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Magic salsa in Fælledparken

Last year I had an amazing experience about getting to know Danes...

It hadn’t been a good day at work. I had been in a really bad meeting with uncooperative colleagues, no resolution, a big waste of time. My need for human interaction was ZERO.

But it was a sunny day and I decided that instead of barricading myself at home, I would take a walk in Fælledparken. This is a large park in Copenhagen, with many joggers, associations doing sports, families and groups doing picnic - an active, peaceful atmosphere. That was exactly what I needed that day.

When I got there, I heard music and I automatically went into that direction and was completely stunned? At the café Pavillon some people where dancing Salsa outdoors. I had taken salsa lessons years ago and I always liked the smooth and fluid movements. I stopped and watched from outside the café like a number of others.

More and more dancers arrived and they all seemed to know each other. They greeted each other with a hug or a kiss and I wondered if they were all foreigners and what language they were speaking.

Salsa in Faelledparken Copenhagen

When I was just about to leave, one of the dancers left the dancing area, I wondered if he had forgotten something in the car. But oh HORROR, he came towards me(!!!) and asked in Danish if I would like to join. That was really the last thing on my mind that day - to socialize with people I didn’t know, having to speak Danish when I felt totally drained. I answered in English, that it was very kind of him but that I couldn’t dance salsa. That was no problem, he said in English, he would show me.

I came to think that maybe that was exactly what I needed that day, seeing that people can communicate, can find common ground. I gave in and I am happy that I did.

My dance partner was very patient and slowly my rusty salsa knowledge kicked in and I started to enjoy it. We danced a few rounds then he introduced me to another dance partner and some people from the group. It was so much fun! The soft pleasant summer evening, the rhythmic tunes, the friendly atmosphere turned a bad day into something special, even magic.

We all know, meeting Danes isn’t easy if you don’t know them beforehand or get introduced, but this experience shows that it IS possible, even if the situation isn’t optimal, even if you are not actively seeking for interaction and it may happen when you least expect it.

This experience showed me that the most important thing to meet others is to go where you can meet people. Give faith a chance to make things happen. And maybe you will have a similar experience as I had on that magic evening in Fælledparken.

Did you also meet Danes when you least expected? Let us know. Send your story to contact (@) worktrotter.dk. Others may benefit from your experiences.

Have a great summer!

Dagmar Fink

 

Picture source: http://www.salsabrava.dk.

Note: Salsa at Pavillonen has picked up their meets on July 1, 2013 and they meet Mondays and Wednesdays at 19:00 weather permitting.


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