1. I can go to a bar and break out the coffee grinder in a dance circle without being publicly mocked immediately after.
2. Not only can I do the coffee grinder, but I can moon walk across the dance circle and still remain socially unscathed.
3. The ocean is literally frozen for 20 meters out and yet you still find Danes swimming in the water.
4. Their bread weighs 10 lbs because it actually contains grains, real grains, not refined, processed, synthetically manipulated grains.
5. They invented hot lemonade.
6. I can see a 70 year old man riding his bike down the street while smoking a pipe.
7. I can be blunt and not offend anyone. That's the name of the game here.
8. They show replays of the Olympics in slow motion set to Mozart.
9. You can call the Parliament and chat with the representatives. I can call the head of the biggest party in Denmark and he'll talk with me.
10. There are more people biking than driving, and more people walking than biking.
11. They charge you for plastic bags at stores.
12. Companies have the most incredible benefits. Many companies pay for the cars of their employees (the employees get to pick the car, too), the gas, the insurance, they all have fitness centers inside, they pay for the employees lunches everyday and buy them drinks (wine, beer, shots) a few times a week at the cantinas they have in the office, they have department meetings over a glass of wine and cocktails, they have 6 weeks vacation, days off if their kids get sick, maternity and paternity leave, and the benefits go on and on.
I can't exactly remember my past week beyond the fact that it made it above zero degrees celcius which was probably the greatest moment thus far. My week, in summary, included Danish X-Factor and Wine Parties (yes, I got tricked into watching X-Factor again), Friends marathons and danish candy eating binges, gym mishaps (relatively minor), breaking dancing and falafel, tests, reading, eating, drinking, sleeping. Although I did have an odd moment I realized in retrospect might have been more than I originally thought....
I was running on the treadmill, watching some bad MTV Danish music videos on the screen on my machine (each machine has a TV attached to it). I was on my third mile, quite sweaty and almost done and this guy moves to the treadmill right next to me, turns it on, and starts walking while watching the same MTV channel. He then points to my screen and his screen and then himself, pointing out that we were watching the same thing, a Nik and Jay music video. I'm sitting there a bit bewildered and quite annoyed thinking, 'I'm three minutes from finishing my run, unable to see straight and quite frankly, I don't give a damn that we're watching the same MTV channel'. I smile, blow him off quite blatantly and keep going. Later, upon reflection, I realize that he was pointing out that he was the one in the music video. Nik and Jay are the biggest Danish hip-hop stars and he was Jay. After talking with the owner of the gym (who has befriended me, I think for pure entertainment due to my multitude of mishaps), my suspicions were confirmed.
(this is them) If the situation were the repeat itself, I would do the same thing ( I think you can understand why as the photo speaks for itself).
So I am off to pack for London and then Amsterdam for the next week. I'll be touring Magnum Photo, many museums, Stonehedge, Bath, tea houses, the London Eye, Billy Elliot, the Red Light District and enjoying myself thoroughly. Look for more adventures soon!
Hej Hej!
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