Be careful what you wish for......

‘cause you just might get it!

Vores venten på Green Card er overstået. I går aftes fik jeg endeligt den sms, jeg har ventet på I 4 mdr, og det var noget nervepirrende at skulle logge på computeren med rystende hænder, da immigrationsmyndighederne bare sendte en sms om at min status var opdateret – ikke om ansøgningen var afvist eller godkendt. Men den er god nok. Approved!

Jeg har haft afspillet scenariet inde I mit hovede en milliard gange. Og selvfølgeligt skulle der skåles I champagne, jeg ville grine og græde på samme tid, og så ville vi gå ud at spise med vores glade børn....
Realiteten blev at jeg sad helt mutters alene derhjemme I en stor bunke rod, med en indbundet fod oppe på sofabordet. Kristian var ude at campe med de 2 store, Luca var på lejr, og jeg havde hilst lidt for hårdhændet på en bil, på vej ud fra en sidevej på vej på arbejde om morgenen (note to self: det der med lige at få øjenkontakt med chaufføren inden man cykler ud foran ham, er ikke spor overvurderet – heller ikke selv man cykler langsomt og faktisk har retten til at være I fodgængerovergangen). Og lige der midt I det hele blev jeg ikke spor ekstatisk glad, men snarere træt helt ind I knoglerne og lettet på den der måde, hvor det nærmest giver kvalme og hovedpine. Ikke helt som jeg havde forestillet mig det.

Men vi ER lettede. Vi har det faktisk rigtig godt her og vil gerne blive. Tanken om at stå I Kastrup uden bolig, job og møbler og med en noget slatten bank konto, har mildest talt ikke været tiltalende. Lige nu er det imidlertid noget overvældende at skulle tage stilling til alle de ting, vi har skubbet foran os I en stor grim rodet “det forholder vi os til, når vi har fået svar” bunke. Som at Kristian skal til at søge arbejde så’n rigtigt, og jeg skal få taget det der kørekort, og hov, kom vi ikke også til at love ungerne en hund? Og skal vi så være sådan nogle med 2 biler, og Ulrik er da for øvrigt også gammel nok til et kørekort og Teresa skal konfirmeres herovre til næste forår og… og… og…. aaaargh!

Så efter at have mental-klatret op af et meget stejlt bjerg, kan vi nu kigge bagud og nedad og gyse veltilfredse over, at vi ikke skal rutche baglæns hele vejen ned og ligge forslåede og gispende I bunden af en kløft. Men når vi kigger opad er der altså stadigt et stykke bjerg, der skal bestiges. Vi krydser finger for at udsigten kun bliver flottere :-)

Our waiting for the Green Card is over. Last night I finally got the text, I have been waiting impatiently for during the last 4 months, and it was somewhat nerve-racking having to log on to the computer with shaking hands, as the immigration authorities just sent a text message saying that my status was updated - not whether the application was rejected or approved. But it IS true. Approved!

I had played the scenario inside my head a billion times. And, of course, we should be toasting in champagne, I would laugh and cry at the same time, and then we would go out for dinner with our happy children.  
The reality was that I was completely by myself in a big pile of mess, with a hurt foot elevated on the coffee table. Kristian was out camping with the 2 big kids, Luca was at an overnight summer camp, and in the morning when going to work I had a closed encounter with a  a car as it emerged from a side road (note to self: do not underestimate taking the precaution to make eye contact with the driver before you bike out in front of him – even when you ride slowly and actually have the right to be in the pedestrian crossing). And right there in the middle of it all, I was not at all ecstatic happy but rather tired deep into the bones and relieved in that way where it almost causes nausea and headaches. Not quite as I had pictured it.
But we ARE relieved. We actually really like it here and would love to stay. The thought of arriving in Kastrup airport without housing, jobs, and furniture and with a somewhat sloppy bank account, has not exactly been appealing. Right now it is however quite overwhelming to have to suddenly consider all the things that we have pushed ahead of us in a big ugly "this we do not deal with until we have a decision" pile. Such as Kristian needing to find a job, and me getting a drivers license, and hey, we also happened to promise the kids a dog! And should we be the family with two cars, and Ulrik is old enough for a driver's license as well, and Teresa will have her confirmation here in Michigan next spring and ... and ... and .... AAAARGH!
So after mental-climbing a very steep mountain, we can now look backward and downward with a tingle of relief that we don’t have to slide backwards all the way down and lie bruised and gasping at the bottom of a canyon.  But when we look up there is still a some mountain top to climb. We cross our fingers that the view only gets better.

Second week of summer starring severe storms, amazing scenary, and more fireflies

Kl er 8:30, Kristian og Teresa er oppe og løbe 5km løb I Livonia I øs pøs regnvejr (her er et billede fra for 2 uger siden, hvor jeg godt gad med  - det gad jeg nemlig ikke I dag!)

It is 8:30AM, Kristian and Teresa has gone to Livonia for a 5K run in pouring rain (here is a picture from 2 weeks ago, where I did want to go – today in the rain? Not so much).

Ulrik sover stadig efter en hel uges computer camp på universitetet hvor han har lært at kode spil, besøgt et computerlab med robotter samt en virksomhed, og har sluttet ugen af med både diplom og en håndskrevet poster om sit spil. Vi har stået tidigt op hver ENESTE morgen og har cyklet 10km ud til North Campus for at fragte ham frem til Bob and Betty Beyster Building, og vi har mødt en hel del hjorte samt en enkelt kalkun grib. Mandag måtte vi dog kapitulere, da der var lovet det vildeste torden og tornado risiko. Jeg kørte tidligt af sted fra arbejde for at komme ned til hans bygning, hvor vi lod cyklerne stå og ventede på bussen I stedet. Himlen blev mørkeblå og det begyndte at buldre og regne og vi var vældig stolte af vores gode beslutning om at stille cyklerne. Et kvarter senere var vi nået ind til byen, hvor solen nu skinnede fra en skyfri himmel, og der var en let brise. Suk. Og lige der blev jeg så uendeligt træt af overreagerende meterologer og advarsels systemer. Vi tog på Starbucks og hang lidt ud I Ann Arbors svar på Faraos Cigarer, nemlig “Vault of Midnight” og daffede hjem for at spise aftensmad og see Sharknado (fantastisk underholdende med det mest usammenhængende plot, jeg nogensinde har set!). Så alt I alt en hyggelig og fredelig aften…….. Lige indtil kl 1 om natten hvor sirenerne hylede, telefonen bimlede af tornado warnings og det tordnede så meget at bygningen rystede. Føj! Det var det værste uvejr jeg I mit liv har prøvet og Ulrik og jeg endte ude på toilettet, der er vores bagerste rum uden vinduer, da vi ikke turde risikere at få smadret glas på os, hvis stormen blev rigtig slem. Der endte med at være flere små tornadoer her I Michigan, men udover 40 døde køer på et smadret landbrug og et par ødelagte huse, fik de ikke udrettet mere skade og ingen kom noget til. Som dansker er det super overvældende når naturen går amok og jeg tør slet ikke tænke på hvordan det må være at bo I Texas hvor den slags er mange gange mere almindeligt end her.

Ulrik sleeps after a full week of computer camp at the university where he learned to code games, visited a computerlab with robots as well as a local company and concluded the week with both a diploma and a hand-written poster about his game. We have been up early EVERY single morning biking 10km out to North Campus to get him to Bob and Betty Beyster Building, and we have met quite a few deer and a single turkey vulture. Monday there were warnings of severe storms and tornados. I took off early from work to get down to his building where we let the bikes sit and waited for the bus instead. The sky was dark and it started to rumble and rain and we were very proud of our decision to not bike. Fifteen minutes later we had reached the city where the sun now shone from a cloudless sky, and there was a slight breeze. Sigh. And right there I was so infinitely tired of overreacting meteorologists and warning systems. We went to Starbucks and hung out a little in the local comic book store, the "Vault of Midnight" and strolled home to eat dinner and see Sharknado (very entertaining and with the most ridiculous plot I have ever seen!). So all in all, a pleasant and peaceful night ...... .. Until at 1 AM when the sirens wailed, the phone went off with tornado warnings and a thunder storm shook the building. Yikes! It was the worst storm I have ever tried and Ulrik and I ended up out in toilet in the back of the apartment, where there are no windows, since we did not dare risking getting shattered glass on us if the storm was really bad. There turned out to be several small tornadoes here in Michigan, but in addition to 40 dead cows on a smashed farm and a few destroyed houses, they did not do more damage and no one was hurt. As a Dane, it is super overwhelming when nature goes berserk and I dare not imagine what it must be like to live in Texas where such storms are many times more common than here.
  

Kristian, Teresa og Luca, har været oppe og campe ved Sleeping Bear Dunes, der meget berettiget blev kåret som den smukkeste  nationalpark I USA for et par år siden. Selv Teresa havde haft en fest med hike og Luca levede efter sigende af ristede pølser og s’mores. Og der blev også klatret op ad klitterne for at løbe ned MANGE gange (se bare her). Sommerferie I Michigan med en far med al tid I hele verden er faktisk ikke helt dårligt.

Kristian, Teresa and Luca, has been gone camping at Sleeping Bear Dunes, which has been (rightly so) named the most beautiful national park in the United States a few years ago. Even Teresa had fun hiking and Luca apparently lived off fire roasted hot dogs and s'mores. Also they got to climb the dunes and run down MANY times (watch here)  on top of bathing in lake Michigan. Summer vacation in Michigan with a father with all the time in the world is actually not too bad.
 

Her i ugen har vi også nået at sige både goddag og farvel til nye venner på bare 2 dage. Ad lidt knudrede bagveje fandt vi frem til en dansk læge fra Hjørring, der har vareret 2 mdr på universitetet for at forske. I sidste uge blev hun genforenet med mand og børn og Luca har været vild af forventning om at få lov til at møde en anden dansk dreng, der spiller “world of tanks” så de kom alle 4 til middag hos os I torsdags hvor både børn samt forældre fik hygget sig mega meget OG Luca fik fanget sin første ildflue. Det var stort.

During this week, we also experienced saying both hello and goodbye to new friends in just 2 days. By slightly odd circumstances, we got in touch with a Danish MD from Hjoerring, who joined the university for 2 months to get some research done. Last week, she was reunited with her husband and children and Luca has been overly excited about getting to meet another Danish boy who also plays  "World of tanks" .The 4 of the came over for dinner with us Thursday, where both children and parents had a good time AND Luca caught his first firefly ever. It was awesome.

I går besøgte vi så dem i det lækre hus, de har fået lov at låne, og så gik den vilde idlflue jagt igen. Det lykkedes dem at få proppet 10 ilddluer ned I et glas, før vi stoppede dem, da det efterhånden nåede dertil, 2 fluer var ved at blive mast hver gang de forsøgte et stoppe endnu een ned I glasset. Her ses de stolte travle jægere :-)

Yesterday we visited them in the gorgeous house they have been lucky to rent, and fire fly hunting started all over again. The boys managed to stuff 10 fire flies into a jar before we stopped them, as it got to the point where two flies were almost crushed for each new one, that they tried to put in there. Here are the proud hunters in action :-)

Der er også lidt godt nyt på Green Card fronten. Ikke som I at vi har fået svar, men vores stress over at risikere at skulle rejse hjem I slutningen af juli, hvor vores flybilletter gælder til, uden at have fået en afklaring, har været næsten ubærlig. Min professor har heldigvis indvilliget I at fyre mig, såfremt vi skulle få et afslag. Det lyder måske en kende sært, men pointen er, at min visum status indebærer at såfremt min arbejdsgiver fyrer mig, er det vedkommendes ansvar at jeg forlader landet, og han forpligter sig derfor til at hoste op med flybilletter. Han saa lidt forvirret ud,da jeg paent spurgte om ikke han nok ville fyre mig, hvis vi ikke fik Green Card, men vi er heldigvis begge enige om, at jeg helst skulle blive.

 Vi har ventet på svar I 110 dage nu og det er et reelt scenarie at vi først får svar til august eller måske senere, selvom immigrations myndighedernes gennemsnitlige svar tid er sat til 4 mdr. Bottom line er at vi mere end rigtig gerne vil blive herovre og alt der kan hjælpe os I den retning hjælper på humøret.

There are also some good news on the Green Card front. Not as in hearing back from the USCIS with the final decision, but our almost unbearable stress of potentially having to return home at the end of July, without knowing the fate of our application, has lifted some. My professor has agreed to fire me if we end up getting a Green Card rejection. It may sound strange, but the rationale is that my visa status implies that should my employer choose to get rid of me, then it is his responsibility that I leave the country, and he therefore has to pay for flight tickets. He did certainly look puzzled when I asked him if he could please fire me, if I did not get a Green Card, but both us really would want me to stay, and I am grateful that he has agreed on this arrangement (that hopefully will never happen).

We have been waiting for a response in 110 days now and it is a realistic scenario that we do not hear back until August or perhaps even later, even though the immigration authorities average response time is set to 4 months. Bottom line is that we really like it here and anything that can help us to keep moving in that direction relieves the mood.

Of fireflies, Shakespeare and burned witches

Det er sommerferie og vi er ved at vænne os til Michigan sommer, der er markant anderledes end både Danmark sommer og Californien sommer. Vi er alle 5 smurt ind I myggestik fra top til tå, men har også relativt brune ben, og vi kan kun nikke samtykkende til at Michigan sommer lugter lidt af regnorm. Vejret er uforudsigeligt, pånær at det næsten er 100% sikkert at tordenskyerne kommer rullende ind, hvis temperaturen bliver meget høj. Vi bliver alligevel snydt igen og igen, når vi kigger ud af vinduet og ser overskyet himmel med let blæst, der I vores danske erfaring rimer på kulde, men som her kan være alt mellem let køligt og lummervarmt, og vi har ofte alt for meget tøj med.

School is out for the summer and we are slowly getting used to summer Michigan style. It is markedly different from both California and Denmark, and all 5 of us have mosquito bites all over, but we also have relatively tanned legs, and we can certainly agree that Michigan summer smells a bit like dirt worm. The weather is unpredictable, except that thunder clouds come rolling in as soon as the temperature gets high enough. We are not down with this type of weather yet and we often misinterpret grey skies and wind, and assume it is cold to step outside, but it rarely is. So often we are overdressed.

Den første uges sommerferie er gået med camps. Teresa har været på Water Camp ved floden og har sejlet I kajak, kano og stået på paddleboard (hvilket gav anledning til et befriende eksempel på  michigansk anarkisme, da man jo selvfølgeligt ikke må falde I vandet fra et paddleboard med vilje! Det så lejr lederne stort på, og sørgede bare for at alle ungerne var uden for synsvidde af paddleboard udlejningen og så fik de ellers lov til at give den gas med at “falde” I vandet :-0  ). Luca har været på “kids versus wild camp” og lært om poison ivy, frøer og andet kryb. Kristian og Ulrik har holdt styr på en ordentlig flok unger henne I kirken, og undertegnede har selvfølgeligt arbejdet….. meget…..

The first week of summer has been busy with camps. Teresa has been at a water camp by the river, where they have been out in canoes, kayaks, and paddleboards (where the paddleboard trip was a wonderful example of Michigan style anarchistic mentality, as kids renting the paddleboards are obviously NOT allowed to fall in the water on purpose. The camp instructors bend those rules by making sure that all the kids were out of sight from the rental staff, and then they could of course “accidentally” fall in the water however much they wanted :-0   ). Luca has been attending a Kids versus Wild camp and has learned of frogs and poison ivy among other things. Kristian and Ulrik have been busy keeping a large bunch of kids entertained at our church, and yours truly has been working…. a lot…..

Nu til noget med billeder! Fredag aften var vi inviteret med til “Shakespeare in the Arb”, der I år var en udendørs opsætning af “en skærsommernats drøm”. Det var decideret magisk. Alle scener udspillede sig udenfor og publikum fulgte med rundt I parken, mens skuespillerne gemte sig I trærne med fløjter, feerne dansede I lysningerne, og Helena jagtede Demetrius hen over engene. Mit telefon kamera er desværre ikke super godt, men her ses feerne danse.

And now for some pictures. Friday night we were invited to “Shakespeare in the Arb”, that is an outdoor annual event, this year featuring “A midsummer night’s dream”. It was magical. All the scenes were set outside and the audience walked from place to place, while the actors hid in the trees with flutes, the fairies were dancing in the distance, and Helena chased Demetrius through the meadows. My phone camera is not very good, but here the fairies are dancing:

Lørdag aften blev også tilbragt udendørs med en tidlig sct hans aften arrangeret af min danske kollega Pernille. Vores ikke-danske kolleger var noget skeptiske over “brænd en heks” konceptet (det blev omdøbt til “lets burn some witches bitches”) men turde alligevel godt møde op. Teresa var bål mester, da det er meget få voksne, der når hende til sokkeholderne I bål tænding og hun fik lavet et ordentligt bål, der blev holdt professionelt ved lige hele aftenen. 

Og da det var tid til hekseafbrændingen ville jubelen fra familens yngste medlem ingen ende tage:

Saturday night was also spent outside with an early Sct Hans bonfire (non-Danish readers can learn more here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midsummer#Denmark) arranged by my Danish colleague Pernille. Our non-danish colleagues were somewhat skeptical of the “burn a witch on a bonfire” concept (it got renamed to “lets burn some witches, bitches”) but they did dare to come anyways. Teresa was the fire builder, as it is very few adults that are as skilled as her, in getting a bonfire going and she kept it going all night in a very professional manner. 

Below is a great picture example of how excited the youngest Frikke-Schmidt was with the witch burning:

Det var SÅ hyggelig en aften Vi lavede snobrød og ristede skumfiduser, og da det blev mørkt kom ildfluerne ud og blinkede mellem træerne. Men det var også lidt U-hyggeligt, da der pludseligt var et dyr der hylede op inde I skoven bag os. 

It was SUCH a great evening. We baked breads on sticks over the fire, and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows, and when darkness fell the fireflies starting flashing in the trees. It was also a little scary when some animal starting whining in the forest right behind us.

Nu er det søndag eftermiddag og her er MEGET stille. Kristian, Teresa og Luca er netop kørt nordpå for at campe oppe ved Traverse City, hvor der skulle være ubeskriveligt smukt, og hvor man kan høre mor bjørn, der kalder på sine unger I “sleeping bear dunes” (man kan læse mere om legenden her: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleeping_Bear_Dunes_National_Lakeshore). Ulle og jeg bliver hjemme, da han skal på camp med universitetet I hele næste uge, hvor han skal lære at designe apps. Det skulle efter sigende være nogle helt vildt gode camps – hvilket det også burde være til den hampre overpris de forlanger for 5 dages aktiviteter uden overnatning!

Now it is Sunday afternoon, and it is VERY quiet. Kristian, Teresa and Luca has just left to go camping up north by Traverse City, where it should be incredibly beautiful and where you can hear mother bear call our for her lost cubs at “sleeping bear dunes (the indian legend is described here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleeping_Bear_Dunes_National_Lakeshore). Ulle and I stay home, as he is going on a Umich camp all of next week, where he will learn to design apps. These camps should be very good for high schoolers – which I really do hope, after being the steep fee required for 5 days of activities without any overnight staying!

Introducing Mrs Hammer and the Solar Ray of Death

Skoleåret er ved at være slut og vi ser tilbage på knap 10 måneder vi ikke anede, hvordan ville ende. Vi havde hørt på forhånd at skolerne I Ann Arbor var fantastiske, så vi regnede med en vis grad af “god” men havde nu heller ikke forventningerne tårnhøje. Men…..  vi er I den grad blevet væltet omkuld af især Luca’s elementary school og Teresa’s Middle school – på den gode måde. Og her er et par højdepunkter:

The school year is almost over and we are looking back at 10 months we had no clue how were going to turn out. We were told that the schools in Ann Arbor were fantastic so our expectations were somewhat high, but we considered “good” to be realistic. We have been blown away – in the best of ways with Luca’s elementary school and Teresa’s middle school in particular. And here are a few highlights:

I starten af skoleåret kom Teresa begejstret hjem og fortalte at science læreren havde en skildpadde, man kunne få lov til at fodre og give øjendråber etc. Og eftersom skildpadder er på den uendeligt lange liste over “må vi ikke nok få en ……, hva?” (indsæt selv hund, kat, kanin, undulat, mælkesnog og hvad din fantasi ellers rækker til) så var hun svært begejstret, da det blev hendes tur til at passe “Mrs Hammer”. Hvis Mrs Hammer var et menneske ville hun sandsynligvis være en syrlig ældre dame der som udgangspunkt ville være dårlig gående, men som sørme også ville kunne smide stokken og løbe stærkt, hvis der var noget af interesse I farvandet. Hun ELSKER melorme og kan spise op til mere end 10stk ad gangen (Teresa er derfor ikke altid mega sulten når der er frokost efter skildpadde fodrings orgiet). Hun kan også godt lige yoghurt – meget gerne med jordbærsmag. Og hvor spændende er det ikke lige at fodre en skildpadde med yoghurt? Det er rigtig spændende indtil man finder ud af hvor meget en skildpadde kan svine sig til I mejeriprodukter og derfor skal have en grundig vask under vandhanen. En klassisk begynder fejl! Til gengæld er der belønning fra læreren hver fredag I form af en chokoladebar og det er jo ikke sådan at kimse ad.

In the beginning of the school year Teresa came home and was very excited about the box turtle in the science class room. The students are allowed to feed it and care for it (and maybe even provide eye drops). And since turtles are on the endless list of “Can’t we get a ….., please?” (add dog, rabbit, cat, budgies, snakes or whatever else your fantasy can come up with) Teresa was quite excited when it was finally her turn to care for Mrs Hammer. If Mrs Hammer was a person she would probably be a somewhat sour elderly lady, who would not be able to walk very well, but who would also throw her cane away and run as fast as she could if something seemed interesting (edible) enough. She LOVES worms and has the ability to eat more than 10 at a time (for this reason Teresa lost her appetite quite a few times when feeding her right before lunch). She also likes yoghurt – with strawberries. And isn’t it fun to feed a turtle yoghurt?  It is a lot of fun, until you realize how much of a mess a turtle can make with dairy products and how badly it needs a wash in the sink afterwards. A classic newbie error! But at least there is the reward every Friday of getting your own candy bar from the teacher, which is not bad at all.

Luca keder sig bestemt heller ikke (selvom han hårdnakket påstår det modsatte), da han har, hvad der MÅ være, skoledistriktets bedste lærer. I den forgangne uge fik alle forældre en mail fra hende med titlen: “solar death ray”. Det er ikke en titel man ofte ser på skole emails…..

 De har haft kørt flere science projekter og eet af dem har været om solen og al den energi, den indeholder. Et klassisk eksempel er jo at samle solens stråler med et forstørrelsesglas og sætte ild til myrer  papir. Og når så ungerne spørger om man ikke kan få en linse, der er lige så stor som et menneske, så går Mrs Beech hjem og roder I gemmerne og finder en gigantisk linse, der både kan smelte mønter og bage (verdens bedste ifølge Luca) chokolade kage I en hjemmebygget ovn. Derudover har der også været besøg af en levende (omend lille) alligator I klasseværelset. I dag har de været på tur til den lokale pool, og I morgen skal de illustrere månens faser med Oreos. Tænk hvis alle 3. Klasser kunne få lov til det.

Luca is most definitely not bored in school either (except he will sternly insist on the contrary), as he has what HAS to be the best teacher in the school district. Last week all parents got an email entitled “solar death ray”. That is not something I see often in school related emails……

They have been running a project in science about the energy of the sun and a classical example is to use a magnifying glass to ignite ants paper. And when the kids then ask if it would be possible to use a lens the size of a person then Mrs Beech went home and digged through her stuff until she found a gigantic lens, that was able to melt pennies and bake (the best ever according to Luca) chocolate cake in a homemade oven. Also they have had a live (albeit small) alligator visiting the class room. Today they went on a field trip to the local pool and tomorrow they will illustrate the phases of the moon with Oreos. Imagine if all 3’d graders could have a teacher like that!

Jeg ville ønske jeg kunne fortælle sjove historier for Ulriks High School, men der er ikke lige frem tid til den slags tant og fjas. Han har knoklet som en hest, og han er I høj grad blevet stimuleret fagligt med rigtig dygtige lærere. Men sjov? Det har der godt nok ikke været meget af L Altsaa hvis man lige ser bort fra at de vist nok fik en sodavandsis I tysk I dag – hurra. Eller noget.

I wish I had something similar to tell from Ulrik’s high school, but there is not really much time for fun going on there. He has worked really hard and he has really been stimulated academically as he has had some really good teachers. But fun? Not so much L Well, they did get a popsicle in German today. Yay – or whatever.