In Denmark for 25 years, but not feeling like I am a part of it...

In Denmark for 25 years, but not feeling like I am a part of it...

“I’ve lived in Denmark for 25 years, but don’t feel like I am a part of it.”

That’s what I heard a few days ago. Can you imagine living in another country without feeling like you’re a part of the society, of the culture?...

My first reaction was: “What?? How is that possible?? It must be really hard!”

But what do we really mean by “being a part of

Quality of Life. Progressive?

Once again a task at our language school gave me inspiration to write a post. We were supposed to write about Quality of Life (Livskvalitet); what it is for us and why we find those characteristics important.

Serious topic, ain't? :)

Honestly I had no idea what to start from. First, I had to figure out what the quality of life is in general, what stands behind this term. I think this short explanation gives quite a good overview over the term. 

Now when I knew an overall meaning, I had to find my own. But so many things were on my mind! I couldn't figure out how to put them together and explain to the others.

I really had to focus /sweat

“Focus is the key to the world.” 

- William Dinsmore III

Then it hit me. Focus! Of course! Focus on the present, be here and now, live this moment. That's the quality of life! Which surely has a lot of "subqualities", as I decided to call them.

I would especially name such subqualities as:

What Foods Do You Miss From Back Home?

What Foods Do You Miss From Back Home?

Sguschenka

A few weeks ago a Russian friend of mine came and visited me. What do you think she brought from mother Russia?? :) Sguschenka! Yeah! I'm absolutely sure Russians and Ukrainians know exactly what I mean :) For the readers from other countries a short explanation.

Sguschenka is a special milk product which Lena (i.e. me) has loved all her life and can't find in Denmark /wahaha

Ok, now seriously. Sguschenka or sguschennoe moloko is actually condensed milk which we

How Does Your Lovely Pet feel Abroad?

How Does Your Lovely Pet feel Abroad?

Kisyonysh loves playing with anything she sees in front of her

How much do you love your pet? Are you ready to take you pet with you abroad if you have a chance to do it? Are you ready to go through all the veterinary and paper stuff to bring your lovely miaowing or whoofing or doing other stuff pet with you to your new home? If the answer yes, I am so much on the same planet with you! :) If not, I can also understand that. 

This is how Kisyonysh looked like in the first months of her life

My fluffy girl had already lived with me for 4,5 years in Russia, when I decided on moving abroad. My mom told me that I could just leave Kisyounysh (yes, that's her name!) with her, and she'll take care of the cat. But my goodness!

Are you a job seeker in Denmark? Read this!

Are you a job seeker in Denmark? Read this!

Are you a job seeker in Denmark? I recommend you to read this article and increase your exposure to the Danish job market through job fairs.

I will tell you about what a job fair is, how to get prepared for it, what to do at the job fair and what to do and expect afterwards. You can apply these tips when having decided on visiting a job fair(s), plenty of which are happening in March and April throughout the country. Search those you might be interested in here.

Ok, let's start. Today I was at a job fair (jobmesse) in Aarhus, second biggest city in Denmark located in mid Jutland. My God, there're so many ..............

How Much Do You Hate the Danish Culture?

How Much Do You Hate the Danish Culture? 35%? 70%? 100%?

A few days ago I wrote a Post on how differently people look at the Danish culture, at Danes and at the Danish system. Some even express pure hatred. So, I got to think about that it would be great for some foreigners to change the degree to which they hate the Danish culture into the degree to which they can cobtribute to it instead.

Another trigger for this post was the topic we are studying at the language school (sprogskole) now. We are reading about the Danish democracy and the Danish Constitution (Grundloven). You have the freedom of speech, but things like blasphemy, humiliating others because of their race, skin colour and some other things are not allowed. In the school we are talking a lot about tolerance to other people's culture, religion and so on.

So, I sat down and wrote down some ways in which we can contribute to the Danish culture and the Danish society (or actually to any other, if you live in another country), in order to exercise ........................

Beating Your Head Against The Wall? 8 Points on Why You Shouldn't

Beating Your Head Against The Wall? Eight Points on Why You Shouldn't

Have you ever felt like you're beating your head against the wall? Like you're alone against the crowd?

That's how I felt this Tuesday. It was my first day at language school (which by the way in general was pretty cool!). I "met" so many different nationalities there! There were people from Poland, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Ukraine, Philippines, China, Germany, Armenia... It was strange though that I hadn't really met any Russians :)

Anyway, this Tuesday I suddenly realized how differently people see their lives here in Denmark, in a country new to them (even if they have been living here for over 2 years), how different their ways are to cope with some problems and misunderstandings here. Some complain and even express their anger and irritation regarding Denmark, its culture and its people. They feel rejected and pressured. It all looks black to them. And it's quite hard, if not impossible at the time being, to make them look at the things otherwise. I heard about it before, and any