Life in Europe

[tealin]

When you get a piece of mail from Denmark, for a former housemate ...

And you mark it "Return to Sender" because she's moved and you don't have her forwarding address ...

And you notice the return address is actualfacts friggin Elsinore ...
      (except they spell it Helsingør because they're not Shakespeare)

And then you remember you're going to be in Denmark next week so you translate "Return to Sender" into Danish and make a mental note to drop it in a Danish postbox when you go for groceries.

Ten years ago this scenario would have been unthinkably foreign, and now it's perfectly normal. And yet I'm still haunted by thoughts of leaving it. I am quite clearly out of my mind.




(But when the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw.)

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

So... how do you say "Return to Sender" in Danish?

-K

[tealin]

"Vende tilbage til afsenderen", according to Google.

At least that's how it's spelled – if you think English orthography is confusing, Danish words don't sound anything like they're spelled.

[(Anonymous)]

As a native speaker of Danish, I can tell you that the standard phrase is actually "Retur til afsender".
The Google translation will be understood, but it sounds unidiomatic.

Now I am delurking, I would like to tell you how much I enjoy your art, you thoughtful blogposts and your media recommendations as well as your wonderful polar project. Thank you for all of it :-)

- A longtime reader from Copenhagen

[tealin]

Ah, cool! Too bad I've already marked up the envelope ... Well, something to keep in my back pocket for the next time this ex-housemate gets some Danish mail, which happens every few months ...

Thank you for delurking! I am very happy you enjoy what I post!