**disclaimer: nothing in the world is black and white, yes and no, so for the record this list is for fun.**
I am putting this up on the eve of my departure for Greece for a ten day fun-in-the-sun vacation. I will be back in Denmark overnight before flying home, but this is pretty much it.
Things I Will Miss:
Carrying around alcohol outside
Seeing young Dads walking together with baby strollers
Seeing young couples who honestly look a few years older than me, married with kids
Biking everywhere
Tuborg and Carlsberg
Babies in snowsuits
The fitted sheet and comforter bed system
Rugbrød
Only having to worry about my bike being stolen or losing things
…Being in one of the safest places in the world
Being number 1 or 2 on the road hierarchy (pedestrians, then bikes, then cars)
Hearing Danish
Trying to read Danish
Having conversations with people in Danish in which I only understand gestures and tone…
SCANDINAVIAN DESIGN!
Pride in knowing designers and artists; who made what in your house
Pride in being Danish
That red and white flag
Nordic architecture
Being out of a puritanical society
Seeing baby strollers kept outside
Everyone dressing nicely, always (from baby to Grandpa)
Euro fashion (spandex, black on black, great shoes)
Everyone biking at all ages, from baby to Grandma (dressed nicely, of course)
My little Danish-speaking dog
Riding the S-tog, night bus, and metro
Beer being cheaper than water, juice, and soda in the grocery store
Europe
My new friends
Architecture studio and work
7-11 being a perfectly acceptable place to eat
Studio 7.11
Being a college student
Netto, Irma, SuperBrugsen, Føtex, Fakta…
Easy public transport
Biking on flat terrain in wonderfully laid out bike lanes
Techno music
…specifically this song
Drinking till the sun has risen
Things I Will Not Miss:
Techno music
Drinking till the sun has risen
Smoking inside
Smelling constantly like cigarettes
Paying $4 for juice at 7.11 and $10 for a beer at bars
Being in the second most expensive place to live in the world (after Norway)
Things I Am Looking Forward To:
Long showers, bathtubs, and all of my “pretty” things
My friends and family
My garden
Getting a haircut
My little car!
Seeing mountains and elevation and trees
Vermont
Starting my life after college
Things I Will Be Confused About:
Bars and clubs not all being open till after sunrise. 4am a late night??! No way Jose.
Going back to where the alcohol culture is a bit taboo and is characterized as a part of immaturity.
Wait…so I don’t have to go back to school in September?
What to do next with myself.
Being able to hear and understand the conversations of those around me (eavesdropping was non-existent the last four months. I could even completely check out of the conversation at the dinner table when it switched to Danish.)
Overweight people.
Why people are overly polite and always making small-talk.
Seeing a society where 90% of the people do not look like a homogeneous flood of tall blonde models, with little blonde baby model children… diversity is going to blow my mind.
When the fashion I have become so used to here turns into “hipster” or “eurotrash.”
Where some of the greatest people I have met have disappeared to.
How to explain the last four months.
