The Trials and Tribulations from Scandinavia

The New Vista Point

2009-07-12T06:45:00.000-07:00

Ah, America - land of the free, home of the brave - where roads are paved with gold and dreams come true. So far, I have been back for just 13 days and in a way it seems more like 13 months and in others it seems like just 13 hours. As of yet, I can't quite say that I've experienced this so called reverse culture shock - well maybe not in the same way that those hours upon hours of group sessions with AFS made a difference (you AFSers know what I'm talking about). So far, I can just honestly say that I see things differently.

Let's take motorized vehicles for example. In America it is a commonality for a family to have two or more vehicles. It is common for said family to drive said vehicles daily to just about anywhere besides their next-door neighbors house. It is also common that said vehicles are large and usually quite fuel consuming. In Denmark, it is a commonality for a family to have one car, maybe even two per family. It is common for said family to drive their car if they are in need of transport to long distances or if they need to move the whole family. It is common for said vehicles to be on the smaller scale and to be quite used (meaning they don't exchange them every two or three years). It is also common for said vehicles to do okay to pretty good when it comes to using their fair share of petroleum.

With this established, we shall examine my pre-Denmark point of view on the ever debated motorized vehicle front. First and foremost, how would a family survive off of only one vehicle? It is common these days for both spouses in a family to work, so if there was only one vehicle how would both make it to their jobs on time? What about if they had kids or family close by? It really only makes sense to have more than one vehicle. In all reality, a good economical car and a large truck is most ideal - the car for day to day use to work, the grocery store, and to pick up the kids and the truck for moving and hulling big stuff around for the weekend project and backyard intervention.

Now let's look at my post-Denmark point of view of these metal boxes on wheels. Initial reaction: geez, why do we need such large vehicles? It seems pointless to have all of these SUVs and Jeep looking things because I bet you 100 kroner that they aren't using them to move things. This is just plain ridiculous. In fact, I think it might even just be our culture to have large and new vehicles. It's like a frenzy - the newer and the larger and the more enhanced the vehicle the better. American culture is the epitome of consumerism and materialism. We show our social status and financial success through the things we own and what better way to show the world how great we are then through our cars which we drive everywhere we go, no matter how close they are to our place of dwelling.

This is just one example of my year's doing. It is like, everything I use to know and use to think I know has gotten turned around and landed upside down in this whirlwind of cultural exchanges. And to think that this is just the beginning of the changes to be noticed. It takes time to notice them too because it's hard to see the change when you experience the evolution.

Hello America

2009-06-30T06:30:00.000-07:00

If Newark (or any international airport) is a foreigner's first impression of America I'd be looking for the next flight home - no joke. Being in lovely Denmark has made me completely gloss over the 'real' America. I've forgotten how rude Americans are and how big and uneccessary things are here in the US of A.

My day began at 05.30 Danmark time and ended at 03.30 Danmark time with sketchy hours of sleep on plans. I'm thorough convinced that no child under the age of ten should ever be allowed on an airplane. The flight from Cophenhagen to Newark went fairly smooth. The road got bumby after customs and pass check (which to my extreme surprise was cake). We were all scattered about trying to say goodbye and completely lost as to if AFS was suppose to meet us or not.

Nine became six past the exit point of Newark. Two were going to terminal C and the rest where to terminal A. One to terminal A was actually suppose to go to terminal B and another missed their flight. Over all it was a numbing experience. I don't think the fact that you may never see these people again really sinks in until you are home, sleeping in a familar bed. It is the next morning when you kind of come to the realization and to be frank, it sucks.

I can honestly say that all the while I waited at CPH (about five and a half hours) that all I wanted to do was go home and then that home wasn't America anymore. Hopefully America will grow on me more.

Packing

2009-06-26T09:15:00.000-07:00

(my life as of 26. juni 2009 kl. 18.32)

Let me start of with saying that packing was and will always be the ultimate bitch of an exchange year. It was not so hard to pack to come because I could leave things behind. Not so much the other way around. One aquires so many things through their year that it is virtually impossible to come back with as much stuff as you came with (having not sent anything home via post).

After weeks of dealing with the mostrosity that was my room and probably around ten hours of packing (spread across two days - no joke) I was able to sufficiently reduce my life to two suitcases (near 23 kg), one duffle bag (about 6,5 kg), one bookbag (about 4 kg), and one box (13 kgs of books and papers). I am not exagerating when I say I probably packed everything about nine times, weighted each individual parcel no less than twenty times each, and ditched at least a fourth of my things. The real kicker in all of this is that I came with one suitcase at 22,7 kg and one bookbag at around 9 kg. Don't ask, because I don't have an answer.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Bittersweet Goodbye

2009-06-26T09:04:00.000-07:00

(some of my classmates and I got together for a brunch like meal at a local café)

Saying goodbye to all of my friends here in Denmark has been the hardest thing I have had to do all year. Saying goodbye to my Danish friends is hard, but nothing is hard than saying goodbye to your exchange friends. Never will you get the year back, never again will you have what you have now. Sure, I can visit some of my exchange friends at their homelands, but never again will we all be together again, living in the harmony that was 2008/2009.

Not only am I saying goodbye to the people who I have come to know, but also the life I have created here. Going home means loosing my independence and freedom that I have gained here. I enjoy the lifestyle Denmark allows me to live. Sadly it is not a lifestyle that America supports.

Before you think I'm ready to never come home again, think again, because I am excited to come home. My exchange year has taught me more than amount of schooling could hope to learn me. I feel now, that though I am living, I'm still in a state of limpo. I'm ready to get home to apply everything that I know now. In a way, this has been a practical year long learning holiday. I feel like I have learned all I can learn and now it is time for me to get back and put all that hard earned knowledge to work. Plus, I miss the food. Oh, and my friends and family :P

The Wall - Revisited

2009-06-19T02:26:00.000-07:00

Name: The Wall

Birthdate: 29. january 2009

Deathdate: 13. june 2009

Statistics: 5 pictures, 13 cards, 93 postcards

RIP min skat

Thank you to everyone who contributed to Project Wall!

Farewell Fest

2009-06-18T06:59:00.001-07:00

My chapter held its farewell party today. We had the honor of making a powerpoint presentation for our year along with writing an essay on it. If you know me well, you know that I procrastinate. This was no different. I woke up at half eleven today in order to put the presentation together and write the essay.

In all it took me four hours to get it done. I had to sort through over 5.500 pictures, drank three cups of coffee, downed about 2 L water, took five bathroom breaks, and have a conversation concerning drama galore in order to complete it. Let's just say that it is not my best work by far.

My essay can be read here. It is in Danish so I know that the majority of my readers couldn't give a flying flip, but before you totally disregard it, take a look at it for the fact that it is Danish and you haven't a clue what it says.

My Connies

2009-06-17T05:54:00.000-07:00

Okay kiddies, I've got a new blog going for y'all to follow. It is called A Day Laced in My Connies and you can find it here and along the link side of this blog. It is a tribute to my senior year and will act the same as this blog has by way of informing you of my ways of doing things.

This blog will terminate probably within the few days of my return and will perminately switch to My Connies page. So this is a heads up for y'all.

Perpetual Lightness

2009-06-16T17:21:00.000-07:00

Living far from the equator has its ups and downs.

In the winter the sun hides itself until about 08.30 and decides it has had enough only to leave the poor Scandinavian people to see that it has hidden itself again by 16.00. This leads to a very dark and cold winter.

The summer on the other hand is quite opposite from winter: perpetual darkness turns to perpetual lightness. It never actually gets dark. Sitting in a dark room looking to the wil' blue yonder means being able to see the outline of the trees set against a dark blue atmosphere. Looking in the direction of Sun's last light reveal a lightened glow. By 03.00 it noticeably gets light, by 04.00 one has no problem seeing and by 05.00 if my shade isn't down I get the sun (I get the morning sun directly through my window and to my sleeping figure). It gets noticeably dark by 22.30.

This picture was taken at exactly 22.56 from my desk looking out to the sky. It is still noticeably light at 23.00!!

This one was taken at 02.42. Toward the far left of the tree line is a bit of a dip, the sun comes up right about here (obviously you can see that it is lighter there) and to the right you can see the moon.

Law & Order

2009-06-09T23:14:00.000-07:00

There are now just 19 days left before I cross the pond back to the big bad reality of life. I think it is only fair to establish what law and order would appear in my life should it have been as common as it should have been.

As of now I've begun to sort through my things into six main piles: Keep, Chuck, Donate, Use Until the Bloody End, Box Up, and Think of a Way to Creatively Get It Home Even Though You Know It Won't Fit and You Can't Afford to Post It. Basically, my room is in shambles and we can all thank distractive and putting-off tendencies. Instead of reading a biography on HC Andersen, 8 Fairtales by HC Andersen and an abridged version of Oliver Twist (all books in Danish) I've created tropical depression Jennifer. Meterologist predict the storm to progress to a category 4 or 5 before decipating in the Atlantic.

I'll shock the nation with that evidence in a few days. For now law and order. (Note: I've been in a B&W swing....)

Early Morning Walks

2009-06-09T22:26:00.000-07:00

There is actually a ''forest'' just outside of my house. It's more like a patch of trees covering a triangular shaped plot of land laying a stream and some trains hidden. I discovered them probably a month ago out of boredom. It wasn't until this morning that I took my camera with me to try to capture the essence of a fogging summer morning in pixels. Because it gets so light so early (noticeably lighter around 03.00/03.30) I left the house at 04.00 and took about 2 hours to meander to the fjord and back again. Sadly it was quite difficult to take pictures. Under the protective coverage of the foliage light was not so plentiful. This required me to slow the shutter seed to 5 and 8 seconds. Any slight movement during those seconds makes the image blurry. I did manage to get a few decent ones though.

These things were crazy! I have never seen so many slugs of such variety in size and colour in my life. They came in traditional black and the shocking orange. I'm sad to report that there were casualties by the soles of my connies to the brown and darker burgundy lot as they were hard to see. I think I looked at the ground more than I did the scenery because of these buggers.

The beautiful Vejle Fjord with a view of the bridge which connects the gab.

I'm actually pretty happy with some of the fjord pictures I was able to get. It was hard to capture the right colours of the the sunrise because it was masked with clouds and fog.

The upper stream close to my house. I wasn't about to get a good picture of this in the beginning of the trip, so tried to get something visible on the way back when more light was available to work with.

The Little Mermaid Exposed

2009-06-03T21:35:00.000-07:00

I think it is safe to say that The Little Mermaid is a very well known fairytale. Made popular by Disney, the fairytale features a young mermaid who is fascinated by the world of walking humans. In an effort to live their life and find the prince she has fallen in love with, the mermaid, gives up her voice in place of legs. In the end, she is able to make the prince fall in love with her breaking the spell and regaining her voice to live happily ever after. The story doesn’t stop there though; Walk Disney has perused the entrancing fairytale to include the life of the couple’s daughter and her adventures with the sea.

I’m about to shatter every preconceived notion that you or others may have about this story. The Little Mermaid is a Danish fairytale written by the famous fairytale author, Han Christian Andersen. The thing that we must take into account is that the original purpose of fairytale stories was not to entertain children, but adult. Often the stories we have grown up with have been altered in order to accommodate a young crowd because their unabridged versions held things we would consider inappropriate for children. For example, Little Red Riding Hood has often been interpreted as a story about a girl’s rape.

The Little Mermaid in its original format does not include a happy ending. In fact, the prince falls in love with another woman and the Little Mermaid dies a death that sentences her to 300 years of good-doing in order to acquire a soul. When the Little Mermaid “looses her voice” she actually has to cut out her tongue and is sentenced to legs which cause her ten folds of pain with each step she takes. When the prince’s dog finds her, she is kept as a form of entertainment. The prince enjoys best his singer, but finds much entertainment when the Little Mermaid dances. In the end, when the prince marries another, the Little Mermaid’s five sisters come to rescue her they bring with them a dagger which will release her from the spell. She must kill the prince, but opts not to and turns to dust with the sun’s rise.

As you can tell, this is nothing like the story we all know. It’s quite interesting to read the original versions of some of his stories. Many of them are quite well known by Americans and world citizens alike. I find though, that no one actually knows who the author of these tales are and that, in fact, they are Danish.

Liquid Courage

2009-06-02T12:22:00.001-07:00

The Danes can do three things really well; be modest, ride bikes, and drink. The Danes ability to drink is pretty phenomenal. From what I've experienced, the Danes try to get as drunk as they can as quickly as they can and stay that way for however long they can. The the Dane no party is complete without alcohol. I probably make the Danes out to be alcoholics, but what amazes me is their ability to balance their drinking habits and their daily life.

"What oil is to Texas, beer is to Danmark." according Xenophobe's Guide to the Danes. So true... Two major brewing companies dominate the beer scene in Danmark - Tuborg and Carlsberg - though micro-brewers are quite plentiful around the country. Holidays are often marked by the release of the special brews instead of decorations and other merchandise like in America. For example, jule øl (Christmas beer) is not only a sign of Christmas, but an essential drink during parties and dinners.

Interesting Fact: a bottle opener is an essential fixation in every Danish
household. Many people will have one on their key rings or can quite
artfully manage to remove the cap with a lighter (popular during parties amongst
younger people).

In the newspapers you see many articles are youth drinking and its affects, but in truth the Danes think they drink quite modestly. They believe in being able to hold their alcohol. I've been told that if you see a really drunk person in Copenhagen walking around that they are in fact not Danish, but Swedish (beer is cheaper in Danmark b/c of taxes).

Interesting Fact: there isn't technically a drinking age in Danmark.
You may buy alcohol from stores at the age of 16 and may buy publicly (bar,
club, restaurant, etc.) at the age of 18. This, mind you, is very loosely
enforced. As long as you don't look like a little kid your good to go.

Entering back into the American drinking scene will be interesting as at my age it is supposedly non-existent. In my opinion, we focus on not drinking so much that we actually encourage it through reverse psychology (tell them not to do it and they do for spite). In Danmark, however, I believe they it is such a part of their culture that in the end they end up teaching responsible drinking.

Jelling Musikfestival - the last day

2009-06-01T00:25:00.000-07:00

So the last day featured no artist in particular that either Saai or I wanted to see. It turned into a reflective day with lots of music in the background. Importantly, I scored some merchandise; a shirt, a 2009 program and a cool pin to add to my collection. Second, I took tons of pictures. Okay, maybe not tons, but hundreds (200-something in total :D). The highlight of the night was ZZ Top, an American blues/rock band who had some really wickedly long beards.

In honor of the pictures I took, I'm going to show you Jelling Musikfestival in fotos, so be prepared.

A/N: The pictures don't quite fit into the blogging box and I've tried and tried to resize them, but for the most part you see all of the picture except for a little bit of the right side. I believe if you click on the image it opens it up larger (maybe even to original size) so you can see it better.

Jelling Musikfestival - day 2

2009-05-31T01:12:00.000-07:00

Day two was cool. Actually it was great except for the fact that I came home a lobster (burned to a crisp), which is pretty disappointing because I was enjoying being pale with no weird tan lines. Now it looks like I'm wearing a white tank-top over my red skin.... ouch.

The highlights for day two where Franz Ferdinand (a scotish band) and Nephew (a danish rock band). Saai told me that they played Franz Ferdinand on the radio a lot and that I would recognize them; I didn't, but we were right up front jumping around, swinging our arms and yelling our lungs out with all of the fans (she was actually a fan, I had never heard them before) and it turns out that they are pretty good and I liked them. (picture down below) Nephew is a very popular Danish rock band who, well, rocked. We didn't stay for all of their performance (they started playing at 00.30), but we stayed for the song that I wanted to hear by them, Igen og Igen og. Their performance was stellar, seriously.

Another highlight was the colouring of Saai's hair. She has black hair so coming up with a colour that would shown was difficult, but we choose red coloured hair spray and of course I wasn't sober for that adventure. We took video with her camera. I'll have to try to upload that eventually so you can see that adventure....

Jelling Musikfestival - the morning after

2009-05-30T00:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the start of what is called the Jelling Musikfestival. I have in the past, called it another excuse for the Danes to drink, but in reality, the Danes don't need an excuse to drink. So, I've revised that earlier statement to the current one; the Jelling Musikfestival is a fantastic concentration of Danes who love to drink surrounded by cheap (not in the money sense because it's actually very expensive) food, alcohol, and lots of music.

Yesterday's highlight was Nik og Jay who played at the main stage at 18.35 until 19.00-something (I can't remember). For those of you who don't know Nik og Jay, I recomend you look them up, but for those of you who I know won't YouTube them, they are an extremely popular danish rap group. Though I only know the course to 80% of their songs, it was a lot of fun.

I forgot my camera yesterday, but you better believe the thing isn't leaving my side today and tomorrow. The weather is totally cooperating with us so there should be some great pictures. For now, I will let y'all suffice with some horrible morning after pictures complete with the bad hair naked faces (no makeup...). Dun, dun, duuunnnnn.....

Legoland

2009-05-24T11:05:00.000-07:00

Lego is something known around the world as colourful interlocking builind blocks key to one's childhood. Lego rose from the ashes Ole Kirk Christiansen's crumbling carpentry business. It is commonly believe that Lego comes from Latin roots meaning "I put together" or "I assemble", but in actuallity this is just an ironic coincidence. Lego is actually a combination of the to Danish words, leg godt, meaning play well.

With that said, Saai and I, decided to take one of my free passes curtise of Flemming Efterskole for a test drive. Lucky her, she has a season pass and goes all the time. Me, I have two more gratis tickets to use. As it turns out, legos really do play well. I have to say that my favorite part of Legoland was Miniland and just the actual things made of legos. There is nothing more cool than seeing mini-versions of things that you have seen in real life especially when they are constructed out of thousands of legos.

Legoland isn't the amuesment park in the same sense of what we think of in America. This place is primarily geared toward the kiddies. Mom, Dad, pack the PB&Js, juice boxes, and Advil because you're in for one heck of a day.

Extra, Extra!

2009-05-21T22:19:00.000-07:00

Extra, extra; read all about it!

So some news that most of you probably already know (this is for the benefit of those behind the time) I will be returning to hell,,, I mean Ridgecrest. This is unofficially official - don't ask me how that works, but it dose. So, in honor of this revelation we're going to look at the pro's and con's.

Pro's:
- I will know somebody when I move (a first)
- I will know where everything is when I move (a first)
- I won't have to make new friends for school, my senior year in particular (a first)
- My new blog might retain a desert theme
- I can embrace all that the desert has to offer (maybe if I beg enough I can get a dirt bike...)
- I have the perfect environment to learn to drive
- The unofficial house rocks (I have my own bathroom!)

Con's:
- You may never see me again (I'll have been evaporated by the ridiculously hot weather)
- I won't get to see a thunderstorm like I really have been wanting to (I miss it)
- I'll be stuck in the middle of nowhere (I can't even drive yet)
- Shopping includes Wal-mart and K-mart
- My Euro-lifestyle will be shot to hell (no trains, buses, good shopping, traveling, nothing...)

I guess we can conclude that besides environment, I'm actually excited to return to Ridgecrest. (I can't believe I just said that.) I have never moved someplace where I new somebody. It is actually refreshing, especially since I hadn't planned on seeing my friends again. It's a good thing I still keep in touch with them. The biggest downside is the weather. I hate the hot weather and lack of moisture.

Welcome Home!

Srog -> Language

2009-05-21T00:22:00.000-07:00

This will be the first of six posts on cultural aspects of Denmark. The first one, and a pretty important one, is language. Before I continue I'd like to make note that some of my references come from a book called Xenophobe's Guide to the Danes. This aids me in saying things better than I can. (It's actually rather funny to read because it's all so true!)

To start with, Danish is an impossible language to learn and I, along with the other exchange students and probably any foreign, are all resigned to the fact that if you are not Danish you can't speak it properly. The Danish alphabet is the same as ours with the addition of three letters; æ, ø, and å. These come at the end of the alphabet and the double 'a' (aa) is just another way of writing 'å' (f.eks. Aarhus or Århus). The letters c and q are almost always only present in foreign words.

Danish is was can only be described as an economically well off language. They have relatively fewer words than we do. Like the Germans, they find little need in creating new words as opposed to just sticking two already made words together (f.eks. 'flying machine' is an airplane, 'swine meat' is pork). They also have words that mean very different things. We have this in English, but not to the degree which I believe one may find in Danish (f.eks. fyr in Danish can mean fire, pine, or young man in English). Another confusing thing (my cousin pointed it out) is hello and goodbye. In Danish, hello is hej (pronounced hi) and goodbye is hej hej, but often times people will say vi ses (see you later) then just hej instead of hej hej.

Reading Danish and actually speaking Danish are two completely off the wall things. Reading is one thing - you see a certain letter combination (word) and associate a meaning (definition/translation) to it. Often times when we don't know how to say the words we kind of make up our own and go on with it. Doing this in Danish will make you fail miserably! Many of the vowels are soft in Danish along with some consonants so they are often missed to the untrained ear (mine is still in the wild stage). Two letters really stick out; the 'd' and the 'r'. The 'd' is what we exchange students (at least the ones in my language school class) call the retarded 'd'. It sounds like an 'l' to most of us, but it is said like a 'd'; however, if you say an 'l' in place of the soft (retarded) 'd' you end up saying something else. The 'r' is something I'm convinced only Danes can say properly. In a lot of romance languages (Spanish, Italian...) the 'r' is rolled with the tip of the tongue. The Germans have a guttural like 'r' and we Americans over pronounce the shit out of ours. The Danes somehow manage to fetch their 'r' sound from behind the tonsils with muscles that I nor most of the world have. One of the most difficult phrases that all Danes will ask foreigners to say is rødgrød med flød (berry pudding with cream). It has the 'r' which we can't say, the vowel 'ø' which we are puzzled by and that stupid, retarded 'd' in all of them. It's a real dozy.

Reading is the easiest party of the language, in my opinion, but this only applies to reading done in one's own head. Reading out loud is a joke. The Danish language written and spoken could easily be mistaken as two separate languages. In Danish, your best bet is to mumble everything and not say half of the letters. Hvad in Danish means what. It is said (in American) 'vel' but you have to stick your tongue out as you say the 'l'. It can also be said 'va' which is slang (like saying huh in English). The one that really puzzles me, and I just kind of found this one out at language school yesterday, is arrangerede (arranged). When the Danes say this at normal cadence it sounds to have only two syllables, but if they slow it down just three. I swear to the heavens above and all that has ever been deemed holly, that they are saying 'a-rang-sher' when they speak slowly and 'ang-sher' when they speak normally. They also love to shorten their spoken language (f.eks. ikke to ik', tage to ta', give to gi', have to ha').

You will be beyond puzzled, that is if you aren't already. Just ask me to read something to you and I guarantee you won't have a clue how I survived for 11 months.

Pratik -> Internship

2009-05-20T06:16:00.000-07:00

School has ended (thank god...) and because that leaves me with lots of time and not a whole lot to fill it with, AFS has required us to do what is called a pratik {internship}. Basically, we have to volunteer somewhere for about two weeks. I figured this was the perfect opportunity to experience a job that I'm interested in.

For as long as I can remember, I've always been interested in horses. It only seemed to make sense to see what it is like to work/own/be involved with a running stable. Efter long hours of searching and 8 rejections, I was finally given a call back.

I now have a pratik at Egum Rideklub {Egum Riding Club} in Egum, Fredericia. I will be working along side one other in the line of getting horses ready to be ridden for the trainer, Kasper Olsen. The job also entails grooming the horses he is working with and warming up and cooling the horses down.

I'm pretty excited about the job because it will allow me to work around horses again (something I have really been missing) and I get to see first hand what a schedule of a trainer is along with the inner workings of an establishment such as this.

It is a pretty loose pratik for me. I will probably work with them for two weeks from half eight or nine to probably half two.

A/N: Ask me sometime about visiting them for the first time... ha ha...

Bellow Sea Level

2009-05-17T01:31:00.000-07:00

There is something tranquil about being underwater - not just being, but breathing. One's first breath is, I suppose, one of those feelings that you will never forget. Through my city's Ungdomsskole (youth school), I began taking diving classes that will eventually lead to Open-water Diving Certification. It started with reading and first dives in a pool and is now coming to an end with adventures in the sea.

We will do two open-water dives (one of which was completed yesterday) in what is called Ebeltoft (I've provided a map so you can see it). It is about a two hour drive from Vejle.

The dive consisted of basic exersices - buddy breathing, controlled emergency accents, clearing your mask, etc.. Even though it was still ''the classroom'' it was still unbelievablly cool, for lack of better terms. Denmark's waters don't have much to offer by way of scenery and it is no Carribean clear water your swimming in, but seeing crabs and little bottom feeders while ghosting along to bottom was still exilerating. Part of the exileration comes from the fact that you know that 80%, if not more, of the country has never seen it like you have.

The difficulties of being a part of the diving class really boils down to two things; the climate and my gender. The climate is a pretty obvious one. Just like the water isn't Carribean clear, it is also not Carribean warm. We dived suited up in thick wet suits, gloves that hinder dexterity, hoods that mat your hair beyond recognition, and boots that are a pain in the ass to fit in the fins. Add the regulator and the mask and the only parts of your body that actually touch the water is your lips and parts of your cheeks. And just for the record, no suit has any right to be that tight or hard to get off. Those things hug every curve you have, whether or not you like them or hate them. The second difficulty I mentioned was gender. I am the only girl. That wouldn't normally bother me, but Danes have different ideas when it comes to bodily exposure. Americans would probably call them conservative exibitionists. The lack of privacy beyond a few cars and bushes was definitly a problem when trying to suit up and suit out. Well, a problem for me. The guys had no problem at all.

Now, if only I could swing a week diving in Thailand as a graduation gift..... *hint, HINT ;)

Game Plan

2009-05-15T01:34:00.000-07:00

Okay, people, here's the game plan:

20.5 - last day of school
29-30.5 - Jelling Musikfestival
27.6 - farwell camp, København
29.6 - ultimate travel day
14.30 29.5 - officially state-side

With that, I can say that I now have just 1½ months left :( , though Im not necessarily counting (I really love it here), I do have about 45 days left. I prefer saying 1½ months, it sounds longer. During that time a lot will happen.

I, of course, will try to see and do everything that I ever wanted to do here. I actually don't have a game plan for that, but Legoland is a must. I still haven't used my three free tickets. I'm also going to try for modul 4 at language school. I don't really have enough time to prepare properly for it, but I figured that it is at least worth the try. Worse case senario, I fail.

The point of this blog page was not only to keep the my friends and family up-to-date with what I'm doing 6.000 miles away, but also to examine the cultural aspekt of Danmark. With that said, I'm preparing six posts (one per week) on a different aspekt that I feel is important.

For my very few and far between loyal readers, you may be pleased to know that I plan on keeping this blog going for a week or two after I return. Those will probably just the reverse culture shock-like posts. I have made plans to make another blog though. This one will appropriately be on my senior year and a follow-up from my year. It will map changes in me and my life as I become released back into the wild that is the American teenage scene. I've been toying with some names for my blog and right now I'm stuck on ''A Day in Laced up in my Connies".

For any questions, comments or requests by way of Danmark, Danish culture, me, myself, or Irene, please let me know!

the other side of the bench

2009-05-14T08:16:00.000-07:00

I've always found people watching to be one of the most intriguing passive activity society offers. The world caters to all different walks of life, then tosses them together like a mixed salad and even though onions, feta cheese, and raisins don't emit positive vibes it all seems to go down smoothly anyway.

She was young, he was old. She was thin, he was thick. She drove there in her car, he rode in on his bike. She was dressed for style, he was dressed for work. She ate from a bag of chips, he munched on an apple. She played on her mobile, he read a book. She sat on one side of the bench, he sat on the other side.

I was sitting on a bench in a park in front of Føtex (supermarket) by the harbor today when I spotted these two. She sat down first, proceeded to eat her chips while sending sms's, and took no notice of the man as he walked past her. He stopped on the far side of bench, ate an apple while reading a rather thick book, and took no notice of the girl who sat to his left. There really couldn't have been two more contrasting people in such proximity and yet they didn't show any signs of having acknowledged each other's existence.

Are we really that different or are we more similar than we think we are?

- thoughts, 14.5.09

WoW

2009-05-11T12:16:00.000-07:00

'World of Warcraft' (W0W): an online-roleplaying game also called a 'Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game' or MMORPG for short.

I came across a rather interesting article in one of the newspapers, metroXpress, today. The headline read this: "Unge bruger 35 timer om ugen på net-spil" {{Youth spends 35 hours a week on Internet gaming}}. Quite catching if you ask me. In fact, it is estimated that a large group of Danish Internet gamers spend up to two years of their life playing World of Warcraft, one of the most popular online games today.

One man was interviewed for an article extending this article. Steen Ostermann Sørensen is a 28 year old mechanic apprentice who spends his spare time (any time he's not working) playing WoW. What really caught my attention in this article was his confession that he didn't smoke because WoW is more addictive than cigarettes.

I'm not really sure what to make of this. It doesn't surprise me to see an article such as this and I know they would be a bit more common in an American magazine, but what really sent me over the edge was the Discovery Channel marathon I had last night. Just as some background noise, I turned the telly on to the Discovery Channel. For the next couple of hours said channel played back to back programs on futuristic technology - from electric cars to 'Smart Dust' which detected just about anything and everything personal about you.

I've come to the conclusion that we are entering a society where we will loose any and all forms of people skills and independent thought. We will have a hand-full of ridiculously smart people who are so brain-washed by other scientists of government officials that all they do is pursue ways to make things smaller, quicker, more economic, and way less personal. Then we will have this giant population of people controlled by the technology which surrounds them.

Apparently one day we will all be flying in our own personal jets that fly themselves, have microchips surrounding us that automatically ring our floors in the elevators, and start harnessing the energy we expel from walking through energy harnessing panels on the sidewalk.

A/N: I was looking through the set up on my blogger and the albums weren't showing up so I figured I never uploaded them to Picasa. I went through my memory cards and totally flipped because none of my England pictures where on there and I had just recently deleted everything from my computer pic and doc wise. Turns out they were on Picasa anyway. Three heart attacks and two brain aneurysms later, all of my England pictures are posted for your enjoyment.

MIA

2009-05-07T01:33:00.001-07:00

I'm sad to report that the writer of this blog, myself, is currently MIA in the war on life. It coupled with a never ending bout of writer's block has created a monster - one which has not been updating for your reading pleasure.

I'm pleased to report, however, that said MIA person is happy and healthy and has just two months left. During those two months she will spend her time living large with lots of shopping, traveling in Denmark, and parties.

For further updates or information concerning our MIA blogger, please email her. She just might reply :D

A/N: Currently taking healthy doses of life vitamens in order to defeat her disease of writer's block. Maybe she'll come back from the dark side....

Holidays - a little R&R

2009-04-15T23:07:00.000-07:00

Holidays are wonderful things. They provide ample amounts of time to recoup from the day to day strain today’s society puts on us. It brings times of travels and adventures alike, but also sees through those lazy-about days. My month long, yes I said month, holiday provided me with; (d) all of the above. I’ll give y’all a recap.

Week 12 (7 days):
This was Rebbecca, my cousin’s, visit. She arrived on a Saturday morning and slept (along with talked with her friends on Facebook/Skype) he day away. We proceeded to entertain a work and play holiday complete with a day at my school and various trips to outlying areas and cities. On that list of places visited include Århus, Aros, Esbjerg, Ribe, Vejle, Jelling, and København.
Week 13 (5 days):
In all honesty, I did nothing. Well, nothing would constitute sleeping till 10 and lounging about in my PJs all day. I didn’t do nothing. Actually, I attended a school called Juelsminde Folkeskole for the better part of the week where I imparted to the 10th grade students my English (lang.) and American knowledge. I also ‘got to know the students’.
Week 14 (5 days):
The great week of Prague, as I’m calling this week. I had the rare opportunity to travel to Prague with the 10th grade of Juelsminde Folkeskole (hints the ‘getting to know the students’). There aren’t enough words in the English language to adequately describe this city and my experience. I just wish I wasn’t as sick as a dog through the whole thing.
Week 15/16 (9 days):
This would be Easter holiday and it was spent in England. I came home to wash my clothes only to pack right back up and head out again. As was artfully put by my Aunt Geraldine, it was a holiday with old people visiting old things. I wouldn’t have had it any different. I had the opportunity to see Stonehenge, Salisbury Cathedral, the city of Bournemouth, Corfe Castle, Wimborne Minister, the Kingston Lacy House, the English country-side, and of course my family.

Also, note the addition of pictures and my updates. My Google problem has been fixed! I’ll proceed to catch all of my loyal readers up, eventually. I have a month to talk about – patients, it will take time!

AAAHHHHHH!!!!

2009-04-06T00:07:00.000-07:00

Okay, we've run into so seriuos problems. If you couldn't tell I haven't updated in ages and there is a totall legit reason behind that. For some reason my computer has decided that it doesn't want to accept the cookies that it takes to log onto Google. Blogger along with Picasa (where I put my pictures) are both run through Google, so I haven't been able to log onto them.

What this means is that I won't be updating anything for at least another week or two in order to try to fix the problem or something of that nature. I've been pulling my hair out over this one because it's driving me up every other wall in my house!

On a different note, my trip to Prague was beyond fantastic. It is such a great city and I missed my president by two days!!!! Unfortunately I was sicker than a dog the entire trip. I'm off to England today, actually, and won't be back until late on the 15. Saddly, I'm still sick it's just not nearly as bad. I just can't wait until I get my real voice back because let me tell you, talking like a 13 year old boy going through puperty isn't any walk in the park.

I'm going to try to get some pictures up today from the computer that I'm working with but no promisses.

Flemming Efterskole

2009-03-13T12:07:00.000-07:00

There is something special about being able to capture the attention of people by what you are saying. There is also a fulfilling feeling that warms you to the core when you are able to talk to people about what your knowledgeable about. As was mentioned before in ''Nothingness'', I went to speak to Flemming Efterskole, a boarding school about 20-30 minutes north of Vejle, to speak.

The school is home to roughly 100 give or take, mostly give, students in both ninth and tenth grade. I had the honor of speaking to all the students over a span of two days. The students are divided into two grades, then four classes within those two grades. Though it's nice to speak about myself and being a student in America, I have to say that repeating myself for an hour eight times within two days gets a little old. On the upside, I've discovered that speaking is a lot like swimming - you don't realize your incredible hungry and/or thirsty until you stop.

I'd have to say that in general, through the two high school years I've experienced, I've always hated public speaking. Not many people enjoy standing in front of their classmates presenting a project or just talking in general. One thing that has definitely changed is my tolerance for public speaking. I can honestly say that I no longer mind standing in front of people I either know or don't know to speak. There are a lot of things that you can't be as an exchange student - being shy is one of them. Being an exchange student means leaving your inhibitions behind and opting for your people-person shirt.

As a thank you for my time and effort in speaking about my life, school, and general life in America, Flemming Efterskole presented me with three free tickets to Lego Land. I can't wait for Lego Land to re-open for the 2009 season so I can use those tickets!

Nothingness

2009-03-07T04:26:00.000-08:00

Wow, talk about a long stretch of nothingness from me to you. It could be a sign that, 1) I'm no longer around, 2) I've given up on my blog altogether, or 3) nothing exciting worth telling has happened. Well, seeing as if I was offed y'all would know, so one is out of the questions; the chances of me giving up on my blog without y'alls notification is extremely unlikely, so two is gone; and ding, ding, ding, we have a winner - nothing exciting worth telling since the 20. of February has happened!!! Such excitement, I know, please everyone contain your enthusiasm - it's too much for me and the world to endure.

School has reconvened and I'm so bored I'm losing brain cells. On a lighter note, I'm now a modul 3 language student having passed my modul 2 test about a week ago. On a darker note, modul 3 test is extremely hard. Lucky for you, new and improved posts will be made in the coming month. My official scheduale is the following:

week 11 (9th-10th) -> Two days worth of speaking to Flemming Efterskole

week 12 (14th-22nd) -> Rebbecca (cousin) will be visiting

week 13 (23rd-27th) -> A week visit/attendence to the 10th grade at Juelsminde Skole

week 14 (30th-3rd) -> 5 days in Prague with Juelsminde Skole

week 15 (6th-15th) -> 9 days in England, visiting family

It is actually a pretty full scheduale that I have and I'm excited for it. I get three weeks holiday from my school, Rødkilde Gymnasium, which I'm super happy about. We all know that saying, same shit different day. It's pretty bad when that can apply to my school day when I don't even have the same classes everyday. No worries though, all's well that ends well here in Scandinavia.

A/N: I'm doing perfectly okay to any of you
who might have taken this post as being pessimistic or just over all
sarcastically downing. In fact, I'm more than okay - living it up well here in
DK with absolute wonder on how in Lord's name I'm going to make it back
'home'.

Der Reichstag

2009-02-19T23:36:00.000-08:00

The Reichstag building is the most visited place in Berlin by tourists. It is the parliament building that dates back to 1894, when it was first opened. A fire in 1933 closed the building, leaving it in ruins until the German Reunification in 1990. Architect Norman Foster did his part to reconstruct the Reichstag to have it opened again in 1999. It is named after the first parliament to rule in its walls, it is now home to the current parliament, the Bundestag.

The Reichstag building is a long building with bookend towers adorned with German flags. The entrance is a grand one, held up by six Corinthian columns, a frieze that holds the words ''Dem Deutschen Volk'' meaning To the German People, and a pediment that features Germany's coat of arms. The biggest, and newest, attraction to the Reichstag is the glass dome with mirrored center cone that is perched atop the building. Visitors can walk up and around the dome on a spiral ramp, giving them a 360 degree view of Berlin.

Holocaust Memorial

2009-02-19T23:11:00.001-08:00

The Holocaust Memorial, also called the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, is a tribute to those who died during those insufferable times. It is possibly the most unique memorial I personally have ever seen. The memorial consists of 2,711 concrete blocks arranged in a grid-like pattern spanning an area of 19,000 square metres. This seemingly orderly memorial holds the element of confusion though. The blocks vary in height and sit atop a rolling field covered in cobblestones. The shortest of the blocks measures just 0,2 metres and the tallest way above our heads at 4,8 metres.

Amongst the blocks one can find yet more stone blocks. These, however, are much smaller and take the form of stairs leading down to a museum. The museum, like all others, offers plenty of informational pamphlets in not just their native language of German, but also many others such as Spanish, English, French, and even Chinese. Underground is set up as a series of rooms with rails of lighted information coupled with some of the most heart-wrenching photos. I'm pretty sure I learned more walking around there about the Holocaust than I did in my Honors Modern World History class sophomore year. This museum gives numerous accounts of families and individuals who went through the Holocaust and what happened to them.

It amazes me, the people who say the Holocaust never happened. One just can't deny the evidence there. No person can overlook the hard evidence that presents plans to exterminate hundreds of thousands of people just because of their religious views. It was a genocide. One particular room gave accounts of the concentration camps. Out of all the determination plants, ones sticks in my mind. I forget the name or its location, but what I haven't forgotten is the 7 step plan of cleansing then gassing Jews by the truck load, literary. These people would be ushered into a room and demanded to remove their clothes. From there they showered and were lead to a ramp where a moving truck of sorts awaited them. After being packed into the compartment of the truck it was sealed shut. The driver would proceed to drive to their place of burial while the exhaust fumes where pumped into the compartment, slowly killing the occupants. Upon arrived then were shoved into a dirt hole and covered up. The truck would drive back to pick up the next awaiting group. But of course, this never happened.

It is estimated that the memorial is seen by 3.5 million tourists each year, approximately 10.000 people a day. 490.000 individuals visit the underground place of information each year, 40% of these being non-Germans. It is definitely a site to see. Wonder around the blocks of concrete, descend into the Place of Information, and when you emerge the blocks will never look the same.

Den næste fire måneder / The next four months

2009-02-19T08:26:00.000-08:00

Nu for en ændring. Det jeg ved ikke hvis det er rigtig, men vil jeg gerne tale lidt dansk til dig. Nu har jeg kun fire måneder tilovers! I den kommende måneder, vil jeg reflekter om hvad jeg har lavet og hvad jeg vil laver. I den første to måneder, bor jeg hos en anden familie i Rugsted cirka på Egtved. I den tredje måned, havde jeg efteråret lejren og skiftede familier. Nu bor jeg i Mølholm, men kender du det. I november, fejret jeg Thanksgiving med min familie, min veninder fra skole, og en anden udvekslingsstudent fra USA. Jul var i december og fejret den men mi familie. Det var hårdt for mig at være her i Danmark til jul, men kunne jeg godt lide en danske jul. I januar gik jeg til Heslev at bo med en anden familie på kun en uge. Det var godt at se hvordan en anden familie bo. Uge syv var vinterferie og gik min familie og jeg til Berlin på ugen. Det var rigtig sjovt!

Nu jeg er hjem og går igen i skolen, men har jeg mange ting at skal jeg lave. I marts, besøger min kusine mig. Efter hun rejser hjem, måske går jeg til en anden skole på en uge og efter rejser til Tyrkiet på en uge. I april har jeg påskeferie. Under påskeferie, rejser jeg til England at besøge min familie. Jeg skal være der på ni dage! Efter april har jeg ikke så meget at lave. Jeg skal rejse rundt Danmark fordi har jeg kun to måneder tilovers. Jeg skal tage hjem til USA i slutningen af juni.

----------------------------------------

Now for a change. I'm not sure if this will be right, but I'm going to try to speak a little danish (up above, this is just a translation of what I attempted to write). Now I have only four months left! In the coming months I will reflect on what I have done and what I will do. In the first two months I lived with another family in Rugsted, close to Egtved. In the third month, I had the autumn camp and I changed families. Now I live in Mølholm, but you already knew that. In November I celebrated Thanksgiving with my family, friends from school, and another exchange student from the USA. Christmas was in December and I celebrated that with my family. It was hard to be in Denmark for Christmas, but I can like a danish Christmas. In January I went to Heslev to live with another family for a week. It was good to see how another family lives. Week seven was winter holiday and my family and I went to Berlin for the week. It was a lot of fun!

Now I am home and go again to school, but I have a lot of things that I will do. In March my cousin will visit me. After she goes home, maybe I will go to another school for a week and after travel to the Czech Rebulic for a week. In April I have Easter holiday. During Easter holiday I will travel to England to visit my family. I will be there for nine days! After April I have not so much to do. I will travel around Denmark because I have only two months left. I will go home to the USA in the end of June.

The Brandenburg Gate

2009-02-18T01:02:00.000-08:00

It was here that US President Kennedy stood, here that the Soviets hung red banners of unrecognizable size, and here that US President Reagan uttered those famous words which united a divided Germany. The Brandenburg Gate is a predominant symbol of not just Berlin and Germany, but Europe as well. It was commissioned by King Frederick William II of Prussia as a sign of peace in 1788.

Since 1791, it's completion, millions of people have walked under this gate of entrance into Germany's largest city. It was closed off in 1961 with the erection of the Berlin Wall and today stands idle in the Pariser Platz among cobbled earth to be admired by the world's people.

Twelve Doric (Greek classical architecture characterised by columns which stood on the ground of the structure, standing tall with it's 20 vertical flutes, topped with a plain capital) columns hold up this structure to form five passages under Victory's chariot. Said chariot is the quadriga - a chariot pulled by four horses. Driving this chariot is the Greek goddess Victoria, the goddess of victory.

The quadriga holds quite the history in itself. It is one of the most famous modern forms of the quadriga. When Napoleon's Marched ended in the seizure of Berlin, he had the quadriga removed from the Brandenburg Gate and shipped off to Paris in 1806. It was returned in 1814. From there, she remained with little changes beside the exchange of a wreath for an iron cross. Though the gate did survive WWII, it didn't go without damages. The communist government were convinced that the cross held reference with Prussian militarism and had it removed. The cross returned in 1990 during the reunification of Germany. Again, the quadriga was removed for a six million dollar restoration to the gate in 2000, but swiftly replaced two years later.

The Berlin Dom --> the cathedrals of cathedrals

2009-02-16T23:27:00.000-08:00

I'm not a religious person; never have been, never will be. The funny thing with that though, is that I love to visit churches, cathedrals in particular. There is something stunning and spectacular about the grander of these structures and that absolute power which they held over the people. Of course, this attractions could be attributed to the fact that America lacks in the area of Grand Ol' Churches. We just don't have 100 year and older builds laying around - Europe does.

The Berlin Cathedral is located in the Mitte district close to Alexanderplatz and the golf ball on a stick. It is by far the most impressive building I have ever walked in. It was built between 1895 and 1905 as a replacement to the original church erected in 1747. By the orders of Wilhelm II, Berliner Dom (German) was built in a classic Baroque style with an Italian Renaissance flair. The building received severe damages during WWII. A temporary roof was placed up until restorations were completed in 1993 when the church reopened.

We saw the church during the evening (excuse for poor pictures) and were lucky enough to be able to sit through evening mass. The alter is flanked by three vaulting enclaves that lead the eye to the stained glass dome. Scenes from the bible along with the apostles are carved in and along the walls that lead up to the dome. Between each enclave by the dome stand a selected few of the biblical figures who look down upon the pews. This church is by no stretch of the imagination, simple.

The Great Divide --> mauer, oh, mauer

2009-02-16T01:24:00.000-08:00

Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!

U.S. President, Ronald Reagan

The Berlin Wall is probably the most notable tourist attraction Germany has to offer the world. People far and wide come to bare wittness to this graffitied cement block which once cut Germany into two halves. I was no different.

The erection of said wall lasted from the beginning of its construction on 13. aug 1968 until its destruction on 9. nov 1989. During thoes 21 years of division, an officiated number of 136 were killed while attempting to cross from the east to the west (promient organizations say a sum of over 200 were killed).

Four versions of the wall were constructed, the fourth being the most sophisticated. This version was 45,000 sections of reinforced concrete 3.6 metres tall, 1.2 metres wide, topped with a smooth pipe, and backed by mesh fencing, signal fencing, anti-vehicle trenches, barbed wire, dogs on long lines, "fakir beds" under balconies hanging over the "death strip", over 116 watchtowers, and 20 bunkers. All graffiti that can be seen over the wall is actually done by West Berliners because the East Berliners couldn't even get close to the wall.

It is incredibly interesting to see this divide. The lengths some people went to inorder to gain their freedom is amazing. What we lack in America by way of history is completely made up in Europe and probably just Germany alone. Often times I find that we just aren't taught enough of the past in school. It is up to the individual to seek out the answers to the questions. Being able to say ''Yes, I have seen and touched the Berlin Wall. Yes, I have been to multiple museums and learned from the source the history that is skipped over in school.'' is just something special.

The Berlin TV Tower

2009-02-16T00:47:00.000-08:00

The Berlin TV Tower (Fernsehturm) is the center point of Berlin. This golf ball look-alike is stuck on a 365 metre tall stick planted in Alexanderplatz. It features a 360 degree view of the Divided City at 204 metres.

Some interesting facts about the Space Needle of Berlin:
- It was built in 1964 and took 4 years to build
- It is sometimes referred to as the Telespargel, "tele-asparagus", by East-German journalists
- Bloggers (apparently) have begun referring to this tower as Death Star from Star Wars (I like golf ball on a stick personally)
- When the sun shines brightly on the observatory, the glass reflection appears as a cross. This phenomenon is referred to as the Pope's Revenge because the communist government suppressed the church during its atheist regime

Technically we saw this on the second day, but seeing as our Monday arrival was darkened by the rising moon, it was really the first thing we saw. Two elevators take observers up to 204 metres. People then proceed to press their noses against down-slanted pains of glass for views of the intricate labyrinth of Berlin's infrastructure. Most all buildings worth their weight in tourist attraction can be viewed from the tower and if you don't have the eye to find them, maps along the railing clearly point them out in German, English, and French.

The tower also offers a cafe hovering a mere 3 metres higher, a gift shop by the toilets, and a bar for the husbands who were quite clearly dragged there by their busy-body wives. Fog covered the city during our visit so extremely distant sights where hidden from our optic nerves, but non the less, the view was spectacular. The city layout is nothing of a grid-block American city. Buildings are rounded to fit the winding streets and nothing is shorter than 5 stories. Tourists also get to view the milling-about fellow tourists down on the court area in front of the tower. Besides the view, the largest attraction to the TV Tower is the location of a Starbucks in its base(my personal favorite because Denmark lacks the existence of the five-dollar coffee wonder we call Starbucks).

Berlin - The Divided City

2009-02-13T23:59:00.000-08:00

Berlin, winter holiday 2009, was amazing, spectacular, astonishing, impressive, wondrous, stupendous... the list goes on and on. Never before have I visited a city that can just take one's breath away in not just shear volume, but also history and landmarks as Berlin.

Nicknamed the Divided City, Berlin is home to about 3.4 million people over an area of 344 sq miles that dates back to 1192. This city has seen almost 1000 years of history, most notably WWII and its involvement with the Soviets. Creditable landmarks which distinguish this city from other European metropolitan areas include the reminisce of the Berlin Wall (Berliner Mauer), the Brandenburger Gate, the Reichstag building, the Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom), the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Schloss Charlottenburg (largest palace in Berlin), the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church (the Old Tower), the Zoologischer Garten Berlin (home to Knut), the Berlin Hauptbahnhof (largest crossing station in Europe), Siegessäule (the Victory Column), Alexanderplatz, Gendarmenmarkt, and Potsdamen Platz.

All in all, mix together almost 1000 years of history, 170 museums, 108.509 dogs, 424.590 tree lined city streets, and more graffiti than LA and New York City together could handle and out pops Berlin, the capital city to Germany – Denmark’s source of cheap liquor.

Each day I will be doing a post on each of the 11 new photo albums I have posted in order to better display the over 300 photos which I took. This starts tomorrow so be on the lookout each day for something new and inspiring from yours truly.

A/N: this is my 100th post!!! *pats self on the back*

Some FYIs

2009-02-07T07:04:00.000-08:00

Well, I get another week for holiday! Week 7 is desinated winter holiday here in Denmark. My family and I are taking to Berlin, Germany for the week. Obviously I haven't left yet, but this is just an FYI so you all can get prepared for some serious posting on my venture into the capital of Germany.

I most likely will not have internet so I'll do my best to order my pictures and write boring ol' Word documents so I can get my trip up to you quickly upon my return.

Also, here is a basic outline of my coming adventures in the dwindling months I have left.

Week7 - Berlin
Week12 - Rebbecca's visit
Week 14 - possible trip to Czech Republic (this is way up in the air)
Week 15 - holiday in England
Week 22 - holiday (Jyllandstur even though I'm not going)
Week 22 - Jelling Music Festival (3 days)

Americanism

2009-02-05T23:15:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I went to speek to a school about myself and my country. Quite an honor to be a guest speaker of my country even though it was to only 100, give or take, students. So, I talked a little about myself, showed them some pictures of the Mojave, bored them with information about school and sports, and concluded with a little bit about being an American. Following this 40 minute or so lecture, I was asked questions. Luckily they didn't ask anything too indepth, such as what caused the financial crisis or what our president will do. Mostly the questions were of my opinion on various things included weapon possession, but one questions did stump me. Surprisingly, that questions was this:

Can you give an example of American culture?

And honestly, I couldn't. It wasn't later that someone gave me the suggestion of Thanksgiving or the fact that we tend to excentuate our holidays, but in truth, it got me thinking. Truely, what is American culture?

Wikipedia devides the Culture of the United States into literature, television, dance, visual arts, theater, cuisine, fashion, and pop culture. Wikipedia also divides society into; social class and work; race; group affiliations; technology, gadgets, and atutomobiles; rugs, alcohol and smoking; sports; food and clothing; education; languge; religion; housing; gender relations; death rituals; household arrangements; and regional variations. Are all of these things culture or just a part of culture? What is culture? Can such a thing be defined? Does it change? Can you generalize?

The answers (as stated by my opinion): All of thoes things are merely a part of culture, it is what makes up culture. Culture is just a way of life. In all reality, it can't be defined. Of course it changes. Generalizing can only be done to a certain extent.

So, American culture; a delectable mix of cultures around the world. Imagine every country's culture being a colout. Now mix all of thoes colours together. Chances are you will recieve gray - one big blob of gray. That gray - the culture of America, or at least as seen by my eyes.

Super Bowl XLIII

2009-02-02T23:39:00.000-08:00

As the AFS winter camp came to its ends, Kyle Shriver and I had decided to watched football's game of the year together. It was a late night for us. Kick off, though early for America, didn't occur until 12.30 in Denmark. The game concluded at 4.15 with a spectacular win by the Steelers. Much can be acredited to Ben Roethlisberger, who I heard much of that night due to the fact that he bought Kyle a PS2 five (or however long) years ago. Unfortunately this wasn't Polamalu's game. Most dissapointing though, was the lack of American commercials. Don't get me wrong, there were plenty of commercial breaks, but only about 5 constantly repeating Danish commercials ran. Half-time also lacked especially seeing as I slept through it.

As you would imagine, school wasn't a priority for me especially seeing as I was 30 min south of my home, where Kyle lives. It was worth it though. Our day didn't begin until noon and was begun with a long walk to Vejen, where the train station is.

People are fish and air is water. Swimming up stream:
difficult. Walking upwind: impossible.

Odd thoughts, thoes are, but completely fitting to the walk we walked. I don't ever think has there been a time that wind has been that cruel to me. It was strong and constant and chilling to the bones. My body spent the entire train ride home warming up. I'm just glad I didn't have to walk that hour home like Kyle. Hopefully you didn't loose any fingers to frostbite in the endeavor, Kyle.

*spelling errors, I know. Just pretend they were right and move on.

Project Wall --> Do Your Part!

2009-01-29T23:24:00.000-08:00

I've come to realize while I’m here that not only am I gaining an experience of a life time and a new family, but also friends from around the world. This reminds me, though, of all of the friends and family I already have all around the world. It’s something I’ve become very thankful for especially because of the traveler I have become.

What is Project “Wall”?
Excellent question. Project “Wall” is my attempt to gather a postcard from every person I know (friend or family) of their home town or area they are from. It is quite ambition, but I’m ready for the challenge.

Why a postcard? Can’t I just send a letter or something?
Well, anyone who knows me very well knows that I collect postcards. This is just one of the reasons. There are many. A postcard is meant to give a general overview of the city or area. Cards are usually for special occasions. And no, you can’t just send a letter. You may, however send one in addition to a postcard :D

Why “Wall”?
I have only one completely perpendicular wall in my room. It is behind my desk. I’ve started to put up a few pictures I brought with me and the few postcards I’ve gotten along with Christmas cards. I didn’t think about filling up the wall until the Christmas cards started to roll in. That’s when I decided to put more meaning behind the wall. I want to be able to really see the world if only through pieces of paper. I know now that I have tons of family and friends from all over the world.

So, to where must I send this postcard?
My address of course :D From the time you receive this until the 30th of June, Denmark will be my home. From that date onward, I will be back state side.

Denmark Address:
Hesselkær 5
7100 Vejle
Danmark

What is on the Wall now

Århus Domkirke --> the Cathedral

2009-01-29T13:08:00.000-08:00

(Yes, I know this picture looks a little off in the middle. The stiching wasn't so good, but you get the picture.)

Århus Domkirke (cathedral) is the longest and tallest cathedral in Denmark. It is situated in the heart of the city surrounded by the labyrinth of antiguity. The actually age of the church is a bit specuality, but then again anything as old as they guess has room for error in my opinion.

The building of the church began in 1190 after the original timber structure burned down to the ground and was complete in 1300 in the tradition style. Later that century the church was, again, up in flames along with a good portion of the city and left abondoned until 1449. By this time the Gothic style of architecture had meandered its way up to Denmark. The church was rebuildt. It was until 1500, that the bishop demanded a larger church. The cathedral was expanded to stand at its current measurements of 93 m long and 96 m tall with the ability to sit about 1.200 people.

Much of the interior is covered in hand painted frescos done between 1470 to 1520. Since the Reformation many of the frescos have disappeared from the white walls, but the Århus Domkirke still has the greatest quantities of frecos in Denmark. The alterpiece is one of Denmark's great treasures by Bernt Notke dedicated on Easter Sunday in 1479.

Over all this is the most stunning church I have ever stepped foot in. I spent probably an hour warming my toes and took just shy of 160 photos. It is a place of great magnitude and the capability to captrue the attention of any traveler.

I think churches hold a lot of history to an area especially where they are old. It is something American truely lacks - the down right old. There actually a lot of churches in Denmark. This I found surprising becaue though about 95% of Denmark is 'religious' almost no one goes to church on a regular bases. Come to find out, in Denmark's earlier years, there was a law that made people go to church faithfully or other wise suffer some form of punishment (a large fine I believe). Pretty interesting really.

Again, I urge you to visit here to see more pictures and with better quality. Just click on the slide show button, sit back, and watch the pictures roll past at a controlled pace.

The Capital of Jutland --> Århus

2009-01-29T12:34:00.000-08:00

Århus is the second largest city in Denmark and often refered to as the "Capital of Jutland". More than 300.000 people live in the city and an additional 500.000 people in the surrounding area. It is home to more than 1.300 years of history and some of Jutland's main attractions.

My adventure of Århus (also spelled Aarhus before the spelling reform in the '70s) was one of uncharted spontaneity. After my return from Haslev (mini-stay) I came to the realization (yes, exchange is all about them) that I had seen very little of my own neighborhood. Århus is only a 40 minute train ride north (about 10 bucks one way). With that I packed a lunch, umbrella, and put on my walking shoes. It also provided an excellent opprotunity to really take my new camera for a spin.

I arrived early and just took off. I had no map and really little idea of what I wanted to see. I staid mostly around the walking street as that is the main stream area. What is truelly attractive about this city is the canel that runs right through the gågade (walking street). Buildings stand tall around cobbled ways, creating a labyrinth of shops and people. It is so European and foreign to the average American. There are times when one has to pinch oneself to really make sure they are there.

After a few hours of taking pictures (batteries last longer when you stick them in your gloves before hand :D) and walking around aimlessly following the stream of natives, I decided to conclude my ture before any casualties of the toes occured. Come to find out that I missed a lot of the good stuff during my travels. The famous Aros (art museum) Museum, and government buildings worth seeing are actually in the opposite direction of the way I went. I guess another return visit is in order.

I strongly urge you to look here for pictures of Århus. They are large images so viewn there is best. Click on slideshow and be slightly patient. Enjoy!

Vejle - My Home (Part 1)

2009-01-22T13:09:00.000-08:00

In the words of Emily Dickinson, "Where thou art - that - is Home."

There is no Exchange Student 101 class we can take or an Idiot's Guide to Living Abroad, but there are some basics we all come to learn and pass on. Home is one of them. A house isn't a home unless it has soul; so many say. The soul, though, is in the people, so in corrolation with this we say: Home is where you live. Well, I live in Vejle, Danmark, so that is my home. For the past 5½ months I have called this city home and for the next 5½ I shall continue to do so.

Vejle is not by any means a 'large' city, but it is also not the common 'small' city either. Here we live primally with two Føtex stores, a large shopping center, a train station with more than one platform, and enough art to fill a museum. Home sits nestled bellow Denmark's only gentle rolling hills, squashed up to a fjord, carefully being watched under the all seeing eyes of the great Windmill.

I won't tell you much of it now becuase, honestly, I haven't really taken any of the 'good' pictures yet. All I've done is give you a preface that includes a bunch of variously done shots of churches. However good my photography skill may or may not be, Vejle isn't just made of churches though it has three/four large ones.

So, until Day 2 - Skål (cheers)!

A New America

2009-01-22T01:32:00.000-08:00

My body tingles as words of reasurance tripple from the mouth of America's future. Nothing short of the end of the world could have moved me from in front of the telly on 20. jan 2009 at 1700 hours. It was, and still is, history.

High hopes were made for the inaguration of the 44th president of the United States of America, and boy were they met. Having witnessed this event from afar makes it no less important, but if anything all the more special. I believe that we can expect great things from President Barak Obama.

This was, though not in the literal sense, my first presidental election. The beginning of both the Clinton and Bush Administrations are but distant and unimportant memories from my early childhood. This; however, is a memory not soon to be forgotten. It is a historic moment for my Western nation. People said it would never happen, I admit myself to being one of thoes cynics, but it has happened - America is now led by an African American.

Obama will be faced with the daunting task of piecing together again our crubbling nation. We have more problems now than we have had in a long time. Our health care system has failed, our education system has gone down the drains and out to sea, our economy is in crisis, and our country at war. There is no time for Obama to dilly-dally in the White House. We need to restore the world's image of America and right the wrong that the previous administation has done. We need to fix our homeland problems and prepare ourselves for a prosperous future. The man for the job now sits in the Oval Office. God bless President Barak Obama.

Mini-Stay

2009-01-22T01:25:00.000-08:00

AFS Denmark provides students with the opprotunity to see a glimpse into the lives of a different family and community in the early months of the new year. My mini-stay took place just last week in a small city called Haslev on the Sjælland island, a mere hour south of Copenhagen. For the week I attended school and went to work for one day along with attended a trip to Copenhagen with AFS.

The highlight of the stay, was by far the trip to Copenhagen. We arrived mid-morning to begin with a tour of the government building, followed by a 2 hour break for sustinance and shopping around the longest walking street in Europe. Once our break finished we walked circles up the Round Tower and concluded our fantastic day with ice skating.

I am pleased to say that while I was away my camera did arrive! I have few to no pictures from my stay so I will return soon to provide you with thoes.

The mini-stay was fun to say the least, but I'm more than happy to have returned home. The intentions of this stay is to let you observe a new way of doing things, but, to give my opinion, it was more to make us appreciate our own family and life.

Learning to Drink Coffee

2009-01-10T01:36:00.000-08:00

The AFS year program to Denmark offers every participating student 334 days to discover another way of living. Along the way, though, something happens. Before you know, you can honestly say that you have friends from more than 10 different countries spread out all over the world, you've done some things never before would you have done, eaten things you don't even know the name of, and officially know how to make the most out of 100 kr. (20 bucks).

Now where did all of that come from, you might be wondering? Well, to be frank, over a cup of coffee. Back home, I didn't drink coffee unless it was a 5 dollar wonder from Starbucks. Now I drink the stuff black with a spot of sugar from time to time. Not only that, but I probably have a cup or two a day. I have found that coffee is to the danes what tea is to the brits. When you go visit friends of family, you drink maybe two or three cups of coffee and eat cake. Coffee and cake is the danish version of the british spot o' tea and cookies.

So what else have you learned? Actually, a lot. Most of them seem normal now though, but when I write them down, it just seems silly.

Chocolate is perfectly acceptable for breakfast
Your life is planned around the bus/train scheduals
Don't expect to find what you are looking for in the supermarkets, because they are so small
Ice cream is bought to be passed around and eaten completely, not for a scoop or two then put back in the freezer for later
Walking around in leggings and a shirt, if fine - pants aren't necessary
Riding a bike is essential
Riding a bike is like driving a car - you must obey the bike stoplights, use your hand signals, and have all lights working
It is illegal to not have a bell on your bike
No one looks silly in a rain suit
Having a 30 dollar pair of underwear warrents showing off the waist band (yes, I own a pair)
Don't bother fluffing your pillow, because it will always be this flat, pathetic excuse of a head rest
Learning new words in your own language is an every day occurance (brekkie all the way), while forgetting words happens just as often
Using new words and pronouncing thing 'weird' evolves over time (what do you think of my new jumper?)
Yogurt isn't ment to be eaten by itself
Milk is drinken like water
When in doudt, just push the door, don't pull, because if you pull it won't open (inside/outside doors open opposite here)

The list could go on and on and on, but I'm going to assume you have something better to do than read my blog. There are 171 more days that have yet to arrive, while 163 have come and gone. Time plenty for more discoveries, adventures, and blog posts.

AN: I'm going to go buy a camera! Then, before you know it, there will be more pictures than you will care to look at. Most importantly, though, I will finially do posts on the important things like where I live and what my school looks like. :D

København - The Capital

2009-01-09T07:40:00.000-08:00

(City Hall)

Copenhagen, or København in danish, is a fantastic city. It reaks of old Denmark and Europe in General. The city's existance dates back to the 11th century, but it wasn't until the 15th that it became the capital of little Denmark.

I have been there twice and have yet to be able to qualify myself as having seen Copenhagen. On the trip that Saai and I took to Tivoli, we decided to venture a little into the longest walking street in Europe, Strøget. It was amazing.

Strøget was amazing and I've only seen maybe a third of it. Building climb to the sky all around you that open into large spacious plazas every now and then. All brand names have their largest stores here. Though our goal wasn't shopping, we did pop into a few stores. I think at one point I was lost in the H&M (big name brand in clothing) there. My favorite part of it all though, was seeing all of the chirstmas decorations up. Every couple meters strings of garlin was strung from one side to the other with a heart right in the middle. I've found that the heart is important to Denmark though I have yet to find out why. There are even hearts on their coins.

I look forward to yet another up-coming opprotunity to see more of this fabulous city.

(H.C. Anderson looking over at Tivoli)

Tivoli

2009-01-09T07:13:00.000-08:00

Tivoli, one of the oldest theme parks in Europe, is snuggly nestled in the heart of Denmark's Capital, København. Nothing can prepare a foreigner (esp. from America) for something as delicate as this. Tivoli isn't big nor technologically updated, but it offers a little piece of Danmark for everyone. To one side of this plot is the central station, København H, and the city hall along with the entrance to the largest walking street to the other.

Tivoli is most known for it's gardens rather than its rides. I had the joy of seeing Tivoli during the holiday season. Lights were strung everywhere. During the daylight, touches of Christmas could be seen here and there, but at night Tivoli comes a live. Nothing I have every seen compares to it.

Though this picture isn't very clear, I'm sure you get the picture. It is incredibly hard to take pictures at night of lights while it is windy. In America, when a person goes to an amuesment park or theme park they usually pay a fixed price and can ride the rides and see what they want unlimited. Tivoli isn't this. Many family have a tradition of coming to Tivoli, not for the rides, but for the gardens, which are suppose to be something magical during the spring. Each ride in Tivoli takes a certain number of tickets, either one, two, or three. The best way to go should one decide to go for the rides, is just to buy a day ride pass. This is what Saai, the girl I went with, and I did.

Tivoli is something everyone should experience when they come to Denmark. If not the rides, than definitely the gardens. It will be the best 85 kr. you'll ever spend! (The Trojan Reindeer! It was a giant wooden reindeer on wheels. Very fun I thought)

AN: For thoes of you who thought maybe I've recieved my camera by now are sadly mistaken. It has yet to be sent... For thoes are just as frustrated as I am, will be happy to know that I am completely giving up. Maybe not giving, but I'm certainly breaking down and buying one out in town. So here's to no money for the month and greater debt!

First Snow

2009-01-07T11:33:00.000-08:00

It has finally really snowed. Well, not really really snowed, but enough to cause ground cover. There is something so surreal about snow. The way it falls is magical. Flakes float flamboutantly downward in a manner both similar and differnt from rain. Within our enclosures we are almost sure we can hear it, but it is the silence that is deafening. Snow blankets every nook and cranny in a silent world frozen in a happy dirge.

Many complain of the annoyance this white fluff has to offer, but I think it only offers a natural wonder to the world - another variable to the equation.

It is early in the season, so I have been told. February is the white month while January only offers it's captured a prelude. As of today all that has fallen in the past two days has melted away causing a slushie ice to cover the walk ways - a hazard to all. Happily I report an abundance of shinning suns and stainless celectrial spheres.

AN: Hopefully within the next week or two I will have my own camera to take tons of pictures to make up for the past boring, pictorial lacking months with which you and I have been made to endure.

Highlights from 2008

2008-12-31T04:53:00.000-08:00

Here is just a list of some of the highlights from 2008. Just as a note, they are in no particular order.

Spray painting 'B' Mountain from 08 to 09
Getting a decent enough grade on my spanish final (dear lord, I still don't know how that happened)
Finishing sophmore year of high school
Visiting the spectacular city of San Francisco
Going on the sunset dinner cruise for my birthday
Moving to a new country (of course that has to be on this list)
Meeting and making friends from all over the world
Living to see the day where an African American will lead my home country
Living to see the day where Bush would end his 8 year reign
Visiting Copenhagen and various other cities in Denmark
Having a danish Christmas (Jul)
Experiencing the best New Years ever! (the fireworks put the fourth of july to shame)

2008 has been a great year. Looking back, the last 365 days has just past by. It's hard to believe that earlier in the year I was in the middle of the desert over 10.000 km away from where I am today. Ah, the good times.

Note

2008-12-25T03:21:00.000-08:00

I strongly urge you to start with the Min Første Jul post and work your way up.

Also, there aren't any pictures becuase stupid me forgot my camera (we went to mormor and morfars for Christmas). So you'll have to satisfy your curiousity with questions which I can try to answer.

Happy Christmas to all!
Glædelig Jul til alle!

Nisse --> (No English)

2008-12-25T03:08:00.000-08:00

The Nisse is a big Danish 'tradition', 'belief', thing. It comes from Scandinavian folklore (reconized in Norway, Sweden, and Finland also). It is a little creature that protects the farmer and his family especially during the night. A nisse is kinda like a garden gnome in America. In modern Denmark, nisses are often seen as beardless, wearing grey and red woolens with a red cap. Since nisses are thought to be skilled in illusions and sometimes able to make himself invisible, one was unlikely to get more than brief glimpses of him no matter what he looked like.

Today the nisse is more associated with Christmas, sometimes being called Julenisse (Christmas Nisse). He is kinda like Santa's helper. He is said to be the one who delievers the gifts, but he doesn't live in the North Pole. For danes, he lives in Greenland or just in the surounding forest. In is typical to put out a bowl of Risengrød (porridge) for him on Christmas Eve.

The belief of the Nisse is a lot like the belief of Santa. I mentioned earlier (at least I think so) that Santa isn't as heavily pushed as in America. I would say that the Nisse takes his place.

I mentioned before, though, the Julekalender. There is one particular Julekalender, that fetures three nisse. They are searching for a book that has all the instructions on how to destroy Christmas. Their mission is to get it back to santa. One of the songs on the show is 'It's hard to be a Nissemand'. The show is an odd mix of danish and english. It is very common to hear people breaking out into random song, sining that particular one.

The Nisse is very esential to the Christmas traditions and beliefs to Danmark.

Traditions of Jul

2008-12-25T02:47:00.000-08:00

Some tradition and ways of doing 'Jul'.

- One of the most important tradition to mention is the actually date of Christmas. In Denmark, Christmas is actually celebrated on the 24. not the 25.. I didn't know this, but apparently Jesus was born during the night on the 24. Noting special is done on the 25.. Some families have the tradition of going to church, but that is an individual like tradition.

- Danes typically sing/dance around the tree before opening gifts. It is traditional to hold hands while singing some carols around the tree. I can't speak for all of Danmark, but my family in particular sang about five or so songs.

- The Christmas meal is very typical of danish food in general. There was turkey (which was jokingly called Timmy, Tommy's brother) and pork. Red meat just isn't eaten here. There was red cabbage and potatoes of course. As much as danes eat potatoes you'd think they have 1001 ways to make them. No such luck. Danes love to eat just plain boiled potatoes and smother it in brown sauce which is coloured a dark brown, mind you. Luckily for me there were Christmas potatoes there also. These are plain small boile potatoes which get pan candied with brown sugar so the outside is slightly sweet. The meal is finished off with risalamande. It is very hard to explain what it is so here is wikipedia's definition:

Cold Risengrød with whipped cream, vanilla, and chopped almonds, often served with hot or chilled cherry (or strawberry) sauce. A particular tradition is often associated with eating Ris á l'amande, where a whole almond is mixed into the pudding, and the person who finds it (typically hiding it inside his/her mouth) wins a prize. Usually served as desert at Julefrokost (Christmas lunch) or on Christmas eve and is very popular. Nine out of ten Danes enjoy it after the main course Christmas eve.

I got the almond and scored some dark chocolate (mørk chokolade på dansk).

Thoes were just some of the basic traditions of Jul that I found most different from American Christmas.

Min Første Jul --> My First 'Jul'

2008-12-25T02:25:00.000-08:00

This is, by no strecht of the imagination, my first Christmas. In fact, it is my 17th, but it is my first Jul. Danish and American culture is very similar. So similar in fact that there isn't very much 'culture shock'. Where it makes up at is Christmas. Jul (which is danish for Christmas, if you didn't pick that up) has all of the basic Christmas elements: tree, gifts, Jesus, and cookies. What it seriously lacks is the commericalization of the holiday. Now, usually that would be a good thing, but I find that it leads to a lack of emphasize on the holiday spirit.

It is traditional in an American Christmas to put up all your decorations and holiday spirit after Thanksgiving. Then follows the tree around the second week or so of December. The tree is decorated with lots of colourful lights and manufactured, colourful, ornimates. The stockings are hung by the first place with care and the smell of fresh baked cookies becomes a permanate fixture. Jul isn't quite like that.

The sign of Christmas in Denmark is the Julekalender (Christmas Calender). It is a show on the tele that airs an episode each day until Christmas. There is also the other Julekalender. That is the advent calender which we are all familar with in America.

For all of you who look forward to out doing your neighbors each year in outdoor lighting during the holidays, Danmark is not for you. Danes don't decorate the exterior of their home with lights, santas, or candy canes. In fact many think it is too gaudy.

For thoes of you who spend hours searching for the perfectly full and cemetrical Christmas tree, Danmark is not for you. The danish Christmas tree is the ultimate Charlie Brown Christmas tree. These things are some of the scrawniest things I have ever seen.

For thoes of you who look forward to decorating the tree with the beautiful lights and unique ornimates, Danmark is not for you. Until recently manufactored ornimates where a rarity. Danes prefer to handmake their ornimates. It is typical to see a tree adorned with paper folded stars (which are complicated to make) and pocket like weaved hearts (not as hard to make). It is also common to adorn you tree with mini danish flags and real live burning candels which do get lite.

For thoes of you who look forward to the holidays because it means quality time with friends and family, Danmark is for you. Danes don't emphasize the gift giving. Christmas is a time where you visit your friends and family. OF course every visit involved coffee and cake.

My first Jul, over all, was different. There is an AFS saying that we live by: It's not good; it's not bad; it's just different. It is extremely true and a necessary saying for us. My first Jul wasn't good, wasn't bad, it was just different. Some of the traditions I like, other's I'm not so sure I dig on.

NOTE: I will be making multiple posts on Christmas. I'm sure you'll end up reading thoes before these, but its the thought that counts.

Juleafslutning

2008-12-19T05:13:00.000-08:00

Today was Juleafslutning. It's like Christmas closing. The day began as any other. I suppose this time the temptation to oversleep and avoid the day's activites was a bit stronger though. Upon arrival the school set up morgenmad (breakfast). As like any school activity I ate with my class. The concept of a class is harder to understand from an American point of view because we don't have classes in the same sense. In school you do everything with your class - eat lunch, hang out, make friends, get drunk, etc.

Breakfast consisted of bread with butter and coffee or apple juice. This is a very typical danish breakfast. What distinguishes it from american bread sandwhiches is the fact that danes eat 'real' rolls. Often times there are seeds of some kind of the top and are freshly bought form the bakery or pulled from frozen bags only to be placed in a warm oven. This is very usual. Following the meal a few songs were sung and some students did one or two mini-performances. Once the tables were cleared a mad dash to the assembly hall was made.

3.G (third grade)* was putting on a play of sorts for the school in the assembly hall. There are many times in which not understanding the language becomes very frustrating and this was one of them. Actually though, it was very understandable. 3.G basically made fun of a lot of things with mini-acts and video. 1.Gs(first grade) was made fun of, the other school, and various other things.

Juleferie (Christmas Holiday) offically began after 3.G's show. The halls were littered with circles of 'Glæde Jul's and 'Vi Ses's (Happy Christmases and Goodbyes). Once released from the confines Saai (THA) and I went to the small Thai store by the trainstation. We bought a few things for lunch and headed to my house. I don't think what we made was actually Thai food, but rather some Thai influenced meal. Saai said it would be called Pad Mai. Pad means fried (like in Pad Thai) and mai is like short noodles. The noodles turned out too soft so they broke into small chunks rather than long strands. It was a very basic meal, but still nice. Doing things different every now and then is good. It was a good start to the Juleferie.

Come monday Saai and I are going to København for the day. Look forward to that post!

*In gymnasium we have three grades. They are called first g, second g, and thrid g. In danish instead of adding st, nd, rd, or th to a number all they do is put a point after it. So in English we would say 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th in danish they just say 1., 2., 3., 4.. Much more simple if you ask me.

Living in a Musical

2008-12-17T23:39:00.000-08:00

So far, I've passed 2½ months in my 'new' home with my 'new' family. 2½ months doesn't sound like a long time, but when you live with people for that long it just seems to become longer. I don't know how that works, but for some strange and odd reason, it does.

Because of thoes 2½ months, I've grown to know my family more and more each day. I've come to the conclusion that I'm living in a musical. It's the best way to describe this "crazy family that I'm forced to live with 6.000 miles away" (running joke). At any conversation, talking about anything, someone or some group will randomly break out into song.

I'm not joking or making this up. The family that I live with and am surrounded by loves to sing. It's like a hobby or something. People have been know to walk around the house singing or just break out into it in the middle of dinner if the right thing is said or done. A personaly favorite of theirs is "Tommy" More (Tell Me More) from Summer Nights (Grease). I don't know if I've told the story behind this, but here it goes anyway. For Thanksgiving I named the turkey Tommy. Well, my hostdad and brother teased me about it by calling it my boyfriend and how we were going to eat him. Now everytime something like that comes up or they want to tease me some more they will start to sing Summer Nights but instead of saying "tell me more" they say "Tommy Moore". It's pretty funny actually.

So, now you know the reason if, when I come home, I break out into random song. It's all becuase I'm living my life in a musical.

Saying Goodbye

2008-12-17T08:46:00.000-08:00

Being abroad has made me realize that only having the experience and opprotunity is just half of what it means to be an exchange student. The other half is the friend you make along the way. I can now boast to having friends from all around the world. The hardest part of having friends from all around the world is saying goodbye when the day comes.

Today I had to say goodbye to Alana from Austrailia. It wasn't a tear-jerking farewell, but merely a hug and brief heart-felt words. Being away from home only makes one depend more on their friends. It is essential to have people with which one can communicate with and be undserstood by. It's interesting to see how these bonds are formed. People you only see maybe twice a week become important because you know they are there for support.

It's always easier to say hello than goodbye, but saying goodbye only means there is a hello more to say.

Don't be dismayed at good-byes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again after a moment or lifetime is certain for thoes who are friends.
-Richard David Bach

Nothing makes the earth seem so spacious as to have friends at a distance; they make the latitudes and longitudes.
-Henry David Thoreau

Decking the Halls

2008-12-02T02:25:00.000-08:00

It is tradition that come the first of december, all of the Christmas decoration come out and go up. For us in America this day happens on Black Friday - the day after Thanksgiving, the day were all hell breaks lose in the stores.

Gosh, November just flew by. It really did. I just can't believe there are already Christmas decorations up and three weeks of school left.

In the honor of the tradition, I decorated my room with Christmasy Cheer. Mondays (and Wednesdays for that matter) are language school days. Saai (Thailand), Alana (Aussie), and I decided to have dinner after language school. We choose a Mexican place called Tortilla Flats. Mainly this was becuase Saai had never had Mexican before (it's sad when you have to explain what a taco is) and honestly I was craving food with flavor. Saai's bus only comes once after language school so inorder for her to come to dinner with us she had to spend the night at my house. It was a perfect day to decorate.

Life without Christmas truely seems really foreign. I couldn't image not celebrating this wonderous holiday. After dinner Saai and I stopped by Føtex (super market) to buy some mini Christmas trees, lights, ornimates, and anything else that struck my fancy. I must say that carrying trees on a bus does turn some head.

We did everything they way it should be done. I put some Christmas music on in the background and set out the cookies. We then proceeded to decorate my Christmas trees. Sadly her light-putting-on ability was much better than mine.

It's something special when you can share you holiday with anothe person who knows little about it. It was a giant culture night really. Once we finished doing the decorating we watched a movie from Thailand. Well, it was bought here but it is in Thai with Danish subtitles. It was hard to understand at times, but it was nice.

Christmas truely is a time for caring and sharing. (I know, so cheesy!)

Sølvbryllup --> Silver Wedding

2008-11-30T00:43:00.000-08:00

In Denmark wedding anniversaries can be a big deal. The major wedding anniversaries that I know of are the silver and gold wedding. The silver wedding happens at the 25th year marker and the gold at the 50th year marker. Yesterday (and I suppose the early hours of today) I attended the party side of the silver wedding.

The silver wedding events are a week long thing. The night before the anniversary friends and family gather together to build an arch covered in greenery flowers and lights. Once complete they are transfered to the couple's home. Here the object is to set up the arch over the door front without them knowing. This however is just about impossible seeing as everyone knows the tradition and is expecting it. On the up side, this means a warm place for the freezing exchange student to stay and coffee once the arch has been rectified.

The morning of the wedding all friends and family gather at an early hour outside of the home to sing morning songs. This is suppose to wake them up. After the singing coffee and breakfast is served to all of the singers. Breakfast is the basic rolls with tradition morning topings such as cheese, chocolate, and other berry spreads.

The next free day (usually a saturday) the couple will have a formal party. Parties such as these are very much different from what happens in America. In America maybe there are two or three toasts and a buffet plus a live band and an open dance floor. No such luck here. We arrived at 17.00 and didn't end up finishing 'dinner' until probably 23.45 or so. We had an appatizer which was served individually, multiple toasts, then a buffet style entre. After the main meal there were more toasts and a few skits from the couple's children, siblings and other family memebers. There is a lot of pressure put of the couple's children because their form of entertainment has to be excelent. They are also expected to do a parody of a song in honor of their parents. Finially a buffet style dessert was served followed by the last of the toasts.

Another very differen thing is the singing. They sing all the time, though I was informed that this party didn't have nearly as much singing in it as normal. After dessert coffee was served and the area was cleared for dancing. The particular party I attended was a bit more religious if you will, so the dancing was folk dancing. Folk dancing... All I can say is that it is every teenager's worst nightmare, but let me tell you, it was sooo entertaining. After the dancing was over a finally song was sung for the couple and a 'get-out' meal was put out.

All in all, we didn't end up leaving until 02.00. It was a very fabulous and interesting event. There is a lot of tradition in this even that I don't think is as evident in America.

Sick Days

2008-11-24T03:24:00.000-08:00

Maybe I'd spoken too soon or it's just the holidays letting me know they are here, but today I'm sick and it's the first time since I've arrived in Denmark. It's not a major sick, but it's the one where your body is weak, your nostrils are plugged, and you go from burning up to freezing cold in 5,9 seconds.

After eating breakfast and realizing there was no way I was going to school I asked for some meds. I've come to the general conclusion that Danes don't believe in meds - at all. Unless you are sick and dieing on the ground they don't have anything for you. Luckily I brought miniature supplies of the basics with me from the states. I fell back asleep for another six hours which was great becuase my night had been horrible. I got six hours of sleep in which time I woke up twice because I was so hot. Mind you, my window was even open and it isn't exactly a summers day here.

Needless to say, when you are sick, sometimes you just want to be home - currled up in your bed with your mom bringing you your 'sick food'. It's interesting to see what people like to have when they are sick. Everyone is different. For me, it's egg drop soup. Mom makes a killer egg drop soup whenever someones sick and boy, let me tell you, when I woke up that's all I wanted. In my attempt to make some I realized we had no eggs... That's just a little bit important. Switching tactics I decided on chicken noodle soup - no chicken... Imporvising, I came up with turkey noodle soup. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't mom's egg drop soup.

Sick days aren't horrible, but they are just that; sick days.

Killing Tommy 2008

2008-11-23T13:39:00.000-08:00

Ah, Thanksgiving - the official entry into the holiday season. I just couldn't not have Thankgiving. The smell of pumpkin pie lingering in the air while other scents of turkey mingle. It doesn't seem like as important of a holiday when a person is at home, but away is another story. This year I celebrated this beloved holiday with 10 other people - five of them my family, four of them my danish friends from school, and one of them a fellow American (Kyle, seen in the picture with me above).

Though it was away from home, I have to say that it was one of the most memorable Thanksgiving days. The star of the dinner was a giant turkey named Tommy. When I say giant, I mean that 24 lbs. just fit in the oven. Accompaning the bird was the classic mashed potatos, green bean cassarole, stuffing, grandma's spinach artochoke cassarole, gravy, and jellied cranberrie sauce. Dessert was a fabulous pumpkin pie and the best chocolate burbon pecan pie in the history of pie.

It wasn't quite like home (though Kyle insisted it tasted just like his mom's Thanksgiving), it was great. Good food, good company, and a good time. The only things really missing was the parade and the game. Kyle managed to get the parade from last year but all of the performances were missing. We came to the realization that the parade is actually quite boring. No one really watches it. The parade is normally only on for background while you peel potatoes and cube bread. The game.... Well, there was a game on at 7, but it wasn't quite the same. A game's a game you say, but the Thankgiving day game is something special whether you realize it or not.

The meal was great and the company better. Heck, we even had four continously repeating Christmas songs in the background becuase that was all that we had. It is officially now the holiday season. I think I might buy myself a mini Christmas tree for my desk...

Den Første Sne -> The First Snow

2008-11-21T00:23:00.000-08:00

The radiator is on 4 as the winter weather outside threatens to freeze us all. Inside we are safe, but once outside we are subjecte to the white blanket. I'm happy now that I have my winter coat. I wrap myself up in a jumper and scraf then button up my coat.

Outside isn't the winter wonderland we think we will see. No, today the roofs are white instead of their usual red and black. Sleep cars are covered in a white blanket and others are running around with theirs as a cape. The grass of some yards have a light dusting of the cold stuff. The trees that cling to their foliage now shamelessly shead theirs to the hard ground.

Today was the first snow of the season. I was under the strict impression that it didn't snow here, but reminense of last nights events can been seen melting away in the shinning sun.

The Holiday Season

2008-11-20T03:00:00.000-08:00

We are exactly 34 days from Christmas - the holiday were families gather around the lighted fir tree and spread yule time cheer. Smells of cookies baking in the oven swirl through the air and sprinkles of red and green are everyewhere. I have been doing a lot of thinking about the holidays. It seems that between 31. oct and 2. jan a lot of important holidays get shoved in. Between the fired turkey and honey baked ham something happens - you can't see it, but rather feel it. We all know it - the feeling that puts an extra spring in our step and some carols in our mind.

This time now the city has been placing giant (somewhere between 15 and 25 feet) fir trees around and beautiful garlins with lights between buildings. It would be a lie to say that I didn't miss my family a little. The holidays are thoes times when you usually want nothing more than to curl up with the ones you love while sharing a hot cup of cocoa and reading The Night Before Christmas.

But the best way to cope is to find things to look forward too and, well, I'm looking forward to the holidays! As days go by, I don't think we really stop and realise that never ever again will that day happen again. As long as some form of human existense is around, today will never happen again, nor will yesterday or tomorrow. So why waste the day? Why not make today or tomorrow something to remember? Well, that's what I'm trying to do. But, back to the holiday excitement.

There are two main things I'm super excited for. One is having the 2008 Christmas in Denmark. From what I've read, they go all out. It's a holiday they love and celebrate all of the wintery December month. The second thing I'm excited for is Saai, my Thai friend. This Christmas is her first Christmas. I can't denie that there is something special about that. When we walk to language school together we sing Christmas songs and I try to teach her new ones like the twelve days of christmas. For most Americans, Christmas is something you grow up with. You wake up at 6 a.m. to see all of the gifts Santy left for you and to see if he at the cookies and milk you left out and the teeth marks in the carrots from the reindeer.

The holidays are a time of giving and caring - were friends and family come together to appreciate each other and what each person means to the other. To have the opprotunity to spend it here and to teach another our holiday is an opprotunity I wouldn't miss.

A Second Attempt

2008-11-13T02:48:00.000-08:00

Today marks 12 days since my self inflicted exile. The week seems still, a distant past, but I've decided for a second attempt.

Now why in all that is good would you want to plunge into another week of hell? It's such a good question. So good, infact, that my answer seems to be not enough. My experiment left me in shambles by friday and I really did feel just like quiting. But you know the age old saying: What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. And that's just what that week did. I'm dwelling on that week more than I would like to, but it is important. As Kyle's dad said (AFS exchange student's dad) it's "...yet another of a long series of self-discoveries." (quote can be viewed under comments from previous post).

So what really made you want another week of hell? Well, my friends actually. I was sitting at lunch today and one of the girls said "Vi snakker dansk til hende." (We speak danish to her.). What was most interesting is that she is, of the three girls I hang out with most, one of the ones who tends to ignore me. I think she is the most uncomfortable with her english so it makes sense that she would want to speak danish. We made an agreement during thoes 15 minutes of eating - "Hvis jeg snakker dansk til jer, må I snakker meget langsom til dig." (If I speak danish to y'all, y'all must speak very lowly to me.)

Do you think your danish is improving? Honestly?, I can't tell. My best answer is that I know more than I did when I left and thank god for that. I'm continually saying that it's hard and frustrating and that is because it really is. When people talk to me they have to speak slowly and pronounce properly. Even then I have to be given a moment or two to register what they have said, saying it over again in my head so I can comprehend the meaning. Sometimes words are so close that I think they say something different or a word has another meaning so I'm confused. There are times when you use animal and times when you use expensive. It all depends on context because in truth they are the exact same word. Walking down the street I have to remind myself that it is an animal hospital not an expensive hospital even though I'm sure it actually is. The learning process of this crazy language is 1) reading 2)writing, and lastly 3) speaking.

Do you have any expectations for this up-and-coming impending day of doom? Well sure. My biggest goal is to handle the isolation better. The only way to fix it is to talk and then I will only talk in danish. I think I learned a lot from the previous week. It has made me stronger in some ways. I understand what it means when people say you have to fight for what you want - really fight for it. Now it's my time to apply that.

When is D-Day? 6. June 1944 at 06.30 hours. Oh, wait... 17. nov 2008 at 00.00 hours. (my attempt at some humor - laugh with me, not at me)

Wish me luck!

Kun Dansk --> Only Danish

2008-11-09T05:57:00.000-08:00

For the past eight days I launched myself into the impending torture of kidding myself into thinking that for the next three weeks and possible month I was going to speak Danish and Danish only. Kun Dansk. Boy was I wrong. Day one was interesting, tiring and fun to say the least. The trill of pointing and making vigorous motions this way and that to try to convey my un-mutterable thoughts. I truly felt like a complete mute. The day past and new ones began. My frustration levels topped charts and exceeded limits. I couldn’t say what I wanted to say and by the time I had figured out how to say what I wanted to say I had completely forgot the conversation all together. My sentences were short and not so sweet. My thoughts raged in my head, just begging to be said.

Needless to say I broke down. Not being able to say anything and having not a single clue what people were saying to me was crushing - a blow to the gut. Humans were ment to be socialable creatures, even the most secluded ones. The depression sank in and never in my life have I ever wanted to just curl up in a cave and stare into nothingness for eternity. Sounds bad doesn’t it? 13½ hours of sleep later and I can’t believe that was my week. I can’t believe it even happened and that that was me; so distant and lost, fighting for nothing.

Being an exchange student in Denmark and probably any other cold-region country is extremely hard. The people are naturally colder towards foreigners and treat us like just any other person. Well that’s what we wanted, right?, just to be treated like every other person and not to be so different. It’s not quite the same though. It only means that you truly have to fight for what you want: fight to be heard, to be included, to seriously, no shit, take the initiative to do something. When all you want to do is hovel in your room with a box of Special K, you have to make yourself get up and do something, anything. No one wants to be the girl eating lunch along and quietly because her morals say don't intrupt the people talking around her especially when she probably won't even understand anyway.

I tend to think now that the only way to go is the busy way: life in the fast lane. This and that, here and there. It distracts the mind, keeps the body moving. And then somewhere along that fast lane we pass by the dark exits and meander our way towards the light. Each person’s dark exits and lights are different, but I the end we all make it to the understanding and happiness that is meant to be reached in this upside down and backwards world we shoved ourselves into.

The life of an exchange student is filled with thrills and spills. It’s not for the faint at heart or the wimpy bimbos on Third Street. No, we exchange students are made of this tough skin that lets us do the thing called survive in some of the most hostile seeming places on this earth.

Den Først November....

2008-11-01T00:10:00.001-07:00

I dag er den først november. I dag, vil jeg snakker engelsk ikke mere. I day og til den 31. Juni, vil jeg snakker dansk. Det vil være meget hård, men det vil lære mig dansk. Jeg håber, vil jeg lære dansk hurtigt! Og, måske, vil I lærer også en lille dansk.

The Final Hours

2008-10-30T22:28:00.000-07:00

This blog was posted 31. okt 2008 at 06.29. I have, now, officially only 17½ hours left of english. As suggested by a viewer, I will make little mini posts in danish and y'all can attempt to read them.

Why in the world are you quitting english? Interesting question. Native english speakers have the hardest time with danish because everyone here speaks english as a second language. Usually people start to get things around christmas time. They say that if you haven't 'gotten it' by christmas time, there is no hope for you. I refuse to be one of thoes people who goes home after a year in denmark with no ability to speak danish. I just won't have it!

How are you going to accomplish this monterious task? Well, my first step is to completely quit all english for at least 3 weeks. I'm talking no leters, calls, instant messages, text messages, general conversation, of any kind in english. My only exception to this is English class and my diving class (my text book is in english).

You've gone mad haven't you? Honestly?, I think so. There are times when I have to question my judgement and what I was thinking when I did something, but I think that is all apart of being an exchange student. I think it's a little mad to quit english, but I also think it is necessary to force myself to speak danish. I know that once I start to speak it all the time the muscles in the back of my throat will develop more and I will start to understand the language a lot more. It's all a process.

Oh, and I just realized that it is Halloween today. Wow, completely forgot.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

The Thannings

2008-10-30T13:24:00.000-07:00

(left to right: Jeppe, Anne Theresa, Gert, Laurits, and Bente)

Okay, the post you have been waiting weeks on end for. It's finally here. Now everyone can get some real sleep. (Okay, so you haven't been having restless nights over this,,, but that's not the point.)

As you all know I have moved to a knew host family. This time I'm living with the Thannings (there is no 'th' sound in danish - it is pronounced with a regular english 't'). We are now six in number. Of course you know me, but there is also Gert (father), Bente (mother), Anne Theresa (18 year old daughter), Jeppe (16 year old son), and Laurits (12 year old son). Our charming home is situated in the suburbs of Vejle in an are called Mølholm. (Don't have my new address? Please email me for it at jmoore_92@yahoo.com).

So what went wrong with the other family? Nothing went wrong so to speak - we just didn't match. Looking back it is actually very hard to believe that I did spend my first two months there. I know that here is where I'm suppose to be.

Three other kids... are these people mad? Well, my thought exactly. Who wants to have four teenagers especially one who doesn't speak their native language fluently. It turns out that the Thannings did and things have been going well. I think the biggest reason is because we are much more alike.

So who are these people? Funny question, I've been asking myself the same thing. The hard this is that you can't just figure out a family in a few weeks. Here is what I have so far. Gert is a caretaker of a boarding school north of here. He's funny and pretty caring. He has worked with young people for many years so he understands us, if that's possible. Bente is a judge in a city court all the way in south Fyn (long commute). She is pretty much the backbone of the family - does all the paper work and cooking. She also corrects my danish assignments and puts all the commas in the right places (they use their commas differently here). Anne Theresa has just returned from a year in the states as an exchange student and attends the first year like me, but in another gymnasium. Her english is fantastic (duh...) and loves to speak english. Very unlike her older borther I might add. The middle child is Jeppe (pronounced Yeppa). He plays handball and pretty much is into anything sport oriented including American Football. His hates english and languages in general, but I don't mind correcting is homework because that just means he owes me :D The youngest is Laurits. He is apart of a club like thing called FDF. It's a lot like boy scouts, just not. He also enjoys playing on the computer, a lot.

I have it really well here and think my new family is great. Though I probably don't know much about them now, I plan on spending the next 8 months figureing it out.

FYI: Come the first of November I will officially stop speaking english. I'm going to experiment with the first 3 weeks of absolute NO english. This means for a full 3 weeks there will be no blog entries, no emails, no phone calls, no instant messaging to any of you unless you suddenly learned how to speak danish. It's harsh, but its for my own good.

Tyskland --> Germany

2008-10-26T22:33:00.000-07:00

When I say I didn't do too much this past weekend I mean that the trip down to Germany on saturday wasn't too much and that on the seventh day I rested. Now your probably thinking "Germany! That's not nothing!" And in which case I would have to say, "Straight up it's not nothing!" but when in Rome do as the Romans.

It was explained to me once that to the Danes, Germany is two things. One, Germany is just a country you have to go through to get to the other countries. Two, Germany is were we buy all of our cola and beer. Because of the extremely high taxes here, many people living in Danmark make day trips down to the German boarder stores to stock up on things such as beer, wine, cola, and anything else unhealthy. When I say stock up, we're talking about the mother of all hens going to Cosco to buy toilet paper and paper towels saying that the two packs of 24 rolls is absolutely necessary. I saw people walking out with cart fulls of what has to be somewere around 100 cans of something. It's insane!

But they do that and I even participated in the ritual. Though I didn't buy any beer, cola, or wine, I did manage to get away with 2350 g of candy for only 100 kr. For all of you Americans, that's just over 5 lbs of sugary goodness for just under 20 USD. Seriously a good deal. Besides going to the stores we stoped by a place called Dannevirke. I can't remember if that's the danish of the german, but I think it's the danish. Anyway... It is like a museum of sorts. It is an area that tells a lot about the Danish and Germany history.

Over the years the boarder between the neighboring countries has done a lot of hopping. At some points it's germany and at others danmark. There is also a wall of sorts there ment to be like a fortification. I don't quite understand all of it because low 'n behold - no english. The wall is, by the way, the picture to the right.

On our way back home we stopped by this town in very southern Jylland. It's name alludes me, but it is home to the crown prince's brother, the corn prince. He lives here and thrives on a very good farming like industry. We were able to see his mansion, through the gates of course. Though I'm still barrowing a rather dated camera, I was able to get a fantastic picture if I might say so myself.

All in all, even if the Danes think a quick trip down to Germany every three or four months is nothing, it was just short of awesome for me. It's another country checked off my list, but quite frankly, I can't wait to go back. Besides, I never even got a postcard - of course I will have to go back.

A Trip to Fredericia

2008-10-23T23:37:00.025-07:00

Fredericia is a city south of me. It has a major train hub in the area. Leaving from my city, Vejle, to any place south of me means I will have to stop in Fredericia. Well, that is if I choose to go by train. This time, though, I wasn't going anywhere else and really wasn't going to sight see. No, this time I was visiting a friend.

Alana is what we call an Oldie. Basically she has been here since January and knows a few more ropes then we do. Her birthday was monday so to do something we speed it up to the saturday before. She invited some people over to her house for a 'party' in honor of her birthday. As it turns out only two of the people she invited were able to come - Saai and I. (sounds cool doesn't it?? Saai and I....) Anyway, it was just Saai and I coming so it wasn't a party, it was more along the lines of a "party".

Saai and I started off at the Vejle Station buying about 200 g of candy, our tickets electronically, and then hopping on the train south. It takes off skirting around the fjord then under the bridge and off into the country side. We were in the front of the train and had the compartment to ourselves, which is extremely lovely.

The fredericia train station is smaller than that in Vejle, but has more trains so technically looking around the platforms is much more interesting and fun. Alana was there to pick us up since we had no idea where she lived. From there my pictures went down with the sun. Darkness and an older camera mixed with three exchange students walking through a city usually comes to some odd and non-visible photos.

The "party" as actually a lot of fun. Alana has like her own apartment at the top of the house. All that she is missing is a refridgerator and her own bathroom. We staid up until 3 a.m. watching chick flicks with wedding themes and eating junk food and cola.

The morning after we took a walk to the waterfront to get a view of Fyn (one of the islands). It was raining and cold so really it wasn't too enjoyable but I was able to get a really great view and some decent pictures. I didn't get a chance to see the rest of the town and some more of the historical sights (lots and lots of history in Fredericia). Of course that only means that I will have to return.

(Saai [Thailand] and Alana [Austrailia] by the beach. You can see Fyn in the background)

Happy Birthday Alana!

P.S. I will get something up on my new family. Really, I will. I'll take some picutres of the house and my family members once the weather starts to look decent.

The Box

2008-10-23T09:32:00.000-07:00

Today I got my first care package. Its really great to get something from time to time. Who doesn't like to get mail?? In honor of the wonderful American holiday of Halloween (okay, so its not American but the way we exploit it, it might as well be one) my box contained some Halloween M&Ms and some Halloween socks. I also recieved a new bathing suit, which I seriously needed, and some goggles, which I also needed along with some other basic things like the nice shampoo and conditionor that I use back home. It's not that Danmark is some hick country without shampoo and conditioner it's just that things here are soooo expensive that I've turned into a el-cheapo here. I buy the cheapest stuff I can find that won't completely kill my hair and I don't buy conditioner. This is a treat!

To all of you out there that want to know if I need/want anything from the states or aren't sure about gifts or whatever, I'll make it easier for you and just go on ahead and tell you.

Scarves (did I mention that I also got this wonderfully beautiful, soft and warm one)

Peanut Butter!!!!!! (small jars, nothing huge)

Smelly candels (Danes don't believe in having candels that smell... at all)

Money (It sounds petty, but things are very expensive here and what we use in Denmark isn't used or isn't fashionable in the States and I also want to take some trips which costs me train and bus fees)

Cards!!! Postcards!!! Post in general!!! (Don't have my address?? Please email me for it for security reasons. My email is jmoore_92@yahoo.com)

-ish

2008-10-21T08:03:00.000-07:00

A: Hey, good to see you
B: Yeah, good to see you. How are
you?
A: I'm doing well, and you?
B: Good, thanks. Hey I
have to go now, but we should catch up over a cup of coffee.
A: That
sounds great. How about tomorrow?
B: Tomorrow sounds great.
I know a great little coffee shop a few blocks for the train station. How
about we meet there?
A: Yeah, does meeting around 2 sound
good?
B: Yep, 2-ish it is. See you tomorrow.
A: Bye

Pretty typical conversation right?? Nothing looks unusual or out of the ordinary, but if you take a closer look, the -ish kind of sticks out. What is -ish and why do we use it?

I've never paid much attention to this little add-on we English speaks use. Come to think of it I believe it is strickly American slang. The brits, to my knowledge, don't use it and the Danes certainly look at you funny if you use it.

-ish is an add-on that means about. If you were to say 2-ish a person would processes that as saying at two o'clock give or take five or so mintues. It's used any time we want to approcimate something. The carpet is a grayish colour. It's not exactly gray, but you can't really call it any other colour.

This is just another example of the odd language we use in day to day life without thinking about it. One of the joys of being in a foreign country is seeing and discovering these oh so obvious aberations of the American English language.

Host Families

2008-10-09T05:45:00.000-07:00

I'll just flat out say it - I've changed families. Why you may ask? Because things just weren't working out. I can't exactly explain it. There are times when you just know that you fit and I just didn't. It wasn't actually me who thought there was a problem. The host family came to me and said there was. After not being able to fix it we decided it would be best to switch families. We parted on Tuesday 7. Oktober and since then I have been living with my latest host family, the Thanning's.

There will be a lot more on the Thannings come my next post. There has been a change of address also. I will get that out as soon as possible. If you haven't heard the new address please email me at jmoore_92@yahoo.com and I will give it to you.

AFS Autumn Camp

2008-10-09T05:07:00.000-07:00

AFS does many camps. Last weekend there was the autumn camp. Basically its just a camp for AFS to make sure everything is going okay with the students and their family. Mine was south of me and included all of south Jutland which was about 30 of us. It was a lot of fun though boring at times. Getting there was fun....

We recieved an invintation in the mail and I read it wrong. Go figure. So I ended up showing up 2 hours earlier than everyone else. Me being me wanted to go on my own instead of going with someone else. Again, me being me, I had to go a different way. So instead of going by bus like the rest of the population, I went by train. Boy was that an experience! By the time I had gotten to the school (the camp was being held at a school) I had taken two buses and two trains, been yelled at by a driver, and riden a train without a ticket.

Because I arrived 2 hours before anyone else I had to help set everything up which wasn't really that bad. Once everyone arrived it was just one social mass of people. Multiple languages and hundreds of pictures equals a group of exchange students. That is one thing that will always be an exchange student thing - pictures.

In an effort to entertain us they decided to have a party. Well, more like a 'party.' Honestly I thought it was a little boring but the best part is just socializing. Talking with everyone and learning new things is great. Usually the AFS parties have themes. This one was a PJ Party. And if we learned anything its that guys don't wear pj's to sleep. Naturally none of the guys had anything decent to wear. Luckily for the girl's eyes the camp leaders thought to bring lots of extra boxers. Kinda funny to see the guys look at one another with slight panic in their eyes when they heard they had to wear pjs.

My trip back was much more tame. In place of the two busses and two trains I got a ride with another exchange student. It was fun and nice to talk with the others.

P.S. - no pictures in this post because I'm too lazy but there is an album of over peoples pictures that I put up. Oh, and my mp3 has really died now.

Æbelø --> Abble Island

2008-09-28T07:41:00.000-07:00

I've just realised that I never did a post on Æbelø!! So I guess I'll do one now.

Æbelø is an island north of Fyn (island between Juttland and Zealand). I'm really not entirely sure what the island's clame to fame is, but a big highlight for me was getting there. Being an island, I'd like to tell you we took an exciting boat ride there or hopped in a puddle jumper for all of 10 minutes, but I can't. Truth be told we walked there. Now how can you walk to an island? Being the smart*ss that I am, I'd say with your two legs... The water is quite short and if you plan it right you can go at low tide so the water only comes up to about mid calf or so. I was quite skeptical at first thinking that they were joking especially because I was sure the water would be really cold. Well they weren't and you bet your bottom that water was cold.

I went bare foot because Heidi said she was and I assumed that others would also. I also assumed that if people were going bare foot then the route there would be easy walking. Boy as I wrong. Once we were out of the water we walked a kilometer over a smaller island en route to Æbelø then we walked on the strip that connected the two. We were told that there were a few more rocks and what not. I didn't think too much of it because before it was all smooth sand with some seaweed and the occational shell. ... Let's just put it this way - had my trek across that 1½ kilometer strip been video taped everyother word out of my mouth would have been "Ouch!" and "Jesus!" and "God bless frigging America!". And I'm seriously not joking. I wouldn't be surprised if it took me an hour to walk that. The crazy thing is that I was the only one like that even though there were many other bare foot walkers. Conclusion; Danes have feet made of steel!

We then got a little tour after lunch. Unfortunately lunch needs some attention. That lunch, sitting on the ground on and island somewhere in Europe was the most American meal I had had in a month. We had triangle cut sandwitches made with white bread. There were some with salami and others with cheese. Now, back to the tour. For the most part it was really awesome. The times with the explanations got a little boring, but that was just because I couldn't understand it. We saw a tree that was hollow which I suppose inspired H.C. Anderson to write a story though I'm not sure which one. Also along the walks we enjoyed snatching blackbearies from their bushes. We even saw a heard of wild deer and sheep!

On the trip back I really stopped careing whether or not I got wet, so by the time I made it to the main land I was soaked - well from the waist down. The water was also much heigher up though I think it was warmer. Of course, that could have just been my numb legs. The world may never know.

My pittiful state walking across this crushed shell and rock infested 1½ kilometer strip

Mogens and I standing by the hollow tree with Camilla and the others in the tree

Camilla is in the tree and peaking through a hole for a picture

A nice view of the curve of the island from a vista point we stopped by

NOTE: I have ordered a new camera and hopefully will get it soon so I can post more pictures and have them up sooner!

Corrections...

2008-09-22T05:03:00.000-07:00

I must give credit where credit is due. I have been informed that we do actually have an iron and an ironing board. I guess the fact that I never really asked wasn't the best. The odd thing is that if you never see anyone use it and it's not where you keep it at home assuming just becomes natural. Soo... I've made an ass out of myself assuming, but hey; life is life.

P.S. The hair staightner worked great!

You Know Your an Exchange Student When...

2008-09-17T05:15:00.001-07:00

We exchange students love this phrase. It can be made into a game or make a super entertaining post. So here it goes...

YOU KNOW YOUR AN EXCHANGE STUDENT WHEN...

...you know cities by the places that offer the cheapest food
...you can navigate the bus and train systems like the back of your hand
...you don't think its odd that you and/or others take more than 2 modes of transportation to school (I take three)
...you can count to at least ten in two other languages not spoken in you host country (my latest and greatest is Thai which I can count in up to 100)
...you can buy a KitKat Crunch bar, two bags of M&Ms and two caramel filled chocolate bars for just 20 kr. or 4 USD (that's freaking awesome)
...your flat iron (for hair) doubles as an iron for you pants
...walking around with a camera attached to your wrist is no longer the touristy thing to do
...take out sounds funny because now you say take away
...your spelling, which was originally crappy, has completely gone down the drain becuase now you mix and match spellings and string unrelated words together
...your now horrible spelling and writing is completely readable to you and other exchange students (how this happens I'm not sure)
...you enjoy 20km (12 mile) bike rides
...you can shit, shower, and shave in 5 minutes flat (a seriously impressive feat when your a girl with long, thick hair)
...the only time you think your singing is good is after you've had a few beers with friends (especially true for exchange students to Denmark)
...you can honestly say that you have friends in 7 or more countries around the world
...facebook becomes a way of life
...you can talk to other exchange students for hours upon hours and have no idea what your talked about the next day
...drawing on your paper and taking cat naps is the best way to pass class time
...you don't understand a think that is said in English class (serious, my teacher teaches in danish)
...it no longer bothers you to hear your name in a conversation that you can't understand

That's all that I can think of for now. This is post number three all in one day. I'm on a roll! Or, it could just be the KitKat Crunch bar, two bags or M&Ms, and two caramel filled chocolate bars I had.... The world may never know.

Two Muffins for the Price of One

2008-09-17T04:59:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I started language school (sprogskole på dansk). Usually I'll attend after school for three hours on mondays and tuesdays. We exchange students have a small tradition of getting chinese during our break or flood the vending machine with orders. You know it's pretty bad when you feel bad every time you pass the chinese take away stand and don't buy something because the servers stand up expectantly every time you pass. Or, lets take the vending machine for instance. It's pretty bad that you know how to order yourself in line so that you are the one to get the free muffin. There is some defect with the machine so that every third muffin given out will not come. So all you do is ask for you money back, put it again, hit number 43 and out comes not just one, but two.

We don't think of it as stealing, but more along the lines of taking advantage of an opprotunity to save money. I have mentioned before how truely expensive this country I have come to love is. In fact it seems to be its only major deal breakers. So, I've priced my winter coat at 800 kr. which is only 160 USD. It's actually a really good price as far as winter coats go here. When I'll actually get it is completely up in the air becuase I'm out of shampoo, I need another pen, my socks are holly, and I need another camera. Did I mention that I've already spent my monthly allowence plus some for this month??

Life isn't about finding true love or completeing what it is you are here for; it's made for cutting corners and making the best out of the crappy lemons you were given.

I will Survive

2008-09-17T04:42:00.001-07:00

I think there comes a time in everyone's life where they realize that they truely will make it in life. When and where this moment happens can't really be determined. Only the person will know. For me I can honestly say that yesterday was my day.

We take so much for granted, especially in America, that our vision is a clouded one. You can't realize what you have until you reach for it and meet nothing. Lets take a breif flashback to Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes Sunday. The recipe called for melted butter. That's simple enough; just pop it in the microwave and nuke it for a few seconds. Oh, wait, there is no microwave. Now for the mashing part. I'll just toss the potatoes in the Kitchen Aid and let it do all the work. Now where did that Kitchen Aid go... Fast forward a bit. Something so typical that we don't think twice about - an iron and ironing board. Who doesn't have one?? The Bech's (my host-family), that's who. So how exactly am I to wear a pair of slacks?? Well, I suppose my hair straightner could double as an iron....

It's times like these when you are able to take a step back and realize that if I can use a hair straightner for an iron then I can survive in today's world. And then looking back it dawns on you that you have been surviving. Using the sleeping bag to block out the light and the extra umbrela to plug the skylight - these are all times when you managed to survive. And then you think of the time that you successfully tweezed your eyebrows in the reflections of your cell phone becuase your too cheap to buy a mirror for you room. I think we tend to doubt our abilities.

Being and exchange student is truely your first opprotunity to get a taste of the real world without having to stuff your mouth. There is still the security of some parental support, but not in the sense of what we are use to. Everything we think we need and everything we know we need, has to be decided by no one other than ourselves. Here you don't have mommy and daddy to run home to. It's just you, a pocket dictionary, and the big bad world.

Camp Kulsø

2008-09-07T05:34:00.000-07:00

In the schools you are put in a class. In this class you will go to every subject with the same people, you will eat lunch with the same people, and you will most likely hang out with the same people. It makes sense that team-building is a big thing. There is nothing more important that getting to know your class on a social and acedemica level. During the first month we did lots of little team-building activites, but the last monday, tuesday, and wednesday of August was the real test.

For these days our school, Rødkilde (don't worry, I can't say it either), decided that all 1. g's (first grade) needed to go on a camping trip with our class. So that's just what we did. Monday started out a normal day. The only difference for me was that I was driven to school because in addition to my school books I had a duffel bag of clothes and rubber boots and my bike. We attended classes like nomrally, ate lunch like we always did, and complained about the homework. After school, instead of going home we all divided up into our groups within the class, got on our bikes and enbarked on a 30 km (18 mile) bike ride.

The ride itself wasn't too terribly bad. The worst part was actually getting started. The bike that I was using wasn't working right. We had only been on the bikes for 10 minutes and already the chain had come off 3 times. Luckily one of our group members, Chris, was able to put it on each time but by then a few other groups had passed us. It was going to be a long bike ride. We called the emergency number on the paper and asked to be picked up because a bike wasn't working. They said that it would probably be an hour or two. Good think none of us were hurt or something... Eventually we decided to split the group and I would take Hanne's (pronounced Henna) bike since she had already gone of the trip a few times. Her, Chris and Signe (don't say the g and the e is like an a) took my bike. They turned around and went to the bike shop we saw further back and pleaded to have it fixed. The owner saved the day and fixed my bike. By then the rest of us were ahead.

We stopped only two other times after that. Once on top of a huge hill and another at the half way point. Finally making it there we set up camp and ate bread on a stick - seriously.

Tuesday was filled with 4 different team building activities. The first one pretty much sucked. To start with it was raining, we were all still tired, and the activity itself left all of us blind folded. First we were put on a string and we had to, while blind folded, find the end. The string went through trees, up and down hills, and crossed more than once. The goal was to do it quickly. The second part of Activity One was an activity that tested our ability to communicate. Lined up in a row, blind folded, two ropes (one big and one small), and a stick was put out in a field. We had to find all tree iteams and set them up a certain way. The pole had to be in the center, the small rope in a circle around the pole, and the large rope in a square around the circle. The person who found the pole couldn't say they had founded it. Now image being blindfolded, searching in a feild for some things, and not being able to understand what anyone is saying. I just stood there for this activity.

Activity Two was a treasure hunt of sorts. On trees all around the camp were plastic page protectors with papers in it. On the papers were numbers. The first person there got the highest number and it went down from there. We had to copy from the master map and then go out and find all that we could in 20 minutes. We did a lot of running but we're first to almost every single one. The goal, as a class, was to get the most points.

Activity Three was very interesting. We took a walk to an area with a net strung between two trees. The net was homemade and had various sized squares. We had to get everyone through the net. Sounds pretty easy, where's the catch? Well the catch is that the person going through the net can't actually touch the net and the squares can only be used once. This activity helped to build trust. A few people, including myself, went through some of the lower squares to get to the other side. Then we actually handed people through the net. People on one side would pick a person, pick them up, and put them head first through the net. Then the rest of us on the other side would help guide them through and hold them up until they were completely through. It took a long time but it was kind of cool.

Activity Four was rather boring - canoeing. We were put in groups of three. So how can three people canoo in a boat with only two seats? Well one person gets to sit, doing nothing. I got to be the person to sit. The first half of the trip was nice because I was able to relax, but on the way back it was just plain out boring. Finally we ended day two by the fire playing cards and eating dinner.

Wednesday was the most fun. We only had one activity that day in addition to breaking camp and biking back. The activity was my favorite. We had to build a raft out of barrels, trees, and 25 pieces of meter long twine. Our group of six completed building the raft first. We dragged it down to the lake to make sure it floated. Then four people, me included, got on the life rafts and some oars. To past the floatablility test we had to paddle our little make shift raft around a pole in the middle of the lake. It was a lot of fun. The best part about being first is that we got to see everyone else with their rafts. Out of the other three rafts only one of them was successfull. Seeing the other rafters diving into the water to abondon ship was hillarious.

I kind of felt bad that they went swimming, but oh well. To conclude our fun time we broke down camp, ate lunch and loaded up the bikes. As soon as we were able to leave the skies opened up and let fall a terenchal rain. There was no way I was riding my bike 30 km in the porring rain. So I called Mogens (host father) and asked for a ride home. Luckily he had just gotten off work so he was able to come and get me along with another friend.

Whether or not Camp Kulsø actually brought us closer or not, it was a lot of fun.

A Month Walking on Chuck Taylor

2008-09-01T02:04:00.000-07:00

Looking back on the past month it is hard to believe that I really have been here for 31 days. So much as happened. Many times my feet have been wet and many times I'm sure they will be agian. It seems that Converse are popular but not realy practical. I've walked on dirt, grass, the road. My feet have peddled many a kilometers and it feels like they have done nothing. The thing with my Converse is that where ever they go, I go. So what is my obsecion with Chuck Taylo you may be asking? Well, I'll tell you. I've had the same pair of shoes for over three years. After a while you go places and do things and these shoes have seen every inch of it. It's hard to discribe.

In the past month I've experienced so much. My Converse and I have seen Manhatten from a Greyhound bus, sat on an 8 hour flight over the Atlantic, and have strode over the streets of Copenhagen. Together in the past month we have biked many kilometers and walked just as many. We have experienced first hand public transportation and the madness of the shopping street. Chuck and I have stopped at many ATMs and bought few things. We have stepped in mud and been dripping wet from the dewy grass.

With my Converse I'll experience all the ups and downs to this new life I have chosen. I've been told that there are 4 crises that you will have. The three week crisis, the one month crisis, the Christmas crisis, and the departure crisis. So far I have missed two of them. It's hard to say that I miss people and things when in reality I don't. Well, that's a little cold. Of course I miss people, but not to the point that it is a big deal. There is so much to do here and to look at that you don't have time to miss people and that's just the way it should be. When every bus ride offers new and exciting things to look at you really do forget all about what isn't there. Its just me, my bus pass, and a pair of beat-up Converse.

So here's to the month and the next 10 that I am to have. Skål! (Cheers på dansk)

En Dag, En Uge, og Et År

2008-08-30T02:30:00.000-07:00

So for a little update. I have fixed my mp3!! My camera is still gone, but I have been able to barrow one and will get some new pictures up soon.

School has been going good. I have friends and have enjoyed the freedom that comes with being a teenager in Denmark. Everyday after school I walk to shopping street and shopping center. Things are expensive but I try to look for the sales plus I usually see people from my class there. The excersice is great! Come monday I will start language school (sprog skole). From there every monday and wednesday I will attented language school from 14.15 to 16.45. It is exciting to finally get some formal instruction on the language I am surrounded by 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and will be for 11 months.

I have found that there is a lot of free things offered in Denmark to the people. In fact if you continue past elementary school (grades 1-9) and you are over the age of 18 the government actually gives you money. I recieved a flyer for what they call a Ungdomsskole which is in english a youth school. They offer a long list of activities for people my age. Some of the things are acedemics like math, others are sports, and general interestes like hiking and design. So why should I not do something fun like that, its free after all? Well, I signed up for it and not just for something boring like hiking or camping or photography, but diving! The course doesn't start until 21. of October, but I still can't wait.

It seems like my calender will be filling up soon. I will have language school after gymnasium every monday and wednesday. Come october I will have the diving classes on tuesdays and fridays alternating. So what next? Well I found a riding school in Egtved (7 km from me) that offers jumping and dressage lessons. Compared to the states the prices are pretty cheap as far as lessons. It costs 210 dkk to be a member, and you have to be a member to ride and then only 250 dkk a month for a lesson a week. So if you care to know what that is in USD just divide by 5. They also offer two lessons a week for 460 dkk a month. For now I will do a lesson a week, but maybe do two lessons a week to do both dressage and jumping. I have inquired so far about lessons so that is a maybe. A sure thing is swimming. There is a sports center in Vingsted (about 5km north east of me) that has an olympic size pool. It is a little on the expensive side, but I think I'm going to start swimming once a week. There aren't like gym memberships but punch cards. For now a 10 time punch card will do and thats around 250 dkk I think.

What more else could I do?? Well nothing for now. Actually it's a beautiful day so I think I will go for a bike ride, maybe get some more pictures of Rugsted and actually do a post on the tiny village I live in.

As for point standing the 50 points is awarded to Aunt Donna who knows that Another Brick in the Wall is a song by Pink Floyd. 10 points to the person who tells me what the title of this post says.

A Featured Blog

2008-08-22T01:37:00.001-07:00

So, I recieved an email a while back commenting on the wonderful blog that I have and whether or not I would mind having it posted on the AFS blog page. Of course I said go for it, and I'm proud to say that my blog is not only listed as a link, but also there is a blog entry on my Jelling Stones article.

If anyone cares to see go here and scroll down the 10. of August and see!!

P.S. Technical difficulties. Not only has my 2 month old camera died, but also my 2.5 year old mp3 has been laid to rest. I guess the only electronic thing to go is my phone and it's just over a year old. Now I'm glad I didn't bring a laptop because that would be an expensive replacement.

Comercials and Taxes

2008-08-21T03:04:00.000-07:00

We all know them, and we all hate them - comercials and taxes. They say that there are two things that you have to do in life and that's die and pay your taxes, but I really think that there are actually three; die, pay your taxes, and watch comercials. In fact there is only one time during the entire year that I can think of that includes the word like and comercial; the super bowl!! We've all experienced the hour program that turns out to be 30 minutes worth of program and 30 mintues of repetative comercials telling us to buy their car and visit their store. And no matter how old or young you are chances are damn good that you've paid taxes. So wouldn't it be nice to not have to watch comericals or pay your taxes? I think so. Well, I've found the world of no comericals, but when you find the tax free land you better let me know because I, along with the rest of the world, is still searching for it.

So, what, you may be thinking, does comercials and taxes have anything to do with each other. Well, I'll tell you. If you live in Denmark and pay danish taxes, then you don't have to watch comercials. Think I'm joking, well I'm not. As you have all heard, taxes are very high in Denmark, and other Scandinavian countries in general and that's completely true. Here everything and anything that is taxable is and they aren't just a few percent here and there, they are high. There is a media tax here which allows for one channel, DR1, to be completely commerical free and another channel, TV2, to have all the commercials at the end of the program. It's one of thoes things that I noticed just a few days ago, but am loving it. When there are commericals they are actually pretty funny beer commericals.

So... about that tax free world. I've found where it is not. Here in Denmark their taxes are 60%. I haven't really had to pay taxes besides on the items I purchase so my ability to gage how high or low this is, is non existint. Here, you don't have a subtotal then a tax added total. All the prices is what you pay, but the tax has already been included. This is because different things have a different percent tax. Like, for instance, junk food. There is a higher tax on junk food, like chips and candy, because it isn't healthy for you. Consequently, people here at school eat things like apples and bananas, and peaches rather than bags of chips and cookies. They really don't notice it either, to them it is just a healthy habit to get use to.

I think for now Americans will deal with the comercials because I'm pretty sure that we couldn't handle over 100% taxes on a new car, extra taxes on the unhealthy food, and 100 dollar pairs of pants. I just don't see it happening any time soon.

Another Brick in the Wall

2008-08-16T00:42:00.000-07:00

So many people have been asking about school and now that I've had one week of it, it seems appropriate to write about it. I would have some pictures for you because the school is really nice, big, modernish, and new but my camera broke and I'm not sure what I'm going to do about replacing it yet. I need to replace it soon though. Anyway...

The school system here is a lot like that of Germany and just about as backwards as you can get from that of America. Mandatory school stops at grade 9, but most people go onto a Gymnasium which is like U.S. high school. There are three grades which are like 11, 12, and 13, but here they are called first, second, and third year. Unlike the U.S. system you don't really pick your classes, you pick a line. Different schools offer different lines. There are 9 classes at my school and about 4 different lines. You can have a more math and science related line, a language related line, a social studies related line, or a more mixed related lines. The line you pick determines which subjects you get. With in that you will probably get to choose something like art, drama, or music or spanish, french, or german. I'm in a language line and have chooses art and spanish.

Now for the classes. This is perhaps the most confusing part of it. I have 8 classes - method of naturalscience, danish, english, spanish, math, art, gym, and social studies - but you don't have all the classes everyday. Actually I only have math once a week and social studies once a week because thoes aren't enphazied as much in the language line. I have danish, english, and spanish twice a week and have a lot of my mehtods of natural science. Because I'm a first year some classes, like my methods of natural science class, are only intro courses. The first year is built so that you can have a semester of you choosen line and see if it's the right line for you. If it isn't than you can change classes. Another interestingly difficult to understand aspect of the school system is that your schedual changes from week to week and your classes are almost never in the same class room. To check to see what you have when and where you have to log onto the school webpage to get your schedual. It's recomended that you check it dailly because some times a class will get canceled. It seems that here they don't have substitute teachers. So, if your first modul class is canceled then you don't have to be to school until 9.30!

Now for some of the basics. School starts at 8.00 and ends about 14.00. You get a 15 minute break inbetween each class, which totally rocks, and usually only have 3 to 4 classes a day. We only get a 30 minute lunch, but that's really no big deal. Things here aren't strick in any way shape or form. In America you have to have a hall pass to be out of your classroom, here they don't have people walking around making sure people are where they are suppose to be. If you don't have a class during one of the moduls then you aren't restricted to a certain area, in fact you can leave and come back if you want to.

Some shockers.... Smoking is fine as long as you're outside. Every friday the school holds a little 'cafe' like deal where students and teachers hang out after school in the Cafateria. There is loud playing music, giant pieces of practically cheeseless pizza, and beer. Yes, you read that right, they sell beer and both students and teachers are drinking and the people out side are smoking and yes, this is all in the school. Not everyone drinks and not everyone smokes. In fact I think the system works well because people have the option. In America I'd say that young people abuse alcohol and smoking because it is something that they can't do. Here some people won't have a beer, some will have just one, and others might have two or three, either way whatever you choose is okay. Only the people who want to smoke, smoke and if you don't that's fine too.

For now that is fine. Please leave questions so I know what to write about next time concerning school. Sometimes it's easy to miss things when they become everyday typical things. Oh, and 50 points to the first person who 'gets' the title.

P.S. The school website has been changed from what has been up there.

The Jelling Stones

2008-08-10T02:32:00.000-07:00

Denmark is proud to say that it is the oldest monarchy in western Europe and to prove it's point it proudly displays they Jelling Stones. Now what, you may be asking, are the Jelling Stones. Well I shall tell you. The Jelling Stones are two stones that are around a thousand years old. Errected in the late 900's by the first king of Denmark, Gorm the Old, they stand as a physical birth certificate of Denmark.

What is most interesting about these stones and just going to visit them in general is that they aren't roped off and nor do they have a gate around them. There isn't a park or staff standing around to tell you about them. You can touch these stones and walk all around them. You can get as close to them as you would like and it's absolutely free to see them. In fact they stand in the middle of a church yard. And one of the most beautiful church yards I have ever seen.

Most other European churchs are dark and ornate. Here though, and in Denmark in general as I am told, the churches are very light and simple. This is the church that stands right by the stones. It is painted white inside and out. There is only one stained glass window and the others are normal to let light in. Walking in doesn't take your breath away and it wouldn't take you more than 20 minutes to see everything there is to see, but it gives you a sense of simplicity and tranquility when you walk in. To me, and I'm not a religious person, this is the right place to seek inner peace and be one with your god or gods.

I was also most taken about by the cemetary. All around you is a grave yard but you never really notice because it is so beautiful. Each plot, usually a family plot, is hedged with a box wood, or something similar to it. In stead of cold, standard, concrete tome stones there are rocks carved with the names. It's a very natural look and very appealing. Often there are sculpted bushes and trees that look as though their branches are laying a protective blanket over their owners. It's the kind of place that makes you want to buy a plot because you know your family wouldn't mind coming to visit you.

Nobody would mind coming to see that. I know I wouldn't. On either side of the church there are two hills. The picture above was taken from one and the other is behind the church. These are the hills where the king and queen are barried. I believe the one were this picture was taken was the queen's hill and the other one was the king's hill. Either way the views each hill provided was wonderful. And the best part about all of this is that Jelling really isn't too far from Rugsted. Then again, for us in America, nothing here in Denmark is too far away.

The Great Copenhagen Adventure

2008-08-10T02:06:00.000-07:00

I mentioned in another blog entry or whatever it is you want to call it that upon arrival the AFS DK group took us on an outing to Copenhagen. Well, I told the truth. We arrived in Copenhagen after a long and tiring flight around 8 a.m. and made it to our camp place at probably 8:30ish. By the time we unpacked, got the tour of the place, and had lunch there was about 50 of us and we didn't have much to do while we waited for the other students. It had already been arranged to have the earily arrivals go to Copenhagen, I guess we just got lucky that thoes people were us.

We started off with about a kilometer walk through the town of Kastrup, where we were staying, to the train stations. From there all 50 of us hoped the train for a few stops down to the metro. There we picked up the metro which took us all the way to the heart of Copenhagen. Okay, maybe not quite the heart, but it did take us too a very touristy spot called Nyhavn. The picture above is it. If you ever pick up a book on Denmark or Copenhagen then chances are damn good that you will see this picture or at least something similar.

We got the joy of a canal tour, as they called it. The tour consisted of a lot of people shoved on a very flat boat that took us around the harbor and the surrounding area for about an hour. The sites were wonderful and the city is just gorgeous. The total down fall was that we were dead tired and at some point every one of us dozed off. About the only thing that kept me up was the 208 pictures I took along the way. Notice in the picture the guy in the blue shirt. That's James and he dozed throughout the entire ride. Alison, the girl in the lime green shirt is passed out with her head leaning aganist the bar. And then there's Mark. He's the guy in the green shirt who is down for the count and had been for the passed 20 minutes. Needless to say, the flight was long, the time difference was getting to us, and none of us were ready for a day filled of sights such as Copenhagen. Though I did take tons of pictures, I too dozed off. Because we were a large group we got to get on first. As soon as we were on the entire group got to wait for the boat to fill up with random people. At this time I think everyone of us was asleep, and I include myself in this.

Besides being dead tired, the things we passed by were great. We say the queen's palace and a bunch of monuments. The boat took us down one canal that was lined with beautiful old buildings right there on the water which was lined, of course, with boats and a beer stand. We also passed by an old battle ship that had been truend into a museum and a few other things. It's definitely a trip to do when in Copenhagen.

Arrival Camp

2008-08-07T03:25:00.000-07:00

Day one of arrival camp was probably the longest day in history. We arrived on the morning of the first of august very tired. As if that wasn't enough we had to take in a whole new country and embrace a total language barrier. Because we arrived so early the US students along with a bunch other got to go on a little trip to Copenhagen. The trip was great and would have been much, much better had we not been falling asleep where we stood.

I guess before I should address the Copenhagen trip I'll address lunch. Danish lunch is a truely interesting experience. They eat open face sandwhiches which I'm sure most of you have heard of. The idea of Danish meals is to fill up on bread. The tops and other items is just for taste. It is typical to eat a very dark bread. I'm not sure what it is in english and I couldn't tell you what it is in Danish if I tried, but I'd say it is close to what we call pumpernickle bread. At first the bread is dry and not very flavorful. What taste it does have is kind of harsh and nothing compared to what we are use to. By lunch number 3 we are all pretty much use to it and can go as far as to say we like it. Some popular sandwhiches are butter, egg, tomato, and mayo or butter, salami, remoulade (a kind of sweetish mayo/mustard mixure that we don't have in the states), and sometimes fried onions. I personally really like the egg sandwhich and just butter and cheese. Another unique one is Leverpostej and bacon. It is a meat pate made of pork liver. I didn't know that until after I tried it. It's nothing really to be afraid of because it tastes just like ground up meatloaf which is really good and anything with bacon on it is good.

Anyway.... The arrival camp was good. It was great to meet lots of people from all around the world. To entertain us they did an entertainment time. Here each group ( we were split up into about 13 groups or so with 10-15 people in each group) would perform a little skit for the rest of us. It was really fun. For our group (10) we had Kyle (USA) stand with his back turned to the audience with just a towel on so that it looked like he didn't have any clothes on. Then we had a sign on him so that only we could see. It said something about mini hot dogs for sale for 25 kr then we would walk past him like we were on the street and make comments about how small and little and what not it was. Obviously we were talking about the hot dogs but to the audience our comments were kind of suggestive to him. It was hilllarious!

Another interesting thing about the camp was the showers. In Denmark and most of Scandinavia they take showers after gym class. No big deal right??? Yeah well, there is only one shower room with about 9 or so shower heads.... You do the math.

My the end of the camp we were all ready to go home and unpack out suitcases and really start to live. It's great to be around all of thoes interesting people and have a great time but sharing a room with about 20 other girls while sleeping on the floor isn't very much fun after awhile.

And so the camp ends on the 4. We pack our bags, eat breakfast, clean up, and wait for our families to arrive. Some leave early because they have to catch the train, others wait because their families come to get them. Me, I wait, and now I'm home writing to you so I'm here and well.

Gateway Camp

2008-08-07T03:11:00.000-07:00

You would figure that of all the flights going to La Guardia and of all the people that will fly there in one given day, the chances of meeting someone you know or could potentially know would be very, very slim. I guess fate played its part and I ended up meeting another AFSer on my flight from Chicago to La Guardia. As if fate hadn't already done it's part we sat in the same row right next to each other. Who would have thought.

The night before I got about 4 to 3½ hours of sleep so I was already tired enough. The AFS USA gateway camp had plenty planned for us. It came complete with a schedual and name tags. Staying at St. John's wasn't really anything special. The dorms wouldn't have been so bad had you time to lay out a rug and bring your own bedding. The food wasn't terrible but the elevators were packed. In fact I think we were able to get a good 12 people or more in one of them.

The most fun we really had was hanging out in the hall way to the lounge. The lady, Janet, who ran the program was kind of boring and too serious. We did some skits, but she would suck all of the fun out of it by talking about 20 minutes on each one.

The camp wasn't anything I expected. They never really tell you the specifics so I went thinking there would be all the Euro students there. In fact only the students going to Denmark and Norway were there. It seem like as soon as everyone got there we all hit it off. It's hard not to when all of us shared a common interest.

The final and really only second day at the camp was spent packing and traveling to Newark. Yes, to all of you who didn't believe, I left from Newark not JFK. The drive to Newark isn't great in distance but you have to drive straight through New York city and the traffic is terrible. You have to been in a good area I think to appreciate New York. What we saw from the bus was dirty and ugly. The most spectacular site was, interestingly enough, a cemetary. Never before had I ever seen such a large expance of tomb stones.

The check in process was fairly easy. On the down side our terminal was very boring though. Only had one store a small little cafe, if it can be called that, and a currency exchange place. We exchanged our money and then proceeded to wait a few hours for our flight which would prove to be very, very long.

The Questions

2008-08-05T02:17:00.001-07:00

This is just a brief update to let the whole world know that I am alive and well, living in Denmark. Since my last update I have been bunking with students from all over the United States and from all over the world. There was a gateway camp for two days in New York and after flying on an extremely long flight from Newark to Copenhagen there was an arival orientation for about 3 days.

HOW IS DENMARK?
So far I love Denmark. Even though the country is flat and many people have assured me that Danes or coconuts, I really love it here. The views are great and the cities are fabulous. When I first got here AFS DK did a trip to Copenhagen and it was beautiful. The public transportation is wonderful and people really do ride their bikes. In fact in the larger cities there are special lanes just for bikes.

HAVE YOU MET YOUR FAMILY?
Yes, I have met my family. They are great and I really like the village, Rugsted, even though it is very small and in the middle of no where.

WHAT ARE THEY (THE FAMILY) LIKE?
Such a hard question to answer because I've only known them for a day and a half so far. We are all adjusting to each other so once things settle down I'll be able to better articulate what they are like. Christoffer and Casper are just like any boys; playful and antaganizing towards each other. Camilla is playful and can be very talkative. None of the children speak english so right now I'm just the observer. Heidi is very helpful and Morgens is good. For now that's all I can tell, but in reality I could probably have already told you that.

Any more questions so far, just comment and I will answer eventually. As far as contacting goes, I'll get back to y'all on that.

Goodbye America, Helllooo Denmark

2008-07-29T14:23:00.001-07:00

Finally, after months of waiting, my adventure is to begin. I've backed my bags and said my goodbyes. It's amazing that after months of dreaming of this day, of signing paperwork, and of sitting tight the day has come for it to really happen.

It's hard to say that I'm scared of what is to come or that I'm frightened about this or that because, in reality, I'm not. I'm just totally psyched about meeting new people, learning a new language, and exploring a different culture. I'm not saying I'm totally comfortable with starting a new school while living with a new family, speaking none of the language, and not knowing hardly anything about the customs. I've spent a good portion of my life moving to new schools where I knew no one outside of my family, but this is a whole new ball game. At least when I started a new school before I could talk to them and they would understand, and I didn't have to worry about doing some social faux pas.

Now I'm sure you're thinking, "Well, you did prepare for this, right?" I did, more than you would know, but you can't just read a book and understand everything. Understanding in itself isn't something very comprehensible. I've always thought that to understand one thing is to know its opposite. To understand day you have to know night. To say I understand they culture would be a lie. No amount of preparation can really prepare you for anything like what I'm about to do. I'm sure other exchange students can vouch for me there. I guess you just have to prepare for the unexpected and grasp all the knowledge about your country of choice before you go. That's just what I've done.

I'm most interesting in this blog because it's my thoughts and feelings right then and there. It will be most interesting to sit down one day and read from start to finish everything I've posted once I return. I want to know if my expectations were right or if I was absolutely crazy to not be frightened or scared or whatever it is your suppose to feel at this moment. So in order to do that I'm going to write, well, type my expectations.

To make expectations is to be disappointed. I don't expect everything to be perfect. I expect to make mistakes and to make a complete fool of myself every now and then. I don't expect to never be homesick and I don't expect to fit right in. I expect to learn more about a different way of life and I expect to come home a different person. I don't expect to change the world and I don't expect to come back a perfect person. I expect to come back an understanding person and I expect to come home with a general knowledge of the language and culture. I don't expect to know everything. I expect myself to stay in touch with friends both here and there. I expect myself to learn about and appreciate my own culture. I expect myself to return a citizen of my own country, a prospective citizen of my host country, and a true citizen of the world. Of all of these expectations, I expect to be disappointed - it's just the way life rolls.

So, with all that said, Goodbye America and Hellooooo Denmark!

P.S. Don't have my address or point of contact? Wish you had it? Shoot me an email at jmoore_92@yahoo.com

Philosophy

2008-07-27T15:37:00.000-07:00

I found this among (yes, large, bold, and italics was necessary) all of my papers and random things I packed in my box. I thought it was very insightful and cool. So here some food for thought.

The sovereign freedom of traveling comes from the fact that it whirls you around and turns you upside down and stands everything you took for granted on its head.

I'm not sure who said this or anything so it's an unknown quote.

A Tourist in My Own City

2008-07-25T19:11:00.000-07:00

I've made the last major leg of my summer journey. What began in the early days of June has slowly meandered it's way to Tennessee in the late days of July. Two months is a long time to be living out of a suitcase. I couldn't ask for a better ending to my summer thrills in the states than being a tourist in my own (new) hometown of Chattanooga/Hixson, TN.

Sure, I've visited Chattanooga before, but there's nothing like coming and knowing that everything you see will one day be called home. Grandpa and I have been enjoying the ultimate chill time with boutes of travel inbetween. The other day we went to see downtown. Boy was it great. The walking bridge that was an old railroad bridge provides great views of the area. It was a plus with the great weather we had too. After walking over the river and back again our tummies made their usual hunger noise. That's when we parked it at Cheeseburger Cheeseburger. They only serve cheeseburgers there (well, pretty much) and boast some of the best milkshakes around. It was like walking into an old dinner like atmosphere just packed to the brim with people. I have a feeling it's like that all the time. If you ever get the chance you HAVE to get a strawberry cheesecake milkshake. I'd go there just for the shake.

After filling up on some pretty awesome food we made our way around to the water and walked around. There was this awesome parking meter at the top of one of the steps that was blue with a red and white poke-a-pot pole. Really cool. There was also some strange wooden structure with a portion of railroad tracks. Grandpa is standing it in, in the picture up above. It was a great day that we ended at the aquarium. Over all a great day of being a tourist in my own city.

Tomorrow we're going to see the Lookouts, a local baseball team, play. I'm looking forward to stuffing myself with hotdogs. There are two places were hotdogs are their absolute best - camping and at the ball park. I, of course, am going to go sporting my Tampa Bay Devil Ray's hat. Thanks to Papa Fred and Deb, I've found a new liking towards baseball. Couldn't play the game to save my life, but it's enjoyable to watch.

Sweet 16

2008-07-20T07:01:00.000-07:00

Sweet 16 - the ultimate birthday, or so goes tradition. It's the year we get to drive, the year we pray our parents get us some wheels, and the year we look forward to. But why 16? Why not 18, the year we become adults, or 21, the year we can legally drink? Who knows why.

I never quite understood why we would hold such high standards for the 16th year of life so I've never looked forward to it. I never expected anything special because to me it's just another year - any other day to have an excuse to do something special with friends and family. This year, I not only turn 16 but I also embark on the adventure of a life time. It seems perfect. Some friends from home have asked me if I'll miss not having a 16 birthday in the states with my family and friends. I said "No", well I guess to be more exact, "Hell no!" How many Americans can say that they turned 16 in Denmark?

Even though I won't turn 16 until 3 August, my family has done some celebrating. While in St. Petersburg visiting my Aunt Donna, Grandma Jo, and everyone else, we decided on a dinner cruise to celebrate my birthday a little early. It was just short of cool. The sights were really awesome. Some of the homes there were amazing. I think they said something along the lines of 1.4 million dollars per level of home. That's some serious cash since some of those places were 3 floors! As we got to the mouth of the Gulf of Mexico we saw the sun set then ventured back indoors to eat a fabulous meal. It turned out to be a great night especially since it was something I'd never done before.

(just a down right perfect sunset)

The food was great as was the company. I think the sad part was that most of the music they were playing was geared towards the older age group and I actually knew a good bit of it. Who says the oldies eventually die??!! Anything can make a come back.

I think the biggest stumbling point for most people involved around what to get me. Well, I could image how hard that must have been. Most have settled on a little pocket cash which is greatly appreciated. I'm not an overly materialistic person and money can be but aside if anything for something important like college or the latest book....

16 is such a big year, and even though I'll be caught in this mad mode of transition I don't think I could ask for a better one. Now the interesting post to read will be the one I write after and concerning my birthday on the third. Y'all better look forward to it so I can be pointed out as a hypocrite when I complain.

An Odd Occurence

2008-07-16T18:00:00.000-07:00

Some one was telling me that I should do photojournalism. I'd never thought of that before and to be frank I wasn't quite sure what exactly it was. I've always thought that a picture could say more than words written by the most talented writer. A picture could be interpreted so many ways and in reality words can only say so much. So why not? I love to take pictures of random people and scenes - things that really tell a story, not just a group of people smiling in front of a building or sign.

And so a little bit of research was done through the most unreliable site on the Internet; Wikipedia. Come to find out that the first nationally organized group of newspaper photographs was in Denmark. The Danish Union of Press Photographers was founded in 1912 in Copenhagen by just 6 photographers. Today the DUPP has 800 members.

Though is just a small little something of nothing important it was the irony that I found most odd. It seems that now that I have become exposed to Denmark in the most superficial way that it pops up everywhere. There are so many things to Denmark that people just don't know about. I guess the major one is the Lego. We think of it as an all American play toy, but in fact the Lego was made in Denmark. The original Lego land is not in California, but in Denmark. It is such a small country that we tend to think that it has nothing to offer the world like a larger country, say America, would.

It just goes to prove that small countries are as capable of doing as much, if not more than any larger country. It also goes to show that sometimes odd occurrences aren't really that odd, but just a sign that you are doing the right thing.

San Francisco - Day 3

2008-07-16T08:24:00.000-07:00

Weather is one of thoes mysterious things in this world. In one place it is so predictable and in another you think you know what the weather will be like and it turns out to be the complete opposite. Day 3 was one of thoes days. Day 1 and Day 2 saw high temperatures of 90's and maybe 100's. Day 3 say temperatures of 50's..... Is that not odd or what.

We woke up refreshed and hit China Town. I thought China Town was culturally enriching, but I don't think my fellow travelers would agree with me. The Chinnese lead very different lives compared to Americans. Their standards and ways of living is very unappealing to us. They pack their stores with tons of stuff, their restaurants would probably pose as health hazards, and their markets would send any American running the other way. The extreme cultural difference makes us think that they are unclean and don't care or what not, but in a sense I don't think that is true at all. They probably don't know any different so why should they live up to our standards. Why should we not live to theirs?

I think what I loved about China Town the most was the market. The center of every way of life centers around food becuase you can't have life without it. One walk through their market is enough for us to go running to the nearest Albertson's and up on arrival throw ourselves upon the ground thanking the lord that civilization still existed. There is nothing like walking down the sidewalk and seeing fish heads in a box, fish swimming in buckets, and chickens complete with their heads hanging in the window. It's and enlightening experience.

(Chicken just waiting for the pickin')

(Fish head soup anyone?)

(Crowds around the markets. It was unbelieveable!)

After spending the morning in China Town we scaddled over to the most visible landmark in the city. Now your probably thinking it's the Golden Gate Bridge, but I have to say that it was probably the least visible landmark in the city. What I'm talkig 'bout is Coit Towner. This collosal mass of a tower stands tall on Telegraph Hill. If you dare to look through the tons of photos I took you can get a great view of Coit Tower at ever angle. The information in the book said that the tower was built in honor of firefighters and is suppose to look like a fire hose. Personally, I didn't see it AT all.

We went for the lost look after Coit Towner. We began to wonder around the area just north of Cow Hollow. I'm not sure what the original attraction was to this area but we ended up seeing Daniel Steel's mansion and a few other nice houses inaddition to postcard row.

(Daniel Steel's Mansion)

Postcard Row was wonderful. By then we were dog tired. Our feet were hurting and we had no desire to go anywhere if it included walking up a hill. Postcard Row is a row of victory houses called the Painted Ladies. Each house has a unique style and eara of painting. To me they all looked victorian but I suppose one was more gothic then the other and so on. The striking difference between the victorians and the city is wonderful. There is a park infront of the houses called Alamo Square. It was a great park but you had to walk up a hill to see the houses with the city in the background. My travel buddies ditched me so I got to walk up the hill to get the great photos while they sat down on a bench. Once walking up this hill I waited for the Chinese tourist to snap their photos then I snapped mine.

We wound down at a Catalan restaurant called B 44. Normally allies are places to avoid, but this restaruant was well worth the venture. The add in one of the tourist books boasted B 44 as a place "Where the locals go for Catalan cuisine in a modern atmosphere, specilaixing in paella and other Spanish dishes." Boy where they right. Each of us tried a different paella dish along with great tapas and dessert. We even had a little fun with our leftovers on the table.

I highly encourage playing with your food. Its fun!

Where in the world is Jennifer Moore?

2008-07-06T19:11:00.000-07:00

For all anyone knows I've dropped off the very ends of our planet and have probably already been sucked in by a black hole. I am here to assure you that I am very much alive and living fat, dumb, and happy in the retirement state of Florida. Maintaining a blog page is much more difficult than a person could know (that is, unless of course, you have one). So much time and effort gets put into the entries for the readers. So much as been happening that words seem a very poor way to convey them. This is where I should say pictures come into play, but I really don't have many pictures to show you. Okay... I don't have any pictures to show you.

For now I am visiting my Aunt Lisa in Orlando, FL. She recently purchased a beautiful condo that any guest could very easily mistake for a house. I pride myself is saying I am the first official guest to check in, but we won't dwell on my bragging rights. The condo has been tastefully decorated throughout its three bedrooms and two baths. Now matter how spectacularly decorated the interior may be, it is the exterior that is to die for. As most may know since the beginning of time our (well, my) dear Aunt Lisa as rented apartments. If there is an apartment complex in the vicinity of her work chances are she has called it home. Most apartments come with amenities such as common areas, laundry mats, a communal swimming hole, and a gym. I am here to tell you that here any guest has access to a personal pool and a fabulous jacuzzi tub in the guest bathroom. As for the common area the living room is a great space to sit in front of the boob-tub for an hour or you can curl up in a chair by the fireplace. Sure there are some electrical issues and the occasional kitty toy lying around, but it is just freshly inhabited after a brief dry spell. Any guest would be lucky to book a room here. Not only are you free to make yourself at home, but your favorite pop will be stocked in the fridge and all your meals will be cooked perfectly for you. Enought about the home - how about what I've been doing? Now that your all excited about hearing about me I'm going to tell you that I really haven't been doing too much. Aunt Lisa and I decided and a nice time indulging at home was in order. So far we have done some small shopping, cooked some fabulous oriental dishes (I can now make crab ragoons!), and have taken total advantage of the personal pool that we don't have to share.

After a week of stay at Aunt Lisa's condo, I will make my way about an hour south of here to a very small and remote town called Dade City. Here I will book residence with Papa Fred and Debbie. The first thing to be said about Dade City is the location. I'm in love with it. It has that kinda small town feeling by not. It even has a Winn Dixie (hey... I haven't seen one of thoes in ages)! I love the trees and the river and just the access to the great outdoors that it provides. There is nothing like waking up in a house way up in the trees. A few years back their dream was realised when they embarked on the building of their dream home. I am pleased to say that Papa Fred and Debbie are NOT leaving their plot of land and beautiful home anytime soon. Standing three stories tall this house in a fabulous walk in the woods. Complete with two bedrooms, two baths, a giant personal office, four outdoor decks, a kitchen any chef would be proud to cook in, and a fireplace that scales two stories, this home away from home is a great way to enjoy a Florida summer. Never will you be bored for it has to offer any resident or guest alike a pool table, dart board, jacuzzi, outdoor dinning for a hundred (okay, maybe not that many), and an amazing view of the nature. You can even go kayaking along the river conveniently located ajacent to the home. What exactly I will be doing here I don't know because, as I type but not necessarily as you read, I am sitting on the computer in Orlando, FL.

After my tree top stay in Dade City I'm going to assume that my journey will wind me a little further south to the St. Petersburg/Tampa area. The POA kind of stops after a week. I will be arriving home (which is going to be Chattanooga, TN) on the 23rd of this month. From there I will be chillin' with gramps for a few days until I embark on the adventure of a life time.

Oh, did I mention that I got my SAT scores back?? Probably not so here they are: Critical Reading 560 , Math 530 , and Writing 610 (a 10 on my essay)! That, for you mathematically challenged people (yes, dad, I'm looking, no, starring, at you) is a grand total of 1700. Not too bad for my first try as a sophomore.

Livin' in the Panhandle

2008-07-01T19:18:00.000-07:00

You never are able to realize just what it was you missed about a place until you've left and then returned. I saw rain today! Can you believe that. Well it might seem a little on the 'duh' side, but living in the desert has really given me an appreciation for the rain. And I even heard some thunder!!! There are natural growing trees here and wildly running grass everywhere. With all that is so familiar and yet so foreign you, or I guess I, can't help but to feel at home.

Uniquely all the homes in Florida seem to be the same but different. All the contradictory characteristics of an area are enticing. Homes in Florida seem to all have rod iron columns on their front porch or at least rod iron railing leading up to their door. Hanging over each window is a shutter like awning with a scalloped trim usually made of a tin or a vinyl. The landscaping consists of at least one Palm tree and other tropical plants or its just one huge over grown mess. Homes are all one story because they have to be at least 50 years old or they are new construction with 2 stories. One of the most diverse and uniquely similar aspects is the colour. Typically we tend to paint our homes a neutral colour so as to present a clean looking home that doesn't stand out, but this isn't always so in Florida. Colours such as salmon, peach, terracotta, pale blue, pink, and even the occasional lime green often blanket the exteriors of homes.

Even with these vividly worded images, when you step back beauty of the home goes unnoticed. It's just an old decaying home on 4th St. that's painted an obnoxiously bright peach colour. The roof tiles in old Spanish style are falling off and the garden that was once manicured to perfection has grown wild.

The things that make us leave home, make us return.

San Francisco - Day 2

2008-06-28T15:22:00.000-07:00

And now... the long awaited update on San Francisco.

Day 2 was a jammed pack day. It was the first full day in San Francisco and we were rearing to go. Little did we know that by the evening we'd be wishing we hadn't done so much. We had heard from a lady we sat next to the day before at a sushi bar that every Saturday there is a big farmer's market down at the Ferry Building. Even though we had no reason to buy any produce or the likes, we all settled on going. The morning was crisp but it soon turned hot. Upon arriving at the ferry building we all just kinda melted. Who would have thought it would be so hot. Besides the heat, the farmer's market was incredible. There were people everywhere selling crafts, produce, food, and everything inbetween. Not only were the people and boths nice to look at but so was the building. The Ferry Building was an old pier or something along thoes lines. The day was clear and the view incredible. The building sported a tower with a clock and uniform wings on either side.

After waiting a long time for the rail car to come and pick us up, we made our way from the Ferry Building to Fisherman's Warf. In my travels I'v been to every tourist play imaginable. It's there and chances are I've been there. But never, and I mean never, have I ever been to a more tourist oriented place as Fisherman's Warf. Peir 39 (Fisherman's Warf) was converted into a shopping center complete with a Merri-Go-Round and more restaurants than City Walk at Universal. On the up side we got a good view of Alcatraz, the south side of the city, and the seals. I'm not sure what the big deal is about the seals, but the guide books thought they were pretty darn important.

We quickly left this tourist attraction after scoring only 4 postcards and ice cream. Venturing off we made our way along a more fishy area of the Warf then a tour of the Boudin Sourbough Bread Factory which was facinating. By this point we had no idea what in the world we wanted to do. That morning all we had planned to do we had just done. Streching our energy out we decided to go see Lombard Street (the zig-zag one for you uncultured people). I don't thing we would have made the venture had we realized how big of a hill Hyde Street (street we took to get to Lombard) was. All in all, Lombard street was pretty cool and I scored an awesome picture of the bridge while walking up Hyde Street. Oh, and did I mention that the Ghiradeli Square was a total bust. I don't recomend it at all. Just ignore what all the travel books say.

By this time we were tired and hungry. On our way to Fisherman's Warf we drove down Columbus Ave which was sprinkled heavily with cute shops, sidewalk cafes, and restraunts. It was also home to the City Lights book store. We settled on this location for the end of the day. I would have to say that if I could afford to live anywhere in San Francisco, this would be the area. Russian Hill, Telgraph Hill, and North Beach has lots to offer. It houses plenty of nice areas to walk around and a few nice parks to lounge in. Apparences are very clean and there are enough buss routes to get you anywhere. We dined at the Rose Pistol that night and I don't think I have had ever had better sea food. It was to die for.

We made it back to our hotel at around 10 I'm sure and crashed hard. Over all, Day 2 was a good day.

The Bech Family

2008-06-27T09:51:00.000-07:00

I've now moved onto a new stage in the long, drawn out AFS process. A few days ago I recieved my family! Now that I know a bit more about my family it seems more appropriate to write about them. Of course I don't have all the answers to the questions I have, the information that I do have is enough to sedate me for a while.

I will be moving to a family of five plus a dog and two cats. The family memebers are Heidi (mother), Mogens (father), Christoffer (17 year old son), Casper (14 year old son), Camilla (12 year old daughter), Molly (dog), Frida (cat), and Bertha (cat). Heidi wears the pants in the family where as Mogens is the playful father figure. From my understanding if you want something that mom will probably say no to, go to Mogens. Christoffer attends a trade school to be a carpenter. He's not extremely social and doesn't speaks english. Casper is the jokester in the family. He enjoys making people laugh and also speaks some english. Camilla is the girlly-girl. She likes to talk a lot and play around with make-up with her friends. She, to my understanding, speaks just a little english. The family appears to be a very nature-loving, outdoorsie type of family. Their summer holidays are spent canooing and kayaking in addition to cycling. Every few years they take a backpacking/camping trip to Norway and enjoy going to Legoland becuase it is fairly close to home.

The Bech family lives in the rural village of Rugsted where there are only 20 or so houses with lots of fields and farming land in between. Heidi and Mogens run a private kindergarden out of their home. In 2005 and new law was inacted in Denmark which allowed private persons and organizations to run kindergardens the same as municiple kindergardens. In their kindergarden they over see 22 children. There is a separate building for the children in addition to a nice play ground and lots of activities. They have a website for their business which can be viewed here. The site is in Danish, but if you just start clicking around your bound to find some pictures of the area, the children, and some of the adults.

The home in which I am to live in was an old farm but is now just a single family home. In some of the pictures from their business site you can see the house in the background. There is an upstairs and a downstairs. Upstairs is an area just for the children. Each of the three children have their own room and there is an extra room for me. A neat little feature that I think is nice is that there is a small living room upstairs for the children. Like a common room I would guess. Downstairs is the kitchen, two living rooms, the master bedroom, and a bathroom. The family usually spends lots of time downstairs, but when friends come over usually retreat to their rooms.

All in all, what I know of the family so far is wonderful. I found out by reading some of the descriptions of the pictures Heidi sent that they have hosted before. I have yet to ask about this. Now I struggle with the daunting task of attempting to kid myself into believing I'll be able to speak their seemingly impossible language...