Happy Duck Day

So after a week and a half back from our long break, we began break again on Wednesday. So naturally, I slept late and then went for a run in the morning. IN the afternoon I went to a seminar on terrorism held at the Danish Institute for International Studies. I was suppose to get there at 1, but I got lost. Then I couldn't figure out how to work the door. In my defense, danish doors are tricky. You have to buzz, press a number, wait, hope that you deciphered the directions correctly. I finally got in and enjoyed the seminar. The speakers were experts from all over Europe and gave me a couple of ideas for my final research paper in terrorism.

Over this break I have a ton of work to do. I have a 15 page, 10 page, 7 page plus two group papers to edit. It will be fun. But today I played hookey from work to celebrate thanksgiving. It is my favorite holiday (beside my month long birthday celebration.

My friend elisabeth invited me over to house. She lives with her aunt, uncle, and two cousins. Since Denmark doesn't celebrate thanksgiving we would do the cooking so they could come home and eat with us at 6. I left my room around 11, went to three grocery stores and the flower booth in town then took the train out to visit her. Shocker, I got lost. The trains took longer/tech problems, and the bus system was complicated. It took me a while, but I did get there.

We did prep work, ran, then cooked for a few more hours. Although it was raining, we had a great run. A little bit more hilly then where I live, but so pretty. Elisabeth made mash potatoes, nut bread, green bean casserole, carrots, and cranberry sauce. I made stuffing, a cranberry/cocoanut/chocolate/walnut pie, another cranberry sauce, and butternut squash. Her aunt made the duck. Yes, we had duck. On thanksgiving. Her family doesn't really like turkey, and you can't find whole turkeys at any of the grocery stories ( I should know; I went to four today alone + her uncle picked up whipping cream for me on his way home after I mistook coffee cream for heavy cream--lost in translation).

But everything was great it was her aunt, uncle and two cousins whom she lives with and another aunt, uncle and cousin. Everyone was so

nice. It was the first thanksgiving for some of them. It was godd to be with family, even if it was not my own.

The pie turned out great. First time I had made it/ servely altered/ made a new recipe. Also experimented with the leftover pie dough and created a other dessert.

They invited me to spend the night, but I know that I'll be more productive tomorrow I'd I wake up in my own bed.

I hope everyone had a fantastic thanksgiving.

Today iam am thankful for the oppertu ity to study abroad, for great friends and family, my health, and for the duck who made a delicious main course. A turkey out there is grateful for that as well.

From Tralee to Copenhagen

Where I left off in my trip was Saturday evening, so I will take it from there.

Saturday evening I was suppose to go out with Ciara and her friends. The howling wind and rain, however, was not exactly welcoming. So instead of going out I stayed in and watched television. It was a good choice; the door started to shake because of the strength of the wind about an hour after I made my decision.

Sunday we spent the day relaxing and went to Bana beach. Such a beautiful beach, wide, clean, gorgeous views.

Monday we went into town to run errands. I went in with my grandma, walked around until we met Sally, my grandma's sister. We met Sally so we could go with her to pick up her granddaughter from school, the same school my mother went to from k-3(2nd or 3rd) grade. The school was very cute. It was fairly big with a mini court yard in the middle, and classrooms surrounding it. Unlike my elementary school, however, the class rooms had walls and hallways separating them. It was a typical school, none the less it was neat to see where my mom had classes.

On Tuesday I made thanksgiving dinner for my grandparents. It is a good thing I brought my running stuff with me, because I ate so well last week. My grandparents house is situated on top of a series of hills that combined with the winds gave me a serious workout on all of my runs.

Wednesday my grandma's friend from work volunteered to be our tour guide for the day, taking us to Killarney National Park and the Dingle Peninsula.

Killarney was our first stop, and we lucked out. The rain had cleared up (it is my personal theory that it only rains in Tralee--it would be sunny elsewhere until we approached the town limits, and then as soon as we were in Tralee the rain would start) so we went for a nice walk. I could have spent the entire day on the trails. The trees were so neat, and the leaves on one some of the plants were as tall as me--I took a picture but they are on my grandma's camera.

After Killarney, which is near/part of the ring of Kerry, we headed to the Dingle pen. Very pretty drive. It started to rain, but we still had a great time. Stunning views of the hills and waters. The land in Ireland is such that you can see the property lines. In the US, you generally know where your land starts and stops, but in Ireland you can see it. They have hedges/fences that divide the land so everyone can see where your property starts and stops.

On Thursday we ran errands, relaxed, because on Friday my flight left at 630, so 430 wake up call. I will never fly Ryan air again. It was horrible. I did not check a box when I was checking in online, which they require, and therefore I had to pay a fee. I wanted to check a bag; I had to pay a fee. Lovely. Thankgoodness I did not have a carryon. As people were boarding the plane they announced that purses counted as a carry-on (this is after all the bags were checked) so women were attempting to stuff their bags into their carryon. If there carry-on was too big (because of the stuffing or they did not fit correctly into the approval basket thing) they had to pay for it. They were handing out slips left and right at the door. I have never seen so many people have to pay the extra. I asked for the customer service number, and they do not have one. You have to write to them if you want to complain. Seriously. Oy.

So after dealing with that I was

so glad to get on Norwegian. Not only is their checked bag limit 5 kg more than Ryan Air, the staff was helpful, and the ride did not make me feel like I was going to plummet to my death at any moment. It's bad when that's your standard for a good airline...

Now I am back home in

Copenhagen and glad to be back. Last night I went to bed at 9 so I could wake up for the meteor shower at 2. I woke up, but it was too cloudy to see anything. Today my only class was canceled, but I came into school, so now I just waiting for my meeting to begin in 20.

Back

Greetings. I arrived back in Copenhagen on Friday afternoon to lower temps and less daylight. I had a wonderful trip, but at the same time was glad to come back, despite the dramatic change in weather. This weekend I neglected updating my blog in favor of sleep and homework, but tomorrow evening I will catch you all up to speed with my last week in Ireland.

On a related note-- I would like to thank my grandparent for allowing me to stay with them--it was a fantastic visit!

Wind in Tralee

I have arrived at my final stop, Tralee. After two nights in Wexford, I departed on Thursday morning via a bus to Cork. I had a great time in Wexford; it's a small town by the sea. I went on long walks and took in the scenery. It was great place to rest up.

On Thursday when I got into Cork I met up with my Grandma's niece who goes to a university there. I stayed at her apartment overnight and then we headed to Tralee, where my grandparents live, on Friday afternoon. The bus from Cork to Tralee was packed. I think every seat was taken. The views on the way here were amazing. It was beautiful and sunny the whole ride. When we got into Tralee, however, that changed. Rain and wind is a staple of this area. As my grandpa keeps saying, "this is the real irish weather".

My grandparents house is a few minutes outside of the town of Tralee in the Spa. It is quite rural out here, but very pretty. The views are great because there are rolling fields and hills, an view of the bay behind which there are towering mountains. I went for a run both yesterday and today, and am enjoying the views. Today on my run, however, I was moving very slowly, not for a lack of effort though. The wind was incredible, so powerful. The gusts were brutal on the way out, giving me quite a workout. I had to be careful because the roads are narrow here; there are suppose to be wide enough for two car, but are snug with only one.

My grandparents house is cute, definatly an irish style. They have to boil water, scope out the lime, and then put it through a filter before they can drink it. They have a dryer, but my grandma only uses it on occasion for towels. With all this rain it's a wonder they have any dry clothes. They actually use coal in the fireplace to sustain the fire, very different then back home.

Today we went into town to do grocery shopping and then to the golf course for lunch. Out there the views are even better. The wind sent the waves crashing against the rocks, and it reminded me a bit from a scene in the latest Harry Potter film. Now I'm going to warm up, and then go into town tonight.

Traveling by Train

Yesterday I traveled from London to Dublin via train and ferry It was an all day affair. I left Keely's at 9 and got to London half past 5. I took a cab to the hostel because it was dark and the ferry left us off at the docks. (on a side note the ferry was a bit rough but they had a movie theatre on board so I saw Dr. Parnassus-with the late Heath Ledger. good, but odd).

I checked in at the hostel, and got a room. It was cheap, but really nice. For $15 I got sheets, towel, and breakfast. It was also right in the middle of Dublin. I went into my room, and then walked out. It smelled like smoke, and there was no way that I was going to be able to fall asleep. So then I asked for another room and they gave me it. Much better, and there was only one girl staying inthe 6 bed room. I then went for a run around town. There were plenty of people out running/walking so I was safe. I got stuff to make a sandwich at the grocery store, watched friends/one tree hill with a bunch of people in the hostel lounge. After sleeping 9 hours, I wandered around town. Got a train to Wicklow. It was very pretty there. Walked around, grabbed food at another grocery store, and then got another train to Wexford. I love traveling by trains. They are fast, and you get to see so much of the countryside. I took a bunch of pictures. After getting into Wexford I tried to find the hostel, and soon learned that people give horrible directions in this town. First of all the streets are narrow and windy, which makes for pretty pictures, but horrible if you need to find something. I found the hostel, and then left. It was too expensive for a hostel, and it was quite gross. Such a hassel. Then I tried to find a B&B. Couldn't find one with free rooms, so I looked for the internet cafe. Literally walked around for an hour. People would tell me you're two minutes away turn at the round about. I did that for an hour. Ridicuouls. When it started raining and my bag got heavy I found a B&B. I looked so pathetic that the lady gave me a discount so it was only 5 euros more a night then the hostel. I'm going to stay here two nights because there are plenty of trails to walk around in. Then I think I'm going to head towards Cork. ( I might get to Tralee earlier then I expect, but I have to call my grandma tomorrow to check). I just had soup and now at the internet cafe that I finally found.
On a more postie note, it is beautiful here. The country side is great, and the weather hasn't been too cold yet. Night!

Dublin here and safe

Hello London

So, I have failed thus far to update you on my travels(1.5 days of it). Let's recap.
After another trying week of school, I was thrilled when classes ended on Friday. My flight from Copenhagen to London was at745, so I had to rush to the post office after class, then pack. My friend Elisabeth's uncle and aunt have a backpacking/camping backpack so I borrowed that. I was running late getting to the airport, but CPH has these great self-check in things, so I ended up waiting by the gate.

My plane was small. I have never been on a plane that small. It looked like a private plane. I was shocked when we pulled up to it. There were 14 rows. I could feel the size when we flew. I mean, I still feel asleep, but it was rough. They had us buckle up over 20 minutes before landing because it was that shaky. When we landed in London I was glad to step on the land.

I got through Gatwick easily, took the Gatwick express into the City and meet Keely. It was great to see her. We dressed up, went out, and had frozen yogurt. It was lovely.

Saturday, yesterday, we met my friend from PC debate, Jon, at the Museum around the corner. Keely lives in South Kensignton, right by the History Museum. We then went to Notting Hill, because I wanted to go to this bookstore that Elisabeth's aunt/uncle recomended to her. It's called book for cooks. All cooking books. It was very neat inside, definatly a foodie haven. We found a neat spice shop next door, and there was a street market that took over the road.

We then went to the British Museum--amazing. We saw the Greek/Egyptian/Americas. I could have stayed there all day. The greek part was interesting because we I was in greece they always said things like, "this is a replica, the real one is in the british musuem", so it was like I was fully completing that trip. It's crazy to think about how much the British got away with in the 1800s. They literally took walls and major parts of other people's history from them. With that being said, they really do know how to preserve/display them properly. The mummy exibit was phenomenal. I saw cleopatra! Also seeing mummies on halloween was very fitting.

After we went to the globe, didn't go in because it was pricy/we were too tired for a tour. I love the london bridge though. I went for a run, keely cooked dinner, then we went out with her friends. It was a long evening, fun, but it took over 1.5 hours to get back. The bus system is the most inefficeint transportation system I have ever been on. Long waits, random stops that don't connect so you have to walk blocks to find the next one. Oy. But we got home, slept late, and now are heading out again.

Tomorrow morning I am heading to Dublin. I think I'm going to head out of here early so that I get to Dublin at a reasonable hour, so I can find a hostel/run/find food. I will then be backpacking till next Sundayish. I will then go visit my grandparents! I'll update you when I get to Dublin!

t-minus one weekish

I'm not very good with the countdown stuff, but I am less than a week away from my travel break. This week of classes went well; I always seem to keep myself busy with a lot of work. Right now I am working on a paper for my Terrorism/Counter Terrorism class on homegrown terrorism. The paper is due on Thursday, but I would like to have it done early in the week. I have taken all my notes and such so I'm just working on stringing my ideas together--I'm sure you are all riveted by this step-by-step explanation of how I write term papers.

On a more interesting note I had my first experience with danish health care this week. I am happy to report that it went off without any major hitches. When you get your health card in Denmark you are assigned a doctor, and that's who you call if you have any problems so that the state covers you. I looked up my doctor's number online, and I called on Monday to try to get a flu shot--regular not the swine flue shot. I had no luck. The was put on hold and given instructions in danish. On Tuesday I tried again. After not understanding what they were saying, I held out my phone and asked a nice danish man on the train what they were saying. They were just giving the same hold message as in the States--somethings don't change. So after being disconnected, the third time was a charm. I got an appointment for friday.

On Friday I woke up and ran to the doctor's office. Google maps said that it would be less than 3 km from my kollegium so I figure it would be a nice warm up. The thing about danish streets is that they say the name after you turn on to them. Thus, deciding where you should go is tricky. I made it to the main street, but was unable to find the office; I was looking on the wrong side of the street. It was a brilliant move. The doctor's office was very nice. When you come in you give your name and then you swipe your cpr card, your health card, so you don't have to deal with forms/paperwork. I got the shot with no problems. It typically costs people 150 kr., $30, for the shot, but because I have asthmas it was free. Thank you danish health care.

Today my friend Danielle came to Copenhagen. I met her at norreport at an hour that I do not recognize. Let's just say it was still dark, and I was not funcitoning well. After getting bread, we dropped her stuff off at the kollegium, had a nice breakfast, then headed back into the city.

I took her down Nyhavn street to the Royal Theatre by the water, to the Queen's castle, and then to the Little Mermaid. That was the first time I had visited it. I held out for over two months, but it is the 'most famous place in Copenhagen' ,according to the tour guides who blast their commentary from their boats. It was really pretty over there. We did not have the best weather today though. It rained this morning, but then let up and we settled for overcast. We did find a beautiful park over by the statue, which I plan to run to this week. I took her to the Royal Cafe for tea to warm up, then to the nice vintage stores. I am still looking for stuff for my halloween costume. Tonight we made pizza and watched some shows online.

I am looking forward to gaining an hour tomorrow! I hope it will give me an extra boast to get through the week.

The Cold is Here to Stay

Midterm are finally over, thank goodness. I had another week of tests, papers, and,inevitably,stress. Thursday evening I had a chance to relax. I had been looking forward to getting a cone of gelato (the hazelnut is incredible there) at the stand on my way home. As I approached the stand people were coming and going out of the back door. It was closing up shop for the year. I was too late! It's probably for the best, seeing as it is around 40 degrees here now.

It seems like during our trip to Brussels the weather has completely changed. I pulled out my puffy winter coat on Monday morning. I expected to be svetiing by the time I got to the station. Instead, my fingers were numb. The wind here gusts constantly. I love listening it when I'm in my room, but the full force of it when I'm outside always shocks me. It's resistance training when I'm running.

This week I made a bunch of 'fall foods' items, like pancakes with applesauce, chicken soup, potpie, cinnamon buns. All great. My friend Elisabeth also taught me how to knit on Saturday. I'm making a scarf. It's going well. I'm a bit of a perfection when it comes to stuff like that so it's taking me a while.

I've decided that I would show you a 'day in a life'. Here is the first batch of around my kollegium. I'll take some at my school tomorrow. Here is the route I take from my room to downtown Copenhagen to get to school everyday.

This is the entrance/exit to my kollegium complex. Notice the tree on the right; it's the infamous apple tree.

I take a left out of the exit and then I reach the cross walk (left picture). After I wait there I cross the street an enter the new cross walk section (right picture). They are building a park there. I walk straight ahead to the metro station (back, left side of the picture)

Iclimb a set of stairs and see this at the top. So pretty in the morning.

This is the view from the side of the track that I take to get into the city. The building on the left are the kollegiums, mine is just like those, but hidden behind the one to the back. (left picture). In the right picture you can see the inside of the metro. Pretty typical of public transport--but I bet back home the announcements don't come on in danish!

The last picture is of Norreport, the metro station at the center of town. Now just a 5-7 minute walk to school (which I will document sometime this week)

Last week on...aka a recap

I apologize for my lack of communication in the last week. Since getting back to Copenhagen I have been slammed with work (shocker). I will try to give a concise wrap up of my travels.

So this is what you missed. Monday through Thursday we were in Brussels attending meetings and lectures on the EU. We went to the Commission, Parliaments, Council, Permanent Rep. to Denmark, and the US mission to the EU. We did small group visits, four students per group, to different lobbying firms. Our group went to the Danish Agricultural Council. One of the highlights of Brussels for me was our trip to NATO. We started incredibly early on Thursday. My roommates can attest to the fact that I was not happy to get up at that time. There was a lot of grunting and banging into objects around the room. We got there a little before 9, waited in the bus, then went through secutiy. It was quite dramatic. The first spokesperson was from NATO. The man was from CA, very interesting and sharp. It was a good presentation. The next speaker was a rep. of the US. I didn’t enjoy him as much. Reminded me of Rush Limbaugh.

After NATO we went to the EU Parliament. It was the first day all week that rain didn’t pelt us. Brussels is very pretty when it isn’t raining. We got our last Belgium waffle before our meeting. Our first one was in the train station were we hide from a particularly lovely rains torm that left our dress clothes sopping wet. The waffles were so good. Not like American ones. They edged have caramelized sugar or something. The insides are gooey. I get mine with nutella. Amazing. Seriously delicious.

After Brussels we headed to the Hauge. We arrived in the evening to our ‘hotel’ which was actually a hostel. Our teacher was so mad at DIS. The other group had stayed in a nice hotel, when they had come at the beginning of the week. Our prof said it was the worse place he had ever stayed and that DIS was going to hear it. We believed him.

Then we got to sit in on the trial. It wThe hostel wasn’t great. It was Spartan, kind of creepy. We had a great dinner that DIS paid for, so that helped a little bit. The next morning we went to the International criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. We met with a lawyer from Texas who explained what she does, how she got there, the situation. (ICTY- left)

It was fascinating. On trial was the Former commander of the Croatian army, the assit. Minster of defense, and the commander of the special police in Croatia. These men were being indicated for persecution, deportation, inhuman acts, brutal treatment, border. The room we sat in had glass in between us and the court room. We could see them and they could see us. On Friday there was a witness on stand

who use to be friendly with the men on trial. He originally, a few years ago, testified against the men. On Tuesday he recounted he testimony, and so when we were there the prosecutor was proving that. It was intense, but the prosecutor was very impressive. She spoke in English as did everyone else in court minus the witness whose words were translated for everyone.

After the ICTY we went to Amsterdam. As a class we had lunch and went on a canal tour. Amsterdam is gorgeous. It looks like a medieval city, with beautiful buildings, cobblestone, canals, and actually had more bikes than in Copenhagen. After the tour a small group of us went to the Anne Frank house. It was moving, I’m really glad that I had the chance to see it. I didn’t realize how big the house was, and the setup. It brought a sense of reality tothe journals that I didn’t expect.

After we walked around the city. We ran into the red light district. That was so disturbing. I didn’t know what it was, and learning about it there on the fly was upsetting. I was very disgusted and sadden by the area. But then we keep walking, had a sandwich and the got on the bus to head back. We drove all night. I slept around 8 hours, but would wake up every hour. Not ideal We got back to Copenhagen a little before 9. I stopped at the grocery store on the way home and then camped out in my kollegium to catch up on sleep.

In NYC there are the bulls, in Amsterdam there are elephants--a rare picture of me(you can be in them if you are taking a million of pictures. this time i was better. only 150 in a week. as opposed to 200 in 4 days. that's progress?)

The four hour tour-bad spelling--odd keyboards/ipod

For our first full day in Brussels we began at 830 with a visit to the Council of the European Ministers. The permanent rep of Denmark gave us a lecture on foreign policy. The variance of national interests with the international goals was a major theme of his talk. Different member states behave differently and thus there is an interesting dynamic within the council. It would be like if each state was soverigb and could chose to act with the group, but only when it was convenient for them. He discussed this issue, among others in the Q and A session. Next we went to planet chocolate. I was skeptical at first, but it was so neat. We learned about the history and had a demo. The highlight of the trip was the tasting. Now I do not eat candy, don't eat chocolate unless it is in baked goods, never have craved chocolate. With that being said, it was amazing. So good, creamy, smooth, delightful.

After that I went for a run with Elisabeth and then we went on a bike tour.

The bike tour. That was an experience. Let's start out by saying I do know how to bike ride. I learned to ride when I was younger and go biking on occasion in the summer. These bike were not normal. Mine was too big. It was adjusted to the lowest level but my feet did not touch the ground. They were cumbersome. So needless to say it was difficult. The tour guide was interesting but the weather has been dreary and rainy our whole trip so my focus didn't last the entire time.

We did go all around the city. My favorite part was the milk protesters. Right now the EU farmers are upset because of the low price of milk. This week one of the eu institutions are discussing this. So to voice their opinion the farmers drive their trackers into the city and clogged up traffic. It was well organized- there were hundreds of farm trackers in the streets with signs, honking. It was such an incredible sight to see John deer farm trackers driving through cobblestone street under historic arches.

We also stopped at the place where they have the best French fries in Belgium and according to the New York Times they are the best in the world. I tried then- even though I don't really like fries ie the idea if frying qusi vegetable. But I thought my friend Jackie would be disappointed if I didn't. They were very good. We also had a Belgium beer, and then hot back on the bikes.

The tour was very long, four hours. A guy from our class ran into a car! He didn't get hurt, however, he did break a piece off the smart cats back light. The driver was not happy. I fell on to another member of the group, ran into a parked car and a pole. It was a memorable way to see Brussels. I recommend it bit you should get a bike that is your size.

Today we had two different meetings. We had some free time and a group of us walked around the city. We got caught in the rain, got a little of course, but then found a train station. We got waffles. So good. They had crystallized sugar at the bottom. I had nutella on mine.

Just got back from another run. Elisabeth and I found a cool park with a room tower with a nice view on top.

Brussels: uneventful arrival

After a long day of travel we arrived here in Brussels safely. Walked around town qnd now off to bed.

mrs. president, oprah, and black cars

Copenhagen has been in the headlines this week because of the Olympic meetings taking place in Denmark's capital city. I have been somewhat isolated from the commotion because of classes. This week was extremely busy/stressful. I had a midterm, a case study intro, and a midterm project.

Wednesday was a particularly busy day. I had a field study for my terrorism course. We watched a movie for two hours; Battle for Algiers. Then I went to the library to attempt to figure out my economics take-home assignment. The project was about a fictitious country and different price models/tax systems. It would have been more interesting, if I didn't have so much trouble figuring out the computer program. It was so complicated and frustrating. It reminded me of physics, but better because my end goal was actually logical/the concepts were comprehendible once I figured out the program. After about an hour in the library I had to leave DIS, and head to high school. I signed up to volunteer to speak with Danish high schoolers about politics in America. The high school we went to was very different a high school in the United States. It was a very ornate school, fake marble, columns, high ceilings. It was not a large school. The student in my group told me that that their school was a well-financed program. The danish princes attended the school, and thus they receive donations from the Royal family--very similar to what happens at Brunswick High School, minus the royalty and private donations...

The students were very nice. They are going to visit Washington DC in the spring. They were surprised about our drinking habits, the high cost of college, and the young age at which teenagers can get their licenses. Overall I thought the students were typical of their age. They acted like juniors in high school, but in a funny way. One thing that is different is that they have a lot more independence. One girl I talked to had her own apartment. One kid commented that the school provides alcohol for movie night.

When I got back from the high school, I grabbed a sandwich at attacked my mid-term. I ended working for about 4 hours on it. I compared my formula with other students, and that helped to make the program run correctly. When I got home, I had cereal, and then went back to work, studying late into the night for my politics exam.

I was thrilled for classes to be done at the end of the day. Instead of going home to crash, I volunteered for Chicago 2016. I went down to the harbor where Chicago committee was hosting a party for all its supporters. As a volunteer I got a bright orange long-sleeved t-shirt, which came handy because we were outside for two hours. A bunch of DIS students were the volunteers, so some people directed the guests/supporters to the party. I was in the group that helped to hold banner.

We were at the Royal Theatre. Directly across the harbor is the Opera House. It's probably two-three football fields across the shore. At the Opera House the IOC, the committee that votes on Friday on which city will be the host, was having a big dinner. That is where Oprah and Mrs. Obama were having dinner (you could tell because of the circling boats, snipers and guards around the perimeter). Our job was to hold up the sign, and be part of a mass of orange/blue shirts cheering for Chicago when the boat bringing the IOC members to dinner came through the harbor.

It was exciting being part of the crowd. There were a bunch of athletes. I saw Brandi Chastine (soccer player who took her jersey off when they won), and a few people saw Michael Johnson. Tomorrow I have no classes. I'm going to sleep extremely late. The only thing on my agenda is going into town to see the voting on a large screen in the plaza.

Oh, and when I was walking over to the harbor, I saw Mrs. Michelle Obama's motorcade. The girl living the floor above me saw Oprah coming out of her hotel. And that is all my exciting news. I'm sure you are all on the edge of your seats.

game day, race day, pain day

This morning I woke up early(well, for a Sunday 8 am is early to me) and took a train to meet Elizabeth--who goes to DIS with me--and her family. To recap, two weeks ago Elizabeth called and asked if I wanted to run in a 10 K because her family had an extra ticket. She caught me just after I woke up that day, and in my vulnerable state I agreed. So today was the day of reckoning.

Looking outside at the blanket of clouds, I forced myself to get up, throw on spandex, and walk to the metro. She gave me rough instructions, and I found my way to the right train tracks downtown. It was about 45 minutes total to get out to the correct stop, where her uncle picked me up. Elizabeth, her uncle, and her two cousins. Her cousins were very cute, even though I didn't understand much of what they were saying. Within 10 minutes we were at the race site, where we had plenty of time to contemplate the lovely race ahead.

Elizabeth just started running this summer, so this was her longest run ever. A 10 K is equivalent to 6.25 miles. My last race was 5 weeks ago when I did the Bradbury Mountain 10-mile trail race, which is hardest run that I've done to date. After that I took 2 weeksish of cross-training only, and therefore I've only been back running for less than three weeks. I have done no speed-work, so my expectations weren't to high going into the race.

The first 2 ks were uphill; it wasn't horribly steep but definitely not flat. I had to maneuver my way to the side in order to pass at the beginning, but after that I had no major problems. It was bit a bit windy, but the temperature was ideal/the rain held off. The course was quite beautiful. We were running in the countryside. I paced myself off a soccer player, and ended up with a decent time of 48 minutes( approx 7:40 mile pace). I'm not thrilled, but it's nice to know that I can pull of that pace just a few weeks back. As I tell my friend Sam, it's all about muscle memory.

I'm sorry if I'm boring all the non-runners.

When I got back I made lentil soup. This weekend I have cooked some good things. I made pizza on Friday with autumn roasted vegetables on top. Last night I made toll-house cookies to give to Elizabeth family, which I forgot in my room so I have to do that tomorrow. I have gearing up for another week. I have a full schedule, like always. Tonight I will do some more reading, and then attempt to start my take-home econ project.

Reading the Days away

For the past few days I have been up to my ears in readings for my course. Yesterday, Tuesday, I had a test in my Trade, Aid and Political Power course, and tomorrow I have one in my EU class. Tomorrow's test is short answer, which I prefer over multiple choice, so I just need to review a bit more.

On Monday in between classes I went up to the library at DIS in search of a hole punch. I say search, because I have not been able to find one since coming to Denmark. I have checked numerous stores, different classrooms, and various places within DIS, yet no 3 punch. At the library I found a 4 punch, which used. Then I felt silly, because the binder I bought had two holes, but at least my papers were secure. Then I broke the binder. Not intentionally, but there is an odd system where you pull this odd lever thing to open up the binder--too complicated for me. I was in a hurry/didn't realize it was different. Seeing as it was the only binder I bought, at the only store I could find that sold binders, I asked the librarian where I could find another binder. I'm betting my frazzled expression made the nice man feel bad for me, because he gave me two binder free. I'm pretty excited. Now all my paperwork is nice and organized, my printed notes arranged chronologically inside them, and my desk is now clean.

My room is also clean. I did laundry today. I wasn't able to do laundry with my laundry card last week because it broke. It looks like a credit card, but does not function like one. I have no idea why it broke, nothing physically was damaged. I kept it in the pocket they gave me. When I went to the office to ask for help, the lady checked the card on a machine and said, 'sometimes this happens', and took my card for a week. It was in my mailbox yesterday, and it nows works fine; I have clean sheets and towels to prove it.

Last night I was at the gym late. I was procrastinating, got distracted, and before I knew it, it was 1030. So rushed to the gym, which officially closes at 1130. Yet, there is no monitor, and we all have keys so you can really stay as long as you wish. Well the last guy left at 1135, so I locked the door, and continued to do the rower. I locked the door because I'm paranoid and wanted to make sure I noticed if someone was coming in. Someone did come in, but I had to open the door for them. Then lights went out in the room. They guy was very freaked out by it and basically ran out. I finished my workout light by the hall lights (only 5 minutes more) and left, amused.

Tomorrow after my classes I'm meeting my danish networker, and possibly her friend, at the train station. We are going to cook dinner at the kollegium. It should be fun, though I'm thinking about what I should serve.

Back to Work

Time has been flying by me this weekend. On Friday my friend from Providence came to visit. This semester she is studying in London, so she flew out here late on Friday afternoon. After class I ran a couple errands, tided my room, and then found my way the airport. It is very close to my kollegium; 3 metro stops and a train ride away. I, surprisingly, didn't get lost at all and was there early. We made dinner back at the kollegium and then went into the city.

On Saturday we had great weather for walking. I showed her my daily route to school and then took her to my favorite bakery. Saturday is cinnamon bun day there, which I didn't know. Cinnamon is my favorite spice, and breakfast was delicious. Then we walked and shopped around until the stores closed at 4. I was very good and didn't buy anything but gelato.

We came back to the kollegium and went for a run/walk through the trails. On Friday I had found this hill on the trails which gives you a view of the entire city. It is stunning. Keely had a bit of a cough, and I wanted a low-key evening, so we dressed up for dinner and went downtown. On Nyhahn street we found a little italian restaurant overlooking the water and had a great meal there. It was the first time I've gone out for a real sit-down dinner since I've been here. The temperatures had cooled down, but the sky was still clear of clouds, so we walked along the waterfront. When we came back to the kollegium we made a plum and strawberry tart (that recipe is my new favorite--so easy/quick). We watched Duplicity, which I highly recommend, and the end of dirty dancing.

This morning my alarm didn't go off, but I woke up just in time. We got to the airport an hour before her flight. All in all, it was a lovely weekend. I hadn't seen Keely since May, because she lives in California so it was great to see a familiar face.

Right now I need to do work for tomorrow, and so it begins again.

3 down and 2 to go

This week has been full of schoolwork. Next week I have two tests, so my professor are all trying to cram in as many reading assignments as possible. It's lovely. I have, however, managed to extract myself from my books for an hour here and there to regain my sanity.

On Monday I left my room at 930 and came home at 730. I went the grocery store after my classes, which is an activity in and of itself. I love grocery stores, but Monday was one of those days that I just felt frustrated. I am getting used to allotting extra time in my travels. I have fully accepted that stores are not open on a regular or schedule basis here. It does sometimes get frustrated after spending over an hour in the store to pick a few thing simple things, knowing that doing the same thing at home would take minutes. I searched for breadcrumbs, baking soda/powder, brown sugar, vanilla. While I managed to find most of the items, not knowing the danish words on the packages made me feel ignorant. I learned to recognize, but not pronounce, words like chicken, tomatoes, cumber, but sometimes you cannot discern the items based on the looks alone.

So after performing a scavenger hunt of sorts in the grocery store, I hauled all my goods home and made a delicious dinner. Although shopping was frustrating, overwhelming, and just plain exhusting, I remind myself that it is par for the course, and teaching me to be more patient (which I certainly can use more of).

Tuesday class went well, had a good run. Today I had no classes, so it gave me a chance to catch up, and get slightly ahead in my work. I woke up to a call asking me if I wanted to run in a 10K next weekend, because she remembered that I said I run, and her relatives in Denmark have an extra ticket. Now grant it, I just woke up, thus everyone who knows me can draw the conclusion that I was not in the 'right mind' to make decision. I agreed; the race is next weekend. I warned Elizabeth that my time will not be, shall we say, fast. I am only a few weeks back from cross-training. It is next Sunday. It will undoubtedly be interesting.

So when I hung up the phone, I rolled over and went back sleep. Then later in the day I met Hanna, who is in my EU class, at the metro and we made cookies. Learned that oats here are not rolled oats, and saved the cookies by adding flour (thank goodness I watch food network and was able to figure that out). I kept three cookies and packed the rest up with her. My mom baked me cookies, biscotti, and sent them here. I got package today, which made the day even better. Went for a run, homework, and now I'll do yoga and then more reading.

3rd Sunday

Last night I arrived back from my short study tour. It was a busy trip, but good trip.

On Thursday morning we left bright and early from Copenhagen. My group was composed of all the students in my 10:05 European Union course, and there were about 30 of us. From Copenhagen we traveled to Rodby, Denmark and took a ferry from there to Germany.

The ferry ride was quick, 45 minutes. It was a beautiful day so I stood on the deck for a while. From the ferry we took our bus, we traveled on the same rented bus the whole time, to Lubeck which was about and hour and a half away.

I slept most of the time, though when I was awake there were great views. The country

side of Germany is similar to Denmark's. There were lovely views and plenty of windmills. The first thing we did when we got to Denmark is went to lunch at Schiffergesellschaft, a restaurant which is over 600 years old. It was a nice place, traditional German cuisine, so heavy but good. The carrots there were delicious.

After that we went to the Willy Brandt Museum. Willy Brant was the former mayor of West Berlin, born in Lubeck. He was outspoken against the Nazi regime, so he was exiled to Sweden for a number of years. The museum was

in the home he was born in and was quite interesting. Outside garden they had managed to get a piece of the Berlin Wall.

The photo on the left in the wall that faced East Berlin and the one on the right is the wall that faced West Berlin.

After our museum tour we wondered around the town for a bit. Lubeck is a small, cozy town. Next we checked into our hotel. They assigned us rooms, which was good because we got to know different people in our class. Before the trip I didn't know too many people; it's a lecture class so we just listen and leave. Now I know most of the class, so that will make class and the week in Brussels more lively. (We saw this dog in Lubeck--he's massive!)

I went for a run with the intern, DIS staffer, and another student. Then I met up with a group from the class and we sat outside enjoying the good weather. The next morning we headed to Hamburg where we had lunch and had a lecture from Hamburg's European Affairs Committee.

They seemto schedule lectures right after we eat, which does not bode well for me. I had the 'turkey affect' --aka full and content-- so I was pinching myself to stay awake at the beginning of it. I did, however, perk right up when the different party members began to speak. There are over four major parties in Germany, and they don't see eye to eye on anything. When we had a Q&A session, I didn't laugh, but was fighting it. There was a man from one party and a woman from another who not only would interrupt each other, but would make faces and roll their eyes when the other was speaking. They disagreed on everything, even when it was a basic structural question. They keep making jabs at each other about the other's spending habits/platforms. It was very amusing. If that is how they behave when they are trying to get along, I can only imagine how they are when it comes down to voting.

After that session we had a tour of the Parliament building. It is large; they boasted that they have 3 more rooms than Buckingham Palace. I feel like there was a black cloud over the history of city; the palace was occupied by Hitler when he installed a mock-democracy there. The rooms were ornate, but I didn't fully enjoy it.

The tour lasted for an hour, at which time we were released into the city. I went with friend to hunt down a soccer/football jersey for my darling brother. I would estimate that it took between 45 to an hour to find a store that had them (mind you I went in around 5

stores and asked countless people). When I finally found a store I had to figure out which was the national team's jersey. The whole experience made me feel like i was on an episode of the amazing race,wondering around clueless in a foreign city.

From Hamburg we traveled to Sonderborg, a town in southern Denmark. We stayed at hostel, my first experience staying in one. I don't know what I was expecting, but the hostel was fine. I brought my own sheets, kept the window open, and slept well. In the morning we had a lecture at the University of Southern Denmark on German-Danish boarder relations,a trip to the battle field which was Danish version of Gettysburg, then headed back to Copenhagen, stopping at an art and crafts museum called Trapholt. The location of the museum was stunning, the exhibits were alright. There was an exhibit of chairs, some which were stained and looked like something I played in growing up. There were some cool ones though.

When we got back on the bus our intern and DIS staffer gave us water, chocolate, and beer for

the rest of the ride. I had the water, saved the rest, and took a nap.

Today I am catching up on my work, going for a run, then bed early!

Packing again, too soon

Every Wednesday at DIS we don't have classes with lecture. Instead we have field studies, meaning that two or three times a semester each class meets on Wednesday and goes somewhere in the city. It's a field trip, minus the permission slip and boxed lunch. My European Union course met this morning, and we took a field trip to the Parliament.

My professor used to be a member of Parliament, so he knew the member who was giving us a tour. First the member gave us a power point presentation explaining how parliament operates and more specifically how it deals with the EU. Denmark has a committee, Foreign Affairs, which has a representative elected from each party within the EU. That representative's job is to convey his or her party's position on the issues that are before the EU and the WTO. What's interesting is that this committee directly dictates what their representative at the EU in Brussels is allowed to do. So if the issue before the EU was immigration this committee would give their rep. specific guidelines and parameters that he or she would be able to negotiate within.

This is different than other countries whose representatives make the choice and then go back and explain to their government. The member said that in Denmark it is different because the government is minority run, meaning that there are many parties within the government.

In addition to the structure of their Parliament being different than our Congress, the building itself was quite different. We did not walk through any mental detectors. I saw no weapons. Their constitution was framed in glass, but you could walk right up to it. It was a much more relaxed capital than ours. The Maine State House or the federal building in Augusta have tighter entrance security.

After the tour I got gelato( nutella and hazelnut--extremely similar) and came back to my kolligum to pack/run/do laundry before the trip tomorrow. I got an iron today so I steamed some of my clothes. I also made end-of-summer vegetable soup. Very delicious, but I burnt the tip of my tongue when I was seasoning it. I leave at 815 tomorrow from downtown, so I'm heading to bed now to get a complete night's sleep.

Swan Pond and Mini Muffins

I had a great 20th Birthday on Saturday. The morning started off a little shaky when my alarm failed to wake me up, but it got progressively better from then on. I met my Danish Networker, Anna, downtown. We were suppose to meet at the Royal Theatre. I went to the new theatre; she went to the old one. Shocking, me mixing up directions, but it all worked out in the end. Thank goodness for cell phones.

When we finally found each other we found coffee shop to sit and escape from the rain. Anna is in boarding school right now and is would be a junior in high school in the States. Last year she studied in Canada so her english is perfect. We both like to shop, run, and visit museum, so I think we'll have some fun this year.

After Anna left, I roamed around the city and did a bit of shopping. I was looking for a pair of rain boots but had no luck. I did find some really neat vintage shops. I love looking at old dressing and plan on going back there. Later in the evening some of the girls in my kollegium took me out to dinner, and then we came back and had cake/berry tart. All in all, a wonderful day.

Sunday I had to get up early so I could go to IKEA. I thought it was the IKEA in Sweden, as did many of the other students. I was wrong. It was a store just outside of Copenhagen. Although it would have been much more fun to go to the one in Sweden, this one was only 15 minutes away. I now have a blanket as well as a top sheet on my bed. Very exicting stuff. I also bought my brother a birthday gift. Fairly certain I could say what it is here, there's no way he reads this, but just in case he's bored one day I won't give it away. It's good gift in my completely unbiased opinion.

Today was a very long day, but a great one. I had three classes in a row and then a two hour break. I was quite productive during that time. I found the Kommune, the danish version of a town hall/DMV. It was a very modern setup, much more comfy then a DMV. I turned in my paperwork, and am now officially register for my health card. I will get it within the next two weeks, and it allows me to have free health care all over the city. It also will function as an ID, so I won't have to carry around a passport, which will be nice. They gave me the name of my doctor here, so I am all set.

I had reading to do for my last class of the day, so I went to a bakery and had lunch there. I had a delicious turkey sandwich and they had really good mini-muffins. People from my kollegium had gone their last week, so I knew that the place would be good. It is one of the most famous bakeries in Denmark, and I know why. It smells good, it's not too expensive, and it's delicious. I did my reading in there and then went to class.

When I got home tonight I was beat. Despite my fatigue I forced myself to throw on my running shoes, and I'm so glad I did. I headed out in the direction of the city. It was around 6:30 so I didn't want to go too far and wanted a well populated path. Copenhagen is one of the coolest cities to run in. They have a lane for car, bikes and pedestrians. You don't have to share with the bikes. Additionally in the middle of the city they have random dirt paths, trails. I ran past a few small parks, and then stumbled onto a large pond. I ran across bridge and saw swans. I was on such a runners high when I got back that I decided to pick apples.

Everyday when I head to the metro I see apples right outside my building. They look good, like macintoshes. Fruit is expensive here, and good fruit is sparse. The only thing I was holding was my cell phone so I stepped up onto the concrete wall (a foot high) and then started to climb the tree. For all biting their nails, don't worry. I have climbed many trees and went apples picking nearly every year when I was little. I found four nice apples, used my shirt as a basket, and headed down. I had a little trouble balancing, but made it to the bottom of the tree fine. I hopped off the tree, but forgot about the concrete wall. I took a bit of a spill, scraped up my arm, bruised my ego. I don't think anyone saw, but if they did I'm sure I amused them. Luckily things like this happen to me all the time, and I can bounce back from a fall. I cleaned it up with witch-hazel. It only stung a bit. Now I am about to get into bed and read. I had the apple a few minutes ago; it was worth it.

Fridays are lovely days

Thank goodness it's the weekend. My first full week of classes have sufficiently worn me out. It's only week two, yet my courses are already moving full steam ahead. This week I had a paper for econ, an assignment and my others piled on the reading. As much as the work is exhausting me, all my subjects are very interesting, so I will appreciate it later. For now, I am beyond thrilled it's the weekend.

This morning I ventured out for a run at the perfect time. The sun was breaking through the clouds and I had near perfect conditions. It was a bit windy, but the resisitance just gave my workout a boast. I discovered a gorgeous park with many trails. There are paths to little hills that give great views and it is all dirt paths. Bikers were out in full force. I think I will be spending quite a bit of time in there. Another bonus: I can see the tall office building from anywhere in there, so I can't get too lost. Though I'm sure I'll prove myself wrong.

Today after class I marched to the grocery store armed with a list. Over the summer while living in the mountains I learned that mapping out a schedule of dinners and shopping for that list is the most cost-effective way to cook. Last night and this morning I completed my schedule for the next month. It looks good, if I do say so myself.

The problem is I have a problem with estimations. I either shop thinking I am much stronger than I actually am, or that 5 pds of flour, milk, yogurt, ect. aren't really that heavy. Either way I got an additional workout coming home. The DIS student living next door and I were going to make pizza, but she had a meeting so I decided to go ahead with it on my own.

I love to cook. I love to bake. I would say, though my brother and father disagree, that I can hold my own in a kitchen. Tonight, however, was a certainly a challenge. Making the pizza dough, I forgot that they don't cups over here. Furthermore, their scale wasn't working correctly. There was an old measuring cup that wasn't accurate, but beyond that I was on my own. They don't have teaspoons in the kitchen, so I had to approximate the entire recipe. I looked up conversions on the internet and used what they said, but the dough was incredibly wet. So I had wing it. I add sugar, salt and a lot more flour. When I put a towel on the dough I had no idea if it would rise. I've made dough at home that has flopped, and that's with the proper tools.

Needless to say I was pleasantly surprised when it doubled and even more shocked at the end result. It was delicious. Best one I've ever made. I also made a rustic tart, in honor of my upcoming birthday (didn't have room in my fridge to wait until tomorrow). It is equally good. The difficulty in making the tart was that the butter here is in blocks and I don't know how to measure it. Never the less it's great.

By the time I had finished and cleaned up I had been in the kitchen for three hours. It was fun, though. A girl down the hall made dinner in there so she stayed for a bit after she was done to talk. Now I am going to met up with some people and watch Ace of Cakes. I'm bringing the tart to share. Tomorrow I'm going to meet with a Danish student that I've been paired with. We're going for coffee and then I'm going window shopping, well that's the plan anyway...

Laundry-mats and Schoolwork

It seems that time in Denmark is speeding by me. On Sunday I spent a few hours hauling my laundry-mat down the street. Our resident assistant person here in Denmark has yet to get us cards that give us permission to use the laundry machines downstairs. Knowing that my gyms clothes probably wouldn't hold up well in a plastic bag under my bed-- no laundry basket-- I decided to find a laundry-mat and get it out of the way on Sunday. So Jen (who lives in the room next to me) and I hauled our bags and wondered off in the direction that a Danish map told us to. To make matter slightly worse, I was the one leading. So it was more or less the blind leading the blind. After asking three, maybe four people, we ended up at the right place.

Now I don't have a lot of experience with laundry mats in the States, but I'm fair certain Dainsh ones are completely different. To begin with the settings are in Danish, that was a given. But they are also in Celsius so that didn't help to much when two settings had the same number next to it. Also you don't put the money in the machines. Across the room there is a master machine where you put your money in. It does not dispense change. The machine is complicated. I looked pathetic and confused enough to attract the attention of a kind older lady who helped me start my washers.

The dryers were also complicated. They were neat looking, I defiantly could fit in them, if I had the urge to do so. When you put your money in and pressed your number, it did not necessary go on for the whole time. You had to press the button a few times to get certain numbers, I still don't really understand. In any case the dryers work very quickly and within long my clothes were mostly dry. I ran out of kronners, so it was as good as it was going to get. To make a long, painfully long, story short I now have clean clothes. I know you all were very worried. Jen took a picture of the machines for me so I'll post it soon.

Monday I had another busy day of classes, four. Today I slept late and then went to class again (See Dad I'm working hard!). Tonight we had a Birthday celebration for the girl next door. We had cupcakes/muffins. Now I have some more reading to do, so that is all for now.

Sailboats by the Harbor

Thursday and Friday were busy days for me. Thursday marked the official start of my fall semester, and I had four classes on that day. Lucky for me, my classes are all in the same courtyard, so I didn't have the opportunity to get lost.

It was a long day. I was in class from 10 in the morning till 6 at night. All my courses seem like they are going to be interesting. They will be taught in a similar way to many of political science and economic courses are at home (complete a reading assignment at

home and discuss it in class). The professors are informal here; they asked us to call them by their first names. Many are not solely professors, but work primarily in their field of study. My EU professor is full time faculty member at DIS and has taught for a number of years at different institutions in the past. He also was a member of the Danish parliament, so he does have a good deal of first hand knowledge in that area.

My favorite class thus far is Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism. The professor seems like he will have an unique take on the subject, and it will be a very discussion driven class. In the class there is probably an equal ratio of females to males, but the professor said that in the past the males tended to speak a great deal more than the females. The guy sitting next to me, who I met at the airport, told me that I shouldn't be afraid to speak up if I had something to say. I assured him that wouldn't be a problem. (See, people do think I'm quiet upon first meeting me! I'm sure later on he will regret encouraging me.)

On Friday night, last night, DIS organized a canal ride around the Har

bor of Copenhagen. There were clouds off in the distant, but they held off so we had good weather. The tour guide was very informative and today when I was walking around I was surprised at how much I remembered.

After the tour, I went with a couple of girls living in my kollegium to the DIS social event at a club. It was very different not to have to worry about showing an ID to get in. The event was fun, and afterwards we went to a cafe.

I had a great day today. The weather is a bit cooler, which I prefer, yet still partly sunny. I took the metro into the city and sat downtown at the Royal Opera house. I sat reading a good book and people watching down by the water. For all those who don't know, I love sailboats. Although been on one, I think I would enjoy it. Sailboats make me so happy, and because today there is a slight wind, there were many sailboats out on the water today!

After that I walked around for a bit, bought bread, a a bowl and a binder. I'm going to hang out in the kollegium tonight and rest up for what is sure to be a busy week.

Scavenger Hunt

Our activity today was a scavenger hunt around the city. We had six stops, and starting at 9:30 we were to trek around the entire city finding different guides. It was a bit like the Amazing Race, but it's a good thing that we were not on the show because we certainly would not have won.

My group had five people, and, surprisingly, I wasn't the last to arrive to the starting location. The first stop on the tour was the Parliament building. After receiving a brief history of the place we took a ride on the boat to our next location. We continued at a slow pace, and by 12:15, fifteen minutes after the stop time we only made it to 4 of the 6 locations. We had, however, made it to all the distance ones. The highlights for me was seeing the Royal Theatre and Opera house, as well as the Royal Palace. It's very different being in a country that has a monarchy. Denmark's royal family has been ruling for over a thousand years, and is the longest running succession in the world.

Today was a perfect day to walk around the city. The weather has been unusually sunny and warm, and we are being lulled into a false sense of serenity. I am expecting to wake up one morning to complete darkness and freezing temperatures. But please don't think I'm complaining. I would be thrilled if it stayed this way all year, but realistically...

Right now I am doing a massive amount of reading for my classes tomorrow, first day. I should stop prolonging the inevitable and get back to work.

(Gail- the food is alright so far. I have been cooking the basics, and I did find a great gelato stand that's in between my metro stop and the school)

Round Trip Metro

Today I was a little less overwhelmed. My major accomplishment today was successfully navigating my way to through the metro to downtown Copenhagen. While I traveled with a group some of the time, I actually knew the name of the stop in the square, it's Nørreport Station. (Below is a picture of my metro stop)

While I may will be able to get to school and back, saying the names of the places I

travel to is much more difficult. Today we had our second crash course in Danish speaking and culture. It seems as if I have a type of short-term memory loss that is specific to languages. My pronunciation of everything I learned yesterday was, to put it lightly, lacking. But the Danish language is quite interesting. For example there is no way to say "excuse me" in Danish. If you are in a Danes way they will push you aside. According to ou

r Danish instructor, this is because Danes do not see the need to apologize if they have not yet done som

ething to wrong. If they do push you, they will only apologize if they cause you extreme bodily harm. The word for I am sorry is "Undskld", just in case you are ever in Denmark and happen to push someone into traffic or give someone a bloody nose.

In another session today we learned about Danish customs. A DIS staffer who is from Denmark explained to us that there

is no such thing as political correctness in Denmark. He said that they customarily make fun of minorities and get great joy in mocking religious groups. He said that for

Danes this is not a type of exclusion, rather it is a sign that they groups are well

integrated/included in Danish society. He said Danes find genocide 'funny', which us students found appalling, despite he explanation t

hat I still don't fully understand. It was helpful to know that Danes don't engage in small talk. They either have a conversation or they don't. When you say hi to a dane (hej--but it sounds like hi) they would be throughly confused if you didn't stay in talk. They are also blunt.

These facts were extremely useful to learn, especially live on a hall with 20 danish and international students. I no longer feel offend when I am routinely bumped into on the street--in their defense I'm sure I am completely blocking everything. When I was cooking dinner, a Dane came into the kitchen, completely silent with no greeting. I said hello and engage in 15 minute conversation about schooling and traveling. It's good to know that the Danes I'm living with do want to have a conversation, but will not be the first one to start the ball rolling.

My other big news for the day is that during the hour

between class and the immersion fair I won

dered around the city. Within twenty minutes I found a large square surrounded by shops. You see I have a gift, a sixth sense if you will, that I am able to find a place to shop everywhere I go. This plaza that I found was beautiful, and completely full of stores I know, love, and need to stay away from. It was akin to the shopping by the Spanish Steps in Ro

me, apparently further down there were more designers. I went in to sever

al, and (shocker) did not buy a single thing.

I also went to the immersion fair hosted by my school and signed up to learn more information about volunteering in Danish school, helping prepare Thanksgiving dinner for a group of Copenhagen citizens, and a cooking class.

Below are a couple of picture of my room and of the view from my room. I need to get going because I am being attacked by a giant moth, oy.