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Today I want to share with you one of the most wonderful and beautiful stories I have had in my life.

You should know that I always wanted to visit Norway, and luckily, I come from a family of European immigrants. The fact of having the European nationality facilitated me, and opened, many doors. So I went to the embassy, and there they told me that Norway was not officially integrated into the EU but that this country had great study and work programs. So, then, I contacted the embassy and so I began to process everything necessary to be able to live and work in Norway for 6 months.

My intention was the following: as I said before, I always wanted to visit Norway, and I knew that the best time was that, so I wanted to go before entering the University. I wanted to have the experience of living abroad.

Among the options to go live I could choose between the most populated cities - such as Oslo or Bergen - but I was just told that in Stavanger the rents, the food and the cost of living in general were more accessible.

Finally the day arrived. It was February 20, and then I went on a flight to Spain. Once at the Barajas Airport - this is the name of the airport where I got off at Madrid - I took a taxi to the hotel. It turns out that I had to stay in a hotel near the airport because the next day, I had to be at the airport to take my flight, this time from the German company Lufthansa, to Stavanger. The flight from Spain to Norway cost me more than 280 euros.

When I got to the Stavanger airport, I lost the bus that was going to take me from the airport to "Eiganes", which was where the apartment was located. Luckily, I got a bus to take me later.

When I arrived in the city, I could not believe it. You can not imagine what that was, it was social perfection in its purest form. I felt a clean air that hugged me, the asphalt of the streets shone, it was something really impressive. When I arrived for the first time at what would be my future home for six months, I was really shocked.

I could not believe how beautiful that house was, considering, in addition, that each one paid only 50 dollars per night. Here I leave some photos of the place where I stayed. The location of the house was unbeatable, it was almost in the center and in one of the most active districts of the city. The streets were always full of people, and always, as was the custom, everyone had a smile on their faces.

I had everything, there was even a dog, who was very loved in the neighborhood, and who accompanied me during almost every day of my trip.

How did the Work go?

Well, first of all, I understand that many of you may wish to go to this beautiful country - like me - and I highly recommend them. It turns out that I do not know in the big cities, but in Stavanger to any place I went - and I do not exaggerate - there were posters in Norwegian and English informing that they were looking for employees.

I got to work in a small cafe that was close to my house. How did I get a job? Well, the truth is that before traveling to Stavanger I had not investigated anything about the work, since I had been told that there was always work for young foreigners who are doing internships. And, as I said before, it is not a joke, everywhere there were posters informing that they were looking for employees, yes, they all asked for knowledge of English. I was very lucky.

This is very important, if you do not handle English or Norwegian, I recommend not traveling because I did not see anyone who will speak another language.

The pay is very good, I charged more than 2000 euros per month, but you have to keep in mind that the food and everything there is much more expensive than in other European countries. To give more information, Stavanger can find very good jobs with salaries of more than 4000 euros per month, these are in the oil companies.

Keep in mind that in Norway there is no legal minimum wage, however, the average salary is higher than the rest of the countries in Europe.

How did people treat me in Norway?

Well, I do not know if they've seen the Vikings series, but in a way, I felt like Athelstan.

I was almost all the time in Stavanger, except for the last weeks that I went to the most important cities, and I can assure you that you will not find people more respectful, friendly and supportive anywhere else in the world, and if so, I would be surprised a lot. It is evident, without a doubt, that the Norwegians have another head, another education and way of acting in community.

They are completely supportive of each other, in fact, an Italian friend who has lived there for more than 15 years, told me that when he came to Norway, he first started working in the office of a very famous oil company, and that the first ones in Arriving at work left cars far from the entrance to the office so that those who arrived late could park their vehicle next to the office and enter without being deducted more salary. Where I come from is not common, but quite the opposite! Who would leave the car away from the office, to walk dying of cold towards the entrance, by another person?

Afterwards, whenever I had any doubts, the Norwegians would answer everything without problem, and they would end up inviting me to their houses for dinner. I thought that they were going to be very closed, I do not know why, and they are the opposite.

As for communication, you will not have problems if you speak English. The Norwegians do not speak a very perfect English, but they make themselves understood without major inconveniences, and if you do not understand them, they have no problem repeating what they said.

Landscapes

I do not lie to you when I tell you that Norway has everything. The people are sensational, the prices are extremely good, the payments are very good, the air that is breathed is even different. I do not know how to explain it, it's one of those places that you can not tell, you have to live it.

The stories that this country hides are wonderful, think that hundreds of thousands of years ago there were the famous "Vikings".

I recommend doing many tours around different parts of the city. Near the house I had several art museums, for example, where I just found an exhibition of "Viking culture".

I remember going to an incredible place, I did not remember the name, but you could take the water from there, and sometimes did fishing tournaments in that area.

Pulpit Rock, is one of the most beautiful in Norway, and I was lucky that it was in Stavanger. You can not imagine the feeling I had when I was there. On the tour they first left me down there and then they let me go up, once I got up I would stand on that rock -which was perfectly square and natural- and look down the whole lake, with rocks below, a precipice.

In Lysefjord, a place that was down or very close to Pulpit rock. I can not tell you how beautiful it was. The peace and tranquility that is felt there is immense. When I went, in addition, the weather was nice and the sky had almost no clouds.

Parties

You can not imagine how beautiful the girls are. They were all beautiful, when I say all, I do not exaggerate. Their genetics is impressive. All were about 2 meters tall, were blondes with blue eyes and were, also, almost all uninhibited stockings. They are not like the typical girl we know in Western countries in general, who do not like to get their hands dirty and always wear make-up. Almost none wore makeup, they did not need it either, they were dressed very simple, I never saw one with heels, and they all did sports and had attitudes that you would normally think are of man. I fell in love with every girl I saw, it's not a lie, not only for the physical but also for the personality.

Later, in the night, I was thinking that it would be like in other countries of Europe, that the night would last me only until two in the morning, and still more in Stavanger, but no. I went to several nightclubs, but there was one that was impressive - they called it the Ibiza of Norway - and it was called Taket Nightclub. It was awesome. They put awesome music, the people who went was from all countries.

Everyone, when I say everyone, is everyone, in the nightclub drank to the limit, you can not imagine how much the Norwegians drink (it will be to kill the cold, which is impressive). The alcohol there was very costly, they had packages that I bought with the entrance ticket but they still seemed very expensive, they stole all my Norwegian crowns.

Then they told me that in Norway the fun was not in the dances, it was in the bars. They told me that the Norwegians are crazy and that at least once a month they listen to a bar where they fight, they break everything, and the next day when they are sober, those who fought - each on their own - talk to the owner to cover the expenses.

It was so I started going to the bars, where the alcohol was a bit expensive too-at night the prices of alcoholic drinks go up-but you did not have to pay entrance. Unfortunately (?), in the time I was there I never witnessed a fight in a bar ... I would have liked to see that, hahaha.

Transport

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The subject of transport is sensational, the Norwegians have everything in mind. When I arrived I bought a bike to go around, but sometimes I used public transport. The buses inside the city were called "Kolumbus" - I think it was because the company that operated them was called that - and they were green buses, very modern, some were electric.

Also, if you want to go from Stavanger to the big cities of Norway, there are monorails - very modern and cheap - that take you very fast, without stopping, to all the cities.

I do not remember how much the bus ticket cost, but I think it was about 15 or 20 Norwegian crowns, depending on the route. The traffic was almost scarce, but really, if you go to Norway I recommend buying a bike - if they go for a long time buy one, do not rent because it is cheaper to buy one, so you will enjoy more of the air, of the landscapes and from the city. In addition, it is almost never necessary to make long journeys. Afterwards, on weekends it was also very common for many people to take ferries to different points and parks in the region.

It is easy to get oriented and located, the city is not so big and the districts are very well differentiated. If you get lost, do not hesitate to ask anyone you see on the street, they will tell you where you are in a second and they are very good people.

Saving

Saving in Norway is very easy. The prices are high compared to the rest of the places I have visited, but the difference is 20% more expensive nothing more. Obviously, it's really much cheaper because the salaries are very good.

Saving 500 euros per month is easy there, and you have to keep in mind that I worked in a shitty cafe. Also, if you have children the government assures you certain expenses, water and gas are almost free, so living there is a dream. The salary that I was paid was enough to pay for the apartment, feed me and buy all the necessary things, and I still managed to give myself certain luxuries like going out at night quite often and paying for tickets in different tours and museums.

With all that I saved, it reached me to go later to other countries in Europe. The beauty of that trip was that, I enjoyed it immensely, it was a beautifl experience to live in the country with the best HDI in the world, to feel that pure air with those beautiful landscapes, besides having gotten work easily, in good conditions, and with a salary so good that it allowed me to save and then visit other countries.

It was an invaluable experience, one of those that have to be repeated.

Conclusion

I think that throughout the post it was evident that I loved Norway. Their mind is completely incredible, they have a very good notion and feeling of the human being. So many anecdotes I have to tell about the hospitality of the Norwegians, that I would have to do twenty thousand post to count them all.

They have a State that assures them everything, everyone has access to education, and first level, regardless of whether they are the son of a millionaire or a fisherman in the area, everyone will have opportunities to improve themselves. There are many opportunities to work, the salaries are very high and the prices are completely affordable. The weather is very cold, but you get used to it right away, it's a matter of keeping warm.

I really tell you, visit Norway, it's a paradise.

Well, friends, that was all for this occasion, I hope you enjoyed my experience.