A Mexican family opened their doors so that she could experience the Norwegian Julaften for the first time!
Every society has its own traditions, rituals and unwritten social codes
We foreigners benefit from understanding better and learning the social codes of our host society
How to greet, the distance you should keep during social interactions, the meaning of hand gestures, eye contact, the different signs of politeness, etc.
Understanding the local social codes is a first step towards making local people feel comfortable around you and wanting to create ties with you
You also need to understand the local traditions and rituals
This is truly challenging
Especially when these rituals and traditions take place in closed groups which are difficult to access for newcomers
Something that I call Social Bubbles in my books
A helping hand from a local is a great Christmas gift
I was lucky enough to be invited to the families of good Norwegian friends for Christmas from the very beginning
I learnt many traditions and rituals
I was then able to understand Norwegians and their behaviours better
One of our translator, Maria Amelie, wrote about her experience meeting the local Norwegian Christmas traditions
It was different to mine
It took ten years for her to experience the Norwegian Christmas
Luckily a welcoming Mexican family invited her to experience Norwegian Christmas traditions in their home
It was the first time she experienced the Norwegian Christmas traditions
Thanks to Mexicans
If you cannot invite your foreign friends for Christmas
Think about giving them a copy of a Norwegian Social Guidebook so they can understand the Norwegian social bubbles better
