denMark My Words

My Little Goodbyes

2009-05-15T01:03:00.000-07:00

Here I am, 15 days away from being back in Texas! But, since today is my last day in Copenhagen, that means it's my last blog as well. The "study" part of study abroad is completely done for me and it feels great! For my last blog, I figure I will recap my last week here in CPH and then go over some of the things I've learned about Denmark. Sound cheesy? A little. Just read it!

So I left off last time with Monday night. That night Mary and I did a nightwalk around Copenhagen and saw all of the big tourist attractions by night as a sort of goodbye. Then we watched "The Reader" on her computer. Now, I don't know if you've seen that movie or not, but it's kind of disturbing. But still really good, Kate Winslet is such a good actress. OK enough talking movies...

Tuesday: Went into DIS to work on my paper and ended up watching two hours worth of Gossip Girl instead. Not good. Then came home and started studying out on the porch for my final, the weather has been sooo nice this week. Danielle and I took a study break and walked along the beach while eating Lion ice cream cones (Lion is the best flavor EVER, it has chocolate, caramel, graham crackers...basically everything that makes ice cream good). For dinner I had frikadeller, or Danish meatballs. They're amazing, and something I'll miss when I'm gone.

Wednesday: On the way to my final I saw a guy passing out newspapers to bike riders as they rode by...another thing I'll miss is how people do everything on their bikes, from talking on the phone to picking up the paper! I then went into my favorite little convenience store to get a hot chocolate and saw two DIS students buying Grøn Tuborg. Keep in mind it's 11:30 in the morning. The cashier: "Isn't it a little early for this?" The DIS students: "We have a Danish oral exam in 30 minutes, we need all the help we can get". My final was pretty tough, had to write two essays in two hours, but I think I did good. Afterwards, to celebrate the end of exams, I went to Tivoli! Yipee! That night I went out with Mary and Greg to a tiny little bar in Svanemøllen and met some Danish folks. As I was going out, I noticed that the sky was still light (at 11pm) and at 4am it started getting light again. CRAZY!

Thursday: finished my paper and worked book return ALLLL AFTERNOON to finish up my work study scholarship hours! Somehow, Danielle and I made it fun by making a game out of the book filing and chatting with the interns. Then I went to see "Angels and Demons" and I got really into it since I've been to basically all the places in Rome that were in the movie!

And that brings me to today. My final day. It's 10:24 AM and I still haven't packed. EEK. I'm meeting Mary at the King's Gardens around 1pm and then we are going to the DIS concluding ceremony. From there, Danielle and I are hopping on our plane to begin our next 15 days of travel. It's going to be exhausting but I'm looking forward to it...especially the Greek cruise :)

OK so some of the things I've learned about Denmark...

1. There are three main food categories: meat, starch/bread, and alcohol. Vegetables are almost unheard of. And they butter everything...for example, a sandwich will consist of bread, butter, ham, and cheese. Which will be followed by a slice of bread with butter and chocolate pieces on top. Sounds like what your parents never let you eat as a kid, right?

2. Biking is a way of life.

3. The Danes do not believe in small talk. Don't expect them to smile at you as you're walking down the street; in fact, they will probably avoid eye contact. But if you begin the conversation they are very responsive and will talk your ear off...so don't ask "how's your day been?" if you're not wanting to hear more than "fine".

4. Danes are very helpful with directions, and most of the time will either walk you there themselves (has happened to me numerous times) or give you step-by-step directions.

5. Although there is a state religion (Lutheran) and most Danes have to pay taxes to the church, I have yet to meet a Dane who goes to church regularly, or believes in God for that matter.

6. In Denmark, sarcasm=sense of humor. Don't take anything too seriously.

7. Denmark is a small but proud country and is vary wary of immigrants; good luck getting a visa here. Case in point: after I leave, I'm not allowed to return for 6 months since I've been here for 4 months.

8. Using an umbrella in Denmark is unheard of. I hope you have a hooded raincoat.

9. Denmark loves Obama. To the point of obsession.

10. If the temperature goes above 60 degrees, the Danes will be out and about in summer attire. Or will just lay in the park half-naked.

11. It's never too early to drink (just ask the people sitting in the "morning bars").

12. Danish children are probably the most adorable thing I've ever seen.

13. I WILL be back to visit!

Brooke's study abroad adventure is officially at an end. And yes, I just started crying after I typed that sentence. Hej-hej Denmark, it's been a blast.

You don't need to talk so loud, I have perfectly good herring

2009-05-11T07:44:00.000-07:00

This is my second-to-last blog---it's officially here, the final stretch. I have a final on Wednesday and a final paper due on Friday, but I'm definitely going to try and finish the paper ASAP so that by 2pm Wednesday I'm free to enjoy my last few days! I'm not looking forward to packing though, that's for sure...

Soooooo let's review my last weekend in Copenhagen, shall we? Thursday night was a holiday night here in Copenhagen because everyone is off of work and school on Friday, May 8th (I forgot the reason, sorry) so when Danielle and I went out we realized we were surrounded by high schoolers. And by surrounded, I mean SURROUNDED, the streets were packed! Oh, and before I go on, I would like to back-up quickly to talk about Wednesdays here in Copenhagen. They are one of my favorite days because of the famous Sankt Peders Bageri snegls (cinnamon rolls). 12 kroner, or about 2 dollars, for this big thing. It's fabulous. OK back on topic...Friday, for lunch, I finally had the traditional Danish lunch of pickled herring and Schnapps with my host family. Here's the deal: we each had a Rød Tuborg (a seasonal beer), a shot glass with Schnapps, and a slice of rye bread. You butter the bread and put herring on it, followed by a sauce of your choice (I liked the egg salad and the honey mustard). After a bite or two of herring, you all say "Skål!" and take some Schnapps, then you refill the glass. Needless to say, it can be dangerous if you don't pace yourself. My host mom told me that the Danes say "the fish need something to swim down with" as an excuse to drink the liquor! From all of the things I had heard about pickled herring, I was surprised by how much I liked it. Of course, the sauce helps, especially when you put lots and lots of it on.

That night I went out to Kulør Bar for a night of dancing and fun with friends, where I met some fun people from Århus and made friends with the DJ because I kept requesting Nik & Jay songs. This was followed by my 9am wake-up call to go get Casey at Nørreport Station. We spent Saturday taking a grand tour of Copenhagen, complete with Wienerbrød, funky fountains, the harbor, palaces, Little Mermaid, and lots and lots of walking. I had a little photoshoot by my school, and to the left you can see the gate that I entered just about everyday to go to school. Not that exciting, but hey, I figure someone may went to see where the studying took place! Later we had a light lunch of crackers, ham, and cheese on the harbor with our feet dangling over the edge as a boat almost crashed into us and tourists went by on the canal tours taking our picture. Then it was back home for a quick walk on the beach and dinner with the host family. Later that night we went out to explore the Copenhagen nightlife but didn't stay out too long because we'd done so much walking all day.

Sunday morning=Happy Mothers Day! I got to talk to my aunts, cousin, sister, mother, and grandmother all in one day, which already made it a perfect day. That morning we had a 'party in the kitchen' with my host family, Casey, Danielle, and I all hanging around listening to music, having breakfast, and drinking mimosas (yes, I introduced my host fam to mimosas...and they liked them!) Us three gals then went into Copenhagen to have lunch and walk around the naturey side of the city, seeing King's Gardens and the Botanical Gardens--my first time to go there, and it was so pretty! Look at all the people in King's Gardens soaking up the beautiful weather...

And here is a lake in the Botanical Gardens complete with lilypads and green all around...We also saw a not-so-pretty side of Copenhagen that day. Early Sunday morning, riots broke out down Strøget, the walking street of Copenhagen, and a group of young Danes that are anti-society and anti-government decided to make a statement by graffiting a huge part of the street and smashing windows. Copenhagen is very big on being clean, so the streets were all cleaned up and there was no broken glass to be found, but the aftermath was still intense. As we were taking pictures, a Danish news network was filming for the nightly news and zoomed in on us taking pictures. The film guy followed us as we inspected the streets, so I'm pretty sure we were on the Danish news at some point that night. To the left is graffiti and boarded up broken windows, and below is the camera-man and the broken windows of Matas, a pharmacy that I just visited last week.

When the sun went down, we walked through Tivoli by night and saw how beautiful it was all lit up, since last time it was too cold for us to really enjoy it. The place definitely has a different feel by night, and it's fun to watch the lights change as the roller coasters move and see lights twinkling along the fountains and sidewalks. It was kind of like a fairytale. Then we saw the light show from the bridge, which is the right spot to watch it (unlike last time) and it was definitely worth it...especially since its free. Check out the Cinderella-esque gazebo below...

And this is one of my favorite photos, with the lights of Tivoli reflected in the lake.
Today I had to come into work at DIS but afterwards I met up with Casey and we did a little souvenir shopping, chai tea drinking at Baresso (Danish Starbucks) and pastry eating at Sankt Peders (never gets old). All-in-all, a great last weekend, and with a weather forecast of 60 degrees, sunshine, and no chance of rain for this week, I'm guessing its going to be a great last week as well :)

Brooke Biked Bornholm

2009-05-05T07:02:00.000-07:00

Guess what today was? LAST DAY OF CLASSES! Yipee and it's also Cinco de Mayo, what a wonderful combination. I'm still exhausted from this weekend, we biked over 100 km. around the island of Bornholm, I had to sleep on the floor on the ferry (so I didn't sleep very good) and then stayed up til 3 AM last night finishing my portfolio for international advertising. Before I begin telling about my beautiful weekend, do you recognize the pictures to the right and left? Yep, they are from the King's Gardens, only this time they've been attacked by spring! The trees are blooming, the sun is shining, and the flowers are a-growing. Love it. And here is a picture from inside Tivoli last Thursday, and one of us girls in front of the Dragon, a crazy ride that literally makes you do 360 degree spins for 3 solid minutes. Mary and Danielle have their game faces on, and I'm freaking out just a little (of course the pic is posed, but seriously it was intense).

OK so back to Bornholm. Friday night we took an overnight ferry and found a couple of couches to sleep on, arrived at 6:30 AM and began biking by 8:30. We rode around all day, looking at the beaches, including the Doedde beach that has the softest sand ever--it is even exported around the world to be used in hourglasses! We watched glass blowing in a little shop in Svenke, and had an Is (soft ice cream) by one of the lighthouses. Bornholm is known for their smoked herring, so we stopped at a smokehouse to have a taste. It was literally a fish, sitting there staring up at me, skin and eyeballs and all. It was pretty good but I cut it wrong so that it still had lots of bones in it so it was really awkward to eat (I found out when I got home on Monday, from my host mom, the right way to eat it. Good advice, just a little too late!) The way back was alllll uphill and I'm not gonna lie I was having a tough time but it made dinner just that much more worth it. I think my body was wondering why I spent a semester eating pastries from St. Peter's Bakery and was now deciding to bike like it was my job. At about 7pm I was like "I'm going to go take a nap"...well, it turned into a 13-hour nap. Obviously I was a little exhausted. The next morning we did it all over again, only this time instead of biking along the beach we did the Wilderness Trail and rode through forests with waterfalls and ivy. We saw rounded churches, sacred cliffs, and pine trees that looked like they were straight out of Fern Gully. Then it was back to the town our hostel was in, Gudhjem ("God's home"), for some famous soft ice cream and a stroll through the town, followed by dinner and a social. It was a great weekend, and you know what? I'm gonna let the pictures speak for themselves...enjoy!

riding through the countryside

taking a rest stop in Svenke

Duodde, the famous hourglass sand beach

conquering a waterfall

so much green!

Jeg KAN taler dansk!

2009-05-01T07:08:00.000-07:00

After this week, I officially consider myself part-Dane. Here's why:
1.) I was able to go into a Matas (pharmacy), buy some items, and complete the entire transaction in Danish. The cashier asked me some questions in Danish and I knew exactly what she was asking and how to respond. Earlier that morning, I had gone into a Tiger (discount store) to buy a folder and had the same experience; no English involved whatsoever. SUCCESS
2.) I've been listening to Danish music on Youtube more than American music lately. Yes, I've fallen into the Nik & Jay trap, and I will be buying their CDs
3.) I own the daisy necklace, worn by every Danish female living in Copenhagen
4.) I went to Tivoli yesterday, the most famous part of Copenhagen, and rode just about every ride. Without throwing up.
5.) Today is May Day, the first of May, which is a huge deal in Denmark. Basically, it's their excuse to party. I went, by myself, to Fælledparken and had a pølser and Carlsberg while laying in the sun and listening to music.
6.) I'm able to wear sandals, jeans, and a short-sleeved shirt in 60 degree weather and be warm. In fact, I feel like its 'shorts weather'.
7.) I got asked for directions the other day.
8.) No locals think I'm a tourist. It used to be that I would walk into most stores and they'd automatically start speaking in English. Now, it's Danish all the way baby.

The countdown starts today. Exactly two weeks left in Copenhagen. Will I make them count? Oh, you better believe it. This weekend=biking around the beautiful island of Bornholm (part of Denmark's territory). That should have been my #9 reason I'm part-Dane...I'm going to spend a weekend BIKING! I will have some perdy pictures to post upon my return :)

Yooooodelllllllllayehooooooo (my attempt at yodeling on a swiss mountain)

2009-04-27T09:15:00.000-07:00

So here I am, somehow still alive after staying up til 4 AM finishing my portfolio. Correction: after finishing ONE of my portfolios...2 more to go! But I'll worry about those later. Right now, I need to tell you about my weekend in Switzerland...

I got to the Zurich airport at like 7:30pm Thursday and from there took a one-hour train to St. Gallen. This, of course, was after looking at the prices to see just how expensive Switzerland really is. Well, $8.50 was the lowest price for a cup of Starbucks. As some of you back home gasp and moan, I have to confess that it's even more expensive than that in the Copenhagen airport. Yeah, never will I ever complain about my $3 lattes ever again. Back to the story...Casey met me at the train station and her apartment was literally right around the corner. She had 2 bottles of wine and some Swiss chocolate waiting for me as a welcome gift! So sweet. We then went on a night walk of St. Gallen and climbed to the top of one of the biggest hills to get a view of everything. We did the same thing the next morning to see how it all looked during the day.

One word: breathtaking. We also checked out the red street, a street in St. Gallen where everything is covered in this red material (cars, tables, fountains, everything). Of course this was a great opportunity for a photo op.

Some other places we checked out were the large abbey, the library (where you're not supposed to take pics, but I did) and the streets lined with ornate windows from way back when.

After our Friday morning walking tour, we hopped a train to go to Rhine Falls, the largest waterfall in Europe. Now, I'm going to be honest, I was expecting it to be a *little* bit bigger. But this is Europe, not the Amazon. We even got on a boat and went right up to the waterfall

and climbed to the top of one of the little hills that separates the waterfall.

That night, we went out to a honky tonk. No, I didn't stutter. There was a honky tonk in St. Gallen, Switzerland. It started at 8pm and you get a wristband and go around to a bunch of different bars that all have live bands playing. I shoulda brought my cowboy boots! Actually, I don't think it was THAT kind of honky tonk. But whatever. It was A LOT of fun!

The next morning Casey, three of her friends, and I went to the Santes Mountains, which is considered part of the Swiss Alps. We took a cable car to the very top of the mountain, where you can see 6 countries (Germany, Italy, Luxemborg, France...and I'd have to look up the other two!) There are no words to describe this, I'll have to let the picture here speak for itself. And even that doesn't show it for how beautiful it was!

That night we had a campfire on top of one of the hills and roasted bratwurst (very good) and had some smores. We then ventured into town for one of Casey's Swiss friend's birthdays. Basically, it was an amazing weekend (what else is new?) The only thing that was not fun was getting fined 600 kroner ($120) when I got back to Copenhagen because even though my train pass was for zones 1, 2, 3, and 4, it was for 33 and 44 and not 41 which is what the airport was in. Confused? It's ok, I was too. And I had absolutely no idea. Yeah, try telling that to the train guy. Oh well, it's the start of another beautiful week...I walked barefoot on the beach earlier today, the weather is wonderful, and short-sleeves are actually a reality!

Hanging with the Swiss, not to be confused with Sweden

2009-04-23T06:21:00.000-07:00

Hej-hej everyone! I'm slowly surviving this week, it's been a toughie. I have my portfolio for my practicum due on Monday (15 page paper) and I'm almost halfway done with it. That's not good enough, I know, but I promise all day Sunday will be dedicated to that thing. For the meantime, I'm visiting my friend Casey, who also goes to UT, in SWITZERLAND! This is the second time in my life I'll be taking a plane by myself, and then taking a train from Zurich to St. Gallen where she studies. It's supposed to be gorgeous, but could you expect anything less of Switzerland? Didn't think so. It should be a fun weekend :)
So last night after spending the day writing a paper that was due today, I joined Mary and Danielle for quiz night at The Dubliner. We were separated into different teams and went through 3 rounds of 10 questions of just random trivia. My main contribution to the group (I was the only American in my group, two were Danes and the other was British) was knowing the answers to 'what were the first names of the Wright brothers' and 'what are the 6 weapons in the game Clue'. Oh, and knowing how many dwarves in Snow White had beards. Other than that, I was clueless. We got 2nd place out of four teams, woohoo! haha Later that night...I took the last train home and fell asleep on the train. A guy woke me up at the last stop, and I realized I was now in a pretty bad situation--no more trains running, stranded at the last stop on the A line. Great. So I called my host sister to get the number of a taxi and then waited in the cold for one to arrive. Not a smart decision, next time I will MAKE myself stay awake!
After my portfolio is turned in on Monday, the work does not end. I still have a LOT to do. But I found out I made a B+ on both my Classical Foundations and International Advertising midterms, so that's good! For now, I'm going to kick back and enjoy Switzerland, and brace myself for the crazy week to come.

Age ain't nothing but a number...unless its your 21st!

2009-04-20T11:33:00.000-07:00

I'm 21 I'm 21 I'm 21! And no, I have not been carded yet :( And no, it's not a big deal at all here. I'll need some belated celebrations when I return! Anyways, it feels amazing to be back in Copenhagen and see that Tivoli is open, trees are blooming, and people are SITTING OUTSIDE! Who would have thought? I wish I could go outside and enjoy the weather more but I have sooooo much homework due. SOOO much. I'm talking 50 typed pages due within the next two weeks. Somehow, I will make it happen and still enjoy my last few weeks here---I'm determined! So back to my birthday...

I got back into the big CPH Wednesday and had to leave yet again Friday evening for Amsterdam. So, needless to say, this traveling is wearing me down. Danielle and I checked into our boat hostel and hurried out so that we could ring in midnight (my bday) in the downtown area. I had a BLAST. We spent the weekend paddle-boating on the canals, exploring the Heineken brewery, shopping in the flower markets, and enjoying the sunshine that the Weather Channel had swore would not come our way (take that, weathermen!)

Here we are about to take a canal cruise...see, not a cloud in the sky! Our flight didn't arrive back into Copenhagen until 8:30 this morning (Monday!) and we had the brilliant idea of sleeping in the Amsterdam airport...aka we didn't really get any sleep. But after class and work today I got a very nice surprise at home---thanks family for all of the wonderful cards!!!! It meant so much to me to come home and see all of these different birthday cards from the fam. And my host family cooked me a really nice dinner and even bought me a beautiful bouquet! Great birthday weekend, and now its time for an early night to bed so I'm fresh and ready to tackle all the homework I have this week....yuck

An Earthquake and An Easter on Mount Vesuvius

2009-04-13T11:49:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Florence, Italy! I've been all over Italy in the past week and feel that it's time to share my travels with you, especially since my hostel offers free internet. Perfect! So I spent a total of 6 days in Rome (Sunday morning-Saturday morning) and, let me tell you, it was amazing. The place is like one big amusement park, everything is just larger than life and there is some sort of historical monument around every street corner.

This is Danielle and I in front of the famous Trevi Fountain, one of our first stops. See how sunny it is? Yeah, warm and sunny the entire week! Our tour group was so much fun and our tour leaders were quirky, we had tons and tons of pasta and pizza and wine (doing as the Romans do). The only minor hitch was there was actually an earthquake our first night in Rome...well, it was 70 miles outside of Rome, but we felt it! It was around 3:30 AM and our beds and the walls started shaking; half of our tour group completely slept through it but the 4 girls (including me) in my room definitely woke up, freaked out, then went back to sleep. It was a world-known disaster though, and I can't believe it happened so close to us.

As far as all of the Roman sites go, you should know that I am a huge fan of the book "Angels & Demons" by Dan Brown. And I made a POINT of stopping at almost every site from that book! This included...

Piazza Navona and the "4 Rivers" fountain

Church of Santa Maria del Poppolo, AND (drumroll please)

St. Peter's Basillica and Square! (aka inside of THE VATICAN).

The Vatican was absolutely amazing, tons of people but we got to bypass lots of lines because we were in a large group, and I even got a couple of pics of the Sistine Chapel even though you're not supposed to take pics ;)

One of my other favorites was the Collisseum (did I spell that right?) We spent a lot of time in there. I also got to run around the Circus Maximus where they used to have the chariot races!

*Cameron, Danielle, and I running Circus Maximus!*

After Rome, Danielle and I hopped on a train for Naples and stayed there for two days. We hiked up Mount Vesuvius on Easter morning, had some famous Napoleon pizza for lunch, and spent time walking around and looking at castles and parks. Sorry y'all, I haven't uploaded pics from my Naples adventures yet, so I can't show you any :( Now I'm in Florence, yet another great place (I'm under the Tuscan sun!!!), and tomorrow I'm going to Pisa before we head back to the big CPH! Traveling really wears me out, so I'm excited to get to go back for a little bit...even though Friday night I'm going back to Amsterdam for my 21st birthday. This could be trouble.

My ABCs: Amsterdam, Brussels, Copenhagen, and Dungens

2009-04-04T15:10:00.000-07:00

Hellooooo out there! I'm typing this at 12:11AM and I have to wake up at 4:30AM for my flight to Rome! See how dedicated I am to this? So let me try and condense the past two weeks into one itty bitty blog post: last Sunday I went to Amsterdam for 5 days and had a BLAST! I saw floating water markets, beautiful flower markets, and of course the Red Light District...but that's another story.

My friend Amelia and I rented bikes so we could better see the city, and one night her bike broke and we got separated, then my bike broke, and I found a group of random Dutch guys who helped me and then took me out partyin'! Fun fun.

*playing soccer with the children at a refugee school in Holland; one of the many highlights!*

After Amsterdam, I hopped on a bus all by myself to go to Brussels. I stayed there with a girl named Sietske who I found on the CouchSurfing website (you stay for free with someone and they help you around the city). She had a really bad cold though, but gave me great bits of info. I ended up spending my Saturday touring the city with no map and just stumbling across anything and everything Brussels had to offer, which included: belgian waffle with ice cream for breakfast, beautiful old buildings, parks, palaces, and the Manneken Pis (Brussels' biggest tourist attraction; Google it).

I even ran across a group of girls studying in Italy (from America) and one of them was from Katy, TX! How crazy is that? Then this past Sunday I flew back to CPH to meet my parents :) Mom was sleeping at the table at Starbucks since they had to wait on me...so we grabbed some coffee and brunch STAT at my fave Danish breakfast place.

*in Norrebro Park near the hotel*

We spent the next couple of days touring the city and eating food that was way too expensive (aka normal for Copenhagen) and Monday night mom and dad got to meet my host family because they made us dinner! (lamb..I know, super nice, right?)

This week was also great because I got to take the fam to places I've been wanting to go but hadn't had the chance to yet, like Vesterbro (the red light district of copenhagen) and Ida Davidsen's smorrebrod (open-faced sandwich shop). Then Thursday we hopped on a flight to Stockholm, which is so gorgeous. The weather was beautiful and we took a bus/boat tour of the city and even stopped by the Absolut Ice Bar, the famous bar made completely of ice! Yes, we look a bit like eskimos, and yes, you can only spend about 40 minutes in there before you're frozen stiff, but it's a must-see. OK I soooo wish I could write more because there's so much more to say but gah it's late! Vi ses i to uger! (I think that means see you in two weeks)

Gettin' ready to visit the dam...Amsterdam that is

2009-03-21T07:12:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow morning at exactly 8 AM I will be climbing onto a bus bound for Amsterdam. This wonderful way to begin a Sunday morning marks the beginning of my three-week travel break! The Amsterdam visit will be from Sunday until Friday and is part of my child development program, so my same group that went on the short study tour around western Denmark will be going to Holland. Our first stop is actually Groningen in the Netherlands...don't really know too much about it, but I guess that's part of the adventure! Friday afternoon, I'll climb on a bus bound for Brussels, Belgium all by my lonesome and explore the city for the weekend, then hop on a plane back to Copenhagen to meet my parents at the airport!! Wahoo! Right now I'm sitting at my computer (obviously) procrastinating packing and fixing to take a shower and get ready for my host mom's birthday dinner. The extended family is due to arrive at 6pm and the food is going to be deliciousssss. I spent the morning chopping up onions for the french onion soup, so a few tears went into the making of this dinner.

So what was Brooke up to this week? Well, I'll tell ya. First of all, I had two midterms on Friday. Two, on the same day. That's just wrong. So most of my week was dedicated to studying...oh whatever, for those of you that know me, you know I mostly procrastinated. But I did have a bit of fun Tuesday because it was St. Patrick's Day, and supposedly Copenhagen is known for a 3-legged race for charity. It started at 2:30pm and it involves tying your leg up to a partner and running around Copenhagen like a crazy person to 6 different pubs and chugging a beer at each! Hey, it's for charity.

If you look at the above picture, you'll think, "wait, why are there THREE people?" Well my friends, my partner (Danielle) bailed on me last minute, so I was tied to my friend Mary and her boyfriend Scott. Yes, three of us, tied together, hobbling around Copenhagen. Most of the time we couldn't move because we were laughing too hard!! Alright, well that's all I have to say for now, so see ya after Amsterdam!

"I'm part Irish! Well...it's just 1/16 or something, but still"

2009-03-16T08:27:00.000-07:00

Dublin was a craic time. Craic, pronounced 'crack', is the Irish term for fun/great! Supposedly it rains alllll the time in Ireland, and we were fortunate enough that not only did it not rain, but it was sunny and warmer! So let me start at the beginning...Friday night we got to the hotel at around 11:45 and got ready to go out. We went to the Temple Bar area and had drinks at Gogarty's and The Temple Bar (yeah, the area is called temple bar and this bar banked by using that as the name of their pub...pretty clever).

There were SO many people there for St. Patrick's Day, lots of green hats and wigs. We were shocked that the pubs all close by 2:30 because in Copenhagen it's not til 5, but then we found out its because they re-open at 10am. We found this out because we went and got us some Irish coffees the next morning :) yummmm. From there, we walked to City Hall to meet up with a tour guide for a free walking tour of Dublin (its with the same company that does the free tours of Berlin). Our tour guide's name was Conor and he had a very thick Irish accent and lots of jokes for us. He showed us all around the city, and we saw everything from Dublin Castle (and a crazy man outside playing a saw...in shorts) where we got free hotdogs for St. Patty's (aren't the Irish nice?) to Trinity College, one of the top 50 colleges in the world. Here is the Viking Memorial, with Conor on the left telling us about Ireland's history with the Vikings.

After the tour, we went walking along Grafton street just seeing all of the different shops and hearing local musicians sing and play in the middle of the street. For dinner, we later went to The Brazen Head, the oldest pub in Ireland. I was intent on having a 'traditional Irish dinner' and I found it! I had a traditional Irish stew with lamb in it that basically melted in my mouth, it was sooooo good. And, of course, what is Ireland without a Guinness to wash it down? I was a little freaked out about having Guinness, but it's actually really really good in Ireland (unlike the states...sorry, it's true). The restaurant had different currencies covering all the walls, signed by customers from all over the world. I turn around, and what is right behind me? A dollar bill, signed by people from Brenham, TX. Yes, it IS a small world.

The Temple Bar area didn't have any Irish music for the weekend since there were so many tourists, so we went a little out of the way to Cobblestone Pub, where Irish singers sit for hours and just play fiddles and sing old Irish songs. It was very like 'P.S. I Love You', minus Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Darn.

The next morning was an early one for us because we wanted to take the train down to Bray and then up to Howth, totaling an hour and a half of travel time. So we left bright and early for Bray, and it was sooo worth it. We climbed up to Bray's Head, a 40 minute incline where from the top you see Ireland.

Here's another pic that actually includes the coast in it too:

After that, we went on to Howth, a small little harbor town. We watched people feed the wild seals, ate fish and chips, and went walking around. It was a great day and an amazing weekend...I could definitely go back to Ireland in a heartbeat!! But the weekend wore me out, so I need a nap...

"This place just got attacked by Americans"

2009-03-12T10:52:00.000-07:00

Sorry that this post won't hold anything very entertaining, but I mean you've only missed out on my Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and those are the most boring days of the week, right? Good, I'm glad you agree. In fact, they were so uneventful that I refuse to exert the effort needed to upload pictures. Hey, my blog, my rules. So let me give you an overview of the past three days of my life. In class on Monday, a "complaint sheet" went around and we all wrote comments on it regarding our long study tour. This is because when we came here we were all told our study tour would be 7 days long--Saturday to Saturday. Well, now we aren't slated to arrive in Holland until 8pm SUNDAY and we're leaving at 2pm FRIDAY. That's just insane! That's like...nothing. So we all requested that we get lots and lots of food and cultural excursions to compensate. That night I sat on my bed for four hours straight just looking up different travel options. I don't think I got a single thing done. Woohoo Mondays!

Then Tuesday night was my friend Nick's birthday party at Wall Street Pub. He invited a ton of DIS students, so the place was swarming with Americans. The title of my blog is a direct quote from some Danish guy that was sitting at the bar. I agree with him though. We were unfamiliar with the area the pub was in, and actually ended up getting lost and walking around Norrebro, the 'dodgy' area of Copenhagen, for about 30 minutes trying to find the way home! Eek! But Wednesday was an absolutely amazing day. The sun was shining and it actually compelled me to jog along the beach. I sat and watched the water for a while, and then sat and watched the harbor. By far, one of the most beautiful days I've seen since I've been here. That evening I met up with the people I will be going to Rome with, and our instructor talked about what all we can expect to do and see while there. He's taking us EVERYWHERE, I'm so excited! That night my friend Mary had her birthday party at The Dubliner...the owner actually gave us a private room and everything (for free). Ballin'!

Right now I'm taking a break from packing for Dublin tomorrow! I made a Google Map with all the things people have suggested we see and do while there. Our flight doesn't leave until 7:25 pm tomorrow and we have one stop along the way...so we're actually not getting to Dublin until 11:30 pm!! We are a 7 minute walk from the happenin' Temple Bar area though, so our Friday night should still be fun. Saturday and Sunday are going to involve a LOT of walking, so I'm preparing myself for that. Can't wait to update ya! Here's a clip you should watch

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqg6BNSUG5Q

it's from Whose Line is it Anyway, the Irish Drinking Song! Love it.

Swedish Fish, Sushi, Shopping, SWEDEN!

2009-03-08T09:49:00.000-07:00

Wow, two blogs in three days? I'm getting so much better at maintaining this thing!! (but don't let it spoil you..) I wanted to give y'all an update on my weekend, since I spent my Saturday in Malmo, Sweden! I went with my main partner-in-crime Danielle, as usual, and her host mom drove us to the bus station where we took a 25-minute bus ride into Malmo. Yes, in less than half an hour, you can be in a different country. Once we got there, we immediately went into a candy shop (when I say immediately, I mean we saw that candy shop and we made a beeline for it) and bought some Swedish Fish! Yeah, you know, that fish-shaped candy you can buy in the U.S....only for some reason it just tasted ten times better because it was from Sweden. We then went and got some sushi for lunch, because we've been craving it for weeks but can't get it in Copenhagen because it is ridiculously expensive. The Swedish kroner is very very weak right now (9 kroner to 1 US dollar) and the Sushi was 35 Swedish crowns...that's about $4.

Then we went to the main walking street to do a little shopping. But we have the worst luck in the world, so of course we happen to come to Sweden on the day of a massive demonstration. Tons upon tons of Swedes are marching down the streets with signs, protesting against the U.S. and Israel and asking for peace. I said, "Danielle, whatever you do, don't speak English too loudly right now".

We braved the protesters and went shopping at H&M. H&M is like the Forever 21 of the northern US and of Europe, and it originated in Sweden. I bought a scarf and 2 shirts for less than $40. Ballin'!

It was fun just roaming the streets after that, saw lots of funky advertisements for "American" items like the Hot Texas burger at Burger King (first picture). We stopped in a bar/restaurant called Mello Yello and had garlic bread and chocolate tapas with wine...so good. Danielle actually knows a couple of guys that live in Sweden because they studied abroad at her university, and she called them up to hang out. They were our tour guides of the night because they took us to a sort of hidden nightclub/disco that is jokingly called "Slaughter House" because its called slaterhuset and that, well, looks like slaughter house. All in all, great experience, maybe because Malmo was a LOT like Copenhagen since they are basically neighbors. I'll leave ya with this pic of me as a 'lost American statue' in the square of Malmo.

Sad News and Happy Memories

2009-03-06T13:12:00.000-08:00

This week has definitely been a bittersweet one, because on Wednesday morning I found out that Nana Lavadia passed away. For those who do not know, Nana was the grandma of my cousins Jackie and Brett. She was such a sweet (and short) little lady who was always wanting to talk or willing to listen (and always saying, "What?!"), and I'm going to miss her. It's tough being across an ocean and not able to hug everyone and go to the funeral. So, this blog is dedicated to her and to her family.

As promised, I will talk about the Brondby vs. FCK match that I went to on Monday night. Here's a pic of us Brondby 'hooligans' (since Brondby is known as being a sort of rough area, all Brondbyans are lovingly referred to by this name). This is my host sister Maria, me, and Danielle with the extremely large and rowdy crowd of Brondby Stadium behind us.

Note the Brondby scarves and jerseys ;) The game was definitely intense and at the beginning of the game they put a huge flag over the top of everyone on the Brondby side, and you just jump up and down to move the flag and you can't see anything but supposedly this looks very cool from the other side (claustrophobics are strongly encouraged not to sit on the Brondby side). One of the greatest parts of the game was when I looked down and said, "wait, who are THOSE guys?" and realized it was two Brondby hooligans running across the field, and then proceeding to moon all of the FCK supporters. It was great.

So, I've been trying to avoid this fact, but...we lost. 1-0. Grrrr. But good news: on Wednesday I finally saw the world-famous, extravagantly spectacular (ok so I'm exaggerating a bit) LITTLE MERMAID STATUE!

No wonder I haven't seen it before...its not exactly in the center of the city! But I love its location...I also realized that I haven't taken as many Copenhagen tourist pictures, so here's one of me on a street in Copenhagen that runs right along a river. I love these buildings!

In case you haven't noticed yet, cobblestone streets are a big deal here! Alright, well I'm making it an early night tonight because I'm going to Malmo, Sweden tomorrow (20 minute drive away) and want to be well rested since I went out Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, AND Thursday night. Yeah, I think I deserve a little sleep! See ya next time...

Copenhagen>Berlin. There, I said it!

2009-03-01T23:25:00.001-08:00

Here I am, back in the big CPH from a weekend in Berlin! I'll rewind to Thursday night first, when we cooked for the host fam! We made nachos, fajitas, charro beans, Spanish rice, and then gelato for dessert (I know, it doesn't fit in). My host mom provided the Coronas. Here's a pic of the food....as you can see, the Spanish rice doesn't look very, well, Spanish, but it all tasted good. Shocker!

Then Friday we took a 6-hour bus (including a ferry ride) to Berlin. We got to our hostel around 1:30 AM, went out to an iffy nightclub and then woke up early to explore the city. This is the first thing we saw in the morning when we got off of the central train station.

Berlin offers a free 3.5 hour walking tour of the city. Our tour guide was from the great state of Georgia (random) so we had no trouble understanding him. The pickup point was here, at Pariser Platz, which is named as a kind of slap in the face to the French. The statue on top of the columns is looking directly at the French embassy, as if to say "we're always watching you".

The next stop on our tour was the Holocaust Memorial. Pictures can't capture this place; it's many different rows and columns of various-sized blocks. You're supposed to put your own interpretation as to why (I got really philosophical on this one, ask me if you wanna know)
I have a lot of pics from the tour but not enough room on the blog, so I'll upload them to Facebook for all you Facebookers. Now this is an absolutely awful pic of me but look at the food in front of me! We had a traditional German lunch of bratwurst, sauerkraut, fried potatoes, and Berlin Pilsner. And of course, a dessert of apple streudel. It was delicioussss.

We had a German dinner later at a place set up with long tables and consisting of nothing but Germans. We were served beer in stoneware mugs.

The next day we took a 45-minute train ride to a concentration camp. The only thing I regret is not setting off enough time to really look at everything here. It was very eerie and just reading the stories of what these people had to endure was emotional.

On the way back from the concentration camp, we had a train stop called Hohen Neuendorf. So, Grandpa, you definitely have a German last name!

The only reason I say Copenhagen>Berlin is because of the feel of the city. Berlin was pretty much torn apart during World War II and most of their buildings are modern and there is a lot of space. Copenhagen is more old buildings and narrow streets, and I like the feel of that more. Also, we got yelled at in German for not tipping our way out of a bathroom (which we didn't know we had to do for that bathroom...) and therefore I'm a little wary of the Germans! Overall it was a great experience and I'm so glad I went.

Tonight, I have tickets for the Brondby vs. FCK (Copenhagen) futbol team; these are the #1 and #2 futbol teams in Denmark, and it's supposed to be a very intense game. I'll keep ya posted!

"What you mean you no eat no MEAT???"

2009-02-26T08:11:00.000-08:00

If you don't recognize the title of this blog, it's from My Big Fat Greek Wedding. But I'll get to it in a second. First, let me tell you about how bad my luck with the train system has been this week. We were waiting to take the train home Sunday morning, and all of a sudden all trains stop. A man had "been hit by a train" at Vesterport station and all trains would be delayed. Danielle called her host fam and they said the train could be delayed for HOURS. No way, Jose. So they came and picked us up. THEN, Wednesday morning, we get on the train and what happens? It stops at the next station and they tell us to get off. Another person decided to see what a train looked like from the front, and our train would be delayed for hours...so we took a different train, and then had to wait an hour for a bus (so 2 hours total). They say lightning doesn't hit the same spot twice, but bad luck has hit our train twice in less than week.

Wow, I guess that was me venting just then. Sorry about that. So on a happy note, this week has been the celebration of Festelavn, the Danish version of Halloween. For the holiday, the bakeries sell these special rolls filled with whipped cream and jam. I went and got one after class on Monday and it was divineeeeeee.

Then Tuesday was, of course, Fat Tuesday, and I ate more than my stomach could handle just because I could. I also brought cake to choir since it was my turn...let me tell you, making a cake was more difficult than I thought it would be, because they use different measurements. Basically, my host mom and sister made it for me. The next day was Ash Wednesday, and I finally, FINALLY, found a Catholic church I like. Its really close to Norreport Station and is called Sakramentskirken (Sacrament Church). The mass was in Danish, but on Sundays it's not (there, mom and dad, happy?) Danielle and I had some time before church so we went to a park in Norrebro we had heard about, its really a cemetary/park where Hans Christian Andersen is buried. It's really old and neat (I need to take pics) with funky trees. In the summer, people sunbathe there. Yeah, a little creepy. Anyways, back to the Ash Wednesday thing: the title of this blog is what it is because that was my host family's reaction when I said I couldn't have meat on Wednesday or on any Friday til Easter. Wednesday we had pasta with beef, so I just sort of picked around it. Today was my day at the kindergarden and I have pics to share with you!!! Yay! Unfortunately, Blogger is being weird and I can only get one to upload... Oh and tonight I'm cooking Mexican food for my host fam, I'll have to let you know how that goes...I'm also going with a group to BERLIN, GERMANY tomorrow and coming back Sunday night!!! So I'll have a lot to update you on for Monday. For now, enjoy my one pic of the kiddos (these are the 4 year olds.)

Children, Trees, and Chilly Weather

2009-02-21T09:16:00.000-08:00

I write this blog on my newly fixed computer! wahoooooo! Mom called today to remind me that this means I need to make a blog, stat. So, here you go mom. I'll just give an overview of my week.

Sunday: Felt much better, so tried out a Catholic church and left after 5 minutes because it was absolutely awful. So went and wandered around the King's Gardens (the pic with the trees that you see). It's so big and beautiful, and I can't wait to see what it will look like in the spring!

Monday: Every Monday, I have my Children in a Multicultural Context class from 10am-1pm. This class involves comparing and contrasting the Danish education system to the U.S. It's interesting to hear everyone's experiences in the schools and see how they differ from mine. I found out that the kindergarten I go to is actually one of the most strict in Denmark...which is interesting seeing as how I think it is VERY unstructured! I had my first day of work in the Travel Corner at DIS for my work study scholarship, and it basically involves me sitting there and getting homework done...which is fine with me!

Tuesday: Every Tuesday I have International Advertising class from 11:40-1 and then Classical Foundations (art class) from 1:15-2:35. I really like my International Advertising class because we get to compare different ads around Denmark to the ones back home and its fun to take a class I wouldn't get to back home. Then I work in the travel corner, and after that run to choir practice. This Tues. we had a choir dinner at a Mexican buffet restaurant and let me tell you, it was NOT real Mexican food. I miss Tex-Mex like you wouldn't believe. It was a lot of fun and I got to sit next to a German, across from Danes, and diagonal from a Swede. Very international!

Wednesday: Usually my day off, but this time we had a field study for my education class to a preschool. We went into an 8th grade classroom and introduced ourselves, said where we are from, etc. There was a substitute teacher so most of them were acting up and making jokes about us in Danish.

Thursday: My day at the kindergarten! I spend 5 hours hanging out with the little ones. This past week I went to the "birds" room (the older kids--ages 5 to 6) and got to see what all they did. There's actually a lot of structure in their room vs. the younger kids who just run around and play with our hair! One of the birds, Nadia, was such a character. She would make jokes and the teacher would laugh and translate what she said for us. Example: one of the kids completed their assignment, and Nadia goes "one thousand points! encore!" (in Danish of course). Then Thurs. night I volunteered as a bartender at the Studenterhuset (students house) and got to meet some people who of course were interested that I was from Texas (one guy: "so, in Texas if I steal something they will kill me, right?")

Friday: Same schedule as Tuesday, but no choir. Met with my International Ad group to go over our project that we have to present on Tuesday, and found out we got an A on our presentation last week! What what!

Saturday (today): Mary, Danielle, and I went to a cozy cafe in

Norrebro and had a traditional Danish brunch!

It was so delicious. The place was really funky and eccentric with stuffed animals

all over and weird masks and doll heads for lamps (as you can see in the pic). I'll have to take mom and dad here when they come down. Then we went walking around

and stumbled across a cute park with an iced over pond (see pics at the end of this). After THAT, we went to the Carlsberg brewery, which is not even a brewery anymore so basically a museum, and the highlight was I stumbled upon my old friend Ariel. As in, Ariel the Little Mermaid. This is the original Little Mermaid...I have yet to see the one that's on the water, but I hear its not much bigger than this one! Gotta love tourist attractions.

Reality Check

2009-02-14T11:26:00.000-08:00

When the clock struck midnight for Cinderella, the spell was broken and she was just an ordinary girl. I can relate. At the stroke of midnight (literally) on Valentine's Day, I got a very big reality check as I clung to the toilet trying to stop throwing up. Yes, I have the dreaded 24-hour bug. Getting sick has made me remember that even though I am having this amazing experience in another country, I am still just an ordinary girl living my life, no matter where it may be. I finally fell asleep at 4:30 AM and woke up this morning to go to a Valentines Day brunch right down the street at Danielle's. Now, you know I'm sick if all I ate were some eggs and bacon, and the sight of waffles made me sick. I'm now sitting in my host family's house, alone (they're at a wedding) with a fever. Happy Valentine's Day to me, right? Since this would be just a sad and depressing post without some pictures, I'm going to add a few from the past couple of weeks! Oh, by the way, tomorrow marks my one month anniversary in Copenhagen. Already.

A mural in Christiania

Me and my 'partners in crime'
Another pic of ice skating on Kongen Nytorv. Beautiful.

Everything IS Bigger in Texas!

2009-02-11T06:49:00.000-08:00

I know, I know...I need to blog more. The sad thing is, my computer is STILL MIA! I got the CDs to install a new system, but the computer is being shady and won't accept them. In the meantime, I'm using my host sister's computer and uploaded some pics for your viewing pleasure. Let me start by introducing you to my friend, the Fransk Hotdog (and Mary too!)When you've been out bar hopping, this is the food of choice. Its basically a hotdog that you eat vertical...ok nevermind its too hard to describe. Just trust me. This next pic is of ice skating on Kongen Nytorv, right by the harbor. It had actually just snowed that day, so it made ice skating even cooler. My host family gave me some hot chocolate for the road, and I learned that their hot cocoa is reallyyyyy rich, but reallyyyyy good. Since my last post, I've learned some random facts about Denmark, such as honking is illegal. Yeah, even if you are about to have a head-on collision because some idiot isn't paying attention, if you honk you can be fined. Isn't that crazy? Oh, and I've also joined the International Choir! We meet every Tuesday from 5-7 pm, it's so much fun and most of the members are Danes so its a great way to meet people too. Now I can get singing out of my system a little.

This past Thursday through Saturday I went on a short program study tour of Western Denmark. We went to Åarhus, Odense, Kolding, and Skanderborg. Got to see lots of neat places, including different preschools and culture centers, and got to bond with the people in my program.

The reason my title is about everything being bigger in Texas is because you can drive across the entire country of Denmark, by bus, in 4 hours. Yeah, you can't even get to South Padre Island in that time. This is a pic of us playing 'dress up' at the Hans Christian Andersen museum. We were like big kids the entire trip, so it was fun. When we got back Saturday, I went to Danielle's host brother and sister's 18th birthday party. My first Danish birthday party! Let me tell you, the pull out all the stops. They had cocoa,

cakes, a live band, mixed drinks (with a mixed drink 'menu' posted on the fridge...it was intense). As you can see by this picture, it was very festive with all the drinks having cute straws. On the left is me and my friend Annie, on the right is Danielle and Maria, my host sister. Then a bunch of 16 and 17 year olds! HAHA we were the old Americans. So I will leave you for now, but hopefully not for long. Here's a couple of pics to help ya out before I go.

This is right outside of the backyard where I live in Brøndby. It's the harbor to the beach, and it is filled with swans and ducks. It's so beautiful. These last two are of some bicycles and Copenhagen and of my backyard, because it snowed last night and the outside is so pretty and covered in snow (its unusual for snow to stick to the ground in Denmark, supposedly).

Everybody's Dancin' in the Moonlight...

2009-02-02T05:06:00.000-08:00

I realize I have a lot to catch up on, seeing as how it's been a week (ALREADY!) since my last post. Yeah, time just flies when you're having fun...but somehow my computer is still not fixed. Anywayssssss last Tuesday night I went out and made everyone in a bar dance. Now, you may think I'm exaggerating. But I'm not. The bartenders were playing some slow boring stuff, and I went up and requested everything from Lady Gaga (how can you not dance to a song called 'Just Dance'?) and a little Britney of course ('there's only 2 types of people in the world'...) and got everyone movin'. Texas represent! Then Wednesday I went to Christiania, the land of the stoners and boozers. Marijuana is legal there, and I saw middle-aged men and women buying weed on the street. It was completely insane...they don't allow cameras (go figure) but I smuggled an empty hemp beer bottle out (legal only in Christiania and Amsterdam). I'll use it as a flower vase in the states. Oh by the way, you're allowed to drink on the trains here, and the other night I saw some 14 year olds chugging beers on the metro. It was definitely an experience. But now to the most exciting news (DRUMROLL)...I had my first day at the Danish kindergarten on Thursday!!! It was soooo much fun. The children are from diverse backgrounds because its a multicultural børnehavn, and trying to communicate with them is definitely a challenge. I let them play with my hair and use plastic wrenches to curl it, and at one point had 3 hairbands, 2 scrunchies, and butterfly clips in my hair. The children I was with were all 3 or 4 years old and so adorable, and when we left they were all standing at the windows and waving. I can't wait to go back, but I can't until Thursday the 12th because this Thursday through Saturday my program is going on a short study tour around Western Denmark!! I will upload some pics of that experience and blog when I get back. We are going to Åarhus, Odense, Vejl, and Skanderborg, and taking buses and sleeping in hostels. Isn't that so Europe? And shoutout to mama Joani whose birthday is this Thursday! Love you! Now I haven't been able to upload pics of my recent adventures, but I'm going to put up pics of my crazy family members who spread out along the side of the road from Columbus to Austin and held up signs wishing me luck on my travels. It was the most adorable thing ever, I love the fam. But before I go, I watched the Superbowl last night from 12:30 to 4:00 AM in an Irish pub and what an exciting game! Vi ses!first sign in the yardChe-Che! 'Dirt Tot & da Sand Phew'

Grandma: 'Oh Brooke Please Be Careful!'

Granny, Pops, and Lacy: 'Love You!'

Uncle John: 'I Once Was a Rabbit'. (As I was taking the picture: 'Hurry, hurry, this is embarrassing!!)

Aunt Tammy: 'Hellooo?! Brush your teeth...& floss!'

Kelsey: 'We Can't Wait to Have you Back IN AMERICA' (sorry I dont know how to flip this picture)

The Estradas: 'Du Spuchen De Danish?'

Warschaks: 'Shaniquah don't live here no more...she be in Denmark!'

Jan & Jackie: 'Gonna Miss: Aunt Jan I need a Favor..' and 'Se Danmark Hun Kommer!'

A Dungen in the Dungeon

2009-01-26T07:42:00.000-08:00

I've officially been here for a full week! So much has been going on, but I'll give a quick overview. On Thursday we went on a scavenger hunt and I took lots of pictures...like this one of the Harbor (its just like the picture on the top of my blog...only during the day and taken by me and not Google Images). And as you'll notice, there was actually sunshine that day, even though everyone told me I wouldn't see sunlight in January. That night, I caught the late train with Danielle, a girl living with a host family right down the street from me (so another DIS student DOES live in the 'ghetto' with me!) and we went bar hopping and met some local Danes. They were actually very friendly, and since then I've realized that most Danes are actually very open to talking to Americans (you just have to branch out and meet them!) I pretended to be lost the other day just so I could talk to a really good-looking Dane, and he helped me out and was very chatty. Who woulda thought? Now here's a pic of me in my typical daywear. As you can see, I look about 350 pounds, but everyone does so it's cool. This will be one of the only times you see me this layered...definitely not in Texas! Friday night was the DIS Welcome Party, 2 free drinks if you get there before 9 pm (which we did, of course) and then we went hoppin' around again. Then Saturday, I went on a castle tour of Elsinor, the castle from Shakespeare's Hamlet! It was totally worth it. I had this delicious chocolate croissant and chai tea in Helsingør, a cozy little town just outside of the castle, and then went on a guided tour and saw all of the old rooms and towers and DUNGEONS...the inspiration for the blog title. The castle had the stereotypical moats and dungeons which was pretty cool to see, and was built in the 1500s so definitely older than anything in the US.

You can see the coastline of Sweden from the castle! So maybe Sarah Palin was right about Russia...

A Day Late and a Computer Short

2009-01-21T06:55:00.001-08:00

So first the good news: I'm in København (Copenhagen), Denmark!! The city is so beautiful, lots of cobblestone streets and cozy buildings and January sales! The only part that sucks about it being so pretty is no picture really captures what it looks like in person; believe me, I've tried. And now the bad news: at 11:30 PM, Tuesday evening, my computer passed away. And I know they say you can't take any material possessions with you when you die, but my computer took all of my pictures and music with it as well. I feel so lost and helpless without my laptop. The IT guys say the hard drive crashed because MACs just tend to do that for no apparent reason, but I think the flight did it in. Now if I want to upload pictures, I'm going to have to use my host dad's computer, so I'll try and add some tonight but if not the next post will hopefully have some.
On a lighter note, my first three days (I don't count Sunday, since I didn't get here til 5:30 and passed out by 9) have had a lot of interesting things happen. I've gotten lost a lot, but it hasn't been that bad since getting lost means you find new, interesting places to explore. That's how I stumbled across a book bar, where I had my first Carlsberg (waiter: 'small or large?' me: 'definitely the large'). By the way, that one beer was 8 US dollars. Not even kidding. But now I've gotten savvy to where the cheaper places are and when they have specials. Oh, and you know all those things you hear about Danes all being blond, blue eyed, and beautiful? It's not an exaggerations, there are more good looking guys in this city than I have ever seen. Too bad they walk around with their ipods everywhere and don't believe in 'small talk'. They only believe in political talks, and as a Republican I can't see that going anywhere good. Yeah, when in doubt, just say Obama

I'm leavin' on a jet plane...

2009-01-16T10:09:00.000-08:00

So after about a year of telling everyone "oh I'm definitely studying abroad", it just now hit me that it's finally here. As in, I leave tomorrow. As in, no turning back. I haven't even packed yet. Right now I'm most nervous about the flight. I don't know if you know this or not, but I have a fear of flying ever since watching Final Destination right before the senior trip to Cancun, and then we got put in a piece of aluminum foil that they called a plane and since then I freak out any time there's turbulence. It doesn't help that my flight has a layover in Chicago (80% chance of snowstorms tomorrow by the way) and London (same bad weather). I found this picture of me in a New York taxi cab last year and its pretty much gonna be my expression the whole way--->

Anyways, once I get over that I get to meet my host family! I'm thinking about faking a really thick southern accent to freak them out, but then they might not think it's funny. I wonder if they'll notice my sarcasm and jokes or if they'll think I'm being serious? Hmmmm we'll see. But next week I have Orientation every day and classes already start on Thursday! BOOOOO! So I'll write on here again as soon as I figure out the Internet system there. Before I'll go, I'll leave ya with my goals for the next couple of days:

1. Get my first legal drink ASAP

2. Don't freak out my host family

3. Bond with the other students AKA find people to travel with so I'm not by myself and can get travel deals

4. Try to conquer the public transportation, but if get lost play role of lost, helpless Texas girl to be rescued by hot Danish guy

5. Use some of my sweet Danish language skills and fool some of the locals into thinking I know more than I do

*denMark My Words*