The More You Know, the More You Nap

Before we moved to Denmark, my husband told me many times about how mentally exhausting moving to a new country was.  I believed him, but the level of exhaustion is tough to wrap your head around until you've done it yourself.

I'm a bit of an introvert as it is, but I find these moments of quiet much more important now.  These moments when I can shut the curtain and not be reminded that I'm almost completely illiterate at the moment.

We were discussing the difference between visiting another country as a tourist, and moving to one.  Part of what makes it so tiring is that, as a resident, you actually need to remember where things are and how to get places.  You're constantly having to learn new things, whether it's a conscious thing or not, just so that you won't have to think about it next time.

So, what I've been trying to say is... I've been sleeping a lot.

That's not to say that we haven't managed to get out to see the city more.  We've met up with friends of my husband's, and some mutual friends.

And we had an early glimpse of the frustration of Sunday store hours here.  We went to hunt down a light for the bathroom, and some Brasso for the brass fixtures.  A store at the local mall was supposed to have it, so we checked the website.  The website said that the mall was open, so off we went.

Oh, the mall was open, sure.  It's just that none of the stores were open.  And most of the lights were off.

Luckily, we were not the only ones confused by this.  There were plenty of people wandering around with the same confused look on their faces that we had.

Some day, we'll be able to clean our brass.  And that will be a good day.

Fear the Danes. FEAR THEM!!

The Danes are not scary.  In fact, every Dane I've met so far has been really nice.

And yet, I find that I'm kind of scared of them.

Mostly it's a language thing.  I know almost all of them speak excellent English, but I feel guilty that I can't even attempt to speak to them in Danish.  It's the constant fear of having to go up to a stranger and start with "I'm so sorry, I don't speak Danish... Is English okay?"

Unfortunately, Danish classes don't start until the fall, so this is a fear that I'm going to have to get past quickly if I intend to leave the apartment before September.  Which I do.

Tomorrow, I will venture out and see how far I can get without getting lost and without making a complete ass out of myself.  It's good to have goals.

In other news: Yesterday, we bought bikes.  We took them for a ride out to a store called Jysk (pronounced "Yoosk") to look for fitted sheets for the new bed.  I was reminded of the tendency for stores to close at 5pm in Europe, and we left with nothing.

That's another goal for tomorrow.  Find fitted sheets.

So far, my life is full of mundane tasks that are all far more intimidating than they normally would be in America.

Vi er i Danmark!

I'm not someone who believes in fate or signs or that the universe takes us one direction or another.

If I were, though, I would say that the universe wants me in Denmark.

I didn't particularly think that before coming.  I just knew that I wanted to live somewhere new, and Denmark was the place that made the most sense for practical reasons.

But when we got on the plane for the first leg of our journey (via IcelandAir... can't recommend them enough) and realized that our cheap budget seats had been upgraded to fancy seats... I had a feeling things were going to go well.

And about an hour before we landed in Reykjavik, Iceland, the cloud cover broke.  It broke just long enough that we could see the snow-capped, mountainous southern edge of Greenland.

We reached Reykjavik around midnight, and while the sun was technically down, it still very light when we landed.  And still by the time our plane left at around 1:30am Iceland time.  Yet not long after take-off, I watched the sun rise.

Big-time jet lag aside, and not counting the couple of times that my brain went on the fritz from trying to read too many Danish signs, Denmark has been really lovely.  From what I understand, it had been a bit rainy and miserable in the days leading up to our arrival, but we've only seen sunshine so far.

And while the Danes have a reputation of being a bit distant at first, the drunken Danes at local pubs have been nothing but warm and friendly.

Last night, we were sitting at a table outside of a local dive bar, and a little old man approached the table.  He was clearly very drunk, but also quite clearly harmless.  He walked up to our table and kept repeating "Hvor er du smuk, hvor er du smuk."  I had to turn to the Danish friend we were with to ask her what he was saying.  "How beautiful are you," he was saying.  Over and over.  And then he shook my hand and repeated it again.  It was the sweetest thing.

We had booked a room at the Radisson in Copenhagen for two nights, as we had no bed to sleep on when we arrived.  The room is a fun 1960s futuristic.  Mid-century modern in a way that reminds me of the Jetsons.

We thought we'd need the full two nights here to get our apartment to a point where we wanted to settle in, but after a trip to Ikea and an hour or two putting together furniture... I was almost sad to head back to the hotel.

Tomorrow, we head off to the Kommune office, where my husband re-registers, and where I will then register as a resident.  And then, we're officially home.

I think I'm gonna like it here.

I Can Has Context?

The truth is, the fact that I'm moving to Denmark hasn't completely sunk in.

Intellectually, I know it.  We've emptied our apartment.  I've picked up my new passport with my married name on it.  We've checked in for our flights online.  My brain has all of the correct information.

And yet... it's a life change that I don't actually have any context for.  So, emotionally, it feels like any other move.

Actually, it feels easier, as I wasn't the one packing up all of our things.  The movers did that (as is often the case with international moves).

I'm in for a bigger culture shock than my brain is allowing me to comprehend at the moment.

We ship off tomorrow.  For tonight, I say...

Farewell, Boston.  Farewell, Cambridge.

Farewell, America.  Don't make a mess of the place while I'm gone.

Hurry Up, Wait, Repeat

Here's an update on this post.

Yesterday, I met up with the folks at the passport office.  I think that because every experience I've ever had at the DMV (or RMV) has been miserable and frustrating, even when things went well, I just assume the same will be true of other government agencies.

Not so!

The folks at the passport office were extremely nice and helpful.  Since I didn't actually need my passport yesterday, they are going to have it ready for me Friday afternoon.  No problems at all.  As was explained over the phone, they looked at my passport, marriage license, and flight itinerary explaining that I'm flying out of the country on Saturday, and then they put the expedited application through, and that was that.

Today, though, I had to go to the RMV.  I've been dreading it and putting it off a bit.  Now, they told me over the phone that they could expedite drivers licenses if you could show them your flight itinerary.  Stupid me forgot to bring the print-out the first time, and assumed they could just look at my phone, but after waiting 45 minutes to see someone, I was sent away with nothing.  Off to FedEx I went to re-print my itinerary, then back to the RMV... for another hour-long wait.  When I got to the counter, the girl working was actually really nice, if not the sharpest of tacks (she asked me where Copenhagen was, and looked utterly confused when I said "Denmark"... I assume she wasn't sure where that was either).  Well, she took my itinerary away for a few minutes, only to return to tell me that they can't expedite licenses for international flights, as those require a passport.  They only do it for domestic flights that don't require a passport.  I do wish they'd mentioned that to me when I called and explained my situation.

I did my best to explain that I wouldn't even be at the address on my license after Saturday, and that I need my license to be updated in order to get a AAA International Driving Permit...

The compromise we came to was that, while they can't get me my license before I leave, and they can't mail the new one to Denmark (probably for the best, since they're not sure where it is), they can mail it to my parents.  They, in turn, will mail it to Denmark.

Not ideal, but also not a horrible outcome.

So, everything will be updated eventually, and that's just fine by me.

The Movers Are Coming! The Movers Are Coming!

My alarm was set for 7am, but I was wide awake starting at 5am.

It's possible that I'm feeling a bit anxious.

Why?  Here's why:

Our movers are set to show up any minute now, so my mind was going a mile a minute trying to make sure we've separated the things we want shipped and can live without for the next 6 weeks from the stuff we're bringing on the plane to have immediately when we get to Denmark.  And also making sure all of that is separated from what we are not bringing at all.

Providing everything goes as planned, we'll have almost nothing left in the apartment by the end of the day other than what we're bringing and what we're donating to charity or giving away.

I've also been anxious about my meeting this morning with the local passport agency.  I believe I have all of my paperwork in order, so hopefully it won't be an issue.  But if they can't issue a new passport with my married name today... I'm honestly not sure what that'll mean.

And change-of-address.  Can't forget to do that.

And try to get my name changed on my license if I can.  Though, if I can't manage that, I'll be fine.

Providing everything works out with the passport office.

You know, I think I'll be really relaxed tomorrow.

Today?  Not so much.

Gators and Their Marshmallow Habits

There were beignets and chicory coffee.

There was gumbo and jambalaya.

There were oysters. Many, many oysters. Raw, fried, and chargrilled.

We drank cocktails in the French Quarter, listen to traditional jazz on Frenchman Street, and went on a swamp tour where our guide fed dozens of alligators with hotdogs and marshmallows.

Our honeymoon in New Orleans is coming to an end, and I think we've managed to at least partially relax.

Though, we did have a day or two of worry with tropical storm Debby indecisively sitting in the Gulf of Mexico. If she'd done what forecasters had originally predicted, she would have hit land in Louisiana on Tuesday. Our flight home is on Tuesday.

On any other trip, an extra day would have been lovely. But our movers show up on Wednesday morning, so not making it home was not an option.

Luckily for us (though unluckily for Florida), Debby shifted to the east, away from us. No need to try to head home early to avoid her wrath.

It's been a great trip to a city that I've wanted to see for 20 years, but my fiancé and I are definitely struggling with the heat and humidity. I'll be glad to get back to a milder Boston and an even milder Copenhagen.

Just five days until we leave the States... y'all.