Follow the jump links to learn more about Denmark:
Lifestyle and Family Living
Teen Life
Dress and Appearance
Diet and Meals
Educational System
Geography and Climate
Population
Language
Government
Religion
Spending Money
Safety and Support
Fun Facts Lifestyle and Family Living
The Danes tend to be cosmopolitan in their attitudes and lifestyle. Their country is located at a major crossroads of international trade. As a result, they have been subjected to foreign intrusion, influence, and intermarriage.
The Danish standard of living is high. Danes are well educated and respected for their accomplishments in science, art, literature, and architecture.
The nuclear family is still the most common lifestyle, but divorce rates are quite high in Denmark and many kids stay with single parents or have stepparents and step-siblings.
Fathers and mothers both usually work away from home so all family members share the housework. Some common jobs you may be required to do are: setting the table, washing and drying dishes, washing your own clothes, and helping prepare dinner. It is also usual to make your own bed each morning and to keep your room tidy. If you are unsure about how to perform any household tasks, ask your host family.
Placements are mostly rural and may include the Faroe Islands and Greenland.
The Faroe Islands are comprised of a number of small islands north of Scotland, and like Greenland, they have a home-rule system under the Danish Crown. Both Greenland and the Faroe Islands offer a special atmosphere unique to that of small, close-knit communities, and they feature spectacular natural scenery. Ideal candidates should be in good health, motivated to stay in close contact with nature and interested in being adopted not just by a host family but by a whole town.
Danish host families, like all AFS host families worldwide, are volunteers and are not paid. They open their homes to students in order to share their community and culture as well as to enrich their own family lives.Teen Life
Soccer is the most popular sport in Denmark. People also enjoy handball, badminton, swimming, sailing, rowing and jogging. In Greenland and the Faroe Islands, hiking, dog-sledding, and skiing are popular.
On weekends, Danish teens, like most teens around the world, like to get together with friends to talk, go to parties or see a movie.
Danish schools and local community organizations offer various activities. These include sports, music, crafts, drama and scouting. Getting involved in these activities is a great way to meet people your age who share your interests.Dress and Appearance
Danish teenagers dress casually. They like jeans with shirts, T-shirts and sweaters.
On special occasions, more formal dress is expected: for women a dress or blouse and skirt; for men a jacket, slacks and tie.
Seasonally appropriate clothing is essential. Denmark is mild, even warm in summer, but it can be very cold and windy in winter. Therefore, you will need warm underwear, sweaters, boots, a warm jacket or coat, scarves, mittens and caps. AFS recommends that you send your winter clothes by parcel post before your departure. It will take approximately two months for them to reach Denmark.
Alternatively, bring enough money to purchase warm clothes when in Denmark, as you risk being charged customs duty if the clothes you send are new.Diet and Meals
Traditional open-faced sandwiches known as smörrebröd are popular. Dinner usually includes meat or fish, potatoes, rice or pasta, and vegetables. Sometimes dessert is served.
Staples of the Danish diet include roast pork, fish, beans, brussel sprouts, fresh vegetables, and grains. Vegetarianism is extremely rare, making vegetarians difficult to place.
The evening meal is usually the main meal of the day and is often a time when the whole family is together. Students take a packed lunch to school; you may be required to make it yourself.
Danes tend to eat meals rather than snack from the refrigerator. Food in the refrigerator is not necessarily available for general consumption. If you want a snack, always check whether it is all right for you to eat something from the fridge. Educational System
Most AFS students attend one of two types of public schools. They are either placed in the 10th grade of Folkeskole or in the 1st or 2nd grades of the Gymnasium.
The Folkeskole is the school for pupils from approximately 6 to 16 years old and includes one year of pre-school, plus grades 1 through 10 (the 10th grade is optional). The curriculum in the 10th grade includes subjects such as Danish, English, history, physical education, math, religion, physics, biology, German, French, and drama. Some of these are optional, which varies from one school to another.
The Gymnasium is a three-year school that prepares pupils for further education. Students are accepted after completing the Folkeskoleand are usually between 15 and 19 years old.
The school year runs from early August to late June. School is Monday through Friday.
Schools in Denmark are co-ed and do not require uniforms.
All instruction, with the exception of foreign languages, is done in Danish. In the beginning, you may find it hard to follow, but as you learn more of the language, school will become less challenging, so be patient, work hard, and keep at it!
While it may be possible to obtain academic credit for the coursework you successfully complete abroad, AFS cannot guarantee this. Please discuss your plans with your school before you go abroad.
Geography and Climate
Denmark is about the size of the U.S. state of Massachusetts or the Dominican Republic and is made up of the Jutland peninsula and small islands in the North and Baltic Seas. It lies to the north of Germany and south of Sweden across a strait joining the Baltic Sea to the North Sea. The land is relatively flat with some hills and is made up of moors, lakes, farmlands and woodlands.
Denmark’s climate can be unpredictable, and skies are often overcast. Despite the influence of the western trade winds off the north Atlantic, which are warmed by the Gulf Stream, the weather is often windy, and winters can be quite cold. January temperatures average about -1°C (30°F), and July warms to about 18°C (65°F).
Greenland is the largest island in the world. It is a part of Denmark, but its home government handles all internal affairs. Most of Greenland is covered by glaciers, and its climate is mostly arctic.
The Faroe Islands are located in the north Atlantic about 1,200 km (800 mi) from Denmark. They enjoy home rule within the Kingdom of Denmark. The islands are volcanic in origin, and the climate is typically oceanic: stormy, changeable and wet.
Population
Denmark has a population of 5.3 million.
Language
Danish is Denmark’s official language. In Greenland, the predominant language is Greenlandic which is closely related to languages spoken by the Inuits of northern Canada, Alaska and Siberia.
Government
Denmark is a constitutional monarchy. Legislative authority is held jointly by the sovereign and the parliament, or Folketing. The Folketing consists of 179 members who serve four-year terms.
Religion
Most Danes belong to the Evangelical Lutheran Church, but only about 5% of them actively attend services.Spending Money
The krone is the official currency in Denmark.
Your program and country information packet (provided in the months prior to your departure) will give you an idea of how much spending money is appropriate and whether you should arrive with any amount of the local currency in hand.
Host families pay only for ordinary family events in which you are expected to participate. When you do such things as shopping for yourself or going out with friends, the expenses are your responsibility. Depending on the cost of living in your host country, we recommend you budget about $100-$300 per month.
Remember: never travel with large amounts of cash. Instead, bring travelers checks or follow the advice in the country and program information packet. Another option for obtaining money while overseas is to use a debit card linked to a checking account back home (but try not to use a debit card for daily purchases since there are ATM and currency exchange fees). Or, you can transfer money using wiring services such as Western Union.
You and your parents should determine a budget and preferred money transfer plan before you depart so that you are not caught without spending money while abroad.
Be conscientious of your spending since conspicuous consumption may not be viewed favorably and spending more than your peers and family may create a distance between you and them.
Safety and Support
AFS has the utmost concern for the welfare, safety, and security of our participants. We’ve been exchanging participants throughout the world for 60 years—that’s six decades of history and experience in international education with an exemplary record of safety, security, and service.
AFS maintains a network of experienced staff and trained volunteers who provide support in each country. In the event of an emergency, 24-hour assistance is available to students, their parents, and the host families. Furthermore, your AFS tuition includes comprehensive medical insurance coverage to ensure that medical care is available to our participants anywhere in the world and at all times.
While we have the above support structures in place, we also encourage you to take responsibility for your own safety and we give you the guidance to do so. Many of the AFS orientation activities, both at home and abroad, are intended to give you the tools to stay safe. We also provide country-specific safety tips to each participant prior to departure.
Learn more about the AFS safety and support network.
Fun Facts
- For children’s birthdays in Denmark, presents are placed around their beds while they are sleeping, so they will see the presents as soon as they awake.
- The LEGO company was founded by Ole Kirk Christiansen in Billund, Denmark in 1916. Today it has more than 9,000 employees worldwide. The Danish words Leg (play) and Godt (well) were put together to make “LEGO.” Later, it was discovered that in Latin the term “Lego” means “I put together” or “I assemble.”
- Julemanden brings Danish children their Christmas gifts. His elves, called Julenisse, are said to come from the attic, where they live, to help Julemanden. Children put a saucer of milk or rice pudding out for them in the attic and hope to find it empty in the morning.
- The first claim to a national flag goes to Denmark in the 14th century. King Valdemere II united the entire nation under the now familiar white cross on a blood-red field when they marched off on a crusade against then pagan Estonia. This flag was originally square in shape and has evolved into the rectangular shape common today but in the same color and configuration. This flag also forms the basis for all other Scandinavian flags showing an elongated cross on a colored field.
