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.

For any foreigner in Denmark interested in helping us define these services, please answer our short survey.

Christmas beer is here!

Every first Friday in November the country goes crazy for the release of Tuborg's Jul øl, otherwise known as Christmas beer and J-Day.

I heard about this tradition on one of my business trips to Denmark in 2007 and had a taste of the first brew on the night it was released last year while visiting my inlaws in Møn, but I have never experienced the event itself, while out and about in the city of Copenhagen.

All I can say is, now I understand the hype. First of all, beer trucks decorated with snow drive around the city with the brew, playing the Tuborg Christmas song, while friendly elves deliver beer and cheer at the neighborhood bodega. At some bodegas the beer is free for one hour and at others you might even get a little peep show. Yes, you read that correct.

Before the friendly elves arrived at our local watering hole, a topless Tuborg delivery girl made some little boys very happy with their first Christmas present of the year! God Jul!

Thank you for today

One of the fun things about getting your Masters in English in a land where English isn't the first language, is the fact that cultural traditions and local sayings end up getting mixed in with the daily dialog.

One of those quaint little traditions is how the Danes say "Tak for i dag" after they have spent an entire day with you, or even a few hours which is the case when you take classes at Copen- hagen Business School. "Tak for i dag" (pronounced "tahk for ee day") is literally translated to "Thank you for today" and at the end of each class my professors close their session with those four words and it makes me smile every time.

Another fun experience is doing project work (a common method used in Danish university systems) with native Danes and finding yourself stuck mid conversation on a word that just doesn't translate. Luckily for us, humor always translates so we often find ourselves laughing over words that just sound funny when put in an English context. Words like "width wind" which is tail wind, or wind that is going your way while on a bike or in a plane, etc.

Another part of the experience that goes with taking classes in English when you live in another country is getting used to words being pronounced wrong. Sometimes it takes a few seconds to figure out what they are trying to say, but you catch on quickly. The only thing that you can do is hope that the bad pronunciation doesn't rub off on you or your fellow classmates.

Chances are high it won't as most of these people have been speaking English since they were in the 3rd grade, and have little to no accent. Something that may take a lifetime for me to accomplish with the Danish language.

Totally 80's

Halloween isn't a holiday I celebrated regularly when I was in the USA. Dressing up as someone or something else wasn't really a thing I was excited about doing after the age of 10, but this year is different.

We found another couple that are into pop culture just as much as we are, so we have had a couple of themed parties. The first was Mad Men where we dressed up as the Draper's and the Sterling's and gave a nod to the classy, yet alcoholic time of the 60's and our latest themed party was a salute to the 80's and the time of Wallstreet. Gordon Gekko and Madonna never looked so good together!

Suspenders, leg warmers, crimped hair, and bad cocktails were all the rave. But the couple that topped the cake were our guests who had on authentic sweatshirts from the 80's. That beats the heck out of shopping at H&M, even if "what is old is new again" is the latest thing.

Harvesting the Grapes

Ever since I began drinking wine I have wanted to learn more about the process of making it. After visiting Napa Valley in 2005 I wanted to go back and visit a vineyard when they harvested the grapes. That opportunity came my way five years later on the island of Møn, at a vineyard owned by my husband's family, in the country of Denmark. It was a fantastic experience, and one that I hope to repeat one day.

We began in a very traditional Danish way, by having coffee, spandauer (otherwise known as danishes) and schnapps. We began picking the grapes at the location of the first vines, on a pig farm. You read that right. The first vines were on a pig farm. The Danes love their pork!

The second set of vines were on family land, where Tobias and I had our wedding reception. By the time we made it there it was lunchtime, so we had a very traditional Danish lunch of smørrebrød (rye bread with vegetable and meat toppings), pølser (hot dogs or sausages) and beer.

After the second set of grapes were picked, it was time to stomp the grapes. The only grapes they stomp are the tiny little port wine grapes so I was able to partake in this time honored tradition made popular by Lucille Ball (and Pretty Woman) and happily check one of the things off my 'to do' list!