There is a little Danish flag of celebration on my desk today. It’s the 9th of February – which means I’ve been living in Denmark a total of 3 years. According to the ‘original plan’,  I ought to be packing up right about now and heading on back to sunny Vancouver. And it’s tempting. But no, not yet. A huge part of my heart is in this city now – it’s bike culture, canals, cozy cafes, colourful buildings, and art thought into just about everything. A danish boyfriend complicates things a tad as well, in a good way of course.

I do miss Vancouver – enormously. The annual trip back at Christmas doesn’t even get close to the optimal amount of time I need to visit every corner of Granville Island, wander through Kits, down along the beach and over to English Bay, hear the opera guy sing as he walks down South Granville, o.d. on Starbucks, and share a pint with friends at any one of a thousand local pub patios. And don’t get me started on how much I miss my family… and Canadians. Self depreciating- don’t take yourself too seriously – over polite – take it easy – Canadians.

The past 3 years have involved a lot of challenges (again – in a good way) and a lot of living (which is sort of the whole point, isn’t it). The move over here and the adjustment (ongoing), the language (my summer vacation Danish just didn’t cut it, and while I get by now, there’s still a long way to go – but I’m enjoying the process).  There’ve been a good number of work adjustments (corporate buy-outs and what have you made for some interesting challenges but more importantly it also generated some great opportunities). Thomas Jefferson’s  quote “I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have” continues to ring true. Now there’s venturing into freelance again – the way I have always been happiest working. And while there are a greater number of work hours, all told, it all balances out.  How lucky.