In this episode of the How to Live in Denmark podcast, host Kay Xander Mellish shares personal reflections on why she enjoys living in Denmark. She opens with a story about her daughter's school summer festival, highlighting the communal, family‑focused atmosphere. Mellish addresses a listener’s criticism, reaffirming her love for Denmark and noting that many outsiders assume she dislikes the country. She outlines several reasons she values Danish life: generous work‑life balance that allows parents time with children, a slower, less competitive pace compared with the US and UK, high taxes that curb consumerism and lead to fewer possessions, and a strong biking and public‑transport culture that fosters social interaction. She contrasts Denmark’s organized, relaxed environment with the hectic hustle of Manhattan and the perceived disorganization of Southern Europe. Concluding the episode, Mellish announces an upcoming e‑book that will compile past podcast transcripts and extras, priced at about 50 Danish crowns (~$10), and explains she will pause the podcast in July to finish the book, returning in August. She directs listeners to the website and social media for more information.
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Hello and welcome to the How to Live in Denmark podcast. I'm Kay Xander Mellish. There was no podcast last week, and I apologize for that. It was my daughter's summer festival at her school, and there was a lot of cookie baking and lasagna making and costume sewing to be done. That's still better than last year when we parents had to put on a play. I had to put on cutoff shorts and braid my hair and pretend I was a little Danish girl who didn't like her lunch packet because her mother had put too many økologiske råvarer— organic raw foods— in the packet instead of the Nutella on white bread that the little girl, me, would have preferred. Anyway, this year all I had to do was bake things in advance and then drink beer while I watched the kids perform. It was a beautiful summer sunny day, and all the families sat around and watched these happy, healthy children dance around in the sunshine and sing songs about the 4 seasons. Now, whether or not Denmark actually has 4 seasons is another question. I think it has 2: summer and gray. But still, that kind of family scene is one of the things I like about Denmark. I got an email a couple of weeks ago at howtoliveindenmark.com from a Danish woman who now lives in Germany. She says that this podcast helps her keep in touch with life back home, but that she doesn't really like it. I have to tell you, almost every story has a negative ring to it when you portray your thoughts on Denmark and Danes. I cannot shake the feeling that you really deep down do not like Danes or Denmark. I find this sad as you have been living there now over a decade. Lady, I won't say your name on the air, but you're full of baloney. Of course I like Denmark, otherwise I wouldn't be here. I do have a pretty nice country to go back to. I like living in Denmark for a lot of different reasons. One of them is that people here have a lot of time to spend with their children. There's a cliché in the U.S. business world of the CEO who quits because I want to spend more time with my family. That always means he's been fired. But in Denmark, people really do want to spend a lot of time with the people they care about. I think that's one reason a lot of people here are not very ambitious, because getting ahead means working a lot of hours, and they. They want their free time. The pace of life in Denmark is much slower than it is in the US or the UK. There's much less competitiveness, which can be a good and a bad thing, but there's never that feeling of fighting to get through the day. Before I lived in Copenhagen, I lived in Manhattan, and there everybody wanted your job, everybody wanted your apartment, everybody wanted your boyfriend, everybody wanted your seat at the restaurant, everybody wanted everything you had all the time. Denmark is much more relaxing. And people have much less stuff here. The taxes are so high that you can't buy a lot of stuff. People don't go shopping just for fun. So people have fewer things, but better things. That means less clutter and less stuff to clean. Other things I like about Denmark. I like the biking culture and the mass transport culture. I do have a driver's license, and I enjoy driving a car, but I also like the interaction with people you get on a bike or a train or a bus. And the public transport system here generally works well. Not always, but generally. Things work well in Denmark. Not as aggressively as they do in Germany, where I used to live, but generally well. I love Southern Europe, but I don't think I could live there. The disorganization would drive me crazy. In general, I find Copenhagen quiet but sophisticated. I'm happy living here. I have no plans to live anyplace else. And that's the How to Live in Denmark podcast for this week. I have big news! There is going to be a How to Live in Denmark book, an ebook, very, very soon, probably within the next couple of weeks. It will be available on Amazon and other fine online bookstores. sellers for a low, low price of about 50 crowns. That's roughly $10 US, and it will contain text versions of all the great podcasts you've heard over the past year, plus some extras. You'll be able to download it and read it on whatever device you want— your tablet, your phone, your e-reader. So I will be taking July off from the podcasts in order to put the finishing touches on the book, but I'll be back in August. Until then, you can follow us on Facebook. Yes, you can. You can find out more about the book at How to Live in Denmark, or at howtoliveindenmark.com, or on Twitter at How to Live in DK. The 2 is a number. See you in August. Remember, the How to Live in Denmark book is available for download on amazon.com. You can read it on any phone or tablet. All you need is the Kindle app, and the Kindle app is free. The book's not free, but it's not very expensive either. If you read the book and enjoy it, please leave a review on your local version of amazon.com. It helps other people find the book and Find the podcast.
