Just 10 minutes to walk - The Norwegian need to suffer before enjoying
If you are attending a conference in Norway, and the dinner takes place away from the conference hotel you are located at, you may naturally be asked to walk for 10-20minutes from the hotel to the restaurant.
Norwegians will present this lightly, as it is something that they do every day. Walking for going from point A to B in a city or in the countryside is the norm. Any distance that is less than about 15 minutes walk will usually by done on foot.
The Norwegian organizer may mention that “if it is raining, windy or snowing, we will …”
Then you may think he will finish the sentence with “… organise buss transfer.”
This will not be the case.
Chances are that the sentence will be something like:
“If it is raining, we will provide umbrella to everyone!”
And this will be said in a laid back natural way, as if it was totally normal for people to walk under the cold rain at night before a nice corporate dinner.
The thing is, Norwegians love to suffer before they allow themselves to enjoy something.
Having a walk under the rain, snow, or both is a fantastic way to “get some fresh air”
It also makes communication easier with people they do not know. As we discussed before, doing an activity, and especially a physical activity, is a prime way to bound with others in Norway. Doing a physical activity which involves a little bit of discomfort or pain is even better
This also explains why women may not wear high heels. That men and women will wear waterproofed, dune-isolated jacket in what would otherwise be a formal setting.
This is one of many examples involving discomfort and sufferance in the daily activities of Norwegians.
