He loves me; he loves me not.

Now that we are in the moving mode (as evidenced by our sad empty walls and the stacks of boxes in our kitchen!!), I have been thinking of the things that I will be leaving behind in Denmark, as well as those that I will be going home to in Texas. And yes, there are good AND bad things on BOTH sides.

So every now and then, between now and when we actually move in the upcoming weeks, I want to share a few of these thoughts, but instead of "he loves me, he loves me not", I'll call it "I'll miss thee, I'll miss thee not"....dedicated to the country I have called home for the last five years.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Dear Denmark, 
I will miss the way your employees TAKE A BREAK... A REAL BREAK... from work. I actually made a new year's resolution last year to START EATING in the teacher's lunchroom at least once a week, but after a few weeks, I went back to my old habit of EATING AT MY DESK and WORKING through lunch. It is a TERRIBLE American habit that I just could not break during the years I have been here. So I applaud you. You actually STOP working, close your laptops, and sit and SOCIALIZE with your colleagues for thirty minutes a day. But I CANNOT DO IT! You know the value of stopping work for a little while to recharge your batteries, but beyond just knowing it, you ACT ON IT! 

Signed,
the Americanized workaholic who eats at her desk

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
Dear Denmark,
There is a thing or two you could learn from us Texans (and those other Southern folk, too) because if there is one thing we know how to do, it's BE POLITE. When you Danish dudes are walking up to a door (whether it be at the shopping mall, the office building, or even the 7-11 where you pump your gas), take a look around you to see if there MIGHT BE A LADY walking up to that same door at the same time. And if there is, I have a challenge for you... HOLD THE DOOR OPEN FOR HER, SMILE, and maybe even with a small hand gesture, say, "AFTER YOU!" Yes, at first, those Danish ladies will look at you like you have lost your mind, but do it enough times and it COULD BECOME A NEW THING COUNTRY-WIDE!!!! (and ladies, PLEASE remember to say THANK YOU!!) Wasn't it your countryman, Mr. Borge, who said something about the shortest distance between two people being a smile??? Well imagine coupling that SMILE with HOLDING THE DOOR OPEN....OMG, the possibilities for humanity!!!! 

And just to warn you, when you come to our cities in the southern US, we WILL do this for you, so just get ready! 

Signed, 
a Southern Gal in search of a little hospitality