First Lesson: More Than Just a Language Course October 19, 2022
Today was a special day - our first Danish lesson. And what can I say? It couldn't have gone better. Our teacher Dorte, a delightful woman in her seventies from Randers (I think it's somewhere in central Denmark), is like a living embodiment of everything we love about Denmark. In her calm, composed way, her warmhearted presence, and her cozy demeanor, she brings exactly what we associate with the Danish way of life. She is hygge personified.
The language itself? Well, it lives up to its reputation! We can already say "Hej" and "Hvordan går det?" (how are you?) and introduce ourselves - but goodness, the pronunciation is quite a challenge. Sometimes it feels like you have to tie your tongue in knots. But Dorte takes away our fear of making mistakes, and somehow it's just fun despite all the difficulty.
The most beautiful moment came when we got to introduce ourselves to the group. First in German - a clever idea from Dorte so we could really express ourselves. There was this young woman dreaming of an Erasmus semester, another with family in Denmark, and an older lady who wants to chat with her grandchildren in Copenhagen in Danish. All these personal, touching stories.
And then it was our turn. "We're going to emigrate," we said, and in that exact moment something magical happened. It was like a switch flipped. Speaking these words out loud, in front of other people, made it real. No longer just a vague dream, no longer just a possibility - but a decision. Our path.
I looked at Michael, he looked at me, and we both knew: This is it. This is no longer foolishness, no longer a phase, no longer just a romantic vacation fantasy. We're really going to do this. We're really going to emigrate to Denmark.
The rest of the lesson flew by while we tried not to mangle our first Danish words too badly. But that inner certainty remained. It's still here as I write these lines.
"Vi vil flytte til Danmark" - "We will move to Denmark." That's one of the sentences we'll still be learning. But the feeling behind it, we've already pronounced that perfectly today.
PS: Dorte has the same coffee cups as we do, by the way - the ones with the Dannebrog. Sometimes it's the small signs that tell you you're on the right path.
