Goodbye Denmark!

Well, this is our last night in Lystrup. Tomorrow we will be in Copenhagen at a hotel and will leave around noon Tuesday. We are all so glad to be coming home although I certainly recognize the blessing this trip has been in all of our lives. I am sure one day I will read through my thoughts on this journey while having a bit more perspective...always happens that way, huh? But one thing I have learned for sure is that there is no place like home. I have learned that I have a culture as strong as any. And that things that are new are so very appealing at first, but most of the time you find that the old way you're used to is pretty darn great! I am leaving this country more patriotic than ever...thanks for America! We truly are a blessed nation and sometimes it takes leaving for a while to see it. Will Check in again once at home!

Love, Amanda and fam.

It's Dark Outside

Owen's gnome village...


Owen's wreath he made ALL by himself!


My first try at Danish floral arranging...


Another try.

Good day! The count down is ON! We are soooo excited about coming home. Have I mentioned that it NEVER really gets light here? The sun finally comes up at about 8:45 and starts going down around 2:30. A little less than 6 hours of day light. This part is truly detestable. I am a bright and shiny person. It's rough. The day is sooooooo long (or short depending on how you look at it.) And you are cooped up soooo much. I think I have taken on a new hobby of complaining. We aren't sleeping well because we just don't do enough. Maybe today we will go somewhere. Hmmmmm....where? Well, that opens up a new can of worms. Well, we'll just pack. I am trying to use this as an opportunity to be patient. I say I believe in God and read the bible, so I think it's time for me to obey and try my hand at perserverence and see the joy in ALL things. Whoa! It's easier said than done. I guess that's how it always is.

Well, the other news is: We're gonna have another baby! Most of you may know...word has traveled pretty well around some circles. This wasn't planned as we were surely DONE...ha! But I can say we are now excited about the adventure. Problem is morning sickness has been all day and pretty severe for me. Smells especially. Whoa! I must have the nose of an animal because I can smell EVERYTHING and most of it makes me want to barf. So this just compounds our readiness to be in familiar territory. When you are craving Chick fil A and Tahitian Treat and you are in Denmark...there is a slight problem! Well, I am about 8 weeks and will go to the doctor when we return. I usually like to wait to tell until after my first appt, but I figure that doesn't really matter much. If something happens it's beyond my control so not telling isn't going to change anything. It's funny to think how almost superstitious I was when everything was happening for the first times in my life!

Saturday, Owen and I went to a "dekoration" workshop at a florist about an hour away from here. An acquaintance here invited us awhile back and I thought we would be making ornaments. Well, I was wrong. We made floral type arrangements. It was a neat place, a barn in the countryside. But I doubted whether Owen would really like it once I found out what we were in for. He surprised me (as he always does). He just switched gears and instantly came up with more ideas that I had money!!! We had to leave early! He was great! I'll post some pics of the things we made. I don't know how we will ever get these things home, but it was a good experience none the less.

Well, I guess that's all for now! Can't wait to see you all!
Love, Amanda and fam.

We got elfed!!!

Check this out, it's way cute! Thanks, Laura!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1212746596

Love, The Hood's

Interactions With Home...

Hello! It's been awhile since my last post. We had a very nice visit with Brian's parents and niece, Lili. They were here almost a week and I think we ran them ragged. We visited the Queen's Summer home in Aarhus, Build a Bear (for Lili), the train station, Den Gamle By (The Olde Towne...kinda like the Williamsburg of Denmark), the Canal, we saw Santa coming off a boat in the harbor and then parading around downtown Aarhus, we spent the day in Odense and visited the Hans Christian Andersen Museum, then finally we visited Copenhagen and Tivoli amusement park. It was a whirlwind. Not to mention the fact that we probably talked their ears off. They got to see the grocery stores over here, how expensive food and everything else is as well as the beautiful countryside. It was nice.




On to the next note, we are coming home early! Didn't expect to, but when we started looking at it, it just made sense. Basically, we will all fly home 12/18 and stay for Christmas. Brian will leave 1/04 headed back to Denmark. He will work here off and on through Feb 16 when he will return home for good. The reason I say off and on is we have good reason to believe that he will be traveling back and forth to the US for meetings during that time. We figured we could either be at home with our many wonderful supports while he traveled to Denmark or stay in Denmark with no supports while he traveled to the US. The second option just didn't make much sense.

I basically have boiled our trip down to this: It's too long for what it is. When you travel somewhere permanently...to move there, you start getting yourself integrated into the society. You make friends, get involved, start putting down your roots. When you travel somewhere on vacation, you see the highlights and move on. Basically we aren't doing either. We are stuck on a LOOOONG vacation! So that said, it was a wonderful opportunity that we have thoroughly enjoyed and will always treasure the experience. But we are sooo thankful to be coming home!

If you know anything about me, you will know I have done extremely well. I am the homebody of the family. What I mean is, I like to be in familiar surroundings. I love going to the same grocery store for years and knowing all the cashiers by name! I am the one who went to school at Mercer even though my family was living in Forsyth at the time (I did live on campus..at least;o))! Not to say I don't love an adventure or fun trip at times, but basically close to home is where I thrive. So this trip has been huge for me! My Mom made the comment when we left that this was going to be the first time I have ever really left home. Well, I have done that now. And I am ready to come home. No place is perfect, but home is very sweet for sure.



Can't wait to see everyone! For those of you who usually come...I guess the Christmas Eve Gala is ON! Yea!

Much love to everyone!
Amanda and Fam

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We are doing our best to celebrate the day. It's funny that a day is still a day...it's still Thursday Nov. 22 here. It's just not really Thanksgiving. I guess holidays truly are about family and all of the comings and goings of those we love around us. I was cooking last night trying to get some preliminary work done since I am cooking this meal solo, and it just wasn't the same. Usually there is family around and we hang out at my Mom and Dad's while I help my Mom get stuff ready for the next day. The kids play and Brian and my dad do something..?! It was just so quiet here, Brian was working (as he has been constantly day and night lately trying to get a proposal out) and the kids were playing. I know that's when the meaning of Thanksgiving comes in and I am so thankful that we have each other. I am thankful for this opportunity to be somewhere else and realize the greatness of my life at home. I am thankful for our health. I am thankful that we will have food on our table and that we will be able to bless that food with prayers. I am thankful for the live web-cam of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!!! Ha HA!

Have a great Thanksgiving Day!
Love, Amanda and fam

Later...We ended up having a nice Thanksgiving. The food was great considering the improvising that was done...I made my own evaporated milk! The company was wonderful as we had some new Danish and American friends over and all in all, it was nice. A friend from home wrote me an email today that hit the nail on the head...she wrote, "This can be a new exciting Thanksgiving for yall, because yall are like the
pilgrims in a new land. Meeting new people and learning a different way of
life. I pray God will bless you with a heart of thankfullness." That is so true and that is my prayer too, that God would bless us all with hearts of thankfulness! We are all pilgrims traveling through life. I think life is designed to be seen with the new vision of someone seeing everything for the first time. Hopefully we can all attain some of that spirit...and not just at Thanksgiving, but all year long.

Aeroskobing Adventure!

Good Morning! We just returned last night from a trip to the small island of Aero that I mentioned in my last post. It was definitely an adventure. The sights were stunning...like out of a magazine claiming to depict the most adorable spot in the WORLD! Cobblestone streets, houses built in the 1700's (and not changed much since then), old windmills, farms running right to the edge of the sea.



Amazing! We had to take a ferry to get there (from Svendborg to Aero, which can be seen on the map on zoom) which was fun in and of itself. Drove the car right on (dog inside)...then up to the Salon deck for lunch. When we got there drove the car right off and voila! We had stepped back in time! Literally...since nothing was open!!!! Due to our schedule we decided to stay Sat. and Sun. nights which happens to be when everything is closed! When am I going to learn? But we got lots of walking around and pictures on Sun. morning and then decided to leave early and drive leisurely back to Lystrup. We got back Sunday night and were able to preview the town of Odense which is where we are planning on taking Brian's parents and our niece Lili when they come next week. So it worked out well. The kids had fun, especially when we topped our trip off at a Pizza Hut Buffet in Aarhus! And for the bargain price of only $80 US$! I usually don't point out the cost of every meal we eat, but that was actually a good price for our whole family.



Anyway, when Brian was away last week, Owen complained of itchiness. I hate to admit it, but I barely glanced at his skin and diagnosed him with dry skin. We get that a lot here because of the cold outside and heat inside...you know. Well, upon further complaints and inspection, I noticed these red bumps started popping up EVERYWHERE! They had a little blister inside them and were itching him like CRAZY. After lots of searching online and finally calling my nurse mother in law, Owen was diagnosed with CHICKEN POX!!! Yep, that's what it is and he even got his vaccination at 12 months. I took a trip to the local Apotek (pharmacy) and tried to explain to them that he had chicken pox (to get something topical)...I think they thought I was trying to tell them my son was turning into a chicken...the lady looked quite scared! Well, she was very nice and looked up the translation and they don't get that vaccination in Denmark, so it is going around. I called Dr. Vernon's office (our local pediatrician) and his nurse informed me that since last summer, they are recommending that every child get a booster. Just a head's up for those of you who may not know. Actually, the virus wasn't bad and SO FAR hasn't spread to Weston and Miles. Owen says the pox don't itch anymore so I think we are on the mend. But if you look below and see a picture of Owen that looks pretty scary, you'll know why!;o)



Next week our first guests come and we are really excited. Also, we are going to attempt an American Thanksgiving here so be thinking about me braving the grocery store in preparation for that meal. I already have my grocery list translated so that maybe I will know what I am buying! We are inviting two Terma employees who are here on assignment from the Warner Robins office. They both recently graduated from Mercer so we will have a good holiday together.

Hope all is well with everyone. I love this format of being able to let everyone keep up with us, but I am a little upset by it's obvious one-sided nature! If you have the time I would love to hear what's going on with everyone at home so I don't feel like all I am doing is blabbing about all the stuff here all the time! Love to everyone and we miss you! Amanda and fam

A Snowy hello!

Good morning! We have seen our first snow in Denmark and although it wasn't much, it lasted through the night with a dusting on the ground and roof tops. The kids had fun making snowballs, Miles even made a 3 inch tall snowman who is now in the freezer(which is constantly in a quite snowy state due to it's non frost free status!) Anyway, today I think we will try to get a fire started in our wood stove and hunker down. Owen and Weston just went exploring the parks around here to check for accumulation!

I would absolutely LOVE to send out some pictures of our snow, but am again without a camera. Hopefully Brian will be bringing one back along with a GPS and about a million other things I have given him a list for. Did I mention the "feeves", as Miles calls the thieves, stole my makeup bag? I didn't realize it until the next morning. I guess that will teach me not to leave my makeup in the car. Basically, if I am lucky enough to actually get time to apply makeup it is in the car in the parking lot of wherever I am going. At least then Miles is locked in his car seat and I know where he is while I concentrate on my face. Brian is going to the mall to get me more with my list. Hope that goes well!

Anyway, there are not a lot of new, exciting European discoveries to report. Once you are anywhere long enough you find that humans are designed with this amazing adaptive quality that enables them to get along pretty much anywhere. I was in awe when we first arrived and the differences were so exciting. Then I went through a phase of really liking the way they do things, then a phase where I really thought I had better ways. I guess that's just the cycle of newness. Now I am at the place of, "I am proud to be an American. I naturally think my ways make more sense most times and am loyal to my country and background. But, hey this place is cool for a while...as long as I am secure in the fact that I am going HOME!" One of the things I thought was so cool when I first got here was the simplicity in commercialism or a semi lack thereof...now I miss my home where I can get what I want, when I want AND at a decent price. If there is any fault in the American system of availability of STUFF, it is when I lack discipline and allow myself to think buying stuff actually makes me happy. If I use it to my advantage, it is so great to go out and have choices about what I buy, etc...to fill my needs. We really do have it so good, I don't think we realize it. We probably just abuse it by not knowing when to stop. That's a hard skill to learn! I surely haven't yet. We talk about Americans problems with obesity, debt, etc...These are not problems with availability but with discernment. Boy, if we could get that, we'd be set! Maybe that's just a human dilemma. Here they don't have the choices we have to the extent we have them, therefore they have discernment imposed on them from another source. Our freedoms are so great if we use them wisely. I guess it all goes back to moderation, which is basically mine and Brian's motto. Do everything in moderation.

As far as getting stuff in a convenient way, take medicine, for example. NOTHING is over the counter here. Benadryl, Advil...everything is under lock and key. AND they aren't sold at grocery stores. There are separate stores. Not very convenient. Well, that's just one thing.

Also, I love the zeal Americans have for stepping out on a limb and following our dreams. We have this zest for creating and pushing forward to new frontiers. I think a lot of that is stunted here...most likely by the confines of being under more government control. What I mean is the government does so much for the people and in turn takes so much from them, that it seems as a general rule they don't question much. They take a number EVERYWHERE. I went into the empty post office one day and didn't even think to take a number, I mean who really pays attention to those machines except my kids who like to play with the little numbers they spit out!!???!! The lady looked at me like I was crazy and pointed to the number machine. And nobody dares to cross the street when the "do not walk" sign is lit, even when there is no one there...anywhere. Maybe it's just me, but I would want to GO!!!! And sometimes I do go, with many dirty looks directed at me. It's also cool when you think of how Americans have changed the world with inventions...computers, lightbulbs, phones, Levi's...all things of great modern importance to the world. I know other parts of the world have had these great periods of advancement of thought way before we even came on the scene, but I think we have done pretty darn good in our short history. Compared to places over here...America is a baby. Correct me if I am wrong on any of this, but I am proud of our brave new world! At Thanksgiving I am really drawn to giving thanks for this country I am a part of who started as a little settlement by brave people who wanted something more...and we still have it. No it's not perfect by any means, but if we can hold on to the ideals we started with through the adolescent growing pains we are now a part of, I think we might just come out OK.

Anyway, enough of my rambling. I hope someone maybe got through all that! I am going to inlude a cool link of Thanksgiving info I found that is very web interactive and the kids really enjoyed as part of their morning assignment. Well, Owen enjoyed it...and Weston mostly tolerated it...uhmmm, I enjoyed it anyway.

This weekend we are going to the little island of ÆrØ to a town called Ærøskøbing that Rick Steves raved about. I'll hopefully have my camera by then and can postsome pics of our adventures when we return.

We miss everyone!
Love, Amanda and fam...

Save Jekyll Island!

*Look to the bottom of this post for our new contact info...

I know we're in Denmark, but my favorite place on earth is still Jekyll Island. If you love Jekyll too, please take a moment to fill out a survey and visit this website. If we don't all take an interest, the next time you and I visit Jekyll it will be unrecognizable! Get your activist spirits out and let's help Jekyll!!:o)

Here are some letters written by me (first one) and my sister:

I have recently relocated to Denmark through February 2008 for my husband's Work assignment. However, my heart is in Georgia and especially on Jekyll Island. I cannot even begin to describe the way this island has impacted me throughout my life as I have more memories than time! But I can tell you that the first pictures of me on the beaches of Jekyll Island take place when I was less than a year old. My family has been visiting the island for 50 years beginning with my grandparents and continuing down to my 3 boys and my nieces. My sister got married at Faith Chapel and the simple beauty of Jekyll Island is unsurpassed.

There is one reason that investors want their hands on Jekyll. Clearly, that reason is an issue of greed. There is no other explanation. There is money to be made and Jekyll is one of the few places left that is untarnished by big money. Yet our capitalistic hearts yearn to turn it into something bigger and better. I am obviously not opposed to capitalization as it is an ideal that has made many things possible in our wonderful land. My question is, when does the good judgment come in that tells us to leave certain special places alone...letting them be special? As Americans, if we are going to preserve our heritage, we must learn to draw a line and stop ravaging our land in the quest for the dollar. Since the deer and the birds and the turtles and the rabbits cannot vote or have their voices heard...please hear this loud and clear: Leave Jekyll Island alone and take your conquest elsewhere.

There is something much more sacred on the line here. Jekyll Island is a place for quiet, still moments, family laughter, encounters with nature, beautiful morning sunrises on the beach, undisturbed dunes, miles of bike trails and more. When are we, as Americans, going to choose to recognize the beauty of our land in its current state without ravaging it and stealing it from the animals that were here before us and the children who will grow up to care for it when we are gone? Please don't change Jekyll by adding all this "stuff". Jekyll is the kind of place that just doesn't need high-rise condominiums to be magnificent...it already is.


Sara Mosser wrote:

As I have stated before (in an earlier survey), I have been visiting
Jekyll Island annually since I was an infant. Since that time, Jekyll
has become a place of incredibly fond memories, of my family's shared times together, and I was married at the Faith Chapel in 2005.

The proposed Town Center initially struck me as bittersweet, as I
would hate to see the demise of the current shopping center with the
IGA, pharmacy, and other shops, but thought that maybe there was a
place for this sort of thing if it stayed true to the character of the
island's past. Seeing where all of this has gone, I am absolutely
appalled. To have towering condominiums, TIMESHARES!!- to see the
removal of the miniature golf course and playground- is anything but
true to the island's character or purpose.

Jekyll Island is and should remain a place for Georgians. If people
want to eat at chain restaurants, visit their condominiums, and ruin
the environmental integrity of a place, there are plenty of other
places to go. The eastern seaboard is awash with such places, and
Jekyll Island is supposedly protected from these sorts of things by
our government.

Furthermore, the rerouting of Beachview Drive to a more inland
location would certainly mean more destruction of habitat for the
creatures of the Island. As a photographer, I have navigated the
current dirt roads of inland Jekyll, and I find it to be just as
distinctive and beautiful as the long beaches of Jekyll. To take any
of this away would be devastating, not just to me, but to hundreds of
birds, deer, and other animals that make this space their home.

We do not need another commercially-driven space in Georgia. Jekyll
is a place of timelessness, a place that means something, has
maintained its integrity in a world of fast paced, money making,
do-it-and-ask-forgiveness-later mentalities that are quickly
destroying not only habitats, but cultures, values, and character.
Please, do not do this. Find somewhere else to cut your cookies out
of cheap building materials and sell them off to the highest bidders.
Jekyll Island needs you to find another coastline to conquer.

Updated Sunday Night 10PM Denmark time:

Hi Everyone- Found out we're not supposed to use the 213-6595 # while we're here...new rule. Anyway, call us at the Skype # 478-238-9779, Brian has it forwarding to his Danish cell phone and one of us will answer or call you back. I will have the Danish phone next week while Brian is at home. He will arrive in Atlanta Monday afternoon and leave Thursday afternoon. You can reach him on his 213-6595 number while he is at home.

In other news, I took the car to the store today in Aarhus by myself and while I was inside someone busted the passenger window out and took our GPS and new camera and case. I called the politi and they weren't even mildly interested. Guess that's why the crooks weren't scared to break into my car in a VERY well lit parking garage at 4PM crawling with people. Hmmmmm... Anyway, I was so sick about it. That's to put it lightly. Avis already brought us a new car and we think the items should be covered through our rental car insurance...hopefully.

Just glad I wasn't hurt and didn't have the kids with me although Miles notified me that he would have taken the thieves DOWN...that's my boy;o) haha.

Love, Amanda

More from the Hood's in "Danmark"!

Updated Sunday Night 10PM Denmark time:

Hi Everyone- Found out we're not supposed to use the 213-6595 # while we're here...new rule. Anyway, call us at the Skype # 478-238-9779, Brian has it forwarding to his Danish cell phone and one of us will answer or call you back. I will have the Danish phone next week while Brian is at home. He will arrive in Atlanta Monday afternoon and leave Thursday afternoon. You can reach him on his 213-6595 number while he is at home.

In other news, I took the car to the store today in Aarhus by myself and while I was inside someone busted the passenger window out and took our GPS and new camera and case. I called the politi and they weren't even mildly interested. Guess that's why the crooks weren't scared to break into my car in a VERY well lit parking garage at 4PM crawling with people. Hmmmmm... Anyway, I was so sick about it. That's to put it lightly. Avis already brought us a new car and we think the items should be covered through our rental car insurance...hopefully.

Just glad I wasn't hurt and didn't have the kids with me although Miles notified me that he would have taken the thieves DOWN...that's my boy;o) haha.

Love, Amanda



Good Morning! Wow! Lots has happened since I last posted...I guess that's called life, huh? Miles's birthday turned out great, Brian had a conference in a town called Horsens about an hour from here (we chauffeured) and we went to a great indoor pool with our English speaking friends. We are becoming more integrated here and have even found some friends who are wonderful. I am so appreciative at how much Brian's Danish colleagues and their wives have opened up to us and how well traveled they are. On Miles's Birthday we were invited to the home of Lars and Birgitte Tolstrup. They have a total of 6 kids, two together. They were so generous, speak wonderful English and travel to America often. When we walked in they had just returned from a trip visiting the US and had Target bags, marshmallows and peanut butter in their unpacking jumble of stuff downstairs. Let me tell you, those are highly valuable items here: peanut butter, marshmallows, and mac n cheese. The people know about them but they aren't sold here. Funny! Anyway, they were so gracious and even hoisted their big dannebrog outside their home in honor of Miles's special day. They also made him a traditional Danish cake which is actually a danish pastry in the shape of a boy decorated with candies. We had two cakes, two birthday songs, two candle blowing sessions. It was so cool to see the two customs side by side. Miles was a little intimidated at the Danish song, but had a great time in general. They also make a big deal of cutting the boy cake's head off and all the kids scream when they cut it. Then the bday boy or girl gets the head. It's cute. We had very interesting conversation with them, mostly about the differences between Denmark and the states. They have invited us to celebrate New Year's Eve with them at their Summer home in Ebeltoft. I think it's more like a condo. That will work out great since my parents are coming for Christmas and will be leaving on the 31st. I am so excited about them coming.

We are all getting very excited about our company coming soon. It turns out that almost everyone in our immediate families will be able to visit starting with Brian's parents and our niece Lili.

Hmmm...what else? Well, I wrote about storytelling last time and thought it would be neat to share some of Weston's emerging writing and drawing skills. He has really gotten into reading and writing. I haven't pushed him but we have been trying to work daily on letter sounds and free writing mixed with practicing letters, storytelling and dictation. It's kind of cool to remember all the stuff I learned in school and watch it come out in my own child. He's not quite there yet, but I can see it coming!



Owen has also been keeping up with his art skills and he posted some of his new work on his blog which is linked to on this page. Check it out!

Brian is going home next week. He will only be there Monday-Thursday I think. I get so messed up in translating all the things we have to here. My head isn't really good keeping up with lots of stuff at one time and this place is a challenge for that. Celsius v.Fahrenheit, kilometers v. miles, liters, kroners, dollars, hours, etc...it's enough to make my head spin. Brian and I never know what time it is, what day it is...We didn't even know daylight savings time was over here about 3 weeks ago until the next day. Oh well, it all works out!

I guess that's all for now! Keep in touch...love, Amanda and fam...P.S. Here are some random pictures I liked of late...








Sara, the chicken fabric picture is for you and Evelyn!;o)

Happy Birthday, Miles!!

Happy Birthday Miles!!! Miles turns 3 tomorrow (November 2)! I can't believe it has been three years already. He is excited about his birthday even though I am not sure what we are going to do.





There are a lot of cool indoor playgrounds here so I think we will go to one of those. There is even a Build A Bear workshop at the train station. Don't know what we'll do. But I am sure it will be fun.

Everything here is going good. Brian made it back safely from Germany and the kids and I survived. We had some good adventures learning about how parking garages and elevators work here, so we are ready to conquer the world! Brian has it so easy (well, despite the working part;O). He gets to let us go out and explore while he sits in his office...so he never has to make a fool out of himself in the learning process. This is probably a good thing since I don't get bothered too much by looking like an idiot going on vendor elevators and holding up lines of traffic in parking garages! Anyway, in our adventures this week we went to AROS the art museum here. We had a good time looking at the different periods of art. This coincided with Owen's Art Show debut in Macon on the 30th at Art on the Avenue on Ingleside. He had 4 pieces on display and we were so proud! Sounds like he had a lot of home support and all went well (I included some pics).




At Aros he and Weston really enjoyed looking at the modern art on display. They even had some Andy Warhol pieces. They also had some pretty freaky stuff that even for an art admirer like myself was just plain weird. But to each his own!

Next week we plan to go to the Museum of Natural History and or a glass blowing museum a ways from here. This experience has really made me stop and think how many cool things there are in Georgia that I don't take advantage of because I live there. Brian is going home the 12th-15th of November for a meeting. Now that will be weird! But I have a bunch of stuff I want him to take home and swap for other stuff, so it will work out well.

I was planning to write about storytelling...so here goes. Brian and I were discussing the lack of practicing Christians in Denmark and were, for hypothetical sake, imagining we were missionaries here. How would we reach the people? This got us talking about the strong legacy of stories knitting people together through history. Those stories have been lost here somehow. He was saying that it was the stories of the Bible that kept him coming back during times when he would stray. He can remember the look, feel, smell of the book his Dad used to read the bible stories out of and how that storytelling knitted those people and that history into his being, like they became a part of his own past. I can remember my Mom telling us stories about her childhood, our births, our childhood and those stories made us so close to each other and even to ourselves. We spent time talking to each other about beliefs and histories. Today our stories revolve primarily around TV and movies. We are hearing stories from people we don't know at all and are letting those stories influence our kids and ourselves with more impact than the stories of the bible, our own histories and the history of our families. I am the most guilty of all. Not that it's all bad, but it is something I have been thinking about. Miles reminds me because with his birthday coming, I have been telling him about what it was like when we were waiting for him to be born, and how he came and what he looked like when he was a baby and he EATS it up. He could listen to those stories over and over again. This doesn't get us any closer to answering our questions about how one would turn things around for a lot of people in Denmark, but it did shed some light on keeping the stories from our past alive.

On another note, my Mom sent me an article on the Muslim immigration issue in Denmark. The only place I have been told NOT to go alone is the Muslim district of Aarhus. I can see why and I think this article provides something for Americans to consider regarding our own immigration controversies.

In Denmark, once-liberal immigration policies have forced huge governmental change and zero tolerance for Muslim immigrants intent on turning Denmark into an Islamic welfare haven. FSM Contributing Editor Susan MacAllen reveals a shocking reaction there and lessons America must learn.

Salute the Danish Flag! - It’s a Symbol of Western Freedom By Susan MacAllen

In 1978-9 I was living and studying in Denmark. An elderly woman to whom I was close said something to me one day that puzzled me for many years after. I forget what the context of our conversation was, but she commented that I - as a young American in Denmark - should not let any Dane scold me about the way America had treated its black population, because the Danes in her view treated their immigrants at least as badly. I wasn’t sure which immigrants she meant, so I asked her. She answered that she meant those from the Middle East.

But in 1978 - even in Copenhagen, one didn’t see these Muslim immigrants. The Danish population embraced visitors, celebrated the exotic, went out of its way to protect each of its citizens. It was proud of its new brand of socialist liberalism - one in development since the conservatives had lost power in 1929 - a system where no worker had to struggle to survive, where one ultimately could count upon the state as in, perhaps, no other western nation at the time. The rest of Europe saw the Scandinavians as free-thinking, progressive and infinitely generous in their welfare policies. Denmark boasted low crime rates, devotion to the environment, a superior educational system and a history of humanitarianism.

Denmark was also most generous in its immigration policies - it offered the best welcome in Europe to the new immigrant: generous welfare payments from first arrival plus additional perks in transportation, housing and education. It was determined to set a world example for inclusiveness and multiculturalism. How could it have predicted that one day in 2005 a series of political cartoons in a newspaper would spark violence that would leave dozens dead in the streets - all because its commitment to multiculturalism would come back to bite?

By the 1990's the growing urban Muslim population was obvious - and its unwillingness to integrate into Danish society was obvious. Years of immigrants had settled into Muslim-exclusive enclaves. As the Muslim leadership became more vocal about what they considered the decadence of Denmark’s liberal way of life, the Danes - once so welcoming - began to feel slighted. Many Danes had begun to see Islam as incompatible with their long-standing values: belief in personal liberty and free speech, in equality for women, in tolerance for other ethnic groups, and a deep pride in Danish heritage and history.

The New York Post in 2002 ran an article by Daniel Pipes and Lars Hedegaard, in which they forecasted accurately that the growing immigrant problem in Denmark would explode. In the article they reported:

· "Muslim immigrants…constitute 5 percent of the population but consume upwards of 40 percent of the welfare spending."

· "Muslims are only 4 percent of Denmark's 5.4 million people but make up a majority of the country's convicted rapists, an especially combustible issue given that practically all the female victims are non-Muslim. Similar, if lesser, disproportions are found in other crimes."

· "Over time, as Muslim immigrants increase in numbers, they wish less to mix with the indigenous population. A recent survey finds that only 5 percent of young Muslim immigrants would readily marry a Dane."

· "Forced marriages - promising a newborn daughter in Denmark to a male cousin in the home country, then compelling her to marry him, sometimes on pain of death - are one problem..."

· "Muslim leaders openly declare their goal of introducing Islamic law once Denmark's Muslim population grows large enough - a not-that-remote prospect. If present trends persist, one sociologist estimates, every third inhabitant of Denmark in 40 years will be Muslim."

It is easy to understand why a growing number of Danes would feel that Muslim immigrants show little respect for Danish values and laws. An example is the phenomenon common to other European countries and the U.S.: some Muslims in Denmark who opted to leave the Muslim faith have been murdered in the name of Islam, while others hide in fear for their lives. Jews are also threatened and harassed openly by Muslim leaders in Denmark, a country where once Christian citizens worked to smuggle out nearly all of their 7,000 Jews by night to Sweden - before the Nazis could invade. I think of my Danish friend Elsa - who as a teenager had dreaded crossing the street to the bakery every morning under the eyes of occupying Nazi soldiers - and I wonder what she would say today.

In 2001, Denmark elected the most conservative government in some 70 years - one that had some decidedly non-generous ideas about liberal unfettered immigration. Today Denmark has the strictest immigration policies in Europe. ( Its effort to protect itself has been met with accusations of "racism" by liberal media across Europe - even as other governments struggle to right the social problems wrought by years of too-lax immigration.) If you wish to become Danish, you must attend three years of language classes. You must pass a test on Denmark’s history, culture, and a Danish language test. You must live in Denmark for 7 years before applying for citizenship. You must demonstrate an intent to work, and have a job waiting. If you wish to bring a spouse into Denmark, you must both be over 24 years of age, and you won’t find it so easy anymore to move your friends and family to Denmark with you. You will not be allowed to build a mosque in Copenhagen. Although your children have a choice of some 30 Arabic culture and language schools in Denmark, they will be strongly encouraged to assimilate to Danish society in ways that past immigrants weren’t.

In 2006, the Danish minister for employment, Claus Hjort Frederiksen, spoke publicly of the burden of Muslim immigrants on the Danish welfare system, and it was horrifying: the government’s welfare committee had calculated that if immigration from Third World countries were blocked, 75 percent of the cuts needed to sustain the huge welfare system in coming decades would be unnecessary. In other words, the welfare system as it existed was being exploited by immigrants to the point of eventually bankrupting the government. "We are simply forced to adopt a new policy on immigration. The calculations of the welfare committee are terrifying and show how unsuccessful the integration of immigrants has been up to now," he said.

A large thorn in the side of Denmark’s imams is the Minister of Immigration and Integration, Rikke Hvilshoj. She makes no bones about the new policy toward immigration, "The number of foreigners coming to the country makes a difference," Hvilshøj says, "There is an inverse correlation between how many come here and how well we can receive the foreigners that come." And on Muslim immigrants needing to demonstrate a willingness to blend in, "In my view, Denmark should be a country with room for different cultures and religions. Some values, however, are more important than others. We refuse to question democracy, equal rights, and freedom of speech."

Hvilshoj has paid a price for her show of backbone. Perhaps to test her resolve, the leading radical imam in Denmark, Ahmed Abdel Rahman Abu Laban, demanded that the government pay blood money to the family of a Muslim who was murdered in a suburb of Copenhagen, stating that the family’s thirst for revenge could be thwarted for money. When Hvilshoj dismissed his demand, he argued that in Muslim culture the payment of retribution money was common, to which Hvilshoj replied that what is done in a Muslim country is not necessarily what is done in Denmark. The Muslim reply came soon after: her house was torched while she, her husband and children slept. All managed to escape unharmed, but she and her family were moved to a secret location and she and other ministers were assigned bodyguards for the first time - in a country where such murderous violence was once so scarce.

Her government has slid to the right, and her borders have tightened. Many believe that what happens in the next decade will determine whether Denmark survives as a bastion of good living, humane thinking and social responsibility, or whether it becomes a nation at civil war with supporters of Sharia law. And meanwhile, Americans clamor for stricter immigration policies, and demand an end to state welfare programs that allow many immigrants to live on the public dole. As we in America look at the enclaves of Muslims amongst us, and see those who enter our shores too easily, dare live on our taxes, yet refuse to embrace our culture, respect our traditions, participate in our legal system, obey our laws, speak our language, appreciate our history . . . we would do well to look to Denmark, and say a prayer for her future and for our own.

FamilySecurityMatters.org contributing editor Susan MacAllen writes a political blog, askew.blogharbor.com, and has written on an extensive array of subjects for over 20 years. She has lived overseas and been intimately involved in the French culture since the Muslim immigrant population emerged in the south of France.

We love and miss everyone! Love hearing from you! Amanda and fam!

PS Happy belated Halloween! The kids here don't Trick or Treat, so our kids came to our own house!


Also, one last thing...sorry..this one is a long entry! My sister showed me this a while ago and it provides some humor on this whole immigration issue! Thought you might enjoy a good laugh with Byron! Enjoy!

Denmark's Past...

Good Evening! Brian leaves tomorrow for a one day trip to Germany for work. This will be our first time here alone. I think we will be fine. No Chick-fil-A to bail us out at dinner time, though! That has been a big adjustment for us: our genuine love of eating out. Not that I don't cook at home, but we do go out at least once a weekend and usually the kids and I stop in at CFA for lunch weekly and Starbucks or Sonic for drinks once or twice a week. I was spoiled! Here "Fast Food" is a hot dog stand and eating out on Friday night is reserved for SPECIAL occasions! We have managed to go out every Friday night since we have gotten here in search of an affordable, family friendly restaurant. Well, we have given up. They don't exist. After spending up to $200 at one meal (because I didn't understand the hostess explaining to me that the buffet was priced by the hour for a 2-3 hour minimum!)we will no longer be eating out. I joked with Brian that we could at least go down to IKEA and have their in-store buffet on Friday nights where kids eat for $5, but we realized nothing is opened on Friday nights. I am planning to check into it though. I just get tired of cooking! Oh well, I really can't complain, I heard from one lady that she hasn't been out to eat in over a year! One thing I will say: a guy at Brian's work told him that since eating out is so expensive they opt to invest in high quality kitchens instead. I believe this because I have seen more kitchen stores than anything here! Makes sense!

Above is a picture of where we ate last Friday night. Good thing we are getting a cost of living stipend or we'd already be broke!

In other news, yesterday we went to the Moesgard Museum just outside of Aarhus. It had both inside and outside exhibits. The highlight is the 2000 year old corpse of a man found preserved in a peat bog near here. Apparently there have been several of these finds because of the tannins in the peat actually turning the bodies to leather. Sounds creepy, but was very interesting. Also had some exhibits on the Vikings and some outside reconstructions of Viking buildings. It's cool teaching your own kids because I have never really known why things are taught. For example, when I learned about the iron age in school...it was from a book and meant nothing to me. But because we are involved in a hands on learning process we see something interesting and all of a sudden there is this desire to find out, "What is this all about?"..."Let's find out!" It's like I can see the way one event transforms into learning about something else and so on. I didn't even have that concept in college! I wish I could go back and absorb all the things my professors lectured about that I listened to with minor interest or out of obligation for a grade! I don't know how long we will home school, but it really is a different way of learning and I hope it empowers my kids (and me) to not do things just because, but to really think about things and look at them in a fresh way. There are so many things that I find myself just doing, thinking or saying that have no real thought or feeling put in them. Especially, I am discovering I do this about religion. Sometimes,(rarely) I can be reading something Jesus said and it is so new and fresh to me I am awed at the fact that I get the privilege to know Him personally and to think about the kind of man he was and I could go on and on...I want to be compassionate, forgiving, kind, true and then life comes back and I'm thinking about myself again and snapping at my kids and blah blah blah! I guess that's the dilemma, huh? It's the fight we're up against. Well, at least I know it now! I have been memorizing Collossians 3:12-17...it will probably take me a year! :o) But it speaks to how I should get dressed every morning: with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience and especially love. If I ever get to the point where I can stay dressed in these clothes all day I'll let you know. At least I'll always have something to work on! Hey! Maybe that's where my dreams come from where I am walking around naked in Publix and don't realize it...then I look down and ...well, you can imagine! I have lost my clothes! Hmmmm...


Here are the pictures from the museum and the kids in bed with Oliver. Everyone is doing good and we really miss dinner at my Mom and Dad's!!!! Thanks, Sara, for the package and as we told you we love it all! Nana, Papa Mike and Lili will be visiting in November for a week (we can't wait!) Note to self: next time write about storytelling... Love, Amanda

We have a new camera!

Our new camera seems to be working really well. Yeah...I really like documenting with pics. And I am loving all the online convenience of storing digital pictures in web albums and showing them in slideshows, etc... I grew out of my scrapbooking madness some time ago and finally feel like my pictures are alive again!

Wednesday the kids and I visited the Aarhus Domkirke (church). It was pretty inside. I feel like I should say it was beautiful because it was very old and "pretty", but it had a strangely empty feeling. I don't have a lot of experience in churches other than the few I have attended regularly, but it's not a place I would be able to worship I don't think. Anyway, the pictures really are nice and I am glad we went. I think I am still taken aback at the difference in the church I am familiar with versus the institution of "church" I have encountered here. That is one thing I am truly thankful for is the emphasis Americans have on values. I know it may seem strange because as Americans it's all over the news that our country is laden with crime, drugs, divorce, etc...and it is. But we do (maybe only in the bible belt) have every kind of church imaginable and worship is welcomed and available, most of us value marriage (is this only in my circles?) and teach our kids not to cuss!;o) Apparently here these things are minor. Just surface observations mainly. Anyway, these things got me thinking and I found an interesting article and link concerning spirituality (or lack thereof) in Europe. The article does not specifically refer to Denmark, but I get the feeling it's a similar situation. Here are the pictures and following is the article and link. Skim if you like...




The 'Withering' of Christianity in Europe
Fred Jackson and Jody Brown
Agape Press

The New York Times has taken a look at the fading away of Christianity across Europe.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Texas law against sodomy. In writing for the majority, Justice Anthony Kennedy suggested that it might be time for the U.S. to start adopting a more European view of what constitutes right and wrong.

That comment from the high court justice alarmed many Christians in America, given the state of Christianity in Europe. The Times story seems to confirm those fears, referring to the "withering" of the Christian faith there.

Writer Frank Bruni says Europe "seems more and more like a series of tourist-trod monuments to Christianity's past." For example, in France only one in 20 people bothers to go to church anymore; in the U.S., that ratio is one in three. The story quotes a pastor in northern France who says, "What's interesting isn't that there are fewer people in church, but that there are any at all."

In England, there are 25 million people who identify the Church of England as their denomination, but only slightly more than one million go to church every week.

And in Italy, although 85% of the population call themselves Roman Catholics, as few as 15% bother to attend church.

The Times quote David Cornick of the United Reformed Church in Britain, who says "the fact is that Europe is no longer Christian."

Bruni notes other indications of the diminishing influence of Christianity in Europe, such as the removal of crosses from the walls of public schools throughout Western Europe -- and the fact that many congregations have been forced to either shut down or combine operations, or make do with part-time or imported pastors.

But perhaps the most noteworthy development surrounds the impending European Union. Despite strong objections from Pope John Paul and Christian leaders around the continent, the draft of the proposed constitution for that political coalition omits any mention of Christianity or God as having any cultural influence in shaping Europe.

...This article ended quite abruptly but it makes a point. Here is the link I referred to:

http://www.prayfordenmark.com/about.html

It's all very interesting. I like to observe the differences. This is a cool experience I've gotta tell you.

Here are some more miscellaneous pics. Hope all is well. We are doing better as far as our moodiness goes...thank the Lord! I'll write more later. love, Amanda

My camera is OUT OF ORDER!

Well, we spent the day yesterday (we during the week = the kids + me) trying to find a battery for our digital camera. Finally got one and realized the battery was fine...it's the camera. I LOVE my camera and we've only had it for three years. I am sure that it doesn't help that it's been dropped more times than I can remember. But that was part of the beauty of this camera, it worked despite my apparent electronics abuse. Not anymore! ;o) Last night I almost had Brian clicking to buy another one at Sony when his engineering side came out and he decided he needed to at least TRY to fix ours. Anyway, to make a long story short, we have to go back to the camera store today when he gets off work to try one last thing to fix this camera. Well, that explains why there are no pictures again. Man, patience is no fun!

Other than that we have no real news. Brian went last week and got his passport stamped with his work permit visa and today (Tuesday) he is going to the bank to get a "dankort"...a danish bank acct. It is so difficult to buy anything here without one. We have to transfer all of our money to kroners before we buy anything. We are check card people and our check cards don't work here because they have a different chip in them. This "dankort" will make everything more convenient. Also, we can go get our residence permit after Brian is given his danish ss# (should be this week)and THEN the kids will be considered temporary citizens and will be eligible for some of the school services here. Hallelujah!!! hahaha.

Anyway, things are going better on the home front. We found a German based website where we can order English books (which is something I didn't bring enough of). Owen is in that in between age of being too old to play with toys all the time, but too young to do adult stuff. He likes to read so I ordered him some new books to help spice things up for him. He wants a Play Station 2 (this has been a desire of his at home and here), but we're hesitant to give in and watch our son turn into a video game junkie! We'll try the book thing first. Although when we were on that Sony website last night it was a little tempting! :o) I also found a book called The Hat by Jan Brett (I think she's an American author). The story is about a hedgehog in Denmark. It looks fun so we ordered that book and found lots of lessons online about hedgehogs. Thought this might be a fun theme unit for everyone. I'll include a link here for the book and activities.

Well, I guess that's all for today. One last note, Denmark truly is one of the most beautiful places on earth. The country sides are like something in an old painting. It literally seems like you are walking into a piece of fine art. Absolutely amazing. I visited a cemetary at a church here and it was one of the most tranquil, idyllic experiences I've had. Each family's area was separated by little hedgerows and looked over the danish country side with rolling hills and pastures and homes with moss covered roofs and little puffs of smoke streaming out the chimneys. I'll send some pictures when my camera gets fixed (or replaced).

One more quick note, there are candles in everyone's home (windows) and flowers for sale everywhere. Little potted plants with mosses and heather and greenery on the window sills. There is actually a danish name for this. It's called hygge here is another link for hygge. It's a slower way of life that recognizes the importnace of beauty in our everyday living. I am planning on bringing a big dose of this home, so watch out!

Well, I guess that really is all for now. Keep reading...we love our friends and family...let us know what is going on with you...we miss you!
Love, Amanda and fam

OK...it's not all so new anymore...

Hi all! It's Saturday night in Denmark and as I sit to write this the house is pretty quiet. We had a rough patch last week but have come out of it OK, no permanent damage. I think we experienced our first moments outside of the "it's all so new" phenomenon that had enveloped us for the past couple of weeks. We are used to things here now and we are really used to being together...A LOT!



Thursday we were able to visit the Danish family I told you about in the last post. That was a great experience for me and the kids. It has been so long since we've seen anyone else on a social level. The kids played with her son, Lars, and I enjoyed the adult interaction. She was able to clue us in on a lot of the inside ropes here and introduced us to something i did not think existed here: a form of Wal-Mart! It's called Bilka and is HUGE! I think it may even be bigger than Super Wal-Mart. Oh well, all my idealogical views of this place are gone!;o) Not really. It's just funny how it seems they are so excited to have this place that they are flocking there in droves. I want to warn them: "This stuff will take over your lives!" But who can blame any of us for shopping at places like that? There are times when you just need a cheap DVD player...or snowsuit for that matter! That's what we ended up leaving with today when our whole family took a trip there on our way to Labyrinthia.

Labyrinthia is a park where there are outdoor mazes you can walk through, indoor puzzles and games and a little snack shop. We had a good time and Owen, Weston and Brian actually received diplomas for their maze work. Miles quit and took me with him. It's hard to stay outside for long when you refuse to wear a jacket. It won't take long before he'll learn!

Anyway, back to the "we're used to it here!" comments...I have had no patience with anything!...or anyone! Neither have the kids, or the dog! By Friday we were all so tired of being cramped up in this little house with none of our home stuff to keep us occupied I think we basically snapped at each other all day. By Friday night my attitude was in the dumps. It was cold, we didn't have anyone to do anything with or anywhere to go that didn't cost a fortune, we had had a rough week...I was looking at everything negatively. I finally realized all over again that I had this great experience ahead of me and that I should be looking at it as an opportunity to pause. Sometimes it's hard to see what's staring you in the face. So often I am distracted by the things at home that I don't have enough time to spend quality time with Owen, Weston and Miles, to draw, to pray, to meditate, to notice the weather, to go to the park, to listen, to talk, to be... and I have been given a 4 month gift of all that and more. I am going to try to remind myself of that over and over.

Anyway, I don't mean to complain, but so much of life truly is attitude. I truly believe the verse that says "be joyful in all things". Not that I don't have a lot to be joyful about you may say. This just further proves my point that you can get so focused in on little irritants that the whole beautiful picture can get lost. Sometimes I've even noticed it's kind of a weird "good" feeling to feel sorry for myself. That's when I really know I've gotta snap out of it!

Anyway, on another note, my camera battery is dead and finding another one is a challenge...but I should have one next week. Also, thanks Laura and Gwyneth for the package! We have the best family ever...which makes us miss you even more! The Cookie Crisp are almost gone!

Love, Amanda and fam

Aarhus Botanical Gardens

The kids and I visited the local Botanical Gardens yesterday. It fit in with our curriculum as they are studying some of the differences between plants and animals here vs. at home. One interesting thing we have noted: we have seen no squirrels, but have seen little hedgehogs! They are so cute! (no offense squirrels!) Anyway, the cactus green house and the rose gardens were the highlights although it was all beautiful and well labeled. Of course we couldn't read much of it!

Also, the African Grey parrot was awesome! He could make the most amazing techno noises...phone rings, alarm beeps and little whistles just to name a few. There is a bird show here this weekend that we are going to visit. Click here for a link to it. Here is a slideshow of some of our pictures.



Thanks Nana and Papa Mike for the box of goodies! The kids were so excited to receive a package and the macaroni and cheese was gone within the first hour!

I am surprised at how the kids haven't even made mention of their costumes for Halloween. I think they have pretty much forgotten about it although they may surprise me. I have learned one thing for sure, Owen has an awesome memory! Most of our constant reminders of upcoming holidays are in the mega stores and since those don't really exist here, the kids don't think about them much. Which is good! All of those extra little things we buy here and there are impossible here as far as I have seen it. The basics are so expensive compared to what I am used to, I wouldn't have any money left over for the extras. A cheapo stroller (umbrella type) is around $50 ($250kr) and the cheapest shoes for Miles I can find are around $60 (Thanks Sara for sending me some!). I am spoiled by cheap prices. I am reading a book titled "A Year Without Made in China" and maybe I'll have some comments about that if I ever finish the book. Reading is SLOOWWW going for me, always, not just here;o).

Anyway, in other news, I went to the store last night on the bike with my recycled bag in hand. I was so cool...ha! I didn't have enough money in the check out line and had to put stuff back...I was so tired of going to the atm and draining our bank account that I refused to do it again. I had the girl put back the apples and peanut butter, but kept the wine! Yikes, what does that say??!! I fell off the bike a million times on the way home...turns out my bag was too heavy. All I could do was laugh! Guess I wasn't so cool after all. It was funny and I actually had a lot of fun.

Anyway, today is a school day so we are going to do work. We are on a schedule of Mon/Wed/Fri- school and tues/Thurs- field trips. Tomorrow we have been invited to the home of a lady whose American husband works with Brian here. They live here and she is Danish but has lived in the US for 15 years before. They have a 7 year old boy who speaks English. We are excited to have some interaction.

Anyway, that's all for now! Love and miss you! Amanda

Legoland!

Hello all! We went to Denmark's legendary Legoland Park on Saturday. Ever since Brian came to Denmark for the first time and returned with the news that this park existed, the kids have been talking about coming here. Weston is our Lego man and can sit for hours building robots and space ships and bionicles. Owen has really taken up the hobby as well. Although I think he would enjoy drawing pictures of what Weston builds even more than building himself. They make a really good team! We all had fun and came home with lots of new Legos! Here are some pictures of our day:



Other than that, things are plugging along fine. Brian rode a bike to work today. The guy who is renting this house to us left his bike here. So I get the car. I've had the car for the most part anyway, but I've been dropping Brian off at work and picking him up. He has even walked home a couple of times. It is so close. Yesterday I went on a walk/run and ended up in another small town!

Sunday I had my first real bout of homesickness. The grocery store did it to me. I think most of my experiences here revolve around the store because as a mom I spend so much time there! Everyone here kind of sticks to themselves...maybe like in the U.S. north..."yankees" as my grandma would have called them. In the grocery store no one speaks, in passing if I say "Hi" or do my customary smile, I just get a weird look in return. Maybe it's the language barrier, I'm not sure. I just wanted Publix. I wanted to be able to read the labels, get the food I'm used to, pay the decent prices I pay for things at home and have a little chat with the cashier at the end. To have someone bag groceries for me and then take them out to the car in free bags and a free cart...I think I would faint! I then started in on the ride home from the store on everything else I wanted from home. It was a big snowball effect. I want my Mom and Dad, my house, my cats, my friends, my church, my language, my mall, my amazon.com!!!!!!!!!!!! By the time I made the 3 minute trip home from the store, I was a wreck and poor Brian was hit out of the blue. Needless to say, I am feeling better, but absence does make the heart grow fonder and with all the things about this place that are great and beautiful, there is no denying HOME! Hope all is well with everyone at home. Keep in touch...we love getting emails/comments! Love, Amanda

PS. I found this website when the kids and I were researching about Denmark for school. It has a lot of good info is anyone is interested in skimming through:
http://www.gknewyork.um.dk/NR/rdonlyres/6E7A4928-6C29-42F5-A091-6F7B31946763/0/AnIntroductiontoDenmark.pdf

Slideshows Galore!

Hi all! I figured out how to make slide shows from my web albums, so I hope it is not overwhelming to include 2 in this post. Here they are. Some are duplicates...






Yesterday we made it our mission to find a danish-english dictionary. Seems it is necessary for our survival that we have one. Which makes sense so I don't what took us so long. I knew it would make our lives much easier, but when you enter a park full of attacking deer because you couldn't read the warning sign...well, a dictionary becomes very important. The people here for the most part speak great English and can switch back and forth between languages with such ease that I am in awe. As someone trying to learn the language or even show respect for them by attempting to use some basic words in their language, this makes it hard. They are so eager to use their English skills with a real live person that the second they hear you speak they switch right over and begin speaking English. I have had some pretty lively sign language conversations with some of the older danes who do not speak English. They are very nice about it though.

That said, we went to the train station in Aarhus. Someone told me they had a big bookstore there. Well, it turned out to be a mall! Very similar to one of our malls. First I've seen here. There was even a Foot Locker. To be honest, I didn't like it at all. I have been relishing this different experience of small shops and walking to and from places so much so that an American mall was so usual and disappointing. I actually felt a sense of sadness seeing all of them go here and there shopping for Disney princesses and plastic toys and cheaply made clothes. I know it's inevitable that most of the civilized world is going toward mass production, but I don't know if the enticing qualities about getting things cheap and fast mask the true reality that a certain quality of life is lost. Just thinking out loud.

On a funny note about the mall. It was packed with people and we were standing in line at a store waiting to pay and the kids were talking. This man came up to us and asked if we were Brian's family. He works with Brian and saw the three American kids and assumed it had to be us. Apparently we do stick out wherever we go!

Last night on my run I was contemplating all the differences and was noticing how many children I saw without parents. Kids 5 and 6 were riding scooters on sidewalks unsupervised. Older kids were riding their bikes with friends. Kids were walking to the store to pick up bread for dinner. All UNSUPERVISED! It is such an unusual sight for me. That's part of what I was talking about in an earlier post about my lawsuit self. Not that I have ever been involved in one, but I notice here how much I am predisposed to thinking about safety at every turn. In reality, I am fearful. I tend to see rickety fences at kids fast food playgrounds (like one I saw here) and it seems so unusual. What if a kid got loose? What if the fence fell on a kid? Not that I am really afraid of that happening but I am on the lookout for issues. Along the canal in Aarhus, there are sidewalks and shops lining each side of the water. There are no fences to keep people from falling in! That was so unusual to me. What if a child fell in? Well, I'll tell you what if. They better not or if they do, they better swim to the side.

There is so much more emphasis on common sense. The people are not as fearful and I guess they don't have as much reason to be. I didn't realize how much I rely on rules imposed by law (I guess) and how much I look over my shoulder and watch my kids so that we aren't harmed. Maybe because we have laws and attitudes that we are supposed to be safe we create this sense that someone else is in charge of our own well being. Like the city better put up fences along side heavily populated water ways for my safety. Or McDonald's better put up a 10 ft high steel safety fence around their playground because I may not be watching my kids good enough and it's someone else's responsibility to provide a safety net for me. I get the sense that here it's up to you. If you want your kids safe you better watch them...or teach them how to swim...REAL WELL! But that really makes the kids aware, the parents aware and in more control of their own well being. I doubt the people have to be warned that hot coffee may burn them. Hello, common sense. Very interesting. I am just taking all this in. I'd love to hear anybody else's thoughts on this.

Well, today we are doing school so I better go. When Brian's work permit comes through the kids can start attending a neat after school program and Miles can maybe attend preschool. There is one down the street and it is so cute to see all of them walking to school.

Thanks for reading!

Amanda