Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 12/15/2008 - 12:19

So, I have less than 48 hours left in Copenhagen and I have been thinking of you a lot.  You keep telling me that I need to appreciate the time I have left and get everything out of my final days in Denmark.  Well, I just wanted to let you know that I have certainly been doing exactly that.  On Saturday we went to our visiting family's house for a traditional Danish Christmas lunch.  The meal lasted 3 hours and we had soooo much food.  You would have been so proud of the food I tried (and will never eat again).  I tried 4 different kinds of fish (including herring!) and at least 6 different preparations of pork (believe it or not I ate liver patte).   I most definitely did not enjoy everything I ate, but I am proud that I at least tried it all.

 

Tell me, how is the food on shipboard?  Have you been eating any traditional Swedish dishes that you really liked/disliked?  I can't wait until you come home and we can share our expereinces with different Nordic cultures.

 

Well, I will be home in a matter of days.  It is going to be very strange to be there without you, especially around the holidays.  Don't worry, I will make sure to decorate the tree appropriately (we can't trust the other two to do it right!).  I will leave you with a bit of your own advice... enjoy every moment, try new things and have fun!

 

Love, Kelly 

 

 

Mother

Dear Husband........
"can't trust the other two to do it right?" - better be careful just how you respond to this. Also, please note that it was the "other two" that were there to support the webinar today. I must say that the technology that made that all happen is absolutely astounding! Were the folks that were sitting there with you able to hear the whole conversation? It appeared as though the one holding the phone was the only one who could hear.

Jeff Peneston

Rooster,
I am really glad that you have had a strong finish to this study abroad.  You picked the right place to go and you have worked your plan like a master.  I am very proud of you.
Also, I absolutely promise to:
1.    Suck the marrow out of every day I am on this adventure.2.    Miss you everyday (and the other members of our family that you will soon supervise).3.    Try new things especially Swedish food.  According to some of the Swedes on board, no one in Sweden eats food that as traditional Swedish as what they serve on this boat.  The food is great and I am discovering that some of the “Swedish” food reminds me of what your grandfather fed me when I was a kid.  We have had pickled beets, pickled red cabbage, sour pickles, salty pickles, pickled peppers, pickled carrots, creamed carrots, cream of vegetable soup, and don’t even get me started about the pickled and canned fish!  Apparently, Penestons were Swedish and didn’t know it.   You would be proud of me too; I am going through mushroom therapy (don’t tell mom).  I even had cheesy cream of mushroom crepes for lunch today.4.  I will not worry about the tree decorations.  Your mother already told me that they would not decorate the tree until the “boss” came home.
I think of you, marvel at you and miss you every day,
Love,
Dad