In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning

We have discovered a descrepency on my passport and were advised to go to the embassy any morning between 9 and noon to get it taken care of.  So this morning we set out on foot to get it taken care of.  We are doing better at finding our way around, but this was simple.  We followed the five man-made lakes from our apartment to Dag Hjammerskold Boulevard and then to the embassy.  It took us about 45 minutes.  It was a lovely overcast morning, with just enough chill in the air to make it pleasant to walk.

Can you even look at this handsome guy and NOT think of The Ugly Duckling?  (Hans Christian Andersen!)

Everywhere we go, there are more bicycles than cars!

A photograph just doesn't capture the charm of these little side streets.

When we arrived there, we were met by two security guards outside the front entrance.  They were very kind but made it clear that we would not be allowed to even enter the building without an appointment.  So we turned around and walked home.  We saw some lovely sights along the way, and didn't take nearly enough pictures.

We took a detour through this cemetery.  It was positively beautiful.

  

We walked by this lovely park and couldn't resist going in.

I got my hair cut this afternoon...another fairly good walk in the rain.  The lady who cut it was very nice but didn't speak a word of English.  The temple matron, whose hair is cut like mine accompanied me to explain how I wanted mine to look...like hers!  The hairdresser had cut hers a couple of weeks ago.  So then the temple matron (Sister Williams) left and Lulu and I were left alone to converse in Danish.  I have all the basic "Get-to-Know-You" questions and answers down, but I am somewhat deficient in hair vocabulary.

The cut looked pretty good.  But at the end she asked how I liked it.  Well, I liked the cut just fine but wanted a little finishing to it.  Just a little back-combing to give it some bounce in front and a little hairspray.  So I tried to express that to her.  She opened a jar, pulled some stuff out, rubbed it all over her palms and then put it on my hair.  "Wax!" she said.  And wax it was.  Then she fluffed it up, and it stood up real well.  She kind of scrunched it up so it has waves, kind of like the flapper girls from the 20's.  I paid her and then went out in the rain to go to the center.  By the time I got there the wind and the rain had put the finishing touches to it.

I walked into the center, and one young man whom I adore, and who is from Ivory Coast, and whose English is sometimes just a little hard to understand smiled and said, "What happened to your hair?"  I briefly told him, and then he said, "It looks worse than before!"  Now this young man is a very sweet young man and I am sure that he didn't realize the devastating effect that sentence can have on a woman.  Did that mean it looked bad before?  I am also sure that he meant no slight.  It was actually kind of funny....but true!   For the sake of my pride, I will not post a picture here until it grows out a little bit, OR until I wash it and it looks better.

We had Family Home Evening, then another very lively activity and hot chocolate chip cookies!  The lesson was about what we can do to help others have a good Christmas, and how we can serve.  I just sit back and listen and marvel.  These young people are wonderful.

After several really good conversations with a couple of investigators and some of the YSAs, we came home.  It is late and I am tired, but it is a really really really good tired.