Let the Traveling Begin

I suppose it's time to write another one of these. It's been awhile. So much happens everyday it's hard to keep track. I've started traveling now and much more is to come in March.

In front of our Chalet!

Feb 3-5th
The second weekend here, I went to Sweden and skied at Isaberg (pronounced Esaberg - and for all you out there it's not Ikea it's Ekea). It was a lot of fun in Sweden. We drove to the border then hoped on a short ferry that took us to Sweden. The ferry was awesome with lounges and a connivence store. Since the Swedish government basically has a monopoly on alcohol, my host dad recommended that I bring a bottle of wine with me from Denmark so I could stay warm on the slopes.

While everyone was buying their alcohol on the ferry mine was sitting in my backpack on the bus. The ferry was suppose to take 20 minutes but it really was more like 5. Luckily I noticed the ferry stopped and headed back to the bus but some of the other DIS students were still exploring the ferry and had to run after the bus while carrying their alcohol, quite the sight. I spent Saturday skiing, one of the main lifts was closed so there were only like 3 runs which was a bummer. And they have "red" runs there which are more like black diamonds. But still fun and such a great deal. On Saturday night we had a progressive dinner between the chalets which was fun to meet more DIS students. On Sunday I decided to cross country ski, as I have never done it before nor know when I will get the chance again, plus the slopes were pretty small - like a Minnesota mountain so I wanted to do something else. Cross country skiing was so much fun and would definitely do it again. Such a work out but an awesome way to see the country. Since the main lift was closed we had to carry our cross country ski's back to the resort. That was quite the walk and after a couple of hours of cross country skiing and a couple of breaks later we made it back and the hot chocolate was worth the wait.

Our prof (right) sumo wrestling a student!

After 3 days back in Denmark and class, every program at DIS went on a short study tour somewhere around Denmark or close by. I was in Western Denmark on an island called Jutland. I was with my core class of International Business students. My host mom, Rete, so kindly volunteered to drive us to the train station on Thursday morning. We were to leave at 5:55am to make the 6:07am train. I slept through my alarm and thank goodness Liz woke me up at 5:47 and that I was already packed. We did make the train after some intense race car driving.

Feb. 9th
Thursday consisted of visiting a business called Novozymes, human fussball, sumo wrestling, bungee activities, and an art museum. At the end of the day we had an awesome dinner at the hostel and then our prof took us out for bowling and bought each lane a pitcher of beer. Before that there was some pregamming in the hostel rooms and our prof walked in and started chugging liquor with us. We have quite the relationship with our prof. He then took us to a bar and was breaking it down on the dance floor with us.

One of the three runic stones.

Feb 10th
We got up the next day bright an early for a great breakfast at the hostel and left almost on time with only a few minor set backs...We were going to see Bang and Olufsen, a very high end video and audio company. The cheapest speaker is about $1000. It was very impressive to see. We then hopped back on the bus to see the Jelling Stones. It is like the birth certificate of Denmark where the word Denmark was written for the first time. We then went to the hostel for more amazing food and beer. The business program finished our crates of beer before the other program even finished 2 beers. I stayed in that night because I was feeling a cold coming on, but it was fun to meet some of the other business students from the other class.

Feb. 11th
On Saturday we had one last visit to a micro brewery called Fenix for beer tasting. Before that we toured a very old castle that had no heating and wasn't even suppose to be open at this time of year. It was real cold. Eventually we made it back to Copenhagen after an exhausting and fun filled cultural and learning experience. Lots of memories from this short study tour.

Easter beer. My host parents were jealous that I already got to taste it.

Hockey with my Sigma sis Laura!

The last 2 weeks have been spent in Denmark with school, hanging with friends, and going out. I have had a couple of tours around towns of Copenhagen for class - there is so much history here. And a couple more business visits. I also went to a free hockey game with DIS this past Monday. The Copenhagen team wasn't the best but it was fun to watch and they had a singer and rapper during one of the breaks...so random...but they were good. I also joined a buddy network here, meaning I hang out with Danes my age and other DIS students here. I love my network, so much fun and so nice. They sure like to drink.

I am now trying to get over this cold and skipped classes for today. It's hard to get better here when you are always so busy and always want to take advantage of all the opportunities. My host mom Rete, has made some awesome warm juice that soothes my throat. I've only skipped three classes here, which if you know me well is a really good record. I just needed some sleep.

This weekend I plan to have a relaxing weekend to get over this cold. On Saturday I am going to brunch and a artist is teaching us some drawing skills - my host mom organized this for free through DIS. And on Sunday I am going to a local tradition called Fastelavn - it's like Halloween with dressing up and candy expect it is more with baked goods and there is a pinata sort of thing...it's called "beat the cat out of the barrel."

A couple of other quick updates. I'm working at the front desk at DIS and I love it. I work with Danes so half the time I don't know what they are saying but so far I can catch when they say numbers... I usually scan packages and hand out things to students, but half the time when a student asks for a recommendation for a place or how to get somewhere, I am completely clueless. Most people think I'm a full time Danish worker there and know everything and can understand Danish... so not true. I'm learning a lot about DIS and Copenhagen this way and love my job!

AND the final box update is here: my mom sent me it and it arrived in three days...whoa. So happy to have clothes here and goldfish. I still have 2 unopened bags of goldfish and almost finished one. I think I am pacing myself pretty well.

Anyways, the month of March looks crazy busy. Here is a brief overview of my travel plans:
First week: London on a long study tour with my business class.
St. Patty's Day: Amsterdam or Prague
My Birthday: Celebrating in Denmark/Copenhagen
Last days of March and first 2 weeks of April (Spring break): Norway (Fjords), Italy (Rome and Florence), Sky diving in Switzerland (Interlaken and Zurich), Austria (Salzburg), and Germany (Munich and Berlin).

We are going to be extremely tired after all this traveling and sight seeing. We plan on taking trains overnight and sleeping on trains to maximize our time and money...uff da. Now if only my home bank would let me purchase these airline tickets and hostels online... so frustrating.

Until my next blog, the best way to keep updated on my happenings here is through facebook. There are always pictures up. Keep a look out for a future blog on my travels in March and at some point I'm gonna focus on some of the Danish culture I learned... they have some odd ways of doing things...

-Leslee

All Zones and Many Lessons Learned

Hej!

So I'm here and the above word is one of the five Danish words I can say. It's pronounced just like the American "hi" and means the same thing. The Danish language is the most confusing language I have ever came across. Basically they don't pronounce half the letters in each word, with the addition of three new vowels, æ, ø, å. Fun. Thank goodness almost every Dane speaks english and are more then friendly and willing to help (once you initiate the conversation with them).

 I don't even know where to begin, I have been on the go since I arrived. Hopefully after this week I will have more of a routine and I can blog more consistently, or even check my email and talk to family and friends back home.

My flight into Copenhagen was pretty uneventful until I landed in London. There I had to pay for internet to see if my host family and roommates were picking me or if I was trekking through the streets of Copenhagen by myself on a Saturday night (it's a very safe city). Luckily they picked me up. Unfortunately my baggage was lost, and after over an hour of trying to find it I heard my name being called on the overhead speakers in the Copenhagen airport. Of course this would happen. My host mom Rete was getting worried and wanted me to check in at the information desk.

Looking good in my airport clothes!

When I finally made it to my family in the airport sometime around 9pm, I was then ushered into the car and dropped off at a bar to meet some other Danish Institute for Study Abroad (DIS) students. Obviously I have my priorities straight. After 26 hours of flying and in the same clothes I had on from Maui, I was looking good... But we had so much fun the first night and made such great friends right away. When we tried to go home that night, it turned out we didn't have our train pass. So we ended up staying in the hostel where we were originally planning to stay in before our host parents graciously offered to let us move in early. We finally went to bed around 4am and got up at 8am to grab a pastry at 711 (they are everywhere and very expensive) and then go pick up our orientation things. We of course got lost getting there, left and then had to go back because I forgot to pick up my phone, and then we missed our train just as we were about to step on to is. I finally made it to my home some time after 3pm for two hours of free time and finally a shower and change of clothes.

Now I have two of these...

I got my luggage delivered on Monday to DIS and got to drag it through the cobblestone streets of Copenhagen and then push it home on our 20 minute walk from the station. Thank goodness it has four wheels. Monday through Wednesday consisted of orientation activities at DIS and around Copenhagen. On Thursday we started class only for me to lose my ID before classes even started... let's just say you need this ID to get into every building. Thank goodness for roommates and friends who can let me in. When I went home that night my ID was sitting on my desk, it was found right outside the front door of our home. Go figure.


DIS is amazing, the program is so unique, flexible, and gives you plenty of time to explore. There is no central campus rather separated buildings surrounded by bars. With each class we have at least two field trips and most classes involve a hands-on aspect! And there are no classes on Wednesdays (we do have some field trips on these days). It turns out museums are free or cheaper on Wednesdays and the city knows that Tuesdays are great for business and offer lots of drink specials. To say this is a drinking country is an understatement. I'm taking five classes here, and they consist of a lot of reading. Let's just say I'm going to be very good at skimming by the end of this semester. Trains and right before class turn out to be a great time to "do" homework.

My home is located about 30 minutes north of Copenhagen in a town called Hørsholm (I still don't know how to pronounce it). I have two roommates, Liz from Minnesota (goes to St. Thomas) and Tricia from Chicago (goes to Gettysburg). My host mom is named Rete and my host dad is Flemming. They have three boys, all moved out or studying/playing hockey abroad. We very briefly meet Valdemar, who is 16 years old and playing hockey/studying in Austria at the Copenhagen Central Station. The middle son Tobias, 25 years old, plays hockey/studys in Denmark and we actually got to go to one of his games! The only one I haven't meet yet is Johon, 29 years old, who is studying in Copenhagen. Very busy boys they are.

Rete, Leslee, Valdemar, Liz,  and Tricia

With Tobias

My host mom is a great cook and we continue to try new things. I love the deserts. Raw herring on the other hand is interesting. We eat with the fork in our left hand and knife is always being held in our right hand even if we are not using it (because in the "stoneage" you had keep your weapon ready and in the dominate hand). In addition to holding the utensils there are certain places you put them on the plate to indicate if you are done eating or if you are just taking a break. We are learning so many European and Danish customs from our host parents!

Sunday brunch! Oh so yummy!

 The house is wonderful, we all have our own rooms and basically there are two wings of the house and on our wing we have a living room, bathroom, our rooms, and a small fridge and food area.

Of course there is Bob Marley poster above my very warm and comfortable bed!

The train station, Rungsted Kyst, is supposedly a 10 minute walk from our house, if you walk like a European. For us it's more like 20 minutes, I can't wait to get my bike here. Everyone rides bike - you are more likely to be hit by a bike then a car. And the bikers are intense with bells, lights, and even using the hand singles. I think walking pedestrians are 3rd in line under bikes for the right away. And jay walking is a big no no.

Frederiksborg Castle

Besides going out, having meals with my family, running to catch the train, and hanging with new DIS friends, I have taken time to see a the Frederiksborg Castle. And this coming weekend I will be in Sweden skiing for two days! It's suppose to be getting colder here now. Lately it's been around 30°F and the sun is usually peeking out behind the clouds. It only rained once the first day I got here!

A typical day for me, lately, has included getting up around 6:45pm getting ready, catching the train, and then spending the rest of the day in Copenhagen at classes or hanging in the DIS buildings. I haven't been home much with meetings and outings for class so I usually get home anywhere between 5:30pm to 3:30am.

This blog is a longer then expected, but here is one last Leslee story (or some may call it a "fail"). My roommates and I are lucky enough to have "all zone" train passes, meaning we can travel anywhere in Denmark for free. The only problem with this is that you have to remember to bring your pass with you. The train attendants only randomly check that you have your pass as you don't need to show it to get on the train. Well one day on my way to an 8:30am class, an attendant asked to see our passes. As soon as he said this I realized I didn't have mine. That's a big "oh shit" if this happens to you. It's a $160 fine (750 Danish Kroner) to be caught without a pass or ticket. He then proceeds to say "come with me". I thought I was going to be kicked off, which is better then getting a huge fine. But rather he passed me a Danish business card to order a train ticket straight to my phone. Of course I couldn't understand this Danish card so he had to text on my phone for me and the translate it to me. He was very very very nice. If I was checked by any other attendant I would have been fined.

My livelihood while in Denmark.

All in all, I have learned a lot of lessons with traveling and caring all necessities on you, reading maps, being independent, and making unforgettable friends and memories. I can't wait to see what more Copenhagen has to offer - and to think I've been here less then two weeks.

Hej hej (bye)

PS: For everyone interested in the status of my box sent from Minnesota to Maui on Dec 15th with all my Denmark clothes in it... it arrived in Maui after I was already in Copenhagen. So if I'm wearing the same three shirts in all my pictures, you know why.