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.

Memories of Rhoni

The purpose of this blog is to write about my life in Denmark. However, every once in a while something so important happens in your home country that it is all you can think about. That for me over the past couple of weeks has been about praying for justice and peace for my cousin Rhoni. I have no doubt that Rhoni has been at peace for the last 3.5 years, as that is just the sort of person she was, but I think her soul would rest a little bit easier knowing that her Mom and Dad and brothers can finally begin to heal.

Memories of her have come flooding back over these past couple of days and my first thought was to write them down in a paper journal, as I did before I moved to Denmark and began writing about my life online. Then I thought, how liberating it would be for others to have a chance to know her, how I knew her. Not as the victim or woman portrayed to be hopelessly in love with a local hero, but as a phenomenal, striking, amazingly beautiful personality of her own.

We were always family, but we became friends shortly after I moved to Chicago in 2001. She had lived there for nearly a decade before I moved to the city, and was many years older, but that didn't stop her from seeking me out and becoming like a big sister to me over the next 8 years. We would meet for brunch or lunch and keep up with each others lives via email throughout the years. We didn't have a regular meeting schedule, but always knew when it was time to see each other again. When we did meet, I was always blown away by her beauty. She radiated it inside and out. The sort of person that you stop and stare at when she walks into a room. People would literally ask me who she was, when we were out together. I'm not sure she ever knew that.

We shared stories of family. She told me I had my mother's eyes and I told her she reminded me of my sister Renee. She told me of her dreams to go into fashion while I was just beginning to figure out mine. The more we talked, the more we realized how similar we were. She was reading about the "Blood Type" diet at the same time I was. We both believed in the benefits of using natural products and eating organic foods. But the one thing that stays with me in our last conversations was our shared belief in a higher purpose, energy, or spiritual realm. A way of living your life where you focused on the good and brought those positive things into your life.

She was in a really good and happy place before she left us. That is the one comfort that I go back to again and again. I hope that good place stays with her in the next realm, and I pray her family can find it again after enough time goes by on earth.

Concert at Christiania

I was lucky enough to have been recently invited to a concert in Christiania, a "freetown" in the middle of Copenhagen with a hippie vibe, featuring an Afro beat band called "Who Are You People." It was one of those nights where everyone smiled at you and the mood was completely chill.

It could be said that the location of the concert, or the mood of the music, or whatever was floating in the air that night, might have had something to do with the 'relaxed' vibe everyone was feeling, but it could also have been one of those nights where people were just a little bit kinder to one another, or a combination of all of the above.

Either way, it was a breath of fresh air and for a second I thought I was back in Madison, Wisconsin attending the "Berkley of the Midwest", dancing to Paul Cebar and the Milwaukeeans at the Crystal Corner. Which, for those that have no clue what I am talking about, means I was surrounded by good people and good music and "life was good." It was nice to feel that familiarity again, if only for one night, in my new country of residence.