What Are You Doing in Denmark?

This week, Derek and Annie welcome back Mike Walsh to talk about what it’s really like to work in Denmark. As a former host of the show, Mike has not only worked in the studio, but has worked in Denmark as well as hiring and managing both Danish and international workers. He shares all of his insights of navigating the work culture in Denmark and around Europe as he has managed and visited interna...

Thorbern Alexander Klingert, a Danish candidate for the EU Parliament, is back to talk with Derek about all the EU and US elections coming at us in 2024. As a candidate himself, Thorbern describes the issues that he wants to take to Brussels if he's sent there to represent Denmark. He also details his opinions on the upcoming elections in the United States and gets Derek's opinions on the state of...

This week, Derek is joined by Thorbern Alexander Klingert, a Danish candidate for the EU Parliament. He’s spent years advocating for the international community in Denmark to make sure they had information on voting, and he’s taking his passion for democracy to the next level - and hopefully to Brussels. As a candidate for the EU Parliament, Thorbern explains his stance on many issues facing Denma...

This week, Derek and Annie welcome back Mike - a What Are You Doing in Denmark OG! Around the table, your hosts and former host discuss all the things that would have been nice to know before moving to Denmark. Of course some pleasant surprises are in the mix, and the goal is to have some laughs and share some advice, including the things that are still adjustments for us, even after living in Den...

We’re back with part two of our conversation with Andres Artiles Jerrik, who has been working closely with Danish musical acts like Reiley, Aura Dione, and SABA on their Eurovision visuals and music. We discuss what makes a good Eurovision song - broad popularity or staying true to the local culture of the nation it represents and what the Danish audience can expect from their representation in Ma...

This week Derek is joined by Andres Artiles Jerrik, a stylist, designer, author, and TV personality. He spills all the tea about putting his talents behind Denmark’s most recent efforts in the Eurovision Song Contest. You’ll hear him talk about his songwriting, which was displayed at this year’s Dansk Melodi Grand Prix, Denmark’s national Eurovision selection contest. Andres worked on the song Mir...

Derek and Annie are back with Nanna Hauch, a licensed family and couples therapist who specializes in helping the international community in Denmark. Annie receives advice on how families can stay connected to their own culture while integrating into Danish society. Nanna shares some of the challenges that her family faced while living abroad and when repatriating and moving back to Denmark. Derek...

This week, Nanna Hauch aka the Expat Hero, joins Derek and Annie to address an important topic - mental health for foreigners living in Denmark. She discusses the unique mental health challenges that the international community in Denmark is faced with. Nanna brings her expertise as a licensed psychotherapist to the What Are You Doing in Denmark community and offers advice on a wide range of issue...

This week, Mike Walsh is back in the hosting chair with Derek and special guest Chico Muya. As a fellow international living in the Nordics, Chico pumps out hilarious content sharing his experiences as a South African in Finland. He brings the same energy to this week’s episode as Derek, Mike and Chico share laughs about nudity, making friends, and the Nordic obsession with salted licorice. Beside...

Lyndsay Jensen, the founder and editor of The International, is back in the studio with Annie and Derek to talk about the political changes in how foreigners in Denmark are treated and perceived. She recently spoke at Folkemødet on the needs of internationals living in Denmark and their important place in the Danish economy and society at large. In the discussion, Lyndsay references her eldest son...

Annie and Derek are joined this week by Lyndsay Jensen, the founder and editor of The International, an online magazine dedicated to helping foreigners living in Denmark find their way.  Lyndsay shares her story of moving to Denmark after growing up as a Brit living in South Africa. You could say she’s been an expat her whole life. After a decade of life in South Africa with her Danish husban...

Can potential employers ask you if you plan to have kids? Why do job interviews feel so informal in Denmark? Is there bias or racism in the hiring process?  Leslea Petersen, the Founder and CEO of English Job Denmark is back at the table with Derek and Annie to answer all of your questions on finding a job and working in Denmark. She offers advice on adapting your CV and preparing for a job i...

Why doesn’t your CV get any response from Danish employers? How do your skills and certifications land you a job in Denmark? Is there any hope for landing a job in the Danish workforce?  This week, Annie and Derek are joined by Leslea Petersen, the Founder and CEO of English Job Denmark. She tells her story of how she found herself living in Denmark and struggling to find a job. Her “moving t...

This week, Annie and Derek continue their conversation about making friends in Denmark and why it’s so hard. Annie discusses the mixed emotions of relief and overwhelm she feels when visiting her native United States, and jumping back into a very social culture with different social boundaries. She also explains why her son struggled to socialize with Danish classmates as he transitioned from Amer...

How do you make friends in a country where locals prefer not to talk to anyone they don’t already know? The Expat Insider Survey ranks Denmark 53rd out of 53 countries in the subcategory of finding friends and 66% of those surveyed reported it challenging to make friends with locals when moving abroad to Denmark. While it’s not impossible to make connections in Denmark, those numbers aren’t made u...

Derek and Annie are once again joined by comedian, Conrad Molden, to discuss Janteloven. The three practice ‘Jante Math’ (a spin on the online trend of ‘Girl Math’) by praising each other’s achievements and downplaying them in true Janteloven fashion. Why was it so uncomfortable for them? Discussion about the moment in history that the concept was named helps to unlock some cultural context around...

This week Derek and Annie are joined by comedian, Conrad Molden, to tackle a source of culture clash and confusion for people moving to Denmark - Janteloven. The trio define the unofficial “Laws of Jante” and how the social code came to be so pervasive in Danish culture and Scandinavia at large. Particularly, the ramifications for international residents of Denmark are explained. Is Janteloven goo...

This week’s episode dives right back into our topic of being a trailing spouse when moving to Denmark. In it, Annie and Derek continue covering the unique challenges of following your partner to another country and how it can impact the relationship. They share the lessons they’ve learned along the way and how this massive change could have been a huge relationship stressor. Instead, it ended up m...

Life as a “trailing spouse” is mostly incredible, and looks like it from the outside. Still, it’s full of challenges, emotional ups and downs, and can put a strain on relationships and families. Derek and Annie have been through it, and open up about their life after moving to Denmark for their partners.  This episode will help you understand the challenges that you face if you move abroad fo...

Author Keri Bloomfield joins Derek and Mike for more real talk about living in Denmark and how it taught her how to be more of herself. Sharing stories from her new book, Nothing Like a Dane, they discuss the difficulties of learning the Danish language and Danish culture as internationals in Denmark. The episode focuses on the long journey to realizing that foreigners in Denmark don’t need to cha...

Author Keri Bloomfield joins Derek and Mike for some real talk about moving to Denmark, what Denmark gets right and wrong about integration, and the stories that inspired her new book, Nothing Like a Dane. Together they discuss the realities of life in Denmark for foreigners - both the good and the bad, as well as our thoughts on why Denmark has no problem attracting international residents, but s...

In this episode of What Are You Doing in Denmark, Mike interviews friends of the show, Annie Samples and Adrian MacKinder to learn more about the differences in schooling and education systems in Denmark. Annie is an American mom raising her four kids with her American spouse while Adrian is a British father raising his two kids with a Danish spouse. They share their experiences, advice, and a can...

In this episode of What Are You Doing in Denmark, Derek and Mike sit down to recap season one of WAYDID and react to some of their favorite clips and discussions from 2023. The two share laughs, advice, realizations, and some serious moments as they reflect on the year and season one. Some never-before-shared clips are mixed into some of the most viral moments of WADID season one with commentary f...

Diane in Denmark is back this week to share more tips with Derek on getting through the winter holidays and preparing for the New Year. Derek quizzes Diane on which celebrities are secretly anti-Christmas based on their public comments about the holiday. Diane also lets us know how to go into the new year with clear goals and resolutions that are actually achievable. She even offers her expert lif...

This week Derek is joined one on one with Diane in Denmark, the incredible life coach from Scotland who now calls Denmark home. Diane explains the habit of winterbathing to a hypothetical American listener and then explains her hot and cold thoughts on various seasonal activities and trends associated with Christmas and New Years from ugly sweaters to dry January. You’ll hear Diane’s story of movi...