I have to let off a little steam regarding my efforts to learn Danish. My progress has been agonizingly slow. After spending 2 1/2 months surrounded by Danes speaking Danish, I have only mastered the hello/goodbye, numbers, and a few other random vocabulary words.
The problem is that Danish people do not expect foreigners to learn their language; even the simplest words such as tak and hej are not deemed necessary. Quite a contrast to places like Italy and France where prices for common goods are based on one's ability to speak the local language. Any time I spout off a little rudimentary Danish I simultaneously impress and amuse my victim. Instead of responding in slow and simple 'baby Danish' they will often just continue the conversation in English. This does not exactly encourage me to dig deeper and fumble out my next sentence in Danish.
Regardless, I continue fighting the good fight. I have made much more progress reading Danish. Each day on the train I translate the newspaper headlines and articles with the help of my trusty pocket dictionary. I'm hoping that one day soon my vocabulary will reach a critical mass and I'll be able to hold an entire conversation in Danish.
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