I apologize for not blogging in so long - I've made a lifestyle change in which I don't use my computer as much. I go on my computer for school assignments, and that's about it! Hopefully this post will cover everything that's happened so far. Month #8 has arrived for me in Denmark, and it's weird to think that I'm nearing the end of my exchange year. My classmates are preparing for their exams, I'm getting ready for Eurotour next month, and I moved to my final host family.
We had a week-long "Påskeferie" or Easter break. It was perfect time to get to know my new family, as it was also my first week living in their house. The first part of the week was spent with friends - I went thrift shopping and to Tivoli with a friend from class and on Wednesday Aly, Molly, and I made a huge brunch including pancakes, french toast, eggs, and yogurt. At the end of the week, we all went to a water park called Lalandia to celebrate my younger sister's birthday. It was a nice break and a great way to meet my whole family (four siblings + their boyfriends/girlfriends and my host parents).
Last week I definitely learned my way around my new town! I moved from Hvidovre (where I've been living on the same street for the past 7 months) to Rødovre. It's only one town away, but I've had to learn a new way to get to Copenhagen (instead of taking a train, I take a bus and the Metro), a new way to get to school (biking 8.5 kilometers), and basically my way around the city. Biking to and from school has been the hardest part of the change, as it's now become an 8.5 kilometer bike ride one way - which is almost 5.5 miles. I'm getting used to all the biking though, and look at it as a way to stay healthy and fit! My host parents have also been very nice, volunteering to pick me up from parties at friend's houses in Hvidovre so I don't have to cycle back home. This has also been very helpful considering the fact my bike has gotten a flat tire 3 times in the past two weeks.
On Monday, my language school went on yet another field trip, this time to a city called Roskilde. Roskilde isn't too far from Copenhagen, but it has a very different aesthetic to it. It's an old town with little shops and houses lining the street. We visited the church in Roskilde, that houses the graves of all the dead kings/queens of Denmark. It was quite a beautiful church. After, we went to the Viking Ships Museum where they housed old viking ship remains and explained the design/use of the ships. It was an interesting and informative day spent with my language school friends.
On Tuesday, I gave a presentation to a group of Americans visiting my school. My school is involved in an exchange program with Hayesville High School in North Carolina. This means, that every fall a class of Danish students go to North Carolina for a week and in the spring the American students visit Denmark. I basically talked about what it is like being an American living in Denmark -- the cultural differences, how school is, and all my embarrassing stories from the past year. After, I met them and talked to them for a bit. The group of 8 students were so kind and I immediately became friends with them.
The next day, I actually went on an excursion to a castle in Hillerød with the American students. We saw many old paintings, a dress exhibit of all the queen's special outfits, and really beautiful architecture-especially the chapel inside of the castle. After, I took a few of the exchange students to my favorite cafe in Hillerød and we went sight-seeing in Copenhagen (which included feeding the ducks in the park and befriending a swan by the Little Mermaid statue).
On Thursday, the Queen of Denmark turned 75 years old. Of course this meant that there were big festivities in Copenhagen that day. I started the day around 9 a.m. when the American students, some Danish students, and I went on a walking tour around Copenhagen. One of our teachers explained the history and told stories along the way. That was the most interesting part, because there were tons of statues or places that I always walked by but never knew the history or story behind it. We then went to the Queen's palace where she came out and waved (along with her sons and their families). I honestly thought it was a bit crazy, that thousands of people would go to a palace square to just cheer and wave flags as the queen waved (for like 5 minutes) but it was pretty fun. My group also was interviewed by a TV station who wanted to know what we thought about the Danish monarchy. After, we walked around Copenhagen some more and I took the students to my favorite kebab shop - because they have never had kebab before! It turns out, that kebab is now a well-liked food among the American students.
Finally, Friday was my Galla (Danish prom). Galla is a bit different than prom because, the type of dress one wears depends on the year they are in. If you are a first year, you have to wear a short dress. If you are a second year, you can wear a short or medium length dress. Finally, third years can wear a long dress. Thankfully, I had a short dress that was formal enough for Galla because I was caught by surprise by the date (I thought it was later in the year). Another fun thing at Galla is that the students dance the Lancier, or this traditional Danish style dance from the 1800's that includes a lot of twirling, swinging, sashaying, and bowing. It was so much fun to just see everyone dressed up and having a good time at the party. I got ready at my friend, Ildiko's house with Ildiko and our friend, Mia. I am so glad for the both of them, as Ildiko helped me straighten my hair (something I cannot do alone, there is just too much hair and it's too crazy). Mia helped both Ildiko and I with makeup, because the two of us know nothing about makeup (this was made obvious when we thought a brown powder was eyeshadow when it was fact eyeliner and Ildiko ended up with a "black eye" from the powder). I then went to an "opvarming" or preparty with my class. There, we just sat around and talked (very hygge). We also tried to take a class photo, but that didn't turn out too well because there was always a few people who were blinking, making funny faces, or looking away from the camera. We headed to Galla soon after and we danced and "hygge"-d at Galla until 1 a.m. It was such a fun experience, as Galla is very different than prom in the U.S. but still a celebratory and fun way to celebrate with classmates.
Below will be a boatload of photos, as always [but even more now, thanks to the long update]. Hopefully, I'll remember to update soon as I'm faced with another busy week. Life in Denmark is going by super fast which scares me, because Denmark is my home now and I can't imagine going back so soon (a year is not enough time). The main thing to learn then, from the past couple of weeks, is that time will fly by but it is important to remember to have fun and enjoy the moment.
We had a week-long "Påskeferie" or Easter break. It was perfect time to get to know my new family, as it was also my first week living in their house. The first part of the week was spent with friends - I went thrift shopping and to Tivoli with a friend from class and on Wednesday Aly, Molly, and I made a huge brunch including pancakes, french toast, eggs, and yogurt. At the end of the week, we all went to a water park called Lalandia to celebrate my younger sister's birthday. It was a nice break and a great way to meet my whole family (four siblings + their boyfriends/girlfriends and my host parents).
Last week I definitely learned my way around my new town! I moved from Hvidovre (where I've been living on the same street for the past 7 months) to Rødovre. It's only one town away, but I've had to learn a new way to get to Copenhagen (instead of taking a train, I take a bus and the Metro), a new way to get to school (biking 8.5 kilometers), and basically my way around the city. Biking to and from school has been the hardest part of the change, as it's now become an 8.5 kilometer bike ride one way - which is almost 5.5 miles. I'm getting used to all the biking though, and look at it as a way to stay healthy and fit! My host parents have also been very nice, volunteering to pick me up from parties at friend's houses in Hvidovre so I don't have to cycle back home. This has also been very helpful considering the fact my bike has gotten a flat tire 3 times in the past two weeks.
On Monday, my language school went on yet another field trip, this time to a city called Roskilde. Roskilde isn't too far from Copenhagen, but it has a very different aesthetic to it. It's an old town with little shops and houses lining the street. We visited the church in Roskilde, that houses the graves of all the dead kings/queens of Denmark. It was quite a beautiful church. After, we went to the Viking Ships Museum where they housed old viking ship remains and explained the design/use of the ships. It was an interesting and informative day spent with my language school friends.
On Tuesday, I gave a presentation to a group of Americans visiting my school. My school is involved in an exchange program with Hayesville High School in North Carolina. This means, that every fall a class of Danish students go to North Carolina for a week and in the spring the American students visit Denmark. I basically talked about what it is like being an American living in Denmark -- the cultural differences, how school is, and all my embarrassing stories from the past year. After, I met them and talked to them for a bit. The group of 8 students were so kind and I immediately became friends with them.
The next day, I actually went on an excursion to a castle in Hillerød with the American students. We saw many old paintings, a dress exhibit of all the queen's special outfits, and really beautiful architecture-especially the chapel inside of the castle. After, I took a few of the exchange students to my favorite cafe in Hillerød and we went sight-seeing in Copenhagen (which included feeding the ducks in the park and befriending a swan by the Little Mermaid statue).
On Thursday, the Queen of Denmark turned 75 years old. Of course this meant that there were big festivities in Copenhagen that day. I started the day around 9 a.m. when the American students, some Danish students, and I went on a walking tour around Copenhagen. One of our teachers explained the history and told stories along the way. That was the most interesting part, because there were tons of statues or places that I always walked by but never knew the history or story behind it. We then went to the Queen's palace where she came out and waved (along with her sons and their families). I honestly thought it was a bit crazy, that thousands of people would go to a palace square to just cheer and wave flags as the queen waved (for like 5 minutes) but it was pretty fun. My group also was interviewed by a TV station who wanted to know what we thought about the Danish monarchy. After, we walked around Copenhagen some more and I took the students to my favorite kebab shop - because they have never had kebab before! It turns out, that kebab is now a well-liked food among the American students.
Finally, Friday was my Galla (Danish prom). Galla is a bit different than prom because, the type of dress one wears depends on the year they are in. If you are a first year, you have to wear a short dress. If you are a second year, you can wear a short or medium length dress. Finally, third years can wear a long dress. Thankfully, I had a short dress that was formal enough for Galla because I was caught by surprise by the date (I thought it was later in the year). Another fun thing at Galla is that the students dance the Lancier, or this traditional Danish style dance from the 1800's that includes a lot of twirling, swinging, sashaying, and bowing. It was so much fun to just see everyone dressed up and having a good time at the party. I got ready at my friend, Ildiko's house with Ildiko and our friend, Mia. I am so glad for the both of them, as Ildiko helped me straighten my hair (something I cannot do alone, there is just too much hair and it's too crazy). Mia helped both Ildiko and I with makeup, because the two of us know nothing about makeup (this was made obvious when we thought a brown powder was eyeshadow when it was fact eyeliner and Ildiko ended up with a "black eye" from the powder). I then went to an "opvarming" or preparty with my class. There, we just sat around and talked (very hygge). We also tried to take a class photo, but that didn't turn out too well because there was always a few people who were blinking, making funny faces, or looking away from the camera. We headed to Galla soon after and we danced and "hygge"-d at Galla until 1 a.m. It was such a fun experience, as Galla is very different than prom in the U.S. but still a celebratory and fun way to celebrate with classmates.
Below will be a boatload of photos, as always [but even more now, thanks to the long update]. Hopefully, I'll remember to update soon as I'm faced with another busy week. Life in Denmark is going by super fast which scares me, because Denmark is my home now and I can't imagine going back so soon (a year is not enough time). The main thing to learn then, from the past couple of weeks, is that time will fly by but it is important to remember to have fun and enjoy the moment.