I woke up with sunshine in my eyes, which was a fitting way to start a day like today.
Weather reports supposedly broadcasted poor reviews, but it was beautiful out. Lynn and Mom had woken early to go grocery shopping, and I woke up just in time for breakfast. Rolls, butter, cheese, marmalade, coffee, orange juice… A typical, perfectly satisfying Danish breakfast. We ate outside to the delight of many bees and flies. Then Brian, Mom, Will and I went to pay for our houses and picked up ice cream on the way. Stores were closed on Sunday so we weren’t able to rent bikes or mopeds (whether there are any mopeds in Hirtshals or Tornby is yet to be known), then it was back to pick up a high chair for Jake. When I was in the car I had found a ladybug and thought it would be good karma to free it once outside. It was to my surprise that, after releasing it, we came across a ridiculous swarm of ladybugs in Hirshals. I’d never seen anything like it! There were so many, I found one in my shirt later.
Farmor, Claes and Cristine were at the house once we returned and we all had some coffee and coffee cake. Jacob and his two girls Ellen and Johanna came later. The girls were so cute and were climbing on Jacob like monkeys. Farmor gave me silverware as a thoughtful birthday gift as she had thought at the time I would be moving to Denmark. Claes and Cristine have told me they would help me look at schools, and later on Claes told me he would put in a good word for me at the Red Cross. I think it would be a good opportunity considering my need for humanitarian work.
After Jacob and his daughters left we walked to the beach. It’s exactly how I remembered it. Despite the warnings of the water being cold, I ran right in and loved it. The clouds cleared a bit and the weather warmed up as we sat on the beach for chit chat. On the walk home I breathed in as deep as I could; the air smells so fresh here, I want all of my cells to have a taste of it.
Farmor and Cristine and I were able to sit together for awhile afterward. I told Farmor about Conor and she can’t wait to meet him. We had wine while the men troubled themselves with the grill. For dinner, grill food, fish frekedele, salad, potatoes, and for dessert, a yummy chocolate cake from Farmor and ice cream, of course.
Farmor told me about her +50 year friendship with Inge. They met when Bebar went to buy lipstick from a store that Inge’s husband ran at the time, who invited Bebar and his family to a Christmas party. I would say that I wish I lived in such a society now, but I think Denmark might still be similar.
Jacob seems to love it here. Mom mentioned him coming to visit me in Denmark when he’s older. Wouldn’t that be something? I love it here, and I love my family. It’s funny how far away they are from me usually, and yet they know me better than so many people I see much more often.
It has just started to rain, again to lull me to sleep. This bed is really marvelous to sleep in. Things are very simple here at the moment, and that’s the way my brain is functioning. I don’t think I could process much intellectual matter or psychoanalyze any situation today in any depth if I tried, and I’m all right with that – maybe some of our happiest or most satisfying moments don’t require much strain mentally. Sometimes it’s okay just to be grateful and bask. This is heaven.
Day One
August 10, 2009 1:16 am
I woke up with sunshine in my eyes, which was a fitting way to start a day like today.
Weather reports supposedly broadcasted poor reviews, but it was beautiful out. Lynn and Mom had woken early to go grocery shopping, and I woke up just in time for breakfast. Rolls, butter, cheese, marmalade, coffee, orange juice… A typical, perfectly satisfying Danish breakfast. We ate outside to the delight of many bees and flies. Then Brian, Mom, Will and I went to pay for our houses and picked up ice cream on the way. Stores were closed on Sunday so we weren’t able to rent bikes or mopeds (whether there are any mopeds in Hirtshals or Tornby is yet to be known), then it was back to pick up a high chair for Jake. When I was in the car I had found a ladybug and thought it would be good karma to free it once outside. It was to my surprise that, after releasing it, we came across a ridiculous swarm of ladybugs in Hirshals. I’d never seen anything like it! There were so many, I found one in my shirt later.
Farmor, Claes and Cristine were at the house once we returned and we all had some coffee and coffee cake. Jacob and his two girls Ellen and Johanna came later. The girls were so cute and were climbing on Jacob like monkeys. Farmor gave me silverware as a thoughtful birthday gift as she had thought at the time I would be moving to Denmark. Claes and Cristine have told me they would help me look at schools, and later on Claes told me he would put in a good word for me at the Red Cross. I think it would be a good opportunity considering my need for humanitarian work.
After Jacob and his daughters left we walked to the beach. It’s exactly how I remembered it. Despite the warnings of the water being cold, I ran right in and loved it. The clouds cleared a bit and the weather warmed up as we sat on the beach for chit chat. On the walk home I breathed in as deep as I could; the air smells so fresh here, I want all of my cells to have a taste of it.
Farmor and Cristine and I were able to sit together for awhile afterward. I told Farmor about Conor and she can’t wait to meet him. We had wine while the men troubled themselves with the grill. For dinner, grill food, fish frekedele, salad, potatoes, and for dessert, a yummy chocolate cake from Farmor and ice cream, of course.
Farmor told me about her +50 year friendship with Inge. They met when Bebar went to buy lipstick from a store that Inge’s husband ran at the time, who invited Bebar and his family to a Christmas party. I would say that I wish I lived in such a society now, but I think Denmark might still be similar.
Jacob seems to love it here. Mom mentioned him coming to visit me in Denmark when he’s older. Wouldn’t that be something? I love it here, and I love my family. It’s funny how far away they are from me usually, and yet they know me better than so many people I see much more often.
It has just started to rain, again to lull me to sleep. This bed is really marvelous to sleep in. Things are very simple here at the moment, and that’s the way my brain is functioning. I don’t think I could process much intellectual matter or psychoanalyze any situation today in any depth if I tried, and I’m all right with that – maybe some of our happiest or most satisfying moments don’t require much strain mentally. Sometimes it’s okay just to be grateful and bask. This is heaven.