When most people think about the word culture they think about big ideas such as food, language, values, and traditions. These things are all important, but I also believe culture (and cultural differences for that matter) extend beyond them and into the daily activities at home.

I have mentioned before that I have never traveled outside the United States and Canada so one thing that people (like me) may overlook when going to another country is the difference in appliances! Yes, that means the oven, stove, washing machine, and cleaning utilities are quite different here then they are at home. So, here are a few of my experiences that I have thus far while trying to navigate this new terrain.

The Baking Challenge

After my mom sent me a picture of some blueberry muffins she made from our garden I decided that I wanted a little taste of home and that I wanted to bake for my family (keeping in mind they have only gone over how to use the oven with me once). I successfully purchased the things I needed from the local grocery store and felt that I was on my way to success. When I got home I tried to gather most of what I needed in terms of ingredients and then proceeded to open literally every drawer in the kitchen looking for muffin tins. I eventually found them under the oven and in hindsight probably should have looked their first. I weighed out the flour and oats and chia seeds, however I was using a recipe off of an American blog so I had to keep converting my measurements over and over again. Next came preparing the wet ingredients which was going quite well until I needed vanilla and maple syrup. I found only what I think was vanilla corn syrup? and honey. The Google Translate camera was really my best friend during this whole ordeal. I figured that because the milk was sweet and so were the blueberries that just adding some sweetness here and there would get me to where I wanted to be. So, then I mixed it all together threw in about 500g of blueberries and tossed them in the oven. To say these were a success is an understatement. They turned out so well and I can not believe I managed to both cook them and not burn down my nice little house. Maybe I should go on the Great Danish? Baking Show (only kidding!).

I was a little nervous at first and of course ran around the kitchen a bunch of times, but my host mom when my host sister or I can’t locate something tells us to “be curious” and that is exactly what I did. Sometimes not knowing and trying anyway is the best way to learn!

The Laundry Challenge

I put off washing my clothes for a long as possible, one because I packed way too many outfits and two because a laundry machine all in Danish was very intimidating. That being said I really needed to do it. So, I asked my family to help me and all in all it turned out okay. At home I know what everything means and can have my pick at different detergents and settings, but here it is just all so new. I would not call either one better or worse, however it is a challenge to have to navigate even the simplest tasks because I do not understand most of the Danish language. I was able to wash and dry my clothes after just one run through from my host mom and I would call that a success. If I need to do anything more advanced then throwing everything in together on cold then maybe I will need a refresher, but for now that’s another check in my Becky-Homecky chart.

The Cleaning Challenge

In the great triathlon of homemaking there is cooking, laundering, and cleaning. I managed the first two and all that was left were the Saturday morning chores. I help my mom at home a lot with cleaning and would overall call myself tidy. That being said, I was not aware of what basic cleaning means in Denmark versus the US. My host mom and I blasted some music and got to work around 11:00 am. We wiped down the doorways, doors, couches, rugs, tables, and chairs. Then, vacuumed and washed the floors of every room in the house. To my surprise they have a robot vacuum to help (as well as a robot lawn mower, which I have decided is my next Christmas gift to my dad) which did make the task a little simpler. While this is what I would consider a pretty deep clean, this is what my family here does every week and honestly it is really nice to always have a really clean house to come back to. It was also fun to learn about their routines. Especially because both of my host parents participate in the cooking and cleaning pretty equally which is often not the case in the US.

These cultural challenges and games have been really interesting to learn. I have struggled a little bit since getting here about living in a homestay far-ish from the city, but doing these kinds of things make me feel like I am really a member of the family. I felt like I was missing out on the “downtown” experience of Copenhagen, and maybe I am; however, on the other hand, as someone said to me “you have the opportunity to experience a “downtown” environment in every city, but you really only have one chance to get lost in a foreign kitchen, hang your clothes outside in the Danish air to dry, and to dance around singing with a mop on Saturday mornings.”