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A Contemporary Fairy Tale from Denmark
It's one thing to read Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales and another to virtually live them! My first-hand experience with this friendly nation was great.
"The Little Match Girl" with a twist
Do you remember the story of the poor little match girl, roaming barefoot through the streets full of snow, shivering with cold and hunger on New Year's Eve, peeping through people's windows, feasting her eyes on those lavish celebrations, smelling the savoury roast goose and apple pies, while nobody cared to notice her right outside their homes?
She took refuge between two houses, huddling herself together, thinking how she didn't dare go home, since she sold no matches that day.
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To avoid freezing, she lit her matches one by one, and allowed herself into a slowly numbing delirious trance, imagining the food she witnessed, the glorious Christmas trees in the rich children's homes all coming to her, until suddenly, she saw a star fall. |
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She knew from her grandmother that somebody was dying right then. The memory of the only person who ever loved her was enough to bring a smile onto her pale cheeks before the angels took her own soul to join her granny in heaven. Her little body was later found by people coming out to stretch their legs in the warm sunshine of the New Year's midday.
Altogether, a memorable story to tell the world about
Well, my experience in Denmark was exactly on the reverse side of the coin: I thought... probably having been exposed to the little match girl story so deeply over the centuries explains my perception of the Danes I came in contact with as being so sensitive about even a hint of somebody suffering in their presence, that they turned into the generous, hospitable folks I found, welcoming visitors openheartedly, right from the moment 'go'. I shall never forget this!
When I wrote my first ever email, asking to be hosted into a fellow CouchSurfing member's home, her answer came back within 3 minutes: "I would be happy to host you. Best regards, L" and this just shocked me. I got used to being treated with suspicion by people in a different cultures, especially during the last three years - two in China and one in Saudi Arabia.
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On arrival, a few months later, she just answered "Welcome, Lucia!" in
her interphone and opened the gate. Together with her other softly spoken young
CouchSurfer lady and a very friendly male tenant - they were waiting
for me with an open hug, dolmas and tea on the table. I was truly blessed! |
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The conversations and togetherness we had during the next day filled me with awe and reverence – this experience will remain my first and best, surpassable by only something unimaginable.
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