Hi!
I see similar posts here from time to time, it's unclear how active this sub is for English speaking people moving or living in Denmark. I would love to get advice or hear about others on their experience moving to Denmark from the US. We are middle-aged and artists, so we have a lot of personal belongings we wish to take with us. We also have two older cats that we refuse to leave behind. My spouse has Danish citizenship and I will be applying for permanent citizenship in Denmark.
Some examples of what I am curious about:
- where did you get your biometrics done? I am in the PNW and the nearest consulate is in Palo Alto. The ministry of foreign affairs website (in Denmark) doesn't have a working hyperlink to alternate options. We plan on calling them, but that doesn't negate my interest in other's experience
- if you moved the contents of your home, how did it go? Which relocation service did you use, or did you just ship boxes of personal items?
- did you fly pets out there, and if so, how did it go?
I have a ton of other questions-- but these are the big ones currently.
Thanks!
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The original was posted on /r/denmark by /u/seachimera at 2024-01-27 18:37:07+00:00.
Original Title: I moving to Denmark with my Danish spouse in four months. I am an American looking to connect with other Americans who have made this move; mostly about moving logistics and paperwork hurdles. Apologies for posting in English.
abc24611 at 2024-01-27 19:30:38+00:00 ID:
kjugdglAbsolutely love it here. Nothing bad about the old country, but I truly feel happy that I was able to immigrate over here. Nice people, absolutely amazing nature and so much freedom to do what you want (I'm in a rural area, lol). Been her almost 14 years now, never looked back. I fit in here better than I ever did in Denmark.
seachimera (OP) at 2024-01-27 19:34:40+00:00 ID:
kjuh1iyThats excellent to hear. My spouse moved to the US in 2001 and had hoped to make this his forever home, but the country has shifted in ways that no longer work for us. We visit Denmark once a year and after the first several visits I started to lobby for us to make it our forever home. It has taken me almost a decade to convince him, but we are finally doing it.
abc24611 at 2024-01-28 02:29:21+00:00 ID:
kjw8q8tOne of the absolute biggest differences for me was the difference in weather and how big the difference sunlight. Look at a map - Denmark is quite up north and unless youre from Alaska, Denmark will have worse weather than where youre from. I know it isnt the end all be all, but its a really big thing for me, and it makes me happy on an almost daily basis that I was able to escape the damned darkness of Denmark. Sounds like you know what youre in for, but its definatly something to consider.
That being said, just got back from a trip to Vancouver (Im in Ontario normally) and it really reminded me of Copenhagen - rain constantly and temps just above freezing. Good luck
The-Farting-Baboon at 2024-01-28 02:50:17+00:00 ID:
kjwbr87Yeah if you like sunny weather Denmark is defiently not for you. We hit record last year with rain and the summer was so awful except May/June and September..otherwise rain rain rain.
abc24611 at 2024-01-28 03:09:29+00:00 ID:
kjwehseHere in Ontario, it may be cold AF, but it's often sunny and crisp. Honestly, -10c here feels close to 0c if its damp and humid.
EarthlingNumberAlot at 2024-01-28 04:27:23+00:00 ID:
kjwp0c9Here in Denmark it’s more often the other way around haha, it’ll be 0c but feel like -5c etc. But since u’re from Ontario (and have visited DK) i wouldn’t be concerned. Imo the negativity of danish weather is exagerrated. Sure, it’s cold - but nothing like Norway, Finland etc. And sure, it’s rainy - but nothing like UK. I think it’s just a cultural thing, we love to be negative of the weather. We do have long dark winters tho, can be depressing but makes spring and summer more enjoyable
seachimera (OP) at 2024-01-28 15:16:26+00:00 ID:
kjyj2dzThis matches what my spouse and his family tell me. Thank you.
abc24611 at 2024-01-28 05:10:01+00:00 ID:
kjwujscIt is the darkness in the winter that really kills (killed) me though. Sun comes up at 9am and gone again by 4pm without any real sunlight to speak of. For months on end. Don't get me wrong, I'm not being negative towards Scandinavian culture or anything, but I'll have to admit, when I lived there, the darkness were sucking the soul out of me. Winters now, here in Ontario, are cold but sunny and not much rain/wetness (besides this current winter which is a bit abnormal). Generally it's -10 to -25 with pretty quiet wind and lots of sun. It's quite beautiful. Like I said, I just got back from Vancouver which reminded me a lot about Copenhagen with around 0c and just rain and wetness everywhere. Personally, I'm so happy I'm done with it :)
seachimera (OP) at 2024-01-28 15:15:51+00:00 ID:
kjyizdcAh. The weather in Denmark is 100% right for me. I grew up in a coastal town in Massachusetts and lived in the foggy zones of SF and coastal Marin county in CA for my entire adult life (except the last four years in Portland, OR). I do not like extreme heat and my tolerance for endless days of brutal sunshine is very low. I know that sounds weird to most people, but I thrive in temperate regions.
We have visited Denmark extensively, not as tourists but mainly visiting family. We have been there at different times of year, so I have seen the short winter days and I have fallen asleep with the sun lowering in the sky at 10pm.
My spouse is worried about returning this weather, but we agree that it seems trivial compared to the reasons we have to leave the US.
Thank you for the warning though-- the latitude line Denmark falls on might not mean much to many, but its part of the calculus and we have it in the "pro" column right now.
abc24611 at 2024-01-28 15:26:08+00:00 ID:
kjykiwqGood for you guys! Portland probably doesn't seem that off from Denmark. Of course, I can only speak for my self, and yes, it does seem trivial. Have fun in Denmark! My best advice would be to do everything you can to learn the language as fast as possible. It is very important even though everyone speaks English, just my opinion.
seachimera (OP) at 2024-01-28 16:31:46+00:00 ID:
kjyuy9pThank you. Tusind tak!