Amazing Race

I feel a lot better since the time I wrote the last post. I will explain why: yesterday was awesome. The day started off early - I woke up at 7:30 and at 8:15 Mads, one of our SRAs, (student resident advisor) took a big group of DIS kids from Hoff (abbreviation of Hoffmans Minde Kollegium) to the opening ceremony at Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek (I believe it is a museum) and we experienced monday morning traffic! It took a little longer than expected to get into the city so we were a little late and missed the first speaker but we enjoyed some nice classical tunes and other welcoming speakers and then navigated our ways to DIS and split up into groups to start the Amazing Race. I admit I thought it would be lame at first, but it was incredible and I became an instant tourist, snapping pictures here, reading maps there.. in short it was obvious I was American but I was too happy to care. I am giving myself this week to be touristy and then I will try to blend in better. Another thing I am letting myself off the hook for: posting pictures of scenery. I usually hate it but there is no way to describe my day or my semester without pictures! So now that's decided, here are some pictures of yesterday's excursions:

adorable square

view from a church

the royal library and the black diamond - my new study spot

NYHAVN (pronounced new-houn)

church next to Amalienborg castle where royalty resides

artsy picture of Danish Guard at Amalienborg

After trekking around the city, we also had to go to a grocery store and pick up some foods for a classic Danish lunch of Smørrebrød which means "butter bread". It usually consists of rye bread, butter, and a lot of different toppings in the open-face sandwich style so that will be my lunch for the next 4 months.  


After that, I picked up my textbooks for my classes and it was a very different process than I'm used to. There were at least 2 books for each class - so at the minimum I had 10 books - but then others had extra binders and extra readings and I wound up lugging around this big blue Ikea bag trying to find the bus. Luckily I am really good at maps so I navigated a couple people and myself to our bus home and in exchange, one boy carried my books. He used my navigation skills to get home, and I used him to carry my heavy books - it was truly a win win situation.  


After meeting my roommate, we took a trip to the Netto to get some more essentials and while she continued to unpack I went into the city with a big group of 15 or more Americans (exactly what everyone tells you not to do) and went to a couple bars near DIS. Luckily we came back early enough that we didn't have to worry about figuring out a night bus schedule.. I'm sure that time will come soon enough.


Today I have a couple workshops but I'll probably explore the city a little more as well. Anyway I need to get ready for the day but will update later!

Awake For 36 Hours

I have been awake for 36 hours at this point.  I was too anxious to sleep on the plane and then the day just kind of ran away with itself so I only had 15 minutes to power nap and pretend to pull myself together so I could at least resemble some sort of human form.  I somehow managed to get all my baggage from America to Copenhagen, and more importantly into my dorm room, but not without being judged by many a rude Danish bus driver. Oh well, I have a tendency to over pack - all my leftover toiletries/medications not in use right now are stored in one of my big suitcases underneath my bed.  I have mostly set up everything in my room except for some pictures of friends and family to remind me of home etc etc, and I was able to spread out because my roommate's first flight was cancelled so she is unable to come to Copenhagen until tomorrow morning.  This morning I waited for 2 hours in the Kastrup airport for the DIS bus to come back from delivering other students and pick us up and bring us to our designated dorms.  We were given free Starbucks hot chocolate to ease the pain but it definitely wasn't the same as the Starbucks I know and love from my meal plan in Rochester and so I was homesick after the first hour.  The excitement of being in Copenhagen quickly turned into anxiety and annoyance and the overcast weather was very fitting for my mood.  Upon arriving in my room at Hoffmans Minde, I did what any typical study abroad student does: I called my mom and cried, partially from exhaustion/hunger, partly from shell shock.  After composing myself (eating a chocolate chip cookie from New York), one of the DIS interns took a bunch of us into Copenhagen proper and we got to see the DIS buildings where we will be taking our classes and we actually wandered down Strøget, the longest pedestrian street in all of Europe.  It doesn't matter that H & M looks exactly the same in Europe as it does in America, it's a Danish company which means I have a moral obligation to support them, and I shall do so.  I took a 15 minute power nap and then headed out to Netto, a supermarket located a thirty second walk from the kollegium to get some bread, cheese, yogurt, juice, and soap for the kitchen and bathroom. All the DIS students living in Hoffmans Minde gathered for a welcome dinner where I had a piece of bread, a piece of sliced cheese, and a couple tomatoes, oh and some curried egg salad.  I'm so totally ready to embrace the food culture of Denmark.. only if Danishes are included in every meal.  After "dinner" I finished unpacking and skyped with the parents to give them the grand tour of my room, and now I am heading to bed so I can be prepared for three days of orientation!


I don't know any Danish yet except for the municipality I'm living in outside of Copenhagen is called Brønshøj!

The Calm Before the Storm

Packing: verb [trans] = to fill (a suitcase or bag), esp. with clothes and other items needed when away from home... to cram a large number of things (into a container or space).

I have officially packed everything I deem necessary for Denmark. All my necessities have been packed into two checked bags that are both bordering the 70 pound excess weight limit, a 35- pounder carryon (thankfully a rolly one), and a weekender bag that is functioning as my "personal bag" filled with everything that didn't fit in the other bags. I've got a lot of "necessities"and I am known for over-packing aka this is really true to character.

With less than 24 hours left before leaving America, I am starting to get a little panicked. Usually before a big test that I'm really anxious about I experience a great calm before the storm that is the test, and proclaim "I'm over it" and pretend to not worry about how poorly studying is going. Well, I'm definitely "over" how much I've over-packed and I've come to terms with the fees I will need to pay in order to ensure my precious necessities make it to Denmark.. but I am definitely not calm. I know I won't sleep well tonight as my mind will be racing with questions like: will my flight be delayed by the looming snow storm? will I be seated next to someone smelly (or worse, chatty) on the plane or will I be able to stretch out and try to sleep? why haven't I secured a summer internship yet? what will my first meal in Copenhagen be? The list goes on and on and by the time I'm done I'll already be worrying about how I'm going to fit everything back into my suitcases in May. But I have a lot of time until then and thank god my parents are bringing an empty suitcase when they visit so I can send stuff home with them.. for right now I have to put that question into the "let's cross that bridge when we get to it" folder in my mind.

I'm not going to post a picture of me and my bulging luggage bags on here, mostly because I don't know which bag my camera is in, but I can let you all imagine what my suitcases look like. Envision big black/grey suitcases that all look like they're about to rip at the seams.  TSA approved, of course.

This image is definitely drawn to scale.

So that is that. Tomorrow I will wake up and try to eat a very American breakfast and do any last minute errands I need to before handing everything over to Scandinavian Airlines and Newark International Airport and bidding farewell to America!


I will debrief when I have settled in Denmark in a few days!

Lend Me Your Ears

Welcome to my first post!

With just one week left until I leave America, every day seems like another long list of errands to check off before my flight leaves from Newark next Saturday night.  My clothes and toiletries have taken over the dining room table and every time I pass the mountains of stuff, I get more and more anxious that I won't be able to pack every silky scarf, black top or sparkly nail polish (I have upwards of 30 of each).  So I'll leave the packing for the end of the week when I will stuff every last crevice with a bottle of nail polish wrapped in a tank top wrapped again in a scarf.  Perfect space saver.  

A couple days ago, I received my housing assignment and discovered I will be spending the next 4 months living in Hoffmans Minde Kollegium in the suburb Brønshøj, a 30 minute bus ride away from DIS in central Copenhagen.  I haven't commuted to school by bus since I was in kindergarden, so I am excited to rediscover this mode of transportation.  

Another thing I will be rediscovering: how to cook for myself.  I spent last summer in Rochester living in a house with other girls from my sorority (Kappa Delta) and an adopted cat named Mittens (Tits for short), taking a couple classes, and working at my school's career center.  Living on my own, I learned how to woo a cat with an attitude, pay electric and cable bills (from my parent's bank account of course), and make a meal out of frozen vegetables, frozen chicken, and 5 minute rice pilaf.  I got a glimpse of what "real life" is like but by the end of the summer I was very happy to escape to Israel on Birthright and eat hummus and falafel for 10 days.   

Deciding I could use a little practice before leaving the country, I cooked dinner for my parents tonight.  Under my mom's supervision, I made a bolognese pasta sauce, pasta, and steamed broccoli.  Hopefully we escaped food poisoning, but only time will tell.  Before I leave, I am going to fill a notebook with recipes so I can hopefully re-create some of my favorite dishes for when I tire of pasta bolognese.  I'm sure my cooking adventures will continue throughout the week so I can feel confident using my stove top, microwave, and mini fridge in my kollegium in order to feed myself for the semester.

One talent I am hesitant to rediscover: my ability to ride a bicycle. I learned how to ride a bike in the basement of our old apartment - it was really more like an alley with stray cats - and I associated that disgust with the act of bike riding.  Nevertheless, I rode around in circles with my training wheels on until I was confident enough to take them off.  An excursion in Central Park with my dad resulted in a collision with a park bench, an inability to breathe for a few minutes, and an ensuing hatred for the bicycle.  After that traumatic day, I approached the bicycle hesitantly when at friend's country houses and pretended to enjoy it for the short time I was forced to practice.  Over the years, I have slowly worked on my relationship with the bicycle, but I am light-years behind the relationship Copenhagen has with its bicycles.  Every day, 30% of Danes commute by bicycle.  It's their way of life.  If it's raining - you carry an umbrella in one hand and direct the bike in the other hand.  If it's snowing - you wear weather-proof boots and a hat.  If you're wearing a dress - you keep your knees together.  If you're wearing heels - it's the norm.  Below is a link to a blog that captures Danes in their element = on a bike.  The blog has prompted my admiration and respect for the Danes' natural relationship with an object I find so daunting. Check it out daily for new pictures: http://www.copenhagencyclechic.com/.

If I can't master the bicycle, I can at least flaunt my talent with the maps.  I love reading maps and I can't wait to explore the city and be able to navigate like a true Dane (except by foot, not by bike).  

I'm not sure how my talents will translate into Danish, but I'll be sure to report my miscommunication mistakes, as they are bound to be funny at my expense.  I don't know any Danish yet, so I'm not sure how to sign this post with a one-liner so I'll just leave it at this!