Less than 24 hours left in Copenhagen. I am about to take my last shower in my kollegium room.
Am I sad or excited? Both. The whole idea of leaving and going back to America has been prolonged for so long that I am very ready to just get on the plane. I could definitely stay here longer, but its not that I “don’t want to leave.” However, the past two days it has been really sad thinking about leaving this place across the world that I have made a great home for myself.
I can honestly say that I have had the time of my life this semester and am so satisfied with my experience. Though I was between 5 different countries (none of them being Denmark) a month before my abroad application was due, and it was a bit dark and cold when I arrived, if I could do it all over again I would choose Copenhagen in a heart beat. After all, now it is still light out past 10. The only problem is that even if I get into bed after 4, I am up by 9 because it is so bright in my room.
Anyway, I would like to thank you for keeping up to date with my adventures, I hope you enjoyed reading! Thanks mom and dad for giving the opportunity and resources to be able to have this amazing experience. I can now say that I have lived in a country where I didn’t speak the language.
I have also realized that studying abroad is about learning a different culture, but also to better understand your own.
My flight gets in at 3 tomorrow.
See you soon!
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Oh, by the way- I live…
It was the beginning of the semester and I was walking back from the grocery store with a girl from my Kollegium. She told me that there had been stabbings in our neighborhood and some violence with gangs in our area. I didn’t really know what to think…
A couple days later I was on the bus with a girl I had just meet who lives in my kollegium. She asked me if I too had heard the gunshots at night; I said huh? She said yeah, there are gunshots on the other side of the train tracks (there is a train station next to where I live). I didn’t really know whether or not to believe her.
I later on found out that I do live in the gang area where all of the gang violence is, and it has pretty much been confirmed that there are shootings right next to where I live. Apparently the gang violence has gotten consistently worse in the past 6 months (4 of which I have been living here for). But its hard to evaluate; for Denmark’s standards, this violence has never been seen before and is extremely scary. However, when judging it from a New Yorker’s perspective, or even as an America, unfortunately, it is not anything I should not be use to.
One night I was sitting in my room waiting for my friend to come over and heard loud noises that sounded like gun shots and ran into my bathroom because of the way my room is set up with a screen window it would have been the only safe place. I called her and told her to wait before getting off the bus and coming. I later found out that it was fireworks…woops! But it made me feel better that my neighbor apparently thought the same thing because he said that he ran out of his room with a knife and 911 on his phone.
Did I mention you need a key to get onto anything but the ground floor of my kollegium? Oh did I also mention that I live on the ground floor? The place I live only started getting a little scary when I came home last week to see the door across from me was shattered all over the ground. I ran into one of my friends who told me that apparently two guys had been banging on everyone’s doors last night. They had blood on their shirts and there was blood on the walls as well as kick marks on my neighbor’s door. This all happened at 3 in the morning and I could just say that I was happy I caught the 3:30 bus that night and got back after all of the commotion.
A couple days later I was on the bus with a girl I had just meet who lives in my kollegium. She asked me if I too had heard the gunshots at night; I said huh? She said yeah, there are gunshots on the other side of the train tracks (there is a train station next to where I live). I didn’t really know whether or not to believe her.
I later on found out that I do live in the gang area where all of the gang violence is, and it has pretty much been confirmed that there are shootings right next to where I live. Apparently the gang violence has gotten consistently worse in the past 6 months (4 of which I have been living here for). But its hard to evaluate; for Denmark’s standards, this violence has never been seen before and is extremely scary. However, when judging it from a New Yorker’s perspective, or even as an America, unfortunately, it is not anything I should not be use to.
One night I was sitting in my room waiting for my friend to come over and heard loud noises that sounded like gun shots and ran into my bathroom because of the way my room is set up with a screen window it would have been the only safe place. I called her and told her to wait before getting off the bus and coming. I later found out that it was fireworks…woops! But it made me feel better that my neighbor apparently thought the same thing because he said that he ran out of his room with a knife and 911 on his phone.
Did I mention you need a key to get onto anything but the ground floor of my kollegium? Oh did I also mention that I live on the ground floor? The place I live only started getting a little scary when I came home last week to see the door across from me was shattered all over the ground. I ran into one of my friends who told me that apparently two guys had been banging on everyone’s doors last night. They had blood on their shirts and there was blood on the walls as well as kick marks on my neighbor’s door. This all happened at 3 in the morning and I could just say that I was happy I caught the 3:30 bus that night and got back after all of the commotion.
The Top Two
I have come up with the two most non-Danish daily activities that I do that has made me stand out in society this semester. Besides that I think I have done fairly well to fit in here- most people talk to me in Danish!
1. Grocery store shopping. Danes shop every few days, not in bulk. They don’t even have shopping carts, just baskets. I still did the American thing and went only once in a while to stock up. After a while however I did adjust and did not look like a freak while at the check-out.
2. Crossing the street. Cross when the signal is red? Unheard of here. Not for a New Yorker. Sorry but I continued to cross not only when it was red, but sometimes when there was not even a cross walk! Oh my! I overcame the black confused stares and still continue to do this.
1. Grocery store shopping. Danes shop every few days, not in bulk. They don’t even have shopping carts, just baskets. I still did the American thing and went only once in a while to stock up. After a while however I did adjust and did not look like a freak while at the check-out.
2. Crossing the street. Cross when the signal is red? Unheard of here. Not for a New Yorker. Sorry but I continued to cross not only when it was red, but sometimes when there was not even a cross walk! Oh my! I overcame the black confused stares and still continue to do this.
Running
Since it has been so nice out I have been running almost every day- I LOVE it, but do have some funny stories associated with it.
Once I was running and a bug flew into my mouth, it was pretty gross. I licked my hand to get it off my tongue and a dead bug appeared on my hand. I licked it a few more times to make sure I got all the legs which also came along with smeared blood on my finger- gross!
I run up a hill and turn a sharp corner filled with bushes on my run, which is where I once literally ran into someone else- hard on contact.
Another day I was running belong a soccer field located in a park where lots of families picnic with a bathroom at the corner of the field. But instead a guy was peeing in the bushes beside me.
Once I was running and a bug flew into my mouth, it was pretty gross. I licked my hand to get it off my tongue and a dead bug appeared on my hand. I licked it a few more times to make sure I got all the legs which also came along with smeared blood on my finger- gross!
I run up a hill and turn a sharp corner filled with bushes on my run, which is where I once literally ran into someone else- hard on contact.
Another day I was running belong a soccer field located in a park where lots of families picnic with a bathroom at the corner of the field. But instead a guy was peeing in the bushes beside me.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Things I miss & am looking forward to...if you would like to join me upon my arrival
American Breakfast
not that I was ever really that big of a fan, but totally craving it and cannot get it- I ordered pancakes in Amsterdam but they were crapes, not cool
Being able to afford diet coke on a daily basis
Z100
Going to temple & connecting with my Jewish roots
Getting a manicure
no I did not do this often, but maybe once in a while; it is not really poplar here and I have only heard of one place that charges about $60
Being able to read nutrition labels- can you believe I went a whole semester without
being able to read the calorie content on the box? I cant!
Looking somewhat fashionable compared to the rest of society
not that I was ever really that big of a fan, but totally craving it and cannot get it- I ordered pancakes in Amsterdam but they were crapes, not cool
Being able to afford diet coke on a daily basis
Z100
Going to temple & connecting with my Jewish roots
Getting a manicure
no I did not do this often, but maybe once in a while; it is not really poplar here and I have only heard of one place that charges about $60
Being able to read nutrition labels- can you believe I went a whole semester without
being able to read the calorie content on the box? I cant!
Looking somewhat fashionable compared to the rest of society
Running
Since it has been so nice out I have been running almost every day- I LOVE it, but do have some funny stories associated with it.
Once I was running and a bug flew into my mouth, it was pretty gross. I licked my hand to get it off my tongue and a dead bug appeared on my hand. I licked it a few more times to make sure I got all the legs which also came along with smeared blood on my finger- gross!
I run up a hill and turn a sharp corner filled with bushes on my run, which is where I once literally ran into someone else- hard on contact.
Another day I was running belong a soccer field located in a park where lots of families picnic with a bathroom at the corner of the field. But instead a guy was peeing in the bushes beside me.
Once I was running and a bug flew into my mouth, it was pretty gross. I licked my hand to get it off my tongue and a dead bug appeared on my hand. I licked it a few more times to make sure I got all the legs which also came along with smeared blood on my finger- gross!
I run up a hill and turn a sharp corner filled with bushes on my run, which is where I once literally ran into someone else- hard on contact.
Another day I was running belong a soccer field located in a park where lots of families picnic with a bathroom at the corner of the field. But instead a guy was peeing in the bushes beside me.
Friday, May 8, 2009
ICE Bar, the oldest amusement park/roller coaster in the world and Tivoli
Last weekend I went to the Copenhagen Ice Bar. The entire bar is made out of ice, even the cups! They gave us big capes to wear to keep us warm too.
Today I went to the oldest amusement park in the world, Bakken. It is also home to the oldest roller coaster in the world. It is actually a really long, fun, wooden ride and even has a driver in the last car! This amusement park was more like Six Flags, while Tivoli (the more famous amusement park in the center of Copenhagen I went to with my parents) is more similar to Disney.
Today I went to the oldest amusement park in the world, Bakken. It is also home to the oldest roller coaster in the world. It is actually a really long, fun, wooden ride and even has a driver in the last car! This amusement park was more like Six Flags, while Tivoli (the more famous amusement park in the center of Copenhagen I went to with my parents) is more similar to Disney.
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