It's Been a Week!

It's been exactly one week since we arrived in Denmark and it's certainly been busy.

Friday

When we first arrived, Vibe was there to greet us at the airport, smiling and waving and recording our arrival. She took the dog, the cat, Khloe, and our big luggage to her apartment, and Zac and the boys and I took a taxi there to meet her. Han was glad to be with his people again, and Vibe even let him on the couch, so he was spoiled. 

Han relaxing on Vibe's couch.

The kids stayed at her place with the animals and Vibe's youngest son, Arthur, while Vibe drove Zac and I to meet Lisa and Nicolai, the owners of the home we're renting, and get a run-down of the place. Zac and I were tired and Lisa and Nicolai still needed to pack for their flight to the U.S. in the morning, so after some hugs, pleasantries, a tour, and some Q & A, we left them to say their goodbyes to neighbors and family. Vibe picked up pizza and wraps for dinner and we all ate well.

The animals and the older kids stayed the night at Vibe's, and Zac, Harrison, and I walked a short distance to a self-service hotel to sleep.

Saturday

In the morning, Harrison and I walked back to Vibe's (Zac slept in). She had breakfast waiting - coffee, chocolate milk, apple juice, and an assortment of breads and pastries with butter, jam, and pålægschokolade, little chocolate sheets that you put on your warm, buttered bread for special occasions.

I photographed it before my chocolate thing could soften up, but yummy!

After breakfast, Vibe helped me download some apps I would need to use frequently and showed me how to find and purchase tickets for trains and buses. When Zac arrived, Khloe, Harrison, Zac, Han, Marabel, and I piled into Vibe's car with her, loaded in as much luggage as we could, and drove to the house. Kaden and Arthur rode there on bikes (it's only 2.4 km away).

I tried to snap a photo of them as we drove by.

When we got "home," Harrison and Arthur started playing soccer (there are two opposite goals set up in the backyard already), Khloe started eating the fruit from the bushes (raspberries, blueberries, gooseberries, and currant), and Kaden ran for the trampoline.

Harrison and Arthur playing soccer.

Khloe enjoying a blueberry.

Kaden preparing to attempt his first front-flip.

The rest of the day was kind of a blur. Vibe took me out and about in Birkerød to show me the shops. She took me to the city center, which has a walkable area with grocery stores, home goods, second-hand stuff, bike shops, hairdressers, a veterinarian, bakeries, restaurants, a bookstore, and more. She pointed out dentists and convenience stores and gas stations, parking areas, schools, the library, and bus stops. She showed me where to buy dish soap, toilet paper, and other basic things. She took me to a bigger grocery store (Rema 1000) and showed me the ins and outs of grocery shopping in Denmark. What would I do without her?

We returned to the house to pick up Zac and Vibe's little trailer. We went back to her apartment to get the rest of our luggage plus a secondhand floor rug, table, and chairs she got for us to use temporarily until our things arrive. We hauled them all into the new house. Vibe went home and our family feasted on a variety of things: leftover pizza, some meats, cheeses, and crackers that I had purchased at the store, and some ramen Vibe packed for us.

My lazy Danish dinner.

I took over 430 pictures of the house because my relocation consultant insisted that I do that as part of the standard practice of taking on a new rental - I probably still don't have enough to capture every little thing, but I tried. Then, we put Han on the leash and decided to try to find our way to the swimming lake. It was a lovely walk down a quiet path; cows on one side, marshy meadows and trees on the other.

Harrison walking Han down the path toward the lake.

Pretty wildflowers all along the trail and grazing cattle in the distance.

The view from the dock - there's a little boating club in the neighborhood.

The kids stopped at a small playground next to the lake to goof off.

Just going out and about on Saturday, we met a few of the neighbors (and their dogs). Everyone was very friendly and offered to help us with anything we need.

Since we didn't have beds, Zac and I each took one side of the basement couch, Kaden and Khloe laid out borrowed sleeping bags (thanks, Vibe!) on a borrowed camp pad (thanks, Vibe!), and Harrison laid out his doggy sleeping bag on a fold-out cushion (thanks, Lisa and Nicolai!). We cuddled up as a family, ate weird Doritos, and watched Ace Ventura on Netflix.

Sunday

On Sunday, Vibe drove over to take Zac and I to some furniture stores, the pet store, and a small Home-Depot-like store. We picked out a dog bed and some new food for Han (we didn't bring his old food because we thought we wouldn't be allowed to take it through Customs), we got a larger litter box for Marabel, and tried out some mattresses. I became part of Maxi Zoo's (the pet store's) kundeklub (customer club).

Vibe also took us to a different grocery store where we could pick out some single cans and bottles of craft beer and some baking supplies. We ran into one of our new neighbors, Jesper, so Vibe introduced us.

I bought two plants at the hardware store to replace the houseplant-shaped hole in my heart.

Coffee plant

Spider plant

On the way home, Jesper's wife, Maiken, was out walking their dog, so we pulled over and Vibe introduced us to her as well.

Vibe graciously left us her car for the week and rode back home on her bike. In the rain. In normal clothes. Like a true Dane.

I tried to learn how to use the very fancy washer and dryer in our new home. To read the manuals using Google Translate was taking forever. I thought I could figure it out if I just translated the different settings on the front of them, but I was wrong.

I'm sorry...WHAT?!

Eventually, I turned to a YouTube video and that helped quite a lot. I still need to read through the whole manual, but the video at least got us some clean underwear.

Zac made BLTs and salad for dinner!

At the end of the night, we settled down in our makeshift family bedroom and watched Happy Gilmore on Netflix. It's still hilarious.

Monday

Monday, the real work started.

I was scheduled to meet my relocation consultant in Copenhagen to activate my CPR number (kind of like a social security number in Denmark) and discuss setting up a bank account, registering the dog, and other important logistics. Since Vibe had shown me how to get a ticket, I thought I'd try public transportation.

I used my Rejseplanen app (thanks, Vibe) to enter my location, my destination, and my desired time of arrival, and it gave me three options. I selected the one that suited me and then that app sent me over to the DOT ticket app (thanks, Vibe) to complete the purchase. I was traveling over 7 zones and for an adult ticket, it was DKK 60.00 (sixty danish kroner, or about $8.84 USD).

It was a very wet, windy day (apparently, there are some raging windstorms going on right now) and Zac and I realized we literally have no jackets or umbrellas until our shipping crate arrives. I showered, dressed nice, and then threw on Zac's giant heavy hoodie in an effort to stay a little dry.

I walked up the path from our house to the bus stop and instantly panicked because I thought my ticket said the bus was supposed to be there at 11:11 and it was 11:13. My head was spinning and I was sure I had done something wrong, but I pulled it together, looked at the app again, and realized that I was just supposed to leave my house to walk to the bus stop at 11:11 and the bus would actually arrive at 11:15. Which it did. Oy.

I'm at the bus stop! I'm doing it!

The bus took me to the train station, where I promptly panicked again because I couldn't see which track I was supposed to be on to catch my train. I tentatively approached a teenager who was purchasing a ticket at a kiosk and asked if they spoke English. They did, and I showed them my ticket and asked which platform would take me to Copenhagen. They were also going there, so I just followed. (Thanks, stranger!)

I got on the train and spent my ride quietly repeating back the Danish announcements to help me with my pronunciation. Unfortunately, I missed my stop because, again, I had misread the travel plan in the app. The A-train I was on stops at several locations on its way to the final stop, Hundige Station. In the app, it appears like "[A]-->Hundige St." I thought that meant I was getting off at Hundige St, but just after we passed Vesteport Station (where I was actually supposed to get off), I clicked an arrow to see the trip details in the app and realized "A-->Hundige St" was simply the train I was on, and I had just missed my stop. I figured I could just get off at the next station and walk the extra distance to the place where I was supposed to meet my relocation consultant. I did, and it was fine. Lots of rain, lots of wind.

At my destination!

Marianne arrived exactly on time and took me inside to get my CPR number activated. It was very easy. I asked about a bank account and she told me to just go set it up online now that I had a CPR number. I asked about registering the dog and she didn't know. I asked about getting my personal Rejsekort (travel card), which is specific to an individual and gets you cheaper rates on public transportation. She told me I would have to do that at the central train station (where I ended up getting off the train before). She drove me there and I found the right spot.

Still doing the things!!

The attendant I approached spoke English a bit, and after I tried to explain what I needed, he handed me an application to fill out and a numbered ticket. I waited for my ticket number to be called, then handed my application to the woman behind the window. She asked several questions, including how much I'd like loaded on my card. When I said DKK 2000.00, she asked more questions about my long-term travel plans and then kind of asserted that I was getting the wrong card if I would be going back and forth to work every day. Apparently, there are monthly commuter cards? I panicked because we were having some language barriers, and I almost just turned around and left. I stuck it out, and eventually, I walked away with a plastic Rejsekort bearing my name.

My new rejsekort!

The woman indicated I could somehow make it a commuter card online, but that's a problem for Weekend Lindsey. Monday Lindsey couldn't figure it out.

My trip back home was seamless. I'm now a pro.

Back on the train!

While I was out and about, Zac took the kids grocery shopping at Føtex - he drove and it went well. He came back with all kinds of good things.

Our immigration consultant also contacted me about the immigration applications for Zac and the kids - she couldn't submit them until we filled out new powers of attorney with our Danish address. I emailed those to Lene (another Danish friend) and hoped she could print them at work for me.

Lisa had the utilities transferred over to my name, so it was cool that I didn't really have to do anything except read emails and correct the spelling of my name.

One really important thing to do when you move to or within Denmark is put your name on the mailbox immediately. They won't deliver your mail if you don't. Vibe printed a label at work for us and brought it by, but it was so wet out that I didn't apply it.

Monday evening, the neighbor behind us came over to introduce himself. He was incredibly kind and offered to help us figure out the (very complicated) waste management system...

"Tuesday is food waste and general waste, but only every second week. Monday, I think, is plastic and paper but that's every 3rd week..."

I'm sure we'll figure it out.

Tuesday

Zac made a yummy breakfast!

Pancakes with hindbær (raspberries), syrup, and pålægschokolade.

The kids all had to take benchmark exams at their new school (North Zealand International School), so we drove up there as a family for our appointment. We went to the Danish side of the school on accident, but a very kind teacher helped navigate us through the big labyrinth to the international side. We met the administrators in the office and they were really welcoming. Harrison went with the head of the primary school, and Kaden and Khloe went with the head of the secondary school.

Welcome to your new school, kids!

The heads of schools need to go over the results and we should get to discuss them sometime next week after school starts. We checked out the playground on our way out - it's pretty great. It's mostly natural wood and is kind of built into the hillside. There's lots of climbing and balancing opportunities.

And of course, Kaden saw a basketball court and ran for it!

Basketball!

After we stopped at home for some lunch, we took the kids on their first trip to IKEA. Zac is doing really well at driving here. He basically has it figured out, with the exception of a few signals we aren't really sure of. We'll study up.

At IKEA, we had the kids pick out beds with storage underneath and mattresses that they liked. We looked at some bookshelves, rugs, and other assorted items, took pictures, bought some hangers and a hamper, ate some "Softice" (soft ice cream), and drove home. I tried to order all the items online for delivery, but I got a bunch of errors I couldn't figure out, so we just decided to go back again another day and have someone help us.

Lene had arrived on her bike with my printed documents just as we returned home, so it was lovely to get to see her for a minute. I can't wait to work with her more closely!

The weather cleared up some, so I took the opportunity to put our names on the mailbox - Lisa and Nicolai had such nice lettering, I didn't want to peel it off, so I just put ours over the top.

Our teeny tiny names are up there!

While I was out labeling the mailbox, Maiken and her son, Mads, came along with their dog, so we sat and chatted for a while. I had Han out front with me and he made quick friends with their dog. They trotted around the street together while we visited and I had Kaden and Khloe come and meet Mads.

Zac and I have been pretty uncomfortable without a living room couch, and there was a furniture store in Birkerød that was still open, so we left the kids home and went to check out some couches. There was one we liked, but to order it in the fabric we wanted would be 10 weeks out. Yikes! The battle of wanting it "right" and wanting it "right now" is definitely playing out in our minds.

We strolled into a local bakery right before closing and bought a loaf of Italian bread, some rolls for the morning, and some weird giant chocolate-rum bon-bon.

We came home and filled out the newly-printed powers of attorney and I got images uploaded to our immigration consultant. I also submitted an application to get a bank account (which is way more of an ordeal in Denmark, I guess). I finished unpacking our suitcases since we had purchased some hangers at IKEA, so at least we're living less like nomads. We tried some Danish craft beers we picked up at the store, Zac made delicious tacos, and we begrudgingly went to sleep in our makeshift bedroom again.

Wednesday

We warmed up the rolls from the bakery and ate them with butter. Our immigration consultant sent me the good news that Zac and the kids' immigration paperwork had been filed online, so I went to the SIRI website and scheduled them all appointments to get their biometric scans done. Stay tuned to find out how Zac does taking three kids on public transportation for an hour into the big city and managing them in a government building. :)

Zac and I left the kids home once again and returned to IKEA to finish what we started. We bought mattresses for all the kids but had to order their bed frames to be delivered next Tuesday. We brought the mattresses home and then drove back to IKEA to pick up all of the kids' bedding and the storage drawers for Kaden and Khloe's beds (those couldn't ship for some reason).

The first of many...

Mom video-called and I got to see my nieces and nephews, and we all got to witness Kaden's first successful front-flip on the trampoline!

Kaden met Asger, one of the kids that lives in the house behind us, and they jumped on the trampoline at his house together.

Harrison found a little pedal go-kart in the shed and rode it around. I caught him giving it a bath after he rode through some dog poop.

Washing the wheels.

We made a family trip to the grocery store and Zac planned a couple of dinners.

For dinner, Zac made grilled cheese using the loaf of Italian bread we got Tuesday. He sliced it, toasted it with garlic butter, and served it with some Danish tomato soup (it was better than Campbell's). We sat out on the terrace and watched the sunset, and it was so pretty.

Sunset over the lake from the terrace.

I washed up all the new bedding and made up the mattresses. Woohoo! No more sleeping on the couch. My lower back was starting to hurt a lot. Zac and I shared Khloe's mattress, Khloe took Harrison's mattress, and Kaden and Harrison shared Kaden's mattress. Sleeping through the night just got so much easier!

Upgraded sleeping accommodations.

I can stretch out all the way!

Thursday

I woke up feeling pretty crummy - I started a kind of dry cough and had super low energy. I lazed in bed for a long time resting. Zac brought me two cups of coffee and a plate of bacon and eggs with sweet peppers and onions, and after my tummy was full, I rallied for a while. (I absolutely have the best husband.)

I tried to think of things to do while still sitting in bed, so I responded to a phone call request from Danske Bank - they needed to talk to me before proceeding with my bank account application - and that conversation involved a lot of guesstimating and math. Ugh.

Zac and I traveled to Allerød since the home goods store in Birkerød didn't have pans he was completely satisfied with. We picked up a set of frying pans, then went back to the store in Birkerød to get a deep pan with a lid for making Mexican rice and chicken scampi and stuff like that.

Allerød bymidte (city center)

We also went back to one of the furniture stores we had visited with Vibe and ordered a mattress (delivery Tuesday). They didn't have the bed frame we were looking for, but at least we got the mattress on its way.

Vibe printed the immigration application receipts that Zac will need on Monday and dropped them by the house (thanks, Vibe!), so things are all set for Monday's trip to Copenhagen after school.

Zac made hamburgers with caramelized onions and french fries. We took turns eating them over the counter because Zac was cooking them two at a time in a frying pan, but they were pretty good.

The kids played outside in the evening - they're all really enjoying this backyard (I mean, what kid wouldn't?!) and they get along much nicer when they're outdoors.

Khloe pushing Kaden on the rope swing.

Harrison enjoying the sandbox.

* * *

And that's that! One week in Denmark. I swear it doesn't feel like we've been here that long. We are mostly adjusted sleep- and meal-wise, but I think it will still take a few more weeks to be really in sync. Next week will bring a lot of new challenges - work starts for me, school starts for the kids, we'll have a ton of furniture to assemble, Zac and the kids have their biometrics appointments in Copenhagen, and I have to figure out how to get us Danish phone numbers!

P.S. If any of you were worried about Han and Marabel, they're living their best Danish lives.

Han Solo enjoying his new dog bed from Maxi Zoo

Marabel taking in the fresh air over the garden.