Lots of Differences....

Some things are similar to the US here, but most things are very different.

Absolute biggest difference: There's somewhere around 18 hours of daylight here! It starts getting light at about 4:30am, is completely light by 6am until 10pm and it's not completely dark until about 10:45pm or so. That's not the official sunrise and sunset times, but that's when it's light out. Needless to say it's wreaked havoc on my sleep schedule... add to insult to injury my window faces east. Forget about sleeping in!

Following are some of the other big differences:

1. There is no ice here; you can't even buy it at the grocery store or at gas stations. That's the number one thing I miss for sure (aside from people and Chief of course).

2. There's no AC anywhere. Although you wouldn't need it where I am, south of here I'm sure it's miserable. There's also not screens on windows which is a little annoying.

3. Deodorant isn't exactly considered a necessity

4. Almost everybody (at least 90% of the population according to statistics) owns a bike. There's at least one bike per car on the road, and every single street has a bike lane as well as a sidewalk.

5. Cars are tiny. Gas is expensive (about $3 per litre = about $12/gallon) and in Denmark there's a 25% value added tax as well as 60-63% of the market price to register your car. Adding to the expense, I have yet to see a place where parking is free.

6. Plastic bags aren't free. You have to pay for them almost everywhere. So when I see free ones, I grab a few. They don't last long when you're hauling them full of groceries long distances.

7. People are a lot more friendly than I was expecting. It's not unusual for a complete stranger to sit down next to you at a cafe and strike up a conversation.

8. The bills of currency are in different lengths which makes it easier to pick out which bill you want.

9. The coins are different colors, shapes and sizes.

10. Everything is VERY organized especially when it comes to waiting. There are little things where you pull a ticket and you wait until your number is called. They're everywhere, from the post office to the library to the train station. I'm surprised I haven't seen them in a grocery store yet.

11. It's not unusual for men to be pushing baby prams around especially if they're with their wife/significant other. I've also seen multiple guys out by themselves with their babies. Definitely not a common thing in the US. I think that's one of my favorite things I've seen as far as culture goes.

12. People aren't shouting into their cell phones or texting all the time in public.

13. Forget about Walmart or Target. Shops are small and are rarely open before 10am and almost always close at 5pm. It makes shopping more fun but sometimes I wish there was a one-stop shop, especially when the stores aren't close together.

14. I have yet to see more than one or two flavors of ice cream in a grocery store. I've seen it in small candy shops and 7-11s (yes, they have them here, just not as a gas station) but that's it and only in small containers or as popsicle type things. I should've bought the mini Ben and Jerry's at the 7-11 when I had the chance...

So there you have it. Some of the obvious differences I've experienced so far.

Med venlig hilsen / best wishes


Yes.. that's pretty much the extent of my Danish skills. I've finally learned how to pronounce my street name (Snogebaeksvej) and a couple others though which is a big accomplishment! I've got the bus stop announcements to thank for that.

Check back in a couple of days.. I've got some exciting things coming up!