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

Adventures in Arhus

Here are a few new pictures. We had a very adventurous day today. The kids and I dropped Brian off at work and with gps in tow, we searched out the Arhus tourist info office: www.visitaarhus.dk, I think... We found the place but all the brochures were in Danish. We are trying hard to learn via internet, etc...but it's a hard language to learn I think. It sounds nothing like it's spelled. But I will keep trying.

Anyway, we then went toBurger King to eat lunch. We got one Whopper combo, 2 double cheese burgers and an extra small Coke. The grand total came to 133 kroners, which is something like $26.00. Expensive lunch for Bk. After that we ventured to this place we had heard about that is like a walking zoo. It features native animals in their natural habitat, is free and all you have to do is walk into a gate. Well, apparently forests are a big deal in DK so this was like a forest museum. There were deer everywhere and the kids were able to get really close. Not too long into our walk we came upon a camera crew taking pictures of a big buck. He realized we were English as we passed by and asked us if he could interview us for a local TV station. He then asked if we would allow him to interview us on the fact that the deer have been attacking CHILDREN!!!! It was quite funny. Needless to say we did not get attacked and were even interviewed for the newspaper also before we left. They probably thought, "who is this crazy woman who would bring her children to a zoo occupied by crazy mating deer!!!!!????" The kids thought it was great!

Then we went driving and found a great beach. I think it was the North Sea, maybe the Baltic. I've got to look at my Atlas again. It was beautiful and Owen deemed it our best day yet. I am sure it helped that he was sure he saw a sea monster in the water and a half naked old lady take a swim. It was FREEZING!!!!!! Well that's our news! Love, Amanda and fam

PS...I put in a pic of the local Harley dealership.

Good Morning from Sunny denmark!

Hi all! I figured a blog might be a good way for me to share some of our experiences in Denmark with others while creating somewhat of a journal to have when we get home. I hope you enjoy following along with us on our journey. As any good American would be inclined to do, I feel I must add a disclaimer of sorts saying that anything I say about anything should not be held against me as these are just my current thoughts at the current time and are subject to change without notice;o)

Well, we are here. All of the anticipation for months about whether or not we would be able to come have been answered with an incredible yes! The most remarkable thing for me is that we can live here just as well as at home. Despite the fact that we are in a whole other country, across the ocean, with new languages and culture, the show goes on. Maybe I am like one of those people who don't believe that we ever went to the moon. I find it hard to believe that in the course of one night spent on a plane, we are truly in a different land. Different but the same. Laura pointed out the line in Pulp Fiction where John Travolta basically says "We all have the same sh**, it's just called something different". It's like if you could imagine everything is the same, but at the same time everything is different.

The biggest difference has been the culture. You notice it in small ways at first. Stores closing early, putting deposits on shopping carts, buying grocery bags, small cars, small everything. But then you start seeing where these small things come from. They are the ideals of family time, environmentally conscious living, simplicity in life. As an American I am so used to the mega stores, restaurants everywhere, low prices, abundance, and MORE, MORE, MORE. I didn't really notice that about myself and don't really think it can be avoided. As Americans that is all most of us have ever known. Some would say we are so lucky because of the sheer abundance of everything that we enjoy. And even though that abundance can be purchased very cheaply in our country, it comes with a price. Our lives are so complicated as we strive for more. We CAN go to Wal-Mart every time we need something and never really have to plan ahead or do without. Our lives are so convenient that maybe it has been too easy to fill them with STUFF and not time. In saving time, I am guilty of wasting time. Here I have seen people spending whole days at parks with their families, riding bikes, flying kites, picnicking, getting off work at 4pm, going in at 9 am. There seems to be this emphasis on slowing down. The last time I did any of those things I was on vacation! There are fresh flowers everywhere. Beauty is regarded as very important. I am not in any way putting down our American way of life because in our quest for more, we have introduced so many wonderful things to the world. But I am in awe that there can be a simpler way of life readily available if we are willing to shift some of our priorities.

Obviously I can't write everything I am thinking about at one sitting, but I will share more as I can. I really want to write about the personal accountability I see here (I realize as an American I am a potential lawsuit watcher!) Also, I'd like to share about just how cool American STUFF is here (despite all the things I wrote earlier).

I am going to try to add a few pics from our trip if I can figure this out...
Love, Amanda