I am going to keep tonight's entry short and sweet. To be truthful, I was planning on giving y'all a day's reprieve since my last post was so verbose, but two very important events occurred today that I cannot refrain from discussing. 


Important Event #1
Where: Palm Fitness (women's locker room "water closet" to be specific) 
When: Approximately 11.00 
What: Me, locked in aforementioned water closet 
Why: I wish I knew 


In short, I pounded on the door screaming "HELP!" at the top of my lungs whilst simultaneously calling my mom (Yes, I am aware that it was 4am in Texas, but one does not always see these things clearly while trapped inside a 2' X 2' un-air-conditioned box). Finally, I received feedback from the other side and after somewhere in the neighborhood of three hours (Real time: 4.5 minutes), the very attractive personal trainer working at the front desk used his brute Scandinavian strength to save me from my impending doom (Side note: When leaving the gym, I happened to trip on the stairs in front of said trainer, barely managing to avoid hitting the ground. Smooth as silk). 


Important Event #2 
Where: Studenterhuset (an international students coffee house/bar/concert venue)
When: Approximately 13.00 (In case I was ever under the impression that I was really good at simple addition and subtraction, using military time has definitely helped eliminate any such notions)
What: I BOUGHT A BIKE!!!
Why: Basically everyone in Copenhagen rides bikes and the city is actually considered to be world leading bicycle city as well as an extremely environmentally-minded one.  


My bike is small, purple, and as of now, we will call her Violet (get it? Purple, violet ...). I love it so much. After purchasing our bikes, Devon and I got home from the city in less than half the time that it normally takes my little legs to trek from DIS/downtown area to Nørrebro. Tomorrow, I am going to buy a basket for Violet as well as a helmet (Unfortunately, my cycling skills are not on par with those of the Danes and accident prevention is key. Also, I want to stick out as much as possible among the other chic and graceful riders by adding a large piece of plastic headwear that will help accentuate my American-ness). But I am SO excited to explore the city now and will definitely be posting pictures as Violet and I take Copenhagen by storm. 

Farvel!


ord af dagen: "hjælp" = "help" (as in "Hjælp! I'M LOCKED IN A BATHROOM!) 

Hola amigos. I know y'all have probably gone into a permanent state of depression waiting to hear from me again and for that I offer you my sincerest apologies. I also want to apologize for the fact that this entry is going to be (unbearably) long. If I have time, I will add a Spark Notes version later this evening. 


On Thursday, we started class, which was sort of strange and surreal seeing as I have not been in school for approximately four months. However, the day was a huge success and I really do think all of my classes are going to be extremely interesting. I am taking the following: 


Current Trends in Mass Media
Virtual Worlds and Social Media
Creative Industries
Women, Art, and Identity
Auschwitz: From Genocide to Memorial 


Thus far I predict that Creative Industries is going to be my favorite, in large part because we watched the following video clips: 


Eurovision 2011, Norway
Eurovision 1979, Israel
"Heartbeats" Remix by the Knife


I hate to add on to the amount of time it will take you to conquer this post, but I promise you, these videos are definitely worth your while. Now I know what you are thinking ... "Why in the world would one watch a Eurivision clip in a college course?" Allow me to explain. Creative Industries is a business course that examines industries that are, well ... creative (as you may well have guessed). We are going to look at the entertainment industry, media industry, music industry, video game industry, software industry, art industry, TV, etc. etc. I won't bore you with the details of all my other courses, but if you are curious about the inner-workings of my academic career, I would be more than happy to provide you with more information. 


On Thursday night, after I whipped up a delicious batch of chicken stirfry (Yes, the chicken did eventually defrost), Amanda and I decided to go on a walk around our neighborhood. We stumbled upon a beautiful old church, several "hoppin'" bars, some organic restaurants (heck yes), and cute coffee shops.  [See images below].

On Fridays, I don't have class so I decided to go explore some more. My friend Megan and I had lunch at a sandwich spot called "The Big Apple" (Is that the nickname for Copenhagen?) and then I went on search for my personal sanctuary. No, not the Synagogue of Copenhagen, although I did spot that on my map (Side note: Amelia and I are going to a four course Shabbat dinner in a couple of weeks so as both maintain our religious identities whilst in a foreign country and to make up for the fact that cooking for ourselves is getting really old really fast -- stay tuned for the detes). Anywho, back to the point I was attempting to make ... 


I found Top Shop (much to my dismay, the photo I took of the storefront whilst screaming "I am an American" is not uploading). One hour and one black blazer later, it was time to head to my Communications & Mass Media social event, which was held in a warehouse in the Meatpacking District. This location may or may not be an art gallery ... this suspicion has yet to be confirmed. After a little vino and a round of speed-dating, I made my way back home to prepare yet another gourmet meal (cream of wheat ... it's a Danish delicacy) before Liza, Dan, Julie and I attempted to go meet some of Dan's Danish soccer buddies at a bar. Unfortunately the age limit was 23 and up and we were unable to enter. I was the only one who didn't get carded, but I felt bad leaving the others behind just because they are less physically mature than I so we all left. We then forged on to the Happy Big, where a gorgeous Dane bought me a drink and then mysteriously disappeared (Later in the evening, Liza and I spotted him befriending another unsuspecting American girl, but in order to prevent a total emotional meltdown over a potential romance lost, I have continued to tell myself that his sudden disinterest was nothing personal, but rather due to the fact that he was merely embarrassed that I had never heard of the professional Danish soccer team that he supposedly plays on. Note to self: start liking sports. Danish men dig that). 

I began my day today at my Danish gym. While there, my blood sugar got low, but fortunately they have a juice bar where I was able to get a steal of a deal on a $7 cup of orange juice. After that, Liza, Amelia, Abby, Julie, and I took a day excursion to a beautiful little town where we explored nature and ate some interesting "meat"balls. I finally feel as though I am getting to know the city a little better and am feeling very comfortable here. So comfortable, in fact, that I was only mildly horrified when a strange man knocked on our window a few minutes ago, asking if we knew how he could get into the laundry room. I feel his pain, seeing as we have yet to be given our laundry cards and I cannot seem to shake the thought that it is quite possible that we never will (Mom you best brace yourself for the giant load of laundry that is in your not so distant future). 


I think I am going to go prepare dinner now or possibly continue to stare out my bedroom window in an effort to discern why there are large water droplets falling from the sky. I heard a rumor that it is rain, but after four months in the desert (San Antonio) this summer, I don't quite remember what this "rain" stuff looks like. I will keep you posted - I hope the world isn't ended a year earlier than planned. Anywho, more soon. 


Farvel! 


ord af dagen: "regn" ="rain"

Hej, venner! ("Hi, friends!" - See "ord af dagen"on August 21) 


Today was, overall, a great day as far as my immersion into Danish culture goes. Meaning, in short, I managed to maneuver from location to location without getting lost and using my map only once (this does not include my failed attempt to get some map guidance from a woman working in a yarn store who informed me of the following:"I cannot help you find your gym. Only yarn.").  


This morning was a bit rough, seeing as we had to be up at 7.30 and went to bed a little late (i.e., past 11.00 pm). Several residents of Ravnsbroggade (spelling correct, pronunciation still TBD) went to a bar downtown last night. Now, I have to be honest, I was expecting to just see several excited American students frolicking through the night, but my cronies and I did an impressive job, if I do say so myself, of mingling with the locals and the seemingly random assortments of young Europeans of various nationalities who were also soaking up the many perks of Danish nightlife. We met a lovely girl from Finland, a boy from France, a girl from the Netherlands, two Danish men (one of whom has a sister living in Austin, of all coincidences. These two boys were extremely enthusiastic about the American music scene and were, impressively, able to sing all of the words to "Party Rock Anthem," "I Gotta Feeling," and "Blue," among others. They took quite an interest in dancing with my friend Josie and I and their approach to said dancing was not unlike a pre-game football huddle. But I digress,) who are all studying at the business school in Copenhagen.  


Needless to say, after a long night of boogying, I was expecting little of my day today. However, after a lecture on cultural affairs and the monumental filling out of my visa application, I got coffee with a new friend at a really trendy little Danish coffee chain called 7/11 (pronounced "Seven Eleven"). Tre chic. Today I also joined a Danish gym that looks like it was cut straight out of Architectural Digest where I intend to continue my promising career in the competitive and cutthroat world of Kickboxing. After this, I managed to "stumble upon" H&M where I tried on a series of clothing items that I am approximately 4 feet too short to ever even dream of sporting. Fortunately, I was able to find a few size-appropriate items (Yes, Dad, only "a few"). I then successfully navigated the (not nearly as complicated as I had anticipated) bus station and FINALLY was able to find my way back to Ravnsbroggade solo (Miracles happen). 


Tonight, several of us made dinner together, which was a lot of fun. Fear not; frozen salmon day 2 was just as satisfying as frozen salmon day 1. Yes, I know that you have two words floating in your head right about now: "mercury" and "poisoning." However, in my defense I had every intention of making chicken teriyaki this evening, but no one warned me that frozen chicken breasts have a tendency to form an indestructible bond that prevents aspiring chefs such as myself from breaking off only one of said breasts without throwing the entire frozen mess against a concrete surface. Unfortunately, our water still shows some signs of e coli, making washing dishes extremely laborious (i.e., we have to boil water prior to partaking in the ritual cleansing). All in all, it was an enjoyable evening and now it is time to finish up my first homework assignment of the semester. My reading seems really interesting so far - some about the growth of "creative industries,"a little about social media and blogging, and a tad on the growth of selling "experiences" rather than goods and services as a business strategy. I posted an interesting article below. Think positive thoughts as I officially begin my formal Danish education tomorrow at 10.05 am. 


Farvel!




ord af dagen: "Selvfølgelig" [seh-FOO-lee] = "of course" (loose translation)


http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/jul/13/google-plus-online-identiy

August 23, 2011

Day 3 in Copenhagen was a lovely one. Three of my hallmates and I attended a lecture about dating, gender, and sexuality in Denmark, which was fascinating to say the least. The lecturer explained that Danes operate under an idea called "frisind," which translates most closely to free-spiritedness or open-mindedness, meaning they feel comfortable talking about many topics at the dinner table that Americans would undoubtedly deem obscene. One of the guys in the lecture asked if it was normal that his host dad walks around in his undergarments and she said ... (drum roll please) ... "Yes! That is perfectly normal, actually." It was fascinating to learn about the completely different social norms that exist among Danes as opposed to those of Americans. We also learned that Danes don't really understand what Americans mean by the concept of "dating," i.e., long-term, monogamous relationships are far less common among Danes around our age than they are among Americans - the dating scene is much more "casual" and "open," if you will. Part of this is due to the openness with which Danish parents discuss maturing, sexuality, and relationships with their children when they are as young as 8 years of age ... a TOTAL departure from the "hush, hush" nature of such topics in American familial and social settings. Homosexuality in Denmark is also approached extremely differently than it is in America and exploration and self-discovery of this sort are not only accepted, but encouraged. The lecturer informed us that a DIS student last year said that in America, she identified herself primarily by her sexual orientation and her race, both of which were viewed in her hometown as "abnormal." However, because of the aforementioned "frisind," this student was able to identify herself solely as an American among Danes while participating in DIS and finally felt a sense of national identity that she had not felt in 20 years, which was amazing to me. 

After our lecture, we went to pick up our textbooks (no way to spice that one up ...) and went to buy school supplies, which I will admit, are a guilty indulgence of mine. The store we went to was, in Copenhagen style, totally chic. This store seemed to be the Danish version of the American "dollar store," only it was actually, well, nice (not to in any way insult the fine institution that is Dollar General). I bought a very random assortment of goods, including a lovely glass cup with apples on it in which I can store pens, markers, etc. (Yes, I know .. yet another fascinating anecdote). Anywho, my point here is that everything (even highlighters and sticky notes) is more fashionable when purchased in Denmark. Even cowboy boots look (almost) edgy [See image below].

This afternoon, a new friend and I went to the orientation for our academic program, Communications & Mass Media. The course sounds like it is going to be super interesting. In a few weeks, we are traveling to the Danish mainland for a short study tour and will go to London for a week in October to explore the mass media world there. 

The highlight of my day occurred when I was able to successfully navigate from DIS to my residence hall with minimal guidance from others and what I feel was an appropriate amount of map usage for an American who has been living in Copenhagen for less than a week. We had to walk because of bus construction issues, but I will be sure to post some fun facts about my first public transport experience as soon as ir occurs (expect this fascinating blurb to be released sometime early next month). 

That is all for now. I appreciate your support as I make my presence known in the blogosphere. 

Farvel!

-a.b.s 

ord af dagen: "frisind" = "liberalism" 

August 22, 2011


This morning, we began with an orientation meeting it the city's opera hall. It was about a fifteen minute walk from our residence hall. The head of DIS gave a lovely speech about the difference between taking your American life abroad and truly immersing yourself in another culture (needless to say, he was encouraging us to do the latter). The DIS orchestra played a wide variety of tunes for us, including a little Beatles and a little Beethoven. We were also graced with the presence of an official from the American embassy in Denmark who informed us that the only time we will ever encounter him again is if we (a) lose our passport, or (b) are sent to jail, both of which are definite possibilities seeing as one can get thrown in jail for carrying around a knife larger than a pocket knife (and as most of you know, I have been known to carry around a paring knife in the event that a carrot or apple must be immediately sliced). The losing of the passport is also a mild concern, although hopefully over the course of this semester, I will learn scads about organizational skills from Amanda.


After that, my group (meaning, sort of like a freshman orientation group) went on a 3 hour walking tour around the city.

First stop: the Danish Parliamentary building, which actually used to belong to the royal family. It is surrounded by other government buildings like the Office of Cultural Affairs, Labor Office, etc. etc. We were also given free coffee (I know, I know, "Great story ... tell it again"). Unlike the White House, anyone is permitted to walk right up to the building and even go so far as to walk through an enclosed courtyard space without any security present. The next stop was Our Lady Cathedral, which was really beautiful. 

Next: we went to a charming town square where there were several coffee shops and restaurants. Unfortunately, we missed the summer jazz festival that is held there by a couple of months, but we still learned about some really interesting history there. Half of the buildings were burned down when Britain attacked Denmark many a year ago in a battle or war about which I can recall nothing. Therefore, half of the buildings are new and half are still in the style of their original Renaissance architecture. 

Next: grocery store. We were given 85 (about $17) kroner to purchase liver, bread, butter, juice, ham, and tomatoes. To give you an indication of the cost of living in Denmark, 85 kroner did not cover our costs and we, sadly, had to sacrifice the juice. Long live chopped liver! Our last spot was the royal family's palace, which is composed of 4 buildings built in the round, centered around equestrian statue #432 (royals look far more powerful when mounted on horseback). We learned a lot about the royal family (too much to write about - please contact if you would like more information on the Danish monarchy). 

Finally, we took our delicious fare back to DIS where we prepared a traditional Danish sandwich and gave presentations on the locations we visited.


After this, we went to an activities fair much like the ones we all remember so vividly from our freshman years of college - i.e., there are a million clubs and groups to join and you have the urge to join every single one of them (and yes, I am including Rugby in that). Tonight, some other people in my residence hall all went to the grocery store and came back and all cooked dinner together. I had my first monumental account with frozen salmon, and I must say, I was not at all disappointed. Now we are preparing to go out ... I will report on the mysterious world of Danish nightlife tomorrow. I will, I assure you, have some thrilling tales, as per usual. 


Farvel!


ord af dagen: "slut" = "end" 

August 21, 2011


First off, let me give my thanks to the Internet gods for affording me the opportunity to write this posting, seeing as I have spent the last 15 minutes attempting to translate the website from Danish into English. Perhaps I should have signed up for that introductory Danish class. 


Well, day 1 in Copenhagen is complete. We arrived around 1pm, or 13:00 as we Danes say, and took a bus to our respective residences. Amanda and I are living in a DIS shared residential housing location called Ravensbroggade (definite spelling and pronunciation unknown). We live on the 1st floor and have a lovely view of some sort of red and white trailer that reads, "act!vista"(note to self: goolge this) across the back and is covered in several black and white sketched images of angry-looking individuals who seem to be fist-pumping -- "We want pickled fish," they are undoubtedly screaming. 


In addition to having a utopian view, our room is very spacious (pictures to come). I will admit that my expectations for our living conditions were quite low, but I am pleasantly surprised. There is a kitchen on the third floor where Amanda and I have already begun to stock one of the many refrigerators for Ravensbroggade residents. Yes, in the short time we have been here, we have already made it to the grocery store. Get this though ... all of the labels are in Danish. What is that about? Fortunately, we had a lovely DIS assistant named Catherine, a 19 year old Danish girl, accompany us. As if my Lulu Lemon pants didn't scream "AMERICAN" on their own, Amanda and I definitely made our presence known as we got into a heated debate over which can read "tuna in water" vs. "tuna in oil." Again, thank goodness for Catherine. 


We had a group dinner in the courtyard of our building, which was very nice. Our RA was a DIS student three years ago and will be working here until February. Amanda and I have already met some really nice people, in addition to the lovely type 1 diabetic girl I happened to be sitting next to on the plane. 


I didn't do much exploring around our neighborhood this afternoon, as Catherine informed us that Sunday is "hangover day" in Copenhagen and very few businesses are open. Good to know. I did, however, fight against my natural instinct to turn our room into a complete pig sty and organized everything in accordance with the Danish laws of contemporary home furnishing, i.e., my ethernet cord is gracefully draped across my bed, adding an unexpected dash of blue to the otherwise very white room. 


Amanda and I are going to go on a walk in a little while so as to better acclimate to our new surroundings (Yes, Mom, it is safe for us to walk around by ourselves after 8pm). Unfortunately, there are still traces of e coli in the water, in our neighborhood in particular. Note to self: do not breath whilst taking a shower. Other than that minor detail, I really love what I have seen so far. Copenhagen seems to have a good mix of what we all think of as "old and European" and uber modern. We have our first orientation meeting tomorrow morning and I am really looking forward to meeting more DIS friends. I'm really excited to explore the city more, as well. And to get a bike, although I wonder if they make bikes for 5'0" tall girls ... there aren't many of us frolicking about Scandinavia. 


Well, I suppose that is all for now. I promise more meaty material tomorrow after I have had a full day to explore. Classes don't start until Thursday, so I have until then to provide y'all with some more first-week material that will be, in a word, gripping. 


Farvel!




ord af dagen: "hej" = "hi" 
(not to be confused with the misspelling of "hey")

August 10, 2011


I just wanted to take the time to sort of get my feet wet, if you will, in the blogosphere before I make my way to Scandinavia (Denmark is part of Scandinavia, isn't it? NOTE TO SELF: find out). 


I leave in 10 days, meaning I have precisely that amount of time to gather a dedicated following and develop a witty yet informative blogging voice. AND to determine how to stuff the entire contents of my closet into one suitcase (yes you read that correctly ... SAS airlines allows one bag per human). Okay - who am I kidding ... I will most certainly be paying for an additional bag seeing as my shoes and food (it's always important to have access to whole wheat crackers, canned tuna, and granola bars) could each fill up their own suitcase. It's times like these that I wish my parents had done more to hone my organization skills as a child. Good thing my mom took on that part time job as a stockroom assistant at TJ Maxx ... her folding skills have gone from mediocre to astounding. 


Anywho, that is all for now. Check back in 11 days when I have arrived at my final destination (NOTE TO SELF: do NOT forget to see Final Destination 5 before leaving. You will never forgive yourself for missing that blockbuster). 


Farvel! 


-a.b.s.