The Danes are not scary. In fact, every Dane I've met so far has been really nice.
And yet, I find that I'm kind of scared of them.
Mostly it's a language thing. I know almost all of them speak excellent English, but I feel guilty that I can't even attempt to speak to them in Danish. It's the constant fear of having to go up to a stranger and start with "I'm so sorry, I don't speak Danish... Is English okay?"
Unfortunately, Danish classes don't start until the fall, so this is a fear that I'm going to have to get past quickly if I intend to leave the apartment before September. Which I do.
Tomorrow, I will venture out and see how far I can get without getting lost and without making a complete ass out of myself. It's good to have goals.
In other news: Yesterday, we bought bikes. We took them for a ride out to a store called Jysk (pronounced "Yoosk") to look for fitted sheets for the new bed. I was reminded of the tendency for stores to close at 5pm in Europe, and we left with nothing.
That's another goal for tomorrow. Find fitted sheets.
So far, my life is full of mundane tasks that are all far more intimidating than they normally would be in America.
If you pretend you are a tourist, they are really really nice. Promise.
ReplyDeleteYou forget that some of the "Danes" may be folks from other countries, such as Holland. Biogen Idec had a number of Dutch folk head to Denmark when they relocated the plant. Don't apologize for not knowing the language. My Danish counterparts used to make fun of us when we attempted to say "Hillerood" correctly!
ReplyDeleteYou're funny. Remember "Hej" and "hi" are pronounced the same - so that's a good start. But I relate to how you feel. For a long time, and even now and then still, I feel like they know something that I don't. Some kind of secret code is passed between them when they speak. Especially references made to pop culture. A good humor-related bridge, I have found at least, is making references to Monty Python. Not all of them hit the mark 100%, but 80/20.
ReplyDeleteAlbatross!
Do not worry about the language: I experienced that if you try to speak Danish and you are not perfect (which is hard, right?), they switch to English. I find it a bit not nice as they are not willing to go that extra mile like: 'You are hurting my ears with your horrible attempts, but I appreciate you trying, so let's give that Danish conversation a go'. But at least it solves your language problem :-)
ReplyDeleteWelcome to town. I moved here in October. I blasted right into intensive Danish classes upon arrival. Let me know if you need some help on the ropes. I'm growing so much here (and not just from eating all the potatoes), but I definitely have days where I feel like a complete moron på dansk.
ReplyDeleteFor pointers on how to survive in Denmark as an American, you could contact Kelli Nørgaard, who is an American and has lived here for 4 years now and has her own blog here: http://www.madsandkelli.com/
ReplyDelete