The English Version of it all

...in Trondheim. On Friday i was sitting in my kitchen and in walked a Ghanaian student who was there to study with my roomate. I charmed him immediatly with a couple of Twi phrases (Ghana language) and the next day he invited me for dinner. It can be that easy. But the Ghanaians here dont find it easy to get to know people in Norway, which most of the discussion around the table was about. "Norwegians dont like Africans" was their claim. What should one say to that? Maybe its true for many Norwegians as well. The Ghanaians blamed media, Africa is hyped as something bad and terrible, and news about Africans and other foreigners comitting crimes leads to generalisation. Which is part of the truth. But coming to Norway for a year, maybe two, is not enough to learn all the social codes, how Norwegians communicate, and make friends. In Ghana you can meet someone on the bus, chat with the person and exchange phonenumbers just like that, and then you are friends. Or you can come into someones kitchen, chat with a person for 2 minutes and the next day you invite this complete stranger home. A Norwegian would need weeks before he could invite a person home. Many meetings and talks are necessary before you have crossed the limit where its ok to say: hey lets meet somewhere else which is not the place always meet coincidentaly". A Ghanaian on the other hand, who would talk to a Norwegian at the bustop in Trondheim will give a strange impression, The Norwegain is gonna wonder why this stranger is talking to him like they know eachother and might feel uncomfortable about it. Others are of course more open than what I describe here, but I think many Norwegians would feel this way. Including myself. If a stranger, Norwegian or not, would start talking alot to me on the bus, I would start to wonder myself. But in Ghana I've had a bunch of conversations with people on the street, bus or wherever.
In Norway you can be beat up on the street and noone will try to interfere, you might fall on your bike or on the ice and noone will help you up - everyone is afraid to enter the intimate zone of a stranger. In Ghana, you'd get more help and attention than you might want if you'd trip or fall.
In one situation in Norway where Norwegians become like Africans are at a party, when alcohole is included. Then everyone is open and friendly, talk to strangers and not afraid to step over the intimate limit we stay away from sober. And we have so much fun in this condition!: Thats why people drink, because they WANT to be able to talk to strangers and dance without feeling ashamed and embarrassed. But that is actually quite tragic. Foreigners here complain to me that: "I met this girl at a party, and she was really nice, but when I met her at school she pretended she didnt know me." Well, maybe she doesnt even remember you... At a party involving plenty of alcohole isnt always the place to make new friends. So not even there can this Ghanaian succeed in his search for Norwegian friends who can teach him the language and the culture. What are they supposed to do? Tell me....