Life

I've gotten into such a routine here with work and regular life that I forget to notice things around me or even take the time to explore. I ended up getting enough hours with my job at Bilka packing online orders that I was able to quit my other part time jobs, which has been easier. My life has become quite simple; go to work, buy groceries, clean, do laundry, make sure everyone is fed, etc. I attend Danish classes once a week and have made a few friends through our kids (parents of their friends) and through some local international and expat groups. The classes, the occasional get-togethers with friends, my own family members and work all fulfill my need for a social life. I have also been lucky these past few weeks to have had my brother visit. He is in Malmo, Sweden on a work project and has taken the train to Kolding to stay for the weekend a few times. It's been nice to be in Denmark again together. He is two years older than me and when I was 9 and 11 years old, we travelled to Denmark on our own during summer vacation. We stayed with our grandparents for six weeks both times. We went once after that with our whole family for my grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary. My older brother has been back several times over the years, even attending a short post-secondary program here in his early twenties. I only returned once before now; when Rus and I were newlyweds, Liam was three years old and I was pregnant with Ila and Mei. My Danish language skills deteriorated quite a bit over the years but have improved quickly while living here. During my first few weeks of working at Bilka, I was mentally exhausted after work, having to think and speak in Danish for so many hours. Now, it's not as bad and I have noticed that my internal monologue is sometimes in Danish. I think my dreams are all still in English though...

My brother, my cousin and I all together again after a few decades!