Home Sweet Home

Hej everyone,

I'm so sorry it's taken me this long to write this last post... with finals the last week of Copenhagen and then packing and then spending the past week home at Lafayette and the beach, I haven't had much time. In fact, I should be packing for my next adventure in North Carolina right now as I'm leaving in less than 5 hours, but oh well.

Den Lille Havfrue

My final days in Copenhagen were a blur of finals and being a tourist.  I finally saw Den Lille Havefrue (The Little Mermaid) statue... so anti-climactic.  I climbed the Spiral Tower on top of the Church of Our Saviour.  I saw Amalienborg Palace and the Black Diamond library.  These are all things that I probably should have done throughout the semester, but of course I waited until the end.  It was strange viewing Copenhagen from a tourist's perspective (especially when I went into tourist shops to buy a couple souvenirs) because I had come to really feel at home in the city.  The weather was absolutely gorgeous for once, but as much as I enjoyed the barbecues and sunshine, it was probably for the best that I had to go since my 90% of the clothes I packed were geared toward the winter.

Hej Hej, Nyhavn

Our core class had a final dinner at a cafe with delicious steak.  After a few too many glasses of rødvin (red wine) and sad goodbyes, a couple of us decided to bring more wine to Nyhavn and sit on the side of the canal as the sun went down.  It was such a sad night in one of the most beautiful places in the city, but it was a perfect ending to an amazing experience.

Last night out with the Keops girls

On my 2nd to last night, a student from DIS arranged a farewell event at a nightclub called NASA, which was apparently Copenhagen's hottest club in the late 90s/early 2000s. We went up in an elevator and all the walls were white... definitely an interesting venue.  It was a great way to see everyone in order to say goodbye.  I was even able to convince my Scottish/Irish friends to come as well for one last night out together.

Mine Danske Familie

I spent the very last day with my visiting family.  Thomas and I went shopping together and then cooked dinner for everyone else, and then we just sat around and talked for a while.  They were really a fantastic part of my time abroad and I am so grateful for all that they did for and taught me... it was so nice having a family to visit once a week and it really allowed me to understand Danish culture in a way I would not have otherwise.

The last morning, I said goodbye to the bikes and weinerbrød and then carried my extremely heavy luggage up and down stairs, onto the S-tog and the metro, and finally into the airport.  My flight home was non-stop, which was nice albeit long, and I arrived in Newark safely.

Now that I have been home for over a week, I can celebrate the fact that throughout my entire time travelling abroad I was never once pick-pocketed and I never lost my luggage.  I had such an amazing experience and have made some amazing friends with people from all over the world.  It's crazy to me that it's over- I've never experienced life move so quickly.  I'd like to end this with a big thank you to my parents for supporting me on my trip, and though I would love to post their gift (which some of you may have seen on Facebook), they still have yet to see it as it has not arrived.  I guess I'll add it on once it finally comes.  Also stay tuned on my Shutterfly for the final Copenhagen pictures which will be added soon.  Oh, and if you're interested in learning a bit more about the society I've grown to love over the past 4.5 months, check out this article recently written for the Huffington Post and this fun BuzzFeed piece.

Thanks so much for reading this semester! Now it's off to new adventures in North Carolina... and by adventures I mean Duke neuroscience lab and my apartment/MCATstudycentral.  Not super fun.

Vi ses,

Stephanie

Edit:

Thank You Mom and Dad for Giving Me the World!

Adventures in Sweden

Before I talk about my weekend, I'd like to start off saying that Tivoli was AWESOME.  Strangely

Tivoli at night

enough, only two other people (out of like 30 or so) wanted to go on all the rides too.  We ended up buying the all-ride passes and going on all the best rides at least twice.  There were no lines and everything was so close that walking from ride to ride was super easy.  As an avid thrill ride-goer, I was delightfully surprised at how good/fun some of them were. I had an absolute blast.  One of the rides was a typical "The Swings" ride where you're raised high in the air and travel in a circle.  The view was breathtaking- all of Copenhagen could be seen from the top.  We went on again at sunset and I don't know if I've ever seen a more beautiful sight.  Unfortunately, they pat you down to make sure you don't bring a camera, so I couldn't get any pictures.  But it will be something I remember always.

So like I said before, I decided last minute to use some of my birthday money to take part in a school-

Rönneå from the canoe

sponsored "adventure trip" to Southern Sweden.  It was incredible.  We left early Saturday morning on a coach bus, took the ferry from Helsingør (where Hamlet's Castle, Kronborg Slot is located)  to Helsingborg, and continued to Rönneå where we were able to canoe.  It was BEAUTIFUL outside; I actually wore a tank top.  (I was at the point where I thought that would never happen in Scandinavia.) We rowed for about 3 hours and saw the cutest little cottages and some big beautiful houses.  The
Swedes really know how to landscape, I'll give them that.  There were also many ducks and birds.  Some old guy called out to us from the land at one point and asked what state we were from (apparently he had been calling out to each duo that can gone by and deduced we were American), and Jen and I said "New Jersey".  He then said, "Oh... the gangster state!" It was strange, but funny.  Anyway, as much as I enjoyed canoeing, I think I prefer single person kayaks better... more personal control.

One of the Nimis Sculptures

After canoeing, we headed over to the hostel for lunch.  The hostel was located in the middle of nowhere Swedish farmland, but it was really cute and clean.  Jen and I were even able to get our own room.  From the hostel, we went hiking in Himmelstorpsgården, a wooded area next to the water.  Our destination was Nimis, a really cool collection of climbable driftwood sculptures that actually started a war and are now considered on the land of their own micro-nation, Ladonia.  Fun fact- ANYONE can become a citizen, and one can become "nobility" for the price of about $12 USD.  I strongly considered getting dual citizenship.  We laid out on the rocks for a while, found some blue baby jellyfish, and then hiked (up a steep incline) back to the bus.  We then had a BBQ at the hostel and roasted marshmallows around a bonfire before going to sleep.

The next morning, we left the hostel and went to the Kullaberg Nature Reserve.  This is on the Kullaberg Peninsula, and includes hiking trails, cliffs, pebble beaches, a golf course, and more.  Splitting in half, I was in the rappeling group first.  We first practiced on a baby cliff, making sure to get the hang of it.  Our next task was the nearby large cliff with a stunning view of the land and sea.  I was

Jen rappelling down the big cliff

able to rappel down this cliff twice- the second time being much more fun, as the first time my braid got caught in the rope about 3/4 of the way down, prohibiting me from moving further, and I thought I was going to have to find a rock to saw it off or something.  After lunch, a few of us stumbled across a golf course and met an older Swedish couple who started talking to us.  It turned out they were famous- they'd been on the Ed Sullivan Show 8 times as trapeze artists and toured with the Beatles for 4 months, also opening for The Jackson 5 when "little Michael was just 12 years old".  Jen and I took a picture with them, but as no one can seem to work my camera (it's really frustrating) we found out too late that it unfortunately didn't take correctly.

We then had an orienteering competition, which was basically a navigational scavenger hunt.  Armed with a map and a compass, we had to make it to different areas and then completely various tasks quickly upon arrival.  This was actually rather difficult, as

Vaniljhjärta

we had to climb up and down steep rocky slopes.  Some of the views were spectacular, and though treacherous (and dangerous, with my clumsiness), it was well-worth it.  Once all the outdoorsy stuff was done, our last stop was to Flickorna Lundgren, a cute little outdoor bakery where we tried delicious traditional Swedish vaniljhjärta and cake.  Overall it was an absolutely fantastic weekend with perfect weather and tons of fun and fresh air!

Be sure to check out all of the pictures here!

MAYDAY! MAYDAY!

Winter is finally over, and summer is here.  It's as if spring was just completely skipped over.  With two weeks left before I leave, I am so sad that I will not be able to experience this wonderful weather.  Vendors, open air markets, and outdoor bars and cafes are making appearances all over- all the things I loved about the other cities that I visited.  Copenhagen in the summer has it all, and I unfortunately don't have much time left to enjoy it.

In trying to make the most of things, I decided to go to a fodbold (soccer) game last week. FC København vs. Aarhus, the two biggest cities in Denmark.  They played at Parken, the national stadium that is not too far rom where I live.  It was definitely bigger than I expected for the size of this country, and the stands had a lot of people in them.  Closing my eyes and breathing in, I almost felt as if I was back home at Citizens Bank Park, smelling the athletic event familiarity of hotdogs and beer.  There was a cheering section where everyone remained standing the entire time, singing fight songs and chanting.  I really loved the spirit, although I didn't understand why everyone applauded for all shots on goal (when all of them were missed shots).  The game ended at 0-0, which was a shame because I would have liked to see how the fans reacted to a goal. It was still a lot of fun though.

Anyone who saw my Facebook status will know this story already, but it is too funny to leave out of my blog.  The other day I was at Nørreport metro station when a cute little old American couple approached me, asking for help with the metro system.  I explained what they wanted to know, and then they exclaimed, "Thank you so much! You speak such good English!"  At that point I realized that my assimilation into Danish culture must be complete.

Yesterday was May Day, also known as Labor Day.  All of Copenhagen's 20-30 year olds gather in this giant park called Fælledparken and listen to political speeches from parties from the social democrats to socialists to communists.  Additionally, there are bands playing on several stages, many food vendors, and copious amounts of alcohol and day drinking (gotta love not having open-container laws).  This was possibly my favorite Danish experience to-date, and it made me feel a little better about having to miss Lafayette's All College Day this year.

Tonight I have plans to go to Tivoli, the worlds oldest theme park (opened in 1843).  Disney World is actually supposedly modeled after it.  Unfortunately, you have pay to get in and then again to go on rides, so I'm not sure how much I'll actually end up going on.  The gardens are supposed to be beautiful, though, so I am excited to bring my camera.

I have to decided to go on one more excursion while I am abroad, as someone was selling her spot on a DIS-sponsored adventure trip to Southern Sweden this weekend.  I will be canoeing, kayaking, rappelling  and orienteering- super outdoorsy things, which should be interesting as I am not in the best shape right now.

I''ll try to get in another post or two before I go leave!

World Travels

Hello everyone! My apologies for not updating in a long time, but I have been traveling and dealing with midterms and just procrastinating.

I think I'll just write some highlights from my time in each city. Make sure to check out all the pictures on my Shutterfly account!


Prague, Czech Republic (pictures)
I began my first self-travel break with an overnight train ride to Prague.  I was in a cabin with people from Denmark, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, and my American friends.  I actually loved talking to all of them and sleeping on the train- it was almost like being rocked to sleep.  I had such high hopes for Prague, as everyone I know who'd been there said it was fantastic and beautiful.  I therefore gave myself 5 days to experience it, which may have been a day or two too long.  My main problem with Prague was that the time we (and by we, I mean Jen, Kelsey, and me) went was "the coldest weekend in 15 years". Other than that, though, it really was a beautiful city.  Like Budapest, there were two main parts to the city separated by a river.  The Old City part had a really great Easter Market going on with wonderful food and music.  We went on an underground ghost tour that started from beneath the Astrological Clock, also pretty interesting.  The other side of the city, the one with the castle on it, was gorgeous.  There were numerous times that we wandered around looking for food (and finding great little places), but the best time was when we stumbled into a cozy pizza place where they gave us a free bottle of wine when we ordered 2 pizzas.  Getting around was fairly simple; we could take the tram and then walk most places.  It was a relatively inexpensive city, especially coming from Copenhagen, which was also a great part of the city.  A night highlight was going on a pub crawl that stopped at a few local bars before ending up at the five-story club.  Beer was PHENOMENAL here, and I don't even typically like beer.  My favorite parts were visiting the Lennon Wall and viewing everything people had written and painted on it as well as visiting the statues of David Cerny's giant faceless babies.

London, England (pictures)
Kelsey and I flew to London for two days and stayed with my friends from Laf/AGD, Bianca and Danielle.  It was really awesome to see them as well as to see places in the city that I have seen on television and heard about so many times.  "London Calling" was stuck on a loop inside my head as I replayed the Friends episode where the cast goes to London for Ross and Emily's wedding. Kelsey and I explored all the major sights, drank a lot of tea (so happy to be somewhere where tea > coffee), and I embarrassed myself with my attempts at speaking with a British accent.  I have to say, being in a place where English is the predominant language was so nice.  Crossing Abbey Road, eating delicious fish and chips, English-nerding out at the Globe Theater, and eating phenomenal Indian food were some fun highlights.  I also spent a decent amount of time visiting the Tower of London and seeing the crown jewels.  Having to take the tube everywhere was kind of annoying, especially with how expensive it was.  London isn't the most walkable city in the world, and it was also really cold outside.  Overall it seemed like a pretty typical large city, similar to NYC.  My biggest regret was not having an extra day to do the Harry Potter Studio tour... I'll have to come back some day. The best part, though, was leaving from Kings Cross Station and taking some pictures of going through the wall at Platform 9 3/4.

Edinburgh, Scotland (pictures)
Continuing with my Harry Potter quest, I traveled by train to Edinburgh (where JK Rowling first began writing the books) for two more days.  I absolutely loved Edinburgh.  It was such a cute little city that was completely walkable.  The 4 of us stayed in a hostel that was right next to the castle, so it was a fantastic location.  Walking down the Royal Mile, climbing Arthur's Seat, and visiting other Laf friends made it a really good time.  It was Easter weekend, so the city was pretty crowded for the holiday.  I love Scottish people and their accents and everything about Scotland- I can't wait to return and visit my friend Grace in the Highlands someday.  My favorite part of my stay in Edinburgh was going on the "Potter Trail" tour of all the places that influenced JK Rowling- ie. Tom Riddle's grave, the Elephant House, etc. The Elephant House bathroom actually made me almost cry.  Any avid Harry Potter fan will appreciate the dozens of pictures I have from there. (People who aren't will probably think I'm crazy).  Out of the three cities visited that week, Edinburgh was definitely my favorite.  I would love to one day return again to the land of sheep.

My 21st Birthday
Okay, I realize this isn't a place. But it was a major event in my life.  We started the celebration in Copenhagen on April 11th, since my actual birthday (the 12th) would be spent in class and on a plane to Berlin.  After receiving some awesome packages from my family, I went out to dinner with a few of my close friends.  We had delicious Thai food with lots of wine.  The plan was then to go back to my kollegium and then go out to a karaoke bar, but we ended up staying in Keops all night and singing along to our own songs.  My Scottish and Canadian friends thought that it was hilarious that they were celebrating a "coming of age" party again- they thought they'd be done with that at 18.  I had a great time though, and it will definitely be a birthday that I'll never forget.

Berlin, Germany (pictures)
I flew out to Berlin on the 12th.  Though Jen and Bri and I got to the airport 2 hours early, we still almost missed our flight.  Sitting around, eating dinner at the airport, we thought we still had 45 minutes when one of us happened to look up at the screen and notice that our gate said "closed".  We started to walk rather quickly until a man asked us if we were flying to Berlin and then proceeded to tell us to "RUN".  This was not my first time running through an airport, and we eventually made it along with some other passengers.  Apparently everyone had checked-in early so they decided to change the flight to a half hour earlier.  I still don't understand how that's even allowed.  Anyway, we were only in Berlin for less than 24 hours because it was cheaper than flying directly to Barcelona.  It was pouring rain, so I didn't see much besides the East Gallery of the Berlin Wall.  I could definitely feel the alternative vibe of the city, though.  It reminded me of 90s grunge, if that makes any sense.

Barcelona, Spain (pictures)
I LOVED BARCELONA. I should have studied there, as it was much more "me" than Copenhagen is.  (They didn't offer a suitable program for me, though, so I really couldn't have.)  The beautiful weather, the beach scene, the night life, great wine, tapas, speaking Spanish- it was all just fantastic.  I got to see one of my best friends from high school too, which was so incredibly nice.  We went to an Indian "Holi" festival of Spring, where colored powders are thrown in the air and Bollywood-style dancing and music was being performed.  We went to Razzmatazz, one of the biggest night clubs in Europe.  We unknowingly ate "queso con alcohol" - quite possibly one of the most disgusting things I've ever tasted. We laid out on the beach and had a Spanish man bring us wine and ice and cups.  I can't even express how great it was to smell the blossoms of the orange trees and actually communicate in Spanish with the locals.  The metro system was easy to use, and it was still fairly walkable.  Cabs were cheap as well, which was super nice.

Paris, France (pictures)
I traveled to Paris by myself, which was an interesting experience in itself.  More on that later.  I have wanted to visit Paris since I was a little girl and asked my parents to buy me a computer program that would teach me French.  (They pretty much forced me into taking Spanish in middle school, though, so my French is still limited to my 1st grade knowledge and ballet terms.)  Paris was beautiful, but I did not like the people.  It was 75 degrees when I arrived, so I decided to wear a sundress.  Bad idea.  The men were absolutely awful, and I hated walking around alone and having to deal with crude comments.    I was able to visit a ton of museums for free though- thank you, Danish Residence Card.  The Louvre was awesome and huge although the Mona Lisa was a bit anti climactic.  I loved all the outdoor gardens most of all.  The flowers were just so beautiful and it was nice to see the signs of winter being over.  I was able to meet up with my friend Corinne, and together we climbed the Eiffel Tower and took some awesome pictures.  The crepes were amazing.  I loved all the outdoor cafes and accordion music.  My hostel wasn't far from the Moulin Rouge, which was pretty neat to see considering it's one of my top 5 musicals (along with Wicked and Chicago and Rent and Grease).  Like London, the city was kind of spread out and required a lot of metro use.  I did not feel completely safe, either, a feeling that I hadn't really felt in my European cities.

Amsterdam, The Netherlands (pictures)
Amsterdam really surprised me.  The land of tulips, cheese, clogs, and canals was actually really pretty. I met up with some friends from DIS and we explored the city together, stopping in every cheese shop and trying all of the free samples (there were a lot).  We went on a canal tour and an all-you-can-eat pancake cruise.  I spent about 10 minutes in the Red Light District but then had to leave- the girls all just looked so sad.  That ares reminded me a lot of Bourbon Street in New Orleans, but the rest of the city was made up of quaint little streets with cafes on either side of the canal.  I went to Anne Frank's "Secret Annex," her hideaway during WWII.  Since I have read her diary at least 3 or 4 times, it was really surreal to actually be there.  It was surprisingly bigger than I had expected it to be.  Overall, Amsterdam was a nice, chill ending to a long 10 days of travel.


Factors that Impact Travel
After two months of visiting 10 different countries, I have learned a thing or two about traveling.

1. Weather. The temperature/elements can really make or break an experience. It can influence not only what you choose to do and see, but also your mood.  Rain can ruin a day of walking around and seeing sights, but i think that the cold is the worst.

2. Traveling Companions. The people with whom you travel can make a huge difference in your trip.  You have to make sure that whoever you go with has similar interests in wake-up time, amount of sight-seeing they want to do, how much they plan on drinking/going out, and how much money they want to spend.  Obviously you'll have to make some compromises, but the more similar the better.  Traveling alone is great in that you can do whatever you want whenever you want.  You can also meet new, really awesome people.  However, it can also be somewhat lonely and scary at times.  I think I most enjoy traveling in a small group, ideally with maybe one person other than myself so that you don't have to feel like a crowd pleaser.

3. Public Transportation. Any place where walking is the main source of transportation is my favorite.  Metro systems are generally easy to navigate with an adequate map, but they can get rather expensive. Cabs are easy but typically the most expensive.

4. Language. Obviously, it was easiest for me to get around in English-speaking countries.  The good news is, most people in big cities like I have visited know English.  It can be difficult sometimes, but it's  really fun to be able to speak and read the native language.  Whenever I went anywhere I made sure to know (at the very least) how to say "excuse me" and "thank you".  It gets you a lot further than you would think, and people are much friendlier.

5. Hostel. Hostels range from awesome to awful.  While it's fun to meet new people from all over the world, I definitely prefer when the room only consists of my traveling companions and me.  I also prefer all-female rooms.  Guys snore and are obnoxious.  Additionally, hostel location is a big factor- it's never fun to have to take public transportation just to get into the city (especially at night when you have to get back and transportation is sparse).


Lastly, I want to touch briefly on the Boston bombings. I was in Barcelona when I first heard about it, and the world, which had been starting to feel so small, suddenly became immense again.  Anything can happen on any given day at any point in the world.  I'd like to end this post with the following quote:

"We cannot change what happened anymore. The only thing we can do is to learn from the past and to realize what discrimination and persecution of innocent people means. I believe that it's everyone's responsibility to fight prejudice." -- Otto Frank, 1970

St. Paddy's.... IN DUBLIN!

Hej alle, har tingene endelig faldet til ro lidt.

Well, besides the fact that I have an oral exam in Danish on Friday for which I am soooo unprepared.

Anyway, time is flying by SO quickly.  As of Sunday there are only 2 months until my flight back to the US.  I have been having an incredible time though.

This weekend I went to Dublin with two of my sorority sisters for St. Patrick's Day weekend.  We booked this trip back in late October, so it was almost surreal that the time had finally come.  It was nighttime once we got there and checked into the hostel, so we decided to explore the area's nightlife scene.  The first place we stumbled upon was called "Lafayette," so obviously we had to go inside.  It was a really cool venue.  Actually all the places we went throughout the weekend at night had fun set-ups.  One thing we noticed was that all the Irish girls tended to wear super high heels with miniskirts, crop tops, and false eyelashes.

I did not like the hostel at which we stayed, despite the great location next to Trinity College (which was beautiful, by the way... so green!) and Temple Bar.  However, the next night we stayed further South in a hotel with the most comfortable beds ever.  Because we were only there for a limited time, Saturday was confined to exploring on my own version of a self-guided tour with detours into shops along the way.  We didn't let the rain and hail that went on for most of the weekend prevent us from having a good time, although it did prevent a lot of pictures from being taken.  Everyone was wearing leprechaun hats and dressed in green no matter where we went. Later in the day we headed over to the Guinness Factory, which had live music and food and beer and the best view of Dublin in addition to the walkthrough.  I had THE BEST burger of my life while there, as it had been marinated in a Guinness sauce and on a Guinness bun.  I can't imagine any burger ever topping it.

Dressed up at the parade!

Sunday was actually St. Paddy's Day, and the whole city was abuzz.  We started the day off with some Bailey's and hot chocolate... a delicious combination.  The parade was awesome, though it was difficult to see with all the people.  At one point Jen even climbed up on top of a phone booth to get a better view.  Overall it was a really great weekend.  Dublin is a very pedestrian-friendly city, and I'd love to go back to see the cliffs and the Leprechaun Museum and everything else I missed in my short time there.

This will be my last post for a while, as I have more midterms this week and planning and packing to do.  I will be in Prague, London, and Edinburgh for the 10 days leading up until Easter, so much more to write about following!

Long Study Tour

So yet again I apologize for the length of wait time for this post as week as lack of depth- this week and next week are full of midterms and I have no time to spare (except to go to Dublin, of course...).

Last week... well I guess closer to two weeks ago now... I had my long study tour trip to Budapest and Vienna. Pictures have been up for a while now, but those are the links to the albums anyway.

No trip is ever completely stress free, and my stressful situation came at the very beginning...

Széchenyi Chain Bridge, Budapest

I had to be at the airport by 5:15, which meant that I had to leave my kollegium at 4:15.  Because I have insomnia anyway, I figured I'd just do what I normally do before an early flight and pull and all-nighter.  I packed, watched tv, and Skyped with people until I had about 20 minutes before I should've woken up to get ready/go.  So of course I decided that a 20 minute nap would be a good idea. I fell asleep, missed 3 alarms and woke up an hour and 20 min later. I held up the class so long they had to go without me and THANK GOD the airport people let me go in the express lane because I made it to the terminal right as they were boarding. (Sorry mom and dad for not telling you about this... didn't think it was something you'd wanna hear.)

Fisherman's Bastion, Budapest

Anyway, we landed in Budapest and had some time to explore and eat brunch before going on a walking tour.  Allen, Kelsey, Mary and I found a great cafe and split some meat and cheese and bread platters while enjoying the super cheap prices.  The walking tour of Pest (fun fact... Budapest is actually two cities made up of "Buda" and "Pest") was interesting in that we got to see the entrance to the WWII Jewish Ghetto and and 2nd biggest synagogue in the world as well as ugly buildings left over from the communist period; however, our tour guide was a little too obsessed with street art (or lack thereof) for my liking.  After the tour we went on a wonderful dinner cruise on the Danube, and I took some amazing pictures of the bridge and the skyline of Buda.  Many people went out afterward, but I was way too tired after the previous night's affair and fell right asleep.

Széchenyi Spa, Budapest

The next two days in Budapest consisted of hospital visits with my class, a trip to a museum of an old wartime hospital that was literally inside of a rock, exploring the sights in Buda, marveling at Matthias Church and the view from the Fishman's Bastion, swimming in a Hungarian bath house, eating chimney cake (Hungary's oldest pastry), having dinner at an all-you-can-eat AND all-you-can-drink buffet, and going out to Szimpla Kert, which was rated the 3rd best bar in the world.  Overall I thought Budapest was a really fun city, though I could definitely tell it was Eastern Europe.  The transportation system, while, easy to navigate, seemed pretty sketchy.  The currency took a little bit getting used to as well, as we had to divide by 236.50 to convert to dollars- they had BIG bills.  My favorite thing was definitely the bath- an ornate, outdoor (though inside), giant hot tub.

Class before the bike tour, Vienna

We took the train to Vienna, and while I wish I could've enjoyed the view of the countryside, I slept instead.  It was dinnertime by the time we got to Vienna, and after a delicious soup I went back to the hotel for a night in.  The next morning we awoke to 60 degree weather, which was perfect for our bike ride.  Riding a bike in a pack of people for the first time in years was a little scary at first, but I ended up loving it.  I think I just have a strange fear of self-transportation that being abroad is unintentionally helping me to overcome.  Anyway, Vienna was BEAUTIFUL.  Around every corner was another exquisite building.  The only thing that I didn't like about the bike tour was that it limited my ability to take pictures of the city, but it was still fantastic.

Schönnbrunn Palace, Austria

In Vienna we visited more hospitals, saw the Viennese Orchestra, explored the Schönnbrunn Palace, and went cafe-hopping.  We went to some really cool bars- I breathed fire at one and the other was really swanky and had an awesome view of the city.  Overall Vienna was beautiful, had an extremely easy-to-navigate and clean transportation system, and friendly people.  I remembered way more German than I had realized!

Proof that Kelsey has a heart.

Returning to the Copenhagen tundra was tough, but it was nice to be back "home".  The only highlight of this past week was learning how to perform and read ultrasounds on each other.

I'd like to write about the health care systems of Hungary and Austria, as they are extremely interesting to note, but I need to save those efforts right now for a paper I have to finish involving the subject.

Some exciting news though- I leave for Dublin tomorrow! I'll be in Ireland for St. Paddy's (not St. Patty's, as my Irish friends have drilled into me), Day weekend! So excited.


Happy early birthday, Dad! Sorry I won't be around for it!

Weekly Highlights

This is going to be pretty short because I have to leave in less than 6 hours and I still haven't packed yet, but I'll include some pictures so it isn't too boring.

Too bad I had just come from the gym.

Some highlights: In what I fondly refer to as my "doctor class", I got to wear a doctor's lab coat and interview a real patient to collect her history. I actually felt like a doctor, so that was pretty cool.

We're actually under a giant windmill.

I visited Malmö, Sweden for the day last Saturday. It was like a much quieter, smaller version of Copenhagen. Pictures are on my Shutterfly page.  We walked around, had brunch, did a little shopping, and visited a museum.  Nothing too exciting.

I also went to see the ballet at the Royal Danish Theater with my Danish Class.  The name was called "dans2go", and it was two hours of 3 different ballets. The first was a brand new modern piece, the second was a music-less modern style piece from the 70s, and the third was a classical Russian ballet from the 1800s.  I definitely preferred the last on the best, though many of the other people didn't like any of them. Being there and seeing the dancers onstage really made me miss dance.

Entrance to Christiania

This week my Danish class visited Christiania, an anarchist/hippie-founded society inside Copenhagen that doesn't believe they have to follow the same rules as everyone else in the world.  Hash and marijuana are sold openly on the street as they are legal there, but they are still illegal in Denmark so it doesn't really make sense.  I actually have a lot to say about Christiana, but I'll save it for another time.


Last night I went out with my Scottish and Canadian friends to a bar called "Dupong", a "ping-pong bar".  I was unaware that these existed.  You go to the bar, get a paddle and a beer, and then jump in the line of people circling the ping pong table playing a round robin game.  Each time someone messes up, they're out, and play continues until everyone is running to hit the ball and the last two people are in and play a normal game of up to 5 points.  It was pretty anti-climactic when someone won, though, because the game just started over again.  The concept was strange but enjoyable.  For the first time since I've been here I endured some pretty strong anti-American sentiments from a girl from Belgium.  Again more on that later, as I have a lot to say but don't have the time.

Sorry this was so brief but like I said, I'm leaving for the airport in about 5 hours (4:15am)!  I'll be in Budapest and Vienna with my core class this week- super excited!

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

I felt kind of bad about my last mediocre post, so I figured I'd take the time to write out my working list of things I liked/didn't like about being abroad.  Some apply to Copenhagen, some apply to Europe, and some are just reflections of my own personality.  Also, there's no order to either of the lists!

Disclaimer: although the "dislikes" section is longer, I really am having a great time over here.

LIKES


Danishes (weinerbrød).  These deliciously breaded pastries sent straight from heaven can be found in bakeries on nearly every street.  Fill them with chocolate and they are just devine.

City unlike a city.  Copenhagen is relatively quiet, with very minimal car honking or sirens or traffic jams.  The air is cleaner and the only smells that enter one's nose are from the bakeries when their doors are opened.  There are very few homeless people, and they do not typically beg for money.  Street performers play the most wonderful sounding music with recognizable tunes.  Philly, I may miss your cheesesteaks, but Copenhagen does nearly everything else better.

Old buildings.  While there is something to be said for the sleek modern architecture of American cities, I really love my daily walk through history older than America itself.  Each building has its own personal character and feel to it.  They are also all human-scaled; you won't find sky scrapers anywhere here.

Buildings with colorful facades. It's impossible to get bored looking at them!

Frozen garlic bread. As in, the kind you can buy in a grocery store. I know this exists in the states, but it's just better here.

Rejseplanen.  Picture Google Maps that has all the transportation routes that exist in a country possible. Where to change buses, how to walk to the next stop, every time and every route with both a map and written instructions with the number of changes and prices and all you could ever want from a travel site/app.  I don't know how I'd get anywhere here without it.

Walking places (when it's not too cold).  This is just applicable to city life in general.  It's healthier, you get to discover new places and shops, and I just dislike driving.

Fashionable people.  People actually care about what they look like here.

Bikes.  Although this also exists in the dislikes below, I really do believe that bikes are a much better alternative to cars.  Human health, cleaner environment, less money spent on gas, saving natural resources,a more autonomous lifestyle.... the list of good goes on and on.

My visiting family.  They're fantastic! I have delicious dinner with them once a week and go to the gym with my "mom" a few mornings of the week, which totals much more time spent with them than most people get.  They also live nearby, which is great because most other people have to travel at least an hour to see theirs.

Torvehallerne (The Glass Market).  This is my favorite place to buy food in the city.  I've written about it before; it's basically an open air bakery and butcher inside buildings that resemble greenhouses.  Everything is so delicious, from the free samples of bread and olive oil and hummus to the meat and fish I've purchased.

Strollers. I've also discussed this before so I won't go into too many details, but they're just so majestic.

Babies.  They're everywhere! And so cute in their little snowsuits and hats that tie below their chins.

Cool bar layouts.  I guess I haven't really experienced many US bars and clubs, but the ones here have multiple rooms for various purposes and each have their own unique vibe.  It's difficult to describe without pictures or being here, but you'll have to take my word for it.

My transportation pass. I can travel up to 3 zones by bus, train, or metro with my pass that DIS gave me. It's nice. I still wish I had enough to get me to the airport, though...

Chocolate covered waffles on a stick. Namely, the free samples of them I make sure to get every time I take a stroll down Stroget. (That last sentence is even funnier if you know Danish).

7-11s. In the US, these convenience stores are generally kind of sketchy and very subpar to Wawa. Here, they give off the most wonderful scents of fresh pastries that lure you inside at all hours of the night.  They have discount deals on them that make it impossible not to buy 3 stk. for 20dkk.  Mmmm.

Trains. The trains here, namely the S-Tog, are clean, quick, spacious, and reliable. I also get free wifi on them.  Unfortunately I have to take the bus more often than the train because of the location of my destination, but I much prefer the train.

Splitting checks.  American waiters and waitresses typically get very annoyed when a party asks to get separate checks.  In Denmark, it seems to be extremely normal and not at all an inconvenience.  If you are paying with a card you can either bring it to the bar/cash register, or your server will bring a portable credit card machine to you.

DISLIKES

Danishes (weinerbrød).  Cancels out everything I've done at the gym.

General lack of courtesy.  This is probably my biggest problem with Danish culture.  If you are on a bus and it starts/stops suddenly, sending a person flying into you, chances are the person will not even acknowledge it.  If a person is sitting next to you on a bus and has to get past you to get off, they will not say, "Excuse me, this is my stop." No, they will push into and climb over you without a word.  Though the world "unskyld" can be translated as, "I'm sorry," there is no real translation for "excuse me."  While I realize this is just their culture and not them being rude, I absolutely can't stand it.  If you were to attempt to start a conversation with a person sitting next to you on the bus, for example, about how nice the weather happens to be on that day, that person would think you had a mental impairment.  I find this aspect of Danish culture incredibly impolite and is not something with which I wish to integrate myself.

Prices.  Everything in Copenhagen is SO expensive.  My friends studying abroad in other European countries have been complaining about how much they have to spend, but it is nothing in comparison.  A typical sandwich that you would take out (without a drink or fries or anything like that) is over $10.  A "cheap dinner" would be around $30 a person.  Even food in grocery stores is much more expensive... I pay about $7 for a carton of 10 eggs.

Grocery stores.  I really miss Giant.  Well actually, I really miss Wegmans, but I won't get too picky.  Grocery stores here don't have delis and do not have nicely laid out aisles with a clearly marked arrangement of food.  You also have to bring your own grocery bags (otherwise they charge you).  I get that it's better for the environment, but it's kind of annoying.  Along with that, you are completely responsible for bagging your own groceries.  They don't have shopping carts, only baskets.  When you pay with a card they NEVER give it back to you in your hand (even if you're holding it out in front of them), but instead put it in a tray.  These are such nitpicky things that aren't even that bad, but I don't like them.

Motel Keops.  Keops is our kollegium, which we've dubbed a motel because of it's outdoor entry system.  While I do like my room, I don't like that I have to walk outside through the cold and elements to get anywhere.  I don't like that we only have one oven for the entire building.  I do like the people though (for the most part), so that makes it a bit better.

The cold.  It's always flurrying and always freezing.  Gloves and scarves are mandatory.  I miss the sun.

Street names.  They're impossible to pronounce or understand, so it's difficult to give and receive directions.

Infrequency of night buses.  Between 1:30 and 2:30am, no buses run.  After 2:30, the night buses only run on the hour during the week and on the half hour during weekends.  Rough.

Fashionable people.  Sometimes a girl just wants to wear yoga pants and a sweatshirt.

Music videos at the gym.  Gyms typically have giant tv screens to look at while doing cardio, which would be really nice if they were showing interesting things worth watching.  Instead Danish music videos play, and I guess I'll just say that they're pretty strange.

Danish men's hairstyles.  The guys wear so much hair product to make their hair stand up just so, while the sides remain short.  I'm sorry, but it's just not attractive when a guy spends more time on his hair than I do.

Male/female interaction.  When out at a bar in the states, it is typical for a guy to approach a girl.  Here, not only do girls have to approach the guys, but they expect us to put a lot of effort into it.  I also don't like that Danish guys don't dance.

People on the bus.  Besides the whole lack of courtesy thing I touched upon before, I've noticed that a lot of the people on the bus I take the most (the 6A) smell awful.  I live in an area that contains a lot of immigrants, so they tend not to exhibit typical Danish cleanliness.  They also don't seem to have a problem with coughing all over everyone.  I have to attempt to hold my breath and pretend I'm in an unpenetrateable bubble for the 25 minute ride, that is, until one of them bumps into me...

Smokers.  Cigarette smoke is disgusting and smells bad and I don't think that it's fair that I should be subjected to breathing it in and having my coast smell like it.

Cover charges and coat checks.  To get into a club, you are required to pay a coat check and/or cover fee.  This ranges between $4 and $20.   Keep in mind that this is before the drinks.

Having to do dishes after every meal.  I only have one plate, one bowl, etc.  I realize this makes me sound spoiled, but oh well.

Washing machines.  They are SO small.  They hold enough room for about 1/3 of a normal load at home, which really blows because it costs about $5 a load.

Having to use two hands to open doors.  Okay, I realize this is getting really nit-picky.  But it's frustrating to have to figure out how to lift the handle with one hand and turn the lock with the other hand at the same time, especially when I'm carrying food back from the common room oven (if you recall there's only one oven for the whole building).  Sometimes it's not even possible, and I have put everything down on the outdoor ground first.

Paying for tap water.  Restaurants and cafe's make you pay up to $5 for a glass a tap water.  It's absurd.

Doors that open inward (from the inside).  You would think that with all the fires Copenhagen has suffered in the last thousand years they would realize that it's much safer for humans to push on a door to get out of an establishment.  We Americans are not used to having to pull and often look silly when unable to get through a door easily.

The metric system.  I have no concept of what people are talking about when they report the weather in Celsius, height/distances in meters/kilometers, and weight in kilograms.

.,%.  Numbers are supposed to be universal, right? Wrong.  The meanings of periods and commas when it comes to numbers are switched.  For example, my box of milk reads "1,4%".  This means it contains one and four tenths percent fat.  Another example: my pants cost "30,5 kroner".  This means that they cost thirty and a half kroner (SUPER cheap pants, by the way).  Something more expensive, however, might cost "1.000 dkk".  This is a thousand kroner.  So difficult!

Credit card pins.  To use a credit card here, it needs to have either a security chip inside of it or a pin number.  I guess it makes sense for security purposes, but most of us (Americans) didn't even know this existed and had to spend a week getting the number from our banks.

Lack of water fountains.  They don't exist here. Anywhere.

Expiration dates.  Though I realize this is a good thing in that there probably aren't as many preservatives used here, food doesn't last long at all (which is an issue when you're buying for only one person).  Also, on the day that the milk carton says it will expire (about 6 days after it was purchased), you can be sure that it will smell rancid.  It's like magic.

Bikes.  The bike lane is probably the most dangerous place in all of Denmark.  You ALWAYS have to look both ways when crossing it or stepping off the bus onto it or else there's a very good chance of causing an accident.

Crossing the street.  Danes judge you for jaywalking or crossing the street when the red man (equivalent of Don't Walk) is showing, even if there are no cars in sight.  Once after disobeying this law, a man asked us if we were colorblind.  Whoops...

Black licorice (lakrids).  A Dane's favorite snack. Disgusting.

That's about it for now! I hope you don't think I'm too much of a brat...

Some PSAs

I'm really missing goldfish. If anyone would like to contribute the the cause, my address is in one of the first couple posts on this blog.

Additionally, good pizza, chinese food, and bagels are also being missed in my life.  I don't think they'd send quite as well, though.

Pictures from the Carlsberg factory that I mentioned in my last post are updated on Shutterfly, as well as pictures from our Restaurant Week dinner (so good!) and also the top of the Roundtower (Rundetårn), a 17th century astronomical observatory that (while not that high) is much higher than the rest of Copenhagen- the view was beautiful.  We even met some zebras.  (Yes, I typed that correctly.)

Not too much to post about regarding the week.  I've finally started to meet international people in my Kollegium.  I think that Scottish people are my new favorite kind of people.

All my travel plans are booked! Throughout March and April, I will be going to Budapest, Vienna, Dublin, Prague, London, Scotland, Berlin, Barcelona, Paris, and Amsterdam.  I'm so excited but I hope that my limited time in each place doesn't inhibit my ability to really experience them.

Valentine's Day still remains my 2nd favorite holiday (next to 4th of July, of course).  Mexi Bar for drinks with the girls!

Muy Delicioso!

Core Course Week!

Hello everyone! What an amazing (and exhausting) week it's been!  This was our "Core Course Week," which consisted of a 3 day short study tour to Jutland (the name for Western Denmark) as well as more core class-related activities in Copenhagen.  Because my core program is Medical Practice and Policy (MPP), my week included many trips to different healthcare facilites.  I have so much that I want to write about so I think I will break it up by activity rather than by day.

Before I start talking about the actual trip, I have to give a shout out to the bus we rode to get to Kolding, Ribe, and Odense.  That's right... the bus, more fondly known as "The Spaceship." Pictures of it are included in my Jutland Shutterfly album of the trip.  It was big and silver with party lights inside, the most comfortable seats ever, and beer on tap (the beer wasn't for us, but it was still cool that it existed).  I have never been able to sleep so well in any form of transportation.  Anyway, here are some trip highlights...

Academic Visits:

The first academic visit we went on was to a pediatrician in Kolding Sygehus, Kolding.  Unlike in the US, being a pediatrician is a highly specialized profession and can only be found in hospitals.  Patients see a General Practitioner from when they are born until they die and can only go to specialties with a referral, so seeing a pediatrician usually means there is something seriously wrong.  We saw the incubators in the ICU; parents either live in the rooms with the infants or are put up in a hotel attached to the end of the hallway depending on how critical the condition of the infant is.  Little children could be seen biking around the hallways and "parking" their bikes in designated spots.  We got to talk to a few doctors in small groups and basically ask them anything about which we were curious.  I won't bore you all with the details, but here are some fun facts- about 75% of all doctors are female, and the ratio is even higher in pediatrics  Peds is a top 5 profession in the Danish medical world, so the doctors are pulled from the best of the best applicants.  It is typical for women to start having children in medical school, as it is considered an easier time to have them as well as the fact that the Danish government gives them extra money.  Most doctors only marry other doctors (this may be due the the fact that medical school takes place directly after high school, which doesn't allow for many opportunities to meet other people).  When asked his opinion on the Danish health care system, one doctor responded, "Free public health for everyone is great.  Everyone should have equal access, though this may not be completely true because some know how to utilize it better than others.  It may not be the most efficient system, and we as doctors may not make that much money, but if we had more money it wouldn't change the fundamental things in our lives anyway."

Awesome playroom donated by Lego

Our next academic visit was to a General Practitioner in Rødding Lægehus, Rødding.  The office seemed more like a house than a practice to me, which was interesting because GP offices are actually called houses.  GPs are the gatekeepers of the Danish healthcare system.  Like I said previously, you cannot see a specialist without a referral from your GP.  Because you go to the same GP from birth to death, you get to know your doctor on a very intimate level that is typically not achieved in the US.  GPs typically see about 25-35 patients per day per doctor.  When asked if she would change anything about the system, the doctor with whom we spoke said she wished she had a smaller number of patients and more time to spend with them.  I think this is a major problem everywhere, especially in the US where healthcare is more of a business than anything else.  She also said she loved that there was no money exchanged between the patient and the office, because that would just "feel wrong" to her.  What I found most interesting was that GPs in Denmark also act as psychiatrists for mild psychopathologies.  Because there aren't many psychiatrists in Denmark, especially Jutland, GPs act as therapists and can proscribe medicine for psychiatric disorders, though only after the age of 21.  They also can perform minor surgeries like wart removals.  I have so much respect for the wide variety of things they are expected to know that would typically be considered a specialty in the US.

Life.

My favorite academic vist was to the IVF clinic in Odense. We were shown both the facility and the lab and got to watch as the doctors/lab technicians created life for those who couldn't do it on their own.  They would show us the sperm swimming around (super fast, in most cases) and how to stun them with a micropipet without harming them (much more difficult than one would imagine), suck it up, and then inject it into the egg.  They showed us time lapses of the embryo dividing.  It was quite possibly the most amazing thing I have ever seen in my entire life, and I had such a profound experience that I am now really considering the career of an infertility specialist.  Between the science and the life-making and the patient counseling, I think it is something I would really enjoy.  Something amazing about Denmark is that IVF is public.  Couples with fertility problems, single women, and lesbian couples are allowed to undergo treatment on the tab of the government up to three times.  I love the fact that Denmark so values to right to creating life for anyone who wants it, whereas it costs tens of thousands of dollars and upwards in the states and is only accessible to those who can afford it.

IV success!

Once back in Copenhagen we went to Rigshospitalet for a skills lab.  We learned how to insert an IV, which is much more difficult than it looks.  My favorite part of skills lab was the sutures... I was so good at it right away! I guess all that time spent knitting and sewing really helped.  It felt so awesome to finally be doing something practical.

The last academic visit was to a maternity ward in Roskilde Hospital.  In the 4 hours I spent there, I did not once see a obstetrician.  99.9% of births in Denmark occur with a midwife present (as compared to 7.4% in the US); obstetricians only intervene on extreme high-risk pregnancies.  Each maternity suite had a bathtub inside of it in the event that the mother chose to have a natural birth.  I learned that giving birth on your back in the typical American fashion is anatomically and logistically just plain stupid- there are so many other birthing positions better suited for the mother's and baby's health.  In post-partum maternal health, the US ranks 25th and Denmark ranks 4th- they must be doing something a lot better than us.  Infant mortality rates in the US are also 4x higher than in Scandinavia, and when asked the midwife attributed much of the cause to the process of birthing.  The last shocking thing was that paid maternity leave in Denmark is 42 weeks and can be split up between both the mother and the father.  Wow!

Fun/Cultural Visits:

Koldinghus Castle, originally founded in 1268 by Christoffer I, though burned down multiple times since (like everything else in Denmark).

Trapholt Museum of Modern Art- the majority of this museum involved chairs that could be viewed but not sat upon, which was slightly disappointing.  I don't really understand the Danish obsession with chairs.  We also got to see The Summer House, a piece of architecture designed in the 1970s by Arne Jacobsen (the guy who invented the egg chair).  I thought it was boxy and ugly with rooms that were much too small, though I did like the giant windows that took the place of walls.

I look so professional.

GO KARTING! If any of you know me well, you know that I really dislike driving.  Like, I have a pretty major fear of it.  However, this Go Karting experience (though I have been go karting before) was SO MUCH FUN!  We got to drive around a track with a straightaway and a bunch of sharp turns 8 times per race, in 3 separate races.  I really enjoyed passing people and going super fast even though it was terrifying.  Unfortunately I did not medal, but I ended up doing pretty well.

A tour of Ribe, the oldest existent town in Denmark (dating back the the first decade of the 8th century).  Our cute little old man tour guide told us that they "burned their witches in a nice way" by pouring some sort of thing on them that would make them explode as soon as they were lit on fire instead of burning for hours.  Really nice.

Overall it was a really fun week, and I learned so much about things that actually interest me a great deal.  Our class of 20 students bonded very quickly and I am so excited to travel to Budapest and Vienna with them for our long study tour in less than a month!

Today (Saturday) I went to the Carlsberg Factory with some friends.  The brewery has been around since the 1800s, so I was able to take some pretty cool pictures of old stuff.  They'll be up later as I haven't had time to upload them yet.

We had no classes in our other subjects this past week, so I have to catch up on all of the work now!  Actually, I'll probably just watch tv and go to sleep... it's been a very tiring week.

"We only know how to Gangnam Style."

This week really flew by quickly, and I'm afraid time will only pass by more and more quickly the longer I am here.  Wednesday, our day off, Maddy and I decided to visit Thorvaldsen's Museum.  Thorvaldsen was a famous sculptor who left all his works and his personal collection of paintings to the city of Copenhagen, which then built a museum around his grave as a memorial.  I took a billion pictures because the sculptures were so cool, and you can see them in my updated Shutterfly account.  After the museum we stumbled across a restaurant called Flottenheimers, which had a 15% discount for DIS students.  It was there that I had the most amazing brunch ever for only 74dkk (most brunch places cost about 150dkk to give some perspective.  Crepes, eggs, fruit, yogurt, ham, brie, bread, and more... I'll let this picture speak for itself.

There are no words to describe how amazing this was.

After class on Friday I decided to wander around the city and look at little shops on side streets, and I finally found the kind of scarf I was looking for on sale for 50dkk (about $10).  Super exciting.  I found another cute little shop where the lady gave me tea to drink as I walked around.  I felt badly about not purchasing anything but it was so nice!  After that I met up with Maddie and B for a late lunch/early dinner... we were craving nachos and burgers so we found a place that served them.  They were much needed, but the food baby I conceived from them was not very welcome for what we did next.  This past week was Fashion Week in Copenhagen, with designers from all over the world coming to put on shows.  A few of us found a "ready to wear" fashion show for a Swedish brand called "Ready to Fish" and decided to try to sneak in.  When asked who we worked for, we told them we knew "Denise" and they let us right in.  Did any of us know a Denise?  Nope.  Once inside we entered a world of people wearing fur coats, unlimited free classy drinks, and a real fashion show runway.  It was a cool experience, though I thought the clothes were frumpy and nothing special.  Some pictures are included in my Shutterfly.

I thought this guy really stole the show.

Friday night we went to a bar called "Night Fever," which primarily played American songs from the 70s and 80s.  Fun, but not the kind of place I'd want to go every week.

Saturday I Skyped with my parents and then went to my visiting family's apartment for a dinner party.  We had lasagna which was really good.  I think it hit me for the first time that I was truly an adult when the kids all went to go play in one of their rooms and I was expected to stay with the adults and drink champagne/wine and talk.  For a second I really did have an instinct to go "play" and to sit at the "kids' table," but then I realized that I no longer am one of them.  It was a very strange realization, but overall I really enjoyed the company of the adults.

Once I came home, I quickly got changed and ready for the Keops 007-themed party. I think it's safe to say that a couple hundred people showed up to the very small common room and had an awesome time.  Also, let me just say that Barney Stinson really knows what he's talking about when he says that girls are attracted to guys in suits.  I was finally able to have an extended conversation with some Danish guys (maybe it was because I was wearing heels and not super short for once... I can't wear them out in the city because of all the cobblestone).  In any case I had a fantastic time talking to them and finally convinced them to dance with the Americans after hours of drinking and coaxing.  Now I understand why they don't dance: they can't.  I told them they looked like they were doing the "Awkward Dad at a Wedding Dance" and B told them they were doing the "White Man's Shuffle."  They responded by saying, "We only know how to Gangnam Style." It eventually came on and they were SO happy... and they were able to do it!  But that was about the extent of their dancing abilities.

Sunday (today/yesterday) a few of us went out to brunch and I had a fantastic spinach and goat cheese omelet with unlimited bread.  Then I went shopping and bought stuff for our Keops pre-Super Bowl party.  I made guacamole (sans cilantro though, because unfortunately they don't have that in Denmark) and buffalo chicken dip.  Other people made wings and chili and we ended up having a lot of food.  Everyone loved the dips, which I was super happy about because very few things make me happier than when people enjoy food that I make.  The party started around 10 and is still going on now because the game didn't start here until 12:30am.  The commentary is in Danish and I don't really care about the teams this year, so I only watched a little be before coming back to my room.  I have to pack because I'm leaving early tomorrow morning for my short study tour to Western Denmark.  My Human Heath and Disease class is going to the cities of Kolding and Ribe, where we will visit hospitals and do some cultural activities.

EVERYONE is sick lately and I am trying desperately not to contract whatever they have.  Daily bus rides are super uncomfortable for me because all I hear is coughing and sneezing and I have to resist the urge to stop breathing altogether..

Sorry this is a short post... I'm compiling a list of likes and dislikes about Copenhagen to hopefully include in my next one.  I just really need to pack since I have to wake up in a few hours.

Godnat.

Pizza, Venner, and Handball

On Friday, I made it to my visiting family's house with no mistakes, and 4 minutes to spare! Go me! I'm really starting to get the hang of the public transportation system, and Rejseplanen is a God-send.  Friday night at their house is pizza night, which was absolutely fine by me.

After dinner we sat down to watch some tv.  First up: the Daily Show, in English with Danish subtitles.  I really tried to read along and try to pick up on a few words, but I doubt it improved my knowledge of Danish at all.  However... after it was over my family turned on "Venner," my new favorite show ever. Just kidding- not so new.  "Venner" is just Danish for FRIENDS.  For the first time since I've been here, I felt right at home.

Next up was the Danish "X-factor," which was very similar to the US version except all Danes speaking Danish.  The weirdest part was that I didn't understand anything being said until the contestants would open their mouths to sing; all the songs were American and sung in English.

Finally the the main event: Handball World Cup Semifinals! Handball is a really big deal here in Denmark, and the World Cup is treated like the Superbowl in the US.  People throw parties and watch the game, screaming and booing at the television when goals are scored.  The great thing about it is that everyone is rooting for Denmark and Denmark only, so everyone is unified.  The only time I have ever watched handball before was in last summer's Olympics.  I would describe it as lacrosse without the sticks, or soccer with your hands.  Friday's game was against favored Croatia (they had just beaten Olympic champion France in their previous game).  The game was super exciting, and I got surprisingly into it.  Sports are great for fun and bonding because they transcend language barriers.  Denmark ended up finishing really strong with a final score of 30-24.

Friday night we went to two bars: The Drunken Flamingo and The Happy Pig.  I'm not really sure why there are so many bars with animals in the title, but I don't hate it...

Saturday Maggie, B, and I decided to "go shopping". I put this in quotes because none of us actually bought anything- Copenhagen is SO expensive.  We spent the whole day on Stroget (which when pronounced sounds more like "Strolel"), the main shopping street in Denmark.  The second best find of the day was a department store called Illium, which resembled Macy's in NYC.  However, the best stop by far was our last stop, Torvehallerne, or the Glass Market.  It's made up of two clear greenhouse-like structures that contain an open-air market.  The first building contained breads and oils and cheese and desserts.  There were so many samples of bread that I thought I died and went to heaven.  The second building contained butchers with fresh meat and fish.  We decided that we wanted to buy and make steak that night, so we picked out 3 steaks.   The guy selling them said (in broken English) that they were not the most tender so he would fix them for us if we wanted.  We said yes, and then he minced them.  We were so confused (and a little disappointed) as to why our steaks were now basically ground beef.  Turning lemons into lemonade, or rather ground steak into meatballs, we ended up having a very nice pasta dinner.

Saturday night we went out again, this time to a few different places like The Mermaid Bar and Retro and Miami.  I was finally able to talk to Danes!  One guy with whom I spoke (and to whom I expressed my annoyance with how closed-off they are) said that Danish guys don't really talk to girls until post 2am because otherwise they have nothing to talk about.  This kind of disturbed me.  I also still don't understand why appropriate Danish "going out" hours are between midnight and 4-5am.  I've always seen myself as a night person, but that's extreme even for me.

Sunday was reserved for homework and the Handball World Cup.  Denmark was taking on Spain, and it was taking place in Barcelona.  I don't really want to say anything about the game other than that it went very poorly for Denmark.  I watched with my visiting family, and we had to change the channel because it was so painful to watch.

By popular request: PICTURES! I set up a Shutterfly account so that I could easily share pictures with all who wish to see them.  Here is the link - enjoy!  http://wanderlustcopenhagen.shutterfly.com/