Being Danish Means Never Having to Say You're Sorry

Q: How do you say "excuse me" in Danish?
A: You don't. If you need to get past someone you just push them out of your way.

Americans notice it early on. Richmonders notice it the moment they step off the plane. People here are so rude! They aren't, of course, but that's how it seems before you understand the culture. Danes simply go about their business without acknowledging the incidental contact that is part of everyday life.

If one needs to get from point A to point B and person C is in the way, one uses one's hand to move person C to non-linear point D and then one proceeds to point B. No need to say "excuse me". The same goes when you accidentally bump someone while trying to squeeze past. It is understood that the bump was unintentional, so why bother saying "sorry"? It is a waste of everyone's time.

For the first few days it was pretty jarring, but then one day I realized how much I enjoyed this custom. Frankly, it is liberating. Why do Americans feel compelled to say "excuse me" dozens of time each day? Awkward smiles accompanied by "I'm sorry, but I need to get by". Are we really sorry? No! We just need to get down the street and go about our business. Let's not make a federal case of it.

I've brought this mindset with me back to the States, but I can already feel it fading. A few more trips to uber-friendly Ukrops and I am afraid I'll lose it completely. But until then I plan to do some serious shoving, so watch out... I need to get over there and I'm not sorry.

Day 2 - Sunday: Touring the City / Meeting our Hosts

Before taking the tour of the city, I had to check out of my room at the Ascot Hotel and into the Ascot Apartments down the street. Two friends from class, Brian and "Hans", were coming into town that day and we'd agreed to share living quarters. With a separate bedroom, multiple beds, a fold-out couch, dining room and kitchen, the apartment was a much better arrangement. Heck, it was a swanky American bachelor pad. Plus, it was conveniently located between a small grocery store and the Wonder Bar. What kind of establishment is the Wonder Bar, you ask? Exactly the kind of establishment you think it is. More on that later.

The bus tour took us to ornate government buildings, former sailor-friendly red light districts (Nyhavn), the new opera house, the Royal Palace, the Little Mermaid statue, and as I mentioned earlier, the area where the riots took place. I'll skip the details, but for those who would like to see pictures and a few comments click here.

After a brief break, it was time to meet our hosts at Denmark's International Study program (DIS). Everyone was gracious and excited to have us there. Typical exchange students are of the 18-22 variety, so we were a change of pace for them in a good way. 18-year-olds have ways of getting into trouble that adults with careers can't even contemplate, so it was a chance for the folks at DIS to relax and get to know us. Had they seen our group operate back on The Corner in Charlottesville they might not have been so at ease...

A few speeches were made, food and drinks were served, and everyone had a great time. Photo documentary evidence of said good time can be found here. Be sure to note the first of many photos involving our Dean in a compromising position.

Copenhagen in Flames!

Just a week or so before we left the states, international news outlets began breathlessly reporting violent riots in Copenhagen. They took place a few miles from my hotel, in an area popular with immigrants and left-wing types (to be left-wing in Denmark pretty much means to be an anarchist). In other words, those not as tightly integrated with the rather rigid Danish culture. You can read all about the riots here, but I'll give you the account we got from our tour guide and hosts.

For years, an abandoned house in Copenhagen was used by a few hundred people as a "youth center". The building was sold a few years back but the owners let the center continue to operate free of charge. The owners finally decided to put the building to use and asked the occupants to leave. When the occupants refused, the owners offered to buy a new house nearby for the youths to occupy. That didn't suit the anarchists, who did not want to live in any house that had been acquired through commerce... it had to be given up free and clear. At this point the government decided that the owners had a perfect right to use the building as they saw fit, and had even gone out of their way to help the occupants find new housing. The police were called in to execute an eviction and demonstrations began.

According to the accounts we heard, Danish society was supportive of the occupants... at first. Denmark has a ridiculously comprehensive social welfare system and the general consensus was that it is good for young people to have a place to be young and bohemian. Public opinion wavered when they refused to occupy another free house because it had changed hands as commerce.

An interesting anecdote: At one point, when the young people were surrounded by police barricades and demonstrating, the police contacted the lead organizers by phone. How could they, the police, help the protesters get their message out to the world? The protesters said they would like to be filmed crossing the barricades defiantly. The police agreed and the students were filmed crossing the barricades and advancing a few meters. After that, they returned to the confines of the barricades. The cooperative environment in Denmark is truly something to behold. Above all, they treasure conflict resolution and it can be seen in all areas of society.

Unfortunately, the demonstrations got out of hand and the results are what made the news. The impression we got from everyone we spoke to was that the behavior of the demonstrators was very un-Danish. Why wouldn't they negotiate? Everyone was bewildered. It was interesting to see orderly and rational people attempt to understand people who demand the protection and benefits of society but will not contribute to or cooperate with it.


Our tour bus took a detour through the streets where the riot took place. The above picture is a little blurry, but you can see the graffiti all along the walls. Burn marks were still visible on parts of the pavement where cars had been set afire, but other than that things seemed to be back to normal.

Day 1 - Saturday: Arrival

I flew Richmond to Copenhagen via Newark without a problem. As luck would have it, my classmate Chris and his wife were seated next to me so I had someone to talk to when we weren't sleeping or watching the movie. Unfortunately, the in-flight movie was Bandidas, which will make the most seasoned traveller reach for the Sky Mall magazine. 11 hours and 4 Tylenol PMs after takeoff, we were on the ground in Copenhagen, collecting our bags and looking for a taxi.

Chris and his wife went to the Marriott but I opted for the Ascot Hotel, which was closer to the center of town and had a lot of local flavor. Too early to check in, I dropped off my bags and went out to explore the city.

The first thing that caught my attention was how cars, bikes, and pedestrians all moved together without incident. Each had their own stoplights and each followed them explicitly. Cars stayed in their lanes, bikers (and there were hundreds of them) stayed in theirs, and pedestrians crossed at the crosswalks and didn't jaywalk. Ever.

Thanks to my girlfriend, Elizabeth, who thought ahead and surprised me with 500 Krone before I left, I was able to pay cash for lunch. An American Dollar will get you about 5.6 Krone, so doing accurate conversion in your head with a waiter standing over your shoulder is practically impossible. It was to be a recurring problem throughout the trip.

Since we landed at 8am local time, I'd vowed to stay awake the entire day to get acclimated to the new time zone. There were people everywhere, walking, biking, shopping, and I wanted to take it all in. At this time it should be pointed out that Copenhagen is home to Carlsberg brewery and drinking at lunch is totally acceptable. The nap came shortly after check-in.

That night we were shameful Americans and ate at the Hard Rock Cafe, which is around the corner from the Ascot. After dinner Chas, Vance, and I split off from the group and wandered around a few bars until we were ready to call it a night. Sunday the entire group was to take a bus tour of the city and have a reception with our local hosts, so we wanted to be ready.

Tomorrow's post: Copenhagen in Flames!

Denmark: A Little Background

You can find everything you could possibly want to know about Denmark here, so I'll spare you the details and give you the Cliff's Notes version. Denmark is a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy, meaning the royalty has no power but remains the head of state. It has been a member of the EU since 1973 but rejected the Euro in favor of its own currency, the Danish Krone. Size-wise it is about as big as Massachusetts, with a population of around 5.5 million. Despite an eye-popping tax rate of 38% - 60%, Denmark has one of the best economies in Europe (one of the reasons we chose this country). Copenhagen is its capital and largest city.

Stay awake, folks... we're almost done.

The city of Copenhagen began as a small fishing village about 1,100 years ago. As it evolved, it grew in importance and was fortified (many of those fortifications are still visible today, but within the current city limits) and became a major center of commerce. The name Copenhagen, in fact, comes from the words "harbor" ("havn") and the Danish word for "commerce". Present day Copenhagen is home to about 1.2 million people, all of them apparently owning identical bicycles.

Okay, we've got that part of it out of the way. I promise that's about as dry as these posts are going to get*.

* Non-binding

2007 UVA International Executive Program: Copenhagen, Denmark

I am finishing up a Master of Science Degree in Managing Information Technology at the University of Virginia's McIntire School of Commerce. This year, for the first time, they offered an optional International Executive program in Copenhagen, Denmark. Our chance to travel overseas and learn how our European IT counterparts manage Innovation and Globalization in the new "flat world" economy.

This blog will chronicle my daily experiences but will be mercifully light on the classroom details (you're welcome). Much of the work was outside of the classroom anyway, as you'll read. The Danish culture is not at all what I expected, and we'll get into that as well.

Keep checking back as I plan to add entries every day. If you have any questions just post a comment and I'll be glad to answer them.

Thanks for reading!