An update from the Paaske’s

Though I’ve mastered the art of “mental blogging” (is that a thing?) these past few months, putting pen to paper has been a challenge. And trying to begin something again after a long hiatus can feel daunting! Especially when “that something” means stepping out of the private universe of your own mind. So before diving into a post about how living in the countryside of Denmark has changed me or reflect on the significant impressions this past year has left me with, I thought it would be best to give a quick update. If you’re curious to hear my answers to some of the most common questions we get about our big family adventure, read on…

Why did you move to Denmark? The little backstory here is that my husband (Andreas) and I actually met in Shanghai, China. He is from Denmark but had been living/working in Asia for a few years when we met, so I guess you could say we started off on an international foot from day one. Over the past decade we’ve spent in California, we talked about the idea of living abroad with our kids and knew it was something we hoped to do. But time flies and we could see that it likely wasn’t going to get any easier to uproot our lives in the future. We also kept reflecting on advice we heard numerous times from other families who had done it before – that it gets harder when they get older – so in the winter of 2018 we really started to feel like “if not now, when?” Plus, and perhaps most importantly, Andreas was able to continue working from abroad so we could maintain a decent income and sense of stability we needed to take the plunge.

Was it hard to move? Oh my gosh, YES! While we were totally excited about doing something we knew would be an experience of a lifetime for our family, change and uncertainty are hard. We absolutely loved our Mill Valley community and it is home in every sense of the word. Normal life was dialed in. And that feels so good. Plus, I had to leave behind my job and we weren’t leaving behind a house we owned so it felt a bit scary to think of all the roots being pulled up…liberating on one hand and terrifying on the other. We knew our move was only for a year, but in the back of our minds we also knew there was a good chance life would look different upon our return. Waves of FOMO (fear of missing out) came in hot and heavy.

Why did you move to the countryside and not Copenhagen? Andreas grew up on a pig farm in the Danish countryside. His parents are the sixth generation running the farm and we felt it would be such a unique and memorable experience to live there near them. There was also an international school right next to the LEGO headquarters (about 25 minutes from the farm) so it made the decision easier. We knew we would have loved living in Copenhagen, but questioned whether in doing that, we were simply re-creating another San Francisco-ish experience for ourselves by moving from one world class (and very expensive) city to the next so we opted for the off the beaten route.

How long have you been there? We moved to Denmark at the end of July 2018 so all in all, 11 months.

Do you like it? Yes! We are so happy we made the decision to do it and reflect on that sentiment often. Experiencing the culture firsthand, learning the language and having this time with Andreas’ family has been such a gift for all of us and one we will cherish for many years to come.

How about the boys? The boys spent their 1st and 3rd grade year here and have thrived overall. But going from urban to country life anywhere, let alone in a new country, has its pros and cons. We have all missed the days where the boys could run outside to play with their neighborhood crew (we’re at least a 25 minute drive each way to their school friends) but have cherished watching them embrace new experiences and friendships.

Are they learning danish? The boys have been learning Danish in school though day to day instruction is in English. They also learn from family, especially my mother and father-in-law, and by being immersed in the culture. The challenge is getting them to practice more – many Danes can speak English so it’s easy to get by without out. This has been both good and bad.

Are you coming back? Yes, we are coming back to the US! I’m writing this post from Croatia while the kids are here at Camp California for the week (I know, confusing right…Camp California in Croatia). The boys wrapped up their school year last week and we head back to the US the first week in July.

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What’s next? When we started this journey, part of the fear of leaving was not knowing exactly how life would look upon our return. Would we jump back into our beloved Mill Valley community as if we hadn’t skipped a beat? Most days the answer to that questions is yes, definitely yes. We absolutely love it and can’t imagine not moving right back there. But we have also come to appreciate a bit slower and less expensive way of life. We are blessed with some flexibility in our careers, which means a few other options are on the table. Stay tuned!

Next week I’m going to share a few of the things I’ll miss most from our time in Denmark.

Thank you for following #ourbigfamilyadventure