Backpacking through Europe in 1994
Day 58 • November 3, 1994
Århus, Denmark
Reuniting with Pernille
I arrived in Aarhus the night before, and today I got to spend the entire day with Pernille.
We had met during our exchange year in Australia in 1988–89. Being an exchange student in a country on the opposite side of the world was incredibly liberating. For the first time in our lives, we were all free from the expectations of home, family, and the small towns we came from. We were figuring out who we were in a completely foreign environment, and we were doing it together.
That shared experience created a powerful bond. In that crucible — being young, far from home, and completely open to whatever came next — we formed friendships that have lasted a lifetime. Pernille was one of those people. Even though years had passed since we’d last seen each other, it felt completely natural to be with her again. We are still friends to this day.
We didn’t do anything big or dramatic to celebrate my birthday. We just spent a quiet, easy day together. And after everything I’d been through in the past several weeks, that felt like exactly what I needed.
Jacaranda Festival Parade – Grafton, 1988
This photo was taken on November 3, 1988, during the Jacaranda Festival parade in Grafton, New South Wales, Australia. This was exactly six years before today in Aarhus. A big group of Rotary exchange students piled onto a float together, waving our national flags. I’m in the middle holding the American flag. Pernille is third from my right, wearing white pants and holding the Danish flag. We were all far from home, thrown together in a completely new country, and we quickly became each other’s family. That day was full of laughter, music, and the feeling that we were part of something special.
I didn’t take any photos today in Århus, However, here are some photos of Pernille & me from Australia in 1988.
DAY 58 / 11-03-94
Århus, denmark
Slept in until noon, and didn’t do much until 2, when I went for a walk. It was cold though, so I only walked for an hour.
Pernille got home at 4:00, and shortly after one of her friends who went to Oz [Australia] came over.
We cooked lasagna for dinner, and then watched TV, the highlight of which was “90210 – Brandon Gets Arrested.”
We stayed awake until midnight – the start of my birthday. We talked about this day six years ago, in Grafton, New South Wales [Australia]. God, how that seems like a completely different life.
We got the bug to go out, so we headed to a place called Jacob’s BBQ Pit. I decided to treat myself to a birthday drink. They didn’t have Crown [Royal] here, so I ordered the next best thing – a Jack & Coke. But the place only had Pepsi, so I had a Jack on the rocks.
We stayed about an hour before coming home, about 3:00 am.
