A survival guide to Trondheim

First of all, welcome to Trondheim and Norway! I don’t know what you’ve heard about Norwegian culture, but in order to make the cultural transition from your home country to this one easier, we’ve constructed a survival guide for you.

Learn some Norwegian

Like many others, we love to talk about ourselves, our culture, and of course, our language. Even though Norwegian is supposedly one of the easiest languages to learn for English-speaking people, we prefer to think it’s super special and exotic to others. We love to hear Norwegian with a foreign accent. Words such as «dumskalle» and «pussig» are always fun to hear someone drop in a conversation.

Inuits have over a hundred words for snow; Norwegians have over a hundred words for having a good time. The most important ones are «kos» and «hygge». The language offers in addition a variety of intellectual phrases about the subject.

We recommend these:

«Vin og øl blir krøll, Øl og vin blir fin.»
- Wine and beer will be curly. Beer and wine is fine.

«Det e turan som tælle.»
- It’s the trips that count.

«Nå koser vi oss»
- Now we are cuddling ourselves.

How to address people

It’s considered polite to shake hands and introduce yourself the very first time you meet someone. However, if you choose to refrain, you may be considered rude, which is a terrible first impression in Norwegian culture as in any other countries. There is no more formality expected after the first handshake. We have a tendency to become «klein» if it’s too «stivt».

First names are normally used when addressing others, and it’s quite rare to use titles such as Mrs. and Mr. Even university professor will find this to be too formal, just use their first name.

How to make friends

Norwegians are generally pleasant, but many will find us to be quite reserved at first, and we don’t particularly like to display feelings through facial expressions. Further on, Norwegian students often sit in groups, eat dinner together and arrange pregame at home. However, a common custom is to reach out when we are drunk. At this point we tend to love everyone. Even though Norwegians have been taught English since the age of five, we can be quite shy at first. Give us some time and alcohol and you’ll have a few friends in no time. The best tip, however, is to join a community, where you´ll definitely meet other students. This way your social network will immediately expand.

For the athlete: NTNUI offers a great deal of different sports and an inclusive environment. This is a place where you can play both semi-professional and just for fun. Rumor has it NTNUI host some mean parties. For everybody else: If you’re looking for somewhere to meet friendly Norwegians and other exchange students, you can either visit or volunteer at Studentersamfundet. This is a place where you can join different groups, catering to your interests. If you’d like to work with music, theatre, IT, choir, and of course, the student newspaper Under Dusken, you’ve come to the right place. Deadline for applying is 21th of January 23.59.

Do not, under any circumstances, cut in line. This is the worst experience you can possibly put a Norwegian through. However, you can rest assured, a Norwegian will never confront you. We prefer to suffer in silence for hours.

Thrift shopping

As you might have noticed Norway is quite expensive, therefore an alternative way of shopping might be helpful as a student. Trondheim offers a great deal of vintage shops, where you can find everything from furniture to bridal dresses. Here are a few:

Sara Panter: Turn in your clothes and you will receive 25 per cent of the estimated value. You can find them at the Merkur shopping centre in Midtbyen, the city center.

Fretex: This is a traditional thrift shop where you quench your thrift shop needs. There are four around the city. Just google it to find the one near you.

Prisløs: A second hand shop where the staff collect clothes from all over the world to sell in their shop right here in Trondheim. The clothes represent a broad spectrum of time periods, and fit all genders.

Places to eat

Trondheim has a strong tradition with locally produced food. You can find local establishments, including pubs, cafés, and restaurant, serving excellent local dining.

Lyche: A bar and restaurant at Studenter-samfundet, serving exquisite food such as damped mussels and burgers. The whole restaurant is run by student volunteers.

Mormors/«Grandma’s»: A café and bar your grandmother would vouch for. They’re famous for their sweet rolls.

Sabrura: A series of sushi restaurants offering a great buffet.

Hagen: A vegan and ecological restaurant at Bakklandet.

Solsiden: Area near the Trondheim pier which offers a whole range of different restaurants, and a beautiful scenery.

Places to go

Cinemateket: A cinema showing many old, classic, and alternative movies. Unfortunately their website is not translated in English, but follow them on Facebook and you can keep track of future film screenings.

Bymarka: The ride to Bymarka from the city centre is short. The highly popular track is a place where you can explore the norwegian nature in an area ideal for walking, jogging, skiing, and dating. If you’re single and ready to mingle, we recommend you wear a green hat signalling that you’re up for grabs. Bymarka contains a great network of marked trails criss-crossing the reserve, leading to lookouts, and cabins selling traditional norwegian food and refreshments, such as graut and vafler.

Knaus 23.59 at Studentersamfundet: Studentersamfundet offers a broad range of cultural events, amongst them are the weekly Knaus-concerts. Knaus is Studentersamfundet’s smallest concert venue, where you can discover up and coming bands and artists. The concerts are included in the entrance ticket and starts 23.59 on Fridays and Saturdays.