Recommendation: Scandinavia and the World

Many (I'd say) years ago, I came across the comic Scandinavia and the World .
I am not sure if they ever had that one viral post, I think I came across them on Facebook several times.


What is so unique about their content you may ask? They manage to display cultural and national differences in a cute and innocent manner. There is nothing provoking about the comics, at least very indirectly if there is any .

Here I share a couple of my favorite comics:

1. Bedside manners
 Oh how cute! Another example of why it is hard not to love SATW (short for Scandinavia and the World)

2.Where's my f***ing Sweets
SATW entertains you AND teaches you history! Apparently people on the Faroe Islands aren't too happy about Norwegians as they weren't as likely to hand out chocolate during WW2. Fun fact! You may want to fact check that first.

3. Let Italian Men Live!
Most of us have come across the prejudice that Italian men cannot take care of themselves because the women in their lives do that for them. Some Italians are getting tired of this apparently!

4. What did you say?
Interesting comic about the Nordic languages. Because language evolves over time, modern day language in one area may resemble the old version of a language in another area. This is the case for most Nordic language and shows how connected we all are up here in the cold North.

5. Nordic Brothers
Peace has not always been present in Northern Europe. Maybe we tend to forget that since we have such strong and peaceful relationships today.
It is a nice reminder that even the areas of the world with the most conflicts as of today, could become strong allies in the future. Hopefully we will all feel that way someday!


About SATW:
I have not been able to find a whole lot about the author(s). The main author is a Danish female and on SATW you will find links to other similar blogs and comics, some of which are apparently run by the same person.
From reading the descriptions it appears that she fairly often interacts with other Nordic nationals.
Having started in 2009, this proves great commitment to her creative field and I hope she keeps it up in the future.

The European Union Explained

What is Europe? Is it the same as the European Union? Do countries automatically become a member of the European Union? And.... What is the European Union exactly?


The political structure is fairly complicated. The geographical structure is also complex.

This video by CGP Grey explains the essentials in a very helpful manner.

To be fair, the video focuses mostly on the geographical complications of the EU.
Just think, though, how complicated the world is with all the "overseas territories" somewhat existing colonies and similar arrangements.

Enjoy another good video from CGO Grey and make sure to check out his other videos.

Europe according to Denmark

I hope this goes without saying, but this is not a serious post. This is humor. 

Nevertheless, maybe an explanation is in order?

Why do the Danes think this about ……:

Iceland (Denmark's greatest fan base)

The Nordic countries have a strong bond, both in terms of culture and politics. In the past Iceland was part of the Danish Kingdom until 1944 when they became an independent nation. They learn Danish in school, which for us it a bit strange to think of. You see, we are used to having to learn other languages as Danish is pretty useless outside of our boarders. If Danish is (still) mandatory in Iceland, they must like us very much!

Faroe Islands (Still gotcha)

The Faroe Islands are still a part of the Danish Kingdom. They are also represented in the Danish parliament. 

Norway (Northern Denmark)

Again with Norway, we have a close cultural bond. The Danish and Norwegian language are, at least in writing, almost the same. For us, going to Norway is not exactly like visiting a "foreign land". It is the beautiful backyard with snow. 

Sweden (Fellow vikings)

There is no denying that we have close bond in Scandinavia. 

Finland (Say what?)

In Norway and Sweden we can understand a lot of the local language(s). Then suddenly we reach Finland and realize that their language is impossible to understand. 

Russia (Good looking girls, not so good looking guys)

My dad once said that Russian women had to care a great deal about their looks, because the competition was fierce since many men had died at war. Not sure which was he was referring to.

I keep seeing all these beautiful Russian women online and out in the world. I am sure there are many attractive men as well, but where did they go?

Baltics (Studying in Denmark)

Because of the EU, other nationalities have gained access to the educational institutions in Denmark. Since we have a large amount of English speaking programs, this attracts foreigners. 

UK (ASOS)

I think I learned about the shopping site ASOS when I was 16. I used to get together with my friends and order together (to save shipping).

Ireland (UK, right?)

Geography is complicated. Who knew Ireland was an independent nation, seriously. 

The Netherlands (Friend with weed)

Marihuana is not legal in Denmark. 

Belgium (Holland 2.0)

For us, these countries have a lot in common. 

Germany (It's complicated)
It is complicated because on the one hand, many still think of WWII and how Germany occupied Denmark. On the other hand, today we have an excellent relationship with Germany and it is one of the largest trading partners. 

Poland (Cheap labor)

It has been in the media several times that Danish employers have taken advantage of laborers from Poland. 

Czech Republic (Invaded by drunk Danish high school students)

During the winter break in February, many Danish students go to Prague for a cheap night out. 

Slovakia (new country)
Not sure if Denmark has an opinion here. It is not a popular vacation destination so that typically means that people are somewhat unaware of the country. 

Austria (After Ski)
In Denmark we love to go skiing. We also love what comes after - the drinking. In Austria there is a lot of beer (which we love) and Snaps (which we also love) and Jägertee (which some people love). Some even go “skiing” just for the drinking. One slope down and then it is time for the first beer. 

Switzerland (Rich people)

Switzerland is famous for many things. One of which is wealth. 

France (Cute accent)
Pretty self explanatory. We can admit that our own language is a bit, well, special. We can tell that French sounds better. 

Spain (Siesta all day)
The concept of siesta has never fully made it to Denmark. We don’t have the temperatures for that. I am sure that we envy it. However, it is my experience that siesta is not currently common on the Spanish labor market.  

Portugal (More siesta)

To us, Spain and Portugal are a bit similar. 

Mallorca, Spain (Invaded by Denmark is summer)

Mallorca, and Spain in general, is very popular for vacation. 

Italy (People who live with their parents far beyond what's normal)

In Denmark it is uncommon to live with one’s parents after turning 19/20 yo. Partly this is because we have quite a lot of scholarships that allows people to move out. In addition, you may receive some judgment from living at home beyond this age. It is not considered “independent” enough for Danish standards. However, this may be changing a bit these days since living costs are rising but scholarships stay the same. 

Various countries (As seen on the Eurovision song contest)

This one is interesting. There are many small European countries that we never hear much about in the Danish media. However, many of them do quite well in the Eurovision show, and THAT, they are famous for!

Bulgaria (Sunny Beach)

Another popular vacation destination. 

Romania (Dracula)

Dracula is awesome. He needs a mention. 

Greece (people with white blazers)

In Denmark people wear black. A lot of black and dark colors. On the Eurovision Song Contest we see men wearing white blazers. It baffles us. 

Turkey (trying not to offend them)

In Denmark we have many people with Turkish origins. Our cultures clash a bit from time to time. 

I hope you enjoyed the post! Leave a comment if you want to say hi or if you have a question. If you have a suggestion for another map, feel free to leave it in a comment.

Thank you for reading!

Ways to confuse people from Denmark

1. Be nice to them in traffic.
Let them get out/by before you pass on. This will lead them to believe that there is some type of problem and they will hesitate.
Once they figure out how nice you are, don't expect them to greet you in any way. This does not mean that are not grateful - on the contrary.
They are just in a hurry to get away so that you're free to go.

2. Tell them that Obama is not the US equivalent to the Danish left-wing.
This is a somewhat common misperception. Denmark perceives the US as a brother they look up to and like to visit but occasionally forget the crucial differences such as the very different political perspective.
Therefore, it is quite funny to see people's reaction if you actually give them a political map comparing Denmark and the US.

3. Suggest yoghurt for dessert
Although this is common in many cultures around the world, yoghurt is considered breakfast in Denmark. And Danes don't like it when you mess with their food system.
There is one exception though: greek yoghurt. This is occasionally used as a dessert but rarely alone.

4. Suggest a work related meeting Friday afternoon.
"But it's Friday?"

5. Refer to the Faroe Islands as a  part of Denmark (Small group of islands north of Scotland)
This is funny because the independence of the Faroe Islands is a little complicated. They are a part of the "kingdom of Denmark" but manage most of their own affairs. Their culture, landscape and language are also different from the Danish and as a result the Danes don't exactly consider these islands being a part of Denmark.
So if you have ever heard about people in Denmark killing whales for fun, it was probably on the Faroe Islands (since there are no whales near continental Denmark)

Denmark according to.. Denmark

Plot holes in "FRIENDS"

Most people who watch friends fall in love – and some of us become obsessed and watch it over and over again.
As a result, some inconsistencies in the story line have been found.

1. Ross’ number of sexual partners
It becomes clear in season 1 that Ross’ only sexual partner so far is his ex-wife Carol.
Later in season 7 we learn that Ross slept with the cleaning lady in college.
So Ross, which is it?

2. Joey’s theater experience
This could possibly be an example of Joey’s bad memory but in season 8 at Chandler and Monica’s wedding he meets a broadway director and expresses his wish to enter the theater scene.
Anyway, Joey has done several theater acting jobs in the past. Is he being all “Joey” or is this a mistake?

3. The age of Ross and Monica 
In late season 1 we learn that Monica is 26.
From thanksgiving flashbacks we learn that Ross is just one year ahead of Monica in school terms (which is even questionable since he reveals that he skipped the 4th grade in another episode). He was with Carol for 7 years before they broke up and it has been a year since they broke up in season 1 episode 1 (we learn that in a flashback where Rachel says he’s getting married in a year exactly ergo the show starts on her wedding day)
Ross meets Carol during his second year of college which makes him more or less 20 at the time. 8 years later (in S1E1) he must therefore be 28 (more or less).
Estimating each season to last more or less a “real” year and that we go through the whole pregnancy of Carol, there is a good chance that Monica is only 25 in S1E1.
All in all this suggests that there is an age difference of 3 years between Monica and her brother which is odd if they graduated only one year apart.

4. Carols pregnancy
In a flashback in season 3 we learn that Ross becomes aware of his wife’s hidden sexuality exactly a year before the series officially begins (Rachel announces her engagement with Barry by saying that “in one year from today” she will be the future Mrs. Barry Farber.)
If  Ross and Carol’s marriage has been over for a year, it is somewhat strange that she becomes pregnant in season 1 (all the while knowing that she is not very far along).
So what, they kept having sex anyway? In season 9, Ross mentions that they had sex one time after Carol became a lesbian which could explain the pregnancy. But still, It is very unlikely that they had sex almost a year after they broke up.

5. The length of Ross’ parent’s marriage and his age
We have previously established that Ross was 27 or 28 when the series started. At the time of his parent’s 35th wedding anniversary it has been 8 years since S1E1. This makes him either 35 or 36 at the time. But Jack reveals in another episode that him and Judy got married because she was pregnant. In order for this to make sense they must have been married some months before Ross was born. It is not impossible, but shouldn’t they rather be celebrating their 36th or 37th anniversary?

6. How Ross was conceived
In one episode Jack explains how Ross was a medical marvel. In another they reveal that he and Judy got married because she was pregnant with Ross and that it happened because a dog chewed on her birth control. Conflicting or just two sides of the same story?

7. Rachel’s pregnancy
Monica and Chandler get married on May 15th.
At that time Rachel finds out she is pregnant (let’s say she is a month pregnant which makes sense given the following doctor’s visit where she is 6 weeks pregnant)
Given that she is late, a bit more than 8 months later she gives birth. This is now late January. Therefore it makes NO sense that it is 100 degrees  outside (quote Rachel) and that everybody is wearing summer clothes.

Misconceptions about Denmark

1. Danes are particularly mean to foreigners
Danes are also very intolerant to their own kind. There is not much space for diversity, exotic dreams, complaints, etc..

2. High prices
If you arrive in Denmark with a foreign currency prices appear high. If you work in Denmark (under official conditions) you will see how little of your disposable income you need to spend on groceries for example. Sure, cars are expensive. So maybe you don't buy an Audi this time.

3. High degree of gender equality 
In Denmark gender equality is an essential topic in politics. The main aim is to make sure that women reach managing level positions and represent a certain percentage in boards, political parties and other institutions of authority.
Unfortunately men have little respect for women and it is normal to for them to touch girls in inappropriate places (out of nowhere) when out on the town. Also, the last gentleman left the country a long, long time ago..

4. Good education 
Primary school not so much

5. Denmark is a small country
Have you taken a look at Greenland recently?

6. Danish people are blonde
Actually, the highest concentration of blonds you will find in Finland.

7. The difficulty of the Danish language
Foreigners often complain that Danish is difficult. Sure, but then again, it is quite similar to English and the present tense needs no conjugations. Sure, the pronunciation and the written word are often quite different. Listening to people talk will take you further than trying to read. And there are no cases..

8. Danes are civilized.
Once drunk very loud and out of control.