I’m on the hunt for a Kringle sign. A Danish baker sign. The Danes hang these outside every bakery in Denmark. If you know of where I can get one, let me know.
I’ve been hunting for a lot of things over the past few weeks. Trying to find familiar brands or equivalent products (mainly BBB related) that I’ve been using in New Zealand. Talcum powder (baby pudder) eludes me. I seemed to have missed the memo that it’s no longer ‘the thing’ to use and barely used here in DK. I’ve asked a few people why (there was a small mention in NZ media just recently about some cancer related research and I thought this might have been why). But it doesn’t seem to be the reason. More just a general concern about causing allergies (I think). Either way, if you plan on visiting us, bring some Johnsons & Johnsons please.
After successfully working out what supermarkets to get the cheapest nappies from in New Zealand. I’ve begun the search again here. Huggies dominate the market in NZ but in Denmark it seems to be Pampers & Tibelly (& a few others I haven’t learnt yet). None of which have the magic green line to tell me when it’s wet which Huggies in NZ do. So I’ve had to go old school and uses my senses to recognise this instead. We don’t have our own laundry room in the apartment so using reuseable nappies is a tad more challenging and I’ve not begun using these again here.
Due to my limited (ok, non-existent) Danish, grocery shopping has been interesting. I have a consistent habit of reading the wrong sign for the product I’m buying. But thankfully Orange Juice (Aeblesin juice) is the same price as children’s socks. Other shops are a bit more helpful as I come to grips with the language & currency. IKEA helpfully put diagrams on their products so I know where not to put BBB.
Where not to put BBB - thanks IKEA.
The Danish government still haven’t officially recognised me and therefore I do not have my ‘magic’ (CPR) number. Until I get this I can’t open a bank account, receive healthcare or begin my three years free education in learning Danish (which includes both language tuition and Danish Social Studies). Yet I’ll still need to pass a Danish language test in about 6 months time to ensure my Resident Visa remains valid. So BBB & I have begun our own studies reading the same books from the local library. I can see BBB watching and listening with much curiosity to the new language around her. It’s a race now to see who’ll become fluent first.
The Danish language lessons have begun.
Tomorrow Jesper returns to work after taking 3 weeks paid parental leave. With 16 (yes, 16!) more paid weeks to use up until BBB turns 9. Not bad huh? Unheard of in New Zealand and largely the rest of the world I think.
Tomorrow BBB & I will continue our hunt for a Kringle with our research most likely beginning at our local bakery. Yes, tomorrow we will buy pastries.
Learnings this week:
· My Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell has been a great induction manual to our new life (recommended read!)
· Danish immigration systems are painfully complicated - in a “I want to poke my eyeballs out” sort of way
· Nappies don’t have the magic green line on them in Denmark
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