- Now and then it’s fine that we Poles can gather and take a break from what’s difficult in life, says Iwona Kinski Bredeveien with a smile. She doesn’t actually feel life in Norway is so hard, but it’s good to be able to talk the same language with folks who understand each other’s culture.

Iwona was born and grew up in Lodz, a Polish city of almost a million people so the transition to life in this little rural area of Sør Fron in Gudbrandsdal was great. There she lives with her son and her Norwegian husband.
In Poland she had a hectic life with two jobs and much stress. She feels now and then it can be little too quiet in Sør Fron and misses city life, but she has gotten jobs both cleaning and in a shop.

- Here I can practice to speak better Norwegian,” says Iwona, who has worked hard with the language and has passed official written and oral exams at the B1 level. In addition to Polish she can speak English and Russian. She wants to learn Norwegian well and thinks that she could perhaps work as a translator.

She makes both Polish and Norwegian food at home. She loves Norwegian “pultost” – sharp spreadable cheese and has learned how to make traditional Norwegian Christmas food from her mother-in–law. The family celebrates Christmas alternate years in Norway and in Poland.

- My husband helps me a lot. I have it good although at the beginning I felt it was difficult to move to a new country with a different culture and people. I’m fond of Norway.