Staying hygge in the rain

It's been grey for four days in a row, and I am already driving myself crazy. I fear that is just the tip of the iceberg, according to the weather forecast. I was told that this would happen, but I guess it was a bit of a 'I'll believe it when I see it' moment.

I met my visiting host family on Thursday, whom I won't be living with while I'm here, but rather spending time with throughout the semester– getting to know Copenhagen through a different lens, if you will. We were at Tivoli, chatting and sharing drinks around a small patio table. Henning, my host dad (is that proper way to address him?) ordered a glass of rosé and said, "to celebrate the last summer night!" I thought he was kidding, but it's rained every day since then, so I think he was right. They’re lovely, by the way. Lisa, the mom, is chatty and kind; their kids, Anna and Nicolai, seventeen-year-old fraternal twins, are adorable and very Scandinavian. I really want Anna to take me shopping; I think she'd know where I can find some cute stuff.

On a similar note, I jumped in the harbor off of a five meter platform at Kalvebod Bølge last week. I had no idea that that might have been the only time I’d be in the water that wouldn’t be a cold plunge (thank god I went when I did). I went out on Tuesday in a skirt and no jacket for maybe the last time (but I can't promise that, because I am no stranger to going out to a high school dance in the middle of February in nothing but a mini dress and my sneakers...) (I now understand why my mom did not endorse that).

With all of that in mind, fall is starting to creep in, but we're making the most of it. We went to a group sauna meditation session on Friday. You have to look at the website, check out the facilitators, look at the space, it's awesome. Let this be the start of how I stay alive when it's grey.

We did set the smoke alarm off three times this week. Pretty sure it was May's hairdryer, and not my two new candles, that I spent 611 DKK on. (I'll let you do the embarrassing math on how much that costs in USD) but I don't regret it at ALL. I do not play about my candles. I will not burn some chemical, fake, bath-and-body-works-marshmellow-apple-smelling shit. I prefer a vegan soy-wax base with natural scents only. Yes I am particular. Yes I am high maintenance. Yes that sounds incredible snobby. But I mean LOOK at how good these are, I know you want one too.

Hot beverages on deck at all times, tea kettle on first thing in the morning. Just like the MN winter mornings. I don't wake up fast, and I never have, even as a little kid. Especially when it's dark. Usually light + tea + a hug is what gets me out of bed. Soft clothing and socks help too. Bought a French press the size of my palm, cutest thing I've ever seen. Makes exactly one cup of coffee.

Embracing biking in the rain, wearing layers, still need to buy more sweaters. We watch a good show with dinner most nights, cook lentil soup and homemade spring rolls, and have a group dinner with friends once a week. May says that good, nourishing food is the secret to a happy life (she is not wrong). Thank god my roommate likes to eat, just like me ;)

We went to the movie theater this weekend, and there was a self-serve Swedish candy bar inside. I was flabbergasted (clearly). Charlotte, our Danish professor, would be so proud of the language we picked up from reading the subtitles.

Trying to focus on movement even when I don't want to, even if it's Just Dance (yes May paid big bucks to download the good version on her laptop, worth every penny). Putting out my yoga mat, laying on my stomach, letting my back rest in lumbar extension. I haven't really worked out yet, but I'm trying to be okay with that. Reminding myself, when you go to the gym, start squatting at 65 lbs, don't be mad at yourself, focus on your PT.

Eating because I'm hungry, and because I'm walking and biking everywhere. Rice Krispy o'clock most nights before bed, Pavlovian effect when May hears the cereal box open. Keep eating and don't feel guilty for it. Letting myself journal and read and write without feeling like I could be doing something more 'productive', but that's actually really hard. Deconstructing hustle culture little by little.

Trying to not end every day focusing on the things I wish I had done, because of course I always could have done more homework. Hard for me to think about the other side, glass half full, look at everything I did do. FaceTiming my best friend for an hour is certainly not a waste. It's okay that I didn't build that into my schedule for the day.

Making a routine is in my blood, grounds me to my core; drinking water, taking my meds and supplements, and picking a new earring stack every two weeks. But maybe the hardest thing is not sticking to a routine, a regimen so strict that I forget that I am in Europe. My mind is telling me to start researching internships for Summer '27. WHY?! How do I stop? You don't have to tell me that's not what I should be thinking about right now, because yes, I know. At some point I have to let the hygge come to me, not the other way around. Hygge isn't hygge if you force it. Deciding how to spend my twenty-four hours each day might be the biggest challenge of all, but I'm determined to figure it out.

As you can see, I'm starting to plan my pro-wellness, healthy-but-not-obsessive, anti-anxiety semester. It's not going to be perfect, there will be days when I'm really sad and can't explain why, but that's okay. I just need the bones of a good routine to fall back on. On a higher note, pumpkin spice has been released at Danish Starbucks. OMW to have a PSL (half-sweetened, duh, iykyk).

Always keeping it real! With exuberant amounts of love,

Clara