I'm a Brit who lives by the River Bjerkreim (www.bjerkreimselva.no) in southwest Norway, about 1 hour’s drive from Stavanger. I came to Norway with the oil industry back in 1983, and stayed here after several years of commuting back and forth across the North Sea, and have been resident in Bjerkreim since 1992. I've always had an active interest in the river, and was the principal river bailiff from 1994 until 2007, when I resigned. At times this was a pretty thankless task, but through it I met a number of people, both Norwegians and non-Norwegians, fly-fishers and bait anglers, who remain very good friends. 

The majority of my employment in Norway has been in the oil/gas industry, but also, after a successful recovery from a serious and an unusual form of cancer in 2004, I worked for a short period as a workshop instructor at a local prison: a valuable learning experience. Since 2007, I have worked for a major Norwegian supplier to the oil/gas industry, where my job mainly involves training in the soft skills (Presentation Skills, English, and cross-cultural communication), and translation. (Norwegian to English).

Life in Norway, outside the protected life of the temporary expat, can be a lonely and challenging experience for a non-Norwegian, particularly in a rural area such as Bjerkreim! To put that into perspective, my degree is in International Relations, and I used to work at the House of Lords in London http://www.parliament.uk/business/lords/ (until I resigned after my first tussle with cancer – over 30 years ago!), while Bjerkreim is best known for its sheep population, and only since 1998 for its river.

In addition, anyone who has been a "pioneer" in cancer, i.e., showing that the cure actually works, knows that this is a solitary experience where you are constantly "looking over your shoulder".

It was perhaps the sense of isolation that motivated me to seek stronger contact with the UK back in 1993 when, having been asked to instruct in fly casting/fly fishing, I sought further instruction and was put on the UK instructor trail by someone I regard as one of the best and most unassuming instructors there is: Simon Gawesworth.  http://www.speyborn.com/  Thank you Simon! 
More about instruction on: About.

As a veteran survivor of cancer I am also interested in that; as a stripling back in 1976 my oncologist told me that, although he expected to cure me, surviving cancer would be a life-changing experience.  We are products of our experience, and I know that having survived two types of cancer, when others expected me not to, has made me quite a resilient and focused person.  I am always willing to talk to anyone who wants to talk to me about the experience of cancer. A big thank you to Professor Robert Souhami, formerly of University College Hospital in London, and Odd Monge MD and colleagues at Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen.

See also: http://www.livestrong.org/ and http://www.reelrecovery.org/ 

Perhaps, some day, I will be able to participate as an instructor in a similar programme and to give something back.

Other interests (in no order): cooking, books, international affairs, hunting, my dogs and, of course, my family!