Come Smell Our Dairy Air

My friend Beth and I were recently involved in an artistic exhibit featuring immigrants, refugees, and foreigners. The goal was to share an experience of our home country by describing a t-shirt we once owned that represented a sense of identity or belonging. The t-shirts would then be recreated by an artist based on our descriptions of them and be sold in a local consignment shop. The proceeds from the t-shirt sales would then go to assist those in need in Africa. The t-shirt that came to mind for me was one that I bought in Madison, WI. It was green and yellow (Green Bay Packer colors), had the state of Wisconsin on it, with the slogan "Come Smell our Dairy Air."

This of course has a dual meaning which is the reason I bought it. It represented where I come from in the US with good humor, poking fun at the fact that we are known as a "dairy state" with lots of farms and pleasant smells drifting in the air, while at the same time sort of telling the person reading it to "kiss our behind" in the kindest way possible. It made me laugh when I read it. I had hoped it might do the same for others that read it too. I would wear this t-shirt at Organic Valley events where I used to volunteer whenever they were in Chicago which gave me another warm feeling and good memory. Any chance I could get to support a local cooperative farming initiative from the drift-less region had my name written all over it. Particularly given the fact that my nickname with a group of friends is known as "free-range" for a reason. Being socially conscious and environmentally responsible is something I take to heart, so I guess it makes perfect sense that I married a Dane and now live in one of the most sustainable countries in the world.

The part that makes the experience of being involved in this exhibit so interesting is the interpretation of the artist. As I was describing the t-shirt for the artist he asked about the shape of Wisconsin. So, as any Midwesterner does from the great lakes region, you use your left hand to represent Wisconsin, and right for Michigan (with Lake Michigan representing the gap in between). Then you point out where Chicago is and it becomes clear in the persons mind where in the world you are from. Instead of replicating the state from the shape of my left hand however, he used my hands to represent both states and put it in his reinterpretation of the t-shirt which added an additional element of humor all on its own.

To read more about the exhibit, check out the Lokal Global Plan website.

Lessons in Language

It has been a while since I have posted an update and there are several reasons for that. First, I am nearing the end of my first year as a Master student at CBS which is, from what I hear, notoriously one of the hardest/busiest times one encounters on this journey. Lots of preparation for upcoming written and oral exams has consumed most of my energy.

Secondly, I am also balancing 20 hours a week of work which includes updating the company blog once a week. Even though I love writing, all of the writing for school and work has kept me from updating the one piece of writing that is 100% fun, totally personal, and can be about pretty much anything that inspires. My blog here in Denmark!

However one thing has been on my mind for some time that I have been wanting to write about. I have noticed from both educational and professional experience that customer is one of the most commonly misspelled words. I have seen it on websites, in lecture notes, and even in company presentations as 'costumer' which is a person who buys, sells or makes costumes. Not a customer which is also known as a client, buyer, or purchaser. It's an easy enough mistake, as it's a simple switch of the letters u and o, and I am positive I have made plenty Danish spelling mistakes myself, but it's just one of those things that goes unsaid that is pretty common.

Sort of like how native English speakers begin to lose their English the longer they live in a foreign country. Another very strange, interesting side effect I have experienced from living in Denmark for nearly two years, which I can only explain by the following. The less you use or are exposed to your native language, the less you use certain words, which means they escape from memory right when you need them most. I am counting on getting them back one day, along with my emphasis on the right syllables.

So the lessons in language while living in a foreign country extend far beyond learning and comprehending a new language. It also involves getting used to my own language being spoken and written in a very different way. Which in turn I adapt to, that could perhaps prevent me from using my own language in the way it was meant to be used. Strange, but true.

Extreme Security

I took my first trip to the American Embassy in Copenhagen to renew my passport, in preparation for a renewal of my residency here in Denmark, and I was just so excited to be on "US soil" that I didn't even think about all of the security precautions that come with "officially" entering the US, even if it's in a foreign land.

For example, there is no such thing as simply walking in. You have to report your name and purpose for being there to two men who are standing guard outside. After they thoroughly examine your passport you are then allowed to stand in line to be allowed to enter. Before you can enter, you need to turn off your cell phone, and keep it in your hand. Then you hand over your bag so they can examine it first, while you stand outside.

Finally, you are let in but now the secondary bag examination begins. You are asked to turn in your phone, locate your keys and take them out. I had a USB stick in my wallet and they asked me to locate that and also take that out. I also had a bottle of water in my bag, so they asked me to remove that and take a drink of it. After it was determined the liquid was safe, they put the bottle of water and any papers I was carrying in a container to be scanned, while my bag, keys, and shoes were in a separate container.

Finally, you walk through a security scanning machine (like at the airport), and once you reach the other side you can have your bag, keys, water bottle, and papers back - but not your phone or USB stick. You are given a number so you can pick it up on your way out. Once inside, there is a security guard behind a glass counter that directs you to where you need to go.

After it was all said and done, I amazingly got in and out in under 30 minutes after the Embassy opened at 9am and made it to my 9:50am class in time, but it was pretty incredible considering all of the above. However, I would gladly do it all over again if it meant the one safe place for US citizens in Denmark, was fully protected.

Marathon Man

Yesterday Tobias completed his very first Half Marathon in 1 hour and 50 minutes and was in great shape and in good spirits the entire day. The running route was in a beautiful neighborhood in the city called "The Lakes" in Østerbro, which reminded me a lot of where I lived in Chicago, near Lake Michigan.

In true Danish style, the entire family showed up to give their support on the sidelines. It ended up being a beautifully warm sunny day in the Hagen, after a cloudy cold start to the morning which gave everyone a bit of energy and set the tone for the day.

We had specific instructions to meet the runners (both Tobias and his cousin Mathias ran) with water at the 7.5 and 15 km marks which were the approximate spots they had stopped for water breaks during their training. The family decided to make the best of these little breaks ourselves and enjoyed coffee and homemade nougat horns (made by Tobias) and gradually made our way to the finish line where we greeted the runners with sandwiches, sodas, and cake for årets første skov tur! (The first picnic of the year). Det var rigtig hyggeligt!

Dejlig Dessert Klub

My wonderful husband and his bow-tie wearing friend (butterfly på dansk!) have started a lovely little dessert club and I get to be the lucky recipient of the delicious outcomes. Last time they made Sportskage which has nothing to do with sports, actually. It is an amazing concoction of cream, sugar, profiteroles, hazelnut, and marzipan and has about 7,000 calories in the entire cake...or kage. But oh so good.

This time they are making Flødeboller which are a very popular Danish treat and literally translates to cream balls, but in reality they have no cream in them at all. They are more marshmallow based I would say as they consist of sugar, glucose,

egg whites, marzipan (of course!) and are covered in chocolate. You can find these treats pretty much in any convenience store or confectionery shop in Denmark and are often brought to parties

or gatherings.

The next item on the menu is yet to be determined, but I am sure it will be another successful and sweet result. I have no idea what got into these fantastisk fellows to make them want to start a lækkert little dessert klub, but they can keep on meeting and mixing and bringing home the sugar!

The Power of Networking

Yesterday I went to an event hosted by various organizations through Copenhagen Business School (CBS) called Matchmingler and I have never been more grateful for the education I am receiving which gives me the opportunity to meet so many cool people. CBS has a strong focus on innovation and entrepreneurship and that was essentially the theme of this event. People could come with their own business idea with the chance to bounce it off others, or look for potential business partners.

I went with two Danish classmates and colleagues with our idea to create a consulting service for foreign professionals in Denmark. We wanted to practice our elevator speech, get reactions and insight from others on the idea, and potentially find future business partners to help us get the idea off the ground. We were successful in the fact that the reaction was overwhelmingly positive, but not quite able to help those in need as quickly as we would like. Between the three of us we talked to at least 5 people that need our services now as they are well educated, bright and aspiring students willing to work hard, but unable to find a job in Denmark. I have a hunch the language barrier might be the issue, so hopefully we can work with companies to break down that barrier and bridge the gap.

In addition to bouncing our idea off others, we heard many great ideas from fellow participants and advice from three pretty incredible speakers. The first being Anne Skare Nielsen who calls herself a Chief Futurist, the second Nicolai Moltke-Leth who has a special forces military background and has pushed his physical abilities to the limit, followed by Alex Farcet, the co-founder of Startupbootcamp. An opportunity for future entrepreneurs to bring their business idea to life. That set the stage for a day and evening of open communication and engaging conversation. Something that was good for both mind and soul.

La Favorite

Today was one of those perfect sounding Sunday's when planned and it turned out to be even better when experienced. The sun was shining in the Hagen, which always puts everyone in a good mood, and the plan was to visit Denmark's oldest confectionery for coffee and cake before watching the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's at the Film Institute. We topped it off with an impromptu stroll through the Botanical Gardens which was the icing on the cake.

La Glace is one of those places you walk by and admire from the outside that lives up to all of your expectations when you finally make it inside. It has a friendly staff, a quaint atmosphere, and cakes and confections galore. Even though I have lived in Europe for a year and a half, I was overwhelmed with how quintessential European this little place really was. From the cramped space, to the vintage photographs on the wall, to the old school water fountain, to the antique coffee pot, everything had an element of history and intrigue.

The place was founded in 1870, but who knows how long the building has been there. Even though it was 3pm on a Sunday afternoon, when most Danes are at home enjoying their families, and 99% of all businesses in Denmark are closed, a stream of people, young and old, tourist and resident, were waiting to be seated or waiting to get inside. We lucked out and found a table as soon as we walked in the door, and took our time soaking up the delicious atmosphere and fantastisk company.

La Glace is definitely one of my favorite places so far in Copenhagen and today was another great memory to add to the list of life in Denmark.