so today we are gonna change up the format a bit. though i have been loving copenhagen and living in scandinavia, i feel like i would be doing a disservice if i didn’t discuss the not so great parts of it too. nothing from dis or whitman themselves, but the general culture here. i remember hearing something from someone in the airport that if you don’t look scandinavian, you will stand out. i was questioning that a lot on my flight over. was i going to stand out? i am very scandinavian, my dad’s mom immigrated from norway. however, what does scandinavian look like beyond race and hair color? that phrasing that person did, really ignited a lot of energy in me. however, in my true adhd fashion, i forgot about minutes later.

in america i experience the stare based off my height, it is a normal everyday occurrence. in america though, i always have a fun time trying to surprise people by what my next move is gonna be when they stare. usually it is children so i’m not gonna confront a child obviously, but i just have to get creative. my go to’s are a wave, staring back, punching my hand into my other (like in the movies), waving, or my personal favorite, chomping my teeth so it looks like i am gonna bite them. the best part of doing these is that the child is absolutely frightened, you never have to talk to them, and it is all on the parents. you might think, “kate, what”. that probably is the correct response but when you have been taunted for your entire life and have had several hate crimes delivered upon you, you have to make the fun out of the situation. i know kids have questions and are confused, but i don’t want to explain my disability every time i see a child, so instead i make it fun.

anyways we aren’t in america anymore aren’t we. in scandinavia, i have been struggling a fair amount with making kids and quite frankly, adults even, not stare. going back to the quote at the top of you have to look scandinavian to fit in, adults and children will both stare. so, my usual tactics of what i practice in america don’t typically work as the adult stares as well. i am currently taking suggestions and trying to combat this head on. in all seriousness, i am starting to just not care about the staring here.

i talked about it in a previous blog post about my experience with the swedish men following me. so far, that has been the most frightening experience i have had so far. i just have a history of bad stuff like that and i was really scared. i am very lucky to have it been in broad daylight, and a couple who could help me. i am okay now though.

i hope this was at least somewhat helpful in one way or another.

nadir, my boy, please help with this weird format.