A Danish Memoir
Kirsten Dyhr, age 18, holding the elephant near the middle.
On June 20, 1960, Kirsten Mærsk Dyhr traveled with her Girl Scouts troop to New York by ship from Copenhagen, Denmark. Now she's sharing her incredible story of immigration and the American life that followed by publishing her memoir, 60 years to the summer later.
The last of her five children, I too was born near the sea, saltwater in my veins like my Viking ancestors. I grew up hearing her Danish, learning her customs, and loving her homeland like my own. The first time I went to Denmark, I was six months old, and have returned so many times since, I’ve lost count. I have much in the way of family there, including my best friend and pseudo-sister, whose father grew up with my mother, and their fathers grew up with each other. This tiny little Nordic peninsula is home to so much of what has become my cultural norm, from traditions to food to interior design.
For several years my mother and I have talked about documenting her life, recording the endless interesting stories heard throughout my childhood. But her legacy is more than just ancestral anecdotes or tragic mishaps. It is one of strength and solitude, gumption and grit. In a way, I'm writing this story not just for her, but for me too.
In the spring of 2017, my mother and I were in Denmark for some "immersive storytelling." We spent time in her childhood town of Gentofte and at the family summer house in Kalundborg. We chatted with her older sister who still lives there as well as other family and friends.
Armed with old photographs and hours of Danish/English conversations on record, I plunge ahead into a project that holds a special place in my heart, with hope it will inspire the world.
