Are the Danes as Illusive as We Think?

By Caitlin Birkholz, Foster Undergraduate who participated in an exchange with Copenhagen Business School (CBS)

The quick answer is: No!

My biggest fear when moving to Denmark was: will the Danes be as distant and hard to befriend as I had heard. In every way this was not the case. On the surface, Danes appear to be very aloof. As you walk down the street no one will look directly at you, everyone stands a foot away from one another and they are all dressed in layers of black. However, I quickly learned once those layers come off, the Danes are some of the friendliest people in the world.

My first day of class a Danish girl sat down next to me, I introduced myself and within minutes she was offering to add me on Facebook and help me find cheap used books from fellow Danish students. She was quiet, but extremely willing to help. This became a theme I picked up on. Sitting in bars, I could ask a stranger, “what’s your favorite cocktail?” and end up with a new friend, riding the bus I could ask, “how do I get to the national museum?” and end up with a city tour guide. Danes are proud of their country and love to show it off, but they are also shy.

If I can offer any advice on making friends in Denmark it is to make the first move. Everything that follows will be a piece of cake!