I think it's about time I talked a bit about my Danish family. I didn't have a host family, sadly, but the study abroad program also offered another option, a visiting family, which I thought sounded like a good choice for me. It's basically what it sounds like- I was paired with a Danish family that I would visit and hang out with from time to time.
Choosing to have a visiting family turned out to be one of the best choices I made this semester- probably this year, actually. The family I was paired with were wonderful, and made me feel very comfortable. They were only a short bus ride away from the apartment (which meant that I had the wonderful experience of mastering the Copenhagen bus system, which I probably would not have dared to try otherwise). I ended up going over to their house once a week. We would have dinner together, talk and then watch TV. They had three awesome kids who I got to spend time with, who played a big part in making me feel comfortable. The parents were extremely supportive and friendly. They helped me with my Danish, met me at the bus top every time I visited and talked with me about their jobs, their experiences, Denmark and... well, pretty much life, the universe and everything. Well okay, maybe not the univ- actually, yes, because we talked about "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy".
That's just how awesome they were.
Here they are (except for the one on the far left, who's my real mom).
And here's their kitchen.
This is my Danish brother at his eleventh birthday party. That's his aunt on the right and my Danish father on the left. I realize that the three kids were perfect in that they each provided me with something different, and my brother (Internet code name "A") was the only one who I could really have conversations with. All Danish children learn English in school from fourth grade onward, but at the age of eleven A was already practically fluent. He never ceased to impress me with his English vocabulary. He was very intelligent, outgoing and funny, so he was really great to talk to. He loved to read and so we talked a lot about books. He particularly liked the "Magic Tree House" series, which is also one of my favorites. He had been practicing reading them in English, and he loaned me some Danish copies so that I could practice my Danish reading skills. Apart from being a source of conversations, he was also a great source of Danish books.
My Danish brother in his typical state of being.
When my (real) parents came to visit they brought along a concentration game, which A, of course, mastered almost immediately. This is me trying out the game instead of being sociable.
This is the middle child and the older of my two Danish sisters, Internet code name "O". O was eight years old, and was great to spend time with for a different reason than A. She had not yet begun learning English in school, and so she knew about as much English as I knew Danish- not much. Therefore, O provided me with that essential study abroad experience- that of negotiating around a language barrier. Fortunately O, just like her brother, was very outgoing and friendly and was more than willing to try and communicate with me. The way most of our communications went was that she would say something in Danish, I would think about it for a minute, not be able to figure it out, and say "Hvad?" ("What?"). She would then repeat herself, slowly and with emphatic hand gestures. The second time through I would usually recognize a word or two, and that combined with the hand gestures and context would allow me to figure out what she was saying. I always felt very proud when I managed this and we were able to communicate, and hopefully she did too. I would also occasionally try out Danish phrases on her and she would try out English phrases on me. I think we both learned something from the experience. At least, I know I did.
O unwraps some candy during Easter brunch.
O manages to capture the youngest and most elusive of my Danish siblings.
And finally, this is Internet-code-name "K" (and her uncle). She was the youngest of my Danish siblings, and probably the one who I got to know the best. And she, like A and O, played a very specific and unique role in my visiting family experience. She was two and a half and so was really still learning Danish, never mind English. But there was never any need to try to have a conversation with her, since we could play quite well without needing to talk. Occasionally she would say something to me in quick, mumbly Danish that I had no hope of understanding, and I would just keep saying "Hvad?" until she gave me an annoyed look and gave up. There were a few key phrases that she used that I understood, but mostly we got by without talking. Despite this I think I learned quite a bit of Danish because of K, simply because I felt more comfortable trying out phrases that I had learned in class with her than with A, O and my Danish parents. I spent a lot of time with K because I would usually go over to their house on Fridays, when A and O had swimming lessons. While they were away I would play with K, or watch cartoons with her. She was very easily entertained and grew comfortable with my presence quite quickly, which I was very happy about.
K was a little camera shy and kept turning away when I was trying to take this picture, but I finally got her.
O, K and their mom at a local park.
Me playing with K in her room.
As for my Danish parents, I realize that I don't have a lot of pictures of them, but they were fantastic. They, just like their kids, were very friendly and welcoming. They were very easy to talk to, and we discussed all sorts of things. They were impressive travelers who had been all over the world, including living in Africa for a while, and it was great to hear about their experiences. They helped me with my Danish, told me about daily life in Denmark and really made me feel at home. They were just the kind of supportive parent figures that I needed and had been hoping for during my time away from my real family.
I really, really miss my Danish family. They were one of the main factors that made my time in Denmark so incredible. I am staying in touch with them and will be sure to go back to Denmark and visit them. On reflection, I really wish I had lived with a host family... but then if I had I would never have met these guys. I think it worked out for the best. I couldn't have asked for a better Danish family experience.
