by Joel Aufrecht 05:54 PM, 22 Jul 2004
Someone moving to Denmark this fall asked me for tips, so I've written up a list based on what worked, didn't work, or was starting to work for me in my year in Copenhagen. The key problems I experienced as a foreigner in Denmark were isolation and, to a lesser extent, alienation. I think I could have done a better job of it.
  1. Learn Danish. Start as soon as possible. Study on your own. Learn vocabulary.
  2. Learn Danish. Don't worry about pronunciation - you'll be completely wrong until you get into school. Try to do the level 1 class at KISS because it focuses on some subtleties of sound creation that you will almost certainly never acquire without instruction.
  3. Learn Danish. Go to school as much as you can. It's free if you have a CPR number. Avoid KISS unless you thrive under pressure.
  4. Make sure that the first words out of your mouth to any Dane are always Danish.
  5. Bring your own stuff. Look around your house - anything you are going to need over there you will probably have to buy, and it will cost more there.
  6. Read the newspaper. Use it to learn written Danish before you go. My unawareness of local Danish news contributed to the feeling of living in a vacuum.
  7. Watch Danish TV and listen to Danish radio. I didn't do this; the cost of forgoing so many hours of ear training exceeded the savings on the TV tax.
  8. Go to expat meetings. Meetup.com is one source. You need to make in-the-flesh friends, and network.
  9. Spend some time there in the summer so that you have a positive mental image to hold on to the other eleven months.
  10. Learn Danish.
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