Homogenization

Denmark is the land where homogenization is prized. You can stand out, but just not too much. If you are a foreigner, you stand out no matter what you do, and this means taking your lumps from time to time. But there is one thing that unites us all, all of us living in Denmark, at least. It even unites Copenhageners with Jutlanders (this, you may not know, is a miracle)! It is the weather. Foreigners will immediately notice that it's cold and dark and wet here in the winter and that it's rather miserable. They may not want to mention it, because they don't want to offend or hear the dreaded words "well, why don't you leave then?" But hear me now: all Danes hate the weather in the winter. Their collective dislike of January-March binds this country together in shared misery. It's sort of a comfort to me, really, to know that we all hate it, foreigners and Danes alike. It gives us common ground and something to complain about. Want to chat up a Dane? Start with "you know, the only thing I don't like about Denmark is the cold, dark, and wet months."

Things that I notice about these months:
Do not expect to see any happy Danes. Do not expect anyone to help you during these months. Expect everyone to be shorter tempered and less friendly (even if you don't find Danes friendly in the first place, it is much worse during this time of year). Everyone in the country is going through major sun withdrawal and fighting the urge to hibernate. It makes everyone grumpy.

I for one notice the extreme changes in my own person between days of sun and days (weeks, months) of no sun. The level of energy, intelligence, and will to live drop to almost zero on the dark days.

Today is a dark day and I have to get off my butt and down to the police station to pick up my visa. Gar!