Baby plants - Növénykék

Since arrival, I am a mother of now 7 plants whom I really proud of. Some of them were saved from the dumpster, some I have bought here and the other I planted myself. They all live in my window in peace; each time I look at them I feel proud and they fill my heart with calmness.
Why is it good having at least one plant in a room? What are the benefits of having something green in an apartment? Well, the answer is because plants will totally pay off the care! Besides... They are amazing! They grow in front of your eyes, they have nice smell (some of them do) and they are grateful if you water them and put them in the light. They not only absorb the sunlight, but reflect on your personality; how caring you are and they reward you with their beautiness.
As I said, each of them has their own story. For example, two of my basil were found in the dumpster, half dead and screaming for help. It needed time to heal them, but they are safe and sound now, blooming and "greening". My very first plant, indeed, is from IKEA; a mainstream and cheap draecena that actually grew a lot! Also, he is in my favorite sparkly pot I bought in the nearest second hand store. The succulent? Yes, one of my favorites from a festival in Mejlegade: when I bought her she was a tiny succulent resting in a small pot, now it is a lovely female who has two children next to her in an other plantation! How beautiful is that? :)
I have a confession though.
When I was younger, I did not really care about my own plants at home. It was always my mother who watered them and took back to the house when the temperature was low, but next to me they would die. This spring, however, when I was home in Hungary and was just planning to come to Denmark, I paid more attention to the nature and to plants. They really changed my point of view about nature and nurture - two expressions around us, evolving and supplementing.
I realized of the process of watering and taking a look each time at my plants that life is really within us! Life can be improved! You, with a small attention, can make life and give the opportunity to the nature to grow and grow...It really helped me when I was pessimistic for instance: I can see growth in others, therefore I could improve growth in myself.
Ladies and gentlemen living in Denmark (or all around the World)! I highly encourage you to get a plant and nurture it! It can be a small flower, a herb, a succulent, a cactus or anything, really!
Sharing is caring - caring is life saving!

Krysse

Draecena

Aloe

Basil

Succulent

Baby succuli

Érkezésem óta 7 növény boldog anyukája vagyok. Némelyikük a kukából lett kimentve, valakit én ültettem, és olyan is van, akit természetesen vettem. Mindegyiküket imádom és az ablakomban növekednek napról napra. Szeretem nézni a folyamatot ahogyan mindük változik vagy éppen a Nap felé hajladozva táplálkozik. Története is van az összesnek: a dracéna az IKEÁból lett véve (ez az első növényem itt Aarhusban), a bazsalikomok követték, akiket már kókadozva vettem ki a kukából. A szukkulens az egyik nagy becsben tartott kedvencem: kicsi szemérmes korában vettem egy növénykiállításon, egy fesztiválon szeptemberben. Átültettem, és azóta már két kisfiúval is büszkélkedhet, akiből az egyik már gyökeret is eresztett! Wohoo! Az aloe egy legutóbbi vásárlás eredménye; ő még most illeszkedik be a miliőbe és barátkozik. :)

Be kell vallanom, nem voltam mindig ilyen nagy növénybarát. Otthon, még Magyarországon édesanyám gondozta a növényeimet, felőlem nem nagyon maradt volna életben egy sem. (Ahogyan sokáig nem is maradt). De szerencsésen kinőve a sötét középkort (értsd: kamaszkort) ráeszméltem a növények fontosságára és arra, mennyire kifizetődik a velük való törődés. Tulajdonképpen egy egész személyiségrajzot kapunk az emberről ahogyan a növényivel törődik. Erre ez a tavasz világított rá, akkor még otthon vigyázgattam a növényeimre, és tudva hogy idejövök Dániába, mindenképpen tudatosan gondoltam arra, hogy itt is folytatom ezt a folyamatot. Ez igazán büszkeséggel, reménnyel és boldogsággal tölt el még a nehezebb napokon is, ha ránézek a növényeimre és látom fejlődésüket ÉS azt hogy ezt nekem köszönhetik: az én törődésem eredménye. Azt hiszem, ez egy új lépés a felnőttéválás felé. Tehát mindenképpen buzdítok mindenkit arra, hogy szerezzen be legalább egy növényt a szobájába vagy lakásába és szeretgesse, táplálgassa. Ez fontos. Jót tesz; jót teszel!

Motivation, self-esteem, school and changes - The true cost of living in Denmark

This article, I can promise, will be no lack of honesty. Indeed, in this diary section I will talk about those things in the title with many more included explicitly written with the harsh truth. Or even the ugly truth.

First, I have to mention that this expose was highly inspired by one of my fellow classmates. I will not intend to mention his name, but his story among many other stories I discovered in this very ugly weathered Denmark recently. 

Motivation, you name it. A greatly overused but often underestimated and misunderstood word that catches our eye every time on media sites. We know, we have to be motivated in order to achieve success; to achieve our goals (what?) ourselves (what?) and keep us going on the "great path of LIFE". (WHAAAAAAT???)

In the word, motivation, there is movement, motives (moving figures) showing a process along a way. But really, what is our way? Any ideas?

This guy, who I had the conversation with told me that he is lack of motivation and he does not know what he really wants do to in his life. He, when telling the story, just as many others, seemed very clueless and even apathetic. 

I remember, when I moved to Denmark 4 years ago and started my life, my school, my blog, I had solid thoughts what I really want to do, who I want to be and what I want to achieve. Of course, shortly after, everything blew off - when I realized I was unsatisfied with the school I chose, I was helplessly asking myself the following questions: 

"Who am I? What am I doing here? Why do I do that? Why am I not motivated enough? Is it really what I want to do?"

Back then, with all my honesty here, I was totally demotivated for a while. As the feeling emerged, I felt like these questions and all the things I was sure about with all my mature self (yeah, 19 years old is fucking mature, self high five, Kate...) made NO sense, and I had to find out what to do next to survive and to find the motivation that kept me going. Indeed, I had very bad days, I cried overnights, I felt alone (even though I was not alone with my problems) but mostly: I did not know how to solve my problem. Because, and this is an important part here: being demotivated is NOT THE END OF THE WORLD. It is only a problem that has to be solved. 

I know, it is not easy living in Denmark, trust me my dear readers. I have been, as I wrote about them lots of times, in really difficult situations in this very country. (Remember : at that time, there was no SU for international students, so I had to work hard for the money I could drink off). 

Coming to that, to the finding of the GREAT BALANCE (ie: mission impossible) between school, social life, Danish integration, changes, classmates, customs, different food, finding job, accommodation, job, cheap stuff, homework, blahblah really tires us and sometimes we find ourselves like Frodo in the spiderweb in the LOTR3. Yeah, I think it greatly represents all my feelings when I feel lack of motivation and even depression. But you know what? Frodo survived, AND was able to finish his mission after all. Was it easy? Not at all. Was he lonely? Well...

This is the other thing makes us suffer and poison our souls here in the great Danish flatness. This is the topic no -one talks about, but sweep under the carpet when it comes to talk about how many internationals choose this and that study programs and why we love being here. 

The truth is? Bullshitty - a bit.

The harsh truth is, we often feel inevitably and deeply LONELY. This is why most of us "choose" or use as a survival tool smoking weed, taking drugs, being workaholics, overeating, alcoholism, sex addiction, the list goes on. These things, unfortunately, strongly connected to the true cost of living in Denmark as a foreigner student. Therefore, feeling alone makes us find other sources to find ourselves (our motivation?) but people always forget one very important thing in this story: 

WE ARE NOT ALONE!

We are not lonely! We can be alone - meaning of the individual and chosen form without human surrounding, but think about it: are we alone with our problems? Of course not! 

I can say that I have lived in a quite few places here in Denmark, knowing quite a few people and understood their behavior when they have felt lonely. The thing is: self-degradation and self pity is not helping! 

Do you know, my people, how many of you have the same story? Do you know, that your neighbor, your colleague at school you write your project with ,is under the same shit as you are? You are, my dearests, are not fucking alone!!! Great opportunity is, therefore, sharing and understanding each other stories can make our lives much easier. We are not alone, because most of us face the following obstacles every single day: homesickness, lack of money, lack of time, lack of job, sucking at shitty job, lack of sleep, missing friends, missing home country and so forth. 

If we understood and acknowledged the problem we can change our situation for the better: talking to each other and help each other in difficult times.

LISTEN, LOVE, BEING EMPATHETIC, FORGIVE, AND DO NOT JUDGE!

So, summarizing my, sometimes hard to follow speech about this whole Danish clutter: even if you feel demotivated and lonely, there are good times are coming. Never forget: this is not a bad life you are living, it is only a problem that has to be solved. You are never alone! Ask for help if you are in need, do not close your doors from people who are here to help you. 

If, after all you still feel terrible after this or any day, remember: 

Brunkager (danish gingerbread) is only 11kr in Netto. 

It is sweet. Saves the day. ;)

Bye, vi ses!

Snow and falling - Hó és bukás

Today in Denmark we woke up for a pure white scenery (now it is melting, fortunately) and for some other news too. The snow is my smallest concern in this case. Of course, I hate the feeling that it is only November and the snow is already showing its presence.
Make America Great Again! - was the slogan of the now president Mr. Grump  - an elected businessman without any experience in field of governing or politics or what so ever. Indeed, he would grab pussies and kiss every women's lips. At least, that is what he said.
When I started this blog I had an agreement with myself by never mentioning politics or write about it. But today I felt the urge to do so. It is not just the anger, disappointment and shock but the famous Einstein quote circling around in my head:

"TWO THINGS ARE INFINITE: THE UNIVERSE AND HUMAN STUPIDITY; AND I'M NOT SURE ABOUT THE UNIVERSE."

(Albert Einstein)

Now, in Denmark I want to believe that we live in democracy. At least, comparing to Hungary it is a much more democratic and peaceful country and now I do not want to go into details such as the level of antidepressant consumption and alcoholism. The thing is, people like to live in peaceful environments! And what America brings now it is lots of passive aggression (soon extremist aggression, if I am to predict) WITHOUT being democratic at all. Because how does democracy work? It LET people use their voice AND understand the voice of others!

Now this whole thing is really fresh, all the results of the election...but what about the 100 first days? What will we perceive in Europe from this "event"?

I am hoping for the bests. Today I wanted to write about the life of snowflakes but instead I had to spend my precious minutes on grumpy Grump. 

I am going back to my shelter, my own world and continuing creating value. And being myself.

Ahelyett, hogy gyönyörű hóesésre keltünk volna (arra keltünk, csak) gyorsan bekormozta az örömöt valami más.  Például az, hogy Grump nyerte a választást Amerikában. Egy marketingember, aki nem csak radikális nézetei miatt népszerű, de még perverz is. 

Amikor elindítottam ezt a blogot, megfogadtam magamnak, hogy politikamentesen fogok írni mindenről itt, de ezt az eseményt nem hagyhattam szó nélkül. Miért? Mert mindannyian valamilyen szinten, itt Dániában is érdekeltek / befolyásolva vagyunk általa. A média, amit ma néztem és a politikusok, szakértők is ki vannak akadva, rá van az emberek arcára írva, ez egyértelmű. A győztes párt résztvevői pedig vörösképű fogyatékos tudatlan(nak tűnő) emberek. Ezeket mutatják a képek mindenesetre. 

Én nem vagyok a politika híve, csak akkor szeretek politizálni ha értelmes emberekkel tudok beszélni róla. Ami a mostani helyzetet illeti pedig beszélni kell róla! Tudunk valamit tenni most itt Európában? Kérdésünk. Nem. Csak várni és egy forró ölelést váltani azokkal, akiket szeretünk.

"Két dolog van, ami végtelen: az univerzum és az emberi hülyeség. Az előzőben pedig nem vagyok biztos."

(Albert Einstein)

Julemarked i Godsbanen - Retro edition

Halloween is over - and I did not find any cheap Jack O'Lanterns in the shops for sale! Never mind, I was like, I will go for treasure hunting for something else!
Yesterday, we had, so far, THE WORST weather in Aarhus this autumn. The wind was mind-blowing (literally blew my mind out of my skull) and I the rain shower washed all my sins off while I was cycling. I had to go to the city obviously because why not, and all the regrets chased me until...
I discovered the RETRO CHRISTMAS MARKET in GODSBANEN! I happened to be there by accident, and when I saw that something was going on, I had to enter that place. All cozy Christmas lights, figures, decorations and more were seen from the window, and I was just standing there like a 6 year old child waiting for the Mommy in the parking lot. The entrance fee, indeed, was 30dkk and I since I am a student and rather buy 3 pairs of socks or bread for two weeks for this price, I had to figure out how to enter the magical Christmas fair. Fortunately while I was hanging around the hall of Godsbanen I found an entry bracelet seemed unused, and I took a chance to get in. What do you think, did it succeed? Yes, of course, I am Kate is Coming, and I am coming everywhere!!! :)
So, I entered the wonderful yet grandma smelled retro bazaar and started gazing with my chins down. Everything looked so nice, old things renewed, perfect Saturday atmosphere and a lots of things you definitely do not need to your home, but you want to own. All of them!!!
Here it how the venue was:

So many things!!!

...and...

...even more things, stocked!!!...

"P" for ...

So retro! Figurines...

Nutcracker in the limelight

I have no words for the retroness of this picture

What I can definitely add, that Christmas market totally make you forget your autumn depression as well as empty your well saved money. But come on, who cares when it comes to giving our precious love to everyone else? It is (almost) Christmas time! Time to Glögg, time to chill, time to feel the holiday spirit. Amirite?

Advice of the month: Visit as many winter markets as you can! It makes your heart beats faster and your mind wiser. Hear from me next time, keep in touch!