No Sleep Till Brooklyn

I can't sleep! It's most likely a combination of jetlag & nerves...But I cannot sleep. Consider it a miracle if I managed to sleep 2 hours total last night. When the alarm went off this morning, the only thing I could hear is the Beastie Boys, in my head, reminding me that there is No Sleep Till Brooklyn. But Brooklyn is a loonngg way from here....That's a very long time to go without sleep.

I'll take any suggestions I can get on how to get some sleep tonight. Today is my 1st day at work & I am afraid that they are going to meet cranky Teresa & she needs to stay hidden until at least the 3rd day.

Oh Mr Sandman, where are thou???

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...