When going to a new country, some obvious differences will jump out at you right off the bat. Others, however, take a while for you to realize, and that's what this entry is all about. After almost a month of being here, I've had time to experience some of the differences in everyday life that you wouldn't realize just coming here as a tourist. There's probably also going to be some more obvious differences in here too, just because I haven't mentioned them yet.
Doing laundry is an interesting experience. I used the machine for the first time on Sunday, and while you would think that it's the same as at home, it's definitely not. For starters, the machine is much smaller than what I'm used to, which means that I can't do 3 weeks worth of laundry in one load. They don't use liquid detergent, they use powdered, and in addition to that, they also use chalk powder to remove metals. You then have to set the temperature (in Celsius, of course), and the time is automatic. An hour and a half later you take out your clothes and find space on the line, because no one in Denmark uses driers. I wasn't too happy when I found this out - I'm used to my jeans shrinking a little in the wash. Ask any girl how long they wait before washing a pair of jeans, and I'm sure they'll tell you the same thing - as long as it takes before the jeans get a little bit too baggy. Twenty four hours after that you've got a bunch of clean clothes to fold and put away - but here's the catch - they don't feel clean. As it turns out, that chalk powder sticks in a lot of fabrics after the clothes are rinsed off. The unfortunate thing about this, is that it seems cotton is the most affected by this chalk powder, meaning previously soft garments are no longer soft. I'll let you figure it out for yourselves what article of clothing would be made the most uncomfortable by this.
Danish people don't talk while using public transportation. Unless they're 13 year old girls riding the bus and giggling at every cute boy that they pass on the sidewalk, or balding business men on their cellphones, the commuters are fairly quiet people. Which means I stand out all the more when I'm having a conversation with my friends on the train - in English. A lot of times, people notice we're speaking English and start laughing. I haven't quite figured that one out yet.
I'm guessing if you could pick out the top 5 most important words to Danes, the word "hygge" would be on the list. The word is really hard to find an English translation for, and it's every study abroad student's secret goal to experience something that they can officially say defines the word. Loosely, the word mean comfort or coziness, but is always defined more in a situation than in synonyms. Imagine gathering your whole family together (Oh, but remember that's we're talking about Denmark, so you actually get along with your family. Just pretend if it isn't true.), inviting over a few close friends, and sitting all together in a room of comfy chairs and sofas, with doused lights and a fire lit. You spend the time eating, drinking, talking and enjoying each other's company. That's pretty much hygge. Since this is such an important part of the Danish culture, a lot of restaurants and cafes will advertise themselves as having hygge, and many stores will light candles and place them outside their doors. Which means that as you're walking around StrΓΈget you're likely to be surrounded by candles and heat rushing out from open doors. My favorite part of this hygge competition between businesses is what happens in more high-class cafes. You know how sitting outside and eating is one of the best feelings in the world? Well, the Danes agree, and are not going to be stopped from eating outside just because the weather is, well to be quite honest, awful. So they'll sit outside, under an umbrella (with a conveniently hidden heater), wrapped up in the cafe-provided fleece blanket, and enjoy a cup of coffee. Even if it is only 30 degrees outside.
Speaking of coffee, it turns out that enjoying a cup with some friends has recently become very popular here, and every other store seems to be a coffee shop. This sounds like it should be a fantastic situation for a caffeine craving student, but believe me, it's not, considering the fact that a (small)medium cup will easily cost you upwards of $10. Keep in mind that that price is for the traditional grab-and-go type of coffee - if you want the real Danish experience, you'll order a full pot (in a press pot, of course!) and spend hours chatting with your friends. It's basically what highschoolers in the US do because no where else is open past 9 (minus the frappachino part). Except in Denmark, they do it by choice! Oh, and did I mention - there's no Starbucks here! (Although I'd be willing to stake my life on the fact that there's one in Copenhagen airport - it makes the jittery business people feel at home.) The majority of coffee shops - and most shops for that matter - are privately owned. Unless you count the coffee shops that open and close down a few months later, I don't think I've ever experienced anything like this back at home. Really, the closest thing to a coffee chain they have here is a place called Baresso. I haven't tried it myself, but I've actually heard good things about the coffee and pastries they sell there, unlike the reviews Starbucks gets at home (To the reader: Please read the following in the most yuppie voice you can imagine. "I know Starbucks' coffee is awful, but God help me, I love it!" Cue rolling of the eyes.)
Now, on to some more social issues. You may know that Denmark pays absurdly high taxes. Basically, it's a progressive tax (Yes, I did have to look up what that meant, in addition to what the US tax system was so I'd know whether I should go into further detail. I would say that's kind of pathetic on my part, but really, I'm going to be a rich and famous doctor, and will easily be able to pay someone else to do my taxes for me. Ignorance problem not quite averted, but solved.) and the least amount of money (for all practical purposes) you can pay to the government in 47% of your income. If you earn more than around $47,000 a year, you have to add an extra 6% to the additional income, and if it's over around $57,000 you pay an extra 15% to the additional income (plus the 6% from the middle bracket). In short, you pay a lot of money to the government. However, everything health care related is free, including most prescriptions (dental isn't free however - and many Danes are quite angry about this.). In addition to that, education is free. All education - middle school, high school, and universities. Stop rubbing your eyes, cleaning your glasses and checking to see if the date is April 1st. Because really, the education is free. I know, the taxes are pretty high, so you may be wondering if you're essentially paying the same thing. I honestly don't know. What I do know, however, is that students receive a stipend from the state, and as a student, I find this quite exciting (despite the fact that I don't actually get it). The stipend is somewhere around $775 a month - so it really adds up. Although believe it or not, many Danish students think this is far too low, and are trying to get more. Clearly, they don't know how good they have it!
Right about now, I'm thinking about going over to the package my parents sent me and eating a few vanilla pretzels - which I wouldn't get the privilege of doing were it not for the thoughtfulness of my parents (Why yes, I am sucking up. Dear mom and dad - send more American food!). In all seriousness, unless you want to chow down on some black licorice, your choices of candy in Denmark are pretty slim. That's not to say there's not a good selection of chocolate and other candies, because there definitely is, but not in the same magnitude that you would find at home. Picture walking in to a typical candy store, with walls lines with buckets of candies and scoopers, all waiting for you to fill up that magical plastic bag which ends up costing you way more than you expected. Now, imagine all the candies replaced with licorice. Instead of a wall of different colored M&Ms, there's a wall of different colors of licorice. Instead of buckets of fruit, coffee beans and snack products covered in chocolate, there are buckets of black licorice covered in different flavors of colored sugar. The gummies are still there, except they've multiplied, quite literally, like rabbits (really, there are gummies shaped like everything - animals included.). And somewhere, maybe in a dusty corner, there's a small selection of chocolate products - luckily, Toblerone is always included in the mix. For those born and raised on licorice, there's plenty to choose from, including a Danish favorite, salty black licorice. This licorice comes in all kinds of strengths - and I'm not just talking about strength of the licorice, but strength of the salt as well. I'm told that the Harbio brand salty licorice, in combination with a bottle (notice that I said bottle, not can) of Coke, is the best hangover cure. Personally, I find the salty licorice so disgusting that I'd rather be hung over.
I'm really running out of steam on this entry, and I've already saved and continued about 3 times since I've started writing. So I'll leave you here, waiting eagerly I'm sure, to hear about my host sister's birthday on Monday. She's turning 13 (and quite excited about finally being a teenager). From what I hear, Danish birthdays are celebrated a little differently from those in the US, so I'm hoping I'll get a fun entry out of that. Maybe at some point I'll write about my short study tour to western Denmark last week (specifically, Odense, Aarhus, Skanderborg and Kuling), although it seems this blog has become more about commenting on Danish culture than on my personal exploits.
Hej hej! (Goodbye - not so fitting for a blog, but if I hadn't told you what it meant, you would have thought it fit in perfectly, wouldn't you?)
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