Mark from Holland moved to Denmark in March 2011. He looked for a club and choose KVIK, a rowing club based in Copenhagen. Why did he decide to join KVIK?
Mark, what did you do when you arrived in Denmark in 2011? I read the books available for expats coming to Denmark. They tell you about what you can do to integrate like for instance learning the language, getting insurance, getting a job, and joining a club. I thought that joining a club would
I did not manage the Danish language and I did not look into what other clubs I could join in the area. When I came I had no idea how to find a club so I took what I found easily. I did not have the overview of clubs as I was new to Denmark and had lots of stuff going on.
be a good idea to find friends and get a social life and something to do in my spare time.
As the club is Danish has language ever been a challenge? It is all in Danish, but people are very
How did you find a club to join?
friendly and helpful. The rowing commands is in Danish as well so when I
Well, I lived close to Ă˜sterbro and the
began I spent a lot of time just listening.
water so I was thinking that maybe I
Now I speak Danish there.
should find a water-sport. I went biking at Svanemøllen Havn and there was an open house at KVIK, so I went in and became a member.
How does KVIK try to attract members besides an English webpage? Are you the only expat at the club?
They attend the Expat Fair on Ă˜sterbro.
No, and I was not the first to join.
Also, International House Copenhagen
Now more and more expats join and due
Guidance project so the club could do
to this the club made a webpage in
things in English. They picked up we were
English.
trying to get expat members and they
Beforehand events was written in Danish
donated funds as part of their Leisure
stimulated this.
which made it hard for expats to attend social gatherings but now as it is in English it makes the club and social life much more accessible.
Have you been looking for other clubs since you joined and settled in Denmark? No, I feel happy being a part of KVIK, and
So the club works on getting international members?
I do not want to give it up as I have invested in friendships and connections there.
Yeah, many expats come to Denmark like me and they need a club to join something to do after work and studies so it is easy for clubs to get new
So you enjoy spending time there?
international members if they want to.
Definitely. I have met all kinds of people
KVIK found a niche for English speaking
from all backgrounds and professions –
people and works continuously on
you learn a lot about others in the club.
getting non-Danish members to create a
There are people rowing for fun and top
synergy.
athletes training for the Olympics, which I
Now we are about 10% expats.
get very motivated by. I am part of their success as well, so when they go to the Olympics it is much more interesting as you know the persons who are participating.
More about Project Leisure Guidance‌ How is the language now there are more expats? I sometimes speak Dutch with other members from Holland, but people are great at being like hey we don’t understand Dutch. So, we all try to speak English so everyone is included. The club is Danish so the official language of course is Danish and the instructions and commands are therefore in Danish to. It is fine though as you learn Danish by hearing it. Also, we made a list of the Danish commands translated to English and the meaning of the translation so expats at the club can keep up.
THANKS FOR SHARING, MARK!
The project was established by International House in 2015 with financial aid from SIRI (former STAR). The purpose was to strengthen international families access to spare time activities. It is though not possible anymore for associations or clubs to apply for these funds.