Wüeggertz

Så länge har jag försökt att beskriva min syn på danskarna för andra, men utan att komma fram till någon bra formulering. Och så idag trillade jag över denna artikeln i Scient idag. Perfekt! Precis så här är det ju!


Dear Danes
So we meet once again!
by Madhura Mukhopadhyay, Human Biology, KU


Apparently, my last article describing how completely
unique the Danes are was not enough for you, and now
you want to fish for some more.. er.. compliments!

So here I am at my desk, while the annoying January
rain lashes against my window. Tell me something,
how do you manage to live through the winter year
after year? I know the summer is glorious with its
golden sun and warm breeze. That's the image that
got me through the winter.

GET OWER IT WOMAN
Yes, the weather is rather a stereotypical subject to
start a conversation with, but believe me, I can go
on for hours about the Danish weather. It just seems
to read my mind. If I decide to go out wearing sneakers
instead of boots, suddenly there will be buckets of
rain pouring out of the sky. If on one of those rare
sunny days, I leave my heavy winter coat and cap
at home, the wind will achieve cyclonic speed. It is
purely devilish! When I open my mouth every so
often to wail about the rain or the snow, I get looks
from the Danes which clearly send the message
home "Get over it woman. Complain or not, it is
always cold until late March." But you see, it is not
always cold in March. Kolkata, the city in India I'm
from, enjoys the glorious golden weather all year
round. So being the sun and shine person that I am,
I am allowed to complain.

JOGGING IN -10ºC
By the weirdest image that pops into my mind when
I think of the Danish weather is that of the joggers.
I've seen them running around in the rain, in the
street and even during those days with heavy
snowfall.

Last Christmas I visited Warsaw and during one of
the sightseeing trips, the temperature plummeted
down to around -10ºC during the day. The only
person on the street apart from me was a solitary
jogger. I was convinced and still am, that he was a
Dane ´holidaying´in Poland. Great danger shall
befall thee, if thou shall dare to separate a Dane
from his jogging shoes!. Or something similar!

CARROT GUZZLING WOMAN
Now if you are still not convinced that Danes are
indeed the most health conscious population on
the planet, let's dangle the familiar orange vege-
table in front of you. Ah, how exciting! Frankly,
carrots are a vegetable we (and I speak for most
of the world) truly hate. Yet, I find the Danes
completely addicted to them. At one KU event, they
served us boiled potatoes and carrots (which were
the size of my pinkie) as snacks. I still wonder if
they really were snacks or just table decorations.

Yous would think that after all the running and
health food addiction; every Dane should be as
sturdy as a horse. Well this winter, my class-
mate had the flu, ear infection and a broken rib.
To top it off yesterday, she tripped and fell and
hurt herself again. Way to go my friend!

When I think of myself in a predominantly Danish
crowd, I stand out like a flourescent light bulb. As
an Indian, I love bright colours and readily incorp-
orate them in my wardrobe. So the other day while
I was walking near Kongens Nytorv in an orange
sweater, I realized that I was the only person for
miles who was not wearing black.

If I imagine myself in Denmark five years from
now, I see a carrot guzzling woman wearing
black from head to toe. But there is a confession,
the day I boarded the flight from Warsaw to
Copenhagen and heard fellow passengers speak
Danish, my joy knew no bounds.

Så længe mine danske venner.