Lykkelig nytar!
As I near the halfway mark of my exchange, it feels as though I have only been living in Denmark for a short time, and yet I feel like I have been away from Canada for a long time… .
The Sunday before Christmas, I went on a day trip to Sweden with one of my exchange friends from Mexico and two others. We left early in the morning driving about 25 minutes to the ferry. It was exciting to stand on the shoreline of Denmark, look across the water, and see Sweden.
After a 15-minute ferry ride, we were already in another country. I felt so overwhelmed and excited that this exchange had given me yet another amazing experience to add to a growing list. On the ferry, I found a giant pack of Mentos candies and giant lollipops! I have taken up collecting mint tins from all the places I have been, so while on board the ferry, I collected a mint tin, a flag, and a mini coffee cup.
When I arrived at the ski mountain, I gave a little giggle, considering it looked like a small hill (Lundbum’s sled hill) compared to the mountains back home. I taught two of my friends how to ski and within just a few hours, they were able to weave their way through some cones down the hill.
Christmas passed quickly in Denmark while I enjoyed the new traditions. As the clock struck 6 p.m., the house was full of action.
Candles were lit, family members arrived, and the smell of home-cooked dishes, both Austrian and Danish, filled the joyous house. After eating, we danced and sang songs around the Christmas tree and then continued to open all of our Christmas presents until 1 a.m.
The day after Christmas, we had jule frokost, where my host family took me to their family’s house. We ate all day long and visited with each other.
I spent the day packing and cleaning my room, then left for Austria for a week.
At the moment, I am sitting in an Austrian kitchen, drinking tea and eating some chocolate. My host family has a second home here so this is where we spent New Year’s Eve. The food is full of flavour and it is so nice to see mountains in the distance. There are many old buildings and churches. Everything is so full of history.
I went to Vienna twice, and sat in between the museums where Beethoven and Mozart played their concerts.
For New Year’s Eve I went to a small party with my host sisters. We played games and listened to music until about 11:30 p.m., then we walked to a hospital because the host’s sister was in the hospital after having her appendix taken out.
We kidnapped her sister from her hospital room with a wheelchair and shared some orange juice with her on the balcony as we counted down the clock and watched all the fireworks. There were so many fireworks all over the place. It was so magical.
Lately, I have enjoyed reading some good books with a cup of warm tea.
This has given me time to pause and reflect on the previous year and my hopes for 2013.
There is a word in Danish, “Hyggeligt” time. The translation to English means “cozy,” but this is not the meaning. Hyggeligt time, or to be hygge, is a time of the day for Danes. Family or friends gather every day to make tea or coffee, and eat cakes with one another. It is a time of day where you reflect on one another and relax. I think that is what I will miss the most when I come home. The quiet understanding and patience here is overwhelming. I think it would be nice if everyone took that time, once a day, to reflect on their loved ones or even on themselves. What a difference it would make in this world if we all got together for Hyggeligt time.
As the New Year dawns, I give my readers a little food for thought. Try spending just an hour with someone who you care about (or with yourself), not doing anything specific. Just focus on each other. Turn off your cellphone, TV, stereo, and computer, and just have a cup of tea.
Knus fra
Emily
