Boxes and boxes of stuff

Our boxes of household goods finally arrived from Denmark. Once the boxes arrived, it was evident WHY it took 3 weeks....

While in Denmark we packed up all of our boxes. On the trip over we had 15 boxes, two of which were bike boxes. We accumulated a little stuff, packaged our suitcases a bit different, and had one less suitcase on the return trip, so we had 7 extra paperbox-size boxes for the return trip. The moving guy arrived, said we did a great job packing, so he didn't have to repack anything. He would just seal all the boxes and load them up. Perfect. The other option was to repack and relabel all the boxes while I stood in the entryway.

I meticulously labeled and packed each box. Packed so tightly, not even a fly could stowaway.

Imagine my surprise when the boxes arrived and all our boxes were replaced with Alfa moving boxes...moving boxes with NO labels. Nothing. Great. They unpacked and repacked all my stuff. Now I had 33 boxes with no clue what was in each box. 33 boxes that were 3/4 full. 3 boxes were even half full. I'm not making this up...I even took pictures of each.and.every.box! I guess that explains the 'overage' in our moving allowance. And to top things off, my stuff smelled like cigarette smoke.

Interesting how the moving company failed to mention that they repacked our stuff. Interesting how they failed to mention that was the reason for the 3 week delay. Interesting how they repacked the items to take up more space, thus padding their account just a bit.

I haven't unpacked every box...yet. I'm still going through the painstaking process of unpacking, finding the items on the master 5 page document and checking it off....then, of course, how bad does it smell, do I need to wash it, or toss it. Lovely. Thank you Alfa moving. I should probably send you a bill. My hourly rate is pretty high.

I'm getting a little tired of folks making additional work for me.

So, there's my latest Danish complaint. My next post will be about something great about Denmark....I do have a few things :-)

On to the next chapter

I've started the last page in the chapter "Life as an Expat in Denmark."


Our outstationing in Denmark has ended. Our last few weeks in Denmark were busy...meeting up with our European and other expat friends, packing, and getting things ready for repatriotization back to the United States.


Our time in Europe has been full of adventures, excitement and new experiences (some of which, I'll quickly purge from my memory!). We've made some wonderful friends along the way and will miss them dearly....there's always an open invitation to visit Chicagoland...hint, hint.

We will treasure our time in Europe and will gladly accept another offer to work (not me) and travel (yeah baby) just about anywhere in the world.

We've been working on adjusting to our new life in the USA. It is definitely 'home.' Our social calendar has been full, meeting up with all of our friends and catching up.

We've also been doing our part to stimulate the economy....buying local whenever possible. I think the initial hemorrage has subsided and now we have a slow, but steady leak.

I have a long list of questions folks have asked about living in Denmark, so I'm planning to post all the answers and helpful information to living (and working) in Denmark.

The next adventure awaits...

Moving, moving, moving

Dear Danish moving company...(yes, you) -

My patience is gone.
It was supposed to take 1 week.
You've had my stuff for 3 weeks.
What is a fair rate for holding my stuff hostage?
Free shipping is a good compromise.

Thank you.

New Year...new adventures...new country

...stay tuned.

Glædelig Jul, God Jul, Feliz Navidad, Merry Christmas

Season's Greetings and Happy Holidays from our little corner of the world to yours.

This is my wish for you: peace of mind, prosperity through the year, happiness that multiplies, health for you and yours, fun around every corner, energy to chase your dreams, joy to fill your holidays!

--D.M. Dellinger

Seriously? Come on, people.

From the Copenhagen Post
Parents drag sledding kids behind cars
Monday, 21 December 2009 14:54 KR News

Perhaps to make up for the flatlands of Denmark, parents have been towing their kids on sleds behind cars

Police have issued a safety warning in Southern Jutland after receiving numerous reports of parents towing children on winter sleds behind their cars.

Reports have been coming in from residential areas in Vejen, Brørup, Bramming, Gram and Ribe of parents making up for the lack of snowy hills in the area.

‘Not only is it illegal, it’s also extremely dangerous,’ said police duty officer Bjørn Pedersen to JV.dk.

‘There’s absolutely no control on a sled when it is being pulled after a car. Those on the sled risk being dragged under the car or hitting a parked vehicle or kerb and being seriously injured.’

Snow, snow, snow

Measurable snow in southern Denmark! Wow! In the past +/- 20 months, I think the most snow we had was about 2 centimeters (an inch). The storm that is blowing through right now, has put the 2 centimeters to shame!

Yesterday, I was supposed to visit my blogging friend Tara in Aarhus. After about 30 minutes of driving, the snow was coming down pretty heavy, we were traveling at 65-70kmph on highway 45 (speed limit 120kmph), and the cars were slip sliding away. Growing up in the midwest, I'm no stranger to driving through snowstorms; however I'm also accustomed to a certain level of road preparation (salt brine solution/beet juice) and snow removal.

After a quick stop at a gas station, I turned around and headed back home. I'll have to reschedule my visit and christmas cookie making with Tara.

Today, we woke up to a blanket of snow in southern Jutland. We have about 5 inches of snow and it is still coming down! I 'watched' the local news last night. I didn't really 'listen' to the news because the Danish was a bit too fast for me, but I did gather from the footage that the roads near Kolding were particularly bad.

A few pictures.

Goodies from around the world

On each trip back to the US, I try to pack my suitcase full of goodies that are unique to Europe.

• Chocolate from Switzerland
• Well, chocolate from any country is better than Hershey's!
• Olive oil and balsamic vinegar from Tuscany
• Silk and pearls from Beijing
• Cashmere from Scotland
• Beer steins from Germany
• Glass from Murano, Italy
• Limoncello from Sorrento, Italy
• Wooden toys for Lincoln
• Haribo gummy candies (although, Walmart now carries the gummy bears)

Last year, I stumbled upon KinderEggs at a grocery store in Germany. KinderEggs are foil wrapped chocolate eggs with a milk chocolate outer layer, a white chocolate inner layer, and then a surprise toy in the middle. Wow, a great find right? Wouldn't all the kids I know in the States love to get some chocolate and a surprise toy?!?!?

Not so much. It is illegal to bring KinderEggs into the United States. Here's a link to an article from consumer reports. Essentially, there's a provision in the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (1938), which prohibit encasing 'non-edible' or 'non-nutritive items' in an edible item...so, no toy in a chocolate shell. The non-edible toy poses a choking hazard to children under 3. The solution....ban them from the US.

Who would have known???

Sunkissed tomatoes

It seems that my little expat blog is taking a detour and has become home to some new recipes.

Part of being an expat in Denmark is learning to cook in new ways and with new ingredients. Long gone are the days of convenience foods like boxed cake/brownie mixes, just add water mixes, hamburger helper, frozen tv dinners (not that these were staples of my cooking), soup in a can, etc.

It's not uncommon for me to walk up to the grocery store 3 or 4 times during the week to pick up ingredients for dinner. First, refrigerators are about 1/3 to 1/2 the size of a typical American refrigerator, so having the space to store food from the weekly grocery store run is virtually impossible. Second, fresh veggies are fantastic. Finally, there's not much else to do in my little town.

Here's a new favorite of mine.

Sunkissed tomatoes

cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, or any other small tomatoes

extra virgin olive oil

pepper

salt

sugar (optional)

italian seasoning (optional)

Slice the tomatoes in half (through the stem area). Place cut side up on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with a little salt, pepper, sugar (optional), italian seasoning (optional). Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil. Roast in a 150 degree (US) oven for 2.5-3 hours. Check on the tomatoes periodically and shake a bit so the tomatoes don't stick. Turn the pan if your oven runs hot in one section.

Take out and cool. Eat as a snack, toss in pasta or salad.

If not eaten right away, store in a bit of oil in the refrigerator. Although, I must admit, they never make it to the refrigerator stage in our house!

Where did the sun go?

It's been a pretty dreary month in Denmark. We had a few sunny moments, but today is one windy, blowing, rainy mess.

A few pictures of a how beautiful Denmark is....when the sun isn't hiding behind the clouds.