A Letter to Myself

Dear Current Blues,

Rona- I miss you so much right now. And knowing you are returning to Europe and I’m stuck here in America breaks my heart.

Hanna- I miss hearing your Finnish accent and all your amazing stories. You inspire me to do crazy things.  Love you so much!

Anne-Lise, Mischa, Csenge, Princess, Milda, Rebekka,  Linda, Marie-Eve,  and everyone else who made my DK stay unforgettable- you all are amazing and I want to see you soon!

God- I think it’s so amazing how you planned everything and how you know absolutely everything. Even when life doesn't seem to be going well I can trust in you completely. My prayer right now is that you increase my faith where it’s lacking.

My Family- I’m so thankful for you all. I've been rediscovering how fabulous it is to spend time with everyone and become reacquainted. Megan, it’s so great to see you again!

Emily - by the time tomorrow rolls around you are aren't allowed to feel blue anymore.

Yours Truly,

Xoxo,

Em

Budapest, Coffee, and Wine

I had my first real European adventure this last weekend. Around the end of December I decided it was time to start touring the European countries around me- I really didn't have a preference as to where I was going to go, I just had to be able to afford it. Fast forward two weeks- Budapest, Hungary. Absolutely beautiful city. There's an energy to it that I really like and I have a feeling that it has something to do with the many coffee shops everywhere. You see, the coffee culture hasn't hit Denmark yet. I'll give them 10 years. 


Honestly- I love being in Denmark but I don't quite understand how a coffee addict like myself ended up in a country with no Starbucks. The only Starbucks that exists in my area is in the Copenhagen airport.  How much do you want to bet that I had a ''real'' coffee before my flight? 


If you ever have a chance to see Budapest, I'd definitely recommend it. Here's a couple pics of me in Budapest that my photographer friend took. 

To get back home I had to take almost every form of transportation available besides a boat. 3 metro trains, 2 buses, one plane, and 2 trains. Sunday was a long day. :D


My home state is Washington and I just want to give a shout out to our wine there. Apparently it MUST be good because they served it at Obama's big State dinner where none other then Jackie Chan attended! And of course, the Chinese President Hu Jintao... And from the Washington Examiner:

"Obama repeatedly stressed that he is seeking "a level playing field" for U.S. companies doing business with China. The White House has been pressuring China on economic issues that include monetary policy and trade imbalance."

That's all very well to want a level playing field but in my opinion, when you owe someone a large sum of money you pretty much lose your chance at a level playing field. Just saying. It is a nice picture to dream about. However, I don't think the Chinese politicians like Americans too much. I seem to recall Sha Zukang saying just that at one point. I think he had too much to drink before he said that though- but I can't quite remember. 


But all of that really won't matter by December 2012 seeing as we will all be dead.. Or at least George Lucas thinks we'll be dead. At least we have until 2012- Dr. Kermit Gosnell made it so quite a few wouldn't ever even have the chance of dying on 2012.  From philidelphia.cbslocal.com we have:

“I am aware that abortion is a hot-button topic,” said District Attorney Seth Williams. “But as district attorney, my job is to carry out the law. A doctor who knowingly and systematically mistreats female patients, to the point that one of them dies in his so-called care, commits murder under the law. A doctor who cuts into the necks severing the spinal cords of living, breathing babies, who would survive with proper medical attention, is committing murder under the law.”

I really don't care what your opinion on abortion is... the whole thing is really awful and I hope he gets the full extent of whatever they can give him when it comes to the law. 

Hot Chocoolate

          Stop.Listen has now entered the 21^st century!! This is good news! If you have facebook it is completely free to take a couple seconds and click “Like.” So please share the love! Thanks!

It’s still been snowing and snowing here lately and since I have not had to go anywhere, I love it! I've included a pic of the latest dumping. Right now it looks absolutely beautiful outside because the sun finally came up.

One of my favorite winter traditions back at home is hot cocoa. I have memories of sledding and playing outside for a couple hours and then coming inside for a cup of cocoa with marshmallows on top- more the better. I’ve tried different kinds of cocoa from the store but nothing beats my mom’s recipe. It’s easy to make and you can cut down or double the size depending on how many people you are entertaining. It's delicious!

Quick and Easy Hot Chocolate

4 c powdered milk
¼ c +1 T cocoa powder
1 ¼ c cane juice crystals
pinch of salt
10 cups water
2 cups milk, half n half, or cream

In a large stock pot combine everything except the milk. Stir with a wire whisk and heat on medium until all is very hot and dissolved being careful not to boil. Remove from heat and add the milk. Serve in mugs with a few mini-marshmallows on the side.

 

Christmas in Denmark    

In the United States usually the gift and stocking tradition is based on Santa coming down your chimney and bringing you your gifts, ho ho ho. It’s different in Denmark though. Starting the 1^st of December the Christmas stockings are put up and every morning the kids awake to see what “the Elves” have brought them. Kinda cute.

My previous TSA post was only talking about airports and such. It sounds like Big Sis wants scanners and TSA checkpoints at bus stations and other various public places. I think we have a bit of a problem... how is treating US citizens like criminals really helping? Obama did promise more jobs and such, so maybe this is his way of helping that one out.

And that's Emily reporting to you from Denmark

Denmark

    So it’s time I shared more about Denmark. December is crazy busy for the typical family because this is the Jule season! So it’s now time I started talking about Denmark’s uniqueness!

First, let’s go over the pate. During my first weekend in Denmark I asked what the dish was and everyone told me pate. It’s sometimes sold in a pan that looks bit like meatloaf, but a lot smaller. One usually puts it cold on toast- I did that a few times over the week. The taste wasn’t too bad yet I couldn’t quite place it. The actual Danish name of the dish is liverpostej, which is pronounced something like Loobastah. I never saw the spelling, just heard it spoken. At one point, I finally had a chance to ask my host mom what it was. Come to find out it is a pig liver dish. Next time it was served I tried it again but somehow I wasn’t able to eat it… I’ve never liked liver and now that I know what pate is, I will be eating a lot less of it. 

    One of my favorite songs by The Killers is Spaceman. As I was listening to their album this afternoon, I started paying attention to the lyrics. At one point the song goes like:

The song maker says, "It ain't so bad"
The dream maker's gonna make you mad

The spaceman says, "Everybody look down"
It's all in your head

Sometimes it makes no difference what is going in your life, often how you feel has everything to do with perspective. Adjusting to some of the Danish culture has been a bit challenging and having one of my favorite Holidays spent away from my family, while hearing about all the fun they had was difficult. As I was sitting there amongst strangers I felt a bit lost. But in a way, that was my choice. I think it’s easier to feel sorry for oneself than to step outside one’s comfort zone. We really are victims of our own perspective. 

Rice Pudding

 Is delicious! The pudding itself is not that sweet but it’s served with a cherry sauce on top- which is delicious. It’s usually a Jule Tradition to place a whole almond into the dish and stir it around. Then, the person who finds the whole almond in his/her bowl gets a present that is normally at the table. I participated in that last weekend and it was fun. I’ll share the recipe next post. It’s yummy! Usually it's made for the evening before Christmas. Interestingly enough, Christmas is celebrated on the 24th of December instead of the 25. 

And that’s Emily writing to you from Denmark. 

Gas is around $8 USD per gallon. Ouch.

One last note- it's been freeezing cold here these last few days and we have quite a bit of snow to show for it. Will be interesting to find out how much we do get before it stops!

Giving Thanks

     This last week has been spent adjusting to my new life in Denmark. In the spirit of Thanksgiving wich has passed- I am going to share a few things I am thankful for this Holiday Season. 

• My Mother

This Thanksgiving I had the pleasure of showing what Thanksgiving is like in the United States. I made the whole traditional meal from start to finish for 15 people in all. I now believe in myself. I will never do that again though- next time  Thanksgiving rolls around I'm going to go out and buy a pie and maybe a bottle of wine. Cheers!

I have no idea how people, in the past, prepared Thanksgiving dinner without Mother's or Google. I would have died. I was on skype regularly asking my mom about how to cook a turkey and all the little details like timing... So thank you Mother!!!

As for Google - I had to be converting recipes from cups to grams and MLs... and Farenheit to Celcius. Stressful? Slightly. Just glad I know how to cook!

And let's talk about Pumpkin. It has not come to Denmark yet.... and so 6 hours later and about 10 stores we managed to find 3 little decorating like pumpkins. I now appreciate pumpkin sold in a can.

•  My new family

I am in Denmark working as an au pair... and before I began my trip I wasn't sure what to expect with the people I would be staying with. They are all fantastic though. I feel comfortable and right at home, so that is nice! The kids are lovely and even though they don't speak much English, I am starting to learn danish words! I have a terrible memory so learning day to day danish words and practicing daily makes it easier to recall later.

• The freedom we have in America

I love my country. - Growing up in the US you don't always truly appreciate what you have because it's just normal! But it truly is uniqe! And other countries are not like the US. It is sad that we want to become more like other countries and lose what was fought so hard for... The US is kinda like the Ugly Duckling, right? One day we will wake up and realize the Swan that's been in front of us the whole time.

I could go on and on because once I start counting the things I'm thankful for, I find there is always more. And more.

So Happy Thanksgiving a day late- but remember, it's never to late to give thanks. :)

I have been to one hospital in Denmark and the thing I found the most interesting was the footware worn by the Dr's and Nurses. I'm a girl and I love shoes so it's not totally weird to pick that one out! They were sandals and crocs. With socks. Haven't seen that in the US! Sandals and socks are a fashion faux pas! Would you not agree??

Last - bathroom light switches are on the outside of the bathroom door.

And that's Emily reporting to you live from Denmark

in transit

I thoroughly enjoyed reading all the responses to my last post! They were insightful- so thanks for sharing your opinions! I'll get back to them as soon as I can!!

I'm in the process of moving to Europe, so the next time I post I'll be reporting to you live from Denmark! Packing and preparation have left me quite busy! Let's just say sleep sounds wonderful and people should not be allowed to leave packing to the last minute! Staying up late and leaving early in the morning is a lot of fun.

I also haven't been reading blogs lately but I am sure that will change when life settles a bit.

Stay warm and safe!