3,5 weeks and counting

So, it has been 17 days seen we left Denmark. What had happened since then... Let me see: We can pack our life in 8 suitcases. We moved in to hotel, one stop away from World Trade Center with a beautiful view of Empire State Building and downtown. Morten, my Morten Høgholm, has been at NASDAQ ringing the closing bell with SimCorp. We managed to rent a 7 seated Chrysler for $9,99 a day. A size of a car we definitely don't need, unless we will be hunting a moose in the woods. David tried his first lobster and he loved it. After couple of days at the playground Masha began to say English words with Hindu accent. There are no hippos in whole New York area. I met a couple of my childhood friends, whom I have't seen for the last 11-15 years. We have discovered that some clothes can be more expensive then in Denmark, like Gant or Huge Boss. We have seen more commercials on TV then we have ever seen in the past year. And that is not because we see TV a lot. And news of the day, no news about Canada.

New York and story before that

Many things have changed since the day I have written last time.
We have made it to New York. Yes, this is correct, New York. You will ask why, weren't we not suppose to go to Montreal.
Yes, but Morten had to do a project for his Danish office involving US office, so we have tagged alone, while we are waiting for Canadian visa.
What can I say. I don't think I have realized that we are in US. It feels like a long nightmare with all that moves (this is the second move in a weeks time), packing house, dealing with goodbye and tears, and all the rest of the stuff that came along.
However, looking from the bright sites, it is working out as we wished it will be.
Last Wednesday we have packed our house into a huge container. A bit stressful task as we were suppose to do it over 2 days, but with a little mistake from a moving company we ended up doing all in one day. However thanks to the mistake, we got 3 cleaning ladies making sure that our house is in a decent conditions for our coming tenders. Wow, that was so great of them to offer. If I have to choose I will go alone with such kind of mistakes next time.
Then a move to a top nice apartment at Islands Brygger. For 40.000 Dkk a month (no, it was not us who was paying for it) you get a top Danish design apartment with a sea view and no, absolutely no place to hang your clothes, as that didn't go with the design.
And so today was a second move. This time we will be staying for 2 weeks at the same place and then we hope that we will be heading North.
So welcome to us to New York. Time to explore, see and enjoy the best experience ever.
Updates are coming but so far enjoy the view from our hotel...

From Zurich to Nice

It is summer, and it is +30 outside. And we are so enjoying it.
Thanks to my colleague Per we have ended up in South of France. But first...
We took a detour via Zurich. Our loved Zurich, the place where we end up every half a year so far.
But this time Mr David got a camera and off he went to take pictures, especially of one person...

Even that due to the exchange rate prices ended up being about 20% higher then we are used to, and as we all know, Switzerland is not cheap in the first place, we ended up have a lunch and not buying anything at all.

And then... LA MER...
Oh, I felt just like Mr Bean in Mr Bean's vacations. How beautiful it is.
The place we were recommended is very nice, owned by a french/danish couple. Apartments are something what you expect to be. However there are few very good points about this place: a. it is a closed areas with a guard, so no one can get in without an invitation or the key, b. we have an access to a private pool, where there are about 10 families in all have an access at the same time.
It has been almost a week, and we haven't been only using a pool.
We have seen Gourdon, La Loup waterfall, Cannes, Nice, Monaco, Italy (boarder city), Menton, Antique and Cap Martin. So far there are more places to see and to do. But the picture of the day is...

A view from the other side

To me dearest wife I can only say one thing:

Yes, blatantly stolen from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy but it is true nonetheless (and we must remember to bring towels - then all will be okay!).

Seriously though, we are beginning to wrap things up here which feels good as we are all eager to get going. We just hope the paperwork is going to be done soon so that we are allowed entry into Canada! Had a nice farewell party at Zhenya's work today with lots of colleagues coming to eat the cupcakes we brought. I had to publicly apologize for stealing her away from them for two years and was only allowed to live if I promised to bring her back. She also received some very nice gifts to help her keep warm during the long winter in Canada: mittens and slippers. It was very nice of them and I thank them for that.

Watch this space for updates.

Facebook posting

Funny, today I have read something interesting on a Facebook.
One of my husbands cousins has posted the following:
WARNING: if you received a friend request from Karen Ellemann, Lene Espersen, Lars Lokke or Pia Kjaersgaard, do not accept it! IT'S A VIRUS that removes your retirement, steals from the poor, import cheap labor, gives your child 32 classmates and sets limits to love.
Funny and sad summary of the Danish politics.
As I have already commented several times, Danish government ones in a while comes up with a brilliant idea or two.
I am not that concerned about my pension, as I can see most likely my generation will be working til our 70s, so all that discussion regarding retirement is not of my business. But I have my dear friends and colleagues, who are rapidly approaching the pension age and I can see that it does concern them.
I can see that all the cleaning and craftsman were taken over of eastern Europe nations. Nothing wrong with that, however what should we do with our work-force?
All the educational reforms end up with less money for education, more kids in classes, less focus on education in general. I am happy again that doesn't concern us, as we go to a completely different system, but in a long run, when my kids will go to university, it will be my problem as well.
And the famous boarder for love. Well, we lived with 24 years rule, but how about now? If you come from an EU or OECD countries then your, so to say, qualified to be integrated, if you are from the other "banana" republic, then you should prove for the government that you are worth to stay. And this is just one step. If gets worse.
Any way, getting back to Facebook message. I just liked it. I agree with the post, I agree with the frustration, but on the other hand I love this country, believe it or not.

State may lose millions on new law on artificial insemination

A new law that makes people to pay fees for artificial insemination could eventually have cost the government more than it actually would save by not having introduce the law.

Surprise? Not really.

The new law was introduced from the 1st of January 2011 where one is facing fees for artificial insemination in public sector. Up to that day Danish tax-payers could get 3 treatments at states expense.
Now own payment means that a childless couple must calculate with having to take out of their pocket between 15,000 and 30,000 kroner for the treatments. And it has caused many to stay away from clinics.

It is so weird to hear that Danish population is getting older, there are not enough young people who would be able to support the economy in about 25 years. And so what does the government do? Yes, it comes up with a brilliant idea of asking for fees for artificial insemination. How clever is that?

Right now all you can read in the newspaper a shocking discovery on the facility conference in Stockholm. One of the highlights are that fewer people will seek fertility treatment, because they themselves must pay. That means fewer births and thus fewer people who can contribute to the economy with their taxes.

Am I chocked? Not really. Why does the government thinks in a short run, not in the long run. Yes, they will save the money now, but who will pay the bill later, when in comes in the form on lost tax revenues?

The two scientists wrote in their report that a decrease in the number of treatments of 30-50 percent as a result of the new standards for user fees in Denmark means that the state in 2034 will have saved between 500 and 830 million kroner.

However in 2059, then 25 years later, the state will in turn have lost between 555 and 920 million kroner. A loss due to less tax because there will be fewer children born to pay taxes.

Broken arm and etc.

So, the news of the day is that I have managed to break my arm. The good news is that I don't need to pack, the bad news is I have to go with the cast on my arm for 6-8 weeks.
Anyway it was dark, I have overestimated my ability to see in the dark and the knowledge of the basement, so there it was... A huge fall, then I thought I can sleep over that. Well, my conclusion... One can't. So believe it or not I am with the cast now.
On the Canada issue. We got a contract, signed and now we are in the process of filling out the huge amount of paper, talking to the lawyers, going to court to sign the papers. All in all the process is moving so we have hoping to move by the end of our vacations.
On the sentimental part... We have had 3 farewell parties: for Masha with nail-polish, for David with water fight and for us with a flood in Copenhagen... Well we had a great party, not even a drop of rain, while at the same time in the central Copenhagen has been flooded. So I know that our guest will remember that day, but I hope because of us and not because of the flood.