Brushing your teeth, emptying the dishwasher or having sex with a stranger are all banal activities in the lives of Danish singles, but the latter can be quite a confusing experience for inbounding expats. My Moroccan male friend is one of them. On his first night out in the city, he was approached by an…
The moment when the end of the date gets too real: the bill arrives! Waking up to the bill Jennifer from the US was smitten by her newly met, cute Danish hulk until she went for a few drinks with him and his friends. The night was hygge and fun, but the morning got cold…
Have you ever let your friends play with your Tinder account? JUST DON’T! Especially, if they send things like “Hey handsome! Want to come over and have some fun?” Most guys would get super pleased receiving that message, but I’ve found that some Danish men can get caught up in logistics because you’re 30 minutes…
Online dating apps … we hate them, yet we can’t live without them. Caught in a circleThe day you download and start using the app often yields results: whether it’s a few chats or even some actual dates. But inevitably you get disappointed, and in one click you’re off the app again. Forgotten. Then some…
It was summer 2016 when I moved to Copenhagen. And as soon as the plane landed at the airport, I rushed my way through to join my beloved non-Danish boyfriend. But in the few moments I stood waiting for my luggage, my vision got utterly compromised. It was as if I’d been struck by the…
Surely the perfect appertiser for Great Prayer Day
A while ago I read the most enlightening article on dating Scandinavians. According to the author, I’m meant to get drunk, not expect the guy to pay the bill, not expect him to flirt with me or ask me out, and be okay with him being rather impolite, introverted and extremely slow on the uptake.…
You know that exciting phase when you initially get to know someone. The first time you go out it’s a blast, so you do it a second time and it’s even better and then … If I was a writing this story in a New Zealand context, it would end with: “You go out together…
Not long ago, a TV journalist posed the following question on a couple of Danish expat websites: “What’s it like dating Danes?” So I took a look at the comments you made and thought I’d add my five cents in the hope that I can encourage you all to ‘hang in there’ when you’re ready…
Danes hate small talk. It’s a fact. You can disagree with me on this, but it’s unlikely I’ll change my position. I think they find it a similar experience to pulling teeth. It goes against every fibre of their ‘authentic’ being to appear interested in mundane chat. They’d rather just cut to the chase. It’s…
I come from a land of simple people. We don’t overcomplicate life. Our ‘yes’ means yes, our ‘no’ means no, and complexity within the realm of dating is something to be avoided at all costs. So when I came to Denmark, I was perplexed to enter a world where relations between the sexes are so…
Three months ago I bought the nicest pair of stilettos I’d ever seen. I knew full well I’d be the only one within a 30km radius wearing them. But as a foreigner, I’m not bound by the conformist Danish dress code, so I went ahead and wore them anyway. And I’m glad I did.…
