Review: The Year of Living Danishly

The Year of Living Danishly: My Twelve Months Unearthing the Secrets of the World's Happiest Country by Helen Russell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"'Hvor hedder du?' A skinny woman with too-long hair barks at us.
'Oh, hi! Sorry, we're here for the beginner's Danish class?'
'Hvor hedder du?!' She's insistent now.
'Sorry, we haven't started learning Danish yet, I just wanted to check - are we in the right room?'
'HVOR HEDDER DU?!' the strange woman is now screaming at us.
'I'm sorry,' I bleat feebly, 'I don't know what that means ... is it ... Danish?' Well done, genius "

What a fun book! Truly! I had such a great time romping around the Danish countryside with Helen Russell, learning alongside her all the quirks and idiosyncrasies of the Danes, that I'm actually quite sad to say goodbye to "Sticksville-on-Sea," snegels, Lego Man, The Mr Beards and Friendly Neighbour, The Viking, and all the snuggly, hygge descriptions of wintertime in Denmark.

Written in my favourite hysterical, self-deprecating style of the British as part-travel memoir, part-cultural investigation, Russell and her husband, affectionately known as "Lego Man" trade rainy and smoggy London, England for the wild and majestic landscape of Denmark. Having acquired a job placement with none other than Lego (hence the name), Russell's husband, already a "Scando-phile" convinces her that a year abroad would not only be a welcome change of pace to their busy and hectic lives in London, but that it may even be fun! (Shock!). As an already established journalist/editor for publications like Marie Claire, Russell decides to use her year abroad to dive head-first into uncovering what exactly makes Denmark and its people the so-called "Happiest Country on Earth." Hilariousness ensues as Russell learns the in's and out's of uprooting one's entire life to a brand new country while committing numerous cultural faux pas' along the way.

Having myself recently returned from living abroad in Amsterdam this past year, this book could not have come at a better time in my life! (Well, it might have been more fun to read DURING my year abroad, so I wouldn't have felt so crazy and like SUCH a foreigner, but I digress). Surprisingly, or maybe not so surprisingly if you know a thing or two about Northern European cultures, I found that Russell's descriptions and anecdotes about the Danish to be near exact to how I perceived the Dutch, despite the fact that the Netherlands is not even technically Scandinavian. For example, until my Dutch was more proficient (and even then, let's be honest, I still sound like a two-year-old), I had on many occasions the exact conversation as Russell has above, complete with shouting (on the Dutch person's part) and bleating apologetically (on my part) for not speaking their language properly, be it in a bakery, a grocer, the bank, a government building, etc etc.

Of course I couldn't help but compare Denmark's near-Utopic society to ours back in Canada. Even though I am both fortunate and grateful to be a Canadian citizen, me oh my could we learn a few things from the Danish! I wouldn't say I was exactly a "Scando-phile" before reading this book, maybe more of an appreciator of their minimalist design and free society, but I'm a happy convert as of finishing it and I'm now plotting my next adventure across the Atlantic!

I'd recommend this fascinating, hilariously written memoir to anyone who has ever packed up their lives, said goodbye to loved ones, and moved abroad. Heck, I'd recommend it to anyone who is even thinking of doing so! Not only is this book informative and chalk-full of interesting interviews from Danes of all walks of life giving their own accounts of Danish living, but Russell's writing-style is incredibly relatable AND entertaining to boot. She is genuinely funny, (I'd love to meet her), and her experiences as she learns her way around Danish society are as cringe-worthy as they are heart-warming.

For lists-making sake, here are a few of the craziest, interesting, and/or surprising things I learned about Denmark:
1. They have rules as to when, why, which ones and how flags are to be flown in Denmark - the rules are long and convoluted but basically don't try to fly any flag other the the Danish, and if you do fly it, keep it between 7am and 10pm (8am on Sundays), how generous!
2. They regularly hold public autopsies of zoo animals if and when an animal has died. Children learn from a young age that death is a part of life, and by getting a chance to watch the zoologists do their thing, future scientists, biologists, zoologists and the like get to see the inner workings of animals.
3. Hygge is a completely Danish thing. It can be used as a verb, an adjective, even a noun if you feel like it. Basically it means the overall cozy, pleasant, and happy feeling one gets when surrounded by good people, in a comfortable setting, with all the right trimmings like candles and tea and soothing music and maybe even a roaring fire. There is no equivalent word in English, a fact of which Danes (and the Dutch as I found out!) are very proud.
4. New fathers are entitled to and must take paternity leave! GET OUT. That's so cool.
5. Denmark is not only known to be the happiest country in the world, but also the most trusting. They have the least corrupt government and are known for their short working-weeks (normally 32-34 hours), free medical, amazing social programs, plus FREE SCHOOL! (Yes also high taxes, but come on, look at the benefit! They're the happiest country on EARTH!).
6. It is custom to leave a wooden stork outside the house of a family with a newborn baby - one of the reasons is to apparently let the postperson and any other visitors know that there is a possibly sleeping baby inside!
7. Another baby-related fact: new mother and fathers regularly leave their newborns in their prams OUTSIDE of cafes and restaurants because they believe the cold is 'good for their lungs.' (I saw this in Iceland too). They're so trusting of each other that baby-stealing doesn't even cross their minds. And it never happens.

Now for some delicious snegels!

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