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59: Moving to Norway as a Child

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Life in Norway Show Episode 59: In the latest podcast episode, I chat with a Latvian who moved to Norway as a child and then decided to stay as a teenager, without his parents.

Many guests on the Life in Norway Show have a relatively similar story. Someone who chose to move to Norway in their 20s or 30s because of a job or for love.

A young family at a viewpoint in Norway.

So when a story comes on my radar that's a little bit different, I have to learn more! On a recent trip to Oslo I read about Ernests' story on the journey down, and I'm grateful he agreed to meet for an interview just a couple of days later.

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Wherever you listen, don't forget to hit ‘subscribe' so you don't miss a future episode!

Introducing Ernests

Ernests Barons moved from Latvia to Norway with his parents at the age of nine. Several years later, his parents decided to return to Latvia. He chose to stay in Norway with his sister.

Ernests Barons. Photo: The Human Aspect.
Ernests Barons. Photo: The Human Aspect.

We talk about how it was adapting to Norwegian lifestyle, school and learning the language as a 9-year-old. We also talk about his decision to stay in Norway, which he describes as an “interesting time”.

“I saw it coming so I had thought about it already. For me it was a quick decision because my (older) sister wanted to stay here and study architecture. I've always been old for my age so I think my parents trusted me to be self-sufficient.”

The Human Aspect

Ernests works for Oslo-based The Human Aspect, which combines the power of filmatic storytelling with the vulnerability of the human experience. They have a library of more than 600 video interviews about an individual's biggest challenge.

“The interesting thing is that our challenges define us in such a big way. If we look back and see what we actually learned from the challenge, not only can it help us it can help others.”

Links from the show

About David Nikel

Originally from the UK, David now lives in Trondheim and was the original founder of Life in Norway back in 2011. He now works as a professional writer on all things Scandinavia.

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1 thought on “59: Moving to Norway as a Child”

  1. I just stumbled on your website today while looking for a decent pepperkake recipe. My family moved to Norway when I was a preteen in the 80’s because my dad worked for Norske Shell. We’re Taiwanese-American and boy was it a ride! My parents have permanent residency in Norway because we were there for sooo long. I love your website and it’s giving me a lot of flashbacks and memories! Thank you!

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