Happy Life Anniversary in Denmark to me
- Feb. 8, 2023
**This text has been written to be published on the social media of A Spasso con Elena. Since we believe it is a good idea to make the story accessible to more people, who may perhaps see themselves in some of the moments Elena personally experienced, we are also publishing it here**
Copenhagen is the city where I have lived for several years now. Blurred memories of the first stay lead me to walks along very wide streets, to the smell of marijuana in Christiania, to the bitter cold along the old port area, even to the little mermaid, which I could not help but visit at that time. And again, to the skimpy container on the DTU university campus that hosted us for several weeks, to the meals eaten with other expats, almost all researchers. Some still live in Denmark, others continue to prefer the traveling career. Then, to the first stable house that made us tenants and from which I would reach the center of Copenhagen on the red train for three years. The moving to the central area was a great victory: museums, sites of attractions and cultural events were finally within my reach. Denmark is the country where I did my internship during my master's degree in contemporary art history. Given the interdisciplinary thesis, which also involved theatre history, I did an internship at Frilandsmuseet. I clearly remember the whole team’s faces and how passionate they were about their work. We were working on an open-air show where the backdrop consisted of the museum’s reconstructed village with houses of the people of the past. How many rides I took on the electric car from one end of the museum area to the other to collect the props! This was the first experience that challenged me in the language as I had to read and understand the entire script in Danish as well as attend all the rehearsals, which were held in Danish. Another linguistic challenge came with the start of the higher education course that I took to become a tourist guide. A B2 level was required for access. During the intake interview with the course manager, I used all my knowledge in a surprising way, which allowed me to start shortly after. Attending the lessons was not easy at all, the professors spoke in Danish with flowery language, they talked about history, art, architecture, design, culture, intercultural communication for a native speaking audience. It seems like the day before yesterday when the final ceremony took place. Each student was hand-delivered the achieved degree. I remember I was thrilled when my turn came. After a lot of study and effort, I made it. I was surprised by a magnificent bouquet of flowers. In the following years I founded A Spasso con Elena. Those were years of great satisfaction, educational collaborations, acquaintances that became friendships. The professional training path continued when, during the pandemic, I enrolled at the university to become a teacher of Danish as a second language. I still remember how ashamed I was of introducing myself on the first day when, in front of the whole native class, I disclosed my non-native accent. It was an intense journey filled with uphills, which I never imagined it would offer me a job in the short term. Out of great curiosity to try something new, at the end of the course I decided as a matter of fact to embark on a parallel path to the one of entrepreneur tour guide, which consists of teaching Danish to foreigners, an experience which, despite the daily challenges, fills me with satisfaction and pride. In Denmark I am also building my family and here I can count on valuable friendships. Denmark has given me and keeps on giving me confidence and courage. Denmark is home. Happy life anniversary in Denmark to me!
