Cabin Fever

Right about now I would be booking and/or taking my Mexican vacation if I were gainfully employed and still living in the US. When you are from a part of the country like the Midwest that begins winter in October or November and ends in March or April you need to get that dose of Vitamin D in January or February to keep you going until Spring. So what does one do when the situation has changed from fully to partially employed (on the other side of the world) and I have my nose in the books the other half of the time? Book summer vacation!!

Alas, the picture of Nice, France where we will be spending my first few days of freedom once the Spring semester breaks for Summer vacation in June. Not to mention, our second wedding anniversary which is the icing on the cake, but the ice cream on the side, is the fact that I get to see a good friend I met in Danish class from the South of France, whom I adore.

Next trip for the summer will be with my parents to the Netherlands to trace the family heritage which will be monumental. Particularly since we will be driving through Germany and taking in the countryside along the way. I can hardly wait for July!

Last, but not least, my dear, dear friend Lori Ann will be visiting me in Copenhagen to end the summer on a sweet note. August simply can't get here soon enough!

En Rigtig Fest

This past weekend my Svigerfar (or Father-in law) turned 60 and him and 40 of his closest friends got together for dinner, singing, and dancing.

This was my first 'rigtig' or real Danish birthday party where songs are written especially for the occasion and man of honor. There were three songs written in total and several speeches and laughs along with food and drinks galore.

My favorite part of the night however was when the lights turned low and all the couples got out on the dance floor. I felt like I was watching my parents back in the days when they first met and I realized that soon I would not be able to witness parties such as these as this is not the stuff of my generation.

Couple dancing, like I saw on Saturday must have died somewhere with the later generations. My parents are in their 70's and my husbands parents and friends are in their 50's and 60's but my oldest brothers and sisters who are in their 40's don't dance like this, and never have to my knowledge. That tells me that those born in 1960 and above dance to a different tune.

That's cool that the later generations march to the beat of their own drum and all, but sometimes you just want someone you can dance with.

Home Team in a Foreign Land

This year I watched the Green Bay Packers win the Super Bowl with a movie theater filled with Danes. I knew American football had a following in Denmark, but I had never anticipated how large that following actually was.

Since the game started at midnight on this side of the pond, the evening began with a movie at 9pm. We watched the Oscar nominated film The Fighter about an American boxer from Massachusetts and then it was game time. With popcorn and Budweiser in hand, we settled in for 3-4 hours of my home land's national winter past-time.

The theater was 60% Packer fans, 40% Steeler fans by the sounds of the cheers and an exciting game from the start. Even though it was nearly 3am at half-time I was amazed at how awake I was, but coffee was still a nice and necessary treat. Soon it was over and at 5am I found myself riding the Metro home with other Super Bowl fans, ready to get some rest and get back on local time.

Oral Anxiousness

This past month I experienced an entirely new exam technique while receiving my graduate education in Denmark. Oral exams. After each group project or written paper (which often registers as an exam for that class) you need to defend your chosen topic or technique to an instructor accompanied by a censor for approximately 20 minutes.

Only 5 minutes of that time is you talking and the rest of the time is for Q&A and receipt of your grade based on both the quality of your written paper and oral presentation. This is partly to make sure you have done a portion of the work yourself, and not given a free ride from the other group members. I also believe it is done to encourage discussion of issues which is common in the Danish work environment where everyone's opinion on an issue is considered before a decision is made.

However, it's purpose could also be to prepare graduates for presentations in the future or to be fair to those who are better talkers than writers. Either way, most Danes have had to do this since they were in the 8th grade, but for us North Americans, it is a strange and nerve wracking experience. Especially for people like me who prefer writing. (Shocking). I guess it's time to break out of the shell.

Panic at the thought of doing a thing is a challenge to do it. ~Henry S. Haskins

Top 10 Things I Miss about the US

It's been one and a half weeks since we have been back from our trip to the States and I still can't shake the great feeling we had while there. So in order to get it out of my system, and live in the present, I am dedicating this blog to the good ol' US of A and in David Letterman style, I'll start with number 10.

10. The Golden Globes. They were on this past Sunday and I am still annoyed by the fact that I couldn't watch the red carpet events all day and enjoy an evening of TV and movie star studded bliss.

9. The TV shows. Modern Family, Housewives of Beverly Hills, True Blood, Glee, Mad Men, Boardwalk Empire, and the list goes on....SO many new shows I am missing out on. Thankfully, Denmark is influenced by US pop culture so we do get some of these shows, at some point.

8. Starbucks. Even though I have gotten used to the lovely creamy, Euro style lattes, you can't beat a $3.50 latte, any way you want it.

7. Options. I admit that ordering a cheeseburger from Five Guys in Chicago was a little overwhelming. Raw onions or grilled, seriously? But after revisiting one of my favorite stores (Whole Foods) I was in multiple option heaven as I slowly took in all the different types of healthy, organic and creative food selections one could possibly want.

6. Style selection. One thing I have noticed living in Denmark is a lot of the style is the same. At first it all felt unique to me, but the longer I am here, the more I am noticing people wearing similar styles. I know the same thing happens in the US, but my past trip reminded me of the variety of stores and selection to choose from to make your style stand out from the crowd.

5. Prices. Which brings us to cost. You can't do the above if it costs a fortune, so the fact that the prices are a lot more reasonable in the US means you can expand your wardrobe and are not only limited to stores within your price range.

4. Friendliness. Danes may be the happiest people on earth, but you would never know it in public. They keep to themselves and avoid eye contact, whereas I saw several people walking down the street in Chicago with a hint of a smile on their face, and even said hello. Perfect strangers! It felt so good.

3. The sun. Even though the Midwest is colder in temperature in the winter, the weather is more dry and the sun often shines with glorious blue sky. It has been gray everyday since I have been back and I dearly miss the sun. It does wonders for the mood!

2. Customer service. Walking into stores in the US is a downright pleasure. There was only one time within two weeks where the service was overwhelming and borderline annoying, but I would rather put up with it than not have it at all.

1. My family and friends. This goes without saying. My heart hurts when I think of the fact that I am missing my newest little nephew and godson change and grow everyday, not to mention be there for my sisters and best friends, but all I can say is thank goodness for Skype!

Sleepless in Vanløse

We just arrived back from three glorious weeks in the US for the holidays to celebrate Christmas and New Years Eve with family and friends. Even though I barely slept on the plane, and managed to keep myself awake until 9pm Danish time,which was technically throughout the night and into the early after- noon the next day (US time), I woke around 3am in Denmark and couldn't go back to sleep.

I kept thinking about all the things I need to do to get back into the groove of life in Denmark (school projects, exams, work, gym) and how amazing our trip was to the US (10 relaxing days with family and 10 fun filled days with friends).

These are the times when dual country couples have the hardest time coping with the reality of their situation. You constantly have to say goodbye to one country in order to live life in another.

Emotions are high and you are reminded each and every trip what is most important (family and friends) but restricted by your commitments and responsibilities (work and school).

Our continuous goal and search for a happy ever after will end when we are no longer restricted to one country in order to spend time with the ones we love.

Foreigner is a Four Letter Word

This past Saturday my fantastisk project group mates from CBS and I conducted a Focus Group for Foreign Professionals in Denmark which gave me an opportunity to see a lot of old friends and Danish language classmates. It allowed us to catch up on each others lives since we saw each other last which ranged anywhere from 9 months to a couple of weeks and also discuss the very important topic of integrating into Danish society.

It occurred to me while I was taking Danish lessons that the textbooks were written for us. People who had left their home countries where they were fairly successful and had a fruitful career, to come to Denmark and be forced to start all over or maybe even 'holde en pause' from their careers. Some people took it better than others, but what we could all agree on was the fact that we were all a little bit lost until we found each other in Danish class.

As it happens, our semester project at CBS requires us to find an existing problem and create a real world solution, so we have decided to tackle a topic that is personally close to my heart and one that I experienced first hand and saw a huge gaping opportunity for improvement in. The fact that I was able to see old friends again was an added bonus to the overall process. We all helped one another find our feet through that difficult time. The least I could do, is use this wonderful opportunity to help future foreigners.

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