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VISITDENMARK PHOTOGRAPHER CREDITS FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: RUNI PHOTOPOP; RUNI PHOTOPOP; RUNI PHOTOPOP; FOTOGRAF ANDERS TRÆRUP
DANES: ICE COLD OR MISUNDERSTOOD? INITIALLY, DANES CAN APPEAR COLD AND UNINTERESTED. BY CAREFULLY PEELING BACK THE LAYERS OF DANES AND UNDERSTANDING THEM, THIS WILL HELP MELT THEIR ICY EXTERIOR AND REVEAL THEIR INNER WARMTH. PHOTOGRAPHS ISTOCK PHOTO
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WHEN I FIRST came to Denmark over six years ago, I was immediately confronted by my perception of what I thought a friendly person was. I grew up in a small town in Helena, Montana, in the United States. Everyone is extremely friendly, smiley and polite. It would be considered rude to not acknowledge someone’s presence on the street by making eye contact with them or smiling. Little did I know, the Dane's lack of friendliness in public was a kind gesture. This notion took much time to understand, which is privacy in public.
UNDERSTANDING DANES Essentially, Danes believe everyone has the right to have complete privacy and anonymity in public. Even if someone accidentally bumps into you, they will rarely ever say “excuse me” unless they knock you down. It’s obvious that in a city and with public transportation, you will always be bumping into someone. So, why break the privacy barrier and keep it moving? By giving people physical and mental space in public, Danes are showing you respect and empathy for your time. Dane’s value one another’s time, so much so that they have some of the highest wages in Europe, further demonstrating the importance of time.
TEXT BAILEY JENSEN
year, I had a difficult time meeting any Danish friends because they all knew that our friendship essentially had an expiration date on it. What I mistook as a rude resistance, actually had a genuine and vulnerable sentiment to it.
CRACKING THE COCONUT Think of Danes as a coconut. While they are hard to crack on the outside, once you break past the exterior layer, they are so sweet on the inside. Generally, Danes truly are loyal, dependable, thoughtful, considerate, generous, and a damn good time. It can be difficult to break into a friend group, but once you are in, it is for life. As long as you show your genuineness and commitment to the friendship, you can crack this coconut in no time. After carefully peeling back the layers and get a deeper understanding of Danes, they are simply misunderstood and the opposite of ice-cold. THE-INTL
THINK OF DANES AS A COCONUT. WHILE THEY ARE
HARD TO CRACK ON THE OUTSIDE, ONCE YOU BREAK THE EXTERIOR LAYER, THEY ARE SO SWEET ON THE INSIDE.
BAILEY JENSEN BLOGGER & STUDENT Bailey Ann Jensen is an American expat in Aarhus, Denmark since 2013 and is from Helena, Montana. She originally came to Denmark
SMALL TALK? WAIT, WHAT’S THAT?
as an exchange student at
During my first few weeks in Denmark, before I understood Dane's initial icy demeanor in public, I took many social stumbles. I tried talking to people on the bus. Big mistake. I would naturally ask strangers “how are you?” Only to receive a puzzled look and people saying to me “what do you mean?” Danes aren’t into small talk at all. They see it as insincere. Does anyone care how a stranger’s day is going? Often, if someone replies with anything other than “good, how are you?” It can be awkward. That’s another thing Danes want to avoid at all costs; any awkwardness is unbearable to them. To avoid an awkward conversation, small talk is avoided as often as possible.
Aarhus University for one
MAKING FRIENDS Danes keep their social circles quite tight. When faced with the opportunity of making a new friend, Danes ask themselves if they really need any new friends. They put effort and sincerity into their friendships, so there must be something special about you to intrigue them to take on an additional friendship. When I first came to Denmark to originally stay for just one
year, where she met her Danish husband. Now living in Denmark permanently, Bailey is getting her bachelor’s degree in political science and is an international nanny for families in Aarhus. In her free time, she makes sense of her multicultural life around her with her blog about becoming a Dane: Dane in Training. For frequent new blog posts, check out her website and daily pictures on Instagram www.daneintraining.com @daneintraining
OCTOBER 2019 - WWW.THE-INTL.COM