Post 2 of the night: Copenhagen nightlife. You'd think that snow storms and 10 degree weather would deter people from going out, but I have found that that's not the case. The hardest part is feeling motivated and brave enough to leave my warm house, but once I'm actually out, it's worth it. Danes don't start their evenings til around midnight, which means they end even later. Walking to the train station at 3:30 last night, there were people everywhere! And you don't have to worry about what time you're getting home because public transportation runs all night on weekends. It's like even the city is encouraging you to go out and drink.
Friday night, we met up at my friend's apartment to hang before going out. She lives in a neighborhood called Norrebro and we have to walk from her apartment to a main street to catch a bus that takes us closer to the city. We're swearing under our breath the whole time because we feel like our feet are going to freeze and fall off. This particular night, we just missed the bus and ended up having to wait for what seemed like FOREVER for another one. Meanwhile, a guy who was also waiting noticed us speaking English and asked if we were from the States. So our new best friend Robin, who just got back from touring with his band in Brazil and looks a little bit like Heath Ledger, tells us he's going to Bar 7 (mental note to go to Bar 7 if first bar doesn't work out) and gives us great directions to the bar we were trying to find after we get off the bus. Our destination was a bar called Barcelona. It was so much fun and had great music, lots of young people, and no short supply of very attractive guys. Unfortunately, the drinks were really expensive, so my friend Viv and I ordered the cheapest thing we could find: 5 shots for 100 kroner (about 20 bucks). The shots tasted like pure Robitussen, yummm. We left Barcelona for the next best thing: really cheap beer at 7-11. There are 7-11's everywhere here, and it's a frequent stop for beer and liquor at a price you won't find at any bar. With our Tubourgs (a type of beer) in tow, we ventured to Bar 7 in an attempt to find our new friend Heath Ledger. We found him, plus a bathroom, and didn't stay long. We walked down the street to a place called Viking where I couldn't breathe because there was so much smoke, but we stayed because I Wanna Dance With Somebody came on and we, well, wanted to dance (preferably with somebody, but it was just with each other). At this point, the night was pretty much over for us, but on the way to the trains, we stopped at McDonald's, where there are always a ton of people getting late-night munchies. Then we went our separate ways to go home.
Last night we decided we DID NOT want to do the whole wandering from bar to bar in the snow thing, so made up our minds from the beginning to go to The Happy Pig and that's it. After stopping at 7-11 to buy a donut and a Kinder Egg (those awesome chocolate eggs with toys inside), we got there around midnight. Oh, and on the way there, we passed another club that was playing I Wanna Dance With Somebody which we all got very excited about and started dancing on the sidewalk. We had to stand in line for a bit at Happy Pig, which was only slightly miserable and definitely worth it once we got inside, though that was a little hard too. Viv's REAL Oregon ID is peeling because it's so old, so the bouncers initially weren't going to let her in because they said it looked fake. I, obviously, have the exact same ID (and mine is not peeling), so we had to use mine to convince them that hers was real and that we definitely were not trying to lie that we were 20 (which is how old you have to be to get in). We laughed and were slightly annoyed that the first time Viv used her real ID in Copenhagen, they thought it was fake (not to mention the fact that the bouncers legitimately thought we would even have fake IDs to show we're 20). Anyways, we got in, and it was a blast. There was great music and all young people. We met a really nice girl in the bathroom who is from Pennsylvania and has a Danish boyfriend so she's living here now and getting her masters. Highlight of the night was definitely when I requested, and the DJ played, Party in the USA. Before we knew it, it was 3 a.m. I got home around 4 and it had started to hardcore snow, so I ran from the train station to my house.
Next weekend, I'll be out of town on a study tour to Ebeltoft and Kolding in Western Denmark, so I'll post about my adventures and nights out there when I get back!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Tak For Mad
Tak for mad (pronounced tak for "mel") is a key Danish phrase. Probably the one I've used most often since I arrived. It means, thank you for the meal, and it's considered very rude if you don't say it after every meal. Seeing as how consumption of food has become my new sport here, "tak for mad" is vital. On Friday, I had my usual cereal, bread, sausage, cheese, jam, peanut butter, butter, tea- breakfast. Then a snack of bread with butter, cheese, and sausage around 11. For a lunch I split a tomato, mozzarella, basil, sandwich and chicken pasta salad with a friend. We then ventured to our new favorite cafe, The Living Room, where I had a hot chocolate. Two hours later, after class, I found myself back at The Living Room, drinking a mocha espresso milkshake and eating chocolate cake. I don't even remember what was for dinner, but I bet there were potatoes and meat involved (Danish staples, at least in my family). Needless to say, I got enough motivation on Friday to go on my first run since I've been here and offset at least a quarter of the calories seeping into my body. I got a little lost on my way back though, plus it started to snow really hard and there was insane wind. I came back with ice in my hair. Don't know if that will be happening again anytime soon. I did recently join a gym called Fitness World, so hopefully that will allow me to continue my chocolate, cheese, and butter consumption.
Moving on from food...what happened this week?? It snowed a lot and I'm so over it. I've realized several things about snow:
1. It shouldn't last long. Maybe a day
2. It's only exciting if it doesn't happen often
3. Snow excitement is heightened if there's a prospect that its happening means staying home from school, baking cookies, and not being able to drive anywhere. Here, life just keeps on going, which pretty much just means you're freezing all the time.
So like I said, despite the two snow storms we had this week, life went on. I went to class, visited Odense-the birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen (he's a big deal around here), discovered more cafes (including one called Cafe G, which Leah and I were very amused by given its proximity in name to Club G, which people jokingly use to refer to Gelman Library at GW), went out a couple times, etc, etc. Last night, we went to a club/bar called Den Glade Gris, which translates to The Happy Pig, and it was so much fun! Great music, two levels-one with a DJ and one with live music, mix of Danes, Americans, we even met two Spaniards on "holiday" as they said. We will definitely be returning there.
Also this week, I was chosen to be one of four students working on a student-produced newsletter called DIScoverCPH (DIS is my study abroad program). I'm excited to get to continue writing for a publication while I'm here, and that it's tied with an excuse to explore Copenhagen and find fun places to hang out. Oh, I realize that I haven't even given a run-down of my classes here! For the most part, they definitely aren't like classes at GW. A little easier and not as stimulating. But we do get to go on some really cool study tours, our first of which is this coming weekend. We will visit two places in Western Denmark. And then a couple weeks later, we get to spend a week in London studying media. I'm very excited. Here's what I'm taking:
Current Trends in News Media- my core course. It's interesting, though some of the concepts/theories I've already learned. Focusing on media in Europe is new though, plus this is the class I travel to London with, so I'm looking forward to it.
Photojournalism- I really like this class. My professor is an awesomely European guy who wears tight jeans and sweaters and black combat boots. This is my most stimulating and thought-provoking class so far. For our main project, we have to pick someone to photograph (someone we don't know and it can't be a student, faculty member, hostfamily member, anyone) for the entire semester. I'm still brainstorming ideas of what I could do, but I think this is a great opportunity to meet Danes and become involved with native life.
From Homer to Harry Potter: European Storytelling- so we don't actually get to read Homer or Harry Potter in this class, but we do get to talk about fairytales and storytelling all the time, which is pretty fun.
Political Rhetoric- really boring so far. Not looking forward to this. My professor is new, has never taught before, and you can tell he's a little nervous and unsure of himself. This bothers me because I like teachers who are confident and take control of the classroom...don't let kids bullshit them.
Hans Christian Andersen and the Danish Golden Age- this class is really similar to my storytelling one. We pretty much read fairytales and talk about them. My teacher is great- an American who has a pretty interesting story of coming to study in Copenhagen in high school, then returning during college, and now teaches at DIS. She's been here more than 20 years and speaks fluent Danish, which I think is really impressive
That's the low down. I wish I could say that everything is amazing, amazing, amazing and I'm having the time of my life, but it's not like that... At least not yet. I think that before you've studied abroad, you keep hearing about it as this total package: "STUDY ABROAD"- like signing up means instant new best friends who you gallivant around Europe with, drinking wine, taking epic photos, and having this transcendent life-changing experience. Hate to burst the bubble, but it's not really like that...at least not so glorified and idealized. Today, I woke up to a beautiful sunrise on the white snow, drank a cup of tea, made homemade bread with my hostmom, then met a friend for coffee after lunch. We proceeded to wander around the city, gaze at beautiful architecture, and chat with passing young Danish guys who were really eager to talk to us. Tonight, we're getting a drink with them and will probably stay out all night to watch the sun rise. Uhhhhh NO. Ok I guess that could have happened, but today, I woke up at 12:30 because I didn't get back til 4 last night. I then ate a bowl of Rice Krispies and watched online TV after checking email and Facebook. My hostparents were gone all day helping my hostmom's sister and family move into their new place. I decided it might be a good idea to take a shower, did that, and then watched American Idol until dinner. There is two feet of snow outside and it's uber cold. All in all, pretty normal. No one really associates the word normal with study abroad. Ok I don't mean to sound like a total downer, I really don't. I've only been here for two weeks and I'm still figuring things out. I'm sure once I've been here longer, I'll have gained a perspective that will better be able to shine some (positive) light on the study abroad experience.
I'm winding down this post, but just for your enjoyment, I'm including a picture of a baby outside a store, just like I talked about! I promise I'll get around to taking pictures of my room and house. That will be the goal for next time.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Week One in a Nutshell
One week in a foreign country feels like one month. I can't believe I arrived just a week ago this morning. Being in Denmark has been very interesting so far. I'm not in love with it, but I don't hate it either, and things slowly get better each day. The first few days, I hung out with two girls I knew before coming here. Leah, who is in my sorority at GW, and Viv, who I knew in high school through National Charity League. The three of us became a little gang I guess. But we've met some other really nice girls and formed a group for the time being. At first, you're just scrambling for anyone to share your nervousness and uneasiness with. It's funny, because Leah and I at the beginning of the week would compare notes each night on gchat and set goals for ourselves for the next day. The list usually looked like this:
1. Make friends
2. Figure out how to get back to our houses late at night (public transportation here is pretty amazing, but a little confusing to dissect at first)
3. Meet cute Danish boys (finding them is not hard, getting them to talk to you is a little different)
4. Make friends
It's hard sometimes to remember that we're going to be here until May, and not everything is going to be perfect and figured out in the first two days. But I've learned a lot already about Danish culture and how the U.S. differs both a lot and not so much from Europe. First of all, everything here is smaller. The cars, the groceries, the stores, the streets. There's no such thing as Costco, and even if there was, there would be no where to put all that stuff. I'm also starting to realize how everything in Denmark really is so cozy. Every cafe looks so inviting and warm and even just everyday life is focused a lot more on family and togetherness. Meals, at least breakfast and dinner, are always eaten together, which is definitely something I'm not completely used to. Especially eating breakfast together every morning. And this isn't a cereal and orange juice breakfast. It's a homemade bread every morning, sausage, cheese, jam, butter, tea, liver pate, cucumber breakfast. Danes are also very into candles, and most things that we would make from a box or a packet or powder, they make from scratch.
Example: Today we went for a walk near one of the frozen lakes with my family and their cousins, and when we came back, they wanted hot chocolate. But that didn't mean putting SwissMiss in a mug and heating it in the microwave with water. It meant buying chocolate bars with 70% cacao and melting them on the stove with milk, then whipping homemade whipped cream to put on top. So delicious. I realized yesterday when I woke up before everyone else and ate cereal (which they bought for me) by myself in the dark kitchen, how much more enjoyable it is to do meals the Danish way. Though I'm definitely not used to eating so much food, or rather, eating on such a regular schedule.
At the same though, Copenhagen, for me, hasn't been one of those old, beautiful European cities like Paris or Rome that you are instantly in awe with, which is slightly disappointing and intriguing at the same time. There is a Toys R Us down the street from my house, but there's also a queen of Denmark?? There is amusing juxtoposition here.
Here's a list of other interesting and bizarre things I learned about the Danes this week:
1. They go to the grocery store every time they need something, not just once a week. Growing up with a clockwork schedule of going to the store every Saturday and buying enough for the entire week if not longer, this is very different for me. I think my mom would go crazy if she had to go to the store every day to pick up this or that. But here, they don't see it as a burden. It's just part of life. There are also grocery stores on almost every block. Oh, and the milk cartons are tiny. I'm pretty sure my family would go through two a day. But you can't buy anything as big as a gallon here.
2. They don't say excuse me. Danes are very forward and blunt. They say what they mean and mean what they say. They also aren't as politically correct. Hi, how are you? is an actual question here, not just a greeting. I think we could take a hint from them on this point.
3. Probably the most alarming thing I learned this week: Danes put their babies outside to sleep. First of all, Danish babies have the most elaborate and cozy buggies that they are wheeled around in, no matter the weather. And until they're about 2 or 3 years old, they are bundled up in their buggy and put outside for naps. Even if the mother is doing some quick errands downtown or grabbing coffee with a friend, they will leave the baby OUTSIDE THE STORE to sleep, as long as they can glance at it through a window. Just goes to show how much more trustworthy of a place this is. And I've already witnessed this baby phenomenon several times this week. For crying out loud, it's 28 degrees outside and these babies are just sound asleep on the sidewalk! It's a very crazy concept to Americans I guess, but the Danes say they do it because the fresh air is good for them.
4. Danes aren't as friendly towards strangers. No one talks on the metro, no one makes eye contact, nothing. I think that they are friendly people in general, they just aren't going to go out of their way to strike up a conversation with you at random. Even when my hostdad's 20-year-old godson came over for dinner, I had to do pretty much all the talking (which isn't that unusual for me I guess...haha) and he just answered and didn't ask a lot of questions in return. I guess they just don't like the bullshit of small talk. But how else are you supposed to get to know someone?
Ok I guess this synopsis isn't really in a nutshell. Maybe I'll start writing more than once a week to avoid such long posts. I feel like there's so much to tell! I haven't even gotten to my night out on Friday or my trip to Elsinore and the Kronborg castle. Let's just say that drinking here is a totally different experience than in the states (as in way more enjoyable because you're not freaking out about getting caught and downing shots like you'll never get another chance), and Hamlet's castle is actually not that cool. I've posted some pictures on facebook, and next time I'll hopefully get around to posting some here of my house and room. Now I'm off to try and get some reading done before class tomorrow...it's hard to remember the study part of study abroad when you're having so many new experiences so fast.
Hej Hej! (bye bye in Danish)
1. Make friends
2. Figure out how to get back to our houses late at night (public transportation here is pretty amazing, but a little confusing to dissect at first)
3. Meet cute Danish boys (finding them is not hard, getting them to talk to you is a little different)
4. Make friends
It's hard sometimes to remember that we're going to be here until May, and not everything is going to be perfect and figured out in the first two days. But I've learned a lot already about Danish culture and how the U.S. differs both a lot and not so much from Europe. First of all, everything here is smaller. The cars, the groceries, the stores, the streets. There's no such thing as Costco, and even if there was, there would be no where to put all that stuff. I'm also starting to realize how everything in Denmark really is so cozy. Every cafe looks so inviting and warm and even just everyday life is focused a lot more on family and togetherness. Meals, at least breakfast and dinner, are always eaten together, which is definitely something I'm not completely used to. Especially eating breakfast together every morning. And this isn't a cereal and orange juice breakfast. It's a homemade bread every morning, sausage, cheese, jam, butter, tea, liver pate, cucumber breakfast. Danes are also very into candles, and most things that we would make from a box or a packet or powder, they make from scratch.
Example: Today we went for a walk near one of the frozen lakes with my family and their cousins, and when we came back, they wanted hot chocolate. But that didn't mean putting SwissMiss in a mug and heating it in the microwave with water. It meant buying chocolate bars with 70% cacao and melting them on the stove with milk, then whipping homemade whipped cream to put on top. So delicious. I realized yesterday when I woke up before everyone else and ate cereal (which they bought for me) by myself in the dark kitchen, how much more enjoyable it is to do meals the Danish way. Though I'm definitely not used to eating so much food, or rather, eating on such a regular schedule.
At the same though, Copenhagen, for me, hasn't been one of those old, beautiful European cities like Paris or Rome that you are instantly in awe with, which is slightly disappointing and intriguing at the same time. There is a Toys R Us down the street from my house, but there's also a queen of Denmark?? There is amusing juxtoposition here.
Here's a list of other interesting and bizarre things I learned about the Danes this week:
1. They go to the grocery store every time they need something, not just once a week. Growing up with a clockwork schedule of going to the store every Saturday and buying enough for the entire week if not longer, this is very different for me. I think my mom would go crazy if she had to go to the store every day to pick up this or that. But here, they don't see it as a burden. It's just part of life. There are also grocery stores on almost every block. Oh, and the milk cartons are tiny. I'm pretty sure my family would go through two a day. But you can't buy anything as big as a gallon here.
2. They don't say excuse me. Danes are very forward and blunt. They say what they mean and mean what they say. They also aren't as politically correct. Hi, how are you? is an actual question here, not just a greeting. I think we could take a hint from them on this point.
3. Probably the most alarming thing I learned this week: Danes put their babies outside to sleep. First of all, Danish babies have the most elaborate and cozy buggies that they are wheeled around in, no matter the weather. And until they're about 2 or 3 years old, they are bundled up in their buggy and put outside for naps. Even if the mother is doing some quick errands downtown or grabbing coffee with a friend, they will leave the baby OUTSIDE THE STORE to sleep, as long as they can glance at it through a window. Just goes to show how much more trustworthy of a place this is. And I've already witnessed this baby phenomenon several times this week. For crying out loud, it's 28 degrees outside and these babies are just sound asleep on the sidewalk! It's a very crazy concept to Americans I guess, but the Danes say they do it because the fresh air is good for them.
4. Danes aren't as friendly towards strangers. No one talks on the metro, no one makes eye contact, nothing. I think that they are friendly people in general, they just aren't going to go out of their way to strike up a conversation with you at random. Even when my hostdad's 20-year-old godson came over for dinner, I had to do pretty much all the talking (which isn't that unusual for me I guess...haha) and he just answered and didn't ask a lot of questions in return. I guess they just don't like the bullshit of small talk. But how else are you supposed to get to know someone?
Ok I guess this synopsis isn't really in a nutshell. Maybe I'll start writing more than once a week to avoid such long posts. I feel like there's so much to tell! I haven't even gotten to my night out on Friday or my trip to Elsinore and the Kronborg castle. Let's just say that drinking here is a totally different experience than in the states (as in way more enjoyable because you're not freaking out about getting caught and downing shots like you'll never get another chance), and Hamlet's castle is actually not that cool. I've posted some pictures on facebook, and next time I'll hopefully get around to posting some here of my house and room. Now I'm off to try and get some reading done before class tomorrow...it's hard to remember the study part of study abroad when you're having so many new experiences so fast.
Hej Hej! (bye bye in Danish)
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Hej
Hej means hi in Danish. And this is my first hello from Denmark. I arrived in Copenhagen this morning after a surprisingly harmless flight from the Dulles airport on which I drifted between sleep and bits and pieces of Mystic River for a solid eight hours. Great movie...really depressing after the fourth rerun. Of course out of the 200-something passengers on board, I just happen to sit next to a girl from Seattle (woohoo west coast) who is also in the Communication and Mass Media track with DIS. I think I'm going to decide to stop being surprised at coincidences that continually remind me how small the world is.
Anyways, we got to Copenhagen around 7 a.m. Sunday morning (I say "we" because I swear almost my entire flight was full of DIS students) and stood in an endlessly long line to get checked in by DIS staff. Other than sighting a select few very well dressed men, my brief time in the Copenhagen airport felt pretty much like I was in the U.S. Everybody spoke English, every sign was translated into English, and I'm sure it didn't help that I was part of a horde of nervous American students making petty small talk about their crackberries not working (among other things).
We took buses to the tech university where we had a brief orientation and I was met by my host family. Their names are Aksel, Helle, and daughter Michelle. They took me around downtown so I could see the train station, get my transportation pass, find the actual location of my university, and they pointed out a few notable sights along the way. Then we went to their house, which is located in a Kommune (basically just a small town/neighborhood of Copenhagen...I think) called Gentofte. It's very nice, clean, and neat. All the floors are heated too, which is very cool. At this point it was about 11 and I was starving. We had a snack of bread, cheese, sausage, and jam, with tea. It felt very European.
Afterwards, I unpacked my room, and spent some time online. A couple hours later, it was time for another snack. My host mom, Helle, made these amazing rolls and a sort of applesauce, vanilla wafer, whipped cream pie that was delicious. We ate this with tea and watched the Danish news...which of course I didn't understand, but it's one of the few channels that's actually in Danish and not English, and I didn't come to Copenhagen to watch episodes of The Cougar (yes, that was on today). In an effort to feign off sleep and adjust to Copenhagen time, we went for a walk in the FREEZING COLD, stopped at a little store, and even walked on a pond because it's COMPLETELY FROZEN. Did I mention that it is EXTREMELY COLD outside? We came back and ate dinner a little while later, and I was taught the proper way to hold a fork and knife. I then attempted to watch a Danish tv show with my host dad, but mostly just passed out and we all ended up going to bed.
Tomorrow is orientation and who knows what else! Wow, it's only been one day and this post is probably too long and comprehensive. I'll do a better job editing when I'm not so jet lagged.
Anyways, we got to Copenhagen around 7 a.m. Sunday morning (I say "we" because I swear almost my entire flight was full of DIS students) and stood in an endlessly long line to get checked in by DIS staff. Other than sighting a select few very well dressed men, my brief time in the Copenhagen airport felt pretty much like I was in the U.S. Everybody spoke English, every sign was translated into English, and I'm sure it didn't help that I was part of a horde of nervous American students making petty small talk about their crackberries not working (among other things).
We took buses to the tech university where we had a brief orientation and I was met by my host family. Their names are Aksel, Helle, and daughter Michelle. They took me around downtown so I could see the train station, get my transportation pass, find the actual location of my university, and they pointed out a few notable sights along the way. Then we went to their house, which is located in a Kommune (basically just a small town/neighborhood of Copenhagen...I think) called Gentofte. It's very nice, clean, and neat. All the floors are heated too, which is very cool. At this point it was about 11 and I was starving. We had a snack of bread, cheese, sausage, and jam, with tea. It felt very European.
Afterwards, I unpacked my room, and spent some time online. A couple hours later, it was time for another snack. My host mom, Helle, made these amazing rolls and a sort of applesauce, vanilla wafer, whipped cream pie that was delicious. We ate this with tea and watched the Danish news...which of course I didn't understand, but it's one of the few channels that's actually in Danish and not English, and I didn't come to Copenhagen to watch episodes of The Cougar (yes, that was on today). In an effort to feign off sleep and adjust to Copenhagen time, we went for a walk in the FREEZING COLD, stopped at a little store, and even walked on a pond because it's COMPLETELY FROZEN. Did I mention that it is EXTREMELY COLD outside? We came back and ate dinner a little while later, and I was taught the proper way to hold a fork and knife. I then attempted to watch a Danish tv show with my host dad, but mostly just passed out and we all ended up going to bed.
Tomorrow is orientation and who knows what else! Wow, it's only been one day and this post is probably too long and comprehensive. I'll do a better job editing when I'm not so jet lagged.
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