GD, I, too, at first thought you must have Great Danes that you raised when I first came to TDK and saw the name! I had to log off yesterday shortly after reading the first part of your bio, just catching up this morning....I bet you get your strong work ethic from your life in Denmark. And what an interesting story of Bob. I also think of that monster kid, when I think of "Chucky"!! Thank you for sharing this with us....what a wonderful person you are and I hope that one day, I can meet you :)
Daily Kitten Chat Forum » General Chat
GreatDane's Story
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You are a Great Dane--but you are the best TDK family member! You bring the world where ever you travel. The United States and the many lives you have touched are certainly glad you are here. You will be loved no matter where you are GD! You and Bob and Milo are very special to so many people. I am glad you shared the story.
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Thanks for starting this post, GD! I too had wondered just exactly how you got to Florida from Denmark! I remember when you first got Bobby, and I think we all fell in love with him instantly. Then when we found out that he was ill because he'd eaten some of the contaminated food, we were all terrified right along with you. It was such a relief when he recovered fully and went on to become the world traveler he is now! I am also so glad I had a chance to meet you in person. That weekend at Terri's was a great time, and it was so much fun meeting so many of the Floridian TDKers! :-)
Posted 2 years ago by Rubia in CA, 4/28 #
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Wonderful story! I had also wondered how you came from Denmark to Flordia.
Kudos to you for being so young and going to another country to live. I'm not sure I would be able to do that!Posted 2 years ago by ILoveMyCats #
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Awwwww, thanks, everybody - you're the best!
I was so glad to have TDK when Bobby was sick from the food and then again when he has his seizure. You all offered so much help, advice, prayers and support and that really helped!
Katthays, he was always so good on the bike - never said a word - or meow! Once we got caught in a typical Florida Summer Thunderstorm on the way home from work. We took refuge at a bus stop and sat there next to the road for half an hour. I chatted with him and we watched the cars go by :) -
Katthays, I studied English, German and French and took a couple of years of Latin as well. We studied British English, though, so the American accent and certain spellings were different for me. Of course, I grew up watching American movies and shows on tv with sub titles, so that helped.
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You were a very brave young lady to attempt such a move....good for you!!! Awwww, Bob and you in a rainstorm....he sounds like a character! What other cat would put up with being in a backpack?!
So, I suspect your accent is a Floridian one :) I remember when we lived out East...everyone thought WE sounded so funny with our midwest accent, but we thought THEY were the ones with the accent! -
What a fantastic story! I hope that one day I will get to meet you and the REAL BOBBY and MILO! You sound like such an interesting person. I really have enjoyed getting to know you. I think that my girls could take a lesson from Bobby, enjoy life! They are such scaredy cats! I think if EVER TDK needs a mascot kitty, I will vote for Bobby!
Posted 2 years ago by mollycat71 #
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ILMC, maybe it's because my life has changed so much and so often, I tend to just go with the flow and adapt to whatever situation - or country! - I find myself in.
In the first year or two I was here, I would be friends with the other Danish nannies around, but the fact that they always left after a year soon got old.
The triplets' dad was a tennis coach and while he taught the kids, he never had the patience to teach his wife so she took lessons and played on a team at a nearby tennis club. She wanted someone to play with, so she got me started taking lessons from the pro who was teaching her.
Anyway, it was the tennis that really got me a ton of friends evetually. I moved from that club to Ex/Boss' club where I met a ton of people, most of whom are still my friends today.When I moved here from Denmark, I was really shy. I didn't like talking to people, hardly ever raised my hand in school though I almost always knew the answers and was always known to be very quiet. I still remember the triplets' dad telling me to order a pizza on the phone and panicking because I'd never done that before and didn't know what to say - I wrote down every sentence I was going to say before dialing the number! Leaving messages on answering machines was even worse! But out of necessity, I forced myself to do these things eventhough I felt uncomfortable. People that I know today find it hard to believe I was ever shy and quiet! At a Christmas party for one of my tennis teams one year, one of the ladies I had known from my first day at the tennis center said jokingly to everybody "remember when Charlotte used to be quiet and shy?" Everyone laughed - especially me, and especially because it told me how far I'd come from that shy, awkward graduate who moved across the Atlantic years before.
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GD, I feel your pain! When I went to Germany I sort of retreated into a shell. I was afraid to talk up and to say much of anything. For me it was the added stress of the language (I know in Europe you get much more training on the English language then we do on our "foreign" languages!) boundry. I always wrote down what I was going to say. I often wondered how many times I made a fool of myself and people were just too nice to correct me.
Posted 2 years ago by mollycat71 #
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Awwww, I'll tell Bobby that, Molly - it'll make him happy!
As for the accent, Katthays, it's the weirdest thing. People I meet for the first time notice a slight accent, but never enough that they assume I'm from a different country! Almost every single person thinks I'm from Boston!!!! I have no idea why - I've never even been to Boston! As a matter of fact, my first doctor over here was from Boston and I couldn't understand half of what she said! I saw her a lot as I became anorexic for a few years. The triplets' mom used to go in with me and tell me what she was saying! (it basically amounted to "Eat" - LOL)
As for my Danish, I lose some words and translate sentences and sayings directly from English to Danish and they make no sence to people which frustrates me to no end. Since joining Facebook, I've reconnected with a lot of old Danish school friends and my Danish is getting used a lot more which helps - and who knew spell check could be set to Danish?
I grew up in the Southern part of Denmark near the German border and never had much of an accent when speaking Danish. The weird thing now is that when I speak Danish, I have the accent they have in Copenhagen!!!! I was born in Copenhagen, but only lived there til I was 2!
I have no idea how that happened! -
Molly, growing up in Denmark especially, the emphasis was really on learning other languages. There are only about 5 million people living there and noone else in the world speaks Danish so it's just sort of a given that Danish people learn other languages.
My dad who grew up during the second world war and went to school during the German occupation of Denmark where the students weren't allowed to learn English. Even he, having had no English lessons at school, speaks English now! He doesn't speak it perfectly, but he tries and even at 82, gets better every time he visits! -
I know the Boston accent well! It is a good thing to be in touch with your Danish school mates, I think....It sharpens your Danish and keeps you connected to your roots. Yeah for your Dad on learning English! Accents are strange....there are always those certain ones that have enough of a variation to throw off what we want to categorize into a lump definition of a certain accent. When we lived out East and came back to WI for a visit, we were told that WE had developed that accent! I think one does tend to pick up certain things.
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Here's Baby Bob in his drawer at work:
http://thebobster06.multiply.com/photos/album/10/Baby_Bobby#7If you scroll through the pictures in the album, those are all from when Bobby was little.
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GD, I am enjoying reading your story. I recall all of us agonizinging when Bobby was sick from the contaminated food and how we worried about his seizures. I know I am so glad that he recovered. That is an amazing thing to come from Denmark to the US. I am always amazed at people who come thousands of miles from their homes to live in the US. Thank you for sharing your story. I am so glad I got to meet you at Terri's even if it was for as short time. Hopefully we will get to meet again at another TDK meet.
Posted 2 years ago by SylMiaFelixMomma #
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Great to wake up and read more about you and Bobby (hope Milo isn't feeling left out...). Sweet photos of baby Bobbi, my , no wonder he was a hit wherever you took him.
The more I read, the more I see how many talents you have GD. All those languages. Have you ever considered becoming an educator?
BTW, I lived in Boston for 20 yrs, would love to return some day...you must visit Boston, it's a beautiful city. Maybe when I move back, I'll extend an invitatioin, as long as Bobbi and Milo come also.Posted 2 years ago by Tigerlilly #
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You bet, TL! Boston has always been on my list of places I want to visit :)
Part of the reason I didn't return to Denmark for a continuing education was because really the only thing you could study for with languages back then was to become a professor in that language and I never had any desire to teach. At least not in a classroom - I still love teaching tennis! I had coffee at Panera with a friend after work today and ran into Auntie Ellen and her 13 year old daughter. They were mentioning how the daughter wants to learn to play tennis so I offered to teach her. I haven't taught kids' tennis in a while and I'm looking forward to it :)
You asked about me going back to being a nanny and that's a no as well. I like kids and enjoy being around them, but I did that for a very long time and it's not something I want to do again. I enjoy using my brain - don't get me wrong, I did that while nannying, too - but I enjoy jobs where I get intellectually challenged a bit. The gym's not great for that, either, but at least I get to do some math and deal with people, give tours, tell them about our products and try to talk them into joining.
I have been toying with the idea, though, when I stop working Saturdays, of joining Big Brothers Big Sisters and getting my kid fix in that way and at the same time helping out a child who needs me. -
GD, do you do long distance learning? I really want to get into tennis again! I would be happy to take lessons from you!
Posted 2 years ago by mollycat71 #
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GD, I work with United Way here and Big Brothers, Big Sisters is one of our agencies. They always need great role models and the kids need that attention so badly.
Have you ever thought of being a tour guide for a local attraction?
Posted 2 years ago by WillowandWindismom #
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Fascinating story GD, thanks so much for sharing it with us. We visited Denmark on a Christmas cruise in 2005. It was so much fun to see your country around the holidays and I bought a beautiful necklace made of amber to remember the visit.
Posted 2 years ago by DancingCatHill #
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...a little green with envy of you Buttercup. How lucky to have seen Bobby in person.
I wonder if Bobby has any idea that he has such a following :)Posted 2 years ago by Tigerlilly #
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My first best female friend was Danish. I recall visiting her house and her family all spoke to each other in Danish. I believe she went back to Denmark to visit family at least every other year or so. I haven't spoken to her in 25 years due to a falling out over something quite silly. I hope to be able to visit Scandanavia some day soon. Oh, I am envious of you Buttercup too.
Posted 2 years ago by SylMiaFelixMomma #
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Put me on the list, I think he is just a "star". But so is Mi, he's just behind the scenes! I love the drawer picture too!
Posted 2 years ago by mollycat71 #
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