Moments: funny, frustrating, charming, and otherwise

I'm living just outside of Copenhagen, so I feel a sort of pressure that every day, or at least every week, I should experience some kind of adventure worthy of blogging about. The reality, however, is that we still live a pretty normal life: yard work on Saturday, church on Sunday, laundry on Monday, and you get the idea... . Of course normal life in, what is to us, a foreign country is seasoned with sometimes funny, sometimes frustrating, and sometimes charming moments. For example, it's funny that Maurie--being the only American in her grade--is frequently called on in history class to speak as some kind of authority on the American Revolution. She probably would place this in the 'frustrating' category because she feels she never knows the right information. Funny versus frustrating has also been called into question when Maurie waited an extra half an hour at the bus stop because the bus just flew by without stopping, or when Grant and Ben had to ride the bus to the next stop and enjoy an extra long walk home because the driver never opened the door for them. The most recent funny versus frustrating moment involved baking chocolate chip cookies--a rare treat because chocolate chips have to come from America--with something like molasses instead of brown sugar. (Occasionally Google Translate lets me down.) Over the weekend, Travis decided it was time to do some yard work. Because there is nothing for him to dig here, he has taken to hedge trimming. The Danes love hedges and use them both as fences and as decorative designs in yards. Our yard has plenty of hedges so Trav set to work with the electric hedge trimmer which, I have to admit, looks like a fun yard toy. It was fun until he sliced right through the extension cord and blew a fuse in the house. We spent the next few hours trying to understand the Danish labels in the electrical box, experimenting with how to replace the European-style fuse, and repairing the extension cord. It was a funny/frustrating moment. 

Of all these experiences, none seem worthy of posting about (although I just did). Sprinkled on top of these and other funny/frustrating moments of trying to live a normal American life in Denmark, however, are the charming moments.

Maurie had such a time when she and two friends rode the train into Copenhagen Saturday night. They did a little shopping--mostly window shopping because of the extremely high prices, enjoyed the view from the Rundetarn--google the Copenhagen "top ten" list, and ate hamburgers at the Hard Rock Cafe. (No, she didn't take pictures at Hard Rock which is simply a clever way to ensure a family dinner there sometime!)

A bird's eye view of Copenhagen.
Maurie took this from the top of the Rundetarn (Round Tower)

Happy to represent the USA in the parade of countries!

Grant and Ben checking out the "France" table hosted
by Ben's classroom teacher, Pete.

On Saturday morning, we attended "International Day" at the boys' school. It was a fun event to participate in. They started with a parade of flags from all the countries being represented that day. These countries were either homelands to the students, or places where students or teachers have lived for some period of time. The list of countries and cultures represented by this relatively small group of people was remarkable:

Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Scotland, Spain, England, India, Germany, Japan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, Kenya, Mali, Morocco, South Africa, Mexico, USA, Zimbabwe, Ireland
                

A glance at a few of the tables.

                     

Trav especially enjoyed eating his favorite:
curry chicken from Thailand

 After the parade, we had fun looking at displays on tables and sampling food from around the world. Of everything I tasted, my favorite was lamb stew from Zimbabwe.

Ben and his friend, Leo from Scotland, enjoying some juice and
chocolate mousse from France.

I hate to seem naive. But as I stood in this large gym filled with people from all over the world--people in traditional clothing from India, Zimbabwe, and Japan; people with different color skin; people who eat food that looks and smells so strange to me; people who speak all kinds of different languages--I heard laughter and talking, and I saw smiles as people met and shared with each other. And I wondered, why can't we all just get along like this? Why do we complicate acceptance and kindness? Our family really enjoyed the chance to experience a small piece of so many different cultures. This was definitely a charming moment. 

















A final charming moment to share was a visit we made to Frilandsmuseet. This is an open-air museum about 15 minutes from our house. It's a museum made up of old homes from all over Denmark. There are all kinds, everything from rural cottages to manor houses. Most are from 200 to 300 years old. They are original homes that have been brought to this central location to preserve the history of life in Denmark over the recent centuries. Many of the buildings are furnished and decorated in keeping with the appropriate period. It was really interesting to see and walk through! Of course, I really enjoy old buildings--castles, cottages, whatever--so I thought it was a great. I think the kids and Trav, however, felt like after they had seen the first 15 they had seen them all. At that point, Grant started taking pictures of all the irony he could find...fire extinguishers under the thatched roofs, electrical cords coming out of the half-timbered walls, etc. The kids put up with it as long as they could, and I went back another day with a friend to see what we had missed because I knew the rest was not the same as the first 15. (I have to admit this whole experience reminded me of a lot of cobble stone streets I didn't enjoy as much as my mom while on a family trip to London. Perhaps that role-reversal was the greatest irony of the day!)

Gives new meaning to the word "bedchamber."

Grant in the kitchen.

Do you think Scandinavians were ever this short?
Yet every home had really low ceilings and doorways like this...

Inside of one of the upscale manor houses.

Ahh...a bench. This museum is over 65 hectares! 

Grant along a beautiful trail in the museum.

Such a great roof! You could have a garden up there! Check out the height of the door :) 

Trav taking one for the team...hoping there's something
different about this one. :)

This one needs a haircut, but I LOVE it!

Just a cool, old windmill.

Every day life -- the same, but not

A quaint, hidden courtyard in Helsingor

I walked with Travis and the boys to the bus stop this morning and I noticed Ben actually look over his shoulder before he stepped into the bike lane. I thought, "Wow. We've come a long way." In fact, we're feeling pretty settled. It took until now, but we finally have our residence cards, bank cards, and the all-powerful yellow cards (similar to a social security card, but far less protected; it's public information for everyone and IMPOSSIBLE to function here without). We've managed to acquire five of the six bikes we need, through Denmark's version of 'Craigslist' and the generosity of Trav's co-worker. The kids have been to birthday parties. Ben has ridden home from school, by train, to play at a friend's house. Maurie has gone shopping, by train, with friends from school. Trav has begun serving as the secretary in the High Priest Group at church, and I'm a ward pianist. I guess you could say we're back to business as usual--just in another country. In fact, that's one of the things that has surprised me...just how much like America it is in Denmark.

Maurie and teammates walking off
the field at halftime. (Looks like a field
in Coeur d'Alene or Rathdrum, right?)

Just like at home, we've become involved in sports and scouting. Maurie is playing on a soccer (fodbold) team. She has fun with it but the language is definitely a challenge. Of course, the coach just speaks in Danish so Maurie has to ask one of the girls to translate when she can't figure it out on her own. We just think it's fun when we watch her games and listen to the coach yelling in Danish! Maurie rides her bike through a small forest to get to and from practices. 

Grant's U12 team still has to play with
short hoops here. Bummer, but he's
adjusting. (This place is set up just like
"The Hub" in Spokane.)

Grant is playing on a basketball team. His coach happens to be American so he has no problem following instructions (other than the fact that he's a 10 year old boy). One of the other boys on the team has deemed himself the team translator and explains in Danish what the coach said when the players don't seem to understand. Grant thinks its funny to hear words that don't translate (like "lay-up") right in the middle of all the Danish words. Games in Denmark are just like games in the States, though, there are always reffing calls to complain about! :) Grant either rides the bus or in our car to and from practices. 

Does this look enough like an international school?

Jared and Grant are both joining the international Boy Scouts of America Troop in Copenhagen. It seems to be an active troop so they're looking forward to monthly camp-outs and weekly activities. They've met lots of other Americans through the troop, most of whom are here with parents who are working in the US embassy. A few, like us, are ex-patriots for private companies. 

Surprise, surprise! Kendama is popular here, too!

We even found a local library and managed to check out some books! Of course, it was a little different to look for books in the 'foreign language' section of the library, but we were happy to find a few in English! 

Finessing his short game.

Travis's work group had a team building activity a few weeks ago and invited me to come along. We went to a nearby forest area to play frisbee golf and have a barbeque. It was such a nice evening. I had no idea frisbee golf was an international craze! And this course was not for the novice player. Each hole had a professional, mens, and womens 'tee-off,' and the course itself was super challenging. There were narrow fairways, water obstacles, and steep uphill fairways where we couldn't even see the top. It was so fun to play along side Trav and his co-workers and get to know them, Danish culture, and Denmark a little better. 

Just like at home, we lose her when she has a good book. Not even the rain could make her stop.

 Last Saturday was a nice, warm afternoon so a few of us went to the shore in Vedbaek (4k from our house). Only Grant, Ben, and Trav were brave enough to get in the water, and only Grant and Trav got in all the way. (I hid behind the camera.) The water, a sound of the Baltic Sea, is FREEZING! It feels like Twin Lakes just after it has thawed. The swimming was brief but the warm sun and sand felt great! (If you look carefully, you can see Sweden across the water in the picture below.)

The Royal Hunting Cabin

Just as we start to feel like everything is like home here, we realize that it's not. On a nice walk through Deer Haven with my friend, Liesl, we came upon this mansion. It was built for the king of Denmark, centuries ago, to be his hunting cabin. The park, 7 times larger than Central Park in NYC, was stocked with deer. Today, the animals are still protected there but are no longer hunted by the royal family. On our walk, we saw a herd of probably 100 deer. Apparently, it is quite overrun now. Coming upon buildings from the 17th century during a casual afternoon walk, remind me that I'm not in Idaho anymore. :)

Last weekend we were invited to eat dinner with one of Maurie's teammates and her parents. These are people we had never even met and they invited our entire famiy to their home for dinner. We arrived at 6pm. In typical Danish style, we had appetizers (rye bread chips, olives, grapes, and smorebrod--open faced sandwiches) and drinks outside in the 'garden.' As it began to cool down, we went inside for the meal (lamb, chicken, potatoes, corn on the cob, and barbequed vegetables) and dessert (some nougat deliciousness that I cannot begin to describe). Five hours after we arrived, we were headed home. This is so Danish and something I really love! They take their time here. A meal is an evening. It's called hygga. This is a Danish word that doesn't adequately translate into English. It basically means cozy time with people and usually food. They say during the dark winter months it's important to "turn up the hygga" by lighting some candles, bringing out some good food, and enjoying your family. With Ben literally falling asleep at their table, we began politely suggesting we should get him home to bed. About then, dessert came out and the conversation picked up. When we finally walked to the car at 10:30p.m., they walked all the way to the car with us and waved to us as we drove off. I've never had such a pleasant evening with complete strangers! These Danes are teaching us the importance of "hygga" time. Slow down and enjoy the people in your life. All activities, stores, museums, and etc., are closed by 7p.m., so hygga time is how we're learning to spend our weekend evenings--with family, or new friends--and we love it!

(I have to add a heroic anecdote about Ben. Not knowing what to expect in the meal we were about to be served, and knowing the honesty of children when it comes to food likes and dislikes, I prepped the kids as we drove to Maurie's soccer friend's home that Saturday evening. I told them to be sure not to make a face or say anything if they didn't like the food. I told them they should just try a little of what they're offered to be polite. Well, on our drive home that night I told the kids I was impressed by their good manners through the evening. I especially complimented Ben because he had really surprised me. During the appetizer portion of the evening, the hosts had brought out smorebrod which was a toasted baguette with thinly sliced raw fish on top. (It may have been smoked, but it definitely felt raw in my mouth.) Ben was the first to grab this appetizer! I worriedly looked over at him so see how he would handle it and was really impressed because he ate the whole thing and seemed to like it. In the car at the end of the evening I mentioned this to him and he exclaimed, "I didn't like it! I just had to eat it because I took it." He went on to explain, "When I was swallowing, I felt something come up from my stomach into my throat but I didn't let it out." OK. I think the bar of good manners has been raised if a seven year old can pull that off!) 

Cute Americans on a boat tour in Copenhagen.

LDS Temple in the middle of downtown Copenhagen

One day; Two Castles

Kronborg Castle

'Hamlet's Castle,' complete with eerie hallways of stone and deep, murky moat.

Saturdays have become synonymous with family outings  --sometimes these are forced family fun and other times these are actually fun. We hustle through chores and homework, pack a lunch, cram into our little European car, and hit the road with a smart phone for directions and historical information in hand. This particular Saturday we were on a castle quest. 

We first went to Helsingor, a small city along the northern shore of Zealand (which is the island Copenhagen is on). Helsingor sits on the sound that links the North Sea with the Baltic and is a 30 minute ferry ride to Sweden...we saved that adventure for another day. The town was the center of international shipping during the 1400s and taxes were collected at the Kronborg Castle from every ship passing by. Some years later, Shakespeare used this castle as the setting for "Hamlet." It has since come to be known as 'Hamlet's Castle.'  

Making good use of the artifacts

Our next stop was the city of Hillerod to visit the Frederiksborg Castle. This is considered to be Scandinavia's greatest renaissance castle. It was built early in the 17th century. It was originally built and used as a royal residence but today is a national history museum. It is filled with period furnishings, has some very impressive architecture, and also houses Danish artwork and sculptures. For me, the most memorable and impressive room in the castle is that which displays the original paintings by Carl Bloch. Carl Bloch was a Danish painter born in Copenhagen in 1834. He was commissioned to paint 23 paintings depicting the life of Christ for the chapel at the Frederiksborg Castle. The originals are still there and are truly beautiful.

Think this 7 year old American will remember standing in front of this 17th century castle?
I think the Minecraft shirt keeps it real for all of us.  :)

Wish I could better show the intricate detail
on this clock tower of the castle.

The entrance into the courtyard of the
Frederiksborg Slot (castle).

Grant takes his site-seeing very seriously.

Inside of the chapel within the castle.

Look familiar? This painting is by Carl Bloch. Do a quick
google search...it's worth seeing his other works.

The grounds surrounding the castle are beautiful and as intricate as the castle itself!

Our castle day was a fun one. In fact, it was worth a repeat. I most enjoyed the Frederiksborg Slot and would definitely add it to my personal 'Top Ten' list for greater Copenhagen.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Because I'm already behind in my record keeping, I decided to make this blog essentially a picture post. A picture tells the story faster than words, so I'll cut to the chase and try to show what we've seen here. Unfortunately, you well know a picture never can do justice to what we can see, feel, hear, taste, and experience. Accepting that, this is my best attempt to explain what our first few weeks in Denmark have been like.

First, if you're interested in checking out our new digs a little more thoroughly, follow this link to a video tour of our house in Denmark:  http://youtu.be/QtbsHamy1fE  Also, remember to submit your email in the right column of this blog if you want an email notification of new posts. :)

Took this picture as I ate lunch at the edge of the canal--a typical
street view of downtown Copenhagen.

Loved this quaint, beautiful, old church!

After a few anatomy lessons, we're
finally getting accustomed to all
the nude statues around here :)
This is "The Little Mermaid" statue,
inspired by Hans Christian Andersen,
and otherwise an underwhelming
member of the 'Top 10 Must Sees'
in Copenhagen.

I found these jellyfish surrounding "The
Little Mermaid" more worthy of being
on the 'Top10.'

Amalienborg Palace--home of the royal family

The Marble Church

I spent this beautiful, warm day in Copenhagen with some new friends: Ann-Mari is a Dane, and Liesl & James are an American couple working here in Denmark. We played 'tourist' for the day so they could show me several neat places in the city. We rode the train into Central Station, and from there rode bikes throughout the city. Wow. Riding a bike through Copenhagen is a high stakes endeavor! It feels like biking on a cycling highway. Bikes here ALWAYS have the right of way before cars, and that's hard to get used to--whether I'm driving a car or a bike. (Interestingly, pedestrians seem to be second-class citizens.) Bikes have their own lane on both sides of the road--and there is definitely a fast lane and a slow lane within each. Bikers flash signs and ring bells to communicate--mostly to tell you to get out of their way. And intersections are treacherous. Needless to say, I was happy to be a follower and not a leader that day!

It was fun, though! It felt rather adventurous. Aside from the pleasant company and perfect weather, my highlights were enjoying lunch with my feet dangling over the side of the picturesque canal and our 'royal sighting' at the Queen's Palace. (The 'Second Prince,' the younger brother of the 'Crowned Prince,' left the palace wearing ordinary clothes and riding a bike. Ann-Mari said he was probably going to pick up his children from their public school--apparently a regular occurrence.)

We had a ward picnic at a beautiful park in Copenhagen on Saturday afternoon. While there, we had fun learning and playing some new Danish games like "King's Game," "Viking Baseball," and, of course, "Futbol" (soccer). We also took a stroll along the pretty little river that runs throughout the park and found the backside of the Copenhagen Zoo. We were able to see into the elephant exhibit. It was really neat to see because the elephants were so playful! They had a large pool area and were swimming and splashing with each other. Apparently, this zoo prides itself on giving the animals non-captivity-like space to roam. Maybe it would be worth a visit sometime...

Street and view of Domkirke in Roskilde
-old Viking city 30 min. outside of Copenhagen

Walking thru Copenhagen

We've quit counting the number of Ferraris we've seen since being here, but we had to stop for a picture with this Lamborghini! We weren't the only ones gaulking, though. Even without understanding Danish, we recognized the slowed pace and basic jist of the comments being made by others walking by. It was a beautiful car.

Jared at Nyhavn Street in Copenhagen

My girl and me in Copenhagen

Enjoying some 'Danish Dogs' on Nyhavn

Street Performers in Copenhagen

Street Performers in Copenhagen :)

We finished our fun family day in Copenhagen with
 dinner in this yummy basement Italian pizzaria.

If you're still with me...wow. And thank you! On a personal level I enjoy blogging to record the experiences we're having, but it's also been a fun way to connect with friends and family that we love and miss. It's wonderful here. It really is. We miss a few things about home and a LOT of people from home, but this is a really neat experience. Denmark has already offered us gifts. One gift is that of having my children's eyes be opened to the goodness of people and cultures everywhere. The second gift is time. Our lives are much slower and quieter here. Time and each other...those are the two things we have in abundance here.