Parent-Teacher Organization
Allparents(orprimarycaregivers)ofISBstudentsandallISBfacultyandadministration aremembersoftheParent-TeacherOrganization(PTO) ThemembersofthePTOareall volunteers.
TherepresentativebodyofthePTOisthePTOExecutiveCommittee,comprisedofthe4 electedExecutiveOfficers,the2representingteachersandtheDirector.ThePTOExecutive CommitteewillelectaChair,Vice-Chair,SecretaryandTreasurertooverseemeetingsand producedocumentationtoupdatetheschoolcommunity.ThePTOExecutiveCommittee willincludeclasscontactswiththeorganizationandhelpofevents
ThepurposeofthePTOistoactivelypromotecooperationbetweenparentsandthe school,whichcreatesaproductiveandsupportiveschoolenvironmentaswellasfostersa senseofsupport,prideandenthusiasmfortheschool
PTOhasthefollowingmainobjectives:
● Toorganizeevents,programmesandprojectsthatsupporttheschoolcommunity
● Toraiseandawardfundstosupportgeneralstudentactivitiesthatcannotbe providedbytheschoolbudget
● Toensureon-goingcommunicationamongallmembersoftheschoolcommunity.
● Topromotecooperationandcommunityspirit
ThemembersofthePTOareallvolunteers Thecommitteewelcomesanyhelpyoucan offerandencouragesyoutodowhatyoucan,whethertohelpoutinannualactivitiesorin theformofamoreregularcommitment Ifyouareindoubtaboutsomething,dogetin touchwithyourclasscontact Yourchild’sclassteachercanprovideyouwiththenames andcontactnumbersofyourclasscontact
PTOEvents
ThePTOorganizesmanyfunandexcitingeventsthroughouttheschoolyear Volunteers arealwayswelcome Wealsoencouragefreshideasforneweventsand/orexistingevents
Acalendarofeventswillbepublishedatthebeginningofeachschoolyearafterthefirst ExecutiveCommitteemeeting ThiswillalsobeavailableontheISBParentPortal https://wwwisbergenno/parentportal/
Disclaimer:Everycarehasbeentakentoensurethattheinformationcontainedinthis bookletiscorrect However,noresponsibilityisacceptedforanypossibleerrors
InordertostayuptodatewithISBcommunicationpleaseensureyoureceivetheOrca Splash(schoolweeklynewsletter)andeitherToddle(LowerSchool)orManagebac (UpperSchool).
PleasecontactthePTOifyouwishtoaddsomethingorcorrectsomethinginthisbooklet
LifeinBergen
BergenisthesecondlargestcityinNorway,afterOslo,andhasapopulationofaround 288,000 Itwasfoundedin1070ADbyKingOlavKyrreandwasthelargestcityin Scandinaviafromtheearly1200’suntil1299 ItcontinuedtobethelargestcityinNorway, untilaround1830
Towardstheendofthe13thcentury,Bergenbecameoneofthemostimportantcitiesof theHanseaticLeague,duemainlytothetradeofdriedcodfromthenorthernNorwegian Coast BergenwastheadministrativecentrethatinterconnectedcontinentalEuropewith northernandcoastalpartsofNorway.Today,theoldHanseaticWharf,Bryggen,isa UNESCOWorldHeritageSiteandisthemostfamiliarsiteassociatedwithBergen
ItisanimportantculturalhubinthecountyofVestlandandisalsoamajorportforcruise shipsinScandinavia In2000,BergenbecameaEuropeanCityofCultureandthecity offersawidevarietyofevents,suchastheBergenFilmFestival,Ballet,JazzandBlues Festival,severaltheatresandconcerthalls,aprofessionalballetcompanyandoutdoor summerconcertsandoperas Bergenalsooffersmanysportingeventsfromprofessional footballmatchestotreasurehuntsatMountFløyenforthechildren
ThepoetAkselSandemoseputJante’sLawintowordsanditconveysanimportant elementofNorwegianculture:humility Jante’slawteachespeopletobemodestandnot “thinkbig” Itisdemonstratedinmostpeople’srefusaltocriticizeothers Norwegianstryto seeallpeopleasbeingonequalfooting Theydonotflaunttheirwealthorfinancial achievementsandlooksidewaysatthosewhodo
Weather
BergenhasbecomewellknowninEuropeforitsrainyweather Eachyear,around250days featuresomesortofprecipitation.Maygenerallyoffersthemostappealinganddriest climateinBergen TheweatherforecastforBergencanbefoundontheNorwegian MeteorologistInstitutewebsite:www.yr.no.Long-termweatherforecastsinBergenarenot verypredictableandarelikelytochangedaily Youcanalsofindaweatherforecastonthe TV2website:www.storm.no.BothYrandStormalsohaveappsavailableforforecastson yourphone
TheNorwegianLanguage
NorwegianisaGermaniclanguagewithcloseaffinitytotheotherScandinavian languagesofDanishandSwedish.Therecanalsobequitesomedifferencesinthedialect oraccentbetweentheNorwegianspokenarounddifferentregionalareasofthecountry MostNorwegiansspeaktwoormorelanguages.AroundBergen,Englishiswellunderstood bythemajorityofpeople ChildrenstartlearningEnglishfromage7inNorwegianschools
BokmålandNynorskaretwoNorsklanguagesthathavealonghistorywhichyoucanread abouthere
NorwegianLanguageClasses
Folkeuniversitet(UniversityforContinuedAdultEducation)isagreatplacetostartlooking forlanguageclassesinallNorwegiancities.Youcanregisterfortheclassesonline.Choose “språkkurs”in“Vestland”
Linguoffersonlineclassesandclassesinpersonforalllevels
Translating
GoogleTranslatehasagreatappthatcanalsotakephotosoflabelsandsigns,for example Butremember,itisnotperfect!
NorwegianEtiquette
General
Norwegiansaregenerallyinformalandthereisverylittledifferencebetween“high”and “low”insociety
Norwegiansareegalitarianandcasual Theyoftenintroducethemselveswiththeirfirst namesonly InNorwegianschools(notISB),childrencalltheirteachersbytheirfirstnames Theuseof“Herr”(Mr.),“Fru”(Mrs.)and“Frøken”(Miss)isnotcommonplaceinNorwegian society
Norwegianshaveareputationforbeingshyandreserved.Thiscanbeperceivedas rudeness,butitisquitetheopposite;itispoliteinNorwaytonotinconvenienceothers An exampleofthisistotalktostrangersonthebus-thisisnotcommonbecauseprivacyis importantanditwouldbeperceivedasbeingnoseyorinconvenienttospeakwitha stranger.
Social
Onewaytogetinvolvedinsocialcirclesandgettoknowothersistovolunteerand participatein‘dugnad’:thisistheconceptofgiving-backandparticipatingincommunity activitieslikesports,activities,neighborhoodcleanuporshovelingthefootballpitchbefore training AnotherwaytobeginistovolunteerandgetinvolvedatISBwherethecommunity isalwaysplanningeventsandactivities
Sincerityisveryimportant Neverinvitesomeonetodinnerorsuggest“gettingtogether” withoutfollowingthroughwithasincereinvitation
Wheninvitedtosomeone’shouse,takeasmallgiftsuchasflowers,chocolates,wine.A houseplantiswellreceivedinthewintermonthsandabouquetoffreshlypickedwild flowersisalwaysappreciated.Giftsareopenedwhenreceived.Offertohelpthehostess withthepreparationsandtheclearingup
Alwaystakeoffyourshoeswhenyouenteraprivatehome,unlessthehostsaysdifferently. MostNorwegiansbringachangeofindoorshoes,especiallyinthewinter Punctualityis expectedatanyNorwegianfunction,particularlysomeone’shouse.Norwegianfriendswill arriveatexactlythetimeinvitedandyouareexpectedtodothesame
National
DoNOTdrinkanddrive Norwayhasverystrictlawsforintoxicateddriversandthelimitfor bloodalcoholcontentisverylow Onebeercanputyouoverthelimit
Norwegiansareveryproudoftheirlandscape Takethetimetonoticeit,appreciateitand commentonit TherearemanylovelyhikingtrailsaroundBergen
Tippingisnotrequiredanywhere,includinghairsalonsandrestaurants.Service(aswellas salestax)isalwaysincludedinthebillatrestaurantsandbars;however,itisnotunusual forNorwegianstoleaveatipinrestaurantsandbarsiftheyarehappywiththeservice.You canrounduptothenearest10or100NOK(leavingcoins) A10-15%tipisconsidered generous.
Shopping
MoststoresandrestaurantsareclosedonSundaysandpublicholidays.Checkthe calendarandOrcaSplashforholidaydatessoyoucanplanaheadforgroceryshopping andhouseholdneeds.
ShoppinginNorwaymaybemoreexpensivethanoneisusedto,however,thequalityof goodsisgenerallyhigh TherearemanyshoppingmallsinBergenandthesurrounding areas ThelargestshoppingmallclosesttotheschoolisLagunenStorsenter (https://lagunenno/)
Supermarkets
Itmaybedifficulttopurchaseeverythingonyourshoppinglistfromonesupermarket,so bepreparedtovisitanumberofstores SupermarketssuchasMenystockawiderrange ofinternationalproducts,butpricesarehigherthanKiwiandRema1000 Thereisacharge forplasticbags,soyoumightwanttorecycleandkeepyourownshoppingbags
Somesupermarketsofferonlineshoppingandhomedeliveryeg menyno
Ifyouarelookingforinternationalfoodthatyoucannotfindintheusualsupermarkets,
thereareanumberofinternationalsupermarketsincludingOlivenEksotiskMat(near Danmarksplass),MangoSupermarked(nearBergenbusstasjon),GlobalFood(nearBergen busstasjon),SlettenEksotiskMat(Sletten)andGlobalBasket(Drotningsvik).
LoppemarkederandSecond-HandShops
LoppemarkedtakesplaceusuallyfromOctobertoApril,generallyduringtheweekends, withdaysandtimesvaryingbetweendifferentmarkets Thefocusisgenerallyonsecond handgoods.TheFacebookgroupLoppemarkederiBergenhasinformationonupcoming fleamarkets
Finnnoisaweb-basedsitewhereNorwegianresidentsselleverythingfromhousestotoys Youcanfindfurniture,sportsequipment,holidaycabins,clothes,bikes,mobilephones,etc
Fretexisanothershopthatsellssecond-handitems Therearemanyothersaroundinthe city
OrderingfromOverseasandOnline
Orderinggoodsfromoverseasandonlinemightrequireimporttax Doyourhomeworkfirst athttps://wwwtollno/en/
EnglishBooks
ManybookstoreswillstockalimitedrangeofEnglish-languagebooks,butitmaybe difficulttofindEnglishchildren’sbooksinNorway.Manypeoplebuythemonlineorbring theminfromoverseas BooksareexemptfromcustomsdutychargesinNorway
Thenationallibrarysystemcanorderbookstoyourlocalbranch.Withaphonenumber and/orNationalIDnumberyoucanobtainalibrarycard Seebelowformoreinformation aboutthelibraries
Clothing Norwayhasasaying-thereisnosuchthingasbadweather,justpoorclothing!An integralpartofschoolinginNorwayistoteachthestudentsappreciationand understandingofnatureandtheoutdoors Studentswillbeplayingandlearningoutsidein spiteofpoorweather Practicalclothingisapriority
Waterproofgear(includingshoes)isimportant Woolunderlayersarealsovital-summer woolandwinterwoolaredifferentinwarmthandthickness Itiswisetoconsider purchasingqualitywoolandwaterproofgear Layersarealsoimportantduetothevarying temperatureandweatherfromdaytoday
LagunenStorsenterhasmanyaffordableandhigherendclothingstoresforadultsand children.JanusfabrikkenisawooloutletatEspelandwhereyoucanfindwholesalefabric andready-madeproducts
Airport
TravelandGettingAround
BergenAirportFlesland-wwwavinorno/lufthavn/bergen AirportExpressCoachFlybussen-wwwflybussenno
Skyss(PublicTransportation)
LightRail(Bybanen)andbussesrunthroughouttheregionofHordaland; Skyss(publictransportation)schedules,routes,andstopshttps://wwwskyssno/ SkyssBillett(appandonline):buytickets,seasonpasses,etc https://wwwskyssno/billett-og-pris/
Inter-city/Region
Train-Vywwwvyno
ThecentraltrainstationislocatedinthecitycentreacrossfromBergenStorsenter
Taxis
NorgesTaxi:08000-wwwnorgestaxino(appavailable)
BergenTaxi:07000-www.bergentaxi.no(appavailable)
Banking
GettingabankaccountsetupandgettingyourNationalIDnumbermayfeellikeitis challenging,anditiscommonforthistotakeawhile.
ThemostcommonbanksinNorwayinclude:
● DnBNorBank: wwwdnbno
● NordeaBankNorge: wwwnordeano
● Handelsbanken handelsbankenno/no/
● FokusBank: wwwfokusno
● Sparebank1: www2sparebank1no
● SkandiaBank: wwwskandiano
ToopenabankaccountinNorway,youwillneedtobringyourpassportaswellasyour“D” number.Unfortunately,youcannotopenanaccountbeforeyougetyour“D”number.Most bankingtransactionsaredoneelectronically Itisveryrarethatyouwillhavetogotoa bankinpersonand/orusecash.
VIPPSnoisthemostcommonwaytoexchangemoney,payforgoods(onFinnnooronline shopping,forexample),andatlocalevents-theuseofyourphonenumberisthesimple
waytouseVIPPS.Thisisanapponyourmobilephonethatyoucansetupafteryouhavea bankaccount
Ifyouuseyourdebit/creditcardtopayinasupermarket,youcanaskforcashback.Thisis aneasyandconvenientwaytowithdrawcash–andyoupaynoextrafeefortheservice
YoucannotdepositachequeintoyourNorwegianaccountthatisdrawnonaforeign bank
Accommodation
Rentalaccommodationscanbefoundonfinnno(furnishedorunfurnished)orAIrBnB (furnished) YoucanalsocontactarealestateagentinBergen,youremployer,theschool, orthePTOatISB ItisverylikelythatasyouarepreparingtomovetoBergen,another familymightbepreparingtomoveoutofBergen Youmightbeabletosecuretheirhome foryourself Thisalsogivesyouthepossibilitytoaskforrecommendationsaboutthe landlordandgetfirsthandinformationontheneighborhood.
SocializingandFamilySupport
Babysitting/Childcare
Findingbabysittingcanfeelchallenging However,therearesolutionsandthereishope! Theeasiestwaytofindababysitteristoaskfriends,neighbors,parentsatISB,etc ifthey knowofanyyoungpeoplewhowouldlikeababysittingjob WebsiteslikeSitlycouldbean alternative Babysittersaregenerallypaidanywherebetween100krand150kranhour Makesureyouagreeonanhourlyratebeforehand
PetSitting
Similartobabysitting,petsittingissomethingyoucanfindifyouaskISBparentsor rovercom/no/
Clubs
AgoodwaytomeetnewpeopleinBergenistojoinaclub Searchingonfacebookisa goodstart Manycountrieshavetheirownnationalclubsorexpatriatesocieties Thereare alsovariousbusinessclubstosuityourneedsandtastes:
InterNations:www.internations.org/bergen-expats
BergenRotaryKlubb:wwwbergenrotaryno
SportsandLeisureActivities
Itislikelythatyoucanfindleisureactivitieswithinyourneighborhoodandwillnothaveto travelfartojoinclubs,sports,andactivities Hereisalistofsomeofthesportsclubsand activitiesinandaroundBergen Wewelcomeadditionstothislistforfutureeditions
SchoolofMusicandArts
BergenKulturskole:AMunicipalSchoolofMusicandArtswithindividualandgrouplessons inmusic,dance,theatreandvisualarts wwwbergenkulturskoleno
LearningamusicalinstrumentPianoskolennoandMusikkskolenno
SportsClubs(Idrettslag-IL)
Sportsclubsareorganizedbyneighborhood/area Thesecanincludefootball,handball, crosscountryskiing,gymnastics,climbing,swimming,cycling,orienteering,volleyball, basketball,etc Noteachclubhasalltheactivities,butyouwillfindsomethingnearby Therearealsoofferingsforadultssobesuretocheckthemout!
Herearesomeoftheneighborhood/areaactivity/sportclubs:
GneistIL-website:wwwgneistno
FanaIL-website:wwwfanailno
LoddefjordIL-website:wwwloddefjordilno
NordnesIL-website:wwwnordnesilno
FigureSkating
BergenKunstløpklubbwww.bergenkunstlop.no
Dance
BergenDansesenter www.bergen-dansesenter.no
Capoeira(Brazilianmartialartthatcombineselementsofdanceandmusic) www.guc.no/bergen/
StepInDansestudiowwwstepindansestudiono
Diving(Stuping)
wwwbergen-stupeklubbno
Fencing(Fekting)
BergenFekteklubbwwwbergensfekteklubborg
Golf
BergenGolfklubb(9holes)http://bgkno/ SotraGolfklubb(9holes)wwwsotragkno
FanaGolfklubb(18holes)www.fanagolf.no
MelandGolfklubbwwwmelandgolfno
Gymnastics
BergensTurnforeningwwwbergensturnforeningno
HorseBackRiding
MoldegaardRidingSkolewwwmoldegaardcom
BergenRideklubbwww.bergen-rideklubb.no
ÅsaneRideklubbwwwasanerkno
AlvøenRideklubbwww.rideklubben.no
EponaRideklubbwwweponarideklubbwordpresscom
IceHockey
Bandyskole(non-contacticehockey)wwwbergenbandyno BergenIshockeyklubbwwwbergenishockeyno
Karate
BergenKarate&KampsportKlubbwwwbkkkno
BergenKarateKlubbhttp://kyokushinno
BjørgvinKarateklubbwwwbjorgvinnet
FanaKarateKlubbwwwfanakkkcom
FjellsidenKarateklubbwwwfjellsidenkarateno
LyderhornKarateklubbhttps://lyderhornno/ NordåsKarateklubbhttps://wwwnordaaskarateklubbno/ SentrumKarateklubbBergenwwwsentrumkarateno
LiveActionRolePlaying(LARPor“laiv”inNorwegian)
Tidsreiserofferschildren’slarpsatdifferentintervalsduringtheyear https://tidsreiserno Eventyrspillisanoutdoormedievaladventurelarpfor8-16yearoldsthatrunsSaturdays 11:00-16:00everysecondmonthatLangeskogen.
TrolldomsakademietisaHarryPotterthemedlarps TheFacebookgroups TrolldomsakademietiBergenandEventyrspilliBergenhaveupdatedinformationand dates
Rugby
BergenRugbyClubwwwrugbyno/Bergen/
ScoutsandGuides-Speider
NorwegianGuideandScoutAssociation(NSF)–Speiderforbund
www.hordalandsspeiderne.no
Tofindagroupnearyou,contacttheDistrictScoutingAssociationlistedbelow
SwimmingClubs
tryggivannno
BergensSvømme-ogLivredningsklub-www.bs-lk.no
DelfanaSvømmeklubbwwwdelfanano
ÅstveitSvømmeklubbwwwastveitno
Tennis
BergenRacketSenter(Tennis,Football,Handball,Badminton,Squash) wwwbergenracketsentercom
ParadisTennisklubb-wwwparadistennisno
FamilyActivitiesInandAroundBergen
Sites,Facilities,History,Etc.
BarniByen(ChildrenintheCity)isafreeNorwegianmagazinewww.barnibyen.no
Museums,historicalsitesandartgallerieswwwvisitbergencom/wwwbergen-guidecom
FløibanenFunicularwwwfloibanencom
BergenAquariumwwwakvarietno
PublicSwimmingPools(allpoolsandhourslistedhere)
VannkantenWaterworldwwwvannkantenno Osbadetosbadetno
BergenBowlingSandsliwwwbergenbowlingno
Cinema:BergenKinoASwwwbergenkinono
Cinema:LagunenKino/NordiskFilmKinowwwnfkinono/kino/lagunen GamleBergen–BymuseetIBergenwwwbymuseetno
NaturalHistoryCollection–UniversityMuseumofBergenwwwuibno/universitymuseum
Vilvite–BergenScienceCentrewwwvilviteno Librarieswwwbergenbibliotekno
Rush-TrampolineParkhttps://wwwrushtrampolineparkno/bergen/ Leos’sLekelandhttps://wwwleoslekelandno/bergen/
Outdoor/Friluftsliv(FreshAirLife)
BUAisanationalnonprofitthatletsyouborrowequipmentforsportsandoutdoorlife,for free wwwbuano
TurOrientering–FamilyOrienteeringwwwturorienteringno BergenTurlag(BergenTrekkingAssociation)wwwbergen-turlagno
NorwegianTrekkingAssociation(DNT)https://www.dnt.no/english HikingBergen’ssevenmountains FamilyBeachesandSwimmingSpotshttps://bof.no/english/ The3-4-7MountainsHikeisaneventbyBergenturlaget https://www.dnt.no/dnt-der-du-er/BergenogHordalandTurlag/7-fjellsturen/ Fanamilenwwwfanamilenno-AfamilyfriendlyracethattakesplaceeverySeptemberat FanaStadion,either5kmor10km
StoltzekleivenUp(theworld’ssteepestrace)-wwwstoltzenno
Skiing,Sledging,Skating
EikedalenSkiSenterhttps://wwweikedalenno/ FuredalenAlpinhttps://furedalen.no/ Kvamskogenhttps://kvamskogenno/ VossResortFjellheisarhttps://www.vossresort.no/ VossFjellandsbyMyrkdalenwwwvossfjellandsbyno VestliaResortGeilovestlia.no
SledgingandCross-CountrySkiinghttps://floyenno/en
OutdoorSkating:Slåtthaugsbanen
IndoorSkating:Bergenshallen
Vestkanten:Indooriceskatingrinkandcurlingwwwvannkantenno/iskanten/om-iskanten/
OpenSportsHallsforthePublic
Fysakwwwfysakbergenno
BergenKommune:somesportshallsareopenSundaysforfree/families
MedicalandDentalNeeds
NorwegianMedicalSystem
Norwayhasa“userfee”medicalsystem Adultspayasmallamountformedicalservices andchildrenarefree Onceapersonhaspaidacertainamountinuserfeestheywill receiveahealthcareexemptioncard Therearealsoprivatefee-payingclinicsinNorway thatyoucangoto
EmergencyTelephoneNumbers
Ambulance 113
Police 112
Fire 110
HealthCentersandSchoolHealthCenters
InNorwayregularhealthandwellnesschecksandvaccinationsareprovidedthrough
healthcenters(helsestasjon)andschoolhealthcenters(skolehelsetjenesten).Youmay needtocontactyourclosesthelsestasjonorschoolnursetomakesureyourchildis registered.MoreinformationonservicesprovidedthroughHelseNorgecanbefoundat helsenorgeno
GeneralPractitioner-Fastlege
MostNorwayresidentsareentitledtoaregularGP Onceyougetyourpersonalnumber youcanfindanavailableGPontheHELFOwebsitewww.helfo.no.YoumaychangeyourGP twiceinonecalendaryearorifyoumovehouseandsubmitachangeofaddresstothe NorwegianPopulationRegister.YoucanalsochangeitifyourregularGPleavesthe surgeryorcutshis/herpatientlist
DentalServices-Tannlege
InNorway,childrengetfreedentalcareuntiltheyare18yearsold ChildreninNorway usuallyhavetheirfirstdentalvisitattheageof3yearsold.Contactadentistinyourarea andaskwhichdentalofficeyourchildrenshouldgoto Theywillprovideyouwithallthe informationyourequire
Pharmacies/Chemists-Apotek
Somecommonmedicinescanbepurchasedoverthecounter,butoftenyouwillneedto seeadoctortoobtainaprescriptionfirst Pharmacies/Chemistscanbefoundallover Bergen SomecommonshopsareApotek1,VitusApotekorBoots
EmergencyDoctorandDentist
InBergen,whenyouhaveamedicalemergency,yougototheLegevakt Attimes,theycan bequitebusyandyouwillberequiredtowait,buttheydoprioritizepatientsbasedonthe severityoftheirailments
Openinghours:4-10pm(Mon–Fri)and12-6pm(Sat,Sun,reddays).
⬆CentreofBergen,BergenLegevakt(VestreStrømkaien19-closetothebusstation) Tel.55568760
⬇BergenSouth,FanaLegevakt(atNesttunKommunehus) Tel 55561300
⬅BergenWest,Loddefjordlegevakt(atVestkantenShoppingCentre).Tel.55513370
↗BergenNorthEast,Åsanelegevakt(atÅsaneShoppingCentre) Tel 55567000
PrivateDoctors
VolvatMedisinskeSenterinBergen-www.volvat.no/sentrene/volvat-bergen/ Laguneveien9,byLagunenSenter Tel 55112000
AlerisSykehusandMedisinskSenterinBergen-www.aleris.noMarken34,5017Bergen. Tel55599999
DrivingandLearningtoDrive
BergenTrafficServicesOffice–StatensVegvesenhttps://wwwvegvesenno/ Bergentrafikkstasjon(førerkort)wwwvegvesenno
Driver’sLicense
AvaliddrivinglicensefromanyEuropeancountry,IcelandorLiechtensteinmaybeusedto driveinNorway Ifyourlicensefromoneofthesecountriesisgoingtoexpirewhileyouare residinginNorway,youmustexchangeitforaNorwegianlicensebeforetheexpirydate
IfyourdrivinglicenseisfromJapanorSwitzerland,youmustexchangeitwithinoneyearof yourtakingupnormalresidenceinNorway.Youarenotrequiredtotakeapracticaldriving test
IfyourdrivinglicensewasissuedfromoutsidetheEU/EEAinoneofthefollowingcountries youmustexchangeitwithinoneyearoftakingupnormalresidenceinNorway Inorderto exchangeit,youmustpassapracticaldrivingtest Formoreinformationsee: wwwvegvesenno
SeatBelts
Seatbeltsarecompulsory Allchildrenmustbefirmlystrappedinusingapprovedsafety seatsthatmatchthechild’sage,sizeandweight Childrenunder135cmmusthavetheir ownseatorsafetyrestraint
Childrenover36kilosor135cmarenotrequiredtouseasafetyseat
VisibilityVests
Itiscompulsorytohaveatleastonevisibilityvestinyourcar
MobilePhones/DistractedDriving
Itisanoffensetouseahandheldmobilephonewhiledriving
PedestrianCrossings
Youmustalwaysstopforpedestriansinpedestriancrossingsmarkedwithstripesonthe roadandoften,butnotalways,apedestriansignpost.Responsibilitylieswiththedriver.
Pedestrianswilltakeitforgrantedthatthevehiclehasseenthemandwillstepoutonto thecrossingwithoutlooking Beverycarefulinthewintermonthswhenitisdarkoutside
TollRoads
Norwayhasmorethan70years’experienceinusingroadtollpaymentasafinancial instrumentforbuildingbridges,tunnelsandroads Therearearound50tollstationsin Norwayandmostofthemhaveautomaticfeecollection Youcanpayautomaticallyby
eitherregisteringyourcreditcardandvehicleregistrationnumberoryoucanuseanauto PASScontract Formoreinformationseethefollowingwebpage:wwwautopassno
MountainPasses
Itisnotuncommonformountainpassestocloseduetopoorvisibilityorpoorroad conditionsduringthewintermonths.Bepreparedforthisandmonitortheweatherreports.
PostalService
PostenNorge(wwwpostenno)ispartoftheNorwegiansociety’sinfrastructureandthe companyisthelargestworkplaceinNorwayaccordingtothenumberofemployees.Itis 100percentownedbytheStatethroughtheNorwegianMinistryofTransport Inadditionto postalservices,youcanalsodobankingtransactionsatPostenNorge
RecyclingandRubbishCollection
BIRisthewastemanagementcompanythatoperatesinthemunicipalityofHordaland Thereislotsofinformationontheirwebpagewwwbirno MostofitisinNorwegian,butjust runitthroughGoogletranslatetogetthelanguageyourequire
Newsandnewspapers
ThereareavarietyofNorwegiannewspapers,bothdigitallyandprinted Therearesome digitalnewspapersinEnglish.Belowaresomeofthem:
● wwwnewsinenglishno
● www.norwaynews.com
● wwwthelocalno