Hiya Folks,
As 2014 came to an end, I like to think the year ended on a spectacular note. This Christmas break has been filled with family time, a trip to a farm, baking cookies with friends, and just being able to relax. On the first Monday of break, I baked cookies with some friends from school. It was fun to get together to bake and decorate - we maybe even sang a karaoke of some famous Mariah Carey Christmas songs. The day before Christmas Eve was spent decorating our house because my host grandparents came over on Christmas Eve to eat dinner with us, dance around the Christmas tree (a Danish tradition), and open presents.
As mentioned before, one of the biggest traditions Danes have around Christmas time is to hold hands and dance around the Christmas tree. While dancing, we sing traditional Danish Christmas carols. This tradition is fun, but also scary because we're dancing around a real pine tree that's decorated with lit candles (which means if I fall, I would create a huge fire hazard). Nevertheless, no one fell this year and Christmas Eve ended on a joyful note.
I started Christmas day with a trip to church. I have to say, one of the best parts of Christmas was walking down one of the main streets of Copenhagen to get to my church. It was morning and big, fluffy snowflakes were falling. Seeing an empty Copenhagen covered in snow is probably one of the most beautiful things to see. The church service was filled with celebration and traditional carols, creating a happy atmosphere. After the service, I returned home and spent the rest of the day relaxing with my host family.
The day after Christmas was slightly more hectic. We traveled to Lolland, an island south of Sjaelland, to celebrate with my host dad’s side of the family. The party, like every Danish Christmas party, was filled with food and we ate literally for five hours straight. I will never get tired of Danish Christmas food, and will certainly miss it next Christmas. I also was able to talk with the young cousins, and tried to color with them, but most of the time was spent with them asking me questions about America (in Danish of course).
My host sister and I decided to spend a few more days in Lolland, living with my host aunt and her family by a town called Sakskøbing. I stayed with my host aunt and five year old host cousin on their farm. It was definitely one of the highlights of my year, because I got to see a different part of Denmark- the small town/farm charm which is something that Copenhagen is unable to provide. The last full day we were there, one of the cows had a baby calf and we and we saw this newborn baby calf learn to walk that same evening! It was also fun talking to my five year old host cousin, because we have about the same vocabulary level so I could understand him easily and practice my danish. The last night I was there, it started to snow quite heavily. Around 10 pm, five inches of snow covered the ground and my aunt had the idea to go sledding on a hill by the farm. So at 10 pm at night we all bundled up and trekked to a hill and attempted to sled. It was a challenge for me, because the two sleds they had were meant for people under the age of 7 so I was lucky if i could even fit my bottom on the sled. By the end, my aunt, sister and I were just rolling down the hill while my cousin got to choose between two sleds. The next day, my host sister and I sadly had to take the train back to Sjaelland and leave the farm.
New years eve was spent at my friends houses an hour and a half north of my town. We spent the night eating, jumping on the trampoline (not in that order, that would be a BAD idea!), watching Swedish television, playing board games, and best of all walking to the beach where we could see the fireworks from Sweden’s coast. It was cold, but so worth it seeing fireworks across the water. A friend at the party was telling me how the 31st and the 1st are the only two days in which it is legal to light fireworks in Denmark. As you can imagine, that means people get a little crazy with fireworks. Around 12:30 am, my friends backyard was lit up by the neighbours' fireworks and it sounded like a battle zone outside. The fireworks were definitely a spectacular show though.
It's crazy to think that I've done so much in just the two weeks of winter break. It's even crazier (and sadder) to think that when Christmas break ends, I'll be halfway through my exchange (something I do NOT want to think about!). With this exchange flying by, I have to start thinking about what's going to happen once I get back. Obviously, I'll finish my senior year in Indiana, but I was also thinking of how amazing it would be to go back to Denmark for University. Right now, it's just a thought, but it is growing on me - Denmark is just such an amazing place. Pictures are below as usual and I hope everyone enjoys the end of their winter breaks!
Hej hej,
Sophie
As 2014 came to an end, I like to think the year ended on a spectacular note. This Christmas break has been filled with family time, a trip to a farm, baking cookies with friends, and just being able to relax. On the first Monday of break, I baked cookies with some friends from school. It was fun to get together to bake and decorate - we maybe even sang a karaoke of some famous Mariah Carey Christmas songs. The day before Christmas Eve was spent decorating our house because my host grandparents came over on Christmas Eve to eat dinner with us, dance around the Christmas tree (a Danish tradition), and open presents.
As mentioned before, one of the biggest traditions Danes have around Christmas time is to hold hands and dance around the Christmas tree. While dancing, we sing traditional Danish Christmas carols. This tradition is fun, but also scary because we're dancing around a real pine tree that's decorated with lit candles (which means if I fall, I would create a huge fire hazard). Nevertheless, no one fell this year and Christmas Eve ended on a joyful note.
I started Christmas day with a trip to church. I have to say, one of the best parts of Christmas was walking down one of the main streets of Copenhagen to get to my church. It was morning and big, fluffy snowflakes were falling. Seeing an empty Copenhagen covered in snow is probably one of the most beautiful things to see. The church service was filled with celebration and traditional carols, creating a happy atmosphere. After the service, I returned home and spent the rest of the day relaxing with my host family.
The day after Christmas was slightly more hectic. We traveled to Lolland, an island south of Sjaelland, to celebrate with my host dad’s side of the family. The party, like every Danish Christmas party, was filled with food and we ate literally for five hours straight. I will never get tired of Danish Christmas food, and will certainly miss it next Christmas. I also was able to talk with the young cousins, and tried to color with them, but most of the time was spent with them asking me questions about America (in Danish of course).
My host sister and I decided to spend a few more days in Lolland, living with my host aunt and her family by a town called Sakskøbing. I stayed with my host aunt and five year old host cousin on their farm. It was definitely one of the highlights of my year, because I got to see a different part of Denmark- the small town/farm charm which is something that Copenhagen is unable to provide. The last full day we were there, one of the cows had a baby calf and we and we saw this newborn baby calf learn to walk that same evening! It was also fun talking to my five year old host cousin, because we have about the same vocabulary level so I could understand him easily and practice my danish. The last night I was there, it started to snow quite heavily. Around 10 pm, five inches of snow covered the ground and my aunt had the idea to go sledding on a hill by the farm. So at 10 pm at night we all bundled up and trekked to a hill and attempted to sled. It was a challenge for me, because the two sleds they had were meant for people under the age of 7 so I was lucky if i could even fit my bottom on the sled. By the end, my aunt, sister and I were just rolling down the hill while my cousin got to choose between two sleds. The next day, my host sister and I sadly had to take the train back to Sjaelland and leave the farm.
New years eve was spent at my friends houses an hour and a half north of my town. We spent the night eating, jumping on the trampoline (not in that order, that would be a BAD idea!), watching Swedish television, playing board games, and best of all walking to the beach where we could see the fireworks from Sweden’s coast. It was cold, but so worth it seeing fireworks across the water. A friend at the party was telling me how the 31st and the 1st are the only two days in which it is legal to light fireworks in Denmark. As you can imagine, that means people get a little crazy with fireworks. Around 12:30 am, my friends backyard was lit up by the neighbours' fireworks and it sounded like a battle zone outside. The fireworks were definitely a spectacular show though.
It's crazy to think that I've done so much in just the two weeks of winter break. It's even crazier (and sadder) to think that when Christmas break ends, I'll be halfway through my exchange (something I do NOT want to think about!). With this exchange flying by, I have to start thinking about what's going to happen once I get back. Obviously, I'll finish my senior year in Indiana, but I was also thinking of how amazing it would be to go back to Denmark for University. Right now, it's just a thought, but it is growing on me - Denmark is just such an amazing place. Pictures are below as usual and I hope everyone enjoys the end of their winter breaks!
Hej hej,
Sophie