Living in Europe

[Cheesedemon88]

Well yes, it's like the Swiss person said, the high wages makes up expensive stuff, people tend to live comfortably enough and have some cash to use on frivolities. Anyway, when I say that martial arts training and going to the theatre is expensive I mean that it is expensive for someone living and working in Norway.

[Navarre]

I guess that was my question: If I lived in Norway could I afford a decent lifestyle?

But clearly people get by okay and "decent" is a subjective term.

So Norway sounds like a good place to live, overall.

[Cheesedemon88]

Yeah, the average life style in Norway is pretty high, and what is cool is if you work and live in Norway, if you're going on vacations to pretty much any other country (so far Switzerland and Japan has been exceptions) everything will seem really cheap

[Navarre]

Do Norwegians like Americans? Even if I moved there I would stand out as an American who speaks no language but English and has all of my "American ways".   

[Navarre]

France seems to be pulling ahead on my list of choices. The scenery and weather is pleasant and, overall, the cost of living seems reasonable. The south of France seems best although the cost of real estate seems high.

It is in a time zone 5 hours ahead of me. So I'd be working 4 am to noon, France time, if I kept my U.S. business. That's kind of harsh, considering I'd then need to go to sleep at 7 pm to get 8 hours of sleep.

But it's still better than one of my other top choices: New Zealand. They are 17 hours in the future.

[Andreas]

Im moving to Norway in 9 days!

It's easy to make a decent living there. Yes things cost about 20-40% more than the rest of EU.
But the salaries are also much better.
As a doctor I can make 300% compared to Denmark where I live now.
Let me say that again 300(f'ing)% and Im not even exaggarating...

[Navarre]

I will be interested to hear how you compare Denmark and Norway after you have had a chance to live in both. Having a 300% increase in your income may be all that it takes to prefer Norway. Still, I'd like to hear how you feel about day-to-living, the culture, and so on.

Keep us updated, please.   

[Andreas]

Im danish, and have lived here the most of my life.
Last spring my family (3 kids and a wife) and I lived and worked in Norway, and really there's no major difference in kulture. Denmark, Norway and Sweden are so alike that we even understand each other's languages. The borders between the 3 contries have been shifting back and forth throu history until WW1.

The nature however is very different. Denmark is flat, flat, flat and Norway is mountain, mountain and fjords.
Remember Slartybartfast won a prize for the fjords of Norway 

[Navarre]

I have heard the language is notoriously difficult for English-speakers to learn. If I moved there would I spend all my time trying to point and mime?

[Andreas]

My british friend learned the language fluiently in one year. 'Sides everybody younger than 75 speak english in Norway, Sweden and Denmark.

[Navarre]

How are people from the States thought of in Denmark and Norway? I know our reputation isn't the best in some places.

[Andreas]

If you think about "the war on terror" both Norway and Denmark have been in "the coalission of the willing" all the way.
There are Danish fighterjets fighting in Libya as we speak.

 

[Navarre]

I'm not pro-war anyway. But our reputation in some places is that of being some combination of warmongering, avaricious, arrogant, ignorant people.

I neither confirm nor deny for our culture. For myself, I am ignorant of a lot but willing to learn. Otherwise, I think I'm a good sort.

[Andreas]

The general public in Skandinavia is OK with all cultures and nations 

What do you work with? Your profile doesn't say much.

[Navarre]

I provide phone-based technical support to physician offices for the medical billing and record-charting software I also sell. Given a phone, a computer, and a high-speed internet connection I can do my job from anywhere.

But the time difference is what is throwing me. I normally work 8 am to maybe 5 pm. That's, what, 3 am to noon there??