2013-10-20

Yesterday I came across a post by my fellow blogger Aleksandra, that I felt I wanted to share with you (whoever you are). I’ll paste the link here and hope you take a look at it before continuing reading, because the rest of my post is just going to add to it

http://meyouucn.blogspot.dk/2013/10/5-strange-facts-about-denmark-part-i.html

I have to admit, I used to be shocked by some of those things in the past. But to be completely honest, I think I have been “danified”, i.e. turned into a more Danish version of myself, lol. My comments point per point down below

1. Danes and a red light: I do the same now. I wait. Why? I don’t know… it just feels wrong crossing when the light is red. And I’ll say more, I do the same when down in Spain (most of the time).

2. Put some clothes on: There I have to absolutely agree. Even though I have found myself wearing less clothes than I would have a couple of years back, I am still amazed by those Danes going out in the snow with cloth Converse on their feet or skirts and tights.

3. Please? It’s true there’s no direct translation for the word Please but there are ways around it, like “would you be sweet and…”? I’m still having a hard time adjusting to it, and my Danish sounds a bit too rude at times, but it will come. Hopefully.

4. Babies in front of the houses: Surprising? Maybe… But then what about those mums that go into a cafe to have a cup of tea and meet with their friends, and leave their babies sleeping outside in their strollers? A Danish woman got into a lot of trouble in New York city a while ago because of this very Danish thing…

5. Are you this girl I met yesterday? I have to agree on the fact that there’s a tendency for homogeneity in Denmark, although I don’t think girls are intentionally trying to look all the same. I actually admire the fact that they can look so fantastic with those “I just got out of bed and casually tied a bun on the top of my head” hairdos. Or the fact that they can wear only foundation, blush and mascara and totally pull it off (I feel constantly tempted to ask girls what mascara they are wearing in order to obtain such black and thick lashes). With regards to the clothes… well, it’s not like there’s a huge variety to choose from on clothes stores in Denmark – in my opinion – but I still totally understand Aleksandra’s comment about “baggy tops and skinny jeans” (or tights).

That said, this post got me thinking and I realized I should have written something similar a long time ago, cause now I can’t really find as many strange Danish things as I would hope for.

I still surprises me being in the laundry room and hearing a neighbour come in and completely and utterly ignore my presence, as if I was invisible. No eye contact, no “hi”. Saying “hi” would be the typical thing in Spain, just some sort of acknowledgement that there’s someone else in the room. And the best part is the weird “Do I know you?” looks you get if you say Hi on the first place! But I guess it all goes back to Danish people wanted to respect each others’ privacy.

It also amazes me the huge drinking culture among young people. I first experienced Denmark as an exchange student, so I assumed it was pretty normal that everyone around me was pretty much wasted all the time – not me, I don’t particularly enjoy drinking, aside from the occasional celebratory cocktail. But even now that I am out of that circle, I keep getting constantly invited to pub-crawls, Friday bars and parties here and there. And it seems like it’s not a party unless you end up at least partially drunk – which is crazy considering the price of alcohol in Denmark.

On the curious side… have you ever noticed how people tend not to take the last food item on a plate? I have sometimes experienced being at dinner and seeing that last one serving of potatoes or piece of bread that no one wants to eat even though they’re hungry. And then it stays.

I can imagine that leaving the plates clean and empty could somehow be interpreted as if there’d been a lack of food (I know it is like that in some places), but I am not sure it is like that here in Denmark. Anyone can shed a light on this?

I think that’s it so far, but I reserve the right to edit this post when more things come to mind (I’m sure they will)

Have a great Sunday, and even better week!

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