A Day Full of Christmas!

So, last Sunday, Susanne (from work - love her!) went Christmas shopping with me. She had offered to help me a few days before, and I took her up on it. I totally knew what I wanted, but it is so much harder to figure out where to get the stuff I needed when the store names, street names, etc, etc are all in another language. She was so helpful!

We went to Storcenter Nord (kind of like a mall...kind of) and were there for a few hours. I actually got a big chunk done, but still have to hit the city center to finish up before I come home. Anyway, we met early, around 10am. We went shopping for a few hours, then sat in a Bistro and had lunch. She had asked me a few days earlier to join her and her boyfriend at her parents house in Odder (pronounced Other) for gløgg and æbleskiver. Gløgg is a variation of wine (typically red) mixed with some spices and is servied warm. AMAZING! æbleskiver is a sort of doughnut/funnel cake thing. Aeble means apple, and skiver means slice...but the way the dessert is served these days, it has nothing to do with apple slices. You dip them in jam and powdered sugar. They are a Christmas tradition for the Danes, and one that I love!

At any rate, Kasper, Susanne's boyfriend, picked us up from shopping and we headed the 30-40km to Odder (probably 25 minutes away). It is definitely a smaller town, and very Danish looking. The houses are so cute and quaint. I was kind of nervous to be going to Susanne's parents house...I considered it almost an honor to have been invited (Danes are friendly people, especially when you get to know them; but they don't typically open up their homes to many people). It was only Susanne and Kasper, her parents, and her nanny from childhood (Susanne also) and her husband Finn. So it was definitely a small group!

We got there, had a glass of champagne and sat in the living room and talked. Then the gløgg and æbleskiver was ready. We had white wine gløgg, which was a first for all of us. Not sure which I liked the best, but they are both tasty. We sat around the dining room table. Susanne's parents are so cute and nice. Her dad was a journalist, and very smart and inquisitive. He kept asking me questions about Missouri, about what the name meant, etc. He had looked at an almanac before I came so he knew where I lived! His English was pretty strong. Her mom's was not as strong, but she tried so hard and was a definite sweetheart. Susanne is amazing, and always remembers to translate for me or explain things to me...basically to just include me.

After gløgg and æbleskiver, Susanne had asked me earlier if I wanted to go for a walk around Odder. It is a small town, but there were some cute things she wanted to show me. EVERYONE ended up going with us...it was like out of a movie...a 'family' walking around the small town, enjoying the Christmas decorations, the cold air, and looking in shop windows. Sooo cute! I loved it. I told her that was definitely not something we did in America in big groups too often. Odder is a really cute town with a stream that runs through it, old Danish buildings, a museum, a stroget (pedestrian street), etc. Just like a movie. Susanne's dad would be ahead of me and would wait for me to catch up to him, and would point at something and explain what it meant in English. He is very proud, and likes to share his knowledge and his passion.

After the walk, we went back to the house and had homemade soup that was delicious! It was full of vegetables (they are all vegetarians, I believe), but I loved it! It was a perfect topper to the walk.

We then went and hung out in the living room. Susanne had bought this crafty thing when we were shopping. We basically made these traditional Danish heart/Christmas ornaments out of paper. It was fun actually, even though I am not so crafty. Everyone ended up participating and laughing! They of course served tea and coffee, along with nuts and cookies. They turned on some Christmas music, and just laughed and enjoyed each others company. They all tried to consciously speak English so I could be a part of the conversation and understand what was going on.

We ended up leaving around 7pm. In the car, Susanne asked if I wanted to go to her and Kasper's house to watch handball. I love sports obviously, and knew handball was a big deal in Denmark, and had never seen a game and didn't know anything about it. So I thought it would be fun to watch the game with them and learn.

Their house is on the way back to Aarhus, but still like 20 minutes outside...kind of in a rural area. It is new, very modern and very cool. And (kind of a joke, but something Susanne and I had talked about before)....they had a refrigerator that made ICE!!! This is a big deal - it is so hard to get really cold drinks here. I miss ice.

It was a great night. All three of us were laid out on the couch, with a hygge atmosphere (no lights, all candles). They explained the game to me, which was interesting. I looked through a photo book they had made from their trip last summer to the West Coast in the US (they have been to MANY places I have never even seen before!). They drove me home after the game was over.

We joked on the way home that we had spent 12 hours together. It was a lllooonnngg day, but a great one. I learn so much when I am with her, not only about the Danes and the Danish culture, but about how to be a better person. She is a trained life coach, and is just always positive and upbeat....someone who exudes that aire about them. You just want to be around her! And the portion of the day spent with her family was amazing. It felt like I was with my own family back home, preparing for and celebrating the holidays. I am so lucky that they all invited me into their home for the day :)

Enough mushy stuff, right??!!?! But that is how it is here sometimes....I have come to realize that I am such a strong, independent person and I don't like to ask for help or like to depend on others. But I have to here. I couldn't survive without a Danes help. It has been hard, but I do ask for help when necessary...and I am very lucky that Susanne (and the job!) has come into my life. I knew the first day I met her when she was counseling me (on the issues international students have getting a job in the Danish job market) that we connected. She is a very special, and amazing woman. She will definitely be a friend in my life forever, no matter where in the world I decide to live.