No matter how far one travels some things just don't change ...
Added to the language challenges, the currency of Danish Krona (which is divisible by five) creates double-digit prices on all products such as 75,99 dkk for a slab of packaged beef. Yeah, $16 bucks approximately. I didn't realize this was an exercise in mathematics as much as it was in home economics. I knew I was going back to school, but this was a little more than I bargained for.
Thankfully my little adventure started because of sound advice and the accompaniment of a couple from Greenland, who live at my dorm skjoldhojkollegiet. I mean where do you go to get groceries that won't cost more than they should?
I've never met anyone from Greenland. That morning, intent on getting food since everything you eat is what you brought (I could barely bring what I had), I struck up the conversation with the Greenland couple, who were enjoying their oatmeal breakfast at a wooden table, better suited to be sitting at a ski resort in Collingwood, lit by the even light, diffused by another clouded sky. Through the usual pleasantries they learned I was from Canada and were very interested in expressing their knowledge that they are like "distant cousins" of the First Nations people of Canada. That their languages are similar and they share similar physical characteristics.
They told me on the .18 dkk bus ride (where everyone pays and boards at the back, which is only a Aarhus thing and everyone you ask has no idea of the origins, but just don't be shocked when a bus seems to pass you until it stops with the back door in front of you) over from the dorm that they came from a town of 17,000. According to them the entire country has 55,000 people. It's a contrast to the more than 5 million people in Denmark they said.
Back to the shopping...
I kept walking in circles, unknown which products would give me the best value -- taste or quality has little bearing since I'm officially poor...in other words a student without an income. As a friend told me once 'you can't go forward without taking a few steps back'. This is one big financial step back and a test to not fall into my old habits of just buying instead of shopping.
Everything, except for a few American products like toothpaste (brought it), was in Danish at the value priced Netto store, apparently known for its dog silhouette logo on every bright yellow shopping bag that no one seems to take, except for bagless North Americans.
Thankfully images and numbers are fairly universal so no worries with the butter, milk and eggs. By the way the eggs here don't come in the dozen or 18 quantities, but rather 15. I'll have to see how that is organized. Maybe I'm still bleary from the jet lag.
After it was all said and done I pretty much ended up with the stuff (eggs, 15 of them; bread, tomatoes, pasta, OJ, milk, corn flakes, albeit Danish, tangerines, bananas, sunflower oil and chili sauce) I would buy more than 3,000 miles away in Bracebridge, Ontario.
majsfranskrbr 9,95
morgengry 12,00
chilisauce 15,00
pasta zara skruer x2 4,95
appelsinjuice 10,95
groft salt m/jod 2,95
egelykke letmaelk 5,25
oko. bananer 10,00
kaergarden 17,00
solsikkeolie 12,95
clementiner 10,00
buraeg 17,95
hk tomater x2 3,95
Total cost: 141,80
Value of experience: priceless
glad to hear things are going well (if challenging)
ReplyDeleteodd question for you - did you manage to sell your car? I may need it strangely enough.