June 5, 2015 is Constitution Day in Denmark. There are many Danish flags being waved on Constitution. Mine is one of them as this month marks my 9th anniversary in Denmark, my second home. Wow. 9 years of residency.
On June 21, 2006 I arrived, kit and caboodle in Denmark to start a new phase of life, to live out my dream, to go to school and then work and to enjoy life. A successful entrepreneurial businesswoman, journalist/writer and ordained minister (priest), I was determined to broaden my horizons with more education and opportunity to work in teaching and intercultural project management in Europe.
By The Numbers
It has been quite a journey and a lot of numbers. On June 21, 2015 it will be 3,288 days. It took the Danish Immigration Service 1,445 of those days to agree to process my green card application submitted while resident in Denmark, which meant it took just under 4 years to get my green card in my hand. Great googly moogly!
I have gotten to personally know more than 300 lovely Danes and more than twice that number of people from other parts of the world, all while in Denmark. 899 of those days were spent at university working on an additional Bachelors degree and Master degree (besides my Masters, Bachelors and Associates degrees from the USA). As a project manager, I conceived and launched or provided oversight for at least 10 intercultural events, projects and programs.
Educating the World Through Denmark
Here in Denmark, I finally did attain, however, briefly, my dream of teaching at a university (Roskilde University). I learned my 3rd language (5th language overall, not including ancient languages; I also have French as a spoken language). Here in Denmark I have taught English to non-English speakers and translated Danish into academic English, empowering people to reach wider audiences. That makes me feel good to know I can help people connect to more people. During this time, I even had the experience of being a public school teacher to children and youth in grades kindergarten through 12th.
The Very Good With The Very Bad
I personally experienced that it is possible to enjoy Tivoli every single day of every open season (as my family and close friends now know very well!)
I have had some very bad days and times in Denmark and seen and experienced corrupt Denmark. I have experienced and witnessed the callous, disgusting, xenophobic side of Denmark. But I have seen some bad things in other countries, too. I have seen or met lovely Danes who have been my friend and ally and those who demonstrated low human evolution, lack of humanity and sometimes outright malice, corruption and high abuse of power. But again, that can be found everywhere in the world. I have had Danish friends who have bravely and compassionately done all in their power to make my experience of Denmark wonderful.
Some days have been depressing and sad in Denmark, which deepened culture shock and I had to embrace my American heritage to overcome. I love the United States of America and I have a warm wide space in my heart for Denmark. Only because I am an American can I come to a small country like Denmark and appreciate it, warts and all, while being honest about both the good times and the bad, the great things and the things which are not so good. You learn as an American to have big shoulders and let things roll off them.
I have been blessed to have some wonderful Danes and others in Denmark to sustain me, surprise me, and enliven me.
Tasty Dishes and Delightful Towns
I have had some tasty Danish dishes like rhubarb tarts topped with sour cream, bowls of koldskål (lemony buttermilk) with strawberries and kammerjunker (sweet cookies like Nilla wafers), pickled herring on rye bread with onions and other smørrebrød – which are open-faced sandwiches. I also nearly eliminated pork from my diet in Denmark. I ate very little before I came but then there is so much pork here I began to eat less. But I HIGHLY recommend the flæskesteg. That crunchy top is my favorite part.
Exploring Strange New Ways
The Danish way of celebrating high Christian holidays is less spiritual than I like and mostly focused on drinking alcohol and eating a lot and closed to family. I do enjoy a party, a good party, but for Christmas, Easter, Pentecost etc I need a more spiritual Christian observance and I am quite open to inviting non-family to join in the meals. That is not to say, however that I have not been invited to some rocking Christmas parties celebrated with Christmas beer (julebryg) or not had some joyous Christmas dinners (julemiddage) with Danes because I blessedly have. I even won the prize in the rice pudding each time I was invited!! Dancing together around the Christmas tree was heartwarming. My first and only Easter lunch (påskefrokost), I only realized the effects of 4 shots of akavit and 4 pint glasses of Easter beer (påskebryg) on top of all the food after I stood up. That was SOME Easter.
I learned to do some odd Danish things and to appreciate the small town feel of things. I have seen BEAUTIFUL places and spaces…oh especially Bornholm.
It was on Bornholm I met a delightful man named Ernst, who talked with me about Denmark and his lovely thoughts of the USA. He told me of a great Danish film series featuring his brother and from there I watched those Olsen Banden films and hastened my grasp of the Danish language. Between those films, the fictional series revealing Denmark through the years (“Matador” “Krøniken” and “Nikolaj and Julia”) and the films featuring Dirch Passer and the gifted Ghita Nørby, I became more comfortable with Danish language.
An American Boldly Going Forth
As a result of living in Denmark I have expanded my entrepreneurial life and nearly manifested my dream of writing a series of children’s books. A Cannes Palme d’Or award-winning artist is illustrating my manuscript. The first book in the series is due out this summer and is based in Paris. The second book in the series will come in 2016, my 10th anniversary in Denmark, and it is based in Copenhagen.
In 9 years, I have had thousands of days in Denmark where I marveled at the beautiful green landscape and the loveliness of the small towns. When you walk through these small towns and even in neighborhood in bigger cities, you get the feeling, life is good.
On a fine late spring day like today, you walk down a Copenhagen street and see the beautiful bright blue sky dotted with white puffy clouds and how clean and crisp everything is and you say, life is good.
In the next year I hope to find a position I love in a Danish company or organization, especially one that works with intercultural or international projects. Maybe I will teach again.
A Danish male friend told me once that I am the most open, intelligent and interesting woman he knows; that I am beautiful and bold for coming to Denmark and committing to and embracing for all it is truthfully is. I rather like his compliment.
In Denmark, I am committed to living my beautiful and bold life. I am also thankful I am able to do so.
And so I do.
9 years.
