Here are some interesting differences that I’ve observed so far:
-This may sound strange, but there are SO many men that push strollers here! I’ve almost seen more men pushing strollers than women, something that is not that common in the United States. I think this is an example of an overall culture difference: the Danes strive to have everyone be seen as equal. It is not simply considered a “woman’s job” to be the homemaker and to take care of the children. My host dad makes as many meals as my host mom does, and he cleans just as much too!
-Danes are incredibly warm and loving people. I have never met so many kind people in such a short period of time. Since I have been volunteering at the Studenterhuset, I have gotten to know a few of the Danes that I work with. Last night after my shift, I went over to a dinner party that one of my co-worker’s invited me to. I spent the night talking with 10 other Danes about American politics, religion, Danish history, government, and cultural differences. It was one of the most fun nights I’ve ever had! We ate homemade spaghetti by candlelight and I felt as if I really experienced the Danish term: hygge.
-Danish people are much more health conscious than the general US population. Every meal I’ve had with my host family has been made with fresh and healthy ingredients. They are very conscious of what they are putting into their bodies and how they are treating them. My host dad pointed to Frosted Flakes in the grocery store, and right before I could say “That’s my favorite kind of cereal!” he said, “That stuff is SOOO unhealthy!!” Even though I think I eat pretty healthy back in the states, I feel as if I’ve been having a sugar withdrawal! To my surprise, from all the walking and healthy eating I’ve been doing, I’ve managed to actually lose weight. The biking culture here also has been fun to experience. It is not uncommon to see people as old as 70-80 riding their bike on snowy days. Gas, cars, and public transportation are very expensive, so it makes sense that Danes try to travel for free whenever possible.They have special bike lines and traffic stop lights because of how much bike traffic there is.
– Copenhagen and DIS (where I’m studying) are VERYYY safe places. DIS is almost annoyingly safe. I say this because you need to swipe your card every time you go to a different floor in a DIS building. I have not felt unsafe once in Copenhage, even at 4-5 in the morning. People pretty much keep to themselves and mind their own business.
– I HIGHLY recommend living with a host family. I have experienced much more about Danish culture than many of my friends who are living in Danish Residence Halls or Kollegium’s have. Many of them have said they are struggling to eat enough food and eating healthy is very difficult. I feel really lucky that I have a delicious breakfast (usually a cup of coffee, granola and yogurt, and toast with jam), lunch (usually a couple huge carrots, a pear, a mozzarella chicken pesto sandwich on amazing bread), and dinner (always something unbelievably good made by my host parents). The best part-it’s all free! Well, technically it’s part of my housing portion of the tuition, but let’s just pretend it’s free. You cannot find something for lunch for less than $10 in Copenhagen, so packing your lunch can save you a LOT of money. The only downfall of living with a host family is the commute. I’ve experienced some interesting transportation experiences since I have to take a bus from my house to the train station, and then a regional train to Copenhagen. The buses stop at around midnight, and only run once an hour after 9 PM, so if you want to stay out later than midnight or if you miss a bus, you have to get creative. I once had to run (because it was so cold out) the three miles from my house to the station, in the snow, in my “going out” clothes, with a case of beer (because alcohol is too expensive to buy at the bars..one drink can be about $10 if it’s not happy hour). As you can tell, I’m still trying to figure out the transportation system.
– People here are not religious, but they are very tolerant of people that are. Coming from a Christian home, it has been a great experience for me to meet other people that are not from the same background. It has really opened my eyes and shown me that believing in God is not a precursor for being a kind person. I have met some of the most extraordinary people, with better values and way of living than some Christian’s I’ve met, but they do not believe in God. My Religion and Politics class has also been a great way for me to explore my own spiritual/religious views and how religion influences politics. My Gender and Sexuality class has also been a wonderful class to broaden my perspective and tolerance of people different than myself; I wish everyone could take these classes!!
-The Danish culture is a very collective society. By this I mean that they are always looking out for other people and are not egocentric. The Danes have to pay incredibly high taxes (the minimum is 38% of a person’s salary), but in return they receive free health care, a wonderful welfare system, university is FREE, and they get PAID to go to school. I just have to say that last one again: Their college education is FREE and they get PAID to go to school!!!!!!!!! Why didn’t I grow up in Denmark?! My friend Casper explained the Danish political paradigm as this: we are socialist, not communist, because we believe that everyone should have an equal opportunity, but that it’s unrealistic for everyone to achieve equality. I really like this way of thinking because I too think that everyone deserves an equal opportunity. Although the US claims everyone can achieve the “American Dream”, your opportunities are typically limited to whatever social class you are born into. I know some people that cannot afford to go to school because their parents are unable to co-sign a loan for them. In Denmark, that is not a problem. No matter what amount of money your parents make, you still have the same opportunity to go to college that everyone else has. I love that about this society. In my Positive Psychology class, we talk a lot about how competition may have something to do with why Danes are the happiest country in the world. They do not have to compete to get into college and they seem to have the best of society as their main goal rather than themselves. Here is the link to my Sociology of the Family class if you want to check out what it’s about too 🙂
Those are all the observations I can think of for now. Tomorrow I am going to my host sister’s apartment in Copenhagen and she is teaching Liz (my roommate) and me how to cook. My host parents are then coming for dinner and we are serving them. I’m really looking forward to it! Afterwards, I am going to the Studenterhuset for a Super Bowl Party. The game doesn’t start until 12:30 AM Danish time, so it will be a late night for many of us Americans.
Next week we actually don’t have regular classes because it is our core course week and short study tour. On Monday, I have a meeting with my class from 10-1 to discuss the importance of character strengths and values. On Tuesday, we are going to an art museum in order to explore the character strength of appreciation of beauty (cool, right?!) We don’t have school on Wednesday, and then on Thursday my whole class of about 30 people travels to southern Sweden! This is an opportunity for us to get to know our classmates better and see how Positive Psychology is used in the real world. We are going to a university to talk with researchers about mindfulness therapy on depression and we will do a few other things as well. We come back on Saturday afternoon.
The last bit of news is that I booked a trip to Austria today! On Valentine’s weekend I will go to Vienna with two of my friends that I’ve met at DIS, who both actually go to the University of St. Thomas (where I go to school)! I am beyond excited.
I will update again soon after I come back from my study tour. Thanks for reading & have a wonderful week!
Caitlin in Copenhagen! 
