vivi torontali

Not caught up? Read Episodes 1, 2, 3, and 4.

I’ve finally reached the one-month mark of living here. Somehow it feels longer– perhaps it’s because I’m an absolute pro at getting around, or maybe it’s because my routines are fairly well-established. Every day I make bacon and eggs for breakfast, have a cup of coffee, hunt for jobs, go shopping, walk the dog with an ice cream in my hand, and then drink a bottle of wine with my mom. Pretty good life, eh? My room is complete and every inch of wall space has been covered in art. Most of our boxes have been emptied out and my dad’s boat collection has been put on display above the couch. 

As for documents and other boring stuff, we’re on a good track. So far, we have the Danish Residency, the CPR tax number, MitID, health insurance card, and a phone plan. However, my mom has been struggling with setting up her MitID. It’s a digital ID system (‘MyID’ basically), kind of like a RealID in the States. My dad and I got the MitID set up in five minutes. My mom, on the other hand, has been struggling to get her face recognized by the system. We tried with all three phones, making different faces, hairstyles, lighting, and everything. It doesn’t believe my mom’s face is her face, but her ID photo is a year old and her nose and eyebrows are in the same spot, so I don’t know what’s going wrong. Once we get her MitID sorted out, we’ll be able to open bank accounts. We just received our health insurance cards, so we can finally get our many ailments checked out (for free). 

Now that I’m actually getting around the city instead of being cooped up in my apartment all day, I’ve been learning so much about the culture here. It’s graduation season, and all of the gymnasium students (high school equivalent) are celebrating like there’s no tomorrow. For ten days straight, these happy, drunk teenagers ride around in party buses blasting music and blowing their whistles. They shoot fireworks and cheer and scream all day long, in front of my apartment complex and on every street around the country. They have these awesome hats with their names on them, and they have a blue or red band depending on their area of study, for example humanities or sciences. It really brings me back to my own high school graduation in 2021. I was not partying nearly this much. In fact, I didn’t party at all. It was in the middle of COVID and I was just excited to get out of there. When I graduated college in May, I was so distracted by moving to Denmark that I didn’t get much of a chance to celebrate. I’m living vicariously through these kids. In an alternate reality, my parents moved here 25 years ago instead of America, and I got to ride around in the party bus after my exams, never having taken an SAT in my life. 

As a way of staying curious and whimsical, I’ve been seeing all the sights and learning all the history about this beautiful country. I got to visit Niels Bohr’s and Hans Christian Andersen’s graves, the Little Mermaid statue, and the even better Genetically Modified Little Mermaid statue. I also got to visit the famous Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, a museum in the heart of Copenhagen filled with art and history throughout the ages. Some of the art pieces spoke to my heart and soul, particularly Syende Kvinde (Sewing Woman, 1880) by French painter Paul Gauguin, as well as Bondedammen ved Hellebæk (1859) by P.C. Skovgaard. Syende Kvinde depicts a woman sitting on her bed sewing, with a guitar on the wall. It’s like looking into a mirror. Bondedammen ved Hellebæk is a painting of a lake in the northeasternmost point of Denmark’s island of Zealand. It’s not the most glorious painting out there, but when I saw it I thought it was a painting of my favorite spot in Lexington, Parker Meadow. Parker Meadow was my happy place, and sometimes I imagine myself sitting by the little pond, observing the herons and ducks.

My mental map of Copenhagen is expanding the more I walk around and see familiar places and faces. In my first week here, I passed an art market sort of thing where I saw a lady selling the most beautiful bracelets I’ve ever seen in my entire life. I didn’t have enough cash on me at the time, so I bought a small one from her and hoped and prayed that I’d see her again. As luck would have it, two party buses full of graduates were causing a ruckus to my right, and when I glanced to my left I saw the bracelet lady’s stand again! I ended up buying two more bracelets from her because I couldn’t choose. I know that if I see art I can’t stop thinking about, I have to take it home.

While I’m having a great time here in Copenhagen, I always think of my friends back home who are getting absolutely cooked. It’s a nice brisk 70ºF here, while in Boston it’s hitting over 100 and Budapest is no better. Stay hydrated, wear sunscreen, and try not to catch on fire. I know the political tsunami isn’t making the heat wave feel any kinder. I hope that this blog gives you at least a small sense of hope for better times, especially when so many people are suffering an incomprehensible amount everywhere outside of my little oasis. If you are thinking of following in my footsteps, I will do what I can to help you. In the meantime, keep making as much noise as you can and keep the cooling towels ready for the 4th of July.