Happy Thanksgiving!

As I write this, I am sitting at the dinner table still filled with turkey, dressing, dirty dishes with dried gravy and pumpkin pie yet to be eaten. We carried on the American tradition in a simple fashion, with just the four of us and only the food that really counts: fresh turkey, smashed potatoes, dressing, hot gravy, brussel sprouts. Pie and whipped cream to follow.

The girls had school and hardly any one knew about Thanksgiving except a few Americans here and there. Craig was in Aarhus the last few days and just came home at 6 pm. I had been at Danish school half the day and then visited Molly's Open House for their city projects. I didn't start dinner until about 4. A small turkey and a convection oven speeds things up.

Life goes on here as if Thanksgiving is non-existent, so it's up to us to remember and carry on. Maya has now returned to her homework, with a power point presentation due tomorrow for their class' Open House. Craig is exhausted from his drive back and eating his first real turkey dinner (after being vegetarian for 15 years) and he'll fall asleep very quickly. Earlier I had time to squeeze in a yoga practice and think about what I am grateful for:

• the opportunity to live in another country with my family and fulfill a lifelong dream
• the opportunity to see the world and expand my knowledge and perspective
• to meet new people and learn from and share with them
• to have the security of home, family, finances
• the devotion and love between my husband and I
• the joy and purpose my children bring to me
• the challenges I face that make me stronger and wiser
• My passion for yoga and all that comes with it
• My creativity
• My endurance
• My patience

Now I must end and help clean up the dishes. Oh yes, I am grateful for a working stove that produces a cup of coffee in the morning.

The Cohen 4 wish you all a lovely Thanksgiving Day. May you remember to remember.

Eat well and fill your souls as well.

Mary Jo

thecohen4dk@gmail.com

Snow in November!

The weather report said it would snow yesterday and sure enough, it came. The temperature dropped Friday morning while we were all at school. At noon, while the kids were on the playground and I was riding home, the first flakes fell. It continued to snow through the day and then into the night. We didn't get much more than an inch but it spread a lovely coating of while cheer and coupled with a bright blue sky, we were gifted with a spectacular day. The girls were out at 8 am to play in the snow. We'll contine to have cold weather and probably more snow over the next 2 days. This is unusual for Denmark but not rare. Let's hope for LaCrosse Footwear's sake, that this is a very stormy winter!

I dag er det min fodeselsdag!

Translated: Today is my birthday! And one would reply: ti lykke (congratulations).

So for my blog today, I thought I'd have a photo journal of what my day was like.
It started out, with a nice breakfast at home with the family and some lovely gifts. Craig made the school lunches even! Then Maya, Molly and I rode our bikes to C.I.S. (their school) and I rode on to Danish school at the Sprog Centre.

Today's lesson plan included honing in on phrases such as "Jeg hedder Mary Jo. Jeg kommer fra Portland, Oregon i USA. Jeg bor i Hellerup og bor sammen med min man'd og to barne. Jeg taler selvfolgelig engelsk og lidt spansk. Mine enteresser er yoga og laer dansk. Jeg er 47 ar.

You get the idea. Reading Danish is so much easier than speaking it. About a third of the letters are deleted altogether when speaking and the trick is knowing which ones to leave out. Unfortunately, my keyboard does not type their extra vowels, so the above words have ommitted some crucial vowels. My apologies to those Danes in the audience. Our homework for next class is to memorize 4 sentences and create a dialogue about ourselves which we will say aloud to the class. We have had 3 classes. That's what immersion is all about.

From Danish, I rode my bike from Hellerup to downtown, stopping along the way to snap some pictures. It was a spectacular day, with sunshine and no wind. Since it was about 34 degrees F at 8 am and 40 at Noon, I wore gloves and ear covers with my helmut. Slick, leafy roads are too dangerous these days to go without a helmut. So much for designer hair...

I had a laser appt. for my feet. I'm trying laser to work off the scarring and inflammation I've had for years. So far, so good. On the way, stopped at a kebab shop in the University district that sells the cheapest durum falafels (like a burrito but falafel inside). 25 DKK is like $4.50. The cheapest lunch in town. The University District is obviously by the University and has very hip places to eat, wild second hand stores, bars and coffee shops.

After, I cycled back to Hellerup to pick up the girls (about 30 minutes) and then we all cycled home. Put in my thrice-weekly strength training while the girls did homework and then took Maya to her first basketball practice of the season. Molly and I then went to the Lynby Mall to get a back pack since hers has fallen apart, while Craig made dinner. By 7:20 we were all home, had a salmon, rice and green bean dinner with baked pears and vanilla ice cream for dessert.

Now, sitting on the couch, writing this while the girls read their books. As you can see, nothing was outstanding about the day, except for the fact that I was living in COPENHAGEN. Damn. Sometimes I forget about that fact. Often, I think that nothing has changed: I still have to shop for food for the family, clean the toilets, vacuum the house, process homework and bills, discipline the kids, orchestrate the social calendar, blah, blah, blah. I'm still the same American housewife that I was in the states. I just have a new title- "husmoder" or hjemme gaerne. House mother. We have to keep some sense of regularity to our lives. It's not like we're on vacation for 2 years. We can't be tourists every day. Much of our experience here is to be like the Danes - which means the same boring stuff that they do, but in their way. Do I make any sense?

We still keep a lot of Americanisms, we can't help that. We can't change who we are. And we are learning that many Danes appreciate that about foreigners. Foreigners bring a complexity and diversity to the social landscape that makes it more interesting. Often I think I should just "blend in" and not draw attention to alien self. However there are a growing number of Danes who want foreigners to bring liveliness and richness to these mundane and lifeless people. Steeped in tradition, the Danes can also be repetitive, predictable and boring.

Thank goodness we have a multi cultural social network within the international school. There are about 50 countries represented. I just had tea with a Scottish family whose daughter is in class with Molly. They've lived in Dubai and Australia and now here. We're all moving around and passing on interesting stories and the children are reaping amazing experiences.

Will post off for now. The wine is getting to my head. I'm full and I'll hit the sack soon. Love and best wishes to you all. Email me at: thecohen4dk@gmail.com

Love and Light,
mary jo

3 Month Anniversary of Living in Denmark

It's been a rocky road, but we have managed to get through the first 3 months. While riding back from taking the kids to school this morning I reflected on our first few days here, compared to now. The first week we lived in a fog, not knowing where to go or how to operate in this society. Just look at how we've integrated:

• we ride to school in inclement weather, with rain gear and boots, and play outdoors in the rain at recess...
  
• Craig kisses me good bye at 5:15 am and goes to Germany, Holland and Poland for 3 days, like it's going to the office. Other weeks he drives 3 hours to the current office.
  
• Maya's beginning basketball season next week and rode to school by herself this morning. She took the city bus home with a friend last week for the first time. These are all normal events for that age here.
• Molly is on a Danish Soccer team, indoor and outdoor year round.
• I am starting Danish language classes this week, 3 days/wk for 3 hours each
• I have a home gym set up and work out at least 3 days a week.
  
• We now have our Dankort cards, Citizen cards, on-line banking, wire transfering successfully, emailing, skyping, watch t.v., have land-line phone and local phone book so we are hooked up on the communications
• Craig got his company car with GPS, hands free phone and IPOD connection.
• We know the bus and train schedules and I know the roads, neighborhoods and ways to get around.
• I know where to shop for almost everything we need and I'm going to IKEA less and less all the time.
• We are making friends and socializing. Going to more museums, family activities and investigating culture. Last weekend Craig and I went to see an English play and out for Thai food.
  
• I'll start to teach after-school yoga classes for students in December.
• We are now planning our Xmas vacation break: a road trip to Switzerland to visit Karin and Elmar Auf Der Mar.

There's obviously more, but you get the picture. We're getting involved and feeling connected. Right now as I type, it's pouring rain with winds. From what I gather, fall is the rainiest, dreariest season of all. They start celebrating Xmas in mid November with fairs and festivals and keep lights up until the end of January.

Election Day - Proud to be an American

Congratulations America. I am so proud of my country's citizens for showing up to vote in what will go down in history as the most amazing election of all time. It has restored my faith in American nature - that we are in this together and that we can effect a change. However, the charisma and intent of Barack Obama is what inspired that change. I look forward to being on his team as he leads us and continues to inspire the country into our greatest era. I pray that this is the country's darkest hour and that this moment in history is the dawn of the new day.

I am proud that my country is choosing to believe in hope over fear. Hope is like a coat of positive energy that we individually wear and collectively as a country will give us newfound strength and courage that is needed to rise above.

Today is the first day that I really wished I could be at home to share in the celebration with fellow Americans. It's just not the same via internet and one measley CNN station. Molly and Maya didn't quite understand my tears of joy, but they will remember their mom celebrating this day. I remember alternately crying tears of grief 7 years ago on 9-11. It's taken this moment to begin to reverse that grief as a nation.

I unite with my American citizens in joy, relief and pride. Bring on the change. I'll wave my flag in Denmark.