The Canadian Perspective

One of the best things about having visitors from Canada is hearing their perspective on how they view life in Denmark. It is funny to find patterns... for starters, they are blown away by the deliciousness of the baked goods. Forget French pastries and Belgian chocolates - the Danes have got it down pat. And they keep it a secret. Everyone that has visited has insisted on going to the bakery every day to get treats... despite the calories!! The other refreshing perspective is to hear how relaxed everyone seems... especially in the way they dress. You don't really see women wearing huge high heels and everyone dresses for comfort (while maintaing that chic Scandinavian style!) These are some of the points my Canadian friend Izzy and I discussed during her recent visit. Still a popular chocker: a mother leaving her baby in a pram on the sidewalk while she goes inside to have coffee. That often gets the most reaction... ha! ha! I can't say I will be the most comfortable practicing that habit, I am just not wired the same...

I also had the chance to visit the zoo. Having visitors allows you to do these things that you generally wouldn't do in the city you are living in. I am still not sure how I feel about zoos and their captivity of animals but I need to do some research on this first before I make any judgements on animal welfare. The zoo was definitely entertaining simply because of the small size of it. I could almost reach the brown bear that was only a few feet in front of us and the hippo the size of a truck was an arms reach away when it decided to yawn. Wow, do they have large teeth!! The local aquarium left much to be desired... I think they are just letting it fade away until they open the new and beautifully designed aquarium in 2013. The Ny Carlsberg museum proved to be quite impressive, especially their winter garden. This is just a small snippet:

A night out with the girls:

Chris looking very happy with his galette - another little gem in downtown CPH:

Us in front of the galette restaurant:

Shopping for shoes and dinner.

Funny how the pregnant mind works... tonight, just as I finished cooking dinner, I decided to cook another. The first dinner, a frittata and salad, just didn't cut it, so I spiced it up and decided to go for a full on Indian dinner with tikka massala, cumin-seed rice and naan. Mango chutney and all. It helped that I have a grocery store right next door so that I can just pop down and grab items as the cravings hit. The grocery store could improve its hours though... they are closed on Sundays, and they close at 7pm during the week. But I guess these limited hours are what give it that market feel... I also just recently found out that if you find an expired product on the shelf, you can trade it in for a free grocery item. This apparently is quite common in Denmark and people have been known to walk around the store to check dates and get their free grocery item in return. There is also a mama-papa shop across the street that is usually open on Sundays. This is a really cute place to shop... the store keeper offers all kinds of services... including holding your baby while you shop. I've actually seen this happen several times... mom walks in and says, here can you hold him while I shop. I have also seen the store keeper help the elderly by carrying their groceries out to their car or even going into a lady's purse to get her money out, pay himself what's due and put her change back. I guess this is a task that gets tough as you get older... much older.

Shopping in Denmark can be quite a different experience. Shopping for shoes the other day, I was still amazed at the lack of customer service. You usually need to go up to the cash register (and wait in line if there is one) in order to ask if they have the shoe in your size. Makes you want to NOT shop, really. It's effort and hard work. Clearly they don't work on commission.

Some snippets of our latest ins and outs:

Making plans for a Royal Wedding Party... and showing my latest proportion.

At the Royal Wedding Party... special attention to the wedding hats I made for everyone.

Late night pizza craving... notice Chris' home made drink - a margarita in a jar.

Our Danish friends trying Mexican cooking for the first time!

It takes a village...

Since we found out we are expecting our first baby, many questions are circling... one of which is "Are we ready for society to help raise this little person?" And by that I mean, growing up in Denmark, there is a good chance that an older person will often reprimand youth for intolerated behaviour. Just the other day, a couple of teenage girls sitting on the train had their feet up on the seat, the older gentleman beside them, a complete stranger, gave them a piece of his mind.... something along the lines of 'respect others, be courtious, take your feet off the seat' the girls giggled and so then he let them have it! In a very imperative voice he told them to start using their brains to be more respectful ... something or other. It was amazing - then the girls got it. They have been told off - so they took their feet down. I've seen it happen also when a group of kids are smoking where they should not be - an older person will often walk by and have them all but their cigarette butts out. The funny thing is that they listen! Can't really play tough guys in front of the older folk. Maybe this is what a heavy social-democratic culture is like, people rely on each other to try to insert some sense of value into the younger generations. What ever it is, I kind of like it. Now when I see a young person doing something I don't believe to be right I think, where is that senior citizen when you need them!

The Danish perspective.

One of Chris' colleagues was in Japan during that major earthquake. When interviewed by all the colleagues once back in the office here in Denmark he claimed the feeling he had during the earthquake was ''incredibly uncomfortable." I thought this was a funny way of putting it... I mean wouldn't we all just about freak out??!! Being uncomfortable is an understatement! I've noticed this lack of reaction of many of those local citizens around me... the only people that tend to react to anything around here are the non-danes. Most of my workday takes place at the local library where I teach Spanish. The washrooms are co-ed as they are in most places here, but the reaction you get from foreigners when they walk in is quite funny. Especially when a girl, me, is in there, and an older male foreigner walks in and has a look of shock when he sees me washing my hands. Usually they bolt right out looking at the sign to ensure they are in the right room. It's classic, really.

Spring has sprung and we are back to enjoying those bike rides along the sea, ice cream treats galore and eating brunch on our balcony. Here are some highlights of our most recent celebration.... Chris' birthday!!

The most delicious chocolate cake... ever!

Birthday boy!

Birthday lunch with some great friends!

Back from sabbatical.

Wow. It's been ages since I logged into this platform to put down some thoughts... I'm surprised I still remembered my password. Since the new year, much is a changing... more to come on that later. For now, I would like to share with you some of the interesting facts I've encountered in 2011 to date:

-when the bus company in Denmark goes on strike, one can take a taxi and the bus company refunds you the money.

-if you have a special needs child, the government will work out a reduced work scheme, and pay you the difference, in order for you to be able to be home more.

-as a student, if you are stressed, sick etc and cannot be in school, the government pays you a salary in order for you to focus on getting better.

-it's illegal to work for free here. Volunteer positions are regulated by a union that says no more that 2 hours a week.

As I keep coming across these interesting schemes that really help the people, I wonder, how can Denmark not be the happiest place on earth??

The art of the fork and knife.

Christmas was another great adventure this year. We planned for a quiet Christmas that grew into one of the busiest holidays ever! We had 3 Christmas dinners to go to, luckily they were all on separate days. Once again the myth that Danes are 'cold' people was proven wrong as we were taken in by several families and felt a very warm welcome all around. Highlights of the menu: duck, sugar potatoes, rice pudding, Tilla's homemade gravy, turkey, Kate's vegan lentil loaf and Chris's homemade apple pie (he even put a Canadian flag on it!!) :

Some more highlights:

And now to New Years! I like to stay ahead of the game, so I bought my gym membership last week. Why wait till January, I thought. I love my new little fitness centre. I decided against the big box gym mainly because it's far and I'd have to take a bus. And then I would never go. Instead, I opted for a more quaint establishment. One where the average age is 65 and where I am pretty much the only person using the free weights. This is also a place where they put out healthy snacks like fresh cut fruits sprinkled with cinnamon and jugs of fresh water with orange slices. Oh yeah, there is also tea and coffee if you fancy. The best part is the TVs on each machine, I can watch MTV, VH1 and all those alike. At that rate, I could spend the entire day there!

Anecdote: was out for lunch today. Ordered my sandwich and then proceed to look for my fork and knife. When we first got here I noticed people ate everything with a knife and fork. Burgers, sandwiches, buttered toast, all of it! We were always the only ones holding our sandwiches in our hands. Now, without even thinking about it, I comfortably take the 3 pronged fork and the serrated knife and wrestle with the crusty bread on my plate.

Happy New Year Everyone!!

Countdown to Christmas.

It still amazes me just how different each European country is. Somehow they have managed to keep their cultures completely separate from one another, even if their borders are so close together. Chris and I took a four hour train ride down to the little town of Lübeck to see some of Germany's most famous Christmas markets. There was no shortage of beautiful creative art, and it was all so affordable! I guess after living in Scandanavia for a while, everything outside of it feels cheap.

On the train ride there, Chris turned to me and said "All I want is some fried dough."I looked at him as if he was from Mars. After exploring several markets I quickly realized this was one of the most popular market snacks, deep fried dough sprinkled with sugar. The simplest of recipes but so delicious! There was really no shortage of fried food... and and here is our evidence:

Fried Dough.

Fried Calamari.

Fried Fish on a bun.

The highlight of the meals was trying pickled herring. Being one of northern Europe's delicacies it's a must on anyone's list... let me be the first to tell you that you need some serious liquor to wash it down.

Being a Canadian who is living in Denmark and clearly looks Latin American sometimes confuses me. First, the language. I don't speak German so I chose to communicate in Danish. This didn't work so I opted for English. That didn't work either because in all occasions people just smiled and went on to make up their own minds about what it is I had said, ordered or asked for. Then answering the question 'Where are you from?'. Do I say I am from Denmark? I live there... Do I say I am Canadian? I am, but most of the time people say I don't 'look' Canadian. Do I say I am Latin American? I look it. So I decided to just flip flop back and forth between them all and watch people's reactions to my response.

Some memorable highlights, tips and precautions:

• Alcohol really does keep you warm in minus 10 degree weather. And it is quite hard to get drunk even after 3 cups of glühwein.
• German Fair Cuisine is fattening! And vegetarians beware!
• Germany is filled with amazingly talented artisans that work with natural materials and create their visions brilliantly. Most of them, however, don't have websites.
• German restaurant washrooms are not heated. Nor do they have hot water.

Warm socks and a scarf

Let it snow! It has been snowing non stop for a few days now, gladly it's been light so things are still functioning. Last year's snow falls have taught the Danes a thing or two about winter weather. I am not making this up, I read it on the Danish rail system website. This kind of weather caused train cancellations, bus delays and all kind of other chaos. Since this is starting to become more 'normal' people are getting used to it. I gotta give it up to the Danes for being so practical, it's common to see grown ups wearing full snow suits as they walk around town and run their errands. What amazes me is the persistence of people using their bikes as transport. But if this keeps up, we are going to need sleighs!

Whistle while you work.

It's winter. Officially. And on my way home today in what felt like minus 5 degrees I started making a list of reasons why I should retire my bike for the season and invest in a train pass. Here's is my list (and it is not a complete one!):

1. It's cold.

2. Winter clothing is heavy. It feels like I am pulling an extra body when I bike with my winter coat on.

3. Visibility is poor. Scarf, hat, helmet, eye glasses - it takes a full 180 to check my blind spot.

4. Biking against the wind gusts takes twice as long. Train moves faster.

5. It's hard to change gears when the temp is below freezing.

But still I continued pedaling. Did not cut my route short or hop on a train. Braved the elements. Why? Because how else can I justify drinking hot chocolate with whipped cream several times a week... or having a danish pastry for dessert more often than I'd like to admit. And mainly, because I know it's good for me.

As I ride, I often see construction crews hard at work. And always, without failure, they are blasting the tunes on the radio and listening to some fun upbeat music. On machines that look like this:

The same goes for bus drivers, they get their selection of radio tunes as well, and often they are singing along or drumming their thumb to their tunes... sometimes classical music, sometimes heavy rock. Whatever they fancy! Even library staff wear iPods, and hum along as they sort books. I guess it's about enjoying what you are doing and putting your own rhythm to it. Some people ride their bikes with their iPods. I am not that brave, or dumb.

Week 42

Funny, I am really liking the way people refer to their schedules here, they count the weeks instead of the specific days. So in Canada I would say let's meet the week of October 18th, but here they say ' let's meet sometime week 42'.

Last week (week 41) was an eventful week. We saw the miners being rescued and just like the rest of the world, I was glued to the live broadcast for hours. It was amazing to witness. Chris amazed me by completing a 7-day fast in order to kick start our health kick. He is a superhero - seven whole days, no food just drink - healthy drinks of course. I lasted only 48 hours. Then, I had a very exciting meeting with an Danish company that needs me for my language skills. I had no idea speaking Spanish would help me as much as it has here... basically every job opportunity I get is due to this refined skill. I say refined because I have been studying it quite a bit since I started giving Spanish lessons. So, I start with this new company tomorrow, I will be working on their marketing initiatives targeting Spain. Chris has given me the low-down on what to expect - or not to expect:

-There is generally no small talk in the office, people are direct and efficient about their communication.

-Pleasantries like asking people how their day is going is weird, and should be avoided.

-Address everyone equally. There are no hierarchies here.

-Expect to be asked your thoughts on important issues - since everyone is equal, everyone has a voice.

On a whole other subject, we were out for Culture Night on Friday. It's an event like Doors Open Toronto and Nuit Blanche combined. There is usually an overwhelming amount of stuff to see on this night so you have to be strategic about where you go. Here are my highlights:

Candy apples in the viking city!

Night tour of the Danish Parliament and meeting the Social party leader!

Touring the Royal Stables and seeing the vintage horse carriages!

Clearly my health kick was put on hold when I enjoyed this hot chocolate with vanilla ice cream!

Amazing art exhibits and bossa nova concert at the National Art Gallery!