Kapsejlads: The craziest Danish tradition I’ve seen yet

On 26 April, 201523 April, 2019 By Alison HaywoodIn Culture, Erasmus Mundus, Studying Abroad, TraditionsLeave a comment

Move over, Friday bars and freshman initiation rituals. You can have your Christmas dinners (julefrokost) and licorice-flavored ice cream. Without a doubt, the most insane Danish tradition I’ve come across yet is Kapsejlads, the annual Aarhus university boat race at the university park.

I’ve never seen the university park this crowded in my entire life. (Sorry for the poor quality – until I buy a new camera, you’ll have to deal with my crappy phone pics.)

In its most basic definition, Kapsejlads is a regatta, a boat race in which the different academic faculties compete against each other. In reality, it’s an excuse to drink. All. Day. Long.

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Rude awakening: An encounter with Danish tax law

On 23 March, 201514 March, 2016 By Alison HaywoodIn Culture, Erasmus Mundus, workLeave a comment

Thus far in my journey I’ve been enjoying many of the benefits of the social welfare state of Denmark without having to pay much in return: (mostly) free health care, affordable public transport, steep student subsidies, etc. But after a paid gig tutoring undergraduates, the Danish powers that be decided it was time for me to pay up.

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Rakia: the best and worst thing to come from the Balkans

On 16 March, 201523 April, 2019 By Alison HaywoodIn Culture, Erasmus Mundus, Traditions1 Comment

It burns like cheap vodka, is sweet like rum, and strong like moonshine. On two separate recent occasions I’ve been introduced to the alcoholic beverage rakia.

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Get cinnamoned

On 14 February, 201523 April, 2019 By Alison HaywoodIn City Life, Culture, TraditionsLeave a comment

No, it’s not a synonym for gazeboed. One of the stranger Danish traditions is the tradition of getting cinammoned. Continue reading “Get cinnamoned” →

Bureaucracy and birth control: Navigating the Danish health care system

On 21 October, 201414 March, 2016 By Alison HaywoodIn City Life, Culture, Erasmus MundusLeave a comment

Denmark has free, universal health care. One of the perks of paying 37-55% of your income in taxes, I suppose. It’s free to visit a doctor, and you pay a subsidized rate for prescriptions – not unlike the co-pay that many American insurance plans have.

“Free” and “universal,” however, are not necessarily synonymous with “efficient.”