I asked previously about Sweden and Denmark, due to two job possibilities. Now, it’s been decided: I’ll be moving to Aarhus, Denmark.
I’m still interested in hearing about Scandinavia (Denmark in particular), and Americans who’ve lived in Europe (Scandinavia in particular). This is also the place to offer me advice.
I’ve never been there, but bring me back a Danish.
No prob, I can do that.
That’s one thing I’m really excited about: the breakfasts should be awesome. Actually, when I visited Sweden, breakfast seemed really wierd (to an American). My B&B had salami sandwiches with tomatoes, cucumbers, and green peppers. And they had soft boiled eggs. And they had “caviar” (actually, it tasted like lox or some other salmon paste) in a tube, like toothpaste. I wasn’t sure what to do with it, except maybe apply it to my teeth with a brush.
Here are a couple of links to articles pointing out what the (Danish) author views as some of the less rosy aspects of Denmark’s economic structure. Not posting them because I’m anti-Danish myself in any way or trying to splash cold water on your plans to move there, they simply happened to come to mind when you said you were interested in hearing about the country.
Where are you going to be working ?
Advice, hmmm… A good place to spend a sunny afternoon is at an outdoors table at one of the cafes down by the creek. The beers are expensive, the ambience great, the peoplewatching exquisite. A better place is at Moesgaard Strand (Strand=Beach) or walking in Marselisborg Skov. In winter, a good place to be is at home. With a book. Unless you really have thing for cold rain and fog 
The library is quite good and has a rather decent section for foreign languages, as do most bookstroes. The Opera House is pretty well renowned, the new art musuem (that I haven’t even seen yet) is supposed to be pretty darn impressive, too. You’ll want to have a bicycle for summer and a bus pass for winter. Cars and gas are extremely expensive in Denmark. The airport is - for some reason - 40 miles away.
The Hash House Harriers (Drinking club with a running problem) is a great way to meet both other expats and some of the friendlier locals. They may seem a little - ehm - over the top? - at first, but they’re really nice people. http://www.ah3.dk/
So, what do you want to know ?
I am so jealous, that’s a part of the world I’ve long wanted to see.
I have no idea what you do—but do you need an assistant?
Second the jealousy. burundi and I went to Denmark last year and fell in love with the country; we dream about opening a burrito shop there one day.
Daniel
Then it’s really good to meet you, Norman. I’d love to ask you more specific questions. I will not be moving until January, so I’m more worried right now about getting rid of my house and car and preparing myself to leave.
One thing that does concern us right now is what we can find for my wife to do. She has a Master’s degree in English Literature, and can write very well. She should be able to obtain a work permit before we go. Neither of us speaks Danish, but we plan to learn (I suspect I’m a little old be able to learn a new language easily).
I’ll be working at DAIMI, the Computer Science Department of the University of Aarhus.
I’ll be writing my PhD dissertation in Computer Science. I’m not sure if an editor with your flair would be totally appreciated by my audience, Eve.
I’d better start by saying that Aarhus is my old home town, these days I’m terrorizing Los Angeles.
DAIMI is supposed to be a very nice place - a lot of my teachers at the IT School I went to graduated from there. They had no technique for teaching, but their enthusiasm for computer science shone through to a degree that everyone was caught up in it.
Learning Danish is - from what I’ve been told - a hard nut to crack. Most Danes will probably say how much they appreciate the effort you’ve put into it, and then switch to English.
As for your wife - hard one. While most Danes do speak and understand English pretty well, someone with a Master’s degree in English Lit is probably operating on a more refined level than can be readily appreciated. The obvious idea would be to ask about teaching/tutoring at he English department at Aarhus University, or perhaps the Aarhus Business College ? Get in touch with the other universities, too. No city in Denmark is more than 3 hours away.
Moving in January ? You’ll have a tough few months when you arrive - short days, long nights and bad weather. Lots of time for academic work, that’s for sure. (The winters are why Scandinavians kill themselves.) Still, if there’s a bit of snowfall, the Marselisborg Forests are great for a walk - and then, just before your ears freeze off, hit the little inn at “Skovmøllen” for hot cocoa. And May and June are absolutely wonderful.
You’ll have a great time.
But I can punch it up, and add jokes!
Ooh, lovely.
I’ll tell you about learning the language, from an English speaker’s perspective. Luckily for you, the grammar and vocabulary is relatively easy for an English speaker to learn. Punctuation-wise, remember that Danish uses far more commas than English does.
The pronunciation, however, is likely going to be difficult for you. Danish has a lot of vowel-y sounds–three extra offical vowels, and G’s are usually silent, R’s are back in the throat, and D’s are a different sort of ‘th’ sound. It will probably be hard for you to differentiate between certain vowel sounds, both in hearing them and in pronouncing them yourself.
It will be hard to hear the difference between ‘u’ and ‘y’–get a native speaker to show you in person. I don’t know how to get the character to show, but the ‘o’ with a slash through it will be hardest to pronounce.
If you want to learn Danish, don’t let people speak English with you all the time-- and they will. It will be far too easy for you not to learn Danish, especially once people get in the habit of automatically speaking English to you.
Important tip: don’t say you can (or can’t) ski. Say that you can stand on skis. Especially, do not say this to elderly people. 
Oooo. Jealous three. Congrats, Newton meter
dangermom Could you explain the ski thing?
OOooOo, had that in Germany, [ok, the salmon one and the caviar one - I don’t like herring which was the 3d kind] and loved it smeared on my wasa rye crispbread for breakfast. I would usually make one crispbread of each, have a couple hard boiled eggs, some small sausages, a glass of orange juice, my coffee and a handfull of strawberries…
You should like it there. According to Crosby, Stills, and Nash, Aarhus is a very, very, very fine house.
omg, Finagle It took a while before the quarter dropped. hehehehehe 
This made me giggle more than anything else I’ve read on the boards in months. God, I love corny puns!
Daniel
Yes, I can certainly commute by bicycle and bus. Not having (or needing) a car will be refreshing.
That’s what I’ve heard. My co-worker’s wife is Finnish with degrees in Swedish and German. She claims that speaking Danish is like speaking Swedish with a burnt tongue. I’ve also heard that, though Danish language classes for immigrants are free, they take a lot of time, at least initially. See, I’m trying to use a lot of commas, but I still don’t know if I have enough, yet.
Yes. Several people warned me about the winters, and my reply was that they couldn’t be much worse than in Minnesota. No, I was told, it’s the darkness, not the weather. Aarhus seems to be at the same latitude as Edinburgh and Glasgow, though, and I don’t hear the Scots complaining as much. Or Edmonton, Canada, and Juneau, Alaska.
I think I will have a very great time. I don’t think I could have gone back to graduate school full time if it were in the U.S. The pay cut and the hard work wouldn’t have been worth it. But to live and work in Europe? I’m there.
Enjoy some flugel mit mugel (berries with cream). And don’t worry about learning Danish that much. While you may never get the pronunciation of certain vowels exactly correct, you’ll be more than close enough for people to understand you through your accent.
My grandfather was from further south-- Mogeltonder-- but all of mainland Denmark is really nice. Take advantage of being close enough to the rest of Europe to visit, and take a ferry to Oslo in the spring.