Markus, Tyskland. 43 år 3 Markus|Germany|years Markus, Germany. 43 years old 3

Jeg kom med høje forventninger, fordi det første halve år havde været så godt. I|came|with|high|expectations|because|it|first|half|year|had|been|so|good eu||||expectativas||||||||| I came with high expectations because the first half year had been so good. Men denne gang blev jeg skuffet. But|this|time|was|I|disappointed |||||decepcionado But this time I was disappointed. Jeg var ikke så heldig som sidst. I|was|not|as|lucky|as|last time I wasn't as lucky as last time. Det værste var at finde et sted at bo, for mit værelse i mit gamle kollektiv var lejet ud til en anden, og jeg måtte finde noget nyt. The|worst|was|to|find|a|place|to|live|because|my|room|in|my|old|collective|was|rented|out|to|another|person|and|I|had to|find|something|new The worst part was finding a place to live, because my room in my old shared apartment was rented out to someone else, and I had to find something new. I Berlin havde jeg boet i en lejlighed på 60 m2, men jeg havde ikke råd til sådan en lejlighed i København. In|Berlin|had|I|lived|in|an|apartment|of|square meters|but|I|had|not|afford|for|such|an|apartment|in|Copenhagen In Berlin, I had lived in an apartment of 60 m2, but I couldn't afford such an apartment in Copenhagen. Desuden kunne jeg godt lide at bo sammen med andre. Moreover|could|I|really|like|to|live|together|with|others |||bem|||||| Moreover, I liked living with others. Jeg ledte derfor igen efter et værelse i et kollektiv, men det var umuligt at finde noget. I|searched|therefore|again|for|a|room|in|a|shared apartment|but|it|was|impossible|to|find|anything Therefore, I was again looking for a room in a shared apartment, but it was impossible to find anything.

En odyssé begyndte, og den varede i to år. An|odyssey|began|and|it|lasted|for|two|years a|odisséia||||durou||dois|anos An odyssey began, and it lasted for two years. Jeg flyttede rundt fra det ene sted til det andet. I|moved|around|from|the|one|place|to|the|other I moved around from one place to another. Nogle gange boede jeg et sted seks uger, andre gange to måneder, så igen tre måneder … Jeg præsenterede mig for 30-40 forskellige kollektiver. Sometimes|times|I lived|I|a|place|six|weeks|other|times|two|months|then|again|three|months|I|presented|myself|to|different|collectives Sometimes I lived in one place for six weeks, other times two months, then again three months... I introduced myself to 30-40 different collectives. De var søde hver gang og roste mig altid: „Hvor taler du fantastisk godt dansk allerede efter et år!" They|were|sweet|every|time|and|praised|me|always|How|speak|you|fantastic|well|Danish|already|after|one|year They were sweet every time and always praised me: "How wonderfully well you speak Danish already after a year!" Alligevel fik jeg aldrig tilbudt et værelse. Nevertheless|I got||never|offered|a|room Still, I was never offered a room.

En af dem, jeg boede hos, var tyske Axel, som boede i København sammen med sin danske kæreste. One|of|them|I|lived|at|was|German|Axel|who|lived|in|Copenhagen|together|with|his|Danish|girlfriend One of the people I stayed with was German Axel, who lived in Copenhagen with his Danish girlfriend. Hun skulle tre måneder til Paris, og i de tre måneder boede jeg hos ham. She|was to|three|months|in|Paris|and|in|the|three|months|lived|I|with|him She was going to Paris for three months, and during those three months, I stayed with him. Han er stadigvæk min bedste ven i Danmark. He|is|still|my|best|friend|in|Denmark He is still my best friend in Denmark. Men da hans kæreste kom tilbage til København, måtte jeg flytte igen. But|when|his|girlfriend|came||to|Copenhagen|had to|I|move|again But when his girlfriend came back to Copenhagen, I had to move again.

Bagefter boede jeg til fremleje hos en mærkelig fyr på Nørrebro. Afterwards|I lived|I|in|sublet|with|a|strange|guy|in|Nørrebro Afterwards, I lived subletting with a strange guy in Nørrebro. Der skulle jeg flytte ud lige pludselig, uden at jeg havde et andet sted at bo. There|should|I|move|out|right|suddenly|without|to|I|had|another|other|place|to|live I suddenly had to move out of there, without having another place to live. Jeg fik hjælp af en tysk kollega, som også arbejdede som forsker på DTU. I|received|help|from|a|German|colleague|who|also|worked|as|researcher|at|DTU I got help from a German colleague who also worked as a researcher at DTU. I de næste seks uger boede jeg i hendes lille 3-værelses-lejlighed på Østerbro, hvor hun lige var flyttet ind sammen med sin datter … I|the|next|six|weeks|lived|I|in|her|small|3-room|apartment|in|Østerbro|where|she|just|was|moved|in|together|with|her|daughter For the next six weeks, I lived in her small 3-room apartment in Østerbro, where she had just moved in with her daughter ...

Jeg var skuffet. I|was|disappointed I was disappointed. Mit første ophold gik så godt, men nu følte jeg, at jeg var havnet i et hul. My|first|stay|went|so|well|but|now|felt|I|||was|ended up|in|a|hole ||estadia|||||||||||||| My first stay went so well, but now I felt like I had landed in a hole. Først efter to år fandt jeg et mere permanent sted at bo, på Heimdalsgade på Nørrebro. First|after|two|years|I found|I|a|more|permanent|place|to|live|on|Heimdalsgade|in|Nørrebro Only after two years did I find a more permanent place to live, on Heimdalsgade in Nørrebro. En kollega fra DTU skulle rejse til Sydamerika, og jeg måtte bo i hans lejlighed imens. A|colleague|from|DTU|was to|travel|to|South America|and|I|had to|live|in|his|apartment|while A colleague from DTU was going to travel to South America, and I had to stay in his apartment in the meantime. Jeg måtte også selv vælge, hvem jeg ville dele lejligheden med, og valgte en brasilianer og en franskmand, som jeg kendte fra kantinen på DTU. I|had to|also|myself|choose|who|I|wanted|share|the apartment|with|and|chose|a|Brazilian|and|a|Frenchman|who|I|knew|from|the cafeteria|at|DTU I also got to choose who I wanted to share the apartment with, and I chose a Brazilian and a Frenchman whom I knew from the cafeteria at DTU.

Jeg havde i mellemtiden fået et ph.d.-stipendie, og det var blevet til en vane, at vi udenlandske ph.d.-studerende mødtes i kantinen til frokost. I|had|in|the meantime|received|a||||and|it|was|become|to|a|habit|that|we|international||||met|in|the cafeteria|for|lunch In the meantime, I had received a PhD scholarship, and it had become a habit for us foreign PhD students to meet in the cafeteria for lunch. Vi kunne ikke vænne os til madpakkerne med det medbragte brød, som vores danske kollegaer spiste. We|could|not|get used|ourselves|to|the packed lunches|with|the|brought from home|bread|that|our|Danish|colleagues|ate We could not get used to the packed lunches with the brought bread that our Danish colleagues ate. Vi ville hellere gå i kantinen og købe noget ordentlig mad. We|would|rather|go|in|the cafeteria|and|buy|something|proper|food We would rather go to the cafeteria and buy some decent food. Desuden havde vi behov for kontakt og for at snakke med hinanden – også om andre emner end arbejde. Moreover|had|we|need|for|contact|and|to|to|talk|with|each other|also|about|other|topics|than|work Moreover, we needed contact and to talk to each other – also about topics other than work. Det var kantinen et meget godt sted til. It|was|the canteen|a|very|good|place|to The cafeteria was a very good place for that.

Jeg boede i dette lille, udenlandske bofællesskab i fem år, frem til 2004. I|lived|in|this|small|foreign|housing community|for|five|years|until|2004 I lived in this small, foreign co-housing community for five years, until 2004. Det fungerede godt, og jeg blev igen glad for at være i Danmark, også fordi jeg kunne lide mit arbejde og arbejdsmiljøet på DTU. It|worked|well|and|I|became|again|happy|for|to|be|in|Denmark|also|because|I|could|like|my|work|and|the work environment|at|DTU It worked well, and I was happy to be in Denmark again, also because I liked my job and the work environment at DTU. Efter jeg var færdig med min ph.d., fik jeg en fast stilling som forsker og lektor. After|I|was|finished|with|my|||got|I|a|permanent|position|as|researcher|and|lecturer ||||||||||||||pesquisador||professor After I finished my PhD, I got a permanent position as a researcher and lecturer. På det sociale plan var kontakten til mine arbejdskollegaer og mit lille bofællesskab nok for mig. On|the|social|level|was|contact|to|my|work colleagues|and|my|small|living community|enough|for|me ||||||||||||coletivo de moradia||| On a social level, the contact with my colleagues and my small co-housing community was enough for me.

Jeg skulle først flytte igen, da lejlighedens ejer kom tilbage fra Sydamerika. I|should|not until|move|again|when|the apartment's|owner|returned|back|from|South America I only had to move again when the apartment's owner returned from South America. Han havde fundet en kæreste, og de skulle selv bruge lejligheden. He|had|found|a|girlfriend|and|they|were going to|themselves|use|the apartment He had found a girlfriend, and they were going to use the apartment themselves. Men i mellemtiden havde jeg sparet lidt penge op og besluttede derfor at købe min egen lejlighed. But|in|the meantime|had|I|saved|a little|money|up|and|decided|therefore|to|buy|my|own|apartment But in the meantime, I had saved up some money and therefore decided to buy my own apartment.

Boligmarkedet i Danmark er helt forskelligt fra Tyskland. The housing market|in|Denmark|is|completely|different|from|Germany The housing market in Denmark is completely different from Germany. I Tyskland er der mange boliger, man kan leje, men i Danmark findes der kun få lejeboliger, og man skal stå på venteliste i mange år. In|Germany|are|there|many|housing|one|can|rent|but|in|Denmark|exists||only|few|rental apartments|and|one|must|be|on|waiting list|for|many|years In Germany, there are many apartments available for rent, but in Denmark, there are only a few rental apartments, and you have to be on a waiting list for many years. I Danmark køber man enten en ejerlejlighed eller en andelsbolig. In|Denmark|buys|one|either|an|owner-occupied apartment|or|an|cooperative apartment In Denmark, one either buys a condominium or a cooperative apartment. Jeg købte en lille 3-værelses-lejlighed i stueetagen i et rækkehus på Østerbro. I|bought|a|small|||in|the ground floor|in|a|townhouse|in|Østerbro I bought a small 3-room apartment on the ground floor of a townhouse in Østerbro. Husets ejer, en tysk psykolog, solgte den nederste etage af sit hus, fordi hun ville købe en lejlighed i Grækenland. The house|owner|a|German|psychologist|sold|the|lower|floor|of|her|house|because|she|wanted|to buy|an|apartment|in|Greece The house's owner, a German psychologist, sold the lower floor of her house because she wanted to buy an apartment in Greece. På det tidspunkt var der stor efterspørgsel efter ejerboliger, og der var mange interesserede købere. At|that|time|was|there|great|demand|for|owner-occupied homes|and|there|was|many|interested|buyers At that time, there was a high demand for owner-occupied homes, and there were many interested buyers. Hun fortalte mig bagefter, at hun valgte mig blandt de mange interesserede, fordi jeg var tysk. She|told|me|afterwards|that|she|chose|me|among|the|many|interested|because|I|was|German She told me afterwards that she chose me among the many interested because I was German. Så var det langt om længe en fordel! Then|was|it|long|at last|last|a|advantage So it was finally an advantage!

Jeg delte lejligheden i to år med Britt, en norsk kollega. I|shared|the apartment|for|two|years|with|Britt|a|Norwegian|colleague I shared the apartment for two years with Britt, a Norwegian colleague. Næsten samtidig med, at jeg købte lejligheden, mødte jeg Ines ved et bryllup hos venner i Tjekkiet. Almost|simultaneously|with|when|I|bought|the apartment|met|I|Ines|at|a|wedding|at|friends|in|the Czech Republic Almost at the same time that I bought the apartment, I met Ines at a wedding of friends in the Czech Republic. Ines er tysker og uddannet journalist og arbejdede som kommunikationschef for en virksomhed i Tyskland. Ines|is|German|and|educated|journalist|and|worked|as|communications manager|for|a|company|in|Germany Ines is German and a trained journalist and worked as a communications manager for a company in Germany. Vi var kærester i to år, før Ines flyttede til København. We|were|boyfriend and girlfriend|for|two|years|before|Ines|moved|to|Copenhagen We were in a relationship for two years before Ines moved to Copenhagen. Indtil da rejste vi frem og tilbage mellem København og Nordtyskland og havde et weekendforhold. Until|then|we traveled|we|forward|and|back|between|Copenhagen|and|Northern Germany|and|had|a|weekend relationship Until then, we traveled back and forth between Copenhagen and Northern Germany and had a weekend relationship. Men vi ville gerne bo sammen. But|we|would|like|live|together But we wanted to live together. Vi var begge næsten 40 år gamle, og hvis vi skulle have børn, skulle det være nu. We|were|both|almost|years|old|and|if|we|should|have|children|should|it|be|now We were both almost 40 years old, and if we were going to have children, it had to be now.

Beslutningen om at flytte til København var ikke svær for Ines, for ligesom mig havde hun rejst meget rundt i verden. The decision|to|to|move|to|Copenhagen|was|not|difficult|for|Ines||like|me|had|she|traveled|much|around|in|the world The decision to move to Copenhagen was not difficult for Ines, because like me, she had traveled a lot around the world. Hun havde også boet i udlandet før og havde lyst til at prøve noget nyt. She|had|also|lived|in|abroad|before|and|had|desire|to||try|something|new She had also lived abroad before and wanted to try something new. Desuden kendte hun København som Skandinaviens mest europæiske by. Moreover|knew|she|Copenhagen|as|Scandinavia's|most|European|city Moreover, she knew Copenhagen as Scandinavia's most European city. Hun flyttede ind i min lejlighed, og et år efter fik vi Jonas. She|moved|in|into|my|apartment|and|one|year|later|had|we|Jonas She moved into my apartment, and a year later we had Jonas. To år senere kom vores anden søn, Torger. Two|years|later|came|our|second|son|Torger Two years later our second son, Torger, was born.