The Barbers Move to Denmark

Welcome to the second installment of the "Differences Between the U.S. and Denmark" series in this blog. We've been keeping track of these using an ongoing list I keep on my phone. Everything is Digital Denmark is digitized - almost to a fault. There are a bunch of virtual systems working together to make daily operations simple and paperless. The (first page of) apps I had to download when I got here. All official emails from the government come to a single, private email inbox using an app on your phone. You do not get duplicate copies of these sent to you via post, so if you don't get your e-Boks set up to receive them, you might miss something critical. Utility companies also send your bills electronically. The'll mail you paper bills/statements if you request for them to do so, but there is a process for the  and  you have to pay a fee to use the paper-based service. Travel cards are physical but you manage them either through the online service portal...

We've survived another week in our new country! Friday I went to work and had morgenbrød with my department - it's something they do every Friday. Someone brings delicious bread, pålægschokolade , pastries, juice, etc. and we eat together and chat. It was a nice start to the day. I've been working mostly on finishing up work tasks from Post Falls, so I did that until lunch and then I had to leave early and go to Copenhagen. Did I mention last week how I got locked out of my MitID (my digital signature app that is critical for EVERYTHING I need to do)? I switched from my U.S. to my Danish phone, and when I did that, I got locked out. To get it fixed, I had to go to the Citizen Center in Copenhagen during business hours. Anyway, I took the bus/train and hung out there for an hour waiting to get the MitID unlocked, but it went fine and I'm back in business. I decided since I was in Copenhagen and relatively close to a Danske Bank that I should go in and exchange the cash ...

I had the honor of having the first birthday of anyone in our family since we moved to Denmark! I didn't really know what to expect, and of course we don't know many places or customs yet, so we hadn't planned much ahead of time.  It did fall on a Saturday though, so we didn't want to squander it. On Friday, the last work day before my birthday, my colleagues decorated my office in Danish flags (sadly, the flags taped to the door and walls fell down before I came in to work). Apparently, this is customary for all birthdays: My colleagues decorated everywhere with Danish flags for my birthday. On Saturday, Zac made me coffee and I sat in bed drinking it and chatting with Matt and Vanessa for a bit. I decided I wanted to go to Sticks n Sushi in Rungsted for dinner for a couple of reasons: 1) Kaden and Khloe have wanted to go get sushi since we got here - Kaden apparently ate a California roll at some point in the U.S. and can't stop talking about it, and Khloe has nev...

Monday the 14th was my first day at ALK in Hørsholm!! I took the bus to work - it's only two stops north of our house. I haven't shown how totally easy it is to get to a bus from our front door, but here: Walk past the basketball hoop onto that little trail, and the light spot at the end is the bus stop. When I got off the bus, I just had to walk across a street. There's a separate footpath back to the buildings and it's all forested on the sides. There are ferns and little ponds and tons of trees. It's the most peaceful walk up to work you could ask for. The walking path from the bus stop to ALK. I went to the reception desk in the main building and got my temporary key card and access PIN for the other buildings. They took my photo for my permanent badge and then my manager, Helle, met me and took me to our building. ALK headquarters! I share an office with Thomas, a guy I've worked with on projects for about 10 years. Our desks face each other along a huge ...

Oh man. It's going to be harder to keep up on this thing now that we're ramping up school and work! I'll do my best. :D Friday Friday, I was still pretty sick (but I was also in denial that it was going to get me down). There had been some severe windstorms, and since they were pretty much past, Zac made up some of his window cleaner and shined up a bunch of the windows. He also spent a ton of time cleaning up all the downed branches and leaves outside. We keep the windows open a lot because the air is just so incredible. However, window screens are really not a thing in Denmark, so when we open windows, Marabel leaps out. We were a little worried because A) we just moved here, and B) she's old - she doesn't need to be leaping 8 feet out a window. So far, she's been happy, purring, and has always returned same-day through a different open window. I guess she's fine. I also figured out how to get Danish phone numbers for the kids, so I thought I'd set up ...