Tomorrow I leave for a six-week stint to the U.S. to get a much needed “dose” of all things American including catching up with friends and family. 

It’s been nine months since my last trip to the U.S. and over a year since I’ve been “home.” I am actually quite proud of myself for lasting this long as it seems I get the “itch” and need to go back after about six months. Since it will be six years this year that I’ve lived in Denmark, I suppose that the longer I live here, the longer I can manage staying in between visits home.

I know this trip will be much different for me in many ways because I have a lot of new perspectives and ways of doing things. That said, there is still a lot that I do miss that have become a sort of tradition for me when I go back. Here are just a few of the things that I’m most looking forward to when I go home.

America Here I Come - What I Look Forward to:

• Seeing and spending time with mom (and other family/friends)
• Playing with my mom’s dogs (Red & Jack)
• Chatting with strangers in shops and public places
• Smiling and getting eye contact from strangers
• Listening to the radio and watching TV and understanding 100% of what is being said all the time
• Not having to do dishes by hand
• Being able to do laundry when I feel like it
• Tasty fresh produce from California and Florida (and Texas too)
• Going to IHOP (International House of Pancakes) for breakfast, lunch and/or dinner
• Visiting the post office
• Going to Blockbuster and renting movies that have not come out yet or at all in DK
• Reading the newspaper every day and catching up on celebrity gossip in the tabloids
• Watching Stephen Colbert from “The Colbert Report,” every night that I can and cracking up
• Watching “Saturday Night Live” and getting up to date on popular culture
• Using the ice machine directly from the fridge
• Having my nails and eyebrows done (and it not costing a fortune)
• Hanging out with my cousin Julia and her new husband, meeting my third cousin and meeting Max, my close friend’s 1 year old
• People helping me while I’m shopping (providing added service)
• Getting refills at restaurants without asking for it
• Sitting in the sun every day that it’s possible (which in Texas is likely to be just about every day)
• Wearing a tank top, flip flops and shorts every day and not getting a chill!!!!
• Watching a few episodes of Oprah
• Checking e-mails using Starbuck’s wi-fi and enjoying a caffeine-free (or half caff)

 I’m sure I could think of more…but I think that covers the majors. Until next time, I’ll be high in the sky for about 14 hours starting at 8:00 am tomorrow. Vi ses næste gang!

An article on the cover of one of Denmark’s leading national newspapers, Berlingske Tiden, published a story entitled, “Desperate jagt på nye medarbejdere,” meaning “Desperate hunt for new employees.”

It states that the employment market is in such dire need for employees that four out of 10 openings are filled by people that are not qualified for the job. It also states that 15 percent of the country’s companies have completely given up on finding the the employees they need. I don’t know where these statistics come from but what strikes me is that while this seems to be the case, there is still a serious problem with foreigners securing jobs in Denmark.

In fact, just a couple of weeks ago a woman inquired into an international group that I am a member of and asked members to complete a survey she had set up about working in Denmark. She stated her motivation was to set up some kind of activity regarding working in Denmark in hopes to raise the interest of the ministerium of work. I think this means that she is working to raise awareness of the issue to the Employment Ministry or “Beskæftigelses Ministeriet.”

The motivation for her initiative:

In spite of all the news about how much Denmark needs workforce - also from abroad - the impression is, that it is difficult to find work as a foreigner.

I would have to agree. Being a foreigner myself, it took me about 1.5 years to secure a stable, permanent position. And that’s with over 10 years of experience in my field working in New York, Boston and San Francisco. I’ve also heard similar complaints on international chat groups with people expressing how bored they are because they are waiting to find work in Denmark or countless “help” requests for how to find a job here.

It’s really such a shame that Denmark has a number of highly talented, professional people living here that want to stay here that the companies do not take advantage of. It’s also unfortunate that it’s due to general cultural beliefs and attitude towards foreigners (in my opinion) that, while improving, stifles growth and hinders true integration.

It’s certainly a hot topic and one that is of major concern to many interested groups.

It’s called Feldenkrais, and it’s a method of movement that my brother told me about named after its inventor, Moshe Feldenkrais. As a dancer and choreographer, he was introduced to it recently and learned that this method also has benefits for people with central nervous system problems. I did a bit of research and found a place here in Copenhagen that offers lessons and also discovered that an American instructor was visiting and would give a workshop.

I attended this workshop last week and to be honest I didn’t really know what to expect. Since it is used by actors and dancers as well as athletes and is described as ”Awareness Through Movement (R),” I thought perhaps we would jump around and move our arms and legs like Indians to find our inner spirit. But, what I learned is that it uses very precise movements that are quite complex and intentional. They provoke an interesting response not only physically but emotionally, mentally and psychologically. It’s also known as a “pre-pilates and yoga” method that “unlocks ‘frozen’ parts of the body and corrects habitual patterns of tension and imbalance.”

It’s kind of hard to describe precisely as I think it’s very individual. The instructor, Alan Questel,  described the method as a way to ”use yourself more efficiently,” and use your skeletal system more and muscular system less and by doing this you use less energy and become more efficient and deliberate in your movements. It’s also a way of “deconstructing muscular habits” and becoming more “aware of the process.” He stated that “when you are more skeletal, neurological function improves.” 

One of the things that really struck me was the idea that as children we are fascinated by most everything around us and take the time to discover things along the way. As adults, we are more concerned with getting things done and not taking the time to pay attention to how we get there. I instantly recognized myself as the “go getter” I am.

Alan discussed Feldenkrais’ ideology and philosophy in an interview on www.achievingexcellence.com and said the following:

He (Feledenkrais) looked at the processes that occur in us as human beings. He saw that four things were always going on - thinking, feeling (on the emotional level), sensing (taking in and processing information), and moving. He believed that a shift in anyone of these aspects had the potential to produce a shift in the whole self, thereby bringing about change.

Apparently about one third of the people that do this type of body work do it because of a CNS issue, one third for orthopedic problems and one third for general self development. He recommended a few books that provide more detail about the method namely, “Body Awareness as Healing Therapy: The Case of Nora,”  and “The Elusive Obvious.” 

According to an article Alan wrote on the www.feldenkrais.com web site:

There are two main modalities of learning in the Feldenkrais Method:

Awareness Through Movement® lessons are a series of structured movement sequences that groups of people are led through verbally, utilizing attention, perception and imagination (The experiment in sitting and standing is a good example of part of an Awareness Through Movement lesson). There are over a thousand different movement lessons with movements ranging from developmentally based patterns to exceptionally innovative configurations. The movements are usually done lying down or sitting and at a pace and range that honors each participant. The major criteria for the quality of movement is comfort, ease and the development of each person’s inner authority.

Functional Integration® is a hands-on modality specifically designed to meet the needs of an individual. The practitioner, primarily through the use of his hands , guides the student towards a new or more varied use of themselves. The student is usually lying down or sitting and is fully clothed. The quality of touch is non-invasive, informative and interactive in nature.

During the session I went to, we went through a couple of exercises which were very light and comfortable. There was focus on extending the range of motion of the hip especially and working to incorporate the entire body. What started as a simple bend of the knee (laying on your back) turned into a complete movement also involving the arms, feet and torso. Once an understanding of the integration of body parts was achieved, it was practiced slowly and deliberately to one side and then the same motions were made to the other side of the body but only in the imagination - not by actually physically moving. The result was an intense relaxation, lightness and almost floating feeling. It was simply incredible. That was the immediate reaction. It must have something to do with the neurological conditioning and visualization combined that creates this chemical reaction or release of endorphins. I haven’t figured this part out yet.

What I discovered was the following day I became instinctively more aware of everything I was doing. How I stood, walked, stirred my oatmeal, etc. It reminded me of when I used to work for UPS and learned the proper way to move while lifting packages. Sayings like “pivot, don’t twist,” “lift with legs not your back,” starting popping back in my head. I also noticed that I became more clear headed and open. I feel like I have more capacity, a wider attention span and just a better rhythm.

The key just may be the torso. It’s fitting that a follow on workshop was held in Malmo this past weekend near the Turning Torso apartment building. Becoming more holistic in life doesn’t only involve being green or buying organic, it also has a lot to do with how completely you move and if you are integrating yourself as one. It’s not as obvious as you think.

 I have since learned that there are several podcasts available for download from iTunes including a few made by Alan. You can also download or listen to the podcasts at http://www.podcastdirectory.com/podcasts/28786

 For those interested, Alan also has sets of CDs from workshops he conducted in Switzerland. The sets include lessons entitled, “Falling,” “The Moment Where We Begin….An exploration between intention and action,” “The Pleasure of Challenge…The Challenge of Pleasure,” “Creating Creativity,” “Uncommon Sensing,” “Reversibility,” and “Getting Hip.” To get more info about these or to order them you can contact Alan directly at ASQUESTEL@aol.com 

Cheers!  

I seemed to have found a counterpart…a Dane living in the U.S. who is blogging about what he observes about being a Dane in America. Rasmus Rasmussen, not to be mistaken for Niels Nielsen, Hans Hansen or Jens Jensen, recently blogged about “100 Differences” between Denmark and the U.S. Many of these I have realized of course and some I hadn’t really thought about like the following:

“Toilet bowls generally have more water in them in the US.”

“There are no doorknobs to speak of in Denmark only door handles.”

“Danish buildings don’t have fire-escapes on the outside Which is common in the US.”

“In Denmark you never see crutches that go above the elbow.”

While I generally agree with the majority of these, I do think that some of it illustrates the difference in how Danes perceive Americans or American culture. Perhaps it’s just misunderstanding because of things being taken out of context. I believe if I made a similar list, which I actually may, I’m sure it would be biased by my American eyes. One of the things I would add is that in Denmark they have houses made with straw roofs, in America, they don’t.

I can’t remember exactly when I first learned about Deepak. I believe it was from iTunes. A couple of years ago I started *searching* for some relaxing music to listen to and something to help distract me from my pain. I ended up downloading “The Soul of Healing Meditations,” which I still enjoy to this day. Since I enjoyed it so much, I started to explore this Deepak person and listened to his audio book called “The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success,” which really resonated with me. Being raised in the Catholic church has left me a little puzzled with religion and his simple guidelines really make sense to me.

So, over the past couple of years, I’ve been inspired by his views, music and his voice. He has a sort of magical voice that puts your brain in a trance and keeps you interested. He also has the range and depth to speak about topics from Eastern and Western medicine, science, religion, history, philosophy and rattles off quotes by famous people like no tomorrow. He is simply a great teacher and philosopher himself.

He’s also now on the brink of becoming a bit contraversial in the Christian community due to his latest book entitled, “The Third Jesus, The Christ we Cannot Ignore.” A recent Dallas Morning News article covered the book release yesterday and stated that: 

“Chopra examines the teachings of Jesus not in the context of his historical existence as a rabbi of Nazareth, and not in light of the Christian belief that he is the son of God, but as ‘a cosmic Christ’ — Jesus as a state of mind.”

One of the other audio books I listened to, or at least attempted to was “The New Physics of Healing,” which I have to admit was a bit too deep for me. I am interested in the phenomenon of Quantum physics but it can be hard to get your head around. Is what we see really there or isn’t it?

Anyway, last night I had the opportunity to see Deepak speak in Copenhagen and hear him speak about the “nature of human consciousness.” I also had the chance to get my book signed, which was very exciting, as well as give him a very solid hand shake.

He wore these super funky, and what looked like they could be women’s, glasses with lots of sparkly red and white rhinestones on them, and he seemed very present, relaxed and at ease.

 As for the speech, he covered a lot of ground. His main message was about consciousness existing in discontinuity. He spoke about the difference between happiness in ignorance versus happiness in enlightenment, the law of impermanence, Nirvana being the ultimate reality, Quantum leaps of creativity, meta-biological evolution, the non-local domain, synchronicity, hidden dimensions, and the realm of the unmanifest.

He also mentioned that while he was researching for an upcoming book he explored the habits of some of the world’s great leaders and learned that they each sit in silence for at least five minutes every day. He said that how people see things or perceive things makes up about 80% of what determines their happiness and that less than 8% is determined by a person’s conditions for their life. I thought this was particularly interesting in light of the discussions around Denmark being named “the happiest place in the world.”

He also talked about an initiative he’s spearheading called The Alliance for a New Humanity whose mission it is to:

“connect people, who, through personal and social transformation, aim to build a just, peaceful, and sustainable world, reflecting the unity of all humanity.”

A video about the initiative can be seen HERE. And if you are interested in learning more about Deepak, visit his blog at www.deepakchopra.com or the site of the Chopra Center of Wellbeing.  

All in all, it was a great experience. I am left with a new way of looking at things and “a positive way of thinking,” as my husband describes his own reaction. I was once again reminded of “The Power of Now,” and impotance of living in the moment and letting go of the past or to “live, breath and move in the unknown.” I also took along some insight into neuropeptides and their potential role in my post-meningitis pain signals, which is interesting to say the least.

I saw a little bit of myself in one of Deepak’s Secrets to Enlightenment, which was that ”we live in multi-dimensions.” I swear I can be in 10 places at the same time! It’s what he describes as observations coming and going, having a “there goes my body but here I am” kind of state, sychronicity, spontaneous self-fulfillment of desire, the realm of miracles, experience of immortality or feeling of/being in love.

Finally, it was simply an honor to shake the hand of a person that has provided me with such a great amount of inspiration and to tell him that in person.

Since I am having such a hard time finding the words to describe my stay at Lanserhof, I’ve decided to make a presentaiton of the photos I took while I was there. I believe this is a good representation of what I experienced despite the lost details of describing a Fango pack, energy body therapy, cupping, base powder, bitter water, lymph drainage, stomach treatment, chewing training and craniosacral therapy, I’ll let this speak for itself.

Enjoy!
 

In the meantime, I have just found another video produced by Lanserhof as a sort of commerical. Check this one out too! I believe it’s the same music as “Desperate Housewives” though…or it might be “American Beauty” I can’t figure out which. Not sure what to think of that.

I just learned that Copenhagen’s Metro was voted the best subway in the world at the Metro Rail conference this year. The Copenhagen Metro is a super transport system and since we live right next to a stop, I must say it does make our lives easier when we want to get into the city without a car. It’s driverless and automated, runs quietly and is still relatively clean not to mention sporting a sleek design. What else would you expect in the world capitol of design and elegant aesthetics?

However! During its first three years of operation, the Metro was responsible for me waiting for extreme periods with no information provided, not to mention being late and not able to get home in a timely fashion. It was so ridiculous how many delays there were that we stopped using the Metro. I just find it extremely amazing that now, just a couple short years later, it’s voted “best in the world.” Obviously they are not taking its track record into account. It is fast and efficient when it’s working, yes. But it hasn’t been without its share of teething problems.

Also, just to point out that there was mention that the Copenhagen Metro was voted by experts from other metros like New York, Tokyo and London. I have a hard time understanding how these metros can be seen in the same ball park. It’s a little like comparing the choo-choo train in Tivoli with the high-speed rail of the Euro Star. I mean no disrespect at all because as I said, the Metro is a terrific public transport system when it’s working properly. And since I personally had so many bad experiences, I felt the need to express this.

I’m just glad that they were able to sort out the problems and impressed that have achieved this accolade. Obviously they have been able to correct it, which after that many years of problems is a major accomplishment. So, congratulations Copenhagen Metro, it looks like you are growing up!

Well, for one thing, the birds are starting to chirp 24/7. We slept with the window open last night and I woke up several times due to this constant chirping. My first thought however was how nice it will be when sun starts to rise around 3:00 am.

The sun set tonight just after 8:00 pm due to the time change and people are already taking advantage of it. Just now on a short walk around the hood, I noticed a couple with children in their strollers eating ice cream! Yes, that’s right, Danes can’t wait to start eating ICE CREAM! I have never seen more people eating ice cream in my life since I’ve moved here.

In other news, I learned today that a company called Project Better Place, which aims to provide electric facilities in cities to support the proliferation of electric cars, announced plans to implement the necessary infrastructure to bring electronic cars to Denmark. This would make DK the second country to have these facilities besides Israel. The electricity will supposedly be generated by wind turbines. In the press release, it states, “Within the next few years, Better Place Denmark is to introduce environmentally friendly, battery driven EVs to the streets of Denmark.” I just hope that they are also planning on building more parking places!

Another interesting news bit is that Danish women have won the right to sunbathe topless at bathing areas including beaches and pools, reports The Daily Mail. Apparently this was up for debate by a group called “The Topless Front,” that believes women should be viewed as equals to men when it comes to bearing the chest.  The leader of the group was quoted saying that women should decide when their breasts should be considered sexual or not. Here’s a news flash, they pretty much are no matter what you want others to think. It may be natural, but in the end it’s human nature you’re talking about.

 Finally, I learned about a new web site dedicated to Danish design, crafts and architecture called Danish Edge run by the Danish Ministry of Culture. The site brings together the Danish Design Center, Danish Crafts and the Danish Architecture Center to promote Danish design. It features loads of very cool, modern designers like Cecile Manz, Johannes Torpe and Rune Reilly Kolsch worth checking out. Some other cool crafts featured are a make-shift rubber tub and vaginal mirror, or basically things you never knew you didn’t need.

That’s all the news for today and enough random topics in one post!

There is nothing like the soft, light and warm feeling of true relaxation. I’m not talking about the kind where you simply prop your feet up, kick back on the sofa and watch TV. I’m talking about falling gradually and swiftly deeper and deeper into a state of utter relaxation where you feel like a pile of mash potatoes. It is not easy to attain this soft, fluffy and airy existence let alone retain it, but it is precisely what I experienced last week at Lanserhof. It was truly an experience of a lifetime.

I am still continuing the “cure” as they call it, at home and it’s been relatively easy. A strict diet, lots of rest and recuperation. I have managed to continue my Qi Gong exercises as well as my day and evening long tea drinking. I have a new found love of all kinds of herbal teas and am particularly fond of the fennel tea made from steeped and crushed whole fennel seeds. Who knew? Fennel tea has lots of benefits I have come to learn inclusing anti-spasmodic (good for me and anti-bacteria, and it’s also good for calming a baby’s digestive system.  

The regimen last week not only took layers and layers of stress, tension and mental and emotional baggage from my body, it also left me almost three kilos lighter. Yes, just over five pounds in ONE WEEK! And I’m still continuing this.

As the journey continues, the benefits are unraveling. It is amazing what happens when you strip everything down to its core. Restriction can only been seen as a gift in the end.

While my intent was to blog about my stay at Lanserhof while I experienced it, I have found myself completely consumed and a tad overwhelmed. In between appointments, I have been either resting or taking the opportunity to enjoy the incredible nature and great company. The resort is perfectly situated with the most breathtaking views of the Tyrolean mountains. It has been an incredible journey in my short stay and I surely have a lot that I want to express about it, but it will have to wait until I’ve had time to take this all in and process it all properly.

 What I can say is that this experience has gone well beyond my expectations and I am now certain that the things I am learning here will be of great benefit for years to come. Until next time, be well and do like they do at Lanserhof and enjoy a cup of herbal tea - caffeine free of course!

 Cheers from Austria and Happy Easter.