So B received a letter in the mail last week inviting him down to the Laerdansk Aarhus building for an interview. Specifically, it contained this chilling phrase:
"If you don't speak Danish at all, the interview will take about 30 minutes. If you do speak Danish, the interview and the evaluation will take up to 3 hours."
We agreed to pretend we spoke no Danish.
Actually, I didn't have to agree to anything, since I was not truly invited to the interview. (Because I don't yet have a visa, I can't have a CPR-nummer, and without a CPR-nummer, you are nothing. At least in Denmark. I can't get a bank account, a driver's license, a library card, free language lessons or mail.) But I went along just for kicks.
The woman in charge was very kind, and explained the system to us. The national Laerdansk program is divided into three tracks--one for illiterate newcomers and those with only elementary education, one for people who have completed 6-9 years of school, and one for those who have finished high school and possibly continued on to higher degrees. B, of course, will be in the third track. Because he has to go to work, naturally the Monday-Friday plan, with 3 hours of lessons every morning, will not work for him. Fortunately, the University here has a special program for their students and employees to learn Danish, and it is in conjunction with the national Laerdansk curriculum. Unfortunately, it doesn't begin until mid-September.
On the bright side, by mid-September, I may have a visa and CPR-nummer! It would be delightful to take language classes with B again, but I certainly intend to learn as much Danish as possible on my own before then. I'm studying signs, food labels, Danish knitting blogs, and the dictionary our landlady left us. Just yesterday I learned these new phrases:
Jeg regner med at komme.
Skal du absolut gor?
Jeg vil gerne moede at nye venner.
Three hour interview and evaluation, here I come!
You guys make me smile!!!
ReplyDeleteFree language lessons? In addition to all Denmark's *other* perks? Maybe I should head there next. If only it could offer warm, sunny beaches and pao de queijo, too... (By the way, E, I recently learned that pao de queijo is made with tapioca flour, and actually lots of foods in Brazil use tapioca, which is super delicious as I'm sure you know. So if you ever wanted a warmer climate, I'm told by a fellow gluten-free friend that you'd find plenty of food options. Just one caveat -- you'll probably have to reconsider that whole vegan thing.)
ReplyDeleteOh, and I had a similar experience with getting the local equivalent of the CPR-nummer. It's so frustrating not to be able to do anything or exist anywhere. Fortunately, mine came within a couple of months. My identification card, however, has yet to arrive from the police. It's been five months and counting. But hey, I've still got 3 months left before I return!
PS. Would you believe that I just edited my comment to be sure it didn't include anything that could be construed the wrong way? Google "Joe Sharkey criminal charges" for why. Maybe I really should move to Denmark.
PS. By "tapioca flour" I actually mean manioc flour. Apparently that's the real name for it. Sorry for my culinarily-confused translation. (By the way, tapioca is amazingly good when it's cooked like a pancake and topped with shredded coconut. Mmmm, makes me think of your delicious coconut-lime cupcakes.....)
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