Interview 1-Denmark

Maddy Thoele

Eng 191 f09 s21
Emilio
Denmark
Interview date: October 21, 2009


· At the start of my interview I asked him If I could record our conversation and he did not want me to, he said it made him “nervous and not sure what to say”.
Age: 16

Time spent in America: 2 ½ months.

Why did you come to America?
Because when I graduated High School in Denmark I didn’t know what I wanted to do.

How many years do you spend in school in Denmark?
Ten years of schooling, and two to three years of college, most people attend college. It is very different here in class rooms. In Denmark we are put into a class with 23 other student and we stay with them for all ten years of schooling. We do not change rooms, the teacher comes to us. So, for all ten years I am in the same room with the same people, they become your family in a way.

When you came to America what grade level did they place you in?
A senior in High school, schooling in America is much easier then school at home. We do not have sports in our school like you do, we have club sports and most people play soccer, not football, but I like to watch it.

Do many students come to America to study?
No, most go onto college. I did this because my mom did when she was my age. There is a program called YFU that helped me come to America to study. There was another student from Denmark here last year that I know.

Were you nervous to come here?
I was very nervous at first, but Sue (the host family) and I emailed back and forth for a long time before I came, she made me feel comfortable and not as worried. We talked about the changes I would see and what it would be like when I got here.

What was it like at first?
I was very nervous to get here, but I enjoy it now. The first morning I woke up and it took me five minutes to remember where I was. It was very weird, but now I am used to living here and I am starting to feel at home.

What are some of the biggest changes for you?
People here eat fast food much more then I do back home. We eat together most commonly meatballs- I guess that is what you would call them here, it reminds me of meatballs anyway, and we eat pizza a lot. Your houses are a lot smaller than ours. We have a cold season in Denmark, but it is very cold here. We get snow sometimes, it is very beautiful, but it is not as cold as here.

Was the language hard for you to speak?
In Denmark we start learning English in fifth grade. It was hard to learn at first, but I get it now. At first your funny sayings were hard to understand, but I think I know them now. We have a lot of people from the Middle East in Denmark. They have clusters that they live in, it makes communication very hard sometimes. There are gang wars between town’s people and people from the Middle East, they are called “Hells Angels” gang.

Was it easy or hard to make friends?
People are very nice here, I made friends very fast. I cannot drive here, so it makes it hard to get places. In Denmark we can drink at 16, and we go to “clubs” at 16, that is a big change. We also do not have liquor stores, you but expensive liquor, such as wine in them, you but all other liquor in stores. We do not have a target in Denmark, but this would be a place where you would buy liquor. Liquor in America is much cheaper. It is ten dollars for a six pack at home.

When can you drive in Denmark?
At 18 is when we get our permit and license, same year. It costs 2,000 American dollars. Most people will ride their bikes. We use crowns in Denmark. It is five Danish crowns for every American dollar. American money is very hard to figure out.

How many coins and bills do you have?
Six coins and five bills, we do not pay for our college in Denmark like you do here, that is why I will go home in June for college

Do you pay for health Insurance or car Insurance?
We have free health insurance, but pay for car insurance. My mom makes a lot of money so we pay fifty percent income tax, which is the most people pay. You make a lot of money if you pay this much.

Are things expensive here?
We just bought a new house, which is big, for 1.3 Danish Crowns- 26,000 American dollars. Our homes are much bigger, but look the same.

What are the most common jobs in Denmark?
Same as here, Farming, Lawyers, and Doctors. We begin working much sooner than Americans I had two jobs when I was 15. I work at a pizza place now and make 15.00$ an hour.

Do both parents usually work?
Yes, both go to work.

When do most people get married and start dating?
It is about the same, people start dating at the same age. People do not get married until they are 30-35, older than here. Divorce is also common in Denmark, my parents are divorced.

Do you celebrate the same holidays as America?
Yes, Christmas and all the others, just no Thanksgiving.

What is the most common religion?
Christianity, Muslim is next, because we have people from the Middle East.

What are the biggest changed in clothing for both men and women?
A boy in Denmark would wear more colorful shoes and shirts, same with a girl, colorful shirts.

Do you speak to your family often?
Yes, I talk to them through email. Well, my mom and dad, I have two little brothers who do not use a computer yet.