Around town

So school has officially started up again and I am resisting as much as possible. I feel like I should just get a four month vacation while I explore wonderful Europe. Wouldn't that be great? If only... Although my silent protest against schoolwork will probably persist for a while longer, I have a feeling that the teachers here expect that type of response and understand one of the primary reasons for coming was to be exposed to the culture. Already I've had a couple assignments just to go check out buildings around town which either have some sort of significance to the project at hand or are places we will be studying. I want to get out and wander around the city but it's hard not to think 'oh I've got all semester'. Also the wind has been extra fierce lately and the chill outside is hard to face, so I do actually appreciate them requiring us to get out and about.
This weekend I had four different stops. I began at the Botanisk Have (botanical gardens) which was like this delicate oasis in the center of the city. It's only a couple blocks from Nørreport, the busiest station in København. Regardless of the closeness, the city just seems to disappear upon entering. I was completely mesmerized by the incredible layered landscaping that would unravel before you as you progressed through the property. It lead you through enticing pathways through wooded areas over hills and streams. Sounds almost like a fairy tale, and at the end it opens upon a towering castle! Well not quite a castle but the most exquisite green house I've ever seen. Further exploration revealed some perfectly placed accents throughout the site; strong timber trellises, detailed bridges, trickling waterfalls, and statues located just right not to detract from the landscape but definitely enhance the space. There was even this precious little family feeding some ducks on one of the partly frozen ponds. Although it's still winter this place is absolutely one of my new favorites. I can't wait to see it once everything begins to awaken in the spring. I've tried my darndest but I wish I could be more poetic describing the detail of this garden. I fear no words could ever fully capture the intense mystique of this natural solitude.
After my wonderful time in the garden I was about half frozen, so by the time I found the other buildings I did some brief inspections and decided I would have to return some other time for more detailed analysis. Actually all of the other buildings had been pointed out to me previously either on the scavenger hunt, or the tour I went on last weekend that taught me about what København was like while Hans Christian Andersen (famous tale writer ex:the little mermaid) and Kierkegaard (famous philosopher) grew up here. The walk was interesting and showed me a lot of the original history of the city. My favorite part was visiting a small little cafe that both danes could have frequented since it had been open since the 1800's! It was a very lavish little shop and the guide bought us all hot cocoa and a pieces of cake. These treats were probably some of the richest food I've ever tasted in my life. Now everyone who know's me, knows I never turn down sugar, but I couldn't even finish a little teacup of hot cocoa and half a piece of cake! It was definitely delicious but I recommend taking a friend to split everything with, you'll never get it all down yourself.
Sunday I went to have lunch with my visiting family again which was great. They had a smorgasbord of different toppings for little open-faced sandwiches they call Smørrebrød. I got to try rye bread and liver paste, two danish staples. I was a little weary about the liver paste after hearing some awful testimonies of first experiences from other Americans, but I actually didn't think it was too bad. I was expecting it to be this horribly potent stuff but it's not intolerable. I can't say I'll buy it next time I get grocery's but it's alright. After lunch Tove took me to Arken, a modern art museum near where they live. The building sits near the water and is this abstract depiction of a ship or ark. The simple lines and dynamic angles of the contemporary building were quite impressive, and the inside even felt as though you were below deck; very industrial cold materials. They had a wonderful impressionist exhibit that had just opened containing a bunch of great artists; Monet, Van Gogh, Pissarro, Renoir, etc. I am always so impressed with their delicate touches that can somehow portray so much depth and detail with a seemingly blurred technique. The blending and contrasting of color is incredible. I also quickly browsed through the permanent collection of modern art they had displayed. I have a lot of appreciation for all kinds of art and there were some great modern pieces there, but there were definitely many that I could not even understand. But I guess that's art.
Sorry again for no pics. Dad has already sent me some new memory cards for my camera since mine died and I'm gonna borrow one this weekend for our study trip to western Denmark. So no fear, I'll have pictures galore next time I post!

The Danes

Well one week down! I am thoroughly amazed at how much this trip has already opened my eyes! Its amazing how many unconscious habits not only differ in other cultures but are misinterpreted. The Danes intrigue me greatly and honestly have made me begin to examine my own culture much more thoroughly (which I suspect is what these sort of trips are taken for) During orientation we attended an intro to danish culture seminar and were graciously warned about how different the culture is here and though skeptical at first, the astonishing report has proven to be correct thus far. One bit of caution that seems to really express a lot about their culture: Danish people may seem very stark and cold at times. They will never say hello to you first, or strike up conversation on the subway but don't take offense. They see our brief "hi, how are you..." conversations as superficial since we rarely care what the answer actually is: soooo true! Don't think for a minute that this makes them cruel or unpersonable. They simply enjoy more intellectual discussions. One dane even made the annalogy: Danes are like a glass ketchup bottle you bang and bang with no avail, and then once it comes out you get more than you ever wanted! lol I've only met a few the past week but so far they are a very nice group who enjoy learning about us as much as I enjoy learning about them. With education open to everyone, they are a very well educated bunch.
I didn't opt to live with a host family because I was worried about the extra hours necessary for studio and most of them live much further away from the school. However the school has given me the opportunity to sign up for a Danish Visiting Family. This program puts me in contact with a Danish family who I can go and have dinner with occasionally and they might show me around the city a bit; the amount of contact is really up to the individual and their family. Last night I finally had the opportunity to meet my visiting family, I went and had dinner at their home. There is a couple Tove(F) and Anders(M) who have twin girls Mette and Kirsten(27) and another daughter Laura(23). The girls don't live with them anymore but Laura and Kirsten were there last night. They're very bubbly and vivacious I can see them becoming good friends. I had a nice time talking with Tove and Anders as well, they showed me pictures of their family, talked a lot about food and other traditions, told me about many interesting places throughout Denmark, and even offered to lend me one of the girls old bikes while I'm here! They were a very sweet family. I didn't get a pic of them yet, cause my cameras still on the fritz. It deleted some more pics the other day but I'm workin on it and I thought I could at least show you all a few views of my room.

My tiny bathroom, don't be fooled yes this is all there is. The shower is behind the door, I just pull the curtain across a vou'la!

Here's my room, kinda messy I know...

View from the door. It's a good size room with new floor, very nice. Can't say the same for the rest of the building but it'll do.

Arrival: København

What a whirlwind the past week has been! The final preparation for København was insane, an over abundance of last minute loose ends to tie up. Very little sleep those last couple nights was definitely a bad idea; because of coarse I didn't get much sleep during the 24 some odd hours I spent either in an airport or on a plane. Jet-lag is not something to mess with; I will never underestimate its powers again. But I believe I'm finally adjusted to the time change, can't say I'm not still pretty exhausted but that's purely because of the intense orientation that began as soon as I landed.
DIS (Danish Institute for Study Abroad) picked us up from the airport, which was great but we were then taken to be shuffled through registration and several intro meetings. While barely managing to keep my eyelids open I managed to have dinner with the other DIS students living in the same building and then crashed. I arrived on Sunday and since then we have had orientation activities everyday which consists of Survival Danish language classes, and mostly informational meeting on everything including Danish culture, intro to our core curriculum, and our field trips we'll be taking all over Scandinavia. We were also sent on a scavenger hunt around the city to help us learn our way around a little better and educate us about some of the significant buildings around town. It was absolutely wonderful! This city is such a great fusion of the old and the new. I am truly glad I chose Denmark; I feel like nowhere else could I get exposure to such a variety of quality design. I took lots of beautiful pictures, but then of course my camera decided to reformat the memory card for some odd reason and they were all lost, but no worries I plan on returning to each of the destinations again for more thorough exploration. New pictures coming soon, I promise.
I don't know if the hunt helped or not but I'm finally starting to figure my way around some. After many loooong scenic routes over the past few days, today for the first time I got to my school without the aid of a map. Very proud, but the feeling didn't last long as I went into another Danish Language class. I can't even pronounce the words let alone remember what they mean. It's amazing the challenges just adding a few extra vowels creates. I haven't been able to get my mouth to even make some of their noises, and let me tell ya hawking up your R's like you've got a throat full of crud is not as easy as it sounds. I was warned that Danish was an extremely difficult language, but definitely underestimated the complexity of it. There pronunciation sounds like they skip half the letters in each word and the rest all just get slurred together.
I'm living in what the Danes call a Kollegium, similar to American dorms but also quite different. The building isn't owned by any individual institution but rather students from different schools throughout København live here. I have my own bedroom but share a bathroom with one other gal and then a kitchen and common space with the rest of my block (floor). I have to cook for myself but there’s a pizzeria and a bar downstairs, so I’ll never really be at a loss. I have to take the metro to school which I think is great. It's very clean, much nicer than NYC and Chicago. Just about everyone here either takes advantage of public transportation or rides a bike. For those of you that are unaware, København is known for all its bicycles, they're everywhere! Everyone rides them too; I can’t tell you how many women in heels and skirts I’ve seen or even business men in suits riding. It's amazing the difference it makes just walking through the city you notice how much quieter and cleaner it really is. No honking, sirens, or exhaust blowing in your face. Although you do have to watch out for the cyclists, they'll turn you into roadkill if you don't watch out.

Preparation

Less than two weeks to go and I have to admit I'm getting a little nervous, but also ridiculously excited! Been taking care of all the last minute details, thought a blog would be the prefect outlet to keep everyone updated on my travels. I am an awful writer and absolutely despise writing, but I will try my best to keep you all informed without lulling everyone to sleep. I'll try to post regularly but cannot promise how often that will be just yet. I definitely have no idea how crazy my schedule in Denmark will be! :)