Welp, Denmark is Different...

There are not surprisingly many differences between this small country in Scandinavia and the giant beasty I call home. In this post I would like to illuminate just a few of those glaring differences that I have noticed since I arrived in Denmark 10 days ago.

I would like to preface this post by saying: This is just my observation from my stay in Denmark to date. I don’t claim to have any superior knowledge of or mean to criticize Danish people or culture, etc. This is just what I have observed to be different (not better or worse) from the ways of my patriotic peers in the US of A.

#1 Kids Chillin’ Curbside

In Denmark it is not only legal, but commonly practiced, to leave your child on the street or alone while you (the adult/parent) do your thing. Danish parents will legitimately eat dinner in a café while their child waits outside occupied by a toy or on a playground. (Subsequently there are a lot of little playgrounds next to cafés). This is not at all unsafe in the country of Denmark, kidnappings are almost never, and society has just become accustomed to curbside children. But let’s be clear on one thing, dogs are taken INTO the café to eat with the family. One would never tie their dog up outside while they eat! Just the kids. There are actually documented cases of Danish families visiting New York City and trying to leave their children outside while they eat lunch and NYPD has had to tell these trusting Danes that you cannot in fact leave your toddler on the streets of NYC while you and your husband enjoy your meal.

Parents will also leave their children in line in the grocery store while they go to grab something back real quick. And I’m not talking 7-year-olds, I mean toddlers. Eighteen month olds who cannot talk yet. Said toddlers will be left alone in the grocery line for a solid 30 second to a minute just chillin’ waiting for mom to go get that extra can of beans. And the kid won’t at all look phased.

When they age a few years, children graduate to using public transportation. It is not uncommon for a group of kids (around 10-15 tykes) to be riding the bus or the metro together with only one or two teachers/guardians watching them. The bell will ring signaling they have reached their destination and the teacher will say, “Ok, everybody off the metro!” and the band of 4-year-olds will all grab hands and get off the metro with their watchers quite a few feet behind them, not in reaching distance of the kids, overseeing they have all made it off.

Another difference is that children are responsible for resolving their own conflict. If two children are fighting over a toy. Parents will sit back and say, “You have a problem with little Yakob, you two figure it out.” and as two youngsters fight to the death over a stuffed bear (probably named Rasmus), the parents just sit back and let them go at it.

Unbelievable to most Americans, I assure you I have seen all four of these things with my own eyes. That being said, I live in a very young community here on Amar, and island outside the City Center, and I have to say, considering the number of children that live in my building (it’s probably in the hundreds) I have NEVER once seen a child cry, throw a tantrum, heard a child screaming at night, or seen a parent yell at their son or daughter.

I gotta be honest…the Danes might be onto something here. There kids are immaculately behaved, responsible, and totally capable of occupying themselves for substantial periods of time.

#2 Danes tell it like it is…but really.

The Danish do not believe in false compliments in any way shape or form. It is not at all that the Danish aren’t friendly, they are extremely so. But at the same time their language is very complicated, and they don’t waste their time buffering what they have to say with pleasant small talk. Whereas Americans might approach a touchy subject with a sandwich statement:

Bread #1 “I do like the color of the dress,”

Meat “But I’m sure it‘s the right cut for you,”

Bread #2 “That’s just my opinion, if you like it you should buy it!”

Danes would get to the point and say: “That dress does not flatter your figure.”

The Danish often see American sandwich talk as over-friendly and fake, (which let’s be honest it kind of is) and prefer to stick to the point. This is also true of any sort of satire, sarcasm, or insults. Free-speech is un-harnessed here and that means that any sort of political, religious, economic, or environmental ideology is up for mockery. Where Americans tend to try and insult no one and be totally politically correct 24/7, the Danes opt for a different sort of inclusion, where they joke around with everyone.

Those are some of the big things, but here’s a list of some of the little things I’m just going to rattle off but they don’t really need an explanation. Some of these things are European and not specifically Danish but still different from ‘murica.

#3 Drinking age is 16..so kids start drinking around 14...and have a handle on their alcohol and can drink 20 year old Americans under the table around age 15.

#4 There are showers are in a lot of public bathrooms (reasoning: unknown).

#5 Danes don’t touch each other. Not during conversation, or when getting someone’s attention in line at the pharmacy, or when trying to get through a crowd, they just say “excuse me”, they don’t tap you on the shoulder. If you tap someone on the shoulder to get their attention, or pat them on the back or touch their arm during conversation, they will look at you like you’re weird.

#6 Walking in the bike lane is on par with kicking someone’s puppy.

#7 Danish students cook legitimate meals in their kitchens, like homemade stir fry and quiches, no ramen over here.

#8 There are pictures of naked people in public. I.e. art, advertisements, or even actual naked people if you’re at the beach.


Nothing like a culture shock to make you think about where you come from and why it is you value what you value, I would definitely recommend it!