Another fellow and I were invited to dinner last night at Sinne's house. She's Danish and working in Brussels. Since I was leaving for Copenhagen in the morning, when this picture was taken she had just remarked how tall I was and that I would be comfortable in Denmark where the people are typically quite tall (herself not included)! We also got to spend time with her 8 year old son, Louie, who was fun to speak French with -- when he wasn't reading Donald Duck. Louie had just returned from a ski vacation in the Alps with his father who lives in Paris. Their au pair joined us for champagne and a lovely dinner, complete with Neuhaus (Belgian) chocolates and a cheese plate, French style. I especially enjoyed the goat cheese pairing with pecans drizzled in honey. (It's true, I am not suffering one bit.)Sinne is an executive with Dansk Industri, an organization that represents trans-national businesses (sort of like our Chambers of Commerce). Like most Danish women, she is a feminist and quite progressive. We talked a lot about the elections and Hillary appears to have her vote. Everyone I have met in Europe is really counting on the change in admistration to improve the transatlantic relations. They don't seem to mind a whole lot which of the 3 get in; they simply want change.
Turns out Sinne has a foster sister! She told me right away that her mother and father raised a woman for 10 years in their home. She was happy to share that her sister is doing well today -- is married and has a child of her own. She also seemed to be impressed with the Jim Casey-UPS connection. There aren't many foundations in Europe nor do most companies invest directly in communities through NGOs. Denmark is leading the way in Europe, however, in a model called "flexicurity" which builds on the welfare state but adds flexibility for employers while increasing security for the unemployed to regain work.
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