The appeal of a high quality, free education persuaded British-born expat Henrik Cullen to relocate to Copenhagen four years ago. Although he holds Danish nationality through his mother, he had never lived in Denmark before, making him a 'local expat' of sorts.
He said his choice to come to his mother's native country was motivated by several reasons.
“Most people in the United Kingdom don’t go abroad. There is this feeling that universities outside the UK and the US are not very good. I didn’t mind that. My brother came here to so I knew this was going to be my path,” Cullen told The Local.
Shortly after his arrival in Copenhagen, Cullen began working for Falcon.io, a highly successful Danish social media startup. At university he helped to create CBS Beer, which organizes beer tastings and says it wants to grow into the biggest student beer tasting group in the country.
But success hasn't always come easy, as exemplified by his failed foray into the service industry.
“I was fired from my first Danish job after nine days, and the second one after that I was let go after ten days,” Cullen confessed between chuckles.
Despite his Danish heritage, he said he also sometimes found it difficult to adjust to life in Copenhagen.
Although Cullen's transition to Copenhagen was helped greatly by being half Danish, he still considers himself an expat and not a Dane. His British accent remains notable, but when we caught up with him he seemed very much at home enjoying the favourite springtime activity of locals: sitting outside in one of the many parks Copenhagen offers and simply enjoying life.
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