Ylinn Tennebø: West Ham midfielder on life in London

West Ham midfielder Ylinn Tennebø on swapping Norway for London, her new baked beans habit and why Lofoten beats Oslo for anyone visiting Norway.

Ylinn Tennebø swapped Norway for West Ham last winter, drawn by the chance to play in one of the world’s best leagues. Ahead of Sunday’s London derby against Charlton Athletic, the midfielder talks London traffic, a hot English summer and her surprising new breakfast habit.

What was it like growing up in Norway?

Good question! I was actually born in China and I was adopted by Norwegian parents when I was nine months so I basically spent my whole childhood in Norway. It was really nice really growing up in a small village, with around 300-400 people. Everyone knew each other. It felt very safe.

Do you have any particularly fond memories of your childhood?

The school I went to had only 50 pupils so everyone knew everyone and I always remember the summer holiday when I went to Turkey with my family.

You’ve played your entire career in Norway, why did you want to come to England?

It’s because of the league. It’s one of the best in the world and the level here is really good. Also, I’ve been in Norway my whole life, so I wanted to have a new challenge.

How have you settled into life in England?

There are a lot of new things. England is very different, like you go on the different side of the road and London is so much bigger than I expected. It takes an hour to go wherever you’re going. It has taken a little bit of time to settle but I’m really enjoying it. I live quite close to here and I know the players well now. I’m really enjoying it.

What’s been the biggest culture shock?

It wasn’t a surprise but English people are really polite with the ‘hello, how are you’ thing?’, they say that everywhere. As I said, the distances in London are so much bigger than I expected, and also the traffic doesn’t help at all. Plus, no air-conditioning!

Have your teammates helped you settle in?

Me and Tuva (Hansen), we’re both from Norway and came last winter. I didn’t know that she was going to sign but it’s of course nice to have someone from your own country so you can talk your native language and share the same culture. We also we have two other players from the Nordics, Oona (Siren) and Eva (Nyström) so we have a similar culture and hang out together

What have you grown to love about English culture?

The passion around the football. I really love that and I’ve been to some of the men’s games. I love that English people love their football.

Have you been to any West Ham men’s games or other teams?

I’ve  been to a couple, yes, but Norwegians go over to England to watch the Premier League, Erling [Haaland] and Martin Ødegaard are from Norway.

What do you love most about being in England?

Good question. The level of football… I feel I can develop a lot as a player. But also the good weather in the summer. I’m from the west coast of Norway, it usually rains a lot, it’s never as hot as it was here this summer.

Did that come as a bit of a shock to you?

Yes, but I prefer this. I was just talking with one of the girls and in Norway we have pre-season in January and it’s like minus-15 degrees and you’re freezing your toes off. This is so much better.

Is there anything that you’ve taken from living in Norway that you still do in England?

Good question. My parents were here on 17 May, that’s our constitution day and it’s a massive celebration in Norway.

Have you introduced your teammates to anything from your country?

Not that much yet. I’m trying to teach Oona [Siren] a little bit of Norwegian so we can speak together. I think she’s doing alright, actually. Norwegian and Finnish are really different, so it’s hard to speak together.

Have you picked up any habits whilst living in England and are you going to take them back to Norway with you?

I wish I could say I like to drink a lot of tea, but I eat baked beans for breakfast, that’s a new one!

Has living abroad changed you as a person?

I don’t know if it’s changed me. I feel like I’ve learned a lot getting to know new cultures and meeting new people. But I don’t think I’ve changed as a person.

If we were to visit Norway and rent out an Airbnb, what should we do?

I like this question. In summer I would go up north to Lofoten. It’s quite far north and I would go to see the nature, to the mountains, go hiking. And food-wise, Norwegian fish, Salmon I think is really good and then we also eat Sheep’s head which is a little bit weird. But it’s mostly the nature, the mountains and the sea.

Would you recommend to go to places like Oslo or Bergen or these big cities that people would probably first think of when they think of Norway?

I do think they’re nice but if you want to see the real Norway I wouldn’t go to the big cities.