Terry's Visit and Amsterdam recap/ Spring Break Here I Come!!!

After a very stressful week, with no time to blog, I am finally able to sit down and recap about the past 2 weeks. This week is very easy, full of about 20 pages worth of writing and trying to squeeze in those last skype dates before I leave without my computer for the next 2 weeks. But last week was incredibly eventful!

It started with Terry's arrival on Friday morning. After introducing him to all my friends at dinner and hanging out for a while, we went to sleep early in preparation for our big day Saturday. We headed out to Malmo, Sweden, it was much better the second time around! This was probably due to the amazing weather. We also did not really have a plan this time and ended up walking around the town and through a really nice park. We also had amazing timing and ended up jumping on a train back to Copenhagen right before it started to rain.

Sunday I had to wake super early for a field study in my Biology of Marine Mammals class to Esbjerg where there is a seal and porpoise research lab. Esbjerg was about a 4 hour bus ride away, and when we got there we started our dissections of stranded seals. I think for most people, the description of this is slightly graphic so I will skip it, but I thoroughly enjoyed it! Then we had a chance to walk through the small museum and visit with the seals they have. I also had the chance to go to the beach and touch a stingray! Overall this field study was a lot of fun, despite the fact that I was up at 4:45 and got home around 11.


Monday is now officially burger day. This really awesome restaurant has half price hamburgers, so of course we had to check it out. This is now our Monday night spot!

Tuesday Terry and I visited the Round Tower in between my classes, and it was the perfect day to do so. After walking up the winding ramp all the way to the top, we got the best view of Copenhagen possible. The Round Tower is the Empire State Building of New York, only much much smaller, but the view is the same. Then after my class we went to the State Museum for Art. there they had a very cool art exhibit on global warming, as well as some Danish art.

Wednesday was a huge day for Terry and I. First I had an exam, then we headed to Rosenborg Palace to see the castle and the kings gardens.


Then we headed to Fredriksborg Castle



After that we watched the St. Patrick's Day parade and then headed to a modern art museum called Louisiana. It was an exhausting day for sure, but I was very happy finally see all the Copenhagen things that I have not had the time to see. Thursday after class Terry and I headed to the airport to go to Amsterdam!!!!

We arrived in Amsterdam late, found our hostel, got some dinner and went to bed, although I am pretty sure I did not sleep very well. Sleeping in a room with 20 other strangers is something that takes a few nights to get used to. Friday we woke up early and headed to the Van Gogh Museum. Unfortunately it was a rather rainy day, but nevertheless we walked around a lot, grabbed a nice lunch and walked around some more. I kind of thought Amsterdam was overrated to be honest. The weather was not very good, so that might have had something to do with it, but the majority of the time we did not have very much to actually do. We ended the night with a tour of the red light district.

The next morning we headed to the Anne Frank House to meet up with my friends. This was probably my favorite part of Amsterdam. Then we jumped on a short walking tour, and grabbed lunch at an awesome Mexican restaurant (finally!), saw the flower market and hid from the rain. My friend Maddy knew some other people in Amsterdam, so we met up with them for dinner and they showed us around for a little while.

Sunday morning Terry left for home and I met up with my friends to hang out in Amsterdam for the rest of the day. We did a canal cruise, which was awesome since for the first time it had stopped raining and walked around enjoying the nice weather. Before we knew it, it was time to head back to the airport and I finally got back to my bed in Copenhagen late on Sunday night.



Officially my spring break has started! I am just finishing up packing and doing my laundry! I leave tomorrow afternoon and head to Madrid. I can hardly wait! Kelli and I are headed south and going to cover 4 countries, or 7 cities in 2 weeks! There will definitely be one long blog entry as soon as I get back!

The Half Way Point

I have been here 2 months and I have 2 months left, the half way point. This feeling is truly bittersweet. On the one hand I can't wait to get back home to see my family, and on the other hand I will be so disappointed to leave the amazing people I have met here and this beautiful place I have had the chance to call home. The past few days not only have I had the pleasure of hosting a friend from home, but the weather has been stunning. Finally the sun is out, although it still manages to hang around 35 degrees. Regardless the past few days have been spent wandering around the city with Terry basking in the sunlight. I finally went up the Round Tower and saw the best view in Copenhagen, I saw the Nyhavn not covered in snow (and the rest of the city for that matter) and have really despised being stuck in class. It is incredibly funny to see Terry making the same mistakes I did my first week in Copenhagen, I never realized how much I have come to understand this city and this culture. I think I have pulled him out of a bike lane at least 4 times. Its really hard to be away from home right now as Eric finishes up high school and starts baseball season and Erin performs on stage, but having Terry here is awesome. Tomorrow we are going to go to Louisiana (an art museum) and 2 of the castles in the city as well as the St. Patrick's Day parade. It is going to be such a busy day, and then we head to Amsterdam on Thursday! I have a feeling these next 2 months are going to be absolutely incredible :)

I Change Continents Everyday, No problem! Istanbul, Turkey

I have officially made it to the most eastern part of Europe possible, and also the most western part of Asia! For my long study tour with DIS, I headed to Istanbul with about 40 other students to learn/ experience Turkish culture. Istanbul is an absolutely incredible city, an amazing mixture of west and east and clearly a cultural capital of the world. The part that blew my mind was that "young" things in this city consisted of things older then the United States. Things started to get "old" when they became over 1,000 years old. I had such a busy week I am kind of glad to be home, despite the drastic temperature difference.

We arrived in Istanbul late on Sunday and had to take a bus into the city. Our guide for the week met us on our bus and showed us a few sights as we drove in. Istanbul is so incredible by night, we drove through the city walls, passed the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque before arriving at our hotel in the center of the old section of the city. After settling in we took the train to the new section of the city, across the water, and up the huge hill to Taksim Square for dinner. We had a delicious 4 course, traditional Turkish meal complete with Turkish apple tea, and promptly went back to the hotel to fall asleep, I was so exhausted and full.

We woke up Monday morning and went to our first academic visit. We spoke with members of an organization who help immigrants, especially non-Muslim immigrants get assistance with their transition. People who are attempting to seek asylum in Turkey are not allowed to stay there if they are granted it, they must be taken to Australia, Canada or the US. So this group of people essentially help asylum seekers "get by" until they leave again. After that we had time on our own to wander around the pedestrian street and grab lunch. After lunch we headed to a campus of Bilgi University to have a lecture by Ayhan Kaya about issues surrounding Turkey joining the European Union, more specifically minority issues in Turkey. The issues surrounding the Kurds, Greeks and Armenians are unfortunate, however from our visits it sounds like Turkey is making some sort of effort to begin to include minorities despite the huge hurdles put in place in the past.

For dinner we had time on our own, however we had the option to meet with a group of young Armenian students who host the first radio station able to broadcast in Turkey in many language other then Turkey. We were able to discuss this radio station as well as some issues they have faced over tea. Then we all went out together to get dinner.

Tuesday morning we woke up and went to the Hagia Sophia! Originally built 1500 years ago as a church, then turned into a mosque and now used as a museum. This amazing building is not only huge but has one of the biggest domes in the world. I first learned about Istanbul and the Hagia Sophia in 11th grade and it certainly did not disappoint.



The insides were once covered with gold mosaic pieces, and there were many Christian mosaic portraits that were being uncovered after Muslims covered them up with plaster when it was turned into a Mosque. They also left the Muslim parts to the former Mosque so there is this interesting overlap of Muslim and Christian religion that is only visible in the Hagia Sophia.

After this we visited a Greek school home to only 50 students from 6th to 12th grades. It is very sad that the student population is shrinking due to Turkish oppression, but nonetheless the Head Master of the school was very nice and welcoming. We got a brief overview of the schools history and also a tour.

The rest of the afternoon we had on our own was spent at the Grand Bazar! Kind of over rated, but also huge, Maren and I walked around the winding streets for hours buying a few souvenirs and utilizing our bargaining skills. We were also yelled at in about 7 different languages as we wandered through the bazar ignoring all of the shop keepers enticing us into their shops in every language they knew.

The evening concluded in a restaurant on top of a hotel overlooking the entire city. Istanbul is such an incredible place at night. All the Mosques are lit creating a beautiful skyline. We had a short lecture by a Danish journalist who focuses on Turkish issues. Once again ate such a great meal I went home and fell asleep full and happy.

Wednesday was a very academic day. We spend the first half of the day at an office of a publisher called TESEV, who focuses on publishing information on Minority issues. After the lecture we went to lunch all together at a restaurant overlooking the Bosphorus. It was such an amazing day, and I am pretty sure the fish I ate had been caught about 10 minutes before it was grilled for me. Then we took a trip to the Egyptian Spice Bazar, which is a much smaller (better) version of the Grand Bazar. In order to fund a Mosque, bazars are built next to them so this Bazar was right next to a mosque as well. (The Grand Bazar funds the Blue Mosque). Finally we had to go over to a university and had a round table discussion with Turkish students about current issues. After our discussion we all went out to dinner together as well.

Unfortunately, My bed at the hotel was unbelievably hard and our room was really really hot, so we were left to leave the window open most night, which really sucks at about 4 am when the call to prayer is announced. Needless to say I felt the need to treat myself a little so Thursday not only did we visit the Blue Mosque and the Topkapi Palace, but I also spent a solid 2 hours at a Turkish Hammam or bath. After a good scrub and massage with my friend Ariel we headed to the Asian side of Istanbul, just to say we did.

Our final group dinner was at this amazing restaurant, once again overlooking the entire city. After another 4 course meal, our restaurant was turned into a mini night club and my entire class had a big dance party. Even my teacher joined in on the dance floor a few times. Me and a few friends had our last walk through the city on the way home (in the rain...) and I finally got a good nights sleep.

Friday morning we had a wrap up session and headed to the airport to go back to reality :(

Istanbul was an amazing city!

In other Copenhagen news, its still just as cold as it felt when I first arrived in January, I am almost half way through the program. Terry is here!!! And a bunch of us are headed to Amsterdam next weekend!!! I am sure to do a lot of sight seeing this week in an attempt to show Terry all the best parts of Copenhagen.