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.