As some of you may know, one of the things I found challenging when studying abroad in Ecuador was the fact that I was obviously a foreigner, and a visibly American one at that. I dressed differently from the locals, and aside from that there just aren't many Ecuadorians with hair as light as mine (which is not even that light). I was constantly aware of the feeling of "standing out", and our program directors made sure to remind us about all the stereotypes that come along with being easily identified as American.
Well welcome to Denmark, me. Now, I am not the most danish-looking person around, by any means, but I'm feeling like I can blend in pretty well here (I packed as "europeanly" as possible). As you will see, whether this feeling is justified or representative of reality is up for debate, given the weakness of the evidence I provide here. For starters, here's how I demonstrate my "acting danish" skills at the grocery store, which is my #1 accomplishment:
Clerk: "Hej"
Me: "Hi!" (Note - they sound the same)
Clerk: "Something I don't understand in danish but sounds like numbers"
Me: (Check the screen to see how much I owe, give appropriate amount to clerk)
Me: "Tak!" (Translation: thanks!)
For whatever reason, this whole exchange makes me feel pretty proud. From the moment the clerk tells me the total in danish, I'm thinking oh yeah, they totally think I'm danish. (Of course, at this point all I've done is say "Hi" exactly the way I say it in the US.) Then the real kicker is the "tak" at the end. It's a beautiful thing, because even if my pronunciation is a bit off, I've clearly signaled the end of the interaction so there is really no potential for follow up.*
*Except for the one time the clerk did follow up by asking if I wanted the receipt, which luckily she was holding in her hand, so after a moment of confusion I was able to shake my head no* and, once again, complete the interaction without revealing my non-nativeness.
*Is it possible that I do not actually know the word for "no" in danish?
Accomplishment #2 (if you can even call it that) is that one evening when I was at "international night" at the university pub in town, which is typically packed with international students and hardly any danish people, a danish girl started speaking to me in danish. Niice.
However at the end of the day, there is some evidence that I am not looking mega danish, because I have been appraised by 3 or 4 other international students, who were surprised that I was American, but they did not suggest that I looked danish. Several of them said "maybe french" or "definitely not American". To which I say, "D'accord"
Well welcome to Denmark, me. Now, I am not the most danish-looking person around, by any means, but I'm feeling like I can blend in pretty well here (I packed as "europeanly" as possible). As you will see, whether this feeling is justified or representative of reality is up for debate, given the weakness of the evidence I provide here. For starters, here's how I demonstrate my "acting danish" skills at the grocery store, which is my #1 accomplishment:
Clerk: "Hej"
Me: "Hi!" (Note - they sound the same)
Clerk: "Something I don't understand in danish but sounds like numbers"
Me: (Check the screen to see how much I owe, give appropriate amount to clerk)
Me: "Tak!" (Translation: thanks!)
For whatever reason, this whole exchange makes me feel pretty proud. From the moment the clerk tells me the total in danish, I'm thinking oh yeah, they totally think I'm danish. (Of course, at this point all I've done is say "Hi" exactly the way I say it in the US.) Then the real kicker is the "tak" at the end. It's a beautiful thing, because even if my pronunciation is a bit off, I've clearly signaled the end of the interaction so there is really no potential for follow up.*
*Except for the one time the clerk did follow up by asking if I wanted the receipt, which luckily she was holding in her hand, so after a moment of confusion I was able to shake my head no* and, once again, complete the interaction without revealing my non-nativeness.
*Is it possible that I do not actually know the word for "no" in danish?
Accomplishment #2 (if you can even call it that) is that one evening when I was at "international night" at the university pub in town, which is typically packed with international students and hardly any danish people, a danish girl started speaking to me in danish. Niice.
However at the end of the day, there is some evidence that I am not looking mega danish, because I have been appraised by 3 or 4 other international students, who were surprised that I was American, but they did not suggest that I looked danish. Several of them said "maybe french" or "definitely not American". To which I say, "D'accord"
Bet you're wishing you paid more attention to our mini danish lesson at the end of the dip-fest.
ReplyDeleteThat grocery store interaction with the receipt is word-for-word the same as what I experienced.
ReplyDeleteLove this--it is exactly what I've been experiencing also in NL! Esp. the grocery store thing, receipt and all.
ReplyDeleteI was telling someone of just this accomplishment last week. It's just body language and two words, but it took a lot of false starts to get there.
ReplyDeleteBoth AWESOME and notable accomplishments. For sure. Grocery store successes are really where it's at. If you can feel at home in your foreign non-English speaking market, then you're IN my friend. Nice work!
ReplyDeleteI still think you look Ecuadorian.
ReplyDelete