I came to Norway in March 2022. For me, it was a completely new and unfamiliar country with unknown rules, behavioral norms, laws, and social morals. I encountered many things that were entirely new to me. Nevertheless, the local population's outlook on life, relationships between people, and within families strongly resonated with me. Norwegian society feels close to my inner experiences, and I decided to rebuild my life here.
Integration
Over time, I began to better understand how life is organized here, and I realized the main problem for many foreigners. It is the local diaspora environment. Yes, it provides support and assistance from 'your own people,' an opportunity to speak your native language, share experiences, and find answers to your questions. But it also has a significant disadvantage. The human brain tends to seek easy paths and those who are also struggling, uncomfortable, and uninterested, to feel less unhappy. This is an opportunity to stagnate. But it's important to overcome this obstacle to move forward.
For me, learning about Norway means showing respect for the people, society, and values of Norwegian society. Only in this way can one successfully integrate.
Projects
That's why all the projects of the "Living in Norway" team are aimed at adaptation in a new country. Adaptation is the process of accepting a new social environment, culture, lifestyle, and ways of thinking. Therefore, our projects help foreigners understand and accept Norway while maintaining connections with their cultural roots.
folk.iryna.projects-invitation-to-see
Nettverk
The "Nettverk" project is linked to the "Ukrainian Newspaper" project, where we, as foreigners, learn about the latest news in Norway in our own language. This way, we get information about the society we live in.
Samfunnskunnskap
In March 2025 we launched the Samfunnskunnskap marathon. It is a unique opportunity to learn about Norwegian society, the country's history, culture, traditions, local rules and laws in an easy and engaging way. Each day of the marathon covers a separate topic that brings new knowledge about Norway and brings foreigners closer to integration. We covered the following sections: Norway in the past and present (23 lessons), Family, health and everyday life (30 lessons), Education, qualifications and working life in Norway (19 lessons). The marathon brought together 736 foreigners from across Norway, 336 of whom were active participants. In June 2025, 318 people passed the Samfunnskunnskap exam required for a residence permit and later Norwegian citizenship. We are proud of this result!
