Life as an international in Denmark, one of the world's most homogenous countries, isn't always easy. In Denmark’s longest-running English-language podcast, Kay Xander Mellish, an American who has lived in Denmark for more than a decade, offers tips for enjoying your time in “the world’s happiest co… read more
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Denmark’s doing a big recruitment campaign now, trying to get young professionals to bring their skills to Denmark, and a lot of them are single when they arrive.
If they want to meet someone and don’t meet someone, and …
Many internationals newly arrived in Denmark struggle with the long Danish winter.
The darkness that starts to fall in the early afternoon means that 5pm looks just like 8pm, which looks just like midnight, which looks …
It’s almost Week 1, in the weekly numbering system that’s widely used in Northern Europe, where the year starts with week 1 and runs through to Week 52 or 53, depending on the calendar. It’s very efficient for planning, …
If you are an international who lives in Denmark, or someone who wants to, you have to learn the Danish way of dealing with conflict. This might be …
Denmark is getting rich selling pharmaceuticals to other countries, but within Denmark itself, the approach is inconsistent. Getting illegal drugs …
When I first arrived in Denmark, you could shut down any dispute in Denmark by appealing to equality and the common good. Solidarity - “solidaritet” …
Many people who visit Denmark are fans of the Vikings, the colloquial name for Scandinavians before the medieval era, although technically speaking …
In Denmark, the right to a long summer vacation is enshrined into law - the national vacation law, which states that all employees have a right to three weeks’ vacation between May and September.
Shops close, too. An …
Denmark is a rich country, but does it have rich people? It does, but Denmark’s wealthy tend to keep a low profile, due to the informal Jante Law in Denmark that prohibits too much showing off.
That said, spring and …
When you’ve been an international in Denmark for a while, as I have, you sometimes forget what it was like to arrive here for the first time and know nothing.
I remember arriving just about this time of year and being …
The hottest competitive sport in Denmark over the past year hasn’t been handball, or football, or badminton. It’s been chasing cheap butter in the supermarket.
Recent inflation has doubled the price of butter – in some …
It seems as if every country has a city or region that it is the butt of jokes. The rest of the country makes fun of the locals’ unattractive accents and supposedly low-end behavior. In Denmark, that city is Randers.
…
A country like Denmark, with so much coastline and water, needs a lot of bridges - and there have been 5 new colorful, stylish bridges built in …
After some time out of Denmark, Kay returns and finds a whole new list of things to love.
Swimming in Copenhagen harbour is a delight - the …
It’s hard to be a teenager no matter who you are or where you live, but spare a thought for the two teenagers of the Danish Royal Family. 16-year-old …
Denmark has several amusement parks, including the original Legoland, but the ones I know best are the ones in Copenhagen - Tivoli Gardens and Bakken.
It’s springtime, and the cherry trees are about to bloom in Copenhagen Northwest, which is usually the only time people who live outside Northwest bother to go there.
Northwest is a working class neighborhood, so much …
No matter how they feel about the institution of royalty, almost everyone likes Denmark’s Queen Margrethe, who is celebrating 50 years on the throne this week.
Every New Year’s Eve, the streets of Denmark go quiet as …
Drinking, and drinking heavily, is common in Denmark at holiday time. Whether it's the traditional "gløgg" - hot spiced wine with nuts, orange peel …
Denmark has a thriving second-hand economy, in part because people generally don't look down on second-hand goods here.
The Danes are practical …
Getting to Sweden from Copenhagen is easy: you take a quick trip across the Øresund Bridge in your car or on the train. Getting to Norway from Copenhagen isn’t too hard: there’s a ferry that runs every day from Nordhavn.
One of Denmark’s cheapest and most colorful vacations is a few hours riding back and forth on Copenhagen’s big yellow Harbor Bus, or “Havnebussen”, a …
When I mentioned going to Esbjerg for a few days off this spring, many of my friends in Copenhagen said - why? Esbjerg doesn’t have a reputation as a vacation spot, even though its fifth-largest city in Denmark and the …
No matter what the tourist brochures suggest, you probably won’t go *everywhere* on a bike in Denmark.
And along with food and housing, getting around is a big part of the cost of living in Denmark.
Here are a few tips …
Anyone who has spent time living in Denmark knows that it’s one of the most expensive countries around. That’s true when it comes to food shopping, too.
One Dane who had lived in the US explained it this way: “In …
I love old books. I love the kind of old books you get at antique bookstores or on the Internet Archive. And I have a good collection of old books …
While I’m not an authority on the Danish visa or immigration systems, I’m often asked for practical tips about moving to Denmark. So here are a few things to think about when you’re packing your suitcases or, if you’re …
Denmark has had two female prime ministers and about forty percent of the people elected to the Folketing, the Danish Parliament, are women.
But …
It might seem like a counterintuitive time to talk about beaches, in the middle of a long, very cold winter.
But in these times of COVID, beaches are …
I like to drive. I like to be on the open road, like in the American Southwest - Arizona, Nevada, Utah. Put your pedal to the metal, no one in front of you, no one in the rear view mirror. Just you and the road.
You …
When visiting Denmark, you’ll be offered Danish food, and expressing enthusiasm for it will go a long way towards generating harmony with your Danish friends.
The good news is, Danish cuisine offers something for …
It’s a funny kind of summer this year in Copenhagen, quieter than usual, and more like a family event than a cosmopolitan city.
Coronavirus came …
Among the many cultural questions I ask audiences during my How to Live in Denmark Game Show is “Which animal represents Denmark best?”?
There never …
Alcohol has a long history in Denmark. The Vikings brewed four types of beverages: ale, mead, fruit wine, and syra, a fermented milk – and for many …
January, February, and March are some of the dreariest months in Denmark – it’s dark, with no Christmas lights to pep it up – and many people are dealing with a heavy load of year-end debt from traveling, parties, …
If you’re newly arrived in Denmark, making Danish friends is not easy – in fact, surveys show that one of the main reasons internationals end up …
The relaxed approach to nudity in Denmark can be a surprise for many newcomers.
It’s something they’re often confronted with at the local swimming hall, where a very large and strong attendant insists that they take off …
“Is there politeness in Denmark?”
That was the question I was recently invited on a national TV show to discuss.
The implication was that I was …
One of my favorite types of speaking engagement is introducing Denmark to some of the smart, motivated young people arriving from around the world to study at Danish universities.
Since the publication of my first …
Planning your summer vacation in Denmark is like playing the lottery. You could hit it lucky, with golden days and long, warm evenings, when you can …
April 1st is April Fool’s Day – Aprilsnar in Danish – and each Danish newspaper will feature a clever but false story for the unwary to be fooled by.
Motivating Danish employees is very different than motivating other groups of people because there are two big factors missing – hierarchy and fear.
We don’t like to talk about the fear part in our various countries of …
Denmark is a quiet country, even within the cities. Especially this time of year, February, when it’s too cold to do anything but scurry from place …
As the new academic semester starts up, some of you may be planning to live in a Danish home. It could be you’ll rent a room in a household, maybe …
Being alone for Christmas in Denmark can be tough – one of the downsides of Danish "hygge" is that people who are not inside the "hygge" circle can feel shut out and very alone.
Here are our tips for having a good …
Like so many other aspects of life in Denmark, gift giving in the holiday season comes with dozens of unwritten rules and unspoken expectations.
…
Autumn in Denmark actually starts in mid-August, when the kids go back to school. Danish kids have a very short holiday – usually only about 6 weeks.
This is a special episode, because this is the fifth anniversary of the How to Live in Denmark podcast.The podcast began in the summer of 2013; at the time I’m recording this, it is near the end of Summer 2018. We’ve …
Learning to speak Danish can be difficult, even if you speak its close linguistic cousins, English and German.
While the written language isn’t too …
There’s no reason to spend a lot on what you wear to work in Denmark. Danes, by nature, are not flashy dressers.
In most Danish business environments, you’ll be perfectly well dressed in a fitted pair of business …
On your first day at work in Denmark, you may find a pretty bouquet of flowers on your desk to welcome you.
(This terrified a Chinese acquaintance of mine, who was accustomed to receiving flowers on her *last* day at …
Many Danes meet their future spouses at work. Yet there are also strict laws in Denmark against sexual harassment.
Where do you draw a line between …
In an anti-authoritarian country like Denmark, being a boss is a precarious (social) position. Danish bosses don’t like to flaunt their authority.
In …
People visiting Denmark can’t help but notice that the Danish flag is everywhere.
Christmas trees here are decorated with little Danish flags. Cucumbers in the supermarket have Danish flags on them to show they’re grown …
On-the-job benefits in Denmark come in three categories: the kind every Danish worker gets, the kind everyone at your company gets, and the kind everyone at a certain level in your company gets.
When you talk with a …
If you live in Denmark or follow the Danish media, you’ll know there’s been a lot of talk of gangsters over the past week. One Danish gang is trying …
A generation ago, expat spouses in Denmark were mostly “cookie pushers” – stay-at-home-wives who supported their husbands’ careers with chic little cocktail parties for his business associates. They ran the house and …
One of the most important words in the Danish language is "ligestilling" – equality. The belief that all (Danish) people are basically equal permeates every relationship and every interaction.
Fancy job titles do not …
When you first arrive in Denmark to work or look for work, the last thing you need is another monthly expense. So many foreigners “save money” by not joining a union.
And I was one of them. To be honest, joining a union …
Networking in Denmark is tough, even for Danes. This is a culture where it’s considered bad manners to talk to someone you don’t know, unless you’re …
When you work in a Danish office, you’ll often find yourself invited to impromptu in-office social events with your Danish colleagues. Somebody’s …
When I first began working in Denmark, people used to start saying around April or May, “So – are you taking three or four?”
What they meant was, are you taking three or four weeks off for your summer vacation?
Now, in …
If you’ve been asked for a job interview at a Danish company, congratulations. Danish companies don’t like to waste time, so they wouldn’t be setting …
I often give presentations to job hunters in Denmark, and I tell them there are two words you can add to your cover letter that will virtually …
When you're putting together a cv for Denmark, titles and grades and long descriptions of examinations (unless they’re required for the job, as they …
Foreigners in general are often trying to look for a job in a way that works well in their home country, not Denmark.
Basically, this works as about as well as trying to tell your new girlfriend the same jokes that made …
In Denmark, romance is like a two-speed bike. Speed one is casual sexual affairs with someone you may never see again: speed two is a serious …
If you really want to get a Dane all hot and bothered, start talking about some thing that is beautifully designed.
In Denmark, beauty is usually …
August in Denmark brings the first signs of fall: a crisp chill in the air, the changing color of the leaves, the annual posters warning drivers to …
Denmark is a small country, and Danish people tend to think small things are good. Small cars. Small homes. Small ambitions when it comes to international team sports. But one thing in Denmark is never small – a baby …
Every country changes, and so does Denmark. When I hold How to Live in Denmark events, people often ask me how Denmark is changing, or has changed …
In general, Denmark is not a fearful country. You could argue, what is there to be afraid of in Denmark? It seems like a safe little corner of the …
It’s spring in Denmark, and spring is by far my favorite season here. The wonderful white Scandinavian sunlight is back after the dark days of the …
It has been said that Danish birthdays are the most important in the world. Adults, children, even the Queen of Denmark make a big deal about …
There have been very few international singing stars from Denmark, and that’s a surprise, because Danish people love to sing.
Joining choirs is very …
I was on Danish morning TV recently, which isn’t really something to boast about. In a country of 5 million, 10 guests a show, 365 days a year – you do the math. Just about everyone gets on TV sooner or later. Some …
I've just arrived back in Denmark after a couple of weeks in the US and the night I got back, my cat bit me. This was not just a little affectionate peck - Fluffy used her sharp teeth, her fangs, to create four bleeding …
I’ve been living in Denmark so long I sometimes lose perspective. I forget what it’s like not to live in Denmark. Specifically, I forget that in most …
There was no How to Live in Denmark podcast last week, and I apologize for that. I have been busy studying for my Danish citizenship exam. As some …
Hello, and welcome to the How to Live in Denmark podcast. I'm Kay Xander Mellish.
Whenever I hear that Denmark is the happiest country in the …
It's been a beautiful autumn here in Denmark. Warm, with golden sun, blue skies, red and yellow and orange leaves on the trees. Just gorgeous. And …
Have you ever seen the movie The Wizard of Oz? It's a classic. When Dorothy arrives in the land of Oz, the first thing she's asked is - are you a good witch, or a bad witch?
I was having lunch with a friend this week, …
I did a little crowdsourcing for this week's podcast. I asked some of our listeners, and some people on Facebook - what were some of the small …
You wouldn't know it, but Denmark and China have much more in common than both having red flags and a love for green technology. Denmark and China …
I was in London this week, and did a little fall wardrobe shopping. I got tired after walking for awhile, and it was lunchtime, so I sat down in a pub. I had a beer and a fish and chips and a British guy next to me …
I get a lot of mail at the How To Live in Denmark podcast, and some of it is from people who want to move to Denmark, but they’re not sure what to do to make money once they get here. But, I do speak English, they …
When you think you’re talking to the authorities in Denmark, you’re often not talking to the authorities. If it comes to bus service, train service, unemployment compensation, homeless shelters, construction, even …
I got an email a couple of weeks ago at howtoliveindenmark.com from a Danish woman who now lives in Germany. She says that this podcast helps her …
If you’re in Denmark right now, you’ll know that we’re coming up on the year’s longest day this week. June 21. You know it because it starts getting light at 4 in the morning, and the sun doesn’t go down until 10:30 …
Hello, and welcome to the How To Live in Denmark podcast. I’m Kay Xander Mellish.
I don’t regret many things in life, but I do regret not going to a party I was invited to almost 14 years ago.
That was in 2000, when I …
Ordinarily don’t get my technology news from the local newspaper sold by the homeless in Denmark, but I did this week. First of all, I learned that …
Danes and Norwegians were part of the same country for hundreds of years, and they’re still family. Written Danish and written Norwegian are very similar – so similar that I once tried to find a Danish-Norwegian …
If you live in city or a big town in Denmark, you may notice that the weekends are getting very quiet just about now.
The streets outside my home in Copenhagen are empty. The streetlights just change from red to green …
When you go back to your country of origin, it’s alarming sometimes to realize how Danish you are becoming.
I’ve been on vacation in the USA for a couple of weeks. But I’m back now, and it only takes a few minutes after …
If you’ve seen it, you know the Little Mermaid is only about four feet tall – that’s 1.25 meters. You probably own pillows that are bigger than the Little Mermaid. At any rate, all the Copenhagen tourist boat trips go …
Denmark is a pretty good place to raise children. Working hours are shorter, and it’s perfectly OK to leave work at 3 or 4 o’clock to pick up your kids. There’s a good system for early childhood health. A nurse visits …
There was big news this week for foreigners in Denmark. It looks double citizenship will soon be permitted.
Previously, if you wanted to be a Danish citizen, you had to give up citizenship in your home …
There’s a new mosque opening down the street from me this spring, a big one. It will be the first mosque with minarets in Denmark, although the minarets are legally prohibited from calling to prayer.
The people behind …
As an American in Denmark, I get to experience Danish stereotypes about Americans on a regular basis: we are superficial, too outspoken and direct, …
Danish names are very strongly stratified by age. Ole and Finn and Knud and Kaj and Jørn and Jørgen and to some extent Poul and Per, are over 50. …
Finding a job anywhere is a headache, and Denmark is no different. And let's be frank, if the employer has a choice between a foreigner and a Dane, they're probably going to hire the Danish person. The Danish person …
If you are a romance novelist, the Danish man is not your dream man. He will not write poetry and pursue his beloved to the ends of the Earth. He …
A lot of the mail I get at howtoliveindenmark.com get is from men, wanting to know how they can meet women in Denmark.
I can understand this. …
I’m looking out the window as I record, and it’s snowing again. It’s pretty, but it’s not a novelty any more. It’s been like this for the past couple of weeks, Danish winter weather. Nearly every day there’s fresh snow …
I play a little game sometime when I look at Danish people. I imagine them as Vikings. It’s easy now that big beards are in fashion on young men. Sometimes on the metro I’ll look up at the hipster guy playing with his …
A few years ago, during the peak July vacation season, SAS had to cancel a large number of flights out of Denmark. This is because too many SAS …
While French or American politicians have sex scandals, Danish politicians have tax scandals. Only the Royal Family is permitted to be the subject of …
Even though Denmark is very open about sex, it isn’t very…sexy. Everything’s so accepted, out in the open, so practical, that sex in Denmark is a bit …
Sitting at my desk in grey, November Copenhagen, I received an email from sunny Portugal. Eighteen-year-old Bárbara asks: Should I move to Denmark?
Wearing an elf hat at Christmas time is a way to show you’ve got a sense of humor about yourself. You’re likely to see an elf hat on your boss, your …
I still get confused about Danish place names. A lot of names sound so similar that I am constantly getting lost in Denmark. People's names are …
Last week, political posters went up all over Copenhagen, on streetlights, on bridges, and on train platforms. The posters are for the local …
The 12 days of Christmas is an old French Christmas song. But those 12 days have nothing on the Danes, who have more than two months of Christmas, …
Traditionally, there has been little crime in Denmark, which is a society based on trust. But when that trust is broken, Danes get confused about …
More than a decade after moving to Denmark, there are still a few things I won't do to fit in. I won't cook fried fish balls, or watch Danish talent shows on TV. And I won't plan my hangovers in advance.
Danes are passionate about design, and they really believe in making everything that is useful also beautiful, even a toilet. After living here a …
The dark days of winter in Denmark last from October to March. The sky is dark when you get up in the morning, and it’s dark when you leave work. If you are moving to Denmark and want your friends and relatives to visit …
If you want to live in a thatched cottage in rural Denmark, you'll find a lot to choose from. Finding an apartment in downtown Copenhagen is harder.
…
Danes dress to match the Danish landscape. This is why most Danish fashion comes in grey, green, blue and brown - plus beige for the adventurous.
For Danes, bicycle lanes are the Vikings' last stand. These gentle blond people - these people who will wait two minutes at a 'Don’t Walk' sign instead of crossing an empty street - armed with a bike, turn vicious and …
At every Danish dinner party, I'm asked a standard set of questions: How did you come to Denmark? Why did you come to Denmark? What type of culture …
They may appear nude on public beaches and in daily newspapers, but the Danes have a passion for privacy. And they may be respecting YOUR privacy by not talking to you.
This is the sixth episode of the "How to Live in …
It's a common mistake to confuse the Danish and the Dutch - all those healthy blond people on bicycles! - but if you really want to understand Denmark, look at Germany instead.
This is the fifth episode of the "How to …
Danish words and English words can look similar, but some of the similarities are deceiving. A Danish hug is not comforting. And slut is not a slut.
This is the fifth episode of the "How to Live in Denmark podcast", and …
Denmark is a small country. It needs sports it can win. Team handball, team badminton, and team ping-pong are where Danish sports men and women shine.
This is the fourth episode of the "How to Live in Denmark podcast", …
The price of white cotton socks in Denmark is about five times as high as in the USA. I explain how the price of socks has a lot to say about the Danish economic system.
This is the third episode of the "How to Live in …
Hear about the role of significant cultural role of pigs - and we mean real pigs, not just people with bad manners - in Danish public life.
This is …
Hear about summer in Denmark (or what there is of it) and why 'summer herring' sometimes wears a bikini, and sometimes nothing at all.
This is the first episode of the "How to Live in Denmark podcast", and originally …
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