How Angry Birds Have Saved Me

I've lost my zen. It was here but then I lost it. I thought about looking for it but why bother? I might just lose it again. But there's a new cure for frustration & I can tell you all about it in 2 words: Angry Birds.

There's nothing like a set of Angry Birds being hurdled towards stupid thief pigs to calm the nerves. I want to read books about business & customer service. I want to find blogs about expats & read about their experiences. So many things I want to do...But instead, I've retreated to a world where only Angry Birds exist. I have a complete focus to dominate & achieve 3 stars in every level. Every day that I am sitting here waiting for word on my visa application, is 1 more day that I can spend helping these Angry Birds fight the good fight. It's possible that I will not be moving to Denmark before April & so far, I have almost no feedback on what is going to happen, what work I can do in the meantime, what I will be doing in the project that I was hired to be apart of...Nothing....But I wake up & go to sleep w/ 1 certainty: The Angry Birds are still here. I would write more....But there's an Angry Bird out there that needs my help.

There is No Grease on the Wheels of Progress

I think it's safe to assume that pretty soon the question of "When are you leaving?" will be exchanged with "Are you still here?!?" My visa application still hasn't been filed since there is some question as to what the acceptable wording should be. In the meantime, I am released from my current position & my new bosses (in Copenhagen) haven't decided what to do with me. I wish it were so easy that a caveman could do it.
 

I've already been through the following phases:
"Hurry up Alreadyyyyyyyy....I wanna gooooooooo"
"What?!?! Why is this process so damn long?!? FORGET IT! I don't WANT to go anymore." (Cross arms & pout)
"Well, if they really wanted me there, they'd make it happen. Fine! I'll just stay here. Hmph!" (Cross arms & pout)
"But Europe sounds so excitingggggg....I wanna gooooooooo"
"Damn it, I am an American & proud! I am staying!" (Cross arms, pout, & stomp foot on the ground)
"Whyyyyy God Whyyyy? Why me? Why so many complications? Just whyyyy????" (throw arms in air as I fall to my knees in true drama queen fashion)

And now....I've progressed into "Que sera sera. What will be will be". It's very zen. So peaceful. I am sure I will get there & everything happens in its time - ahh - Can you hear that? It's birds singing & a slight breeze is blowing as I hit play on some Yanni, practice my downward dog, & end my days w/ chamomile tea. I accept all the things that I cannot change and I cannot change the beaurocracy and red tape. Sigh...Peace and love, my friends. Peace and love.

And if you are reading this and you think that I have completely gone off the deep end, you are probably right. But what a great place to be. Namaste.

Denmark is the Capital of Iceland

As you know, when I move to Copenhagen, I am going to be part of a project that is already ongoing. One of my colleagues on this project, who is Danish, was in Charlotte this week for meetings. I reached out to her in hopes of starting to meet people & get insight on this project. She asked me if I would take her and another (Danish) Colleague to the outlet malls to shop. In case you haven't heard me say this yet, Denmark is EXPENSIVE so these ladies were very excited to help do their part to boost the American economy.

We were at Finish Line, shopping for sneakers, & I assume that A or B (seriously their names began w/ A & B, I just don't want to muddle up the spelling) told the girl at the counter that they were from Denmark. The immediate response was "So you're all from Denmark? That's the capital of Iceland, right?? I learned all about it in my history class."  Ahhh...Yes....Let's just thank this little nugget for doing her part to fuel the American stereotype that Europeans have of us as being "Stupid Americans". I corrected her & explained that Denmark was a small country in Northern Europe. "North Europe??? But then, where's Iceland?" Clearly, someone really paid attention to that history class. In what was obviously an exercise in futility, I attempted to explain where Denmark was only to be told "Oh! Right, Denmark is the capital of Greenland!" Sighh...We left the store & just shared a laugh. Hopefully I was able to win some brownie points (err...I mean Danish Butter Cookie Points as I told Carl earlier this week) with my new colleagues.

****

The ladies were vastly different. A, who is the one that I will be working more closely with, has spent time in the US & currently lives in Sweden w/ her hubby & kids & commutes to CPH daily. She was jubilant, friendly, helpful....complete opposite of everything you've been warned to expect from Danes.

B was everything you've been warned to expect from Danes. She was polite but not open or overly friendly. It was hard to get a read on her & my instinct cried out "Why doesn't she like me???" It took me almost 45 minutes to remember everything I have been reading about Danish culture & realize that she was simply being "respectful" of me. At least that's what I keep telling myself! I made a point of not taking any behavior "personally" and went about my evening. I know that there will be many B's in Copenhagen so while I wait to begin my Danish adventure, I will continue to study & read about customs & local behaviors to prepare myself. But I can only hope that they will be prepared for ME! After all, I will always be the  kissing-to-greet-you, loud(ish), hand-gesturing-when-I-speak, I'm-in-Miami-B%&$-acting, Cuban-Puerto Rican-American, one & only TERESA. Lord help us all.

PS - Still no word on when this little adventure will begin.

The Surprise Party

Earlier this week, Nuryta's sister moved into our apartment because when I leave, she will move into my room and help with the rent. Nuryta said to me that she thought we should show Gisel "a little bit of Charlotte" & made plans to take her to Dixie's on Saturday night. I took it upon myself to invite Sonja & Lauren (who told me she had dinner plans but might be able to meet up later in the night). Gisel, Nuryta, & I decided to spend Saturday at the mall, where I ultimately treated myself to a mani/pedi since this was a loooonnngggg week. It all seems normal enough, right?


Well, I walk into Dixie's & I see Lauren & think "Yay, Her dinner must've ended early!" Then I see Ketan who to the best of my knowledge DOESN'T KNOW Lauren...And I was confused. Even when I heard people yelling surprise & congrats, I didn't quite catch on that this entire evening was actually a surprise Bon Voyage party for me!


It was a lovely evening surrounded by wonderful people. I feel loved & so happy that in my almost 3 years here in Charlotte, I have come to meet some absolutely amazing people & form friendships that I truly hope will last a lifetime. I didn't know what to expect when I moved here and now, I can't imagine calling any other place home. I'm excited about my adventure to Europe & no one knows what God has planned for me in the future, but right now, when I close my eyes & daydream about my future - the family I hope to have - & the career I hope that I am carving now, it all takes place in this amazing town.


There was a lot of drinking, laughing, dancing, & even a few tears of raw emotion. What a great night! I love and hate everyone who bought me drink after drink but the jokes on you because while everyone was feeling terrible the next day, I drank tons of water & started my morning with some aspirin & gatorade so I am actually not too bad off! MUAHAHAHA!!!

The co-conspirators



What a beautiful (and tasty) cake!



Some of the gentlemen that made an appearance





So When Are You Leaving?

Ah...The hot question of the moment. As soon as anyone sees me or calls me, that's what gets asked. And that's ok... Except I don't have the slightest idea on how to answer. I'm sure that eventually the process will go so fast that my head will spin...But that is not the case now. It's like I am sitting in a sling shot, slowly being pulled back - further away from my bullseye - hopefully being aligned to the target, so that I will eventually be slung forward at those neck breaking speeds. See example below...

In the meantime, I wait. First, I am waiting for the relo agency to be satisfied that the paperwork fulfills all of the Danish Government's requirements in order to file the application. And the Danish Government has ALOT of requirements. They want to know everything about me right down to my favorite pizza toppings and my favorite color.
Once the application is filed, I have to wait 30-35 days for the application to be processed. If not done correctly (which happens more often than one would think), this 30-35 day cycle could repeat.

If you know me, you know how much I love this waiting. ;-)

But hey, each day here is one more day with my precious Dopey, my fab friends, and my car that I can drive to eat all the super greasy foods that only America can offer so well....What? Wait...That last one isn't a good thing?? Hmmm......