Nope, It's My Coffee

I thought this post should have a visual aid, but nothing seemed appropriate.

This doesn't either.

A list of things that will take some getting-used-to:

* Eating with my fork in the left hand and knife in the right.  Apparently this is the polite way to eat in Denmark.  I was told that if you are actually left-handed, then you must hold your fork in the right hand.  (?)  Is it just me, or does this seem oddly complicated?

* The fact that Danish people do not seem particularly inclined to use window treatments.  Of any kind.  You may have heard me mention our strange encounters at the bakery apartment, what with the opposite home being a mere six feet away from our living room window.  Naked man, girl with heart-shaped antennae headgear, an entire driver's-ed class.  Not to sound too Boo Radleyish, it was like my own personal movie.  And to think that was just one window!  Now, at any given time, I can see straight into the homes of five entire building's worth of people.  I'm not sure if I should close my blinds or buy binoculars. 

* Bathing in the middle of my bathroom as opposed to a shower with actual walls.  As I mentioned in a previous post, Danish showers often only consist of faucet, curtain, and drain.  At any rate, the floors stay really clean from all the soap.

* My living room.  Don't get me wrong, it is incredible.  White walls, wood floors, huge windows with views of the cathedral and fjord (and all my neighbors' living rooms) - I couldn't ask for a better space.  My favorite thing about it, hands-down, is how the cathedral lights up in a soft yellow glow at night.  Looking at it makes me feel like I'm in a movie, you know, Breakfast at Tiffany's or something.  The weird thing is that I've decided I won't decorate until next year.  What with the move, the holiday travel plans, and Christmas expenses, my budget won't allow for it just yet.  Thankfully we have been given several pieces of useful furniture to hold us over, which brings me back to my living room.  It is entirely empty save a small, teal, hand-me-down couch that is sitting smack-dab in the center of the room like it owns the place.  It looks like the waiting room in a dentist's office.  Which makes me laugh every time I see it.

* The landlord informed me that if I painted in color I'd have to re-paint when I left.  Le sigh.  All that to say, our apartment is officially five white rooms.  Which is very Danish of us (as opposed to the house-before-last, which I painted blue, yellow, red, green, beige, and white - not all at once, mind you.  It was something of an experiment).  I'm told I should've moved to Norway where they actually appreciate color.

* Dusk falls early in late fall.  Approximately 4:30 PM.  So there I am, out running a few mid-day errands, only to walk out of the library and discover night has arrived.  I cannot even begin to express how much this confuses my mood.  Suddenly I think I should go home and climb into bed.  I read somewhere that Denmark burns the most candles of any country in the world during the holiday season only.  Now I understand why.

* Whenever I am out and about carrying a coffee-to-go, someone tells me that it is "very American of me."  And to think I thought my inquisitive expression (because yes, I am lost), my limited Danish (all five words of it), and my ever-present camera was actually The Dead Give-Away That I Do Not Belong.  Nope, it's my coffee.

* Isaac just made spaghetti-and-milk soup on the floor.

... And on that note.

Disclaimer: Don't misunderstand this post.  I really love Denmark so far.