December 2020

Christmas - do I have to say more?

December was a wild month. There were Ups and Downs, which just made me learn more about myself and the way I handle different situations. But still, altogether I have had a very nice Chrismtastime and had it cosy.

Christmastime in Svendborg

The first thing I noticed in December was the fact that it got very dark. I drove to work or school in darkness and came home in darkness. There were days when I didn't even see the sun. Of course, it was tricky in the beginning, as I wasn't used to so much darkness, but in the end, I could live with it and knew exactly how to cheer me up.

That feeling of being overwhelmed by the darkness stuck with me for some time. It also kind of initiated a feeling of homesickness, which was a little had to get over this time, but, as Axl Rose used to sing: Nothing lasts forever, even no November Rain. (this one should've came last month, huh)

my mornings in Svendborg

Even though we were a little restricted at work, I was gladly doing my tasks. I am extremely happy there, so I can't complain. We are all going through the same situation at times like this, so we can help each other out. I would've never thought, that I would feel so included at my workplace.

the 'julelys' I have made for work (it should be a candle you burn every day until Christmas, but candles are not allowed there)

At Genbrugskontakten it was quite busy most of the times, as Christmas was coming. My tasks were, once again, all ove the place: staying at the cashier's desk, sorting out things or driving out in our big bus with the boys. I even met some Romanias, talked to them, translated it to English AND served a customer in Danish - all at the same time. I was very proud, as I never thought, I could do that!

the stuff we got most at Genbrugskontakten - different (nice) dishes

Something, that slowly crept up one me, were old feelings and old thoughts. I started feeling anxious more often, than I used to, so I knew something was off in my mind and I had to do something about it. I tried sticking to my routines, taking my daily walks and not being behind on deadlines. For me, those coping mechanisms worked pretty well and I got into my normal state again after a few quite hard days.

As it was the month of Christmas, I baked some Romanian cookies for the family. Kristyna was so sweet to help me with them, as they were a lot more work than I had anticipated. We did not only bake Christmas cookies, but also made Christmas cards for our friends and families together.

Kristyna, being the sweetheart she is, helping me

December was also the month of some new Corona restrictions. They announced stricter rules, almost a whole lockdown. I didn't go to work for my usual hours and my last Danish classes of the year were online. We stayed as home as much as we could. The numbers were rising every day. It was a pretty scary and boring time, but luckily, I had the company of my host parents and Kristyna, which enlightened my mood every single day.

Nevertheless, I have to say, that a certain kind of inner peace came to me at the beginning of the lockdown. I was happy to even be able to stay in Denmark and do my work here. Even though it is not what I hav imagined, it's still a valuable experience in my life, for which I am happy about and thankful for.

Speaking of my host parents, they took me to a Christmas concert with them. It was really nice, I enjoyed myself there. It was in the theatre of Svendborg and the music was also good, which I somehow did not expect.

a very bad picture of the very beautiful theatre

An activity, which also helped me through hard times, was watching Vild med Dans with my host parents on Saturdays. With a glass of wine in hand, we sat in the living room and watched people dancing. (you can compare it to Dancing Stars in Austria)

I also passed my first test in Danish language! I mean, it was only a 5-minute conversation with one of the teachers, but I am still proud of me. It wasn't that hard, so I'm curious about and excited for the second one!

The weather was still quite nice most of the times, so I took my bike to Egebjerg in order to visit the mill there. It was sunny and I enjoyed my tour!

me not having the most beautiful outfit, but definitely the warmest

Christmas Evening was very beautiful. I was a little nervous about it, as it was my first time not spending Christmas at home with my family. But I felt very welcomed, had fun and enjoyed the time. It was extremely interesting to eyperience another kind of Christmas in another country and I will never forget this evening. It will be in my heart and my mind forever. 

me (and Kristyna) decorating our Christmas tree

On the 25th, I flew to Austria  and went into quarantine for five days at my friend's house. We surprised my mother, my grandparents and my best friend. They were all very happy and, well, surprised to see me. I even could spend New Years's Evening mith my best friend, which became quite a tradition. Before flying there, I had very mixed feelings about it. I thought, I would be wasting ym time there and that it was not really necessary for me to go on this trip. In the end, I celebrated flying home and seeing some of my favourite people again (from the distance, though). It was a weird, but nice experience and I had fun, but I also realised, that I really need my time up here in Denmark. I am in the middle of growing into the person I always aspired to be, so I gladly returned to continue my journey in the stunning country named Denmark. 

my mother (after being mad at me for not telling her I would come)

my grandmother (after not even reconizing me in the darkness)

my grandfather (the most emotional of all)

on New Year's Eve, on which we took a hike with A LOT of snow

Negative:

• being homesick for people in Austria
• weird and mixed feelings about my whole situation
• it got very hard to journal every day
• Corona-anxiety
• coping with little things was sometimes difficult

Positive:

• security from Kristyna
• communication with my contact person
• finding support in a lot of people
• being proud of me for various reasons
• the zoom-call with other volunteers from my On Arrival Training
• being appreciated by my colleagues
• baking a cake
• having my 'vacation' in Austria

our dagmartærte (:

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