Who we are, and why we started Denmark&Me

Simple Danish Newsletter #26

Hi friends,

We thought it was about time that we gave you a bit of an introduction to ourselves. Who we are, and importantly, why are we writing all these newsletters? 😊 The following is a little self-indulgent, it’s all about us. Hopefully you’ll find it interesting though 😊

Who Are We?

We are Antonina and Rasmus—partners in life and in our mission to make Denmark more accessible to newcomers. Antonina is a teacher with a Master’s Degree in Applied Linguistics, speaks five languages fluently and currently teaches languages at a Danish primary school. Rasmus, a native Dane with a background in Biotechnology and a passion for making a difference, has been building websites and been working with non-profits for years.

We met on an Interrail trip through Europe in 2019, and our journey together led us to Denmark. As Antonina learned Danish and we navigated life here, we realized how challenging it was to find quality resources for newcomers. So, we decided to create the tools we wish we had ourselves. We created Denmark&Me—a platform dedicated to helping others like us.

What are we trying to do?

Our mission at Denmark&Me is to guide you through everything it takes to thrive in Denmark, by providing high-quality resources and guidance. We believe the journey of moving to Denmark should be one of excitement and opportunity, not frustration and confusion.

We started Denmark&Me to create the resources we wished we had, helping others navigate the complexities of Danish life with confidence and ease.

We are definitely still working on it, but the goal of Denmark&Me is to offer more than just language learning materials—we want to provide a complete guide to life in Denmark. Our content is built on personal experience and expert knowledge, offering practical, actionable advice on everything from mastering Danish, to making friends and finding a job.

We are passionate about supporting international residents in Denmark, especially in light of policy changes in recent years that make it harder for expats to stay and thrive here. We believe that Denmark should embrace the talents and contributions of those who choose to make this country their home, and we’re here to support that transition with everything we‘ve got.

That’s also why our intention is to make all of our content available to everyone, regardless of financial circumstances. While we need to keep the lights on, we never want money to be the reason why someone can’t succeed in Denmark. If you truly can’t afford the cost of some of our materials, we will make sure they are available to you for free.

That was a bit of pineapple in own juice (as we say in Danish, see below)

Have you ever thought more about why you are learning Danish? It might be worth spending some time thinking about (and I can reveal that it is also going to be what we talk explore in next weeks newsletter).

Our Favourite Things ❤️

Idiom of the Week: Ananas i egen juice

Literally; Pineapple in its own juice

If a situation occurs where someone, especially media, are only occupied with talking about themselves and refrains from involving others in the conversation. However, it is often used ironically, when someone is aware they might come off as bragging.

It is a relatively new expression, and very interestingly, we can trace its origin pretty much exactly back to a grandma named Lis who, upon seeing a program with Jes Dorph ** in 2011, exclaimed he was a bit much, like pineapple in its own juice. Her grandson who was an editorial manager on TV2, and shared the funny expression with the team behind Natholdet who liked it so much, they decided to name a segment of their show “Ananas i egen juice”. They even gave it, its own jingle and everything. From there the expression quickly spread in society, and soon after it was accepted into the Danish dictionary.

For example:

A) Jeg ved godt at det er lidt ananas i egen juice, men vi har snart rundet 200.000 downloads på Simple Danish Podcast

B) Hold da op, det var godt nok mange.

Word of the Week: Snørklet

Literally; ??

When something is convoluted and twisted, either literally or metaphorically.

For example:

  • De små, snørklede veje i sommerhusområdet gjorde at posten altid blev leveret forkert.
  • Den snørklede måde han skrev sin bog på, gjorde at mange blev forvirrede.

We hope you liked this introduction to who we are. Feel free to share your story with us, if you’d like – We’d love to hear it 😊

Kram fra,

Antonina & Rasmus

Denmark&Me

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