I got up before Grethe left for work this morning to thank her for her hospitality and to say good-bye. It wasn't as sad as saying good-bye to some of my friends here, because Grethe is certain to visit in Texas with her next trip tentatively planned for when she retires in less than two years. I had to tease her a bit by saying, "I don't see my breakfast set out on the table for me!" And also by saying she had been "pretty good" during this visit. She always does far more than she should. That's probably partially related to the reason she is a nurse. She knows she is a good host, and I think she sees my teasing as confirmation of that!
My flight to Berlin is in the evening. That was originally planned because the other choice was one in the morning that was too early for me to want to rush to make it. But the timing worked out perfectly for me, because I still had one more friend I wanted to visit who was not available last week.
Ib is a fellow teacher I met through Old Grethe* (one of Arne's best and oldest friends who is now deceased) many years ago. He used to teach history and has taught Danish to refugees taking up residence in Denmark for many years now. He and I really enjoyed visiting and started seeing each other every time I would come to town. Later, when he met Ana, a Brazilian woman, married her, and moved to Rio with her, we continued to see each other every time I traveled to Brazil. We even had a meeting in China one time when I was traveling there and he was there on a trip for the faculty of his school here in Copenhagen. Therefore, our friendship has lasted for many years with visits on three continents.
He is currently living back in Denmark building up his pension prior to retirement and has an apartment in Amager between the center of Copenhagen and the airport. Therefore, we made plans for me to stop there on the way to the airport for a visit today.
Ib made a breakfast
for us when I arrived at 11:00—nice seeded rolls with cheese and
jam. Then we set out for a walk. He took me to an old nearby
fortress with nice views toward Sweden, toward the airport, and
toward downtown. Then we walked across the street onto AmagerStrandpark—a long beach in 5 sections. We walked the entire distance
of the beach watching children playing organized games to keep them
busy during school holidays and local residents just enjoying being
out in the sea breezes. At the other end of the beach, we came out
where Torben’s and Erik’s apartment is where we had a party last
Monday. Ib has a special coffee shop he likes near there, so we went
there. But instead of coffee, we had very spicy ginger shots.
Back at his
apartment, we continued to visit. He told me that schools are being
privatized which leads to higher expectations related to the amount
of work a teacher must perform. He discussed the recent trip made by
all the teachers in his school to Bosnia to try to understand the
situation there that caused lots of refugees from there to end up
living in Denmark and taking classes at their school. We discussed
his retirement plans and how decisions he makes always involve
limitations based on the income he can expect when he starts
receiving his pension—in at least one year, but maybe not until two
years.
Ib’s 18-year-old
daughter was home and visited with us late in the afternoon when Ib
prepared tapas based on a Mediterranean diet. I had not seen her
since she was about 3 years old, because she remained in Brazil with
her mother when Ib returned to Copenhagen for his teaching job. We
discussed her plans for a career—an interest in designing clothes
and having her own boutique. She is beginning a new
program at the business school to prepare her for this. We also
discussed the loneliness of school holidays when all your friends are
out of town.
After the tapas, I
caught a bus to the airport and checked in for my flight to Berlin.
Dieter, a long-time friend who was partially responsible for me
meeting Arne, was at the airport when I arrived. We took the bus
back to his apartment where we sat on the balcony catching up on each
other’s news with a full moon shining down on us.
It had been a long
day for me, so I excused myself and went to bed while Dieter watched
the news. With two visits in one day, I was having trouble anyway
remembering what I had told Ib vs. what I had told Dieter!
*Names are a problem in Denmark, because so many people share the same names--both first and last. I have known three Grethes all at the same time. The way that Dane's handle this is by using a reference with the name that clarifies which one it is. (Last names don't help, because most last names are as common as "Smith" in the US.) So I am staying with Nurse Grethe right now. Arne's step-mother was Evy's (Arne's sister) Grethe. Arne's close friend was Old Grethe. Similarly, Arne is a popular name, and we had another friend with that name. Because he had a dog, everyone who knew both of the Arne's referred to him as Dog Arne. Whereas my Arne was known by everyone as Randy's Arne.)
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