Saturday, January 30, 2010

Hygge

I have not posted anything in a few days and it feels very weird! So the updating begins. Thursday was a typical day in class and so was Friday, except I did not have my Marine Biology class because my teacher is not here yet. So I got a nice long sleep in and then attended my Nordic Mythology class. After class I attempted to do laundry which I am pretty sure I washed my clothes with fabric softener and not actual detergent but thats ok. Then my friend Katherine came over and we hung out before we had our group dinner.

We decided as a Kollegium to go out to eat once a month and we decided to do that this Friday night. I was unaware that it was arctic blizzarding conditions when we went out however. I think this just made it that much more fun. Unfortunately, about 20 of us went out to eat so we had to split up, and my group ended up at this fantastic italian restaurant and I experienced my first Danish Hygge. Hygge is a very hard word to define in other cultures because it is a feeling, mostly of coziness, happiness, and comfort all rolled into one. This is how wikipedia defines it " Hygge is a complete absence of anything annoying, irritating, or emotionally overwhelming, and the presence of and pleasure from comforting, gentle, and soothing things. Hygge is often associated with family and close friends" Anyways, the point was, good food, good friends and good conversation. I have surprised myself with how quickly I have been able to click with the people here. We ended up having such an awesome time, not only did we spend probably 3 hours in the restaurant, but afterwards when we finally got back we all continued to hang out until about 1:30 in the morning.

Then I had to wake up early this morning to go to Malmo, Sweden! It was awesome! We had no plan and no map and we pretty much just walked around (in the freezing cold...) and had a great time. Eight of us went, including our new Australian friend Tom. We walked forever though, and my ugg boots got soaked all the way through. My feet were soaking wet and freezing! It was totally worth it, and I bought an awesome pair of boots that were originally about 300 dollars and I bought them for 80. I am hoping these are more waterproof since I think my uggs are going to take a while to dry out.

Anyways, our dorm is throwing all the residence a party tonight! So I am going to go get ready for that. Pictures will be posted soon!!

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

The Worst Snow Storm in 30 years...



So today was the first Wednesday field study and we took a trip to Odense, where Hans Christian Anderson was born and where he lived for the first 14 years of his life. We boarded our double decker tour bus at 8:45 in the morning and was soon on our way. The bus ride was about 2 hours long due to the snow storm we were traveling in. Snow does not stop anything here, not even the bikes. The ride also took us over one of the worlds longest suspension bridges which was very scary. Also along the way we passed the island where they used to exile women who got pregnant out of wedlock. The most interesting part was that they exiled them up until the 1960s. After we finally made it to the quaint town of Odense, and marveled at the fact that even in the snow and bitter cold they still have market day, we made it to the museum dedicated to Hans Christian Anderson. It was a very small museum with a ton of information packed inside it. We even got to see the house that they think he was born in.


After the museum we walked around the town of Odense trying to find the 50+ statues that are dedicated to him and his works around the town. We also grabbed a bite to eat before getting on the bus. Unfortunately the bus ride took over 3 hours on the way back because the snow storm had worsened. Our bus driver was amazing though and we made it back to Copenhagen safe and sound. And personally with very good timing, because we were delivered to DIS right before the first discussion for the Climate Change Seminar was about to start.

This weeks program was entitled Reflections from the COP 15 and we had 4 speakers discuss their thoughts on the COP15. This was very interesting because I would have loved to be at the COP15 so it was very cool to hear about what it was like from their perspectives.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

All those years of girl scouts coming in handy

Today I had a bit of a slow start, but my Biology of Marine Mammals had a guest lecture today which was quite interesting. She lectured essentially on the evolution of Marine Mammals which was very awesome. I am looking forward to that class getting started. After that class I came home to take a short nap and eat lunch when I discovered that I could stream the Australian Open from my computer!!!! Finally!! Unfortunately the first thing I got to stream was Nadal defaulting to Murray...

Then I had my Nordic Mythology class where we discussed Germanic origins and where the vikings came from. Very cool information. I am kind of upset I will not be going on that field study tomorrow. But I will be going to Odense for an all day field study to learn about the town where Hans Christian Anderson grew up!

After class we had a scavenger hunt around the area where we live, and thanks to my girl scout roots I was a very good navigator for our winning group! Our RA gave us a map and a few locations and I lead our group around our little town. We won tee-shirts that said I love Copenhagen.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Just a typical day in Copenhagen :)

Today was a beautiful day in Copenhagen. I had my Cross Cultural Encounters class at 8:30 which I was very exhausted for and then I had my European Storytelling class, which I am happy to say was leaps and bounds better then the first day, as I thought it would be. Then after my lunch break I had my Hans Christian Anderson class. Unfortunately the teacher was not able to make it to class today, but she had arranged for an actor who specialized in performing Anderson's work to entertain us. It was so cool! I knew Anderson had wrote a lot of stories, but I had no idea he also wrote poems, songs, and also plays. The actor sang and read chronologically through Anderson's life, to kind of give us an idea what he was thinking throughout his life. It was very interesting and awesome to have a personal performance like that.

After class it was so nice out that I didn't want to go home so instead of getting on the bus at my normal stop outside of DIS so I took a walk down Strøget towards the main bus and train station. I mostly window shopped and looked at the beautiful architecture. I thought about buying some flat boots but I could not find any that I liked. Everything is on sale here for 50-75% off, which means it is actually reasonable to buy. I also found the Urban Outfitters :D. But I didn't find anything interesting enough to spend as much money as they were asking and I eventually made my way back to the bus station.

I rode the bus back to Keops and took a short nap and then went to the grocery store with my friends Maren and Mike. I did not need anything and attempted not to buy anything, but of course I found a few things including some smoked halibut. I haven't quite figured out what I want to do with it yet but I am sure I will come up with something.

I just finished having dinner with our 7:30 dinner crew <3 including a newly joined Danish guy who is very nice and an Australian who just arrived today. I am glad I am finally starting to meet some Danish people and learn a little bit about their culture. I was also told today that the reason why I have not been able to watch any of the Australian Open is because it is banned here for some reason!!!! This is the first Grand Slam I have not watched any of since I don't even know! Uggggh I found a fault in Denmark. I have a little bit of reading to do for tomorrow so I think I am going to make some tea and do that quickly and then go to bed. I was up very late last night and it didn't go over well this morning.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Ice Skating and Hot Cocoa

Last night a few of the girls and I went out to this dance club called Rust. It was so cool! There were 3 floors, we spent the majority of time on the bottom floor where they played 90s American music. On the middle floor they played tech-no music and we did not venture up to the top floor. I headed home fairly early because I was going ice skating today.

Ice skating was so much fun! The rink was out doors close to the Nyhavn we skated for about an hour and then got hot chocolate on a boat that sat in the harbor. I only fell once... but ice skating came back quite quickly. The only problem was that it was bitter cold.

Unfortunately thats all the updating I have for now. I have a lot of homework to get done before tomorrow morning.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

I could see Sweden today!



Just as a forewarning this will be a long post since I didn't get the chance to blog yesterday.

So, classes yesterday were good! My Biology of Marine Mammals teacher is not here yet, she is doing research on whales in Greenland (so amazing...) so we only had about 20 minutes of class while and intern went over our syllabus and then we were let out. Then I went back to my room to nap for a little while and eat lunch before my Nordic Mythology class, which was soooo cool. Then I went to the grocery store and market with my friend Mattie which was an interesting experience. We ended up buying a lot of groceries but then we realized we had to carry them all back to our dorm. That was interesting, a few grape tomatoes were lost in the process :(

After making a delicious supper all the Keops girls and I went to our welcome party for DIS. They rented out a night club for us. It was really really fun. We had a great time dancing, I really love all the girls in my group of friends. After our welcome party we tried to walk around the city a little bit more, but it was so cold we went home early. We also had to get up early so we could go see Kronborg!

For those who are not familiar Kronborg is the castle where Hamlet is set and it is located in this adorable town called Elsinore about an hours bus ride north of Copenhagen. Unfortunately today was bitter cold, but we walked through the streets of the town for a little while before we stopped to get lunch before our tour. We found the oldest bakery in Denmark and a really cool cheese store that I know my dad would have loved. I tried to find a Danish cheese to try but they were sold in huge chunks I couldn't really understand the signs they had.


Finally we went to Hamlets Castle. It was incredible!!! The king of Denmark decided to build a strong hold there so he could charge a tax on the boats that were going through the sound. I could seriously see Sweden! But back when the castle was built, in the 1400s, Denmark owned both sides of the sound. We started in the Church which was the only part remaining unharmed after a fire burnt most of the castle down in the 1630s. It was beautiful and very well preserved, apparently they still host weddings there. Then we went down under the castle where the prisons were. This was a very scary place for sure. For the worst offenders they had a triangular cell and depending on the severity of the crime they would be pushed back to the very apex of the triangle and given hardly enough room to stand. Finally we toured the castle, which was missing much of its original furniture and tapestries because the Swedes took them when the had control of the castle for a short period of time. But nevertheless the castle was still interesting and still had some tapestries. There were over 48, but only 7 remained in the castle, they were used for both decoration and for insulation so originally they had covered the walls. Thats all for now I think. I am exhausted and am going to nap before dinner.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

The Sun Was Shining Today!!!

Today was a perfect day! I could not have asked for a better first day of classes. My first class was my Cross Cultural Encounters class where I learned all about how the Danish government works and how they have at least 6 political parties!! That is so crazy to think about!! I am kind of jealous... Today was mostly an over view day, but I think I am really going to enjoy that class. Then I had my class called from Homer to Harry Potter. This class was not as great, but my teacher said we had to learn the theory before we could discuss the stories so I have high hopes that the class gets better. Then I had a lunch break, which will eventually be replaced by my Biology of Marine Mammals Lab, but for now I had lunch with Kelli, and a few new people. Then the best part of my day happened. We walked outside to go to my Hans Christian Anderson class and the sun was shining!! It was the first time I had seen the sun shine since I have been here. I kind of hope its not like again tomorrow because I want to walk across the ice over the harbor before it melts! Anyways, My HC Anderson class was very interesting too, I am intrigued to read all of his stories after I had to read The Shadow for class. It became clear to me after todays class that HC Anderson was a very brilliant writer, catering to both children and adults in the same stories.

I was kinda bummed today after I found out that 2 of my field studies overlap :( I am not sure what is going to happen about that yet, but both trips sound equally interesting and equally important. I hope they don't make me choose!

Kelli and I also went on and adventure to get our CPR numbers today. A CPR number is essentially a social security number and it allows us to use their health care system should we need to. We ended up getting slightly lost before we found the right building but everyone is so nice here all we had to do was stop and ask for directions. After we finally got our numbers we both bought our first Danish hot dogs. They are a huge deal here, and they have the coolest buns. They have a roll basically only the hole is drilled down through the middle and the hot dog is shoved down into the hole with the ketchup and the mustard. It was really good except for I ended up with a lot of mustard.

Finally, I had to go to a short meeting about getting my visiting family. I am excited to find out who they are so I can finally have a home cooked meal! And to learn more about Danish culture. The Keops girls and I also attempted ordering pizza to our Kollegium. I think we just ended up looking like a bunch of stupid Americans but thats ok, the pizza was delicious. Hopefully we will know better for next time. Well it was an incredibly long day once again. I have an early class again tomorrow which I am excited about so I am going to go to bed early.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

A snowy scavenger hunt


Today is probably my favorite day so far!! We had our scavenger hunt around the city, which took us everywhere from the Royal Palace to Parliament. I feel much more comfortable now that I know a little bit more about the city and a little bit about where I am! Despite the bitter cold and the snow the scavenger hunt was still amazing. I had no idea how much Copenhagen had to offer. I think I might spend every day studding in the Black Diamond, or the Royal Library, similar to our Library of Congress. It is a very cool building in general, and very close to the very awesome building Parliament uses. Pretty much in general that area is amazing. I also got to see the harbor where the most famous picture of Copenhagen was taken, unfortunately I am not as good of a photographer...

I also had my orientation to my Migration and Identity program. I think it is going to be a very interesting class, with some pretty serious debates.

Finally, today me and my friend Maren and I decided to try to find a Netto ( a cheap grocery store) close to the bus stop, which ended up in a very, very long walk down strøget, which is the pedestrian street that is lined with stores. I think I said this before but it is also the longest pedestrian street in Europe and I think we might have walked the majority of it. It was a very cool walk though, we found a meat market and a fish market which we might try to buy from, once we figure out exactly what all the things were... I definitely want to try to cook some halibut, they have it for really cheap and its a local favorite.

Classes start tomorrow!!! And I have some reading to do and, surprise! I am still not unpacked...

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Thank goodness it was a relatively easy day today. We had an intro class to living in Europe and we also had another survival danish class. I can officially say I know how to pronounce about 3 words in Danish and not offend someone. I think it is safe to say I will be sticking to English as much as possible. Then we had our version of an organization fair where I signed up for a Danish cooking class among other things. I am very excited to get to cook Danish things about once a month. The place where the organization fair was, was this beautiful square and we found a place to buy cheap notebooks at a store called Tiger on this amazing shopping street. I believe it is one of the largest in Europe. I am glad I am slowly getting to know Copenhagen. Tomorrow we have a scavenger hunt, which I am really excited about. I think I will feel much more comfortable here once I can find my way around. On my list of things to do soon is get lost and try to experience Copenhagen. I know everyone has been saying it is very cold here, but I have been dressing warmly so I wouldn't mind going for a walk around the town sometime soon. I am very excited for classes to start, but I have a ton of reading to do for them!! I also just signed up go to Elsinore Castle this weekend!!!! Very excited for that as well... I promise I will try to upload pictures soon!

Monday, January 18, 2010

Survival Danish

So today was our first real day of orientation, which was preceded by our opening ceremony. The opening ceremony was nice, the director of the program talked and so did 2 former students. Little did I know what they said this morning was incredibly true. The director mentioned how one of the bonds between the danish is the ability to communicate with each other in their native tongue because no other country speaks it and it is hard to learn. That was an understatement!. Part of our orientation was a class entitled survival danish where we learned to introduce ourselves among other things. The danish phrase for I go by is: Jag hedder (insert your name here). Well that is pronounced Ya hiddler, except the dd makes kind of the th sound, but there is actually no english equivalent to the sound you have to make. Anyways, when I was attempting to introduce myself to the class I accidentally said Ya Hitler... because they are very similar sounding words. We also took a trip to the grocery store and had an assignment to translate a bunch of foods which was very helpful when I had to go buy my own groceries today.

I also had my first danish danish today for breakfast, however in class today I was informed that danishes arnt actually danish. They are Austrian and Danish people refer to them as vienna bread. Huge American fail. I have no idea how that could have happened and I was slightly disappointed. I am sure all the Danish people looked at us like we were mental when we were taking pictures with our first danishes... Oh well, it was delicious in the end anyways.

The last notable thing that happened today was picking up my books this morning, which I then dragged around the entire day. I am pretty sure I had the most books out of everyone, and they weighed like 70 pounds, getting on the bus to go home was very interesting.

Tomorrow we are supposed to learn more Danish and attend another orientation session. I hope I can stay up a little later then 10:00 by then, but for now I am exhausted and am going to shower and go to bed.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

I just flooded my whole room...

So after an incredibly long, awesome day in Copenhagen I pretty much managed to flood my room. Essentially the bathroom is the shower with a toilet in it, so when it started to get full with water I didn't think much of it. But when I began to notice that the water was also flowing under the door I realized I was in a little bit of trouble... Much to my dismay when I opened the door to the bathroom water began pouring out into my bedroom area. Thankfully I managed to get everything out of the way and mopped up all the water however I also managed to get soap in my eye. I had to wash my hair out in the sink and I also have no towels left. They are all soaking wet. Im wondering how my hair is going to look in the morning... The water is also not receding in the bathroom, meaning there must be something wrong with my drain so I have to call the janitor person I guess. I was going to try to unpack more, but I am now officially exhausted beyond belief and am going to bed.

The First Day

I am still not quite sure what to think. I am exhausted, and overwhelmed with information. I couldn't sleep on the flight so essentially I have almost stayed up till 7am EST. I am tempted to just stay up until tonight but I think I might fall asleep through dinner. I have yet to unpack and I really want to shower but I am running out of energy. I am most certainly out of my comfort zone. I have met a lot of really interesting people though. And I hope my dinner tonight with the people that live in the area goes well. I promise to post more later, but right now I just need a nap.