FOULUM/FARSØ: Farsø Avis bringer dette indlæg fra Lauri Jones, der bor i Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.
Hun besøgte Danmark som AFS udvekslingsstuderende i juli og august i 1985, hvor hun boede hos Hans Peter og Ida Hansen på Gulholm i Foulum. Hun har netop været på genvisit her 39 år senere, og fortæller hvordan Farsø-området har forandret sig og hvordan tiden var for 39 år siden, som 16-årig, set med hendes øjne.
Vi har valgt, at bringe hendes indlæg, som hun har skrevet det, nemlig på engelsk.
In the summer of 1985, when I was 16 years old, I arrived in Farsø for a two-month adventure. I would be living with the Hansen family on a farm in Foulum.
Recently I returned to Denmark and Farsø for the first time since that summer. Thirty-nine years had passed. So, what was different?
Farsø became a bit bigger with more shopping and more housing. The people I knew back in 1985 have more gray hair and a few more wrinkles. As do I. The house on the farm in Foulum has been replaced by a new one.
One impressive change I noticed was the addition of wind turbines, solar panels, and an elaborate system for disposing of waste. The United States should follow Denmark’s example in these areas.
But the biggest change, which is not exclusive to Farsø, is technology. When I wanted to communicate with my family in 1985, I wrote letters and postcards. According to the journal I kept, I sent LOTS of postcards. And I remember making one quick long distance international phone call. If you are old enough to remember, you know that those phone calls were expensive.
On this 2024 visit, it was easy to send text messages to update everyone back home on where I was and what was happening. Plus with the convenience of cameras in our mobile phones, I knew instantly if a picture I took was in focus or was “the shot” I wanted.
When using a film camera in 1985, I did not know until I got home and developed the film if my pictures were good. Or whether I actually got a picture of the Queen when we saw her at the Rebild Festival. Luckily, I did.
Oh, that’s another change. The dashing young prince whose face was all over magazines in 1985 is now the handsome King.
I was glad to see that some things have not changed. We had smørrebrød every day for lunch just like we did in 1985. The rugbrød is as delicious as I remember. And the strawberries! They are still the best I have ever tasted anywhere in the world.
Plus, Danish hospitality remains warm, welcoming, and world-class. Hygge is alive and well in Denmark and is another concept Americans should adopt. It is easy to see why Denmark ranks among the happiest countries in the world.
Now as a 55-year-old I appreciate the people, the hospitality, and the easy nature of Danes more than I did as a teenager.
Tak Danmark for reminding me to enjoy the little things in life and to cherish family and friends!
/cf
