Is learning Danish necessary? This is a question every expat addresses even before coming to Denmark.
Moving to a new country will change your life forever. All the expats know this fact. It’s so evident that it doesn’t even have to be brought up. And all expats share something common. A truth. An unspoken dream. Some kind of modesty, specific for a person that has to accept a new reality and change himself to some extent in order to fit in. We love meeting Swap users. We love getting to know their stories. Seeing their ambition, their patience, their authenticity…. That’s the best fuel we could ask for!
Mhairi came to Denmark in 2007. She currently lives in Birkerød, and she was kind enough to share her Danish experience with us. After spending around 14 years in Denmark, she definitely has a loooot to share. Please fasten your belts cause we will be taking lots of turns discussing adapting to the Danish culture (cultural surprises included), learning the language, unemployment during Corona, and how to stay positive during these strange times.
So, let’s get started with the Danish culture, the one each expat sees, in the first place, through his own country’s cultural lenses.
I didn’t research much about Denmark beforehand, as my decision to come here was really spontaneous. So I didn’t know what to expect. I have been here on vacation several times before. So I thought that it is pretty much like Canada or the UK. At that time, the culture seemed very similar, so I thought I wouldn’t have any cultural shock. When I moved here, I started observing the deep-rooted traditions. It is not only about the language. It’s a good idea to learn also as much as possible about the culture. This will surely make you feel like you are part of the society.
Understanding what a country’s culture is about taking time, effort, patience, and luck. No matter how many years you live on land, there will always be small things to discover.
I’ve always felt that I don’t really fit in here, and that’s not a really comfortable feeling to be spending your life with when you don’t feel like a part of the regular society. This is another thing I would like to say about Swap Language. It is not only about learning the language. It’s also about being introduced to the culture and the traditions.
I have been learning with Swap language about stuff I didn’t know of, like Fastelavn. I thought it’s just some Halloween thing for the kids when actually, there’s so much more to it. It’s cool learning about these things at the same time you learn the language.
We asked Mhairi to share with us what surprised her the most about the Danish culture.
I have been a teacher for so long, teaching Internationals in Denmark, every single person has been saying the same. They are always shocked about the traditional Danish food, how heavy it is, the bread, and the meat included in every meal. At the same time, if you come from countries that regularly use spices and herbs, you will find the food here pretty monotonous.
The Danish food culture is a fascinating subject indeed. Just to make sure that we are all on the same page, let’s briefly introduce everyone to Danish cuisine basics. The traditional meals mainly consist of cabbage, root vegetables, rye bread, fish, and meat. The famous and so commonly met smørrebrød is an open-faced sandwich made of a slice of rye bread with a combination of various types of fish or meat, eggs, potatoes, and other vegetables.
Another meal worth mentioning is stegt flæsk, also considered the “national dish of Denmark”. It is made of crispy pork meat accompanied by parsley sauce and potatoes. Although a surprise to some of the expats at first, you gradually adapt to them and eventually grow to love them.
A language learning journey
The Danish language perhaps isn’t the language you heard somewhere, fell in love with it because of its musicality and decided to learn, like Spanish, Italian or French. And it is not one of the language top trends either. So, is learning Danish necessary? We surely know that knowing this language makes your stay on this beautiful land more comfortable and will facilitate your integration into society.
In the beginning, I thought that I don’t know if I am going to stay long in Denmark. So I thought- Why to learn a language that I cannot use literally anywhere else in the world?! And then, for those who work full time it is also a bit more complicated, as you have to go to the lessons in the evenings, after work. You usually end up telling yourself that you are too tired now and will do that next week. And then weeks turn into months, and months turn into years, and you understand that you have been here for the last ten years and still don’t speak the language.
Denmark- an English speaking country?
It is an unspoken truth that almost everyone in Denmark does speak English, which makes it possible for any expat to survive not knowing Danish.
I acknowledge that if I had come from another country and wouldn’t speak English, I would have learned the language way faster. You have to.
The way to learn Danish is going to be a bumpy road. Ups and downs, achievement and challenges, are all on the menu.
At this point in my learning journey, I feel a combination of optimism and frustration because I still feel it difficult to understand the Danes when speaking. I think this is a common problem for a lot of foreign people. You are taking all these courses, and you are like: Yes! I get it; I’m getting somewhere, I’m improving. And then you go outside, and people start talking to you, and you immediately feel really stupid.
It makes you want to give up because it’s frustrating not to communicate 100%. Simultaneously, it makes you feel like an illiterate person, as you cannot read everything and understand what’s going on. Another thing is that a lot of Danes do not pronounce whole words. And some of the accents are more complicated to understand, like the one in the area of Copenhagen. The pronunciation of the vowels can be extremely challenging, as you cannot always hear the difference.
Mhairi’s Swap experience
When deciding on the Danish lessons’ structure and content, we have in mind what an International in Denmark actually needs, what are the most common situations to be confronted and what cultural aspects are nice to know. We have in mind the eternal question “Is learning Danish necessary?” All that combined, of course, with lots of Vocabulary, Grammar, and Pronunciation. Join our next live lesson and taste all that first-hand.
At this point, I combine an FVU course with Swap lessons. The first lesson I saw was with Nicklas. He’s fantastic; he’s super enthusiastic. And I enjoy the life lessons with Vigdis too. Some people may see the ad and think that this service is more for teenagers and young people, but I’m afraid I disagree with that. It’s fun and lively and the total opposite of some alternative boring and tedious Danish classes. This is what Denmark needs.
The fact that I, myself, am a teacher makes me evaluate this from a pedagogical point of view too and see that the lessons are structured very well. For example, at the beginning of the class, you are first introduced to what you will learn today, after that to why you should know these things, and then you get the new words and phrases you will get in this lesson. It really responds to the way I learn.
Another thing is that in the traditional language classes, the lessons are a bit random. You enter the classroom and feel that you get the information that the teacher feels like sharing today. And if you miss a lesson, you are screwed. I like the fact that in Swap’s case, if you miss a live class, you can always catch up whenever you find the time for it. You know that the lessons are still there waiting for you. That’s why I give Swap language a 100% thumbs up.
Including Danish in the schedule
All good things take time. So does learning a language. Being in a position when you have a full-time job or a part-time job besides your studies and trying to adapt to a new country and build a new network can be overwhelming. And not everyone is ready or able to include learning Danish in their schedule.
At this point, I try to do at least one Swap lesson every day. Of course, it’s not a race, so you should never overload yourself. It doesn’t make sense to do three lessons in a row if you couldn’t retain half of the information.
In school, I did learn French, as kids in Canada are “forced” 🙂 to learn it. It’s hard to focus on the languages you are taught in school, as you always think: Who cares? I’m not going to use it anyways. Having that attitude, of course, doesn’t help you to learn any better or faster. Learning languages the old fashion way can be boring and tedious.
Some people can learn languages faster than others because of the way our brain is structured. It’s like learning anything. Some things appeal to some people, and some others don’t. I position myself as one of the people who struggle when learning a new language.
On how to stay positive
When learning languages, it is important not to be so hard on yourself. For some of us, it may take longer. Remember to notice every small improvement. We are all allowed to make mistakes, have small breaks, even slightly complain here and there, as long as we stay on track.
I’m thankfully a pretty positive person most of the time. That helps. I believe you are born either a positive or negative person, but I also believe that you can change your outlook on life yourself, but again circumstances happen, and they can change you. If you want to stay in this positive mind frame, you have to work on it daily.
She shared with us some of her rituals.
Going on a nice walk everyday works. During Corona times, even getting out of bed and taking a shower can be an accomplishment for some people. Speaking to someone who makes you smile every day, even if it’s not on the phone or in-person, maybe just texting them can help a lot.
Unemployment during Corona
Corona times are tough times from every perspective. We were all put in the position when we had to face and make changes in our lives overnight. Unemployment is also something a lot of people have to deal with. Since the first official shutdown on March 11, 2020, the number of dismissals has increased. The most affected remain to be the travel and hospitality one. Mhairi has to deal with the process of looking for a job during these complicated times too.
I work in the hospitality business, and it is so hard to find a job in this period of time, as this is one of the most affected industries. And it is stressful when you are going to an interview, and you are told that you are one of the six chosen to be interviewed out of 160 applicants. That is the new normal right now. For every open position in the hospitality business, there are a lot of applicants. That was shocking and a bit depressing for me because I also don’t speak fluent Danish yet.
I did think that maybe I should give up and go back to England, but I don’t want to do that. I do have a life here. I imagine how many people are there feeling this kind of sadness and futility. I guess many of the people who were in the hospitality business have changed their careers suddenly because they have to.
We wish Mhairi good luck with everything that she has in plan.
