Here I've got some hilarious facts about Norway and Norwegian. Many of the facts are a bit stereotypical, but that's a part of my sense of humor. I'm Norwegian myself.
1. Odd names
How good you are in speaking a language is maybe a classical challenge that many can relate to. But if you do have a name that's inappropriate international in addition, things gets even more difficult.
Norway has many odd names and they are especially weird for English speaking people. There are actually people in Norway who are called Odd, Simen, Gunn, Randi and Roar. In the 20th century these names were especially quite popular and common. Today these names aren't so popular because many Norwegians are more aware of which names fit internationally.
But there are still people with these names in 2016. "Odd" means "weird" in English, but "roar" is what many wild animals do from a English speaker's perspective. "Gunn" gets easily misheard as "Gun" and "Randy" gets easily misheard as "Randy," which has a inappropriate meaning. And it isn't any funnier to have "Simen" as your name since it gets easily associated with a male thing.
2. Norwegian's personal space
The Canadian author Julien Bourrelle's illustration as to how you should behave on public transportation in Norway.
Norwegians tends to be very shy in public places. Especially in places where people are very dense like elevators and other public transportation. If there's a free seat on the bus, you'd rather pick that one than sit beside another person. Norwegian people prefer personal space and you should never sit next to a stranger as long there are free seats available.
You should avoid staring and making eye contact with strangers as well in order to avoid awkward moments. Eye contact is impolite. People in Norway don't greet each other in the grocery store or the shopping mall either, except if they know each other. If you're walking around the mountains, greetings are more accepted.
3. Talks with an in-breath
In the Norwegian language you can talk with an inhalation. Words like "Ja" which means "Yes", it's very common with an in-breath.
4. Short sentences
Many Norwegian people often use slang and do express themselves with only a few words. If a Norwegian doesn't understand what you say and wants you to repeat it, they usually say "Hæ?". Some foreigners mistake Norwegians as impolite.
5. Midnight sun
Midnight Sun at North Cape Norway.
In the Northern part of Norway the population experiences the midnight sun when it's spring and summer. Even though it's nighttime, it's still sunny.
6. Lunch
Bread with "Brunost", translated to English "brown cheese".
It's very common in Norway to bring along your own lunch to school and work. Most schools and workplaces in Norway don't serve warm lunch. The most traditional one is a packed lunch and it usually contains bread with cheese and an apple. It's very rare for Norwegians to bring along a hot lunch.
Bread with "Fårepølse" and cucumber.
7. Take off their shoes inside
When Norwegians enter their houses, they always take off their shoes. They aren't like many Americans who walk inside their houses with shoes on. But in public places like shopping malls, workplaces, schools etc. they do wear shoes. If you're a foreigner who visits Norway, never enter a person's home without taking off your shoes. Norwegian do have corridors where you can put them.
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