I'll Play!

You know you're an American ex-pat in Århus when....

. . . you stop walking in the bike paths, and look both ways for bikes before getting off the bus.

. . . you accept that the answer to , "No thanks, I don't drink. Coke would be great" is , "Would you like rum or vodka in that?"

. . . you stop wondering why no on has a bathtub.

. . . you no longer wonder when you see a baby unattended in a pram outside a store, or sleeping outdoors in the pram on a balcony, even in the rain.

. . .you use the word "pram," think combo strollers from the US are incredibly tiny, and know their wheels will fall off on the cobblestones here in a matter of days.

. . . you don't question a 6 year-old taking the bus across town alone.

. . . you don't worry about taking a walk after dark (which may be 4 in the afternoon).

. . . you know that 4 in the afternoon is 16:00, and you've never been in the military.

. . . you know what someone means when they say to meet again in week 54.

. . . you meet someone who has a house, realize that it's smaller than your apartment, and still mean it when you say, "WOW! You've got a lot of space here!"

. . . raising three kids in a two bedroom apartment seems normal.

. . . taking children out to play in a sandbox in the pouring rain in January seems normal.

. . . you no longer buy food on sale, knowing it will rot, spoil, or mold within 24 hours.

. . . it takes three stops to buy milk and celery, but you think that's great.

. . . you understand people ten seconds after they speak to you, which is five seconds too long and they switch to English.

. . . you respond to someone in your Best Danish and they still say, "Where are you from?"

. . . you can hear the difference between the vowels here, but they still sound like someone choking when you say them.

. . . leaving off the end of a word seems like a good idea, and people understand you better.

. . . you think that 20 kroner (about $3.50) is a good deal for anything.

. . .you happily pay 20 kroner for an ice cream cone, and think it's a great deal.

. . . you buy ice cream in February when walking on the pedestrian mall, in the rain.

. . . you no longer think twice about walking downtown for groceries in the rain. In fact, it doesn't even occur to you to "wait until it stops."

. . . you own rain gear, and it's the most important item in your wardrobe.

. . . you feel the sun on your face and think, "What's that?"

. . . you think a clothes dryer is a luxury.

. . . you know that in the winter you need to get your clothes out the line by 9, since the sun will be behind the buildings by 1. Likewise, you realize that it is possible to hang your clothes at 6 pm and still have them dry by 10. This does not seem odd.

. . . you trust that if you drop a glove scarf on the sidewalk that it will still be there several hours later, propped up on the nearest stoop or post.

. . . going for a walk on a Sunday afternoon is the first activity that comes to mind.

. . . you don't even think about getting to the store after 6, or past 4 on the weekends. You automatically stock up on food Friday or Saturday afternoon.

. . . you want to go shopping at 8 o'clock (20:00) on special shopping days, just because you can.

. . . you no longer wonder why the birds are singing in the summer at 2 am.

. . you see a policeman on the street and wonder what's wrong.

. . . you can pick out the American tourists downtown before they speak.

. . . wearing a skirt, sweater and stockings to the grocery store is normal.

. . . you no longer wonder how people could smoke indoors, in a doctor's office, or in a restaurant, or look for the non-smoking areas there.

. . . you aren't surprised to see a dog on a bus or in a grocery store off a leash.

. . . you attempt to eat sandwhichs with a knife and fork, but sill have to give up on the potato chips.

. . . when stuck outside mid-day, you look for shwarma or a french hot dog to snack on.

. . . you start saying, "No worries," and answering questions, with "Ja, ja." "Hi hi" seems like a logical way to say goodbye.