Yes, there is some truth to the stereotype that Danes are tall, blond, and gorgeous. That is not, however, what this post is about. Danes also have the reputation for being kind of cold and distant, but I have seen many instances where they seem anything but cold, moments where I couldn't help but record in my practicum logbook, just to be able to remember the beauty within people.
1. Public transportation in Denmark keep to a tight schedule. Usually, if you're not right at the bus stop, the bus will drive away- not to be mean, but to keep things running on time. I have had a bus drive away when I literally was within a couple feet of the back of the bus (running because I was late, of course), but the drivers are just doing their jobs. But, one morning, the bus driver waited for me...and I was still a right turn and 15-20 yards from the bus stop! Made my morning :)
2. See introduction to story above. One morning driving home from somewhere, I saw an old man running towards a bus stop- he looked to be in his 70s, and the run did not look easy for him. The bus was on the same road that the man was on, so in theory, it should have driven by him and stopped at the stop 10-15 yards in front of him. Instead, after going through the intersection and passing the old man, the bus driver stopped the bus short of the stop, and allowed the man to get on.
3. Late at night on the E line of the S-toget (the train I take home from Copenhagen), I heard some fumbling with the sliding glass door that separates the seating area of each car- there's a very little button on the doorframe that you press for it to open. I was facing the other way, so I didn't really know what was going on, and it was late so I was pretty tired and it didn't phase me. But then, the man sitting diagonally in front of me, facing the door, sprang up from where he was seated with his son. This caught my attention, so I turned to watch the action. The man who had been sitting went to help open the door for the passenger, who turned out to be a blind man, and thus the difficulty finding the button. He then helped the man who was blind to a seat, and returned to where he was sitting with his son. So cool the way he went out on a limb to help.
4. As he was being guided to his seat, the man who was blind said "tak for hjælpen" (thanks for helping), with a grateful but normal tone to his voice. Once seated, the man just began smiling and singing to himself, without the remotest trace pity or embarrassment over his situation- just joy.
5. One of my first days commuting home from Copenhagen, I was at the Ishøj train station, waiting for the bus. A man came up to me and asked me something in English- judging by his appearance and accent, I think he was from Africa (so definitely stands out in Denmark)- but unfortunately, his question was about the bus route and where it stopped and such, which I had no idea about. He smiled and went on to ask another person waiting. He went up to a tall, high school aged boy with the same questions, right as the bus pulled up. We all got on the bus and I sat down. The man stopped to talk to the bus driver, presumably about where to get off. The next part was really cool to watch- the boy came over to help with the question, and once answered, they both stayed standing towards the front of the bus. The black man and Danish boy, slightly "alternative" looking, proceeded to talk to each other in English the entire rest of the bus ride. I don't know why it affected me as it did, but I was smiling the whole time, watching the interaction. The man seemed so appreciative and grateful for both the help and conversation of the Danish boy, and the differences in language, race, and age didn't stop them from talking.
6. There is a shopping center attached to the Ishøj train station, so one day after school, I stopped to get some food for the week when my family was on holiday. It was really crowded, and there was a long line of people. As we were waiting to pay, they opened up a new register, and some people who hadn't been in line cut in to the front of that line. I was behind a little girl, maybe 10 years old, and I wanted to make sure that I stayed behind her. She moved over to get in that line, and I moved with her, but then more people came in and kind of pushed her aside, so she went back to the original line, and I moved over as well. A woman who had been behind me, during this confusion, moved to be in front of the little girl. But, realizing what happened, she apologized in Danish (to which I smiled and replied "det er ok"- it's okay, the only semi-appropriate response I could think of), and moved behind us- even though everyone around us was cutting the line, she made sure that she didn't do this.
7. On the train home yesterday, it was really crowded. The standing space between seating areas of the cars was full, and there was a person standing on either side of the car, between the two halves of the seating areas. Some of the train seats were filled with three people, which is a squeeze, especially when people have briefcases/purses/bags. I was at the far end of the car facing the clear sliding doors, on the inside of my seat by the window. I saw a blind man trying to find a seat in the compartment of the train, feeling with his cane unsuccessfully. I wanted to get up and give him my seat, now more savvy about what to do in that situation from the one you may have read about above, but being on the inside of seat that was already full wouldn't have helped much- it would be hard enough just for me to maneuver my way out. But, during this same thought, I saw a woman sitting right by the door get out of her seat, grasp the blind man's arm, and guide him to her seat. So cool.
8. Today while going for a run, the younger kids at Ishøj Skole (the school for my area) were getting out, and a couple of them made me smile. First, one girl who looked to be about 6, smiled and waved at me as I passed- it was the smallest gesture, but made me smile, and helped motivate me to finish the last few minutes of my run strong. Then, as I was turning onto my street, I watched a girl bend down to tie her friend's shoelace because he had gloves on. Again, such a small thing, but it was just cool to see the goodness in those situations.
That's it for today.
Hej, hej!
3. Late at night on the E line of the S-toget (the train I take home from Copenhagen), I heard some fumbling with the sliding glass door that separates the seating area of each car- there's a very little button on the doorframe that you press for it to open. I was facing the other way, so I didn't really know what was going on, and it was late so I was pretty tired and it didn't phase me. But then, the man sitting diagonally in front of me, facing the door, sprang up from where he was seated with his son. This caught my attention, so I turned to watch the action. The man who had been sitting went to help open the door for the passenger, who turned out to be a blind man, and thus the difficulty finding the button. He then helped the man who was blind to a seat, and returned to where he was sitting with his son. So cool the way he went out on a limb to help.
5. One of my first days commuting home from Copenhagen, I was at the Ishøj train station, waiting for the bus. A man came up to me and asked me something in English- judging by his appearance and accent, I think he was from Africa (so definitely stands out in Denmark)- but unfortunately, his question was about the bus route and where it stopped and such, which I had no idea about. He smiled and went on to ask another person waiting. He went up to a tall, high school aged boy with the same questions, right as the bus pulled up. We all got on the bus and I sat down. The man stopped to talk to the bus driver, presumably about where to get off. The next part was really cool to watch- the boy came over to help with the question, and once answered, they both stayed standing towards the front of the bus. The black man and Danish boy, slightly "alternative" looking, proceeded to talk to each other in English the entire rest of the bus ride. I don't know why it affected me as it did, but I was smiling the whole time, watching the interaction. The man seemed so appreciative and grateful for both the help and conversation of the Danish boy, and the differences in language, race, and age didn't stop them from talking.
6. There is a shopping center attached to the Ishøj train station, so one day after school, I stopped to get some food for the week when my family was on holiday. It was really crowded, and there was a long line of people. As we were waiting to pay, they opened up a new register, and some people who hadn't been in line cut in to the front of that line. I was behind a little girl, maybe 10 years old, and I wanted to make sure that I stayed behind her. She moved over to get in that line, and I moved with her, but then more people came in and kind of pushed her aside, so she went back to the original line, and I moved over as well. A woman who had been behind me, during this confusion, moved to be in front of the little girl. But, realizing what happened, she apologized in Danish (to which I smiled and replied "det er ok"- it's okay, the only semi-appropriate response I could think of), and moved behind us- even though everyone around us was cutting the line, she made sure that she didn't do this.
