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From Abroad

*I’m very frustrated..I thought this posted about a week ago, but apparently it did not. Sorry for the delay.

I would like to start with a disclaimer. I have not done any extensive research on this topic, but all I have to say comes from the several classes I have taken on Scandinavian culture and from my own observations. Denmark’s social system has contributed significantly to what I am experiencing as “Culture Shock”. I remember being outside my hotel early in the morning on the first night I arrived in Denmark. I wanted to badly to walk fifty feet to the fitness center just across the street, but since it was so late at night and I was alone in a foreign country, I was very hesitant. I feared being mugged or attacked or murdered. So I asked a woman who was passing by if she thought the area was safe to wander around. She held back laughter when she answered “of course”.
It’s a strange feeling to walk the streets at three in the morning and feel like I’m safe at home in my own bedroom. And the reason for this is clear: there is no one to be afraid of. Occasionally late on a weekend night a car will pass by and men will honk their car horns of whistle out the window, but in general it is a rare occurrence to even make eye contact with people. But why is there no one to be afraid of? Because the Danish government has gone above and beyond to ensure that poverty and crime do not exist.

I found out shortly after I arrived that my traveler’s health insurance was useless. The Danish government has provided me four doctors free of charge (including dental care!). I was, again, in shock. As a traveler is it even fair for me to take advantage of this system? The Danes seem to think so. Admittedly, seeing a doctor has been a great hassle. I have been somewhat ill since I’ve arrived my doctors are usually unavailable to make appointments. This is due to the eight weeks of paid vacation every worker in Denmark is promised. At home I can usually see a doctor, but it does cost me an arm and a leg. Here everyone is insured regardless of status.

I have yet to see what Americans would call the “ghetto”. Even immigrants live in nice apartments. The city I live in has a population of around two hundred thousand people, and we are all housed the same. We all live in eight story apartments with small city-provided gardens and eco-friendly appliances. It almost as if everyone lives in a dorm. Our windows allow us to see clearly into other people lives, and although some people have more valuables than others, but for the most part we all live “equally”.

For instance, I have a Danish friend who has graduated with two degrees. He works as a street-cleaner picking up trash and other things left of the streets in the mornings. In America this type of occupation would be considered substandard. Why would someone like him accept such an occupation? Here it doesn’t seem to matter where or how you work. Unemployment is a rarity. My guess is that he accepted the job because it probably pays a salary close to what he might get as a doctor, or a lawyer, or a CEO. Poverty seems non-existent as does wealth.

I spend fourty minutes on the bus each morning traveling from the city to the countryside where my school is located. I have yet to see the slums, but even stranger I have yet to see a really extraordinary house. The houses that are very nice have been split up into apartment complexes. The homes are certainly beautiful, but they are certainly not large dream homes. They wouldn’t last a minute in Beverly Hills.

The same goes for cars. I am thrilled with this subject because I have always insisted that old cars are the way to go! They are built like none other and are, for the most part, fuel efficient. Most people here drive cars from the early nineties and have no shame in it. They are also mostly manual, my other favourite feature! I’ve seen only one Jeep since I’ve been here and only one truck, a Toyota Helux, both of which seem to be fairly recent models. SUV’s and pick-up trucks are an extreme rarity. The newer cars all resemble Toyota Priuses and Yarises. They’re all small hatchbacks with minimal features and high gas mileage. Interestingly, there don’t seem to be any cars manufactured between 1994 and 2005. That’s something I’m dying to explain, but can’t quite figure out.

So how do the Danes afford such a comfortable lifestyle? I took a class just yesterday that explained it all. They pay about half their salaries and a VAT (value added tax) to support the welfare state. Throughout the entire lecture one question constantly arose. How do they keep people in the workforce when unemployment is paid for up to eight years? The answer was surprising. The people here have a very high work ethic. It’s simply unacceptable for someone to live off the money of the government. Even women are shameful in staying home to be “housewives”. People enjoy being employed regardless of their position. It’s a societal thing. I’ve concluded that this is the very reason such a system would not work in larger countries such as the US or even the UK. Our large population combined with unmanageable immigration would make such a system very inefficient.

In conclusion, I’d like to say that I appreciate the way of life here. It’s very stable and reliable and seemingly efficient. However, I enjoy the American way of life. I like to pursue the “American dream” without much help from the government. The students here (and from all over the EU) will leave without any student debt. I am up to my chin in debt pursuing my education, but I feel like that only motivates me to work harder and to make the most of my education. I will only know when I graduate if it’s all worth it…but so far it most certainly is!