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International Women’s Day is both a milestone and a reminder: advancement is real, but equality is not yet complete. Photographs: Canva Text: Lyndsay Jensen Dear readers, March arrives with that special Nordic light: the days are a little longer, the air gets a little warmer, and Denmark begins to shrug off winter’s grip. And right in the middle of it - on the 8th of March - comes International Women’s Day, a date that always makes me take stock of two timelines at once: the

Picture courtesy of: Karim Ghafuri Aminata Andersen, finalist of Miss Denmark 2025 and winner of Miss Congeniality, shares how growing up between cultures shaped her identity and values. From pageantry to global business and community-building, she transforms challenges into confidence and connection. Photographs: Various Text: Maja Cawthra Aminata, who describes herself as an “Afro-Danish woman,” was born in Denmark to a Senegalese mother and a Malawian father and was later

As Denmark’s demographic crisis deepens, Kelly Draper Rasmussen looks at how immigration policy may be contributing to the loss of international talent. Images: Pexels / Jason Toevs / Kelly Draper Rasmussen Text: Kelly Draper Rasmussen Denmark is in the midst of a significant demographic crisis, in which an ageing population and younger people moving to large cities are causing communities to lose workers. Meanwhile, Danish universities cannot educate enough people in the sho

Jess Hearne traces Denmark’s evolution from Viking networks to a stable kingdom, showing how power moved from brute force to enduring institutions. Photograph: Pexels / Andrii Chepelovskyi Text: Jess Hearne Before borders and institutions shaped Denmark, it was shaped by movement. Long coastlines, shallow seas and sheltered fjords carried the people, stories and ambitions of the Viking Age from one shore to another. Ships linked Scandinavia to distant regions through trade, w

Leslea Petersen explores why the mid-winter slump hits hard - and how you can stay focused, energised, and ready for new opportunities. Photograph: Pexels-ron-lach Text: Leslea Petersen Does anyone else feel like the sun sets before you’ve even finished your morning coffee? I know the lighter days are coming, but waking up in the dark never gets easier. Honestly, I’d love to hibernate through this season and wake up when spring arrives. In Denmark, the long, dark winter month

Designer/photographer: Maja de Silva / Location: Private home, CPH, DK With light as both a necessity and a design element, Maja de Silva explores how thoughtful lighting shapes atmosphere, emotion, and everyday life in the home. Photographs: Maja de Silva Text: Maja de Silva Light is one of the most essential elements in our lives. It surrounds us constantly, yet we rarely truly notice it. Most of the time, it simply exists in the background—quiet, reliable, taken for grante

Natasha Liviero brings irresistible indulgence to this chocolate-lover’s dessert, combining crisp pastry with silky baked dark chocolate custard and a delicate milk chocolate glaze. Perfect for ending a meal on a sweet note, it’s effortlessly elegant and guaranteed to please. Photographs: Natasha Liviero Text: Natasha Liviero Baked chocolate tart (Makes 1 x 23cm Tart) Ingredients pastry case: 10g Cocoa butter, melted (or 1 egg, 10g cream, 5g cocoa powder) 340g flour 50g co

As cultures intersect more frequently, Makoda Gascon shares how children growing up between worlds develop a unique sense of identity as Third Culture Kids. Photograph: Pexels / Yan Krukau Text: Makoda Gascon As globalisation becomes more prevalent, the number of individuals travelling, living abroad, and settling in a new country is increasing. This rise in travel has led many individuals to integrate their home culture with the culture of their host country. In particular,

Why empathy, language, and responsibility matter more than ever before. Photograph: Canva Text: Lyndsay Jensen Dear Readers, Valentine’s Day usually invites us to think small and personal. Romantic love. Private moments. Quiet gestures exchanged behind closed doors. But this year, love feels bigger than that. It feels public. The world feels tense. Conversations feel sharper. Empathy often seems to disappear the moment power or politics enter the room. Writing this as an inte

Fiona L Smith discusses the quiet heaviness of late winter and how listening to the nervous system can support a slow, embodied return to life. Photograph: Pexels / Nadine Wuchenauer Text: Fiona L Smith After Imbolc on 1 February, we’re officially closer to Spring than to midwinter. The days are getting longer, and the seasonal shift has begun. But for many, particularly those of us living in the ‘dark north’, that change can still be hard to feel. Instead, we often experienc

Brooke Taylor Fossey’s look at love beyond jeg elsker dig . Photograph: Pexels / Michelle Leman Text: Brooke Taylor Fossey It’s February, which means many of us are thinking about love – well, Valentine’s Day at least. Valentinsdag has gained some traction in Denmark since the 1990s and 2000s, but it’s still not widely celebrated. So how do Danes prefer to profess their love? Why Danes rarely say jeg elsker dig Danes are famously reserved when it comes to saying ‘I love you.

In this issue, Aamna Tauheed investigates the growing gap between Denmark’s reliance on international labour and the realities faced by international job seekers. Photographs: Emese Helmeczi Text: Aamna Tauheed The 2025 immigration report , published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, states that in 2024, Denmark received 54,000 international migrants on a long-term or permanent basis. This is a significant number compared with previous years for D

Misconceptions still surround epilepsy, despite how common it is. Lyndsay Jensen looks at why awareness and understanding remain essential. Photograph: Pexels / Google DeepMind Text: Lyndsay Jensen Every year, on the second Monday of February, the world marks International Epilepsy Day - a moment to recognise a condition that affects millions of lives but remains misunderstood. For people living with epilepsy and their families in Denmark, this day is both a reminder of ongoi

In this article, Diana-Medrea Mogensen rethinks the skills conversation for 2026. The focus shifts from trends to capabilities that support sustainable performance. Photograph: Pexels / George Milton Text: Diana-Medrea Mogensen I suspect many of you opened this article expecting to read about the latest skills, likely related to new technologies, emerging trends, or new regulations such as the AI Act. Every year, someone publishes a list of “skills in demand for the future,”

This issue, Alexandra Beck reframes February training as an act of continuity, not motivation. Photograph: Pexels / Burst Text: Alexandra Beck By February, winter has usually lost its charm. The festive lights are gone, the social buzz has quietened, and spring still feels like a rumour someone started to keep us hopeful. The days are short, the air is cold, and motivation feels… negotiable. This is what I call the mid-winter slump. Not dramatic, not alarming – just a slow dr

Picture: Unsplash / samuel-austin With illusion giving way to confrontation and identity under pressure, Ophelia Wu explores why clarity, intention, and self-honesty may be the most radical acts of the years ahead. Photographs: Various Text: Ophelia Wu As we move into February, the world and the sky have some big news. On January 26th, Neptune entered Aries, where it will stay until 2039. Neptune, the planet of illusion, dreams, spiritual vision, and the unconscious, dissolve

How a Houston-raised mother of four, Kimico Frydenlund, moved her family to Copenhagen - and why a small cookie shop made sense there. Photographs: Maja de Silva Text: Lyndsay Jensen Raised in Houston, Texas, in a busy household shaped by proximity and routine. Siblings and cousins were constant presences, and family life unfolded in shared spaces. Kimico's mother worked as a nurse and raised the children alone for much of that time, setting a visible standard for responsibil

As The International marks eight years, we reflect on the role of storytelling in a complex world - and on the values that continue to guide our work. Image: Canva Text: Lyndsay Jensen Dear readers, Eight years ago, The International Magazine began as a small but hopeful idea: to create a platform where internationals in Denmark - alongside Danes and readers around the world could find stories that reflect the complexity of living between cultures. Stories that inform, questi

Credit: Christiansborg Christian Green investigates the rise of psychedelic self-medication in Denmark, and the uneasy gap between clinical research, public demand, and political action. Photographs: Various Text: Christian Green The underground use of psychedelic drugs is thought to be quietly rising in Denmark and across Europe. That is according to a 2025 European Drug Agency report , which notes that an unknown but increasing number of people are seeking out substances li

As Denmark’s towns and regional labour markets come to rely on international workers, Kelly Draper Rasmussen examines the people keeping them viable. Images: Josch13 - Pixabay / Kelly Draper Rasmussen Text: Kelly Draper Rasmussen The dominant narrative about Danish immigration is that internationals are concentrated in the major cities. For instance, Copenhagen’s population is approximately one in four internationals, which attracts considerable attention. The fact that many