How to survive the dark times, plus: Should I move to Denmark?

FromHow to Live in Denmark

Start listening View podcast show

How to survive the dark times, plus: Should I move to Denmark?

FromHow to Live in Denmark

ratings:

Length:

7 minutes

Released:

Nov 23, 2013

Format:

Podcast episode

Description

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?

Released:

Nov 23, 2013

Format:

Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

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 country” plus insights on Danish culture and how to build friendships with Danes.

Skip carousel

Public nudity and the passion for privacy: Why I Google my Danish neighbors to find out who they are: They may appear nude on public beaches and in daily newspapers, but the Danes have a passion for privacy. by How to Live in Denmark
8 min listen
All the colors of the Danish landscape: The truth about Danish fashion: 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. Hear it here, or subscribe for free on iTunes.Rather read? Try out the podcast tran[...] by How to Live in Denmark
5 min listen
White Socks and the Danish Tax Burden: 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. Hear it here, or subscribe for free on iTunes.Rather read? Try out [...] by How to Live in Denmark
4 min listen
No planned hangovers: Ways I refuse to integrate in Denmark: 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.The post No planned hangovers: Ways I refuse[...] by How to Live in Denmark
6 min listen
Summer in Denmark: Hear about summer in Denmark (or what there is of it) and why ‘summer herring’ sometimes wears a bikini, and sometimes nothing at all.Hear it here, or subscribe for free on iTunes.Rather read? Try out the podcast transcripts.[...] by How to Live in Denmark
5 min listen
Ørestad, Ørested and Øresund: Why I still get lost in Denmark: 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 tricky, too.The post Ørestad, Ørested and Øresund: Why I still get lost in Denmark – Podcast #18 a[...] by How to Live in Denmark
4 min listen
Two-Wheeled Vikings and why I own three bikes: Danes and Cycling: 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 [...] by How to Live in Denmark
5 min listen
More Snow Tomorrow: Surviving winter as a foreigner in Denmark: 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 and ice. When I wake... by How to Live in Denmark
5 min listen
Gossip and Scandal in Denmark: While French or American politicians have sex scandals, Danish politicians have tax scandals. Only the Royal Family is permitted to be the subject of really juicy gossip and scandal in Denmark.The post Gossip and Scandal in Denmark – Podcast #[...] by How to Live in Denmark
6 min listen
Danish, Dutch, Deutschland: Confusing Denmark with its neighbors: 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.Hear it here, or subscribe for free on iTunes.[...] by How to Live in Denmark
8 min listen
Here come the dark times: Winter in Denmark: 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 you, don’t invite them to com[. by How to Live in Denmark
5 min listen
Painful hugs and Poison Gifts: When the same words mean different things in Danish and English: 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. Hear it here, or subscribe for free on iTunes.Rather read? Try out the podcast transcrip[...] by How to Live in Denmark
4 min listen
Danes and Environmentalism: Why a country that loves green tech is the world's fourth-biggest polluter: 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 unusually warm for Denmark. It's always exciting when, instead of wearing your winter... by How to Live in Denmark
8 min listen
Danes and Stereotypes: The superficial American and the Copenhagen cheater: As an American in Denmark, I get to experience Danish stereotypes about Americans on a regular basis: we are superficial, too outspoken and direct, and are apparently controlled by a small cabal of right-wing nutcases. But the Danes have... by How to Live in Denmark
6 min listen
No food, only stuff to make food: My culture shock in Denmark: 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 shock did you experience once you got here? In part 1 of what is sure to become a multi-part se[...] by How to Live in Denmark
5 min listen
Danish sports: Big handballs and lonely ping-pong players.: 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.Hear it here, or subscribe for free on iTunes.Rather read? Try out the podcast transcrip[...] by How to Live in Denmark
5 min listen
The Deeper Meaning of Pigs: 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.Hear it here, or subscribe for free on iTunes.Rather read? Try out the podcast transcr[...] by How to Live in Denmark
4 min listen
How to survive the dark times, plus: Should I move to Denmark?: 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?The post How to survive the dark times, plus: Should I move to Denmark? – Podcast #20 appeared [...] by How to Live in Denmark
7 min listen
Danish Design: From spaceship toilets to thieves that steal chairs: 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 you, don’t invite them to com[. by How to Live in Denmark
5 min listen
Just buy more insurance: Crime and Punishment in Denmark: 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 what to do. They don't like the idea of punishment. The post Just buy more insurance: Crime and Punis[...] by How to Live in Denmark
6 min listen
Voting at McDonald’s: Danish politics, and the posters that will last until spring: I like Danish politics, and I follow it, even though I don’t follow Danish sports or entertainment. I like Danish politics because it involves a lot of intelligent women running things, with men standing in the background to help out. The post Vot[... by How to Live in Denmark
6 min listen
Christmas in Denmark Part 2: Get Yourself an Elf Hat: 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 professor or somebody else you’re supposed to respect.The post Christmas in Denmark Part 2: Get Your by How to Live in Denmark
6 min listen
The Two Months of Christmas: Holiday drinking in Denmark begins now: 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 what to do. They don't like the idea of punishment. The post The Two Months of Christmas: Holiday dri[...] by How to Live in Denmark
4 min listen
'Best of' Podcast: Christmas in Denmark Part 2: Get Yourself an Elf Hat: 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 countries, adult men and women don’t want to walk around in an elf hat, even if it... by How to Live in Denmark
5 min listen
Danes and Vikings, plus: Two words to use to get Danish people to do what you want: 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 iPhone next to me and... by How to Live in Denmark
6 min listen
Salaam and Gooddag: Denmark for Muslims: 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 the mosque... by How to Live in Denmark
5 min listen
Dating in Denmark, Part 2: Dating Danish men, a guide for the foreign woman: 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 won't send flowers, he won't buy chocolates. He won't even help carry packages. That said, if... by How to Live in Denmark
5 min listen
The 8:00 meeting is not an 8:05 meeting: Do's and Don'ts in Denmark: 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 cultural mistakes - the dos and don'ts, the faux pas - you made when you first arrived in... by How to Live in Denmark
5 min listen
What I like about Denmark: 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 keep in touch with life back home, but that she doesn’t really like it. She writes:... by How to Live in Denmark
5 min listen
Danish Names: Why Bent is not bent, and why It's bad to be Brian: 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. Their wives and sisters and secret lovers are Inger and Karin and Kirsten and Ulla. Or... by How to Live in Denmark
5 min listen

More Episodes from How to Live in Denmark

Skip carousel

Do you have to speak Danish to work in Denmark?: If you’re only in Denmark for a few months, it might not be worth the investment in time to learn much more than the basic pleasantries in Danish. But you plan to stay in Denmark for more than a year or so, it’s a good idea to learn... by How to Live in Denmark
8 min listen
Why Danes Find Compliments So Awkward: A story I’ve heard over and over again when I talk to internationals working in Denmark is this: They thought they were going to get fired. They’d been working for a year or so at professional-level job in Denmark, often one they’d been... by How to Live in Denmark
7 min listen
Romance in Denmark: 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 if they want a serious... by How to Live in Denmark
9 min listen
Finding light in the Danish Winter Darkness: 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 just like 5am. Dense, inky... by How to Live in Denmark
7 min listen
New Year's Eve Traditions in Denmark: 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, so you don’t have to... by How to Live in Denmark
6 min listen
How to Handle a Conflict in Denmark: 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 with a colleague, or your upstairs neighbors, or the authorities at the commune. In these cases, it’s... by How to Live in Denmark
7 min listen
Drugs in Denmark: Denmark is getting rich selling pharmaceuticals to other countries, but within Denmark itself, the approach is inconsistent. Getting illegal drugs doesn't seem to be too difficult, but getting legal drugs can be. by How to Live in Denmark
6 min listen
Equality and the Electric Bike: When I first arrived in Denmark, you could shut down any dispute in Denmark by appealing to equality and the common good. Solidarity - “solidaritet” - and “fælleskab”, or community, or even “samfundssind”, societal spirit, were... by How to Live in Denmark
8 min listen
How to Meet a Dead Viking: The Mummies of Denmark: Many people who visit Denmark are fans of the Vikings, the colloquial name for Scandinavians before the medieval era, although technically speaking the Viking raiders were at their peak in the years 800-1100. There are plenty of opportunities,... by How to Live in Denmark
7 min listen
No ice cream in July: Scenes from the Danish summer vacation period: 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 ice cream shop in my... by How to Live in Denmark
7 min listen
Rich in Denmark: 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 summer is great time to see... by How to Live in Denmark
7 min listen
What Newcomers to Denmark Ask Me: 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 astonished by all the public... by How to Live in Denmark
7 min listen
Denmark and Butter: A Love Story: 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 places, up to 30... by How to Live in Denmark
6 min listen
Randers is not a joke: 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. Randers is a city in Northern... by How to Live in Denmark
8 min listen
The Bridges of Denmark: 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 Copenhagen alone in the past decade. And because this is Denmark, and people love design, each bridge... by How to Live in Denmark
8 min listen
On returning to Denmark: Swimming in Copenhagen harbor, picking wild blackberries, and admiring Danish law and order: 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 once-industrial waterway has been cleaned up enough to become a giant swimming zone. The wild blackberry... by How to Live in Denmark
6 min listen
Ballad of the Danish Royal Teenagers: 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 Christian - the future King Christian XI - and 15-year-old Isabella have to deal with family photo... by How to Live in Denmark
8 min listen
Tivoli vs Bakken: How two amusement parks show the two sides of Denmark: Denmark has several amusement parks, including the original Legoland, but the ones I know best are the ones in Copenhagen - Tivoli Gardens and Bakken. Tivoli and Bakken show two different sides of the Danish character. Tivoli is the sleek,... by How to Live in Denmark
7 min listen
On the Road: Copenhagen Northwest, beyond the cherry trees: 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 so that the streets are named... by How to Live in Denmark
6 min listen
The Secret Strategy for Practicing Spoken Danish: Newcomers to Denmark often complain that the locals aren’t chatty. Danes don’t want to converse on the bus, or on the train, or in line at the supermarket, or really anyplace that isn’t a designated social zone. Like the company canteen at... by How to Live in Denmark
6 min listen
Queen Margrethe, Denmark's good-humored, much-loved monarch: 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 the Queen makes her annual... by How to Live in Denmark
6 min listen
The Non-Drinkers' Guide to Danish Christmas parties: Drinking, and drinking heavily, is common in Denmark at holiday time. Whether it's the traditional "gløgg" - hot spiced wine with nuts, orange peel and a little brandy - or the specially-made (and specially-strong) Christmas beers, you'll be offered... by How to Live in Denmark
6 min listen
Denmark's Big and Wonderful Second Hand Economy: 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 people – why should something be thrown out when it can be used again? And their passion for... by How to Live in Denmark
7 min listen
On the Road: The Tunnel to Germany: 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. Getting to Germany from... by How to Live in Denmark
7 min listen
On the Road: Riding Copenhagen's big yellow "Harbor Bus" ferry: 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 commuter ferry designed to transport ordinary citizens between downtown and the urban islands... by How to Live in Denmark
18 min listen
On the Road in Denmark: Esbjerg, Ribe, and Fanø by How to Live in Denmark
7 min listen
Saving money in Denmark: How to get around for less: 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 to save money on trains,... by How to Live in Denmark
7 min listen
Saving money on food in Denmark: 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 Denmark, every supermarket is... by How to Live in Denmark
9 min listen
Books about Denmark from the second hand store: 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 about Denmark. I like old travel guides, most of which are still pretty useful because Denmark doesn’t... by How to Live in Denmark
7 min listen
Practical tips for moving to Denmark: 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 doing a corporate move,... by How to Live in Denmark
6 min listen

Discover this podcast and so much more

How to survive the dark times, plus: Should I move to Denmark?

How to survive the dark times, plus: Should I move to Denmark?

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from How to Live in Denmark