Watch the videos: Danish culture decoded

In a new ‘Crash Course in Danish Culture’ video series, University of Copenhagen graduate, expat in Copenhagen, and travel writer Alex Berger, shares his insights on how to get the most of your interactions with the Danes and Denmark. He has made the observations through more than three years living, studying, and working among the Danes.

“If you’re Danish you’ll hopefully find this series interesting, a bit informative, and not too outlandishly offensive,” he says, adding “if you’re a foreigner coming to Denmark, I hope this helps you build upon observations and insights the rest of us had to find out the hard way.”

Topics include the Danish approach to nudity, how to make Danish friends, how to meet Danes, Danish manners, and even a look at Janteloven [‘the tall poppy syndrome’, ed.].

He introduces the series here:

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RjRi-xXlJc&index=1&list=PLYhfDSDaZurBoamfv4_5QM3CXWGC8il2S width:532 height:424 align:center]

Alex, an American from Phoenix, Arizona, has his take on Danish bike rage here:

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJSg63syA0Y width:532 height:424 align:center]

The proverbial Danish rudeness is also discussed. Danes will bump into you in passing, but often fail to apologize or comment.

“While this obviously depends on the severity of the accidental bump, it is something I’ve heard commented on repeatedly. But, is it actually due to rudeness or a cultural difference? In this video I explore the Danish approach to efficiency and how that shapes the need to (or not to) apologize after a mild street collision.”

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8rbKOx_z54 width:532 height:424 align:center]

Perhaps the most common question among recently arrived internationals in Denmark is, “How do I meet Danes?”, Alex Berger writes.

He offers suggestions on building Danish friendships. They can, he says, at times require an entirely different approach than you may be familiar with in your home culture.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdVpYLebOQo width:532 height:424 align:center]

Stay tuned. Alex says to the University Post that he has 16 pre-recorded and will be adding 1-2 per week. So, these seven are less than half of the total series.

From this link you can get into the whole series on YouTube.

universitypost@adm.ku.dk

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