og sig mig fik vi satset nok på kærlighed

So currently I am obsessed with the Danish pop duo Nik and Jay. They are fabulous.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtYhtLNItwM&feature=channel

Hvor kommer det fra, hvor ender det henne.
Det du møder på vej op møder du på vej ned.
kan jeg gøre det hele bedre når jeg kommer igen.
og sig mig fik vi satset nok på kærlighed

Where does it come from, where it ends at.
That you meet on the way up you will meet on the way down.
I can make it all better when I come back.
Please tell me we had invested enough in love

mmm delicious.

"What train do I take?"

So yesterday I was standing on the platform at the station waiting for my train to come, when a Danish man came up to me speaking, of course, in Danish. I apologized and told him that I only spoke English. He smiled feebly and then asked me in not-so-great English, what train he should take to get to Valby. A Danish man asked me, an American, for help... IN DENMARK. So needless to say, I told him that the next train would stop there train. And as he got off the train at Valby, he smiled and waved. Take that, Denmark. I CAN figure out train schedules and directions. :)

Success!!

So the other night I was coming home from a cafe in the city, and for some reason there was only one train line leaving the station. The announcement on the screen was in Danish, but I managed to figure out that I would have to take a different train to a different station and then transfer. Instead of waiting 18 minutes for the next train, I hopped on the Metro (which is in a different kiosk, but comes every 2 or so minutes) to Vanlose, and then transferred to the train. Not only did I manage to figure out a Danish announcement, but I was able to get home without getting lost once! Now that is what I consider success. :)

Arabian Nights

The most popular clothing item (besides super tight skinny jeans for both girls and guys) is definitely genie pants. They come in so many designs and fabrics, but all in all, they look like they came straight out of Aladin or I Dream of Jeannie. At first I thought they were ugly; now I wish I had a pair. Damn Danes - always one step ahead of us with fashion.

Say no to hard drugs

Thursday and Friday began the start of classes. My schedule isn't too too bad. I'm taking a course called Memory and Identity, which is just once a week for a few weeks, and we get to travel to Western Denmark over a long weekend and then to Prague and Cesky Krumlov for a week. I'm also taking Copenhagen: History and Urban Issues (which will hopefully help me to better understand the city, and see more than just buildings - ie. I can now date some buildings based just on their structure, and I understand the city layout which explains the roads, land defenses, and street markets), Gender and Sexuality in Scandinavia (if the first readings are any indication of how the rest of the semester will be, it will definitely be interesting), and Biology of Marine Mammals, which I am really excited about. I'm also taking Environmental Microbiology, but that class is at Denmark's Technological University and I'll write a blog on that experience later.

My last class on Thursday ends at 11:25, so I took my lunch and my textbooks down to the harbor by the Black Diamond, where I ate, read, and (let's be honest) just relaxed for almost four hours. It was so beautiful! Holly and I then decided to venture to Christiana, a hippie village separated from the rest of Copenhagen with their painted murals, self-built houses, and alternative lifestyles. (We actually missed the turn and ended up walking super far, totally outside the city limits. There seems to be a pattern...) Anyway, as a "free town", there is a lot that goes on on the streets of Christiana, so they have tons of signs that say "no pictures". Not seeing this, we managed to take a few, but then hastily hid the camera away when the signs literally attacked us. It's rather interesting that this part of the city so openly does drugs, and as long as it stays contained in the area, no one seems to really care.

Friday night, DIS arranged a Canal Boat trip for us, which was really neat. The tour lasted about an hour, and it allowed us to see all of CPH's famous buildings and touristy attractions from the water. Afterwards, there was a welcome part at the K-3 club in the city. It started off awkward enough with everyone at separate tables, but eventually the stripper poles were put to use and the dance floor was packed with American kids dancing to old school 90s music that I'm pretty sure never even made it to my iPod (and that's saying something). The doors opened to the public later on, and soon the place was flooded with Danes. Ali, Josh (Ali's boyfriend), and I peaced out and headed to the Viking bar where we enjoyed shots of many different varieties, including one called the Fisherman, which tasted remarkably like mouthwash. Around 2am, we headed for the metro (the trains stop at 12:30) and took the first one to Vanløse. Ali and I were sure that we would be able to figure out our way home this time (maybe getting lost once would be enough right?), but, yet again, we managed to turn too early and ended up walking about 15-20 minutes in the wrong direction. We asked a woman for help, but it would have been much more helpful if we could pronounce our street name. We finally made it home, and my bed never looked so welcoming.

Next post: Tirolerfest

meal-oh-vin-densk-ay

I managed to oversleep the first morning because I forgot to set BOTH of my clocks to military time, which meant they were due to go off twelve hours later than necessary. What can I say, I make really great first impressions. Our first "official" day in CPH consisted of an opening ceremony in the Black Diamond (the Royal Library) at 9am, wandering around the city, and a class about living in Europe. Afterwards, Ali and I were all set to get home, but in our haste, chose to get off at Vanløse (where we actually live), instead of Jyllingevej (where we should get off). Jyllingevej station is only about a 5-7 minute walk from our house, and I suppose Vanløse is about 20 minutes, but that's only if you know where you are going. We managed to turn at more corners, and cross more intersections than would ever be necessary. It took us almost 45 minutes to find Thorsmindevej (the street we live on), and Jørgen embraced the opportunity to make fun of us. I, however, think that getting on the right train, in the right direction, deserves praise. Just saying.

Tuesday and Wednesday were stocked full of orientation classes like survival Danish and our program core course meeting. I now know how to correctly ask someone what their name is ("Hvad hedder du?" Pronounced somewhat like "val heller do?" or "va heyer do?"), what they study ("Hvad laser du?" Pronounced "va lasser do?") and where they are from ("Hvor kommor du fra?" Pronounced "vor comber do fra"). Most importantly, I know that I am studying Miljøvidenskab (Environmental Studies), which sounds somewhat like meal-oh-vin-densk-ay. I guess that could come in handy at somepoint? The best part of Tuesday was a scavenger hunt of Copenhagen. We were split into groups and set out with a map and a list of destinations. My group managed to run out of time just because we wanted to spend so much time at each point. Okay, maybe it had a lot to do with the fact that we sat down by the harbor to watch the water and relax. Don't judge.

Wednesday evening, Ali and I met Jørgen, Else, Tina, Casper and Steen at Tivoli, the world's oldest amusement park. Steen is Jørgen's austistic son, and once a year they all go to the park and take him on the rides. It was really cute. The park is amazing, and although I didn't go on any rides, I enjoyed walking around. It's hard to believe that this place exists in the bustling city of Copenhagen. That night, they were actually filming the final contestants for Dancing with the Stars live on the stage. I saw the guy from Aqua (you know, Barbie Girl). It was pretty fantastic.

velkommen hen til danmark!

This is a rather delayed beginning to blogging, but I figured better late than never.

Last Saturday I left for Copenhagen with all hopes of a smooth flight and lots of sleep. Well the 20 or so hours of travel included thunderstorms, flight delays, a young girl who enjoyed kicking, lack of sleep, running through London's airport basement (seriously) because I thought I was supposed to be in a different building, really crappy food, and watching Ghosts of Girlfriend's Past (let me tell you, worst movie ever). But eventually I landed in CPH where we were picked up by DIS and taken to the university. Nothing like being perky and friendly after no sleep. Eventually the meetings ended and I was able to meet Ali, another American student staying with my host family. My host dad Jørgen picked us up around 4:30pm and took us immediately to the train station to pick up our train passes. Mine allows me to travel through seven zones - don't worry, I don't really understand either :). By the time we got home and brought my bags into my room, Jørgen's daughter Else, her boyfriend Brian and their two kids, Casper and Signe, arrived. So much for a shower, or in the very least, a change of clothes.  Nothing like meeting new people wearing the same thing that you wore for the past day+.  Soon Jørgen's other daughter Tina and her boyfriend Kim came and we sat down to a table of Danish conversation and a dinner of goose, potatoes, and carrots. The goose was actually really delicious - it basically tasted like turkey, Thanksgiving style.  I was able to pick up on two words during the conversation - "play station". Oh, that's not Danish? Damn. Dinner was followed by a rhubarb dish (Jørgen grows the fruit in his garden) dolloped with whipped cream and cake crumbs. I didn't last much longer after that. After I unpacked, I curled up and fell asleep within minutes. Mmm yay jetlag.