vivi torontali

Not caught up? Read “Leaving a life behind” and “Moving in (finally)”

After almost two weeks in the new apartment, it’s starting to look like a home. In the beginning, we were bored in the empty space with nothing to assemble or put away, and overnight it became absolute chaos. We would sit on the windowsill, a yoga mat, and Nudli’s bed because we were waiting and waiting for a couch or some chairs. Our backs hurt like hell, and we could barely understand each other because the empty apartment was creating so much reverb. Day by day, we would build our newly arrived furniture and order more of what we needed. Over a week since the move-in date, we finally got our couch. My mom was reluctant to test it out once we assembled it because she was afraid she’d never get back up. Honestly, I felt the same way. The couch also acts as a sound absorber which has been a game changer, especially in the morning when I’m the last to wake up. Additionally, I received my bed frame. Let me tell you, it makes a huge difference to be a foot off the ground. It’s an amazing feeling knowing I’ll never have to sleep on a mattress on the floor again. 

Last week, my parents and I were supposed to get our tax numbers, or CPR numbers. We met with our relocation advisor at the municipality office, and only there did we find out that our appointment got cancelled due to an update in the office’s system. Since then, we got a new appointment, but we’ve been delayed more than we’d like. We can’t get employed until we receive the CPR number. The good news is that my dad already scored an interview with our moving company! My mom has been reading a book about navigating the professional world in Denmark, which has been super helpful in preparing for an eventual position. 

Since we’ve been so bored the past few days, I started a new embroidery project. I know, shocking. If you know anything about me, it’s that I always have a creative project going on, and oftentimes I bite off more than I can chew. This time, I’m making a table runner with a traditional Hungarian kalocsa design on it. The design and drawing is entirely original and took absolutely forever to get right. It’s almost two meters long, enough to span the full extended length of our dining table. I hope it’ll be done by Christmas, or maybe next Christmas.

I got so ready to make this table runner, but maybe in vain. In the afternoon of June 11th, my sister, now back in the States, called my family with some important news. She informed us that our moving boxes are arriving the next morning at 9am. We were very unprepared for the chaos that would ensue. We still have nowhere to put our things, and we only recently ordered storage solutions. The night before my sister called, I was arguing with my mom about whether we should order two shelving units or just one. We all assumed we’d have at least another week or two before the boxes arrived. Both sides of the argument became void after we got the news– it’s not that we don’t have enough furniture to store everything in time, it’s that we don’t have any at all. 

Thus began the chaos. We decided we’d spend maybe three hours a day working on the boxes and no more or we’d go insane. The weather finally warmed up to a lovely 70 degrees, and there was no way we were going to waste our beautiful Danish summer headaching over a bunch of boxes. I’ve lived long enough without my wall decor and trinkets, I could afford to take it slow. Maybe it’s because being away from America has cleansed me, but I find that all the problems I have in my life now are all good problems to have. Instead of quaking in our boots fearing ICE, we’re panicking over how the hell we’re going to clear all these boxes and arguing over how many shelving units to buy.

I know I mentioned this in my last blog post, but receiving our boxes felt like Christmas, and it will only continue to do so. All the things we lived without since April we now get to unpack and enjoy. No more finding ways around a potato masher, no more wondering when I’ll get to play guitar again. Every bubblewrap I ripped apart felt like opening a present, except that all these items already have memories attached to them. I have a functional ceramic whistle I made in high school, a duck I painted in freshman year of college, and so many stuffed animals I’ve had since I was a baby. My mom was stoked to see her Swiffer dusters and soap dispenser, and my dad was very excited for his tools and model boats. The most exciting thing I received was my bike. I now get to have the full Danish experience riding in luxury on a Vivi brand electric bike. Yes, it literally has my name on it, and it was entirely coincidental. I’ve seen some bikes around Copenhagen that are in rough shape, and my bike will stand out because of its unspoiled look and incredible speed capabilities. Bike theft in Denmark is quite a problem, so the latest argument was how many locks are too many locks? Again, all things considered, this is a good problem to have.

With enough pints of Ben & Jerry’s and even more bottles of wine, one day we will consider ourselves fully moved in. The next steps for us are finding jobs and opening accounts at Danske Bank once we get our CPR numbers. While all that is going on, we’ll be installing Nudli’s new house, our TV, and my hammock on the terrace. I mentioned the idea of coziness, or hygge, in my last post– I feel like our hygge is really starting to develop in the giant chaos we call our apartment.