I guess I'm asking two different questions.

One about the general vibe and differences between the people and societies. And how it is in both countries to find/make friends, dating, socializing, etc.

And the other is about the differences in living in both cities.

And yes, I know Oslo is more expensive and Helsinki has slightly worse/longer winters. I meant information other than stuff like that 😅.

Curious what the news and mindset is like in Denmark and Greenland about Trump's push to take Greenland? He's very serious about it this time.

I think he's lying about the overwhelming support there is from Greenland to become part of the U.S. But I know there's some conflict about independence and all the subsidiaries funded by Denmark.

Whatever happens, I hope Denmark refuses to give in to the economic and military threats Trump is spewing. Don't let him fuel American expansion.

Sincerely -A concerned American

I look at Nordic countries as a model for the world based on what I know about your social economic policies and the things that are prioritized there. Is there a prevailing opinion about Trump? Are people as divided about his character and potential there as they are here?

I won't go too much into my opinion about him now (I could say A LOT) but I'll tell you, I'm not a fan. I think he's dangerous. I never voted for him. Never supported him. I cannot believe that America let him back in control of our country.

I'm an American. I'm not brainwashed by my culture or my schooling or by any church. I'm grateful to not have been born in say, Afghanistan, but to believe America is perfection or the greatest is a bit narcissistic and sheepish. I don't buy it.

The Nordics do it better. They are consistently ranked happiest in the world. They have more trust in their government. Quality of life is prioritized. They teach their kids to think critically to prevent the ridiculously successful disinformation campaigns we have here. I'm stuck here but I'd rather be there. I don't worship a flag. I don't admire our cut-throat society where most are one medical issue away from poverty. I'm ashamed of our country, especially after November 5th, 2024.

Patriotic Americans: Don't bother telling me to leave. That's very unoriginal and very impractical.

I’m finnish but speak swedish as a third language, guessing whomstever wrote this does not. Figured ya’ll would enjoy this. Sorry if this isn’t allowed here i literally could not think of another sub and there was no rules in the description so.

I regard our Nordic relations far higher that the support of USA could ever be. Before the second world war both Nazi Germany and Soviet union threatened to burn the whole north if ever Finland and Sweden would ally again.

In hindsight that was out of fear and we should have united, the whole north.

United we could have stood bulwark against both. Separated without will we are easy to beat, but even if one of us has the thunder god withing as Finland did then, there is wrath of the gods to pay. 10 to 1, who cares, if honor is at stake and the crow calls we will fight.

Then think if all of us stand the same ground. They would not have dared then, they will not now.

I have no dreams to fight for you Danes in some fucking desolate island in the north, but I would rather do it than let someone walk over us again like they did in 1940s.

We have fought against each other for ever, but that was then. Now we either stand as one or die honorably alone again.

What I wanted to say is that, this situation of dividing lands between superpowers on our expense sounds far too familiar. If they say we should stand divided to survive, we need to close our ranks. And stand strong. They will not dare as long as we are united.

I am from Poland and will start university this year. Moving to the Nordics for money has become very popular amongst the Poles in recent years, as we don't make much money here. In university I will have the opportunity to learn any Nordic language, this includes Icelandic to an extent. For me this is a great opportunity and want to move north when I finish uni and seek post-gradute school there or start working immediately.

To the point, I'd want to know what is the best Nordic country in terms of making money and life. My field of study means I'll be able to work as a teacher or translator (Polish, English and German), but to be honest I'll work any job, as even the most basic ones earn you 3x more than in Poland.

I'd want to hear out from natives working in the Nordics, or immigrants who work there. How's the salary, work-life balance and life in general in the country you live in? Which country would you recommend the most for someone young looking to move to the north?

I hope I'm not too naive with this, but I believe that's what I want to do and need direction. A lot can change in a few years though, obviously.

Hello, I am an electrical engineering major and I plan to work towards moving to Sweden or Norway. I should also say I am from outside the EU (I am a U.S citizen), so I understand it is harder to accomplish this. My plan to accomplish this is to

1. Start studying the respective language as soon as possible

2. Do a Study Abroad Trip in the country I choose

3. Save up as much as I can and go to the country for graduate school

4. Graduate and work towards finding work

5. Work towards PR

My reasons for choosing between these countries is

1. I love nature a lot and I want to be able to hike easily

2. I don't drive, so I need to live where there is good public transit

3. I need to live where I know I can make a comfortable salary as an Electrical Engineer

4. I love the cold, but dislike the heat

5. I am introverted, so I would prefer to live where I know I can just be on my own and talk to others more once I get to know the as I am very shy and quiet for a period anytime I meet someone. However, I open up once I get comfortable with the person.

I hope my plan is good and I plan to stay consistent with my language learning. I am just stuck on which one to do given I have never been to either country, but from what I have read, both do everything I want well, which is why I am struggling to decide.

Any advice is appreciated,

Thanks!

Except for Iceland who has a somewhat documented clear number and a growing Norse Pagan community, how many Pagans (Norse/Finnic) are there in the other Nordic countries? I had a hard time finding a clear number on exactly this although statistics of other religions were readily available to find.

Greetings from Romania🇷🇴

I'm very passionate about Folklore/Fairy Tales and History and i want to know more about the Nordic culture and history. In the future i even want to learn at least two nordic languages because i want to visit, but first, i need to do more research.

Obviously i know about the mainstream like Norse Mythology, the Vikings and that they were mostly from Denmark, Norway and Sweeden. I also obviously know about Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales and Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe folktales. I didn't read all of these (yet) but i plan in the future.

However, i know that the Nordic Region's history is much more than Vikings! Can you all recommend me more accurate history books about Vikings and not just Vikings, but Nordic history in general, and more fairy tales and folklore? 🇩🇰🇳🇴🇸🇪🇫🇮🇮🇸🇫🇴🇬🇱🇦🇽

I wanted to apply for authorization but when i checked the form, i couldnt see the position in the occupation list

I was curious if there was a way to quickly and reliably distinguish between the Nordic languages in written form, so I did some searching online (and ChatGPT-consulting), and I was able to collect the below very simple points. I’m not sure if they’re totally accurate though, and would love if native Nordic-language speakers could confirm. What a cool language family!

Swedish: the only one to use ä

Norwegian: the only one — except Danish — to use ø and å; but also uses å as its own word

Danish: the only one — except Norwegian — to use ø and å; but does not use å as its own word

Icelandic: the only one to use þ

Faroese: the only one to use ð and not þ

What do you guys think? Thank you very much! (Or, if you want to pick your own combination: Tus(en|ind) ta(c|k)(k) ((kærlega fyrir) | (so nógv)) !!)

Edits to the above, as revealed by commenters:

• Icelandic: only language to use ð and ö

• Faroese: only language to use ð and ø

• Danish: does use å as its own word but it’s much less common than in Norwegian

How is this news received in your country?

A friend of mine is searching for this movie. “When I was a child I stayed a lot at my grandparents'. My grandma always to fall asleep in front of the TV at night and I would sneak into the living room and watch the movie that was running, while she was asleep. Very often it was just harmless comedies, but one really disturbed me. I only remember one scene: It's deep winter, snow everywhere and it's on a farm or a grange, probably early 20th century. A boy is caught stealing sth by a girl. The girl is the daughter of the owners. The boy is very small and thin and obviously poor. The girl is quite chubby. She blackmails him, saying that she won't tell anyone that she caught him, if he strips naked and runs around the well or sth like that. The boys does only keeping his boots. When he's done he wants his clothes back but the girl throws the clothes to her dog and the boy has to fight the dog for his clothes, while the girl laughs like mad. That's all I can remember. I saw this propably 22-23 years ago and was totally traumatized. But still I am curious what the movie was. I'm quite sure that it was neither a german, british or american movie. Because of the portrayal of the winter I always thought sth scandinavian or eastern european and I also am pretty sure that it was an adaptation of a book. If somebody has an idea I would be very grateful.”

The EU offers freedom of movement but it seems like the Nordic block has its own agreements and such. Are there some lesser known benefits for citizens who travel, study, or live within these countries?

It can be anything: Food, culture, places, people, history etc.

Hello everyone!

I’m a musician and visual artist who works 60+ hour weeks as a caregiver, hasn’t traveled since going to Korea and Japan in 2014, and I’m really looking for a change of scenery for a few weeks..

I’ll have some time in late April, and I’m wondering if there’s anything that might be happening in the Nordic countries around that time that I should know about?

I know it’ll still be a bit chilly (I’m from Washington, we’re used to it 😅) and I’ve heard that a lot doesn’t happen until summer, but are there many house-shows or smaller punk/goth clubs? It seems like there’s always at least some random house show happening here in the PNW but I’m not sure if that’s as true in the Nordic countries 🤔

I am interested in performing (I’m aiming to cover a song from each country on the trip) but I’m also totally open to just helping document some cool shows by filming and/or interviewing bands/artists, even if you just have a favorite local band you’d want to recommend?

I’m about to buy tickets with the idea of starting in Oslo, traveling east toward Stockholm, taking a ferry over to the Åland Islands for a day, before going to Helsinki may 1st, and then doing a stopover flight in Iceland for a few days, and then heading back to Seattle.. But besides wanting to see Vappu, the trip could happen in reverse order if there’s some sort of event that might not be as widely known about?

I think it’s possible in a 3 week window but I also want to make this trip potent and avoid being a “tourist”; instead looking to participate in the cultures and places themselves : )

Any recommendations are much appreciated!

Thanks! : ))

Considering Nordic countries if not all have such good social support systems and among the highest standards of living (feel free to tell me if there are more things to what is presented) then why is it the fertility rate has fallen below the replacement level that is 2.1

Finland 1.32 Norway 1.41 Åland 1.45 Sweden 1.52 Denmark 1.55 Iceland 1.59 Faroe Island 2.05

In the Nordics, the path to becoming a psychologist is much more streamlined compared to the rest of the world, including other EU countries. Here, we typically study a 5-year psychology program (integrated bachelor's and master's) followed by a 1-year paid internship, after which we are licensed as psychologists.

In contrast, the process in other countries is often more complicated and time-consuming. Which often forces students to wait several years before securing a spot. For example, in Germany, students must complete a 3-year bachelor’s degree, a 2-year master’s degree, and an additional 3–5 years of clinical training, totaling around 10 years of education and training. (Not including the years students wait to get into a masters)

In the USA, the process is even longer: students first complete a 4-year bachelor’s degree, followed by a 2-year master’s degree, and a 4–7-year PhD, amounting to 12 or more years of training.

My point is that the psychology program in the Nordics is relatively unified compared to other parts of the world. However, one downside is that psychology students in the Nordics, atleast in Sweden, face limitations when it comes to studying abroad during exchange semesters. This is because our program structure is quite different from that of other countries.

Source: Psychology student in Sweden.