Nov 15, 2008

Home Sweet Home

Finally, we have entered into our humble abode for the next three to four months. Upon entering we were eager to see all the fine furnishings of the Danish people, who have created some of the most stylish architecture known to man (Sydney Opera House, Legos, Georg Jensen and Bang & Olufsen). However, this was not the case. We did have a DVD player, but no TV. We did have a large redone kitchen, but nothing to cook or eat with. We did have a beautiful bed to sleep on, if that means two twin beds pushed together with no sheets or blankets. We had bags of clothes sitting for weeks waiting to be hung up and put away, but no closets or shelves that were ready to welcome them. We would have loved to use our stylish brand new bathroom, but we would have had to air dry seeing as how we had no towels. Even if we were comfortable with air drying it would not be feasible because there are no drapes or blinds on any of the windows and we don't think our new neighbors would appreciate the full American experience.

Fortunately, before Elizabeth was about to pull out the infamous fist shake, our GM (whose name still eludes us) phoned us and told us he was dropping off boxes of stuff and a TV. Hallelujah! This was definitely a relief and started the process of turning our place into a home instead of a house. We are still lacking some things but have enough now to make it livable on a daily basis. Also, the GM gave us free reign to buy the rest of what we need at no cost to us (very nice) and is working to get our lines of communication opened up...Internet, phone and cable. Despite some of the initial shock and awe of the emptiness in the place, we are very pleased with how nice our home is becoming. Within the next week, we should have our own Bed and Breakfast ready for those looking to vacation in Denmark. Please post a comment if you would like to set up a reservation.

General Update - Things are going well so far. Elizabeth is getting to know the bakeries quite well, as this is her replacement for Starbucks (she went into mild depression realizing there was no Starbucks in any part of Denmark). She has been spending time with some of the other wives who have been very helpful throughout this transition. I am back to playing games after a two week break. Hockey is good and I am still adjusting to the European style of play. The refs are embarrassing. We had four ten minute misconducts in one period, mine was for shooting the puck back into the net after an empty net goal. We are settling into the ways of the Danish each and every day and look forward to blogging more consistently in the upcoming weeks.

Before you go, some...

Words Of Wisdom for home life in Denmark:
-Refrigerators are small, so eat less
-Give yourself a full day for laundry, 1 load = washer 90 mins + dryer 120 mins
-When flushing the toilet, realize there are two flushers for a reason, number one and number two...you get the picture
-Queen beds are hard to find and King beds do not exist
-When cooking think Celsius unless you want your baked chicken dish really well done

Rob and Elizabeth

2 comments:

Krysta said...

You guys are hilarious. Glad to hear you are settling in. Please let us know if there is anything you need (or miss) from America. I'm not sure I can send a Starbucks Latte international mail though.

rad said...

so funny... we can relate to a lot w/ the bare accommodations, double flushers, infinite laundry cycles, etc. :) hang in there ... people say the first 6 months are the worst. now that we are 6mos in, i agree wholeheartedly, and promise there will be an easier cycle around the corner. we miss you guys!