" Hello, My name is Joan and I moved to Gjøvik, Norway in January. My husband is a norwegian born and raised here. All this is new to me but familiar to him. Anyone got any advise on coping with the changes, the inability to find work and the difficulty making friends that will speak english for more than 5 minutes with you? Also if you speak english and live in the area let me know. I haven''t found a single American in my area yet but am still looking!! Have a great day! Joan "

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" Hi Joan; Don''t despair! I''ve lived here 23 yrs and experienced all that you mentioned. Gjøvik is a difficult area to find Americans. Most of us are in the Oslo area. I''m a Retired Navy Chief also married to a Norwegian and.....life can be difficult! The inability to find work is directly related to the negative atitude toward all foreigners on the part of Norwegians. Their general idea is that if all the foreigners left every problem would be solved! Rather simplistic! We live in a small town called Sundvollen, close to Hønefoss and my wife works in Sandvika. Being retired Navy I can use the military Exchange in Stavanger and that helps with the American grocery products here that are non existent. We have friends in Gjøvik and it''s really a bit ouside the normal American Community here. There are quite a few Americans living in the Oslo area however. My Email address is rmcsssnewkirk@hotmail.com, phone 3215 9226 if you have any questions that we might be able to help you with. If you and your husband are in the area perhaps you''d like to drop by for a chat. Don''t despair!! As time goes on it will get better! Best regards Spence Newkirk "

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" Spence, Thanks for your words of encouragement. It helps. I do miss alot of American food. Norsk food is different but not bad but it just doesn''t compare to the excellent selection that America has. I gotta get for now but I saved your email address and I will be in touch. Thanks again, Joan "

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" moving to a new country. nothing is more depressing! i found myself here couple months ago, and i still don''t have any friends and i haven''t started to study norsk yet. i find it rather difficult to communicate with norwegians because they are so much different. and, of course, language problems.. :((( btw, i live in oslo, haugenstua "

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" What can I say but that I agree - its tough. I am an Australian married to a Norwegian and living in the Stavanger area. Feel free to email me if you want to have a chat about things, it helps when other people are in the same boat! I am not sure how far Gjøvik is from Stavanger - can you let me know? I have a website for expats - http://www.geocities.com/aussieinstavanger. Its mainly directed at Australians but has useful links for all english speakers - lots of my non australian friends here use it too! Hope things are getting better for you, Kat. "

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" Hi Alya, Please see my reply to Joan - the same goes for you if you would like to have a chat. Perhaps there are more expat groups in Oslo who could help you out with things? Kat. "

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" Kat, Sorry I haven''t replied to you. I haven''t checked this sight for awhile. Seemed a little quiet. Thought I would check on here to see if there was any imput on what''s going on in Afganistan. It is hard here but it''s getting better. I FINALLY found a job cleaning PT. Don''t love it but it''s nice to be making some money. I am in school now learning Norsk and that helps. The others in class are from just about every corner of the world. That makes it nice. It does get overwhelming and discouraging at times. It''s a whole different life to get used to and there seem to be so many limitations I have never experienced before. I am hoping things will continue improving, I know they will. We all just have to hang in there, do what we can and try not to get to discouraged. It does help to keep in contact with people. I think that''s the hardest part. Going from having family and friends and co-workers around to nothing and the inability to actually communicate easily with everyday people you meet. It is rare that I have a conversation beyond the weather and what''s for dinner with norwegians. Occasionally I am lucky enough, (and grateful) to have a real conversation about something of real meaning. I think going to Norsk class is the best thing you can do. You meet others who are basically in the same boat even though reasons for being here may be different. I am lucky to have alot of people in class who speak english at some level. Just to be able to talk about the little things and whine and moan about the challenges make a difference. I recommnend to anyone going thru this to get into a language class. It gives you something to do and you use your brain a little. You also get the opportunity to meet some new friends. Hope everyone has a good day and stays safe!! Joan "

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" Hi Joan, I am so happy to hear that things are looking up for you. I also attended Norwegian language school for a year and it was a wonderful place to meet new friends. I have finished now but still have plenty of contact with the friends I made. You might be interested to check out the website of www.spin.no. It is a volunteer organisation aimed at helping expats in the Stavanger area, but they also produce a comprehensive guide, in English, to life in Norway. It explains everything from driving rules and regulations to where to find an English speaking pscyhologist. Might be something worth having - I still refer to it from time to time. Don''t hesitate to contact me if you need to have a chat about things. There were so many things in your email that I identified with! Bye for now, Kat. "

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" Hey Kat, Do you have any websites for the Oslo area?? I lived in Norway 5-6 years ago for a couple of years... I am in the states now but looks like we will be moving back very soon. I have promised myself that I will be prepared. I will be moving to the Fredrikstad area. I do have some friends there and I do speak Norwegian, I guess it is the fear of not being able to get a job that I dread. Feel free to write anyone!! Trying to build my contacts back up!! Lots of luck to all! Tressa "

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Hi! Some sites that may interest you are: http://www.awcoslo.org/ - American Wives Club Oslo http://inworldnewstoday.com/Oslo.html http://www.norwaves.com/norwaves/english.htm Hope this helps! Kat

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