Packing Day

Well it has come at long last, a day I have been thinking about almost since I have arrived in Denmark. Today is the day when I back up my room (or at least most of it) and start to get ready to come home. How do I feel now that the long awaited day has finally arrived? While I have never felt as much at home in Denmark as I did in China, I will admit that there a few things I am sad to leave behind. There have been some good moments from my time here, and on the whole, I had a positive experience. Granted, it is true that if I had things to do over, they would have been done differently. However, that's all of life, and the most important thing is that we learn from out mistakes.

So what will I miss of Denmark? Well, the excellent public transportation system in/around Copenhagen is something that I will miss. I have genuinely enjoyed riding the trains and the buses. While at times slightly crowded (especially during the morning rush), the rides to and from where I attended classes were at times relaxing and gave me time to listen to music, attempt to study, attempt to write, or just watch the world go by. The trains and buses in and around Copenhagen were also (almost always) very punctual. Provided you knew the train schedule, you could set your watch by it. The longest I ever waited for a train was around sixteen minutes, and that was on a day when the trains would run every twenty minutes compared to every ten.

Another one of the small things I will miss is the excellent quality of the baked goods. The Danishes (or as they are known here wienerbrød) are nothing like any of those I have found stateside. Granted, I am not the biggest fan of Danishes in the state, I might just have to look around to see if I can find any like those here in Denmark. While originally created by Austrian bakers (as can be seen in a literal translation of the Danish name), it has been in Denmark that these creations have been perfected. Almost every bakery in Copenhagen sells them, and when they are good, they are toe-curling good. Not always the healthiest choice around, they are certainly delicious and I have eaten my fair share of them.

An unexpected thing that I will miss about Denmark is just how easily I am mistaken for a Dane. Apparently when I do speak Danish, I sound rather like a Dane. This has led those with whom I speak Danish to have the mistaken assumption that my command of their language is greater than the 5 or 6 key phrases that I have well memorized. Although I speak more Chinese and have (in my personal opinion) a better accent in it, I will never be mistaken for a native of China. Part of that might be due to my ethnicity, part of it may be because I have only studied Chinese for two and one-half years, and thus still have problems with the language. Whatever the reason, it has been rather interesting to be mistaken for a local.

There are other things I will find myself missing. However, during my orientation at the beginning of the semester, one of the speakers said some of us might get into the annoying habit of making references to our time in Denmark. Having travelled enough previously, I know enough not to insert references to a journey taken unless asked to do so. The only reason why I will be telling such stories during the Blogathon is because of just how many of them I have. Besides, for all I learned and did in Denmark/Europe, I feel I learned and did more that I am truly proud of in China. I know that China/Asia will be a part of my life as I continue to grow. For everything that I have come to enjoy here, I know that were I to come again, it would not be to build a home.