The next day I unfortunately had to attend my classes and survive my final Danish exam while Nick hibernated in my warm host families house. The day seemed to inch by and I was relieved to finally walk through the door around five o'clock. Nick had somewhat made himself comfortable and was talking with Irene when I arrived home. I was glad to see that everyone was getting along well. I knew that Nick would like my host family and they would enjoy his company as well. We all sat down to eat together and have a hygge night.
It had been perpetually snowing since the day I left in Denmark. And the snow was now piled high in the back garden. Unfortunately because of the snow it severely slowed the trains down to a frustrating pace. On Tuesday Nick and I stayed in Greve. We walked to the beach with Nana in tow and took some pictures of the snow that blanketed the sand. Nana had a fun time jumping up and down along the banks of snow. Nick took his cameras and we walked along the scenic view. Later in the day Nick and I shopped at Bilka to buy supplies for dinner. We were concoting one of our favorite meals-- shrimp/chicken Caesar salad wraps with old bay for my host family. We didn't struggle too much in the kitchen and everyone seemed to enjoy the meal (all the wraps were devoured). I was especially happy to have this meal because it reminded me of home and something Nick and I do together.On Wednesday Nick and I braved the cold and headed into the city on the very slow and unpredictable trains. We walked to Nyhavn and along Strøget. We briefly took refuge at DIS in the warm lounge. After stopping by Baresso (the Danish version of Starbucks) and sipping some hot chocolate to warm our numb toes, we visited Tivoli. After September, Tivoli closed for the winter and then briefly reopened for Halloween weekend. Tivoli recently reopene
d as it always does during the Christmas season. Tivoli in all seasons is magnificent, but it is Christmas time that Tivoli is truly known for. All along the park were strings of bright twinkling lights, miniature Christmas trees adorned with shiny ornaments, and numerous Christmas market stands selling warm and delicious goodies. Tivoli was even more beautiful this Wednesday evening because of the dusty snow that covered the park. It reminded me of the "Symphony of Lights" in Columbia that I would visit every year with my family when I was younger. Not to be cliche or cheesy, but Tivoli around Christmas time is magical. It represents good tidings and innocent fun along with the Christmas spirit.After a few classes on Thursday Nick and I went to the Positive Psychology final reception dinner (I asked in advance if it was okay for Nick to come with me). In the reception hall all the Positive Psychology students and professors gathered for a buffet style meal and a final goodbye with wine and dessert. Some students got a bit rowdy but it was a fun time. I was able to introduce Nick to all my DIS friends who come from all over the country. The Positive Psychology group is the people I have spent the most time with in Denmark. We traveled to Jutland together as well as Scotland. The final reception felt like a closing ceremony at camp. I was sad to think that I most likely will never see many of the people again. But, like many campers from previous summers, I'll remember them. With each transition of my life I think this, like Jemicy and high school. It's funny how people really do come and go in your life. After the dinner Nick, a few friends and I headed to a popular student cafe for a bit. There we continued our conversations and reminisced about the semester.
Friday morning I took Nick to Christiania. Unfortunately we couldn't stay long because of our flight to Paris (I say unfortunately, but it's not really unfortunate at all). Briefly we toured Christiania and I showed Nick "Pusher Street" where all the drug deals occur out in the open. It wasn't much of a shock because we had just come from Amsterdam. We then ventured the airport where we would depart for Paris, the city of lights, and my twenty-first birthday celebration!
