Undskyld

I spent months reading & learning about this country that I would be calling home. In everything I read, there was an underlying theme: Danes are hard to befriend. Over & over I was made aware that this is a people that while FRIENDLY, they keep to themselves. "Oh they are polite...But hard to connect with". There is a "respect" for your personal space which is why strangers don't initiate conversations with you & why there is no such thing as small talk while standing in queue somewhere (ie waiting in line) or at a park or store or basically anywhere.

All that is fine and dandy. I can understand that....if it were true. But when someone bumps into you or cuts in line in front of you without so much as an excuse me, it's pretty safe to assume that your personal space is not being respected. Aside from my favorite word, tak (see previous post), one of the first words I learned was Undskyld (prounounced: Oon-Skl...kinda) which means Excuse Me. However, that is apparently not a word used too frequently around here.

Having spent almost 3 years living in the South where being polite is almost an art form, I find that the lack of common courtesy is almost appalling. As I venture about more & more & start to explore my new surroundings, I am finding plenty of things I like...but a few things I don't. And this happens to be one of them. For example, when I found a plastic wrapping in my pizza today at a restaurant today, it would have been nice to hear someone apologize as opposed to telling me that "It happens sometimes". I won't be going back since I prefer my pizza sans plastic.

Luckily for me, I spent almost 28 years living in Miami where politeness is almost as rare as here in Copenhagen. So, a warning to all Danes...Keep it up...Just keep it up....My Southern Charm is quickly melting & the Miami is about to come out. I'll push my way through w/ the best of them & I happen to have a little more to push around than most Danes...Oh yes, I know how to get to the front of the line. Don't underestimate me. ;-)