Denmark captured my heart
I’m flying home tomorrow and I honestly didn’t expect to feel this way. I know 2 weeks is nowhere near enough to know what it’s actually like to live here. Every country has its problems, and I’m sure Denmark has plenty that I just didn’t see as a tourist. But there were so many little things that made me think I could actually live here. One thing that really stuck with me was seeing groups of people cycling home from work in the afternoon or running/jogging late in the afternoon . It wasn’t just one or two people, there were so many. It made me think do people actually get to enjoy their afternoons here? Coming from Dubai where work can easily take over your day, that was kind of eye opening.
Another thing is the weather. I know I’ll probably get laughed at for saying this because I haven’t experienced a Danish winter yet, but I genuinely loved it. After living with Dubai’s heat for years, being able to walk around in cool weather without sweating after five minutes felt amazing. I also just liked the overall vibe. People seemed relaxed, the cities felt calm, public transport was easy, bike culture is incredible, and everything just felt nice. One thing I also noticed was that a lot of places close pretty early especially on weekends. Outside Copenhagen, it felt like almost everything was closed on Sundays. At first I found it surprising, but then I realized maybe that’s part of why the work life balance seems so good. People actually get time off, and businesses aren’t expected to be open all the time.
Maybe it’s just the tourist effect, and maybe I’d think differently after dealing with taxes, the cost of living, dark winters, learning Danish, and actually trying to find a job here.
But if someone offered me the chance to move here tomorrow, I’d probably leave my job in Dubai without thinking twice.
For those who actually live in Denmark, especially expats, did that feeling last? Or does reality eventually hit?