Useful Websites - Online Toolkit

Here’s a compilation of most useful websites that could be of immense help while here at Norway:

1. www.norway.no  – One stop Government portal for everything that you would like to know about Norway
2. http://ruter.no/en/ - Public transport Planner. Lets you plan your travel from any place in Norway to any other place in Norway, using public transport. It also contains real time transport information.
3. www.finn.no - (Norwegian only) From Jobs to Housing, this is the single largest website for posting classifieds in Norway
4. http://www.skatteetaten.no/en/International-pages/ - Tax Information
5. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/translate-this/ A Firefox addon that will make your life much easier by auto translation of website. Almost, all of the websites, with a very few exceptions, will be in Norwegian
6. http://www.yr.no/place/Norway/Oslo/Oslo/Oslo_S/ - Weather forecast website
7. http://www.udi.no/Norwegian-Directorate-of-Immigration/ - Norwegian Directorate of Immigration
8. www.Frukt.no (Norwegian only)  – Government  website to promote Fruits and Vegetables in Norway. You can use this website to identify the Norwegian names of most vegetables and fruits
9. http://use-it.no/ - Loads of information about everything for budget travellers in Oslo
10. http://www.visitnorway.com/en/What-to-do/  Norway Tourist Information 
11. http://www.visitoslo.com/en/activities-and-attractions/ Norway Tourist Information.
12. http://norwayguide.blogspot.com – Last but not the least, your first hand practical information about Norway 
    

Other most important information/ Personal Tips

Here’s some miscellaneous but very nice to know information, which you normally won’t find elsewhere:

• Public Toilets: Remember to relieve yourself while leaving home. One thing that is particularly hard to find, and is expensive, is public toilets. I don’t know why, but there aren’t many of them in Oslo. Only public toilets, which I have been able to find in the downtown is at Oslo Central station (10NOK/usage) and at Grønland T-Bane station (10NOK/usage and closes at 7pm). If you really have the urge, your best bet would be head for nearest bar and request the bartender to allow you to use the facilities!!

• There is no ticket checking, either at entry or exit, for any of the public transport means within inner Zone, including all Metros, Trams, Boats and buses (Red city bus). However, do not be tempted to travel without ticket, assuming that there is no check. I have seen surprise checks called as “Ticket Control” at most unsuspecting places and most unsuspecting times, including late midnight. If caught without proper ticket, in addition to humiliation, the penalty is 750 NOK on spot and 900 NOK, if paid later.

• Office Timings: Most of the Government offices are open from 09:00-03:30 pm and the Private ones from 08:00-4:00 pm, Monday to Fridays. Banks have different working hours for Mon-Wed, Thursday, Friday and Saturday!!  Almost everything is closed on Sundays. 

• Tap water is very safe and can be drunk, without any additional treatment. However, remember to take your water bottle with you, whenever you are out of home because generally, there no public taps or water sources. You may have to buy a bottle from nearest kiosk in the market and it is about 25 NOK for half liter bottle!!

• During the winters, Sun rises at around 9 am and sets around 3 pm, so it becomes dark pretty early. Be prepared for very less daylight during winters, which can be very depressing for some people and lead them into SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder).

• Also, based on my limited exposure, unless it is important and you know the other person very well, it may not be considered polite to call anybody after business hours or during weekends.

• When you buy most plastic/tin/glass bottles, you pay a surcharge (called Pant) ranging from NOK 1 to 2.5. This surcharge can be recovered by returning the bottle back to designated machines in any of the supermarket/kiosks. You can return the bottle to any machine that you wish to and not necessarily, from where you purchased.

Mobile Services and Internet

A prepaid mobile SIM can be purchased at most kiosks such as 7-Eleven, Narvesan, Deli De Luca, Mix and even at Gardermoen airport for ~ 50 NOK (including ~ 25 NOK as talktime). You will require an identity card such as Passport to activate the card. There are quite some mobile operators, however Lebara turns out to be cheaper than the other ones.

Mobile Phones can be purchased either with subscription or in unlocked stage. In general phones (except iPhone) are expensive and should be brought from India.

Call tariffs could be pretty high (~ 10x) at Norway, as compared to India. Furthermore, for each call, you need to pay an initial connection charge of ~ 1NOK. It is therefore advisable to either buy a calling card or use a VOIP (soft phone) from PC. Calling Cards can be obtained from Pakistani/Turkish stores, in addition to small mobile shops and internet cafes and sometimes from Supermarkets. Most of these shops are located around Brugata and Grønland area.

Internet is generally provided free of cost in your Hotel or your apartment, and at some restaurants. If you need to take an internet connection on your own, expect around 300 NOK/month for 2Mbps unlimited plan.

Can I find Indian/Asian food items?

In general, you can find almost all Indian/Asian food items, Masalas, Spices and Packed food items in Grønland (an area in Oslo) Turkish and Pakistani shops.  So Namkeen, Khakraaa, Gulab Jamoon, Dosa Mix, Garam Masala, Chole Masala, Rooh Afza, etc. are easily available.

The biggest and perhaps one of the most diverse shop (owned by Turkish) is located just outside Grønland T-Bane stop (take exit saying Busterimanlen Grønland) and ask anyone for vegetable shop. You will usually find the freshest and cheapest vegetables and exotic fruits, which are not generally available elsewhere. Interestingly this shop opens almost 365 days a year, and usually doesn't close until 9pm :)

Another interesting and year long open shop (also by Turkish) is located at Brugata bus stop, next to Mycall (formerly Lebara) showroom. This shop also has a large assortment of Indian, Turskish, Japensese, Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese and other groccery products in addition to household (daily needs) items.

If you are looking for some special Asian ingredients, your best would be to visit one of the many Asian shops in and around Brugata. Your best bet to buy an Indian item would be to visit Siddique (take bus 60 and get down Norbbygata) or Sunny Mart (between Grønland T-bane and Service Centre for foregin worker's office. Beware of Sunny Mart though, apart from rude owners, quite a few times, they sell expired goods, even few months after expiry. I once found a Maggi packet that expired over 9months ago and yet on sale. Personally, I would recommend Siddique, with its courteous & helpful staff and reasonable prices. Tip: You ask in Hindi, for exact name of the product ;)

If you want to eat out, there a few inexpensive (Read one meal below 150 NOK) Pakistani restaurants that serves mainly Punjabi food. Exclusive fine dining Indian restaurants will set you off by at lease 500 NOK/per person for a three course meal. In case, you are a fan than here are numerous Sushi joint in every nook and corner of Oslo.

P.S. If you have any specific query, please post in the comments section and I will be happy to answer :)

What about the health care?

If you have a Norwegian Social Security Number and are entitled to stay in Norway, you are covered by subsidized Government Health service.  Most of the EU/EEA nationals and members of other countries (check with your own country's health system) are covered under reciprocal health agreements. A good summary can be found here.

Once assigned a social security number, the resident is entitled to select a FastLege (Your First doctor or GP). For any non-emergency health issues, you must seek an appointment from your GP, who if necessary will refer you to an specialist.

Note: The health system in Norway could be painstakingly slow and it usually takes 1-2 weeks before you can seek your first appointment with your GP, who might advise some laboratory examinations and then it could be another couple of weeks before the results arrive and so..on. For acute problems, visit 24 hours x 365 days open Legevakten (Government hospital) at Storgata 40, Oslo. No prior appointment is needed and expect a minimum waiting time of few hours.

A summary pdf file listing how health services work in Norway and who are entitled for free treatment, etc. could be found in English, Norsk, Urdu and Sami language here (Click Andre Språk, next to the pdf file and choose your desired language). For more detailed information, contact Norwegian Health administration or HELFO. 

Fee:
If you visit your fastlege (GP)/Legevakten, you must pay the minimum contribution of 136NOK  or 180 NOK, if your GP has specialist degree. The fee of evening visits higher. All the pricecs are correct as on 1 May 2013. For more details, see here (in Norwegian).

Each year (from Jan-Dec), if your the contributions (Doctor visits + prescribed tests + medicines) exceed a certain amount (2040 NOK for year 2013), then you are entitled for Frikort. All of subsequent medical expenses will be paid for by the government for the rest of the year, i.e., you are entitled to 100% free treatment. For more details on Frikort, see here (in Norwegian).

Tip: You can select your GP by calling HELFO @ +47 81059500. Not all fastlege are equally good, I recommend reading some reviews here, before selecting your lege.



God Bedering.

How’s the public transport?

Norway has a very efficient public transport system consisting of Bus, Tram, Trains, Ferry and Metro. You can take pets, cycle and baby stroller, inside all public transport vehicles. For elderly people, small kids and pregnant women, the bus, tram or Metro driver will take extra care to ensure that they have on-boarded or de-boarded safely, before moving ahead.

As on Feb 2013, a single prepaid ticket cost 30 NOK (50 NOK if purchased on onboard), valid for 1 hour across all means of transport, within Zone 1 - Oslo. An unlimited zone-1 travel, monthly pass costs 630 NOK. 

Note that the rates for monthly pass varies, based on zones. However, kids less than 4 years of age can travel free & 50% discount is available to senior citizens and students (with Norwegian Student ID). On weekends, upto 4 children or dog, can travel free with a full fare paying adult.

All the public transport is managed by a single private company called Ruter. You can visit the following Transport websites to figure out public transport to reach to any source to destination in Norway: Ruter

Can I manage with English? Is it necessary to learn Norwegian??

If you are coming here as tourist, then the quick answer is No problem, English is perfectly fine. If you are coming here to work or live for a long term, then:
1. Learn Norwegian
2. Read my article on finding jobs here. 

Scandinavians perhaps speak the best English of all non-English speaking countries. English is taught in school from early childhood and most Norwegian can understand & converse very well in English, if not fluently.

However, it is important to note that English is not the first language and almost all the written communications or street signs, etc. are in Norwegian. Hence a quick knowledge of common Norwegian words would be helpful.

This site may provide some basic working language:

http://radiolingua.com/shows/other-languages/one-minute-norwegian/

What are the legal formalities for immigrants

1. It is mandatory to apply for a Residence Permit, within 7 days of arrival in Norway. If you are in Oslo, the office, where you will apply for one is:

Skatt øst
Schweigaards gate 17, 0191 Oslo, Norway
+47 - 22 66 19 15 ‎

Landmark: Get down at Tram/Bus Stop: Bussterminalen Grønland and it’s about 100 meters walking distance from there. Ask anyone for Green Building named Skattøst (Tax Office). You can also visit the following Transport websites to figure out public transport to reach the above location from anywhere in Norway:
http://trafikanten.no/en/

2. If you are staying at Norway for over 3 months, you must get a free Tuberculosis check done at one of the approved hospitals, in Norway. The place, where you will apply for Residence Permit will provide more information on the subject.

Tourist places

Norway is one of the most beautiful countries to see, especially in Summer. Here are some of the comprehensive sites that you can refer to:

http://www.visitnorway.com/en/What-to-do/

http://www.visitoslo.com/en/activities-and-attractions/

 

There a lot of other activities that you can do and visit, free of cost, in Oslo, provided you have a transport pass and time to see and explore new places. I will update this article, when I have more leisure time ;)

Norwegian culture and people

I have met a lot of people here, who are very nice and people who are very rude, so it is hard to make any kind of blanket statement. However, personally speaking, I have found people here to be more pleasant, welcoming and helping than people back at India.

I have also found a 3.5 minute video on youtube, which highlights Norway. Though some readers may find it offensive; if not all, some parts of the video are definitely true in my opinion. Which ones are true and which ones are not, I shall leave it for the imagination of the reader.

However, you may want to read some authoritative thoughts on the topic, by the native Norwegians @ http://use-it.unginfo.oslo.no/WP/introduction/know-the-people/. I have copied some of the text, verbatim from the above very useful website:

The stereotype may be familiar to you – the Scandinavian Viking, freezing and shaking, squeezed in the middle of giant mountains. As a result of harsh climate – the stereotype claims – Norwegians are direct, rude, often shy and sometimes unfriendly.

This is not true. Yes, we define our personal space as more “sacred” than say the Italians, and we will not strike a conversation with you just to kill time on the bus. But we are opening up as a people. Smile, be friendly and seem interested, and you will be surprised by the warmth and generosity you will receive in return.

Be sure that the timid Norwegians turn around during party hours though. We are known to be “uptight” when sober and “go wild” when drunk. Slightly exaggerated, though you will find 40 year old accountants with their tie wrapped around their forehead to fight their surpressed creativity.

When bumping into a Norwegian, have this quick check-list in mind, and know that he or she has at least one of the following characteristics, probably several:

• We are cross-country skiers in the winter, and park-animals in the summer.

• Norwegians are mostly rich (due to the oil industry), and you’ll see iPhones on every corner.

• There is nothing your average Norwegian cares more about than beating the Swedes in whatever sport or event. The mentality is mutual.

• We love the outdoors and spend our holidays in the mountain, the weekend in the forest and everyday dreaming of the sea.

• One of our favorite past-times is a stroll – you can see Norwegians wandering around, sometimes for hours, with no other purpose than being out and about.

• 7 out of 10 Norwegians work out at least once a week (young people in Oslo even more), and there are over a 100 crowded gyms in the city.

• As a people we are fashion-oriented, technologically equipped, and with plenty of time to indulge in cultural activities.