vivi torontali

Not caught up? Read Leaving a life behind

I never know what to say when someone asks me where I’m from. I’m Hungarian, but I don’t feel fully European. Being born and raised in the Boston area means that there are some parts of me that scream “yankee.” I have six tattoos, I call a traffic circle a ‘rotary,’ and I always order my coffee iced. My accent is probably the most obvious, though. If someone were to look at me from far away, they’d probably think my ancestors never made it past Plymouth Rock throughout the generations. But I have a name hardly anyone can pronounce, and I can tell you all kinds of horror stories from my Hungarian Scout camps growing up. I had a conversation with my dad, he said that he used to always be worried about how Americans would accept him as someone with a foreign accent. Now I’m the one worrying about how Europeans would accept me as someone with an American accent, while he feels right at home.

These past few days have introduced all kinds of new and exciting things for me. I’ve been spending all of my time with my family, and my mom has a tendency to point out what she notices is different about Denmark vs. America. She hates the vast amount of cigarette smokers, but loves the way the sidewalks are split into different sections for pedestrians going opposite ways, and that it’s elevated from the bike lanes. Many buildings, palaces, and houses are older than America itself. Shops make you want to buy things, not because they want you to spend money for the sake of spending money, but because the brands and products have something unique and interesting to offer.

Our hotel is in the city center, but our apartment is about a half hour train ride away, in a little town called Ballerup. It was our first choice apartment, very modern and super central to all kinds of resources in the area. There are four different grocery stores in town, each about a five minute walk from the apartment, and they’re stocked with fresh, organic food. There are also so many different kinds of restaurants, and all of them look absolutely amazing. What seals the deal for me is the shop that’s filled with all kinds of embroidery thread. Over the past couple months since we got our apartment secured, I’ve been Google Maps-ing like crazy trying to get to know Ballerup and all it has to offer. Unfortunately, there’s only so much that satellite and street view can do to encapsulate the character of the town. When I stepped foot in Ballerup for the first time, it felt completely different than what I imagined it would be. It feels like a place where people go to settle down, work, and live a cozy life. When we went to visit the apartment complex before move-in, the first thing I did was let Nudli off leash when we got to the courtyard. He ran around like he hasn’t walked eight miles a day for the past four days, and I even took him on the slide. I know in my heart and soul that he will be happy here, and so will my whole family. 

When my parents finally got our keys to the apartment, my sister, the driver, and I worked hard to pile all of our luggage into a taxi van. We transported 14 bags from our hotel to our apartment. We also secured a dining table from Facebook Marketplace, and getting it home was a whole nightmare. We took a train and a bus to a nearby town to pick it up, and ordered another taxi to take it home. The driver of the van said it wouldn’t fit and drove off, but it was the same sized van we used to transport our bags from the hotel. We then tried to take the bus, but the driver said we weren’t allowed to take the table on board, and also drove off. We ended up ordering a smaller taxi, and the table fit in there with a little bit of troubleshooting. It’s times like this that makes me miss my dad’s truck. 

The first few days in the apartment were spent unpacking all of our bags and buying everything we need. We ordered our couch, bed frames, dining chairs, and all kinds of appliances. However, the only furniture we currently have are the dining table and our mattresses, which arrived right on time. For some reason though, Nudli peed on my bed within an hour of receiving it. We were all very mad at him, but luckily I had already put my sheet and blanket on it so the damage wasn’t too bad. After he gave me a high five and some licks on the nose, all was forgiven. We also explored the mall that’s right next door to us. It has all my favorite stores that I’ve visited so far, and it even has a clothing store named Vivi.

So what’s harder: moving out or moving in? On one hand, it took us six months to pack everything up and get it across the ocean, sell what we can and make sure we have what we need to set up in the future. On the other hand, we have been eating at our dining table by sitting on the windowsill because our chairs have yet to arrive. We have no blinds or curtains, and it’s only dark for about five hours at night. Additionally, our stove outsmarted us. Apparently we needed an induction interface so we could make espresso or use our egg pan since the stove only recognizes a certain type of weight and material. 

It’s only been a week or two, and for that reason it’s hard to tell where this is all going to lead down the line. Maybe I’ll join a band or get a job at an Espresso House, maybe our new Roomba will attack us in the robot uprising. All I know is that even though I’m back on a mattress on the floor, I feel so lucky to be here and to have what I have now. Receiving our mattresses felt like Christmas in June, and it’s only going to keep feeling like that once our other orders come in. 

It’s such a relief to be able to unpack for the last time. I’ve been moving around a lot these past four years, and I could never invest in anything worthwhile because I was only ever there temporarily. So while it’s hard to not be able to sit anywhere when my feet are tired from walking, my family is slowly building a life full of hygge (coziness). There’s nothing like emptying my suitcase knowing I’ll never have to worry about repacking it again, fitting something in, or passing a weight check. As my favorite band, Sammy Rae and the Friends said, “I’ve got what I’ve been needing for the time being.” So, while we get our life together, do me a favor and give your chairs, shower curtains, and WiFi router a quick thank-you for their service, as we’ve been really missing those lately.