Things I Don't Understand

There are many many many things I don't understand...but I am going to narrow it down to a short list...For today.


1. McDonald's.
I have to admit, that I have not been to a Mickey D's yet but I have been watching these commercials for one of their new burgers, and it's really comical. My fave part is that this commercial is for the "Chicago Star" Burger. (Mind you, in the commercial the actress is imitating Yoda from Star Wars so that alone had me wondering what the relevance to Chicago was).
According to the website, this burger has Chicken, Salsa, & Bacon (I think there is Sour Cream too but the web doesn't specify).


Now, Don't get me wrong, I don't expect all Danes to know everything about Americans, American culture, or local/regional foods...So if this were a Danish company, I would not fault them for marketing this burger as a "Chicago Star". But this is MC DONALD'S. Someone in the Denmark marketing team should be calling someone in the American offices & doing a little fact checking before putting this stuff out there. In this day & age, your American colleague should be just a phone call, email, or IM away...Seriously Mr. Ronald Mc Donald...You & your Hamburglar disappoint me so.


2. Noma
What is Noma you ask? Why it is THE BEST RESTAURANT IN THE WORLD. And I don't mean that in an "I really enjoy going there kind of way". It's literally voted the best restaurant in the world.
http://www.theworlds50best.com/
And this place is in Copenhagen!
How is this possible? In a country that is not known for its cuisine OR its customer service...But here it is. The WORLD'S best restaurant. I'd love to test this theory & try to answer the question as to why it's so good. However, the restaurant is always booked solid & will cost me more than my little wallet can handle. According to the website, they will start taking reservations for AUGUST after May 2nd. And from what I hear, the August reservations will be booked up within 10-20 minutes. How is anything that good? You know who wants to find out? THIS girl right here.


There should be no doubt in your mind that my 2 items of concern would be food related. Speaking of, I wonder what I am having for lunch...Hmm....

This is My Life

(Listening to Tracy Chapman - Cold Feet)

I don't hate it here. I really don't. But I am still not sleeping well at night...And I am constantly wondering if I can make it through a year here. This isn't a vacation...This is now my life. My dog isn't next to me. My friends aren't making plans with me for the weekend. My car is not waiting for me outside to take me wherever I want to go. It's just me. I'm not lonely yet & I have to admit that I am extremely grateful to be surrounded by people that I know & are willing to help me adjust as much as possible. I now have a Danish bank account, went to immigration, purchased a bus pass, & have completed 1 full day of work. I'm not writing this to be down on myself or pessimistic. Just letting the reality of the situation sink in. It's up to me to love it or hate it here but regardless, THIS is what it is. I'm here. Not there. And you're there. And not here. 
Wish you were here...

First Day Observations

As I wrote earlier, it was a long day & there is so much more to explore...But here's a little snapshot of my new home.

My Very First Grocery Purchase

I don't remember the exact amount, but it translated to about 30 US Dollars!

This lightpost is near my hotel.

Yea, I REALLY need to learn to ride one of these. Fashion Concern #1: The women wear long shirts w/ tights (no pants underneath) & ride their bicycles. Um...That's ALOT of cuca on display!

It looks scary but look again...He loves tetherball? Now that's hardcore.

On the canal tour

If you look at the steeple closely, you will see that it's intertwined dragon tails.

Prob my fave pic so far.

At the entrance to Christiania, the hippie commune.

Apparently, we stumbled into some sort of communist rally? None of us had the guts to ask though.

Greetings from København

The photographic portion of this blog will have to wait until I have a little more time & energy but have no fear folks...It's only day 1 & I have more pics than you can possibly imagine! ;-)

So I made it to Copenhagen! I spent almost 8 hours on a plane TRYING to get some sleep (total fail) & avoiding questions from the very nice chemist sitting next to me who was very interested in knowing all about my education. On the bright side. I watched Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows. Nevermind. That's not a brightside.

I arrived into Munich, where I spent all of 30 seconds in customs. Wearing a company hat was a great tip - def sped up the process when the agent realized who I worked for. That's right, sucka!! I felt important!

Tried to sleep at the Munich airport & then again on the plane ride to CPH. After an EXTREMELY foggy landing, I managed to get my bags & head to my temporary home without incident (And YES CPD met me @ the airport. Thank God for that!).

This is where it starts to get crazy. IT WAS HOT TODAY! I was sweating through my scarf & jacket. Ok, maybe it wasn't hot by Miami or even Charlotte standards but it most def was not cold enough to merit the winter clothes. Unfortunately, I did not know that this could be an option so I didn't have any clothes for this type of weather. Me?? Unprepared??? Shock waves rippled throughout the country. I promise. They did.

Right after check in, I headed over to the Netto (local grocery store) & purchased some items (more on that during the photo journey), dropped them off @ the hotel, & started walking. We walked to the office from the hotel, over to the canals where we took a canal tour, & met up w/ another friend/colleague. We then walked up some streets that I have no idea where I was at where we ran into another American Expat Colleague we knew who convinced us to head to an Irish pub for a cricket match. From there, we walked to Nyhavn (very popular place - look it up) & then walked to a restaurant where we met up w/ another colleague (from my project) for dinner. Needless to say, I AM POOPED!!!

Longest. Day. Ever.

PS - Yes, I miss you. I miss you alot. But if we're going on first impressions alone...IFFF I can get used to the walking, then I think I am gonna like this place.

The Time Has Come

The movers took all my things last week. I have to admit that I enjoyed sitting around playing Angry Birds (see previous post) while the movers packed for me. I never want to pack myself again.

It's hard to put into words how I feel...Which is weird for me since I always have words for how I feel. I'm surprisingly calm. I'm so calm, I'm even scaring myself. But I know that just below the surface, there is a volcano of emotions just waiting to errupt. My shaking hands give it away. But I don't want to let the release out yet. I don't want to be wailing on the plane crying harder than the baby going on his/her first flight. That just would not be cool or cute. Instead, I am trying to remind myself of WHY I wanted this opportunity so badly.

Let the Adventure Begin.

What I Look Forward To...

All the sadness of the last list needs to be replaced with a happy list!

1. Europe!
• How cool is it that I will be able to say that I lived in Europe? Oh Oh! I want to come back with a Madonna-Fake-British-I'm-Too-Cool-To-Speak-Regular-English accent! That would be "so lovely, dahling". Ok, I'll work on that. 
2. Traveling
• Where were you this weekend? Oh, I was just on a quick trip to Budapest. How was YOUR weekend? 
3. The JOB! 
• This may sound silly but I am REALLY eXcited to be a part of this project! 
4. Walking Everywhere
• What better way to get in shape than ditching the car & just using my 2 legs as the new & improved mode of transport?? 
5. Hating the Food! 
• Again I say, what better way to get in shape than living in a place where you can't stand the food?! God help me if I like pickled herring though. I will never lose any weight if I actually start enjoying the food. 
6. Experiencing a new culture
• I can adapt. I can enjoy change. I can...Can't I? 
7. No Shopping! 
• If I can control myself, I might actually pay off my enemies Visa, American Express, & Mastercard. Ohhh...The Freedom..... 
8. Meeting New People
• I know that there is a secret pool going on as to whether I am going to meet a Dane, Norweigan, Swedish, Italian, Australian, WHATEVER Man who will sweep me off my feet & keep me from coming back....But I am just excited to meet new people in general. A whole new group of friends to sit & chat with & listen to & laugh with....And just maybe a Japanese, Thai, South African, Columbian, WHATEVER Man here & there. Maybe. Possibly. Ya think?? 
9. Save the Drama Fo' Yo Momma
• I'll keep that one to myself. But let's just say, there's something to be said about moving thousands of miles away & starting over. 
10. COMING BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• A fresh perspective. A year away. A chance for you to miss me. J Whatever this year brings, it's only a year & there's nothing better than looking forward to my return & saying that this time away was a super fantastic opportunity & a wonderful chapter in my life. Bucket List - Check. But there's more items on that list that need to be conquered & I am 100% on it as soon as I come back. :) 

I'm Going to Miss....

1. Dopey.
• I may cry if I discuss.
2. Family
• They're like a little bag of nuts but sometimes you feel like a nut. And ok, sometimes you don't. But the option is there. Take the option away, and suddenly you find yourself wanting nuts all the time.
3. Friends
• You know who you are. You know why I love you. And you should know what you mean to me by now. If I call you my friend, you are irreplaceable to me.
4. Charlotte
• And by that I mean, the Queen City, not some random chick with a web.  This city has been good to me. It's Fun. It's full of weather changes (Don't judge...I'm from Miami where my options were hot, hotter, & hot w/ rain.). There are interesting things that I have never heard of, mostly alcohol related. ;-) Thank you for teaching me about Flipping Cups, Crawling to Bars, & the ever so fabulous game of Cornhole. That is going with me wherever I go.
5. Food
• BBQ, Arroz con Pollo, Media Noche, & Fried everything....And pickled Herring?? I think not. Somehow I just don't think that the pickled herring will be making it to my list of faves anytime soon. I haven't even had it yet & it already sounds gross.  
6. My Car
• For someone who names her cars, not having one as the preferred mode of transport will be a very tough thing. Goodbye Billy Earl Calhoun - I know you'll be waiting for me when I return.
7. My coworkers
• I love love LOVE my work peeps. Who else can get into a 20 minute conversation with me about "What kind of Dog Breed" we are? Who else will be as loud as my boss? Who else will joke about how slow I walk? (Somehow I think that there will be a new list of people who will pick up on that one, though). 
8. My Extensive Flip Flop Collection
• Sigh.
9. Shopping.
• I'm sure you've heard me say this before...It's EXPENSIVE in Denmark! And I won't have my friends American Express, Visa, & Mastercard to help me pay visits to my even better friends Macy's, Old Navy, & Aveda (Ohhhhhh Moment of Wellness....How I will miss you soooo).
10. Last but not least...
• My apartment & everything that comes with it. Goodbye Washer & Dryer...Goodbye DVR (ok, Now I am really choked up)...Goodbye Wii.....And Goodbye to the bestest roomie/friend/sister/soul sistah/partner in crime everrrrrrr.....Oh no...Stop me before I cry! This mascara isn't waterproof!

April Fool?

Hot off the presses: the Visa has been approved & my manager is requesting for me to report to work in Copenhagen on Monday April 4 so it looks like I am leaving Charlotte on April 1. 

How do you say "Peace Out" in Danish???
Now, please excuse me while I go and have a little panic attack as reality sets in...

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.

It's Official!

Dopey is snoring & dreaming of a time when he would chase tennis balls for at least 2 whole minutes before being tired...& I am next to him, thinking about my 'news'. I'm supposed to be super excited, and I think I am. Hell, I am even blogging right now, which is not something that I thought about doing....But, I think, I mean, I hope, that there's at least 1 or 2 people that want to "follow" me along as I embark on this new adventure.

Earlier today I told my boss that I accepted a 1 year position on a project in København, Danmark!  Telling my boss was harder than telling my mom! I've had the best managers & directors for the past 2 1/2 years that I have ever had....Even thinking of leaving my incredible little department makes me feel guilty. (Insert Celine Dion singing "Because you loved me") But alas, I think it's time for this little bird to spread her wings & fly.

Next up, telling my family. Hmm...I have a feeling that there will be more on that later. The more it sinks in, the more reaction there shall be.  I've been preparing them for this for a couple of weeks but it's real now. It hasn't sunk in for me....Much less for them! Love love love my family...Just gotta keep telling myself that.


And now, we're here. This is where it gets REALLY exciting for me. I get to tell my absolutely fantastic friends about my plans- ok ok...I know. Most of you kinda sorta know...But now, it's official! Start planning your vacay's people because in just a couple of months, I will have an invite to a shoebox of an apartment with YOUR name on it! Well, not literally an invite, but consider this your invite. You+Me+Europe =World Class Good Times! Who's in?!?!