"Integration" Edited on Sep 14, 2007

Right.. so.. yesterday I took my first active step toward 'integration'. It's a theme that's bandied about much in Denmark, and they even make new residents sign an "Integration Contract", which "You don't have to sign, but you must understand that if you choose not to sign it you could never, ever, ever, ever become a Danish citizen." So I signed. One of the conditions was that I would have to make my "integration" easier by learning the language, so I attended my first class at sprogskole, yesterday.

It was quite interesting, I must admit. My fellow companions were a Brazilian chick who's worked as an au pair for the past 6 months, a Dutchman who works somewhere (at a factory, and his Dutch gf is a pro handball player) in Denmark, but uses the language (I didn't get all the details cuz all introductions were in Danish, and I can understand some of it, but not THAT much), an Iranian/Persian beauty who's also been here a while, but I'll get more of her details when I return, (she's married to a fellow Iranian, and she works Saturdays at the Post Office) a German frau with Danish kiddies (nope, she and her husband are German, and the kids know Danish, but they speak German at home), and a Ukranian woman (also with a Danish family) [Nah.. she and her son are Ukrainian, hubby's Danish]. So.. simply put, if I don't want to get demoted to a lower level (me who used some Danish language CD's when I was bored, last year).. Well.. I'll have to work kinda hard.

The Brazilian, Dutchman and myself were the 'rookies' of the class, but you'd never guess that from the workload. After the basic introductions, we got right into our 'text', which launched off on page 117 of the book (toward the end of the book). Right away we were filling out 'coupons' with info. for a cruise to Poland that we were interested in... choosing from 6 houses which one would suit us, our spouse, our 2 kids, our dog, AND which had a washing machine... Reading long discourses about Danish society, history and geography and given 3 sets of homework. (All this without being taught the basic rudiments of the Danish language!)

To be honest, I don't mind the level, nor the speed that I imagine we'll be going at. It's challenging enough for me, and no doubt I'll be advancing at a phenomenal rate.

In case anyone wants to know why it's taken me more than a month to update my blog, well.. I simply don't feel motivated to blog, anymore.. I got through this entry cuz I made myself do it!