Why bury the headline? I learned the other day that 70% of Danish people cheat on their partners. The same source also tells me 1 in 20 children are being raised by someone they think is their biological parent but is not. Apparently a good portion of this extra-curricular activity takes place during the holidays, which the Danes celebrate with vigor. Scheduling starts in October and you can expect to have multiple holiday meals with your friends, co-workers, and your family. Office parties are notorious for a little fun on the side, should one be so inclined. Supposedly Vegas got their saying from Danish office parties.
The Danes are the second tallest people in the world after the Dutch. Men in the Netherlands stand an average (yes, average) of 6'2" while men in Denmark stand an average of 6' even. American men in comparison stand an average of 5'9". My bed, while a single, is the longest bed I've ever slept in. And the toilets? My feet don't touch the floor. Its hard to be 5'4" in Denmark. Don't even get me started on buying pants...
Speaking of toilets, many of them are co-ed. In a small doctor's office where there is a single bathroom, this is, for an American, expected. I was surprised, though, to find it the case on campus as well. When you open the bathroom door, you enter a vestibule with sinks and mirrors and several more doors. Each inner door closes off its own room with a toilet, mirror, sink, and hand dryer. Totally fine if you have this knowledge going in. A little shocking if you think you've walked into the ladies' room only to see two guys primping in front of the mirror.
Men and their hair! Men here can spend hours and whole bottles of hair product getting ready in the morning. It must look like they care too much and not one bit, all at the same time. Some guys wear it short, others a little longer, always neat. By contrast, there is only one acceptable women's hair style in Denmark - up and sloppy. Women don't use hair spray or curing irons or even blow driers it would seem. And after a week of riding my bike through the city, I completely understand why. Unless you have a short, shellacked do, its never going to stand up to the wind & rain you're likely to experience on your morning bike ride to work.
Ah, the bikes. This will have to be a post all its own. Or, more likely, a 12 part series.
Money. The unit of currency is the Kroner, or crown. There are 100 ore, or ears, in a kroner. There are 50 ore coins as well as 1, 2, 5, 10, and 20 kroner coins. There are 50, 100, 200, 500, and 1000 kroner bills, each a different sized rectangle. So how do I buy a box of cereal that costs 29.95 kr? I have two options. If I pay with coins, the amount is rounded up to 30 kr. If I pay with a credit or debit card, the amount charged is exactly 29.95. A little odd, yes, but think about gas signs in the US. A gallon costs $3.89 and 9/10ths.
And taxes are included with all prices advertised. If I'm in the supermarket and I see a box of tea for 17 kr, I know that's what I'm paying. If I only have 100 kr on me, I can add all the items in my basket in my head and know I'm going to have enough cash. Several of my classmates were stunned to learn this is not how it works in the US. They all focused on one point - "So, you go to the store and the price on the shelf is not the price you pay? How do you know they're not cheating you?" I tried to explain that its all automated, it has to be considering each category of product can have its own tax rate. But they still thought it was a complete scam. And then a Canadian brought up paying less for things when you have cash vs. credit card, or negotiating price with smaller shops and that's when the Portuguese accountant's head exploded.
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