I was having coffee with a friend this week and she posed the question that I am often asked....."So what's your favorite part about living in Denmark?" I told her that the selfish side of me says THE TRAVEL! We have so many opportunities to go so many places that I just feel like the luckiest girl in the world!
However, I then said that I always say the selfish answer first because people don't believe me when I give my real answer... they think I am just being too "Pollyanna Sunshine"... but the truth is that the thing I love the most about living in Denmark is:
THAT I LIVE IN DENMARK.
That I, at the age of 38 was given the tremendous opportunity to leave my comfortable world in Texas and travel to a land where things are done QUITE differently than I am used to.
- Where the people don't act like Texans (somedays that makes me sad...others, happy! LOL), but that is ok because they act like Danes.... something they think is as special as we Texans think OUR way is...
- Where the language makes me feel like a complete fool every time I speak it, but I keep doing it anyway!
- Where the lifestyle is a lot more slow-paced than that of the American lifestyle.
- Where the sun does not shine very many hours during the winter. But where the sun shines LOTS of hours in the summer.
- Where there are no air conditioners in the homes, but it's ok because you don't need them.
- Where I work in a field that I love and am passion about and actually receive respect for doing the job I do.
- Where I have colleagues who can make me CRACK UP LAUGHING till my stomach hurts just like the ones in Allen, Texas did.
- Where my friends speak dozens of different languages and come from places all over the world, including TEXAS & DENMARK!
- And most importantly, where my husband grew up to become the man that I fell in love with.
So even when the politicians offend me and sometimes even make me a little sick to my stomach (actually a LOT sick to my stomach), I can still say, today, on my 894th day living in Denmark that the thing I love the most about living in Denmark is:
THAT I LIVE IN DENMARK.
4 comments:
I just love that you still count how many DAYS you've been in Scandinavia! Hahahaha, that is so cute and so Kelli!! Think about when you get to 20 years...you'll be like, I've been here....7300 days!!! hahahaha...ahhh, you make me laugh my friend!
I think they are great reasons for loving your new country and not pollyanna at all. I would think choosing to live in a country simply because you can travel would be the wrong reasons to live in a country...but the right reasons were all the "pollyanna" ones...
Today the sun is shining brightly and I hope you have a wonderful Saturday my friend!! Ps- How is Dad's humor holding up?? And Mom, is she doing well too? I'm sure this is hard on both of them (all of you)...I will get an email to you soon I promise, too much I'm thinking of saying to you for a comment box!!! ;-) Big hugs my dear
Great post - love that positive attitude! I've lived in Sweden about ... er... well... probably nearly 15 years but am not exactly sure.
Ah! the perfect immigrant, that'll be one less for the impending assimilation program.
It's your 1000th day, dude. Congratulations!
http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=today+-+22+JUNE+2008
(Or aren't you counting days when you were travelling?)
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