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Published: February 22nd 2013
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Hi everyone,
So I survived my trip to Denmark and came back to Holland in one piece. It was amazing to see my cousins and extended family in Denmark. I haven't been there since I was two years old prior to this trip, though my mom is half Danish and has a lot of family there still. Due to some unfortunate family drama over the last two generations, I hadn't spent any time with my second cousins, Jonas and Andre, until now. Actually, to backtrack a little, My cousin Andre came to stay with my family when he was 18 to study English, but I hadn't seen him since then, and Jonas is my age, and I hadn't seen him since I was two years old. Originally, I had emailed Andre to see if I could come for a visit, and he didn't tell any of the other family because we were going to plan a surprise dinner the day after I arrived. It turned into one of the biggest family reunions that side of the family has ever had! It was strange too, because some of the food we had and the Danish language, and a few
of the sights I saw reminded me of my childhood! How strange....this land I have spent next to no time in felt so familiar somehow....
My mom tried to keep my Danish tongue sharp in Canada when I was two and three years old, complete with reading bed time stories in Danish and taking Danish classes, but my attention quickly turned to learning Japanese in school, and because I didn't realize my connection in Denmark, I didn't really know any better. Now I regret that I don't speak Danish, as I feel I should, considering half my family lives in Denmark and I am much more Danish than I thought!
It was so nice to meet all my moms family and put names to faces, and piece some of the puzzle together as to where and why and how we all got separated all those years ago. The biggest gift for me though was my connection with Jonas, my second cousin that is the same age as me. We clicked right away and didn't stop talking for the whole time I was there. I felt a little sad that I had missed out on 20 years with this
person in my life, but I never intend to have that happen again. I have decided that past family drama to do with the last generations has nothing to do with me and my cousins - doesn't mean we should be punished or lose contact. So, as you can tell, it was quite an overwhelming, joyful, lovely time for me to be in Denmark. I hadn't expected it to be so emotional!
Now, to the travel side of my trip. Jonas took me on a city tour by segway! It was so cool, I had never driven one before. They are quite intuitive for any of you who want to try it. We saw the Dniahs king and queens palace near the Opera house and the famous statue "Little Mermaid." The buildings are old and historical looking (very European) but with the added touch of copper finishes on everything. The statues around the city are the same- the copper get's oxidezed and over time turns this beautiful blue color--very Danish, as I learned.
I also learned that there had been two large fires (nobody knows how they started) in the city back in the day which wiped out
many old buildings which then had to be restored twice!
I also visited the old summer house that I stayed in when I was two with my mom- and the beach just down the way from it. After we had walked along the water and I had seen where I was so many years ago, I went through a picture album that my moms cousin had from my stay 20 years ago, and I saw pictures of my mom and I and Jonas on that same beach!! How strange but cool!
I also tried some wonderful Danish food while I was there- Andre made sure I tried a bunch of different things -- so I had this mustard, caper dish with herring and other veggies over pumpernickel bread, and tried this wonderful dessert called Aipelstrudel - it's like this little ball of doughy sweetness that you dip in jam and sugar, and whipped cream. It is so good!
So, as you can see, my trip was amazing. I left feeling so happy but also really sad because I felt that the week allowed me to become really close to these people and then I had to leave
again. However, the best part of the trip for me was that my mom and her cousin (Jonas and Andres mom) started talking again, and those lines of communication are now open. This was worth everything to me. My family has been small for so long, and while family's fight, having a family at all is more important, and the past doesn't matter. Not anymore. Time to move on and reintegrate my Canadian self into the Danish side. Hope you all appreciate your family today! xoxo Love, Kazz
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