Du har langt hår nu! /You have long hair now!

It's nearly been a week since I have arrived back in lovely Danmark. After 20 hours of flying, I arrived in CPH at 7am and picked up by the lovely Marianne. I expected coming back to feel like a little 'de ja vu' because my arrival time was similar, the people picking me up was the same and I was taken back to the same house and had the same Dansk breakfast that I had last time I came. Except there was no reminders and feelings of last time. I wasn't a bundle of nerves with a surge of sadness and homesickness running through my body, this time there was excitement, happiness and comfort. Comfort in that everything was the same and completely normal. This past week I have been somewhat busy. The day I arrived I went to a Rotary meeting. I met the current exchange student and the two other going out (to aus and usa) in July. I've been for walks on my beach and seen beautiful sunsets over my bridge. I had dinner with the Astrid in Slagelse. It was so good to see her, I have missed my lovely danish friend!

 I moved from Per and Marianne's to Sussie and Martin's (host fam no.3) where we had girls nights- consisting of chick flicks, tea and dansk lollies. I made 'Shepard's pie' for dinner one night and the second we had 'kebab pizza'- which I have missed extremely much. I got to spend some quality time with the girls and Sussie before I moved once again to Hanne and Claus (host fam no.1) where I will spend most of the remainder of my time here. Last night we had a dinner with Helen and Henrik (host fam no.2 and neighbor to Hanne and Claus) where Hanne made a lovely pavlova from scratch! 

my first dansk sunset!

I was asked today if there was something special about DK, or what I loved the most about DK as to why I came back. The question is something I have been thinking about for a while. There are so many things I love about DK but I honestly I think it was my experience here that is what makes DK so special. There is something about the people and the displays of kindness and love you are given that just gets under your skin. For the 12 months I was here I watched people take me into their home and spend their time and money on me. They let me eat their food, steal their internet and most importantly be a part of their family. Now that I am back, I watch them do it all again. I am so grateful to them and I am just so happy to be a part of their lives again!

(I had almost bob when I was here last so now that my hair is below the shoulders I have had at least three times 'you have long hair now')

Hejjjj!

Hello/Hej and Welcome to my new blog!
I am off travelling again for what I hope to be for 9-10 months and I'm leaving tomorrow. I found that blogging last time (if you're new to my life try charlzdenmark.blogspot.com.au -that might fill you in ) was a great way to vent/talk/express/ make sense of my travelling days but I also found it a great way to show all the beautiful people in my life a window into my world, as unfortunately sometimes I can't be in theirs.
 This blog is called Rejseplan- and to the non Danish speakers (maybe even Swedish or Norwegian speakers), Rejseplan means, directly translated to English, Itinerary- It can mean to make or have travel plans. I don't know why I chose to call my new blog this. I mean I picked it for the obvious- it's meaning, but I felt I wanted something Danish because my time in Denmark is part of the very reason why my desire to travel and experience different worlds is so great.

So what are my travel plans? First of all I'm going back to DK where I will spend a month. This time is  for catching up with friends and families and to experience the country in a new light. I want to see DK again through different eyes. I want see how everything is the same and different all at once. Even though part of me is a little scared that going back may ruin that 'fairy tale' land that I lived in for 12 months. What if maybe it wasn't as great as I experienced or remembered? However, I'm about 1% scared and about 99% excited because finally I'll be able to go home. I'll be able to touch, to talk, to laugh and to see the people that I have missed so much. I'll be able to physically be back in a place that gave me so much comfort and happiness... and that, that THRILLS me.

After DK, I'm going to to Ireland where I will predominately spend the rest of my time. I'm going to be working in a family as an Aupair. This means I'll be looking after three very cute girls and being apart of the family. I can't tell you when it was that I even knew Au-pairing existed but I can tell you when it was and what I was doing when I decided I wanted to be one. I was on the train with my 2nd cousin (but I just call her my cousin, it's all too technical) Cathy, who lives in Ireland and we were coming back from a day well spent in Dublin. She was telling about all her aupair stories.. about the good times and the not so good times. But I remember thinking 'that's my next travel adventure, I have to experience this and when I come back to Europe this is exactly what I'll be doing'. So here I am, starting the job in May and I can't wait. I expect that it won't be easy. I have experience working with children but I'm not a mother or a teacher so I feel I have a lot to learn but exchange really did teach me everything and what it taught me that with a bit of confidence and passion I can do anything. So just as well I love children right? (I hope that last bit was read with a bit of humour)

I hope to get many wonderful things out of my time away. I hope to see amazing new places, eat new foods, meet lovely new people and experience new cultures. However, most importantly I hope to enrich myself in a new way. I want to add layers to the person I am now. I want my brain to think more and more widely (even though sometimes I would kill for a little quiet time up there). I want my heart to grow, to accept and to understand more about the people and the very world we live in.
I am just a very small piece of this huge world and the only way I know how to better myself, how to enrich myself is to meet and experience the other pieces of this world.

 I have said a lot of goodbye's these past few weeks and there are a few that I haven't had the chance to get. I will miss my beautiful family, friends and dog. I will miss my country and the comfort of familiarity, routine and Mum's hugs. However, from last time I learnt, that you can miss these things all you want. You can miss them so much you don't want to get out of bed in the morning-that you actually think your heart hurts too much from missing them, but that's it, you can go on and you have a life to live. You can't stop your life or never seek the unknown because you are scared of a little pain, because you won't have a safety net. So I am off... I will miss all those that are back home dearly but I am off to see the other people and places that I have missed so much, I am off to meet new people and places that I know when I return back to Australia I will miss so much as well.

So Goodbye Australia, it's not forever I promise!