Tuesday, 0835 hours, 28 March 2006

It is just two more days and I will be making my way back to Singapore. A mélange of emotions and feelings are stirring in me as I try to organize my thoughts.

I love the weather in Denmark. I love the freedom. I love the environment. I love the simplicity that comes with the culture. Or, the other way of expressing this is that my beliefs system and mentality and very much in sync in this part of the world.

Other than looking forward to the career challenges and the friends who I will be meeting and knowing, there is very little to look forward to. Singapore has never been a place which provides me with any special memories. Well, perhaps only for the memory that I met him there in school.

I know I will miss Denmark. He remarked, “ Leaving Denmark opens another door to another part of the world.”

It is true and I agree with him. After this chapter, we shall begin another chapter, and hopefully, it will take place in another country as beautiful as Denmark.

Yet, I know that the emotional side of me wants that attention once again.

For the past hours, there were so many instances where I felt like letting my tears fall freely down my face. I miss Copenhagen. I miss my new-found friends. I miss the lifestyle. I miss the swans, the beautiful and graceful swans which decorate the many waterways and lakes. I simply love to sit by the lake and watch the swans land on and take off from the water. While they may be very graceful creatures, they do require a certain amount of power to carry their bodies off the water. And when they land, they usually need about a few meters of water and they usually create this huge splashes of water around them. It reminds me of a plan landing on the tarmac.

Sitting by the lake allows one to calm down and reflect on life. For me, it especially gives me a chance to take note of things in life which one has failed to notice. Take a look at the list below!

I love to watch people jogging past. They remind me to keep going and persevere no matter how harsh the weather is. One can do it if one tries hard enough.
I love to watch mums and dads push their baby strollers past me. Divorce rates are high here. Sometimes, you see only the mum and sometimes you see only the dad. But I love the fact that they make time for their children. They talk to their children, play with them, show them what their environment is like, and most importantly, show them that they care.
I love to watch the people feeding the birds and swans. Sometimes, they would throw the bread crumbs or pieces of bread into the air and the birds would catch it. Their movements and motions in the air resembles a dance. A dance of joy, a dance of life. A dance of thanks. A dance of friendship. One may think that the people who have the time to feed the birds are probably retirees. Well, one is partially right. There are many other youths who would cycle to the lakes with bags and bags of bread ( gammel brod ). And of course, people like me, who cannot finish the big loaves of bread and would very much love to share them before they turn really bad.
Watching the ripples on the water adds joy to the experience. Denmark is a place which is always very windy and cold and grey. Yet, the many different winds create masterpieces on the water. The wind blows from so many different directions that the patterns on the water is always so varied and pretty. The trees and leaves moves to the rhythm of the winds and always, they seem to be singing songs which brings the soul to a calm. If one is upset, the singing brings consolation and peace. If one is happy, the singing shares your joy and happiness. Whatever emotions one carries, the wind seems to be the only best candidate who can truly understand and share them with one.
Basking in the sun. Benches by the lakes are one major spot where people hit to get their share of the sun when it is out. Of course, during winter, people do not do this that often. Spring is here and the sun is slowing showing signs of warmth and light. More and more people are taking their breaks in the sun simply by sitting on these benches. While the sun warms them up, they take their breaks and lunches. At the same time, one finds the time to be at peace with oneself once again.

Denmark is the place which was chosen to allow me to take stock of my life. It gave me the chance to think things through and to rediscover myself once again. To find out who I truly am and what I was born to do. This is the place where both he and I actually worked out some of the issues which have been plaguing us for the past years. This is the place where I re-established contact with some long-lost friends.

This is the place where I began to find myself and my destiny.