesn’t want to sound like a “stupid American.”
