Monthly Archives: November 2011

1. årgang MGK fra Sønderborg Musikskole

Free Concert with New Talents

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1. årgang MGK fra Sønderborg Musikskole
Musikalsk Grundkursus or MGK is a training course for about 32 young musical talents aged 14-25 from across Southern Jutland. The MGK courses has traditionally had a joint concert for students of the classic line of the programme and this year it will be in Sonderborg. The repertoire will include pieces by Gade, Chopin and Bethoven.

Time: Thursday 17th November from 19-20
Place: Musikhuset Sønderborg, Salen
Address: Skovvej 16

Via sonderborgkom.dk

The photo shows the first year of MGK students – by Sønderborg Musikskole.

Below The Surface

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Have you ever walked along the pier or across the bridge in Sonderborg and wondered what goes on below the surface of the water? To me the water usually looks dark, cold and inhospitable. But that’s not the case for the (crazy?) guys from Cold Blooded Divers. They seem to love the cold waters of Denmark and looking at some of their videos it seems like there is a world of colours and life to be explored below the surface. Here they dive around Sonderborg Castle:

Here is another video that starts off with pictures of a concrete barge getting sunk in Sonderborg harbour. The barge is 35 by 86 meters and has lots of hiding places for marine life. As they dive down to the barge you can see huge cods in the wreck:

There are diving clubs in Sonderborg, Nordborg and the Sports College in Sonderborg that all offer diving courses.

Ann already has a PADI certificate and I’m thinking of maybe trying to take a course when we go for a longer stay in Malta.

Danish-German border

Getting Registered in Denmark

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In a previous post I described my first attempts at getting registered in Denmark. Those first attempts were a failure. Luckily things started to look more positive from then on. Following the writing of that post I decided to email the state administration offices in southern Denmark and got a reply saying that I could use that e-mail to forward my application! So that is what I did.

A few days later I received a letter saying that I should turn up at the Aabenraa state administration office with my passport. As the offices were closed on Monday (for some employee training?) I went to Aabenraa yesterday with my passport. After waiting for around 30 minutes I was called in to an office, where they asked to see my photo-ID, printed off the registration certificate, and off I went – I am an official resident of Denmark!

Ann in Denmark

Registration certificate – check! CPR number – to go!

The CPR number is the Danish personal identification number. You need it to to open a bank account, to rent a house and a million and one other things I am yet to discover. While the registration certificate is applied for at the state administration offices, the CPR number is applied for at the citizen service (Borgerservice) in your respective town hall.

I was quickly served at the citizen service. The process involved filling in one form and presenting my passport and residence certificate. I was also asked to select a doctor which I did from the list provided. I now have to wait for my CPR number to be issued.

Overall, as Judith Doyle had commented on my previous post, once I got to Denmark it was all quite easy. An added bonus was that everyone spoke English to me – that is, until the counter lady at the citizen service realised that Michael was Danish! From that point on all she spoke was Danish, even if her English was very good. I was quite surprised to say the least!

What’s it like living in Denmark as a foreigner – part 1/2

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As Danes we are generally proud of our country and quite often think that Denmark is a good place to live – probably the best place in the world. Forbes and OECD have made surveys that shows that Denmark is ‘the happiest place in the world’.

However a lot of foreigners have a different opinion. Danes consider themselves happy here but when you ask non-Danes you get quite a different reply. A website called Worktrotter did a survey amongst expats (people who are here on their own device and not counting refugees) in Denmark and asked Do you perceive Danes open towards foreigners living in Denmark? The findings are quite revealing.

“46% of the participants don’t feel welcome versus 26% who do. 28% gave a neutral answer. Considering that 98% of the 703 survey participants are well-educated, this is a very worrying result especially as Denmark claims the need for well-educated work-force from abroad.”

In general the survey is an easy read and it gives a good indication of some of the issues foreigners experience when they live in Denmark. The survey identifies five challenges that expats are met with.

  • Social Interaction: Danes are friendly but not easy to get close to as they often have established social circles. It’s rather easy to get by in English but at social gatherings the language often switches to all Danish leaving foreigners out of the discussion.
  • Government and Authorities: Politically Denmark has become a lot more strict on immigration with tests, points and fees that change very often making it difficult to come to, or stay in, Denmark. It doesn’t seem to be a problem speaking English with most authorities but a lot of the information available on websites, in folders and on forms is only available in Danish.
  • Media: When foreigners are mentioned in the media they are often described as problems rather than assets. Negative stories often generalise foreigners as being a problem, whereas good stories are about individuals. We have had a change of government since the survey was done so maybe things will change eventually. However the public discourse and opinion is not going to change overnight and there seems to be a tendency of Danes making generalising negative comments about foreigners.
  • Language: It takes years to learn Danish but Danes are not very patient with people speaking a not-native Danish and quickly switch to English. Some say they get treated worse if they speak Danish with an accent than if they speak English.
  • Being treated as equals: Denmark is a country of equals. But it seems that “some are more equal than others”. Finding a job with a foreign name or without speaking Danish proves to be a huge challenge for people. Some had the same problem when trying to find housing. Racist comments in the media, work place and elsewhere occurs without being challenged.
As a Dane I can see the above issues present when I look at myself, my family and my friends. We are not always as open and accepting as we would like to think we are. If we as a country and people want to take part in the globalised world we need to embrace people and ideas from other cultures better than we do now in my opinion. This report does provide good ideas for how Denmark can improve.
If you are a Dane who wants to know what other people think of us or you are a foreigner who wants an idea of what it is like living here give the report a read.
talented vegetables

My First Walkabout in the Shops

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So far, on previous visits to Denmark, I have always been to Danish shops with Michael or someone form his family. However, as I have now moved to Denmark permanently I need to be able to brave them on my own. So I decided to have my first solo Danish shopping ‘expedition’ on my first full day in Denmark.

As we are currently staying with Michael’s parents in Toftlund, and as these are shops that I am familiar with, these are the shops I visited.

At most of the shops I entered I was immediately greeted with a friendly hello from one of the staff. Up to now I always thought that this was because the staff new the person I was with, so I was pleasantly surprised by it. Also, every single time, the person realised I did not understand Danish and switched to English for me. However, what I appreciated the most was that as soon as I said that I was fine they backed off! I really don’t appreciate staff hovering over me but appreciate knowing that they are there to help. This was a refreshing change to what I have experienced abroad.

Not having any money with me on the shopping trip I didn’t buy anything. However, I did find a couple of things that puzzled me or made me smile:

Cutlery in ImercoWhile I was browsing the local Imerco I came across this display: a shelf of cutlery laid over receipts. The receipts were all from the previous day, and on each receipt there was a very long list of items so it couldn’t have referred to the cutlery lying over it. Someone suggested it might be that the receipts are there as part of the shelf design – surely that cannot be right!

Update: I returned to the shop with Michael and he confirmed that the reason for the receipts is not as exciting as I might have though: they show the price of other items of cutlery within that cutlery range.

talented vegetablesEverything in Denmark is better – even the vegetables are talented! Or so it would seem from this spread at the supermarket – comedy tomatoes and karate carrots. Who would have known? I am guessing that this is a product aimed for parents trying to make their children eat vegetables. It put a smile on my face though!

All in all, however, I enjoyed my walkabout, also as I found a couple of products I was hoping I would. I am sure I won’t find all that I am used to, but I’m more optimistic now than I was before about either finding them or having friendly shopkeepers helping me out when out shopping alone.

How to get to Sonderborg

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We are on our way to Sonderborg as we write this. We were looking into how to get there from London and these are some of the ways we considered.

Travelling by Train

Sonderborg is well connected by train within Denmark. It is located at the end of a main line to Copenhagen with trains every 2 hours during the day. From Copenhagen, trains further afield to Sweden and beyond may also be taken. For trains further north in Denmark you need to change in Fredericia or Middelfart. Towards Germany you often need to change twice in Padborg and Flensburg.

To organize a train journey inside Denmark use Journey Planner and for Germany use Bahn.

Travelling by Bus

Bus line 10 goes to Flensburg every two hours during weekdays. Xbus 900 goes to Vejle almost every hour and Xbus 915 goes to Esbjerg four times a day.

Travelling by Air

Sonderborg is graced by its own airport, which is around a 15 minute drive from the centre. The airport is, however, not very well connected: the only commercial flights available are to and from Copenhagen with Cimber Sterling. Therefore it is also convenient to investigate flights to nearby airports.

Airports in Jutland

Billund Airport is the closest international airport in Jutland. It is decently well connected internationally. As it is a Ryanair airport destination, cheap flights are also available. Not being on a train line, it is not well connected domestically. Regular buses are available to a number of destinations on the Jutland peninsula and beyond, though none directly to Sonderborg. One option is to take the bus to Kolding and train from there.

Another airport on Jutland with similar issues is Aarhus airport. In this case a bus connects the airport to Aarhus from where a train to Sonderborg is then possible (with a change in Middelfart).

Airports Further Afield

Of course, the first obvious airport is Copenhagen Airport. Due to the very good connection between Sonderborg and Copenhagen Central trains station and then onwards to Copenhagen airport, this should be quite practical.

Another option is to go south to Germany. Hamburg airport is within reach and the train connections are easy enough. It should be possible to book a German taxi from Sonderborg to the airport for Euro 165 according to this site.

Sonderborg: A Cruise Destination

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As the tag line to this blog says, Sonderborg is a ‘town on an island’, so as you can guess there is a lot of water-related activity. When I was in Sonderborg earlier in summer I could easily realise that kayaking, sailing, fishing and other similar activities are a big thing in the area.

What I didn’t realise, however, was that Sonderborg is also being advertised as a cruise destination. This helps reinforce my idea of Sonderborg as an aspirational city and helps calm my qualms about moving to a a smaller city after having gotten used to the excesses of London.

The video is made by Avid Cruiser a specialist in reviewing ports and cruises. Apart from the video above Avid Cruiser also has a comprehensive run down of things to do in and around Sønderborg and how to dock there which is probably useful for boaters. Maybe he is commissioned by the city to create the video to explain what it has to offer to potential tour operators and cruise guests. I’m not sure, but it’s a great introduction to Sønderborg.

Rowing for Companies

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I just came across this video which makes me yearn for summer time in Sonderborg already. We have a plan of starting in the kayak club next season but this looks like fun as well:

Employees from 69 companies in and around Sønderborg took part in this years Firmakaproning (literally Company Competitive Rowing). Each team is a made up of a group of four colleagues. They receive three training sessions over three weeks and the local rowing club provides the boat, oars and a mate(?) to steer the boats and shout at the rowers.

After training it’s time to get real and a regatta is organised where the teams compete. There are three classes Women, Men and Mixed (2 women and 2 men) and there are prizes for the winners in each class. There are also prizes for the team with the best costumes and the best supports.

During the race you can buy drinks and sausages and afterwards there is a party for the participants.

This was the 17th time the event took place in Sonderborg. The results can be seen on the event website. I love the logo for the event which plays on name of the access road to the rowing club – Verdens Ende (The End of The World).

All images and the logo is from the website of firmakaproning.