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.

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