Today, I’m munching on one of my favorite simple breads here in Denmark, a boller. Which is basically a breakfast roll. My favorite kind is from a local supermarket, føtex, and it’s got some wheat or rye (maybe?) flour and is studded with dried fruit and nuts. Soft bread, cranberries and hazelnuts – I mean, who wouldn’t love that with some salty Danish butter?
So, why am I eating bollers in Denmark and what do I have to share? Let’s dive in.
I don’t know that I’ve ever been a great neighbor. I’ve always tried my hardest to get to know those living around me, when we lived in apartments and in our first home, too. I invited people over for parties or once-a-year meals, but we never repeated them. I always worried about being a bother.
Well, now that I’ve been living as an expat in Denmark for 3 months, I feel like I’ve been able to meet a dozen neighbors, and I remember half of their names (that’s surprisingly pretty good for me). Now, this didn’t happen immediately. And it seemed to speed up when two things happened: I became more familiar (people saw me repeatedly), and I asked for help.
We moved here from North Carolina at the beginning of April to fulfill an exciting career step for my husband. I was all too happy to follow along since I’ve dreamed of living in Europe again after my 4 months studying abroad at Oxford years ago. And I knew that it would be hard. And I knew that Danes can be a little closed off at first.
So James, my 22-month-old, outdoor-loving son, and I went to 2 parks daily and walked the neighborhood. And after a few weeks, we saw similar faces and dogs and kids. I got more confident saying “Do you speak English?” in Danish (most people do, luckily). And I asked where to buy fresh fish and kids’ clothes and if they had heard of this daycare or that restaurant. And they answered and gave me extra helpful information, inviting me to join the neighborhood Facebook page and upcoming park events.
While I’m still working on how to truly love these new neighbors around me, I feel as though I have received the neighborly love and kindness that God speaks of in the Gospels. And it’s been a lifeline for someone who isn’t familiar with much yet.
Whether you’ve found yourself on the giving or receiving end of such love, I hope you can keep spreading it around your home, work or virtual “neighborhood.”
Stay tuned to our blog for more updates on my Danish adventures, or you can follow me on Instagram to see more of my day-to-day.
