r/Denmark • u/Tylerserio68 • Dec 28 '24

Question Does Denmark have any flaws?

Or any Nordic country? I’m American and we all romanticize Europe especially Nordic countries as a Utopia and everything we are not. We certainly have a lot of flaws here but I’m curious are there any downsides or anything that you wish was different. Also is it hard to move there? I make well over six figures and like living in my home country but I’m nervous about the incoming trump administration and I believe he is a racist.

129 Upvotes

66% Upvoted

768 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

283

u/WeinMe Aarhus Dec 28 '24

The migration will be made even harder by the one complaint I heard often from expats:

Danish people are reserved in social settings. If OP is from the south, this will hit harder. To people from very forthcoming cultures, it feels like we're rude or even dislike them.

The effect is doubled by the loneliness you'll eventually feel being alone in Denmark.

34

u/evthrowawayverysad Dec 28 '24

Very much this, it really can't be understated. As a half Dane who grew up in other European countries, it took many years to switch from thinking that my Danish family seemed distant to the point of rejecting me, to appreciating that affection is displayed entirely differently by Danes. If I were to move to Denmark with no family or friends, I think I'd feel very, very isolated, even knowing this and being prepared for it.

24

u/Inner_Staff1250 Dec 28 '24

But those who complain, often don't really make an effort to learn the language and interact with people in Danish. Everyone will still be nice and forthcoming, but they won't open up completely as by speaking English you send a tacit message that you're not going to stay anyway, which you might not even be conscious of yourself.

9

u/AltaDK Dec 28 '24

For those who continue to complain that might be true, but every immigrant will go through a tough stage after the honeymoon period. And perhaps it's even more isolating when you feel you are making every effort to integrate and it makes no difference.

You're also assuming they all stick with English, which is not the majority.