Liz's European Adventures: Summer in the US...and then...decisions

In the midst of writing my thesis, I decided to take a 6 week trip back home - I figured it was the last time in my life I would have that much time off consecutively, and I wanted to take advantage of it. It had been about 7 months since I had been home last, so I was definitely very excited.

I also wanted to take the opportunity to pay back some of my Danish friends for everything they had done for me. They have always been very proud of their culture, very loving, and opening their hearts and homes to me to make me feel welcome and to allow me the opportunity to experience their culture from the inside. I gave an open invitation to a group of friends - and 4 of them (and 5 at the last stop), ended up taking me up on the invitation. Their experience with the US varied, from never having been, to having been multiple times. But the trip they joined me on brought them to some places they probably would never have dreamt of going to.

Lonnie came over with me first, and together, we saw NYC for 3 days, and stayed with my mom's cousin. We then moved on to St. Louis for a week, to give me the chance to spend some quality time with my close friends, and to allow Lonnie the opportunity to see the Dixie Chicks in concert at Busch Stadium - she loved them so much, and it was hilarious, because she started crying! We then moved to Phoenix to visit with my dad for 6 days, then on to Vegas for the 4th. We were then met by the remaining Danish crew: Mathias, Kanne and Søren. Vegas was a great start to everyone's vacation, rolling out of bed and the morning and laying poolside for the day. After a week, we moved on to LA for 3 days to see some friends and family. After LA was Dallas to see my brother Tim and his fiance Jessica, as well as some of my friends. Then we rented a car, and road-tripped it the rest of the way. We drove to St. Louis to celebrate Kevin's 30th birthday; we then drove to Nebraska for 5 days to spend time with my mom and family, then we drove to Vail to be in Granny's condo, which I had not been in for many years - I could not remember what it was like! All in all, it was a wonderful, long trip for me, where I was able to make the rounds and see most everyone - sadly, I could not hit Chicago, however, to see my very pregnant friend!

Before the trip, I had almost completed my thesis. I still had a few pages to write, along with some editing, but I was not too worried about it. Actually, it was the least of my concerns. I was more focused on living my life and enjoying it. But in the back of my mind, I had worries and doubts. I was running out of income, and had no money in sight. While I had been applying for jobs since May, both in Denmark and the US, and had some pretty strong success in terms of interviews, I still did not know where I was going to be, or what I was going to do when I turned in my thesis on August 1, and defended it on September 1. When I left for the US, I had already had 2 interviews with a company called Bestseller for a Buying Planner position. I had not been offered the job yet, but knew there would be one more interview, if I were to make it that far.

When I left the US for Denmark again, I felt in the bottom of my stomach that I was going to have to move home, unemployed. And admittedly, that was a bitter pill for me to swallow. I can't help but think that I would feel like a failure if I did that - I had gone on this amazing journey and lived in Europe for 2 years. I had gotten a Master's degree. And to move back, unemployed, having to live with a family member for free, and possibly waitressing or the like while I interviewed and searched for jobs in a difficult economy saddened me. However, when I arrived back in Denmark, I was called in for another interview for Bestseller, where I was offered the job on the spot. I had some thinking to do that night - I knew it was not a dream job scenario for me, but at the same time, I knew it was a paycheck. And at that moment, I had no other prospects coming in, so I decided to make the mature, financially responsible decision, and stay in Denmark.

But above all, those 6 weeks I spent traveling the US with the Danes, allowing me to show them my world through my eyes, to get an inside peek into our culture, was one of the greatest, most memorable experiences of my life. I felt loved and proud. It was fantastic, and I will gladly jump on the opportunity to do something similar, again and again.

Granny and me

Very wet Danes, after the Tidal Wave at Six Flags. No thank you for me!

My bros!

A beautiful sight. This is home.

Lonnie in Vail on a hike

The gang, with Abby and Anne (the late-joiner, after weeks in Hawaii with her family)

Abby and I - one of my favorite pics; we were so close in childhood and grew apart through early adulthood. This trip this summer brought us back together again, thanks to Abby being fired - thank you Coffee Bean!