January is famously a month for various resolutions and knee-jerk reactions following the booziest season of the year. Yet, as Danes we are never far from a good excuse to crack open a bottle, as we are both officially and historically a nation of big drinkers. Booze in the blood In her book ‘Den Danske…
We have never had better or faster access to information on health (or anything else for that matter) than we do now. Information overload Magazines, the TV entertainment screen at the doctor’s office, Instagram, Facebook, the news, endless blogs and vlogs, and the ever-infinite World Wide Web – the sources seem as varying in quality…
Returning to Denmark to live has given me some time to reflect on things that must really stand out if you are either a foreigner or visitor to Denmark. On the road 1/ Cup holders on bikes – yes, we use bicycles that much. Either this says something about how much time we actually spend…
As Easter is approaching it occurred to me how differently it is celebrated around the world. It’s yet another festive season originally rooted in religion – crucifixion, Lent and suchlike – which a lot of people clearly no longer relate to as they stuff their faces with chocolate, get legless on Easter brew and enjoy…
Perched on the deck of the world’s oldest fully-rigged sailing ship still in operation, I watch a bunch of 16 to 20-years-olds crawling like monkeys up the ship’s towering masts and through the rigging, setting the sails as we wave goodbye to the island of Bequia in the Caribbean Sea. Following a successful sail-powered exit…
Fresh from being roped into participating in a random, medieval-themed, open-air play on the island of Langeland – complete with live horses, evil brethren and noble king’s men – I am reminded of how frequently historical activities, particularly of the Middle Ages kind, are a part of everyday life in Denmark. Having lived in a…
So, my forever evolving journey as a ‘global citizen’ has yet again taken me north of the equator. This recent change has invoked fresh impressions of how utterly quickly and deeply your life can alter by simply changing your geographical location. I find this notion incredibly exhilarating. Life or university skills? Years ago when I…
Living 17,500 odd kilometres away from your birth country and close relatives, as I do, can make it challenging to see any positives about that distance: arduous long-haul flights, obnoxious time differences, a lack of regular catch-up time with loved ones, and quality time being replaced by Skype calls. Yet, as they say: everything comes…
Summer has landed! Kind of. When the Danish summer rolls out her red (albeit underused!) carpet – it really is incredibly lovely. Perfect mild temperatures. Of course there’s always the chance that the Danish summer only seems that much better because two weeks prior it was 10 degrees and hailing. Homegrown goodness Denmark produces some…
So, as summer is supposedly approaching in the Northern Hemisphere, winter is supposedly approaching in the Southern Hemisphere. It appears, though, that we are getting to a point where neither winter nor summer is anything like what they used to be – regardless of where in the world you reside. Heatwave … again Not many…
Twelve years ago, trends and social currents between countries appeared to have more variation. Information didn’t travel as fast as it does now, and it showed. I remember calling Denmark (via dial-up) from New Zealand in the early 2000s, laughing as I recounted how Kiwis didn’t rake up their garden leaves – they used a…
So, after years of living abroad, you decide to return ‘home’. You (and everyone else) assume this is going to be easy breezy because you are just going home, right? Only that years of living differently has most likely led to a fair bit of personal evolvement at your end. And nothing like ‘going home’…
