On the Way North and Finding a Home
On the Way North and Finding a Home

Summary/Abstract: The article discusses the migratory movements from Bulgaria towards Norway, based on a field ethnographic research. The journey to the north and the accommodation in an almost unknown and cold country are analysed on the basis of oral history methods. The personal stories of the Bulgarian migrants present their view of the journey, their notions of Norway and the settling in afresh as a personal experience in the context of the complex migratory situation there. The specifics of the Bulgarian settlement in Norway predetermine the manner in which home and journey are perceived. The successful and relatively rapid advancement, the high living standard, the social model and the ability to quickly unite separated families, transform the migration north from a plain movement into a stationary lifestyle. For the Bulgarians, the newly established home in Norway acquires different aspects – it is the centre of the family, of comfort and security. For those immigrants the journey north also involves certain return to the ‘native Bulgarian’ expressed through the creation of a ‘Bulgarian Home’ via different immigrant institutions and organizations. The new transnational and cross-cultural home of the Bulgarians in Norway is becoming their ‘zone of comfort’.

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