Goddag familie og ven!

I apologize for the delay, but after much wrestling with my computer, recovering from a nasty posion ivy rash, some jet lag, and just overall adjusting to being thousands of miles overseas, I have finally been able to get this blog up and running! So, thank you for your patience!

Well, here is my blog! My computer has already crashed once and I lost everything I wrote, so here’s my second try. I can’t promise I’ll be updating everyday (I don’t think something exciting will be happening everyday to me), but I’ll try every week or so. Please leave comments and keep emailing me. I love to hear everything that is going on in your lives!
(ABOVE: Square near DIS; upper lefthand corner is the street that leads to where my classes are located.)

So, I’ve been in Denmark now for 2 weeks and I think I have finally settled in and gotten in a routine. The first week was spent hunkered down in Orientation where the DIS staff tried their best to acclimate (i.e. crash course) us into the Danish life, culture, and language which was to say the least a bit overwhelming. Part of me wishes they didn’t tell us so much because it left little for us to discover on our own or created assumptions that generalized the Danes a little too much. Although there are some similarities, Danes are unique in their own way just as in any culture. I have found that life here is relatively a little quieter and more relaxed; people typically don’t talk on the train, work less but efficiently, and apparently they’re more reserved than Americans. I’m not really sure if I would agree with that right now, but my host sister did mention that Americans cry a lot. She knows this because people on American reality shows, they cry a lot. So, since American reality shows = truth, therefore it is…::sigh:: :) (LEFT ABOVE: Square (there are a millions squares) where I sat down when I got really lost / RIGHT ABOVE: Strøget (the 'walking streets' where all the shops are))

Overall, orientation went well and we went on a lot of tours around the city to see the major sites, such as the various castles (Denmark is the oldest monarchy; the queen and her sons are often the subject of many gossip magazines…my family’s neighbor downstairs is a photographer for one of them :)), modern and classical architecture (sometimes mixed together it looks like IKEA exploded all over a very old city), and the many Hans Christian Anderson influences around the country (which has worn a little on the Danish population). I spent the majority of my independent time the first week wandering around the city, walking up and down the shopping streets and back. Most of the time, I was very lost and finding myself buried in a map with my other hand attached to a camera. I eventually found my way back home, though, so my sense of direction isn’t as bad as some have claimed. (LEFT ABOVE: Opera House / LEFT BOTTOM: H.C. Anderson's Little Mermaid / RIGHT ABOVE: Royal Castle)

I had my first full week of classes last week and being taught from a Danish/European perspective has been a lot different than I expected it to be. The Danes know that Denmark is a small country whose language is not spoken outside its population of 5 million, so everyone is fairly proficient in English. Regardless of its relatively small population, it’s also one of the wealthiest countries in the EU, deemed the happiest country (from a survey done worldwide), has an extremely low crime and unemployment rate with a booming economy, and has a seemingly well working welfare system. Underneath the initial gloss, the recent immigrant generations has ruffled this homogenous society, of which they readily admit. This has filled discussions in academia, society, and for me, at the dinner table with my host family. Certain aspects of my thinking have been significantly challenged coming from such a different homeland and it has been no different when it comes to immigration. I could probably write on this forever, which is a good thing since I’m taking a class on it, but I will move on here since I still have more to tell and will share more on this topic later. (ABOVE RIGHT: Everyday Dane: fashionable and biking everywhere)

Like I mentioned above, I am staying with the Jørgensen family of two host parents and a 13 year old sister. I’ve never had a sister, but Anna is wonderful and has been great in helping me adjust here. During my first week when I wasn’t feeling well, her friends and her cooked me a dinner of fajitas! It was very sweet and they are so much fun and seemingly very mature for their age. I feel very fortunate and blessed that I was placed with such a wonderful family who have really made my time here comfortable, especially when my host mother insisted I go to the doctor when my nasty poison ivy rash was spreading all over my body. They don’t have poison ivy here in Denmark, so you can imagine the looks I got from the doctor when I got there. I also feel a little spoiled because every night I get a wonderful warm meal while some of my friends that are staying in kollegiums (dorms) are eating pasta and sandwiches every night. : I’ve really enjoyed Danish cuisine thus far; it has mostly consisted of fish, pork, lamb, tomatoes, corn, and potatoes in some form, all of which I have really enjoyed. I tried cooking for my family last week and it was a flop…all I will say is that the chicken wasn’t cooked enough. :( My family is also pretty traveled, in that they’ve been to Asia more times than I have, so we’ve had stir-fry and sushi a few times for dinner also, which has been a nice treat. (ALL: My host family's house; my room)

This weekend, my family took me to their summer house up in Nykøbing at the northwest tip of Zealand (Denmark is split into 3 islands: Jutland, Funen, and Zealand and Copenhagen is on Zealand). Nykøbing is where I truly began to appreciate Denmark’s beauty. Set in a small but quaint town, we visited flea markets and window shopped. Saffi (the family cocker spaniel) got her hair cut and groomed while we wandered the town whose population is half made up of summer house owners. Denmark is typically a very flat area, but up in Nykøbing, there are many rolling hills that boast expansive farm lands and some port cities that have been there since the 1200s. Being a country of islands, there is water at every turn and canals that run like veins throughout the cities. My home in Hellerup is actually right on the sea and when we were at the summer house, Anna and I spent the afternoon relaxing by the water with Saffi. Relaxing in their cute little summer house was some of the most restful times I have had in a long time. The smell of the saltwater, the quiet that settles over the calm prairie-like land, and the bright country night stars have captured my heart. If I had to, I could settle there for a long time and be perfectly content. (ABOVE LEFT: Saffi and me on the ferry / ABOVE RIGHT: leaving one side on the ferry / BOTTOM LEFT: the beautiful Nykøbing water and beach / BOTTOM RIGHT: view from out the back of the summer house)

After some good food and a lot of rest, we drove back home last night and then went to Tivoli, which is Denmark’s amusement park placed in the middle of their downtown. We had a great time, regardless of the fact that Anna and I both got pretty sick. Kevin (another DIS student) and I went on the Tivoli version of the Giant Drop, of which I freaked out at the top but not enough to miss appreciating the beautiful night aerial view of Copenhagen. (LEFT: Kevin and Anna at Tivoli)

What can I say…(well obviously I’ve said a lot)…I am loving Copenhagen and all its charm and challenges. I have been attending a small international English speaking church, which is held in a beautiful old church and is newly head by a pastor from North Carolina. (I keep forgetting my camera when I go, but I will take pictures of it soon). Everyone there is very welcoming and it too has been a great experience. I feel like I’ve been here much longer than two weeks, but am excited for all that is to come. I do miss all you dearly and appreciate you reading through all of this. Please write and if you ever do come and visit, you will not be disappointed. :)

Love and blessings,
Christine