Overload

In someone's yard for a while.  I think it may have something to do with a 30th birthday. 

I have been working my butt off trying to feel like I can get a grip on the language and the changes.  I had a meltdown in class again this week.  This time it started because the teacher was expressing her feelings about the class members who were not participating in class and assignments enough.  I understand her frustration as a fellow teacher.  It hurts when you are putting your all into helping people get what they need to learn.  Then when you see them not giving you as much back as you are putting in for them, you sort of have your own meltdown.

They say fart all the time.  It means speed but it still cracks me up.

My problem was that I emotionally couldn't tell the difference.  I knew that I was putting in a lot of hard work and I knew on one level that it wasn't aimed at me but it seems that my emotional side is a little sensitive right now.  I started getting teary-eyed and sort of sat there with my head down and my hair hanging around my face while trying to gather myself back together again.  It took awhile but I thought that I had managed and when I went to answer a question the flood gates let open.  I even laughed at myself in the middle of getting all emotional.  Poor teacher.  She looked at me and said that she didn't know if she could take it again.

After classes were over for the day, I went to town and wondered around trying to figure out how to find pure white or blue white light bulbs so that I could put one in the lamp by my desk.  I know that with the lessening of sunlight that I am at risk for getting SAD.  I asked and asked and asked but no one seemed to know where I might find them.

I decided to go to the library to set up my library account.  I went in and asked at the desk about getting my card.  The lady that was behind the desk didn't have the best English but she sure did try.  She was very generous and helped me by showing me how to check books out and took me to the children's library section so that I could get help finding the types of books I wanted for learning.  I wanted picture/word books like Richard Scary books and I wanted cartoon books.  Little did the woman know that I was teetering on the edge and I found myself getting all wet around the eyes again.  I was just so raw.  I did manage to get out of there without completely cracking.

After I got home, a couple of my neighbors came by to see how I was doing as they hard heard that I had lost it in class again.  They were so caring that I started to feel it happening again.  Poor guys.  It is tough to see a grown woman start to lose it.  They told me that I needed to learn to relax and take it a little easier on myself and, of course, they are right.  I just have never been could about giving myself permission to relax.  I have been trying to this weekend though.

I did one thing on Friday night to take myself completely away from the entire thing.  In Haderslev, they have night watchmen, vægtergangen, that wear the Medieval outfit, carry lanterns with real candles in them and a scary item called a "morning star."  You can see it in the picture.  The ones that they are holding are real and they have to carry a licence with them while they have the weapon on them.

Haderslev Night Watchmen.  Henning Jeppesen is the furthest left.

I arrived at the starting point which was in front of the church to join them walking around the town and listen to what I could of their talk about the history of the town.  A friend from university joined me.  We ended up going with one gentleman all by ourselves and ended up going on a 2 hour tour of the town.  It was quite magical.  At times it even began to feel like we were starting to transcend back to the middle ages.  Our tour guides name was Henning Jeppeson and he was wonderful.  He gave us the whole story in English, only occasionally using Danish words when he couldn't come up with the English for something.

I believe that at the end we got a special little treat.  He asked us if we would like to see the watchman's house.  Well, of course, we said yes.  He took us into this small room with a kitchen table and chairs in the middle.  It was surrounded by the paraphernalia  of the job.  There were more morning stars and medieval manacles that they wore as they walked the town.  There were large pictures of the ancient city around the room.  He offered us a little drink of a special drink that they have.  It was a very magical night and just what I needed.

Mågeklatter=Seagull Droppings

Lossepladsen=Landfill

Rådne Fisk=Rotten Fish

I was told about Bonbonland before I left and I found these candies that went with the theme park.

I made a master shopping list this morning from the advertisements and then hopped on my bike to go to town and hit up all the stores for my groceries.  I got all the way downtown and couldn't find the sale prices so I took another look at the circulars and found that all but one, the closest to me, wouldn't start until tomorrow.  I had even tried to make the trip in between rain storms but got lambasted by one as I was getting to the bottom of the hill.  There was nothing to do but ride back up and go back home until tomorrow.