It's been a busy week here! I rec
ently moved housing (Wednesday), as I mentioned before. I literally moved down the street though, so it wasn't difficult. The family I live with now is Carsten and Irene who have two kids, Jack (17) and Markus (8) and Nana, the dog. It's been great living here, the family is so kind and welcoming. They set up a cute girly room for me (they actually revamped Markus's room for me-- and it's hard to believe it was once an eight year old boys room) and have been making sure I feel comfortable and at home. They speak English very well, but sometimes there's a little miss-communication, but that's to be expected and part of the fun. Markus hasn't learned English yet because in the Danish schools they don't start English lessons until they are 10. But Markus and I communicate through gestures. Sometimes I think he thinks I'm weird. But I'm getting acclimated with the family and home. Soon we'll be into a routine.
On Friday there was another DIS hosted party with pizza and beer. It was free so a lot of students showed up, of course. The get together was a social for the Danish Buddies and DIS students. Danish buddies are kind of like a rent-a-friend program here. Basically before you come to school you can sign up for a Danish Buddy who is a Dane usually in their late teens or early twenties. Your Danish Buddy will then show you around Copenhagen and take you under their wing. I signed up for a buddy but was never assigned one, so I mooched off my fellow DIS friend's buddy. When I got to the party it was packed! After the free-loaders left with their free pizza, it was great to meet the Danes. We danced and talked and drank Carlsberg (the
Danish equivalent to Budweiser). The Danes are known for being a bit reserved, but once they start partying, they really open up. It was great to finally meet some Danes my age and hang out. I don't know if it's because I'm in Denmark and just happy to be here or because it's really true, but I like going to social events with Danes better than Americans. They're just more fun!
The funny thing about Danes is that they have an extremely hard shell. They are quiet and reserved. The trains are practically silent. At home when you sit next to someone on the bus or make eye contact while passing on the sidewalk, you smile and acknowledge them. This is not the way the Danish act. It's not that they are cold at all. They just aren't interested in "small talk" I've come to learn. But when you get connected to them, they are extremely kind and will go to the ends of the earth to help you out (for example my new host family). It's an interesting dynamic that the Danish live by, but it works!
ently moved housing (Wednesday), as I mentioned before. I literally moved down the street though, so it wasn't difficult. The family I live with now is Carsten and Irene who have two kids, Jack (17) and Markus (8) and Nana, the dog. It's been great living here, the family is so kind and welcoming. They set up a cute girly room for me (they actually revamped Markus's room for me-- and it's hard to believe it was once an eight year old boys room) and have been making sure I feel comfortable and at home. They speak English very well, but sometimes there's a little miss-communication, but that's to be expected and part of the fun. Markus hasn't learned English yet because in the Danish schools they don't start English lessons until they are 10. But Markus and I communicate through gestures. Sometimes I think he thinks I'm weird. But I'm getting acclimated with the family and home. Soon we'll be into a routine.On Friday there was another DIS hosted party with pizza and beer. It was free so a lot of students showed up, of course. The get together was a social for the Danish Buddies and DIS students. Danish buddies are kind of like a rent-a-friend program here. Basically before you come to school you can sign up for a Danish Buddy who is a Dane usually in their late teens or early twenties. Your Danish Buddy will then show you around Copenhagen and take you under their wing. I signed up for a buddy but was never assigned one, so I mooched off my fellow DIS friend's buddy. When I got to the party it was packed! After the free-loaders left with their free pizza, it was great to meet the Danes. We danced and talked and drank Carlsberg (the
Danish equivalent to Budweiser). The Danes are known for being a bit reserved, but once they start partying, they really open up. It was great to finally meet some Danes my age and hang out. I don't know if it's because I'm in Denmark and just happy to be here or because it's really true, but I like going to social events with Danes better than Americans. They're just more fun!On Saturday I ventured on a school hosted trip to IKEA. It was kind of silly because there's not really anything I need to buy there and it's not as if we don't have IKEA at home. But a few of my friends were going and we thought it would be fun. The real reason I went was for the free Swedish meatballs... which of course were awesome! After running around IKEA and picking out the furniture and decorations that would adorne my imaginary Danish house, I headed back home for a little R&R.
Later that night I headed out to Tivoli with some DIS friends. Tivoli is an amusement park and gardens in the heart of Copenhagen. It's the second oldest amusement park in the world (built in 1843) and supposedly the what inspired Walt Disney to create Disney World. There are often concerts, shows, ballets, and other events held at Tivoli. Being a college student in Copenhagen we are allowed into the park for free (which is great because otherwise it costs 95 DKK, about $20). But each ride costs as well, so the savings is a great benefit. On Saturday we didn't ride any of the attractions, but another day we're planning to go back and get an all day pass.
I wouldn't say that Tivoli is an average amusemant park. There aren't that many rides (it's nothing compared to Six Flags). It's more old-fashioned with gardens, fountains, and family rides. There are some that go upside-down that looks really intense and there's also a fast swing ride that you can see Sweden from the top. We got ice-cream and food, walked around the gardens and the park. We were under the impression that there would be fire-works at 11:30 so we anxiously (and coldly) waited at the park. Yet it wasn't until 11:15 th
at we found out the fire-works are only available during the "on" season. But it wans't a total loss at all, the night was still fun (despite the freezing toes).