Tag — denmark
CPH:Day One
Well friends, 9.5 hours after take off and we are in Denmark.
Paul has an interview for a job here, and we are ever so close to relocating. Although, one does have to wonder at the wisdom of a chatterbox like me immigrating to a country where it’s rude to make small talk with strangers! I’ve already offended a woman by cooing at her ugly-cute mutt, and alienated another by commenting on her terrific orange eyeglasses. Sigh. It will certainly be hard for me to curb the urge to talk to every child and elderly person in site. It could only be worse for my soulmate Jen, who regularly accosts strangers at Trade Joe’s in order to tell their fortunes and issue blessings.
Copenhagen is not one of those world-class stunners of a city. Foregoing flash, this small wonder has cornered the market on charm. From what we have seen so far it’s squat and well kept—a low-rise city with darling balconies jutting out everywhere. I can’t shake the impression of an old maiden aunt who’s kept her self quite well. Reserved preservation seems to be the key here. Unlike our car crazy city, Copenhagen seems to be populated almost entirely of bicycles. Already I’ve seen a woman riding her bike in a skirt, stockings, high heals, and a fur coat. The only thing cuter than the bikes are all the babies in old-fashioned prams making there way down the strassa. Since only the dog would acquiesce to riding in a pram, I’m dreaming instead of an Electra cruiser with wicker basket and an efficient little bell. (Eden’s only requirement for her new bike is the “dinger bell” – Cate insists on streamers.)
We’ve checked into the vintage Hellerup Park Hotel. Our small room with the yellow curtains is the epitome of Denmark’s national goal of being hyggelig (who-gull-ie), or “cozy.” I once heard travel guru Rick Steves say, “You’ll rarely see Danes sitting down without a candle between them.” This is true even in our tiny rented room – a candle waits for us on the side table. Everyone is helpful and polite, and I think our dinner waitress might just be in love – Paul miscalculated the exchange rate and gave her a $25 dollar tip!
Decision
This week’s theme at Mama Says Om is “decision.” We happen to be standing on the edge of a pretty big decision. We are looking at some employment opportunities overseas. This comes up every six months or so, and up until now there’s not been a very good fit. But something new is on the horizon and we’re wondering if it might be for us.
There’s a kind of artwork that I do which I tend to think of as “art as spiritual journey.” These pieces are more craft and meditation than they are actual “art.” (Whatever that means.) I often find that they solidify a concept I’m trying to get my head around, or point me in a direction that I didn’t know I was longing for. Working on this piece for Mama Says Om helped me feel like the possibility of relocating was real, was firm. The collage embodied a concept in a way that my mental imagination alone could not. Now I feel like if we pursue this as an option it’s less ethereal — there’s something solid to stand on, and that is making me feel less afraid of the exploration.
To make this collage I used a piece of stationary with a travel theme as a background and applied a map from a European tour book. The birds are a stamp I carved out of a wine cork. The big red “you are here” arrow was cut out of electrical tape and the letters are stickers that I cut up so they didn’t look quite as scrapbook-y. Small pricing tags from an office supply store detail out the verb “to decide.” More stickers on the bottom spell out what I’d have to do if I moved out of familiar surrounds. The sentence in handwriting says “I have a fork” in Danish — the only thing I remember from the round of language lessons I took a year ago. (Actually, that’s not true. I also remember the word for apron and the word for living room … I’m sure those three things will take me a L-O-N-G way!)
Mama Says Om is a great experiment to help creative mom’s hold on to their art-and-soul. You can play too! Just check the weekly theme, and write, photograph, paint, collage, or whatever your way to a post on the topic. Then link to Mama Says Om to inspire and be inspired. Mama Says Om is brought to you by the wondergals at Elaine and Krystyn.
Ps. Here’s some links to other art-as-meditation projects that I’ve done in the past. A little note for context…I am an ordained minister and work with artists who are trying to find a new way to practice old faiths, as well as with interfaith communities, and with women who are trying to access the feminine divine. I teach workshops on art-based meditative practices. Contact me if your interested in booking me for a conference or retreat. moi at magpie dash girl dot com.
Other Stuff
spring equinox
dia de los meurtos: derrida (by Lindell Alderman), altar for darfur
feminine divine,
ignatian examen high point,
ignatian examen, low point
thank you
perched
tsunami intercession
justice (by Rebecca Dallin),
The Ramadan Collection
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