You arrived in Sonderborg. Excited about your new life. The sun is (hopefully) shining. The water is shimmering. A great start. You explore the place for the first few days. Questions arise. But where do you find the answers? What have you missed by exploring on your own?

These are questions that hit most newcomers to Sonderborg at some point or another. There is the kommune for regulatory questions (if you can speak Danish), the tourist office for tourist-related questions. But what about those other questions? And that is where the ‘Sonderborg Welcome Experience‘ comes in.

This event was the outcome of a university project by a group of non-Danish students at SDU in Sonderborg. The question they were trying to tackle in their project is how to make newcomers to the area feel more welcome. During a workshop to discuss this, it was clear from all present that a big problem people find is how and where to find the information they need.

And this is (part of) the solution: A tent set up in front of the town hall, with information about Sonderborg, Danish food, activities in the area, as well as a way of showing that you are not alone in struggling with the Danish language and culture. The first such event was held the past weekend. However, there are plans to repeat this at semi-regular intervals.

Another great thing is that the resources generated for this event are not restricted just to people attending. One of the possibly most useful resources is a map of sports clubs and cultural sites in the area. Although I am a member of 2 clubs, I had no idea there was actually so much variety! So if you’re into sports, and you haven’t found the relevant club, or are looking at starting something new, do check it out. And if anything has been missed, do leave a comment and we will make sure it gets added.