“Um, does this say cream?”

I have already found myself saying “I’m sorry, I don’t speak Danish” quite a few times. It is definitely (and understandably) the default language in Denmark.

Last night, I left a bar, and the security at the door said a word to me in Danish. I wasn’t sure if I was in trouble for something, so quickly explained I don’t speak Danish, and he explained to me that he was saying something along the lines of “I hope you had a good time at our establishment, that you enjoy your night, and thank you for coming here.” All of that in one word. I find that pretty incredible. I now have the urge to learn Danish.

Also, restaurants. I frequently have to get up the courage to ask what something means on a menu or explain to a waiter that I only speak English. A few restaurants near my classes actually have menus in English, since there is a full street of almost entirely American students. I also stumbled upon a hotel today (quite nice-looking from outside) called the Palace. There was a Burger King and a KFC right next to it and a few Cafè’s with English menus. I almost went to KFC, but convinced myself that I will adjust and this whole language thing will get much easier. I do want to check out KFC sometime though, for comparison’s sake.

I also had an instance in the Netto (grocery store). I needed heavy cream for making dinner that night. I found the fridge full of what definitely looked like milk products.  Then, I stood there staring for 15 minutes trying to use packaging clues to figure out which was cream. I saw a package that looked convincing, but it was very tiny, and I needed more. I saw a larger package with what looked like the same word, but what I assume was a brand name started with “Egg…” followed by stuff I will probably never be able to pronounce accurately. I was worried that perhaps it was some sort of egg milk or substitute? Cue me standing and staring for five more minutes. Finally, I decided to ask a worker. Then, I lost my courage and started perusing the store even though I had already grabbed everything else that I needed. 10 minutes of convincing myself to ask the clerk, I finally did, and lo and behold it was in fact cream and he was very kind and understanding about the whole thing.

Lessons learned. The Danes are all incredibly kind and understanding, even when you don't speak Danish. Also, I should trust my gut. Apparently my deduction skills based on packaging are rather good. 

On a side note, that is rather humorous. At the store, I bought shampoo and conditioner... At least I thought I did. I actually bought shampoo and body wash. The best part? The packaging was in English, I just wasn't paying attention.