'Ello Loves!

I'm coming home with a Scottish accent. lol JK. Coming to Scotland was fine.  The alcohol selection in the airport was crazy. For example, I almost bought this bottle of vodka:

haha just kidding.  We had a really small plane (Gen, you would've cried) so we got to take a bus out to the plane and board by going up the stairs. So cool!

One of the dumbest things that I've observed is that Europeans pay for water. A bottle of water was 20 kroner on the plane! So dumb.

 Scotland!

When we got to our hotel (the University of Edinburgh turns their dorms into a hotel in the summer? It's pretty cool.) we had to check in but immediately leave for our walking tour of Edinburgh.  We took a bus there so we got to see some of the city on the way there. SO BEAUTIFUL. It's exactly how the British tv shows depict the United Kingdom and that general area.  Small, old, stone houses, lots of hills, and of course, accents.  Our tour guide, Kit, had a great Scottish accent.  They say 'a wee bit' and she called us 'loves'.  Even though I was tired and super hungry, the tour was amazing.  Kit went through the entire history of Scotland, and man, it is depressing. It was interesting though, which is weird because I normally find history super boring.  Kit also asked who among us were Harry Potter fans and there were a few, so she pointed out the Cafe where JK Rowling used to sit and write Harry Potter, the school that Hogwarts is based off of, and a few tombstones that she got names in the book from.

So cute.

The school Hogwarts is based off of.

 They have Telephone booths!!

After, we finally got to sit down and have our first Scottish meal.  We then had the rest of the evening on our own.

Today the first thing on the agenda was a talk with an anthropologist with a focus on positive psychology.  It was boring and I was basically sleeping (but only because we had already talked about a lot of the stuff in class).  After lunch we went to a Buddhist Temple and learned about meditation.  It's relevant because it's been shown that meditation can help people relax, be open to new experiences, and be more positive and happy.

Pretending to meditate lol.

From there we went to the Real Mary King's Cross, a guided historical tour which shows you how life was for the Scotts in different points in time.  The road that we "walked" down was eventually covered by a whole new level because it was unsanitary and gross.  Those people had such sad lives and there was nothing they could do about it.  Dinner was on our own tonight so two other girls and I found a restaurant, Biblos, that had fish and chips (and a 30% discount).  It was ok, but the crepe we shared for dessert was the best thing ever.  Although the day started off sunny and almost even hot, it was pouring for the majority of it so we came home early and decided to have a night in.

Up tomorrow: The playfield Institute (i'm not sure what it is) and kayaking lessons.  There's a high chance of thunder-storms woohoo!

Last night we went to the bonfire and sat and drank.  That was about it for the celebrations though.  Apparently some places to a witch burning ceremony and fireworks, but there was just a bonfire outside our area.  Throughout the night we could hear fireworks from all directions.

We were fancying some dessert after the bonfire so we went to Cafe 22 (the same place I went with some people on Monday night when they got dinner but I just got a drink).  Unfortunately, the kitchen was closed so we could only get cake.  I got rhubarb cake though and it was delicious! Not quite the same as Mommy's rhubarb pie but still very good.

After, we wandered around and were thinking about just going to a bar, but some people wanted to go somewhere they could dance.  Somehow a conversation got started with some Danes standing on a corner (sketchy, I know) and they said they were headed to their favorite club and they could take us.  The cover was ONLY 100 kroner! and open bar! what a deal! NOT. We walked with them to the bar and some of the girls went in, but me and 2 other girls decided that was not worth it (Turns out it was actually 150 and an extra 20 because you had to check your coat).

This morning I wanted to go to the Botanical Gardens, maybe do the walking tour, and climb to the top of the round tower next to the Studenterheusen.  But, it was cold, windy, and rainy.  So instead it turned into a lazy day.  We went to a cute little cafe, Baresso Coffee, and did homework for a few hours.  Other than that, I really didn't do anything.  I'm just resting up for Scotland! If I make it there that is, we have to find our own way to the airport.  Yikes. We'll see I guess!

Hi!
I'm never just sitting around, but I feel like I haven't done that much in the past 2 days.  Then again every day feels about as long as a week back home. Thursday night we ended up going to the Studenterheusen (Student House) which serves discounted coffee and croissants by day, but discounted beer and shots by night.  There was a live band and people socializing and dancing.  I, however, have never seen people publicly dance like they were in this situation.  There was a crowd of people standing near the stage, but then in the open area back further, there were 3 or 4 couples partner dancing like a jazzy jitter-buggy type of style? ish? It was so much fun to watch.  I'm not sure how it started, but eventually one of the danish girls (with dark hair, blue eyes and a round face, ugh gorgeous) started teaching my friend a few of the steps.  I joined in (carefully, obviously, no worries mommy) and she even complimented me! The rest of the night was casual with the fantastic find of a hot dog stand (those french ones again) open around midnight and the Australian Bar which has no cover for DIS students.

Friday morning was going to be the day for the walking tour around some of the sites of Copenhagen including the Little Mermaid statue, but it was the first very rainy day.  We'll have to reschedule it for a different day.  After dinner we went to Tivoli Garden, an amusement park and generally awesome area.  It was an extra 200 kroner for ride bracelets so my friend, Jill, and I decided against it.  Instead we went and tasted some delicious Danish desserts.

Jill and I were going to go on one ride so we asked a family when they got off one if they would recommend it.  The mom asked her daughter what her favorite ride was and she looked at me and went "DEMON" and laughed.  Apparently that's the really big one with loops and everything (we ended up going on it later with my 'steal someone's bracelet' trick).  Then the little boy with the family pulled me sleeve and looked at me with his gorgeous blue eyes and started going off about something in Danish.  I don't think there's been any time that I wished I understood Danish more than right then.  He was just so cute and adorable.

Later there was a free concert in the Garden. It was still quite chilly so I got a hot chocolate with rum. Yum!

This morning I got up early and walked around one of the water areas that I hadn't explored yet.  It still amazes me how, even though these crazy Danes bike to work every day, there are still so many people out running.  We went for a historic bike ride around Copenhagen at 11.  Food for thought: Would you sign up for a 2 1/2 hour bike ride that is supposedly about 9 miles in Copenhagen where bikers have their own traffic lights if you couldn't ride a bike? Idiots.  We had to wait for 4 people who were trying to figure out how to ride.  They ended up giving up and didn't come on the tour. So dumb.  Other than that the tour was fun.  We went to a lot of sites that I had already seen on either the Canal tour or the walking tour, but it was fun to navigate the city on a bike.  Just one more thing making me look Danish. Oh yea.

 What a sexy knee brace.

 Out tourguide didn't stop in super cool places sometimes, but I wanted a picture of myself in this cool hall by the Parliament building so I did a selfie while riding. Talent.

We didn't see the actual changing of the guards, but we passed these cool guys either on their way to duty or just getting off duty.

After the tour we went to lunch and I took pictures of my food as usual.  We then spent some time walking down Stroget again and actually going in the stores.  Seeing 200 as a price on something makes me want to make that face like 'Oh, let's pretend I never looked at that' when it's really less than $40.  I need to go back soon, but not until my last week here because I leave for Scotland on Monday! And nothing's open on Sundays here.

Tonight is the celebration for Midsummer's Eve! There's going to be bonfires and drinking and hopefully no rain.

PS-my teacher, Gitte, isn't sure if we're going to have Internet access in Scotland. I guess you'll all have to wait anxiously for my next post.

Oops, I'm bad at this. No, this just means I've been busy exploring and doing crazy things!

Ok, so Tuesday morning I got up and did work out by the water across from our housing, Gammeltofsgade.  On our way to class we found a small coffee shop, coffeelicious, with the open front and got coffee.  After class we came back and waited up for some people so we could go on a canal tour down at Nyhavn.  It was beautiful! We saw so many things: the black diamond, the theatre, the Queen's royal ship, the islands, the Little Mermaid, a submarine from WWII, and many other things.

Afterwards, everyone was raving about the hot dogs they had gotten for lunch and convinced me to get one.  I don't regret a thing. Holy crap, it was the best hot dog I've ever had.  I think it's sausage and when you order you say "with everything" which includes onion, pickles, mustard, ketchup, and a few other unidentifiable (but delicious) things.

Tuesday night there was a special at Kuler's Bar, no cover for DIS students if you got there before 11. Well, we were wandering around for awhile and couldn't find it so we didn't get the free cover, but there was free beer until 1 a.m.!! I got my money's worth in beer.

On Wednesday, my friend Charne and I found the student union (which has discounted coffee and croissants THANK GOD) and did work outside.  I love being able to just sit down at a table and do work outside in the sunshine. It's amazing.  Later I was also just wandering around with two of the girls who live on my floor, but it was still awesome.

For dinner, DIS was giving us a free meal at a restaurant, Riz Raz.  It was alright, but afterwards we got gelatto which made everything better.

We were all pretty tired from Kuler's bar so we just went to the water and hung out and drank.

Today we did the same kind of thing in the morning, except at a fountain in the middle of a square. So beautiful.  After class I went down to the water to do homework.  The Danes are so funny.  You can sit next to one on a bench for an hour and not exchange a word.  But then one man came up and said Hej.  I said Hej back and then he started talking to me in fluent Danish.  I was super flattered that he couldn't tell straight off that I was American (A woman in the bank also started talking to me in Danish, I must be acquiring their style and fitting in. lol JK).  Once he figured that out though, he told me that he was actually conducting a study on how the Danes like their privacy and to not talk to strangers.  He was seeing if sitting by the water on a beautiful day increased positivity and their willingness to talk.  So far, he hadn't had much luck and unfortunately, I didn't count because I'm American.  But it was a very interesting interaction.

Tonight we're going to try to find a Danish Jazz Bar that a local advised a kid to go to for some real Danish interactions.

Ok, overview of the past 2 days. Lord, it's only been 1 full day?!

Once the shuttle finally showed up, I took it to the DIS building and we went in and had orientation. Blah, blah, blah, here's your bus pass and books, phone and food stipend.  Problem: My bus pass had a picture of a girl. It wasn't me. So apparently that's my fault and I had to go fix it. Then we had another meeting with the rules of DIS. Blah, blah, blah, no alcohol past 10 on the weekdays and 11 on the weekends, stay with buddies, emergency phone numbers. Then we had to split up into groups so we could finally go to our housing. Apparently in Denmark the ground floor is 0, so living on floor 2 actually means floor 3, as in I had to carry my suitcases up 3 flights of stairs after 3 hours of sleep and a long day of being nice and getting to know everyone.  Ok, unpack. My single room is really nice and I have a pet spider (I'm not kidding).  We had a floor dinner with pizza, thank goodness because I did not feel like figuring out shopping and cooking.

After dinner, the RA's were going to take us on a walking tour to the school.  It's about a 15 minutes walk and they said the buses take too long with traffic and everything so I'm glad I can just walk everyday.  Then they showed us where the classrooms were? I'm not sure, there was another stop but I was pretty delirious.  THEN, there was the huge soccer game between Denmark and Germany.  Some of us decided to walk to the Spring Garden where they had a huge screen to view the game.  I can't even explain the experience.  Hoards of people just all walking through the streets in the same direction, with painted faces and beer in hand.  Unfortunately, you couldn't take beer into the garden so one of the RA's who was trying to get rid of her 6-pack gave me one.  The inside was even better.  Collective groans when Denmark missed and cheers when Germany missed.  Then Denmark scored. Scored, not won.  Streamers were popped in the air and fireworks went up.  Everyone was chanting. It was insane.

Maria and I in the Garden.

When Denmark scored.

Then I just couldn't even pay attention anymore because I was so tired. Mind you, those pictures were taken at about 9:30 or 10 pm.  I had been on a plane 9 hours ago and all of that had happened.  It's going to take a while to get used to the light, but I love it!

Which brings us to today! I woke up and it was bright and sunny! It was beautiful! Then I looked at my phone...it was 4:15.  I left with a group of people (once we were actually supposed to be awake) and we had an adventure buying coffee. It is so lucky that everyone speaks English here or else everyone would be lost. I at least tried to learn some of the Danish, but no one else did.  We then had opening ceremonies and the "Copenhagen Amazing Race".  We broke up into groups, were given a map and told checkpoints that we had to find.  We went to the Spring Gardens again, which is were the Royal Family stayed back when it was the country side, the actual place where the Royal Family stays (the prince was home!), Nyhavn (the long stretch of canals), and the Parliament building.

 Anyone recognize this from a movie?!

 Ugh, so pretty it makes me wanna puke.
We also walked down Stroget, the longest walking street with shops and everything in Europe? Or maybe just Denmark. I dunno it's a big deal lol.

As we were walking to the Parliament building, there were cops stopping people from crossing a drive and stopping traffic.  A black car with the royal crown on the back then drove out with a lady with white hair in the back seat. The Queen perhaps??? I thought not because at her palace they told us she was away, but other people said they heard that it was.  Who knows.  We then found an outdoor restaurant and had lunch.

After all of that I had class! Blah, blah, blah. Then I went and got my bus pass fixed. Then I had my first grocery shopping adventure! I remembered to bring my reusable bag, but forgot that everything wasn't going to be in English. Needless to say, we were (once again) the dumb Americans.  I'm getting better with the kroner, though.

After going back and making dinner I tried to do some homework. Then some other people hadn't eaten dinner yet, so me and a few people who had already eaten decided to go with just to sit and have a drink while they ate.  We finished dinner at 11:20 and it had only just gotten dark.  So we came back and I figured I'd write this and do my online class. Only we found a party in my kitchen with my RA and her Danish friends because she had just finished a huge exam (and passed!) and is getting ready to go on vacation for 2 months.  Now, think back to what we were told yesterday.  No drinking in the dorms after 10 on weekdays.  Not like I care, so we joined in! They knew all the popular American songs and convinced us all to dance on the kitchen chairs and sing with them.  I can still hear them having a great time in there (I live 11 rooms down from the kitchen). lol.

So that was my first full day in Denmark.  38 hours ago I was still on a plane! I'm exhausted and sometimes it hits me, but I think this is mostly going to be 3 weeks of just pure adrenaline.

ps - the Danes dress too fashionably for me. I can't even handle it.

Sunday June, 17th

I wrote this when I first landed but have been having Internet problems!

I’m in Europe! I landed in CPH around 10:45 but have to hangout for a while. It’s about noon now.  The next shuttle to DIS doesn’t leave until 1:30.

            I liked the airport in Canada much better than Philly, but when I said something about it being nice to the lady behind me she scoffed and started talking about how bad the service was.  That may be, but they have an art gallery.  In the airport! They also had an installation board (not sure what it’s for) but it was cool.  I even walked out of the airport and wandered around in front of it for awhile.  When I got bored I went through security very early and, as in Philly, what’s behind security is nicer than the area that everyone can go to.  I decided to go to the Bacardi bar. What the heck, why not? As it turns out, I sat down next to 5 other guys who were on my flight.  They were all older, but were going to Copenhagen, Poland and Germany for the EuroCup? (Soccer).  It was interesting to talk to them and see the differences in language.  I said I went to Muhlenberg College and they thought that meant I was in high school since it wasn’t a university.  Oh, also they knew how to say my name and thought it was weird that my name was Colette but I was American. Then, as I was getting in line to board the plane, a kid saw my DIS tag and said he was going as well! Not 2 minutes later, 2 more kids came up and said they were going too.  That was comforting, but I lost them soooo not anymore. Lol.

            I keep thinking today is still Saturday! That was a looong flight.  We took off on time (8:55).  The only problem was that when I got on the plane they told me that the overhead compartments near my row were all full so I had to put my way further forward on the plan.  So I didn’t want to be obnoxious and try to get anything out of it during flight.  So I couldn’t brush my teeth. Ugh, gross. For dinner we could have either chicken and rice or pasta with meat sauce.  I had the pasta.  There were a lot of movies available to watch, but I started with The Vow.  The man next to me was very nice again, he was travelling to Sweden for business but it was his first time travelling to Europe. Ever! He was 47! By the time I was all settled it was already 11:00 and the stewardess came around and told me to close the shade because the sun would be coming up soon. Um, what? It’s 11:00 PM! But I peeked out when I woke up a few hours later there really was already a sunrise! At that point I think it was about 1:00 AM, US time. After dozing for another hour, I couldn’t sleep anymore so I watched 21 Jump Street (I guess Air Canada is a fan of Channing Tatum) and took pictures of clouds lol.  It was beautiful and sunny in the air…but then we descended through the clouds and it was overcast here and about 66 degrees.  I haven’t been outside yet though.  Just landing was beautiful! I can’t wait to go see the landscape…I’m pretty sick of airports to say the least.

            So now I’m hanging out in the only Starbucks in Copenhagen, except I haven’t withdrawn any kroners yet sooo I’m not sure if I can even get anything.  I don’t know if I’ve ever actually heard anyone speak Danish, but there was just an adorable little redhead chatting away to her mother at the table next to me and it was beautiful.  So was the French on the airplanes.  So far that’s not a problem, though.  All the signs in the airport are in both Danish and English.

            Well, right now I could go for a nice cozy bed, but I know I need to make it through orientation, get my phone, unpack, and begin to explore!

These are some random little rock statues I found outside the airport in Canada!

Hanging out in Toronto Pearson airport! This is an adventure in itself. First, I had to go through customs. I was getting annoyed because the mother and child in front of me were chatting with the security guard for so long and he was asking them questions like "Oh, where are you going?" and joking around with them.  But then I thought, this was great, I would be able to ask him where to go and he would be nice. Wrong.  He was all business and told me very shortly where to go. Mayhaps it was because I am American? I guess I'll never know.

So after figuring out that I do not have to claim my luggage and re-check it (they told me I didn't have to, but I stood at the claim area to make sure my bag wasn't circling around) I found the correct floor where I need to go to connect to Copenhagen. Since I have to kill some time, I did some homework and talked to my mommy.  The people were the best to watch, though.  There was a girl on the phone (maybe it was French? It sounded very heavy and angry, but not like German), a Canadian couple, and a few groups that went by.  Not to sound racist, but why are there so many Asians here?  I'm currently sitting behind a group of lawyers, listening to them complaining about how they can't claim Pro Bona (I think?) and that they didn't go to law school to not be able to support life.

I found a small cafe and got sustenance (they gave me 2 graham crackers on the plane and I ate breakfast at 6:30; it is now 2:30).  She said $7.77 and I realized I hadn't asked her if she accepted American Money.  Good thing I had a Canadian $20 on me!

I can already see how much Americans assume things and expect everything to be a convenience to them. It's something I'm going to have to get used to.  I'm going to go kill more time and then navigate Toronto Pearson airport - part 2.

ps - Just had an awkward moment where a passing worker asked me how I was doing and I replied 'Good thanks!' before realizing that she was talking to another worker behind her...I think it's safe to say that I have reinforced anyone's beliefs about 'stupid Americans.'

Today's the day! I start off my voyage going to Canada and hanging out with the cool Canadians for 9 hours. I have those 9 hours to figure out how to get from gate f to gate e. Hopefully it is a suitable amount of time. I plan on learning Danish and making a small Danish dictionary for myself during that time.  But for the most part, I shall be the lost one wandering around and asking anyone and everyone where to go.  Then: To Copenhagen!