I've been fortunate enough to move countries twice within a period of time that feels like a whole lifespan from the point of view of a hormonal and stressed out teenager that used to think the whole world was against her (I was so punk). Two times I had to integrate to a new culture and adapt to what in the beginning always seemed like an environment that's just complete nuts. Pretty much everything that's unfamiliar to you is nothing but strange; whether it's the people, the way they behave, common rules or what's considered 'in' and 'out' (I'll never get used to 'Hunter' wellies being fashionable for people under the age of 60, and above the age of 6).
Whenever someone asked me how I learned Norwegian so quickly, my immediate response would always involve the words "books, friends and a kick in the a*s, so I'd actally force myself to start somewhere" (alright the last one was a lie, although still relevant because it's true). Trying to read two books at the same time, the second one being a dictionary, can be quite frustrating, but I have to admit that it contributed a lot to developing my speaking and writing skills in Norwegian. Norway is a very social and integrative country, so I was fortunate to have people around me, who were unexpectedly open minded and inclusive. The enthusiasm and patience they showed towards my brother and I even made me forgive them for amusing themselves by teaching us nothing but dirty and probably offensive words about others and ourselves in the very beginning (ignorance was certainly bliss in that particular situation). All of it has nevertheless been important factors throughout the process of integrating into a different society, and I'd probably still give people the same kind of advice when being asked about how to learn a new language.
However, although language is certainly key to participation in society, somehow I had never thought about the importance of pop culture. This obvious factor didn't occur to me until I moved to the UK and made visits home to Norway. No matter how much I had kept in touch with my old friends, no matter how many Oslo Indie Hipster Instagram accounts I would still be obsessing over, there was always a missing puzzle piece that led me to feel detached from the previous comfort of familiarity that I used to experience as soon as Norway felt like home. It was like the music my friends now listened to was too bizarre, too different and the fashion trends looked more like examples from one of those weird Fashion Weeks that make us question whether the designer was on some new drug or actually 100% serious. I couldn't relate to everything they brought up, and neither could I always understand their jokes and references to new shows or events. It had all, simply, become strange again.
What I remember very clearly right before I moved to England, was that I had become more Norwegian than I maybe realized at that point. I had started to like Norwegian Indie and Rap music, almost fell in love with the series 'SKAM', and even my writing and sense of humour was inspired by Norwegian artists and comedians. There was also a clear difference between the way I talked with my Norwegian and German friends, including choice of words, conversational topics, and as ridiculous as it sounds, our use of emojies. What would have been socially acceptable to say, might not be as appropriate in a different country, and I have got no doubt that trends, movies, music, and a country's overall pop culture influences and shapes people's attitudes and the way especially younger people interact with each other. Perhaps that is why I tended to feel like a stranger in the beginning of my visits home to Norway, always needing a few days and catch-ups with old friends to be able to feel like my old self again.
The bottom line is that in order to fully integrate and adapt to a new environment, one should not only learn its rules, traditions and language, but also gain greater insight into what the people are like and most importantly find out the why's and how's behind it. Observing how they interact with each other and learning about their opinions and attitudes within pop culture is one of the best ways to understand who you are going to be surrounded by, and most importantly how you will adapt according to it. This involves being open to new music and films, and I encourage you to for example try out new hobbies that might be common where you live. Not only will this give you the chance to gain some experiences, and have something to talk about with future friends, but it will also give you the opportunity to improve your understanding of the environment you're trying to fit into. Sooner or later you will see that after a short amount of time and genuine effort and interest to learn, you will be able to do what is the sign of full integration: to live, speak and maybe use emojies just like the locals.
