Right Now

Springtime has come to Copenhagen. We have had something like four or five days of sunshine in a row. I was able to bring my medium-weight coat out of the closet and put away the down coat - instantly making me look at least 5 pounds slimmer when I walk down the street. With blue skies, anything seems possible.

I am sure that part of my sunshine addiction stems from growing up in Santa Fe, New Mexico with an average of 325 days of sunshine and blue sky each year. Yep 325 days. I can't seem to find an average of blue sky sunshiney days for Copenhagen, but it's nowhere near 325. This isn't to say Denmark is bad by any stretch. No place I have lived other then New Mexico or maybe El Paso, Texas, has provided me with enough sunshine. But after a long and dark winter, I am elated to have sun and fresh spring air streaming in my window. Aaah.

There is a particular rhythm to life in Copenhagen and this time of year is even more special because of how dreary winter can be. People all over town are outside. Ice cream shops and other seasonal businesses are re-opening, cafes are expanding their outdoor seating to take up entire sidewalks and to extend way out into pedestrian streets and city squares. All the outdoor chairs at the coffee shop downtown are filled with people, many of them eyes closed, faces toward the sun. It is as if the city takes a collective deep breath and all the people blow out their cozy candles and emerge from their homes at once.

For me, this time of year has always been artistically inspirational. A time to shake off the mental cobwebs and recommit to whatever it is I aspire to. This year, I will hopefully rediscover what it is I aspire to.

Like many women I know, I had a baby and lost my professional drive. Everything I used to do seems a bit devoid of meaning now after doing something more meaningful than anything else - having a baby and being a mom. However, I worked too hard and long in my schooling and professional life to just let go of my own aspirations. I realized that the one thing I have always wanted to do is write. All of my jobs have centered around writing and I am happiest when I have written. And so, I would like to publicly (if this blog has any readers anymore) state that I will be updating here at least three times a week as a path to rediscover my personal inspiration and develop new aspirations.

Riley has begun part time school and I have time to myself. This new thing, this time to myself, is a bit mystifying. I never had so little of it until Riley came along and then I went without it for about 21 months and to have it returned to me is both miraculous and terrifying. I have this luxury of being here in Copenhagen as an ex-pat and not needing to rush back into full-time employment and hopefully I can use this time to really choose a meaningful path for myself to go down next. Wish me luck.

Happy Springtime!

Neglected Blog

This poor blog! So very neglected. I have approximately one million posts in my head that were meant to be written down. I suppose this is what happens when caring for an 18-month-old, living in a foreign country, traveling and entertaining visitors. I am committed to post more frequently here in 2012. In addition to posting new posts, I hope to do some back blogging. There are a few things I want to mention: Danish campaigns (particularly campaign signs), Danish Christmas decorations and window displays, The bridge to Sweden, Hockey in Sweden, Coratia and Israel.

Meanwhile, I have just returned from five weeks in the US where I experienced reverse culture shock. The most amusing was my complete lack of understanding when it came to the size of shopping carts at the grocery store. They are freaking huge! Mammoth! I couldn't understand how my cute little 89-year-old grandma (who must be under 5 feet) could even reach the handle to push the things. They are SO BIG. I was also overwhelmed by the choices at all grocery stores and places like Target. I found myself just staring at the shelves not knowing what to choose, but simultaneously enjoying my abiliy to read all the labels.

I also truly enjoyed eavsedropping and talking to random people with the comfort of knowing that I was not asking them to speak in a foreign language. Our time in the US was fantastic, because it's home and because we saw our friends and family.

But, it's nice to be back here in our cozy apartment as the days begin to get longer and longer and every store in Denmark is having a sale.

Here's to more adventures in Danish (even if I don't yet speak the language). Happy 2012!

The Zoo, Visitors and Swimming

We have had a slew of visitors over the past few months. Most recently, Neil's mom and our friends Michael and Lisa were in town. Riley was thrilled to spend time with his grandma and then the following week with our friends.

When Grandma Terri was here, we took a trip to the zoo - one of many this summer. We found the Chimpanzee house for the first time and saw a very interesting sign that seems to be putting some misinformation about Americans out there. (note the English text on the bottom.)

Chimpanzees as child substitutes? Really? Please, Americans, comment if you know someone with a chimp instead of a child. Also, I think saying that many Americans keep chimpanzees under miserable conditions is a bit unfair. I am not an expert on the subject, but I am pretty sure this sign could use a rewrite.

The zoo is really fantastic and similar to a good zoo in the US - like the Albuquerque Zoo, for example. There is, however, one distinct difference and that is the way they feed the animals. In the US, as a general rule, unless the animal is eating fish or plants, the food they eat in public is unrecognizable. In Denmark, we saw cute little meerkats eating whole bunnies. For Neil and I, former bunny owners, this was more than a little upsetting. In fact, I still see the poor white and black bunny splayed out in the meerkat enclosure very vividly when I think of it.  Meh.

It is funny how at home I can feel here and how sometimes I even forget that I am not in my home country. We're all civilized Westerners after all. But then a big cultural difference jumps out at me... like feeding whole animals to other animals at the zoo. Of course, I realize that it's just a fact of life and by not showing this to zoo-goers in the US, we're perhaps not teaching all that we can about zoo animals and nature and the food chain, but I would like to stay in my little bubble and pretend that all the cute zoo animals get along.

The above photo shows Riley's excitement at having more visitors arrive in Copenhagen. We picked Michael and Lisa up at the airport and got a seat with a view on the Metro on the way home. 

After all our visitors went home, Riley and I decided to try swimming in Denmark for the first time. There are some differences here as well. Water is much less chlorinated in Denmark than it is in the US. Because of the lower level of chlorine, you must shower and wash thoroughly before swimming here. And, because Danes do not seem to have the hangups about their bodies that we Americans do, the showering takes place in one big room without curtains or stall doors. 

It's actually a bit like my all-girl's summer camp in Minnesota and I remember threatening not to shower for the entire month I was there if it meant I didn't have to show the other girls what I looked like naked. And so, here we are, I am 32 years old and apparently I haven't changed much from that girl at summer camp. When I learned about the system at Danish pools my first week in the country, I panicked and managed to put off swimming for 8 months. I am not proud of this. It's absurd. 

Today, with the help of a Danish friend, Riley and I went to the pool, figured out the pre-bathing system, walked around naked in the locker room and did not die of embarrassment, had a baby swimming lesson and actually enjoyed ourselves. Add one more indoor activity to the list for this coming winter. Who knows, maybe I will return home to the US with less body image hang ups? That would be a great souvenir to take home from Denmark.

Oh, Denmark!

We went on a big walk today as a family. Sometimes, long rambling walks make the very best days. We stopped for brunch at the Laundromat Cafe where we met some other Americans, walked by the cruise ships, took Riley to his new favorite playground and saw a BMX bike stunt competition. A very successful day in Copenhagen. We only got rained on briefly twice and otherwise enjoyed nice weather. (Imagine!) On our walk we came across a bookstore which had a hilarious sign that you would not see in the US. As best I could tell, this was a normal used bookstore. I do not know why this is the sign they chose... but here it is (see right). 

The bookstore sign and all of it's busty glory reminded me of a restaurant experience we had earlier this summer when Riley looked up at the ceiling at a restaurant during a meal and began saying "Mom, mom mom mom". I was very excited until I looked up a the ceiling and saw what he was referring to as mom. A topless mermaid. Embarrassing! (see left) Denmark does love its topless women. Beaches are top optional all over the country - boobs just aren't taboo at all. 

Also less taboo are things like English bad words and rude gestures. See the Party Now, Apologize Later billboard for a lovely middle finger display. Also interesting about this sign is the roll of American cash as if all we Americans do is carry big wads of money, wear gold bling, drink and flip people off. Hmm.  I am not entirely sure what they are selling here, but I know I don't want my kid seeing imagery like that and thinking it's cool. 

Along those lines, Riley and I have been rocking out to the radio in the mornings. We have a radio in our bedroom and Riley seems to think it is a magical box. The pop station has mostly English language songs and most of them are American, so often I know the songs and Riley and I dance to them while I am getting ready in the morning. A couple weeks ago a song came on with a woman talking and she says something like "When I went to Spain and I saw the people party, I looked at my friend and said, What the fuck?" Then, "What the fuck" repeats many times like a record is skipping. When I heard this broadcast on the radio in the middle of the day, I thought, "What the fuck??!!!" and promptly turned the radio off. Since then I have heard this song at a shopping mall and in the grocery store. Awesome. I hope Riley doesn't notice.

Moving on to random misappropriations of English. The word for lunch in Danish is Frokost. Danes also love brunch (which is something I love about Danes). I recently saw this sign on a downtown restaurant and had to laugh. I think that whoever wrote it didn't realize that Brunch is already a combination of Breakfast and Lunch. Now they have come up with Frunch which is a combo of Lunch (Frokost) and Brunch - which really makes this meal ... this Frunch, two parts lunch and only one part breakfast right?

                                                                                                                                                                  And finally, from a mall food court where we went to seek shelter from another rainy day in Denmark. The coffee shop is called Kong and the quick place to grab pre-made food is Kong Venience. Oy.

Summer - Was it ever here?

It is nearly September and I am pretty sure I missed summer all together. We had a few hot days. In fact, I remember two days when I came home in the afternoon with Riley and put him in a onsie and we both sat by the windows trying to get a breeze. On these two days I wondered why Copenhagen didn't have air conditioning anywhere. But I do not wonder that now as I sit in my apartment shivering in long pants and a longsleeved shirt.

When we moved here in January after our seven hour flight with our seven month old and two dogs, we emerged to go through customs. The Danish customs agent asked why we were in the country and Neil and I both proudly said "We're moving here" practically in unison. The customs agent scoffed, "You're moving here?" he said. "Well, I hope you like our two winters. We have a white winter and a green winter. Most people prefer the white winter because that is when we turn the heat on in our homes and get comfortable."

At the time, I was deliriously tired and didn't really get what he was saying. I was more hung up on why he wouldn't be nicer to people moving to his country than I was on what he was trying to tell us. But now I get it. We did have gloriously long and sunny days which are getting shorter and shorter. And it was beautiful and green all over the city, but brrrrr.

We had all kinds of wonderful visitors this summer including our friend Lia, my parents, our friends Jeff and Shannon, my Aunt and her friend, and my cousin Lisa. (I hope I am not forgetting anyone.) We also went on a fantastic trip to the Baltics (Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania). Many blog-worthy things happened, but I didn't get around to blogging about many of them. Hopefully fall and the white winter that's coming up will provide me with a bit more time for introspection. Stay tuned.

Pippi Longstocking

As some of your may know, I am prone to wearing my hair in two braids a la Heidi or many 10-year-old girls. I realize the style doesn't lend itself to a great deal of sophistication, but I have never been too concerned with making other people believe I am sophisticated based on my appearance. My hair braids easily and when it's humid or windy, two braids are preferable to a head of frizz. So, I have been parading around as a little girl quite a bit this summer.

Recently, Riley and I went to the zoo with some friends. When we arrived, the babies were hungry for lunch so we sat at a cafe on the outdoor patio. When we sat down and parked the strollers, a little girl at the table next to us got very excited and began yammering to her mom in Danish. I thought it was cute that she was so thrilled to be sitting by two babies and moved on with getting settled and giving the boys snacks while my friend Daniella went in to get food. The little girl kept up her frantic chatter and finally her mom looked at me and apologized.

"I'm very sorry," she said. "It's just that she thinks you are Pipi Longstocking."

I looked down and saw now that the little girl was looking at me and my two braids with complete wonder and awe.

"Oh my goodness, I said. That is so funny. I guess not many grown women wear their hair in two braids."

The little girl's mom of course agreed that not many grown women do choose the hairstyle.

I said hi to the little girl and she blushed.

A little later I turned around in my seat to see her peaking over the back of her chair at me and then ducking to hide when I saw her. This caused me to giggle a little and her mom apologized again.

"It's just that she thinks she's just met her idol," she said.

Then they packed up and headed away from the cafe, but not before the girl said "Hi Hi Pipi!" to which I replied, "Hi Hi".

It made my day to be mistaken for Pipi Longstocking. Apparently, she's pretty popular here in Denmark. There is a whole line of Pipi toys at all the toy stores here and I am guessing there is a TV show, but I'm not certain.

Just in case you were wondering, no my braids were not sticking out on the sides, but apparently, just having two braids was enough to let my little fan know I was Pipi.

Death Defying Sunbathing

Dear Neighbor Who Sunbathes On The Top Floor On Top Of Your Window Box With No Balcony Below,

I miss seeing you sunbathe on sunny days. I am very sorry if my entire family photographing you both times you were performing your death defying stunt was a bit of a deterrant from future sunbathing. Should you decide to try your hand at it again, I promise to be more subtle with my photography.

Sincerely,
Jodi