RussD
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Those Crazy Norwegian Kids!
- Thread starter RussD
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Graham
Venerated Member
:lol: :lol:
Good stuff.
Good stuff.
john_kidder
Senior Member
It's an ad for Norsk Hydro, one of the world's great electricity companies. The text at the end says something like ""There are many young engineers. We look forward to them growing up". Can you imagine such an ad in Canada or the US? It would be pulled off the air for inciting vandalism or just for encouraging creativity.
Both my younger kids (Kendall, 25, Julia, 22) are now at school in Bergen, Norway, and the ad is just a little to close to home for comfort. Remember "It's 10 o'clock - do you know where your children are?" Maybe they're out there re-engineering the Norwegian fast trains.
Both my younger kids (Kendall, 25, Julia, 22) are now at school in Bergen, Norway, and the ad is just a little to close to home for comfort. Remember "It's 10 o'clock - do you know where your children are?" Maybe they're out there re-engineering the Norwegian fast trains.
RussD
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Both kids in Norway? Man, my son is only in school 3 hours away and that seems far sometimes... I hope yours have the future of the little engineers in the ad!
jp
Senior Member
My kids were born in Sweden when we lived there for about five years, so they have dual citizenship. I'm seriously thinking of sending them there for college, if they become interested in a technical education. Swedes and Norwegians have a really good base education for sciences.
One of the things I really liked about living there was that, due to the more subdued marketing machines, one really learns more about the way the world works because products are called what they really are. For example, instead of "Super Glue" or "Krazy Glue", one buys cyanoacrylate glue. It forces one to learn about the different properties of stuff, what they do, and how they work. Very refreshing.
One of the things I really liked about living there was that, due to the more subdued marketing machines, one really learns more about the way the world works because products are called what they really are. For example, instead of "Super Glue" or "Krazy Glue", one buys cyanoacrylate glue. It forces one to learn about the different properties of stuff, what they do, and how they work. Very refreshing.
john_kidder
Senior Member
My wife is Norwegian, hence both our kids have Norwegian (and Canadian) citizenship.
It mitigates university fees dramatically - now they've both passed the (gruelling) Norwegian language proficiency tests so they get almost all university fees granted, plus a small "stipend" for living expenses. Student loans make up the rest, which are largely forgiven on successful graduation.
Add to that that minimum wage in Norway is around $20/hour - my son has spent most of the last year working in a daycare, my daughter part-time in retail - and a student can actually have a life and learn at the same time.
Plus, of course, they're in Europe. Ryan Air means that they can go to London or Dublin or Copenhagen for about $50 return. The political atmosphere all over Europe is actually pretty exciting - Norway is the only country in old Europe that's not part of the European Union, but other than that it's still part of that great experiment in bringing together the largest group of nations in the world under a common government, while maintaining independence in most local and all cultural affairs. And the feeling all over is that Europe is on the way up, as the Euro rises continuously against the dollar, and as more and more large organizations choose to operate out of Europe (in the year 2000, 80% of public company finance was raised in the US, and 20% in the rest of the world - in 2005, that was exactly reversed, with almost all the US losses being taken up by the London markets). That feeling, that sense of being part of exciting cultural breakouts and new social, business and political arrangements, is part of what makes it a great place for young people.
I miss my kids enormously, but at the same time I'm delighted that they have the good fortune to be part of Europe at such a fortuitous time. If I were 25, I'd be there too.
It mitigates university fees dramatically - now they've both passed the (gruelling) Norwegian language proficiency tests so they get almost all university fees granted, plus a small "stipend" for living expenses. Student loans make up the rest, which are largely forgiven on successful graduation.
Add to that that minimum wage in Norway is around $20/hour - my son has spent most of the last year working in a daycare, my daughter part-time in retail - and a student can actually have a life and learn at the same time.
Plus, of course, they're in Europe. Ryan Air means that they can go to London or Dublin or Copenhagen for about $50 return. The political atmosphere all over Europe is actually pretty exciting - Norway is the only country in old Europe that's not part of the European Union, but other than that it's still part of that great experiment in bringing together the largest group of nations in the world under a common government, while maintaining independence in most local and all cultural affairs. And the feeling all over is that Europe is on the way up, as the Euro rises continuously against the dollar, and as more and more large organizations choose to operate out of Europe (in the year 2000, 80% of public company finance was raised in the US, and 20% in the rest of the world - in 2005, that was exactly reversed, with almost all the US losses being taken up by the London markets). That feeling, that sense of being part of exciting cultural breakouts and new social, business and political arrangements, is part of what makes it a great place for young people.
I miss my kids enormously, but at the same time I'm delighted that they have the good fortune to be part of Europe at such a fortuitous time. If I were 25, I'd be there too.
Geez, I just can't understand why you'd let them miss fart-'n-barf parties and the fun of posting pics of their dirty socks on MySpace between classes ...john_kidder said:
It sounds like a great opportunity, a financial blessing, and a chance to be in an environment where there are more choices than just opting in or opting out.
capnSven
JerryR
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Gee
Almost makes me proud to belong to the great United States of Europe :roll:
Almost makes me proud to belong to the great United States of Europe :roll:
jp
Senior Member
capnjuan said:
Pretty much the same system as Norway.
My wife is Swedish, as well as the kids. . .well, they have dual citizenship. We've been back about three years after a five-year stint, and I understand what you mean about Europe as a whole. It really was exciting, and I was fortunate to work on quite an international level. We lived on the west coast of Sweden about 60 km north of Göteborg, in the heart of an area with an eight-century-old boatbuilding tradition. I biked every day to work along the North Sea. I miss it terribly. We almost moved to Copenhagen. I regret that we didn't, but I love the Pacific NW more every day.
I've entertained thoughts of retiring there some day and building archtops in my own little shop near the old growth trees up North.
jp
Senior Member
Copenhagen is one of my all-time favorite cities in Scandinavia and Europe. It doesn't have the stunning beauty of Stockholm, but it has an amazing relaxed but upbeat vibe 24-7.
The problem is, despite my very functional Swedish, I just can't seem to understand the Danes!
The problem is, despite my very functional Swedish, I just can't seem to understand the Danes!
West R Lee
Venerated Member
:lol: They have one of those right next to the Arlington Guitar Show. No kidding! Train isn't quite as large though.
West
West
JerryR
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jp said:Copenhagen is one of my all-time favorite cities in Scandinavia and Europe. It doesn't have the stunning beauty of Stockholm, but it has an amazing relaxed but upbeat vibe 24-7.
The problem is, despite my very functional Swedish, I just can't seem to understand the Danes!
They usually all speak very good English :!: Just bask in the joys of speaking a worl language :lol: