Mini-Adventure of Mishaps

What was supposed to be a quick run to the post office today quickly turned into a forty minute adventure. Such are the risks you run when you are completely directionally challenged like me. You know when you watch those cartoons/TV shows and the characters exclaim in dismay, "We've been walking in circles!!" Yeah...that's me, just driving the Struggle Bus down Struggle Lane.

At breakfast this morning, my friend Kristyn (who is also a DIS blogger, you can see her blog here) brought up going to a thrift store after class. One of my classes was cancelled, and having nothing better to do, I decided to tag along. Apparently, thrift shopping is becoming quite the trend in Denmark. But our definition of thrift shop -- awesome retro clothes at cheap prices -- differs a little bit from the Danish. The awesome clothes are still there....but the prices are still a bit in the ridiculous range. We ended up going around the corner from DIS (V-23) to Episode. It was two floors of glorious hipster sweaters, hats, scarves, suspenders, shoes, more hipster sweaters, you name it greatness.Unfortunately, at ~$40 for a sweater, I was resigned to just browsing. If you have the money to blow, definitely check this place out. They also have an online store!

Another friend and I left Kristyn at Episode (she was in HEAVEN) to run a few errands. We both needed to get a few beauty products so we headed to the nearest Matas.

Allow me to drop some wisdom on you right now. Bring all the beauty products you are going to need with you when you come. I'm talking shampoo, conditioner, shaving cream, lotion, deodorant, hairspray, etc. because that shit is expensive here. I've been looking for some shaving cream and body lotion, and each are about 40 kr a pop. That is roughly $8 each...for a small bottle. Ain't nobody got time for that. And on the plus side, when you go back to the States, you can dispose of the bottles, leaving you extra room in your luggage for souvenirs and other purchases you made during your trip. Win!

After Matas, I decided to swing by the Post Office to deliver those postcards I've been meaning to send about a month ago. My friend instructed me to walk straight down the street until I was near the Studenterhuset. I ended up walking all the way down Strøget, i.e. the wrong street, and found myself somewhere near Nyhavn. People who know the Copenhagen area are probably wondering, "How the hell did you do that??" I DON'T KNOW. D: By the time I realized something was amiss, I had no idea where I was. I consulted a map, which would have been helpful...if I actually knew how to read maps. Parents, teach your children! It is an important life skill after all.

I walked in a complete circle for forty minutes, scanning the skyline for the Round Tower with little luck until suddenly I see a giant Post Office symbol in front of me. It was like stumbling into the Garden of Eden, complete with angel choruses of Hallelujah and a slow dramatic parting of the crowd in front as I walked up the steps.

After entering the post office, I had my second struggle moment of the day. I had no idea what to do. There was this huge machine in the front that people were lining up for where they could weigh their packages and pay, but the machines were all in Danish. I wanted to throw myself on the floor and cry, "For the love of God, I just want to send a few postcards!!" A nice postoffice worker lady must have saw the impending meltdown on my face and decided to help me out. Today I learned that if you're at a Danish post office and you can't read Danish, grab a number from the white box at the front and wait for your number to be called.

Things seemed to be looking up...until I was informed that postage for each card would be 14.5 kr. Mother of God, Denmark, WHY. So..yeah, $4 to buy and send each postcard...my friends and family better appreciate them. And by appreciate, I mean FRAME them.

After an hour or so of adventuring, I was ready to go home. I was playing Plants v. Zombies while waiting for the train when a familiar train pulls up. Being too far away from the screen to see if it was the right train, I asked the nice old lady standing next to me if the train was going to Helsingør.

Me: "I'm sorry, where is this train going?"
Old Lady: (blank stare points at train) "Train."
Me: "Yes." (points at train) "Helsingør?"
Old Lady: (nods) "Helsingør, yes, yes."

"Well, that was cute." I thought to myself as I hopped on the train...until an announcement came on later that told me I was on the WRONG TRAIN. Old Lady, how could you!!

I hopped off at Østerport and waited for the right train to arrive. When I boarded the train, guess who is sitting right across from me....DECEIVING OLD LADY. She held her newspaper up to her face. So bitter was I, that when she sneezed, I did not feel inclined to say "Bless you". No blessings for her. Grr.

Still, made it back to Helsingør eventually. Not a bad day to be caught outside though. It's starting to finally look like Spring here, with the sunshine melting away the last of the snow, hopefully for good. I still remember our first morning here, when we stepped outside at 8 AM...into the inky blackness. Daylight hours are getting longer, praise the Lord! Can't wait for the weather to start warming up!

Random Fun Fridays

Fridays, for me, are a great day to unwind. I spend the morning and early afternoon volunteering at Cafe Paraplyen, have a great traditional Danish meal for lunch, then I can choose to either take the rest of the day off and relax in Helsingor or explore the Copenhagen in my free time. 

Smørrebrød -- the traditional Danish open-faced
sandwich I talk about incessantly.

Stegt flaesk (thick slices of bacon) with potatoes
 in parsley sauce and røbeder (beets) on the side.

I learned how to make a traditional Danish birthday cake (lagkage = layer cake) today. There were two volunteers that I haven't met before, Katerina and Jasper (pronounced "yasper") and they were just a hoot. Jasper would break out into song and everyone in the kitchen would join in. The layers were filled with coffee cream and a prune cream sauce that I thought looked terribly sketch. When we were beating the coffee cream, Jasper snidely remarks, "Looks like shit." BAHAHA. The ladies gave him an exasperated look before giving in and making their best "taking a shit" expressions. 

After all that talk about learning Danish three weeks ago, I finally had the brilliant idea of carrying some pen and paper around in my pocket and writing down the things people were saying to me. Here are some key expressions I learned today:

"Hvordan går det?" -- "How are you?"

"Jeg ved det ikke." -- " I don't know."

"Jeg kan godd lide _____." -- "I like _____."

"Jeg kan ikke lide _____." -- "I don't like _____."

"Hvad laver du?" -- "What are you doing?"

"Har du brug for hjælp?" -- "Do you need help?"

"Ja tak"/ "Nej tak" -- "Yes, thank you."/ "No, thank you."

"Det ser godt ud" -- "It looks good."

"meget træt" -- very tired

I also learned that older Danes have atrocious handwriting.

The great thing about volunteering at Cafe Paraplyen is that I get to work alongside a very diverse group of people. There are the retired volunteers, the weekend volunteers, and then there are the work training volunteers. Apparently, in Denmark, the physically/mentally disabled undergo some sort of training where they work an increasing amount of hours and days in a week to acclimate to the workplace environment. I have also found that the attitude toward the disabled is very different in Denmark as compared to the United States. While in the United States, it is considered very un-PC to put down the disabled and institutions are made to go out of their way to accommodate the needs of the disabled, in Denmark the general population appears far less sympathetic. I don't often see ramps around public transportation buildings. There is a woman with cystic fibrosis volunteering at the cafe, and no one pays her any special attention, even when she is struggling to pull herself a chair without the aid of her two crutches. I thought maybe it could be a matter of personal pride, but I hesitantly asked her if she needed any help, to which she responded "Yes, thank you." What, Denmark? WHAT. She has been volunteering there for a loooong time and no one ever offers to help her pull out a chair when she is clearly struggling?? Also, one of the volunteers, Mercedes (who is actually native to Hungary), was talking about how she doesn't like one of the other volunteers because she never smiles. I was really shocked and a little appalled because the other volunteer in question was one of the mentally disabled workers enrolled in the training program. Did she expect her to whistle while she worked? 

When we were on our short study tour, we learned that there were not very many specialized psychiatrists in Denmark and that care for patients with these needs often fell to the general practitioners. I find it a little surprising that a country that boasts of such comprehensive national healthcare coverage could neglect to address mental well-being. I don't know if this is because I grew up in the US where psychiatric issues have undergone heavy medicalization in recent years. Anyways, this attitude toward the handicapped is something I am definitely going to observe and analyze more carefully in Denmark. Maybe I will bring it up in Human Health and Disease class and get a native perspective. 

Anyways, my friend from DIS, Shyniece, came to visit me at the Cafe today. She heard that we served some cheap, amazing, traditional Danish food and she knew she wanted in. We had lunch together, then I left my volunteer site a little early to check out Christiania. I don't know if it was because we were there at 2PM on a weekday, but it was rather deserted...but I've been told that it is usually that sketch. I guess I expected it to be kind of like Marijuana Disneyland, with big, clear signs pointing straight to it after getting off at Christianhavn Metro station. After about 30 minutes of searching, followed by some very sheepish asking of the locals, we finally found the shady little entrance...disappointing to say the least. We spent about 15 minutes there before we declared that we were bored and that we were leaving. We then took the metro back to Norreport and hit up the hookah lounge there to salvage the day. The apple hookah tasted a little bit like black licorice...but that's Denmark for you.

You're not allowed to take pictures in Christiania, but here are some random pictures from the past few weeks that have been collecting dust on my memory card:

NBD, just two miniature ponies inside
 a mall at Helsingor.

All dressed up for our Valentine's Day party at the IPC.

The cutest magnet of the Obamas hanging on my visiting family's
fridge. You can dress them up in different clothes.

Visiting Family

I applied for a visiting family after listening to my friends talking about what a great time they had with theirs during our first week here at DIS. Luckily for me, there were still some openings left in the program. You can learn more about it here. Definitely check it out, I'm so glad I did. All you have to do is write a quick blurb about your interests...mine went along the lines of "I love TV. I love food. I love sightseeing. I love dogs. Can we go skydiving?" and a few weeks later I got a reply from my visiting Mom that said something like "We love TV. We love food. We have a dog. Let's go sightseeing. You're on your own for skydiving though."

I met my Danish family for the first time last Sunday. We have been trying to meet up for weeks now but I have a relatively busy schedule and my Danish Mom (Karina) came down with the flu. I nervously took the train and metro to Gentofte to meet them with a bottle of Asti wine tucked in my tote, plagued with thoughts like "What if they don't like me? What if it's awkward? Will they like the wine? ARGH." But when Karina sped into the metro station parking lot and skid to a stop in front of me like a racecar driver, I knew all my fears were unfounded. I folded myself into her tiny little Danish car, and we made small talk over her husband's fishing poles (literally, he had left them in the car after his fishing trip that morning) on the way back to her place. It was first time being in car since arriving in Denmark and I've definitely missed the feeling of not being at the mercy of public transportation. Not a fan of all the roundabouts here though, they make me nervous.

When we arrived at her house, Ophelia, a six-year-old wire-haired terrier came bounding out of the house through the snow to greet me. I have been totally suffering from puppy love withdrawal since leaving the States soI let her jump all over me and my pea coat. Screw it, it needs to be dry-cleaned soon anyways. Karina introduced me to her beautiful family -- her husband Kristian, and her two sons Nielse (12) and Kalle (16). I felt instantly at home, especially when Karina told me to stop being such a prude and make myself comfortable, indicating that I should bring my feet onto the sofa and lounge properly like she was. She had spent some time in the USA, actually only 20 minutes away from my hometown, as an au pere. (Her favorite city of all time, however, is NYC.)

Lunch was a glorious smorgasbord of smørrebrød, or traditional Danish open-faced sandwich. I had heard a lot about the unspoken rules concerning the appropriate pairings of meats, fish, and garnishes so I waited for my family to make a few sandwiches before attempting to copy them. There was egg salad (made with fresh cream instead of mayonnaise), this savory jelly that tasted like beef broth, liver pate, bacon, fresh salmon, pickled herring, different cuts of deli meats, beet salad, thinly sliced red onions, capers, remoulade (Danish tartar sauce), mayonnaise, tuna in tomato sauce, fresh grilled sweet onions, mmm I could go on. To give you an idea, the table was COVERED in goodies. They would pass around this basket of fresh baked rugbrød (rye bread) and toast. Always ask before putting anything on either of these, as it is not acceptable by Danish customs to put certain combinations on toast. God forbid you attempt to put your pickled herring on toast. Sacrilege. We spent the lunch cracking jokes about the acceptable combinations of smørrebrød, with Nielse summing it up: "We are watching you and judging you right now." Haha, love that kid.

After lunch, Karina showed me some pictures from their family vacations. They have been ALL over the place -- Rome, Venezuela, Prague, California, New York, DC, France, you name it. We actually had to meet up this week because next week they are going skiing. I asked Karina how long the kids had off from school and she shushed me, "Shh...we are taking them out of school for this. Tickets are so much cheaper now." AHAHA. These are my kind of people.

You'll often hear about how Danes don't like to make small talk and will immediately jump into more serious topics. We ended up talking about a little about politics, the education system, the healthcare system, the housing market, the economy, and Janteloven (Law of Jante), the Danish concept of downplaying individual achievement and successes. When Nielse was telling us about how he was the only kid in his class who made it to the top of the rock-climbing wall, Karina tsked and said fondly, "Look at him, so American." Even though we had some deep discussions, we spent just as much time exclaiming over a game of handball (Kristian had to explain the rules to me...it's like a mix between ultimate frisbee and soccer.) and watching American Dad. They LOVE American cartoons like Family Guy and American Dad. I can't get over it, hilarious. Also, at one point, Karina was playing all her favorite music for me. "I am ALL about Frank Ocean" she says. We also jammed to some Kendrick Lamar and I introduced her to Macklemore.

When it got late, Karina insisted on driving me back to Helsingør, a forty-five minute trip. She wanted to take me on the scenic route along the ocean. With Nielse offering commentary in the back seat, she showed me the houses where the rich people live and we oohed and aahed over the houses where the REALLY rich people lived. The best part of the trip? Singing Locked out of Heaven with Karina when it came on her mix tape. Also, she knows almost all the lyrics to some Frank Ocean songs and I'm just sitting there listening in bemusement as my visiting mom drops the F-bomb left and right. She explained that it's not as big a deal in Denmark because it lacks the connotations it carries in the States. Love love love it.

I can't wait to meet up with them again when they come back from their trip! Don't miss out on great opportunities like this, sign up for a visiting family NOW. :D

Clinical Case Review

Because the Human Health and Disease class is taught by two practicing doctors, our classes take place at whatever hospital they are working at for the week. For the next upcoming week or so, we are getting a change of scenery from Gentofte Hospital to the newer, Hvidovre Hospital...which, unfortunately for me, is in the opposite direction of Helsingor, making my commute home roughly 2 hours. (Wah wah, complain complain, yep, that's me.)

Last week, we had a guest lecturer who walked us through a diagnosis of a patient. It was very House-esque, with him quizzing us on what signs we should look for in a patient, what tests we should run, and what our hypotheses were given certain symptoms. The 87-year old patient came in presenting with confusion and a fever, not a lot to work with, but after a systematic assessment, we were able to diagnose her with a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI). If I have learned anything from watching House, it's that it is never MS.

Today, we got the chance to interview an actual patient and take a general assessment/medical history. Sounds cool, in theory, but we ran into one tiny problem -- a big gigantic language barrier. What ended up happening was, the doctor would translate our questions into Danish, the patient would answer the question in Danish, then the doctor would translate the answer into English. And the poor patient, bless her heart, was this little old lady who just could NOT stop talking. We would ask her one question ("What were you hospitalized for?") and she would launch into a 5-10 minute story about a hip replacement she got x amount of years ago that made her legs of uneven length so she had to wear special shoes with different heels...only to find out at the end of the story that it had nothing to do with her actual hospitalization which was for her broken arm. We would ask a question, listen to 10 minutes of Danish, and receive about 1-2 sentences worth of relevant English. By the end, the poor doctor was so fed up, he conducted the interview by himself, took us outside, and had us interview him instead. I guess we learned today that communication is very important. It is so difficult to find that balance between listening to your patient's life story, no matter how irrelevant to your case, or risk sounding rude and cutting your patient off to wheedle out the pertinent information. 

Definitely an interesting class today. Highlight? Getting to wear a long white doctor's coat and sweep my way dramatically down hallways with the coat swirling behind me like a cape. What can I say, I get my shits and giggles where I can.

Financial Aid and Scholarships

For the longest time, I thought study abroad was an unfeasible dream because 1.) I am a pre-med and 2.) I couldn't afford it. While sitting here at my Work Study job in the library at the DIS, I wanted to take a moment to address both of these issues for those of you who are having similar doubts.

Regarding pre-med/major requirements:

OK, this is going to vary depending on your school's policies regarding course credit from abroad. Some schools are willing to accept science credits from DIS so definitely make sure you check with your home institution because that would make things considerably easier. For me personally, even though the DIS offers Neuroscience courses, Hopkins does not accept them as going towards my Neuroscience major. Even if your school does not recognize science credits earned abroad, this is a great opportunity to fulfill some of those humanities/elective requirements. The most important thing is to plan ahead. Get all your required courses out of the way, or plan out when you are going to take them, so you can clear out a semester for study abroad. Check and double check that plan and consider the availabilities of the courses you need because the worst thing is to come back from study abroad only to realize that you now need to take a course over the summer in order to graduate. If planning ahead is difficult for you, meet up with an academic or professional adviser to see if they can provide some insight and guidance.

Regarding financial barriers:

This was definitely my primary concern. My parents are unemployed and I receive both financial aid and work study from my home institution. I also supplement that income with a few jobs off campus. But one thing to keep in mind -- education abroad is WAY cheaper than anything you can find in the States (Tuition, at least. Cost of living is another thing entirely.) My school has a great study abroad program and allows the transfer of financial aid packages to apply to study abroad programs. But other than that, you can also apply for scholarships and financial aid from DIS. There is a short application that encompasses financial aid, scholarships, and work study. All you have to do is fill it out and attach some tax information. I decided, hey what the heck, let's apply for all three. A few months later, I was awarded a $4,000 Diversity Scholarship and $500 in work study. Oh heyyyyy.

Work study comes in $250 and $500 packages. You can either work for 25 or 50 hours a semester at $10 an hour. Job opportunities include office, library, and tutoring work. When you arrive in Denmark, there is a envelope in your arrival folder that includes a form that you fill out to rank your job preferences and availabilities. Once you turn in that form, they place you within the next week. It's that easy! (Sorry, I sound like an infomercial.) I currently work 7 hours a week at the library. Once I complete my 50 hours, I can take my time sheet in to Peter, the head librarian, and he will pay me up front in kronor. Holla. Make it rain, Peter!! (I'm pretty sure he would just blink blankly at me if I were to actually say that to him in person....now I am sorely tempted.)

But yeah, finances are definitely a legitimate concern when it comes to living in Denmark. Things are EXPENSIVE here. Just to give you an idea, a latte in Copenhagen is around $6-8 and a chocolate bar is around $3. It costs around $3 to send a postcard back to the States. Spending $20 on lunch in the city is not unheard of. I'm not trying to scare you, but I can't help it when the truth is, quite honestly, terrifying. But never fear, I am here to tell you that you have options!!

Tips:
1.) Pack a lunch! If you decide to live in housing with a meal plan, you get $600 to spend on food. Buy yourself some bread and lunchmeats and you're good to go.

2.) Consider living in a folkehojskole or with a host family. In my experience, even though the housing options page on DIS says lunch is not included, most folkehojskole and host families are open to you packing a simple lunch. I can't say this is true for everyone, but most people I know have had the same experience.

3.) Get to know the currency. I don't know about you, but when I get handed foreign currency, I tend to treat it like Monopoly money. Wrap your mind around the fact that that tiny little coin with a hole in it? That's about $4 right there. Yeah. Shit just got real.

4.) Budget. This kind of ties in with the last item, but I would set an amount of money that you can spend a week. Hit up stores like Fotex, Fakta, and Netto to save money. Don't go out to bars with a bunch of money in your pocket/bra/etc. because it is a scientifically proven fact that intoxicated purse strings are the loosest. Partying and bar hopping can get expensive. Pre-gaming can save you a lot of money...If you're coming during the cold seasons, mandatory coat checks will cost you 20 kronor (~$4) at each location. Ask around for the best places to go that are both reasonably priced and bumpin'.

So yeah, I'm not telling you to spend your time in Denmark like a miserly old man pinching pennies, but there are definitely ways to save money while also having fun. Groupon.dk? Totally a thing. I'll probably post eventually about cheap/free things to do around Copenhagen.

Hope this helps! :)

Study Tour: Continued in Copenhagen!

Core course week continues! After the short study tour, we spent Thursday and Friday taking a few more courses on healthcare and getting hands-on medical experience (sort of). Yesterday, we got a short lecture on the Scandinavian healthcare system...which was completely overshadowed by our class in the afternoon when we learned how to make sutures and insert an IV!! Every pre-med student's wet dream right there. The last time I learned how to do sutures, we were given bananas and told to inflict mortal wounds upon them before stitching them up. I may have gotten a bit overenthusiastic and ended up shanking my finger instead. Needless to say, this experience was by far more pleasant.

Foam wrapped in gauze makes for an excellent practice tool. I wonder
 who had the job of going to town on these pillows with a scalpel.

Obviously, my sutures still need a lot of work. When I tugged on one to
cut it off, it came undone. Oops. Don't think that's supposed to happen...

 After learning the ins and outs of the dermal suture, we moved on to the next station to learn how to insert an IV. There is something to be said about walking into a room with severed (plastic) arms set-up on the table.

As we listened to the lecture, you could see everyone
 surreptitiously reach out to poke the hands or give
them a squeeze just to see if they were real.

We learned how to find a good vein for catheter insertion, how to elevate the arm and release the tourniquet before removing the needle to avoid a faceful of blood, you know, the essentials. This is the only class I've ever been in where you hear constant exclamations of "Oh my God, he's bleeding!!" , "I'm so sorry, I killed you.", and "Shit, shit, shit!" (OK, actually maybe not the last one. That I get a lot.)

Today we got a presentation on sex education in Denmark. Did you know that 10% of Danish youth aged 15-25 have chlamydia? And at least 50% of Danes have sex before the age of 17? But, the legal abortion rate in Denmark is only 0.5%, as opposed to the US rate of 2% and the worldwide average of 2.8%. Also, Denmark sees significantly less teenage births than the United States. Sex Ed has been mandated in Denmark since 1970 and obviously, something is working! Anyways, we had very interesting discussions about how society perceives sexuality, prostitution, porn, and just sex in general. I don't know about you, but this is definitely how I like to start each day -- with stimulating (oh ho ho) conversations.

The last lecture of core course week is going to start in a few hours, Medical History of Copenhagen. Sounds like it could be either a fascinating lecture or a snoozefest...let's hope it's the former!

So yes, note to those planning personal travel expeditions around the short study tour, the core course does take up the ENTIRE week. One of my classmates planned a trip that left on Friday thinking there wouldn't be class on that day but...oops mandatory immersion sections. That's ~$200 down the drain. So remember, when in doubt, always ask!

Short Study Tour: Kolding, Ribe, and Odense

Just got back from three days in Jutland (an island of Denmark that is not Zealand, where Copenhagen is located) with the Medical Practice and Policy program. We visited the pediatrician department at a hospital in Kolding, a general practitioner's office in Ribe, an in-vitro fertilization (IVF) clinic in Odense, and of course, plenty of fun activities in between. 

Our first stop was Koldinghus, a castle that has been restored from the 13th century. 

We got a guided tour of the castle and learned a lot about it's history. It was restored after being accidentally burned down by Spanish soldiers, and now houses several exhibitions such as the largest collection of Danish silverware. Sounds fascinating, I know, but we all perked up considerably when the tour guide mentioned a dungeon.

THE DUNGEON!!! Actually, the Danish Royal Family used it
 more as a refrigerator...which makes sense because it was
 FREEZING down there.

Next, we visited the Pediatrics Department at Kolding Sygehus. Martin, the consultant (something similar to the senior physician in the US), and two other junior doctors gave us a tour of the hospital and answered any questions we had. One thing I noticed was that it was definitely a lot quieter in the Danish hospital, a lot less people hustling down the hallways. Also, no one seemed to find it odd that a herd of 20 American students were just waltzing in and out of the wards. 

The junior doctor showing us the giant touch screens that
are used to track the whereabouts of each patient at any given moment.

The other doctor showed us the ultrasound equipment.

Dinner that night (on DIS, woot!) was at Mokka Cafe:

Chicken pasta with sun-dried tomatoes

 I didn't bother to post the picture of dessert (which was a delicious fruit cake with whipped cream) because the poor quality of the photo taken in the dark just couldn't do it justice.

That night, we stayed at the Danhostel Kolding. The hostels in Denmark bear no resemblance to the shady locales of American lore. The rooms were nice and clean, the breakfast buffet served was, to quote a classmate, simply DIVINE. The only downside? NO INTERNET. Dun dun dun. We were given the night off to entertain ourselves. With no internet access, we were forced to turn to...alternative methods of entertainment.

The next morning, we went to Trapholt Museum of Modern Art:

Modern art makes no sense to me.

We had lunch (buffet style again, DIS spoils us) at the Cafe Trapholt in the museum. The sesame seed encrusted salmon was AMAZING. I swear I gained three pounds this trip from pure consumption of carbs alone.

 After the museum, we went GO-KARTING. Yayuh. Steph (one of our program leaders) told us the other option was bowling. Praise the Lord. Never before have I been so simultaneously thrilled and horrified. Every squealing turn felt like a step closer to death. It was fantastic.

Just some scenery on the way to Ribe. Gorgeous, like NBD.

 At Ribe, we stopped in at a General Practictioner's office. Unlike the American healthcare system, GPs in Denmark are the gatekeepers to specialist care. Whenever you need to see a doctor, you to the GP first, who then decides whether or not you get referred to specialty care. GPs here need to treat a variety of patients, from pediatrics to geriatrics, from minor surgeries like wart removal to psychiatric issues. Some GPs also deliver babies!!

We also got a talk from the paramedic who works on site...

The next morning, we took a guided walking tour of Ribe, the oldest town in Denmark.

 The little old man who took us on the tour was so cute! He grew up in the town and it was apparent in his tour that he loved every bit of its history. We had to cut our tour short in order to make it to our next location, and he seemed honestly disappointed that he couldn't show us the smallest house in Ribe. He sounded so devastated that we all felt mad guilty for not seeing this house.

Cute little old man...and Obama??

One of two churches left standing in Ribe from the original fourteen.

On our way back to Copenhagen, we stopped off in Odense, one of the other major cities in Denmark. In Denmark, fertilization treatments are covered under national insurance. There are only 20 fertility clinics total in Denmark (both public and private), and as long as patients meet certain eligibility requirements, they can receive a certain amount of treatments before they must begin paying out of pocket. This is fascinating to me because a significant portion of these treatments go to helping homosexual women conceive. That would cause such an uproar in the United States, with some protesting what they see as misuse of their tax dollars. I'm starting to like Denmark more and more. Also, on a complete tangent, did you know Danish health insurance also covers the services of "sex helpers"? These are professionals who are paid to assist physically disabled people, enabling them to engage in sexual acts. More power to you, Denmark, go you.

The hood where purified sperm samples are kept, color-coded so as to
 prevent any mix-ups. This hood is specifically for infectious
patients (HIV/ hepatitis) in order to protect the biotechnicians responsible
for working with the samples. 

A biotechnician teaching us about the life cycle of an egg.

The giant liquid nitrogen tanks in which viable
 sperm and egg samples can be kept on ice for 1000 years.
Danish law, however, restricts their storage to five years.

This trip definitely gave me a brighter perspective on not only Danish healthcare, but also the Danish people in general. Did you know general practitioners in Denmark actually don't get paid very much at all, yet attend just as much school as specialists? When asked if she had any regrets about her job, Anne (GP at Ribe) said that she only wished she had more time to spend with her patients. That's the kind of doctor every patient deserves. Also, sperm and egg donors don't receive a lot of monetary compensation because the thought is that they shouldn't be in it for the money. The limited reward ensures that donors act out of genuine altruism. Even the services that the national insurance covers shows that the government is patient-oriented when it comes to healthcare. One interesting side note, when I asked Matthias (our TA) about the stem cell debate in Denmark, he said that the ethics board has banned it because it is a threat to a potential human life. This is very surprising to me, considering Denmark's reputation as a very non-religious country. I guess in a way, this argument too can be seen as patient-oriented. Anyways, it is definitely a topic that merits further research.

I may not yet know everything there is to know about Danish healthcare, and so far we've only been learning about what makes it great, but I find their model to be one so delightfully different from the impersonal, profit-motivated US system that I've come to know. Can't wait to be further enlightened by our long study tour to Vienna and Budapest!

Day Trip to Sweden

So a bunch of us cool kids at the International People's College (IPC) got tired of sitting around on Sundays, pretending to do work, and we decided to make a trip to Sweden...you know, your average spur of the moment decision. We rounded people up and left at noon, walked down to the ferry station, and were on our way to another country within half an hour. It only cost us 55 kronor each, roundtrip! Actually, it cost less because we bought a 10 single-ride value card (which equals 5 round trips), and shared the savings. Sweet. This is pretty much going to be picture spam:

Saying goodbye to Helsingor

Four DIS and four IPC students embark on a great adventure!
 Fanciest ferry ever. It had a cafe and a convenience store inside.

We are clearly happy to be in Sweden.

Sweden's architecture actually looks fairly similar to Denmark.
Maybe it's a Scandinavian thing? OK, the architecture majors are
 probably shaking their heads at me right now.

The view of Town Hall from the watch tower.

Karnan, the famous defensive watchtower in Helsingborg

Just had to take a moment to appreciate this majestic
statue.

This is the Dunkers Culture House. The modern architecture hints
 at the fun that awaits inside. Definitely worth checking out.

Standing around in front of Town Hall. 

This reminded me of Half Moon Bay...but with snow. 

This simply HAD to be shared.

 As it turns out, most stores in Helsingborg are closed on Sundays. Still, it was fun to just meander around the quiet city. We would point to things in the distance that looked cool and just make our way over. Nothing like an epic snowball fight in the shadow of a historic watchtower to make you feel like you've had the time of your life. Also, things were a little bit cheaper in Sweden. Just remember to get some SEK, or the Swedish krona. We just ended up using our credit cards, but those foreign transaction fees can be a pain in the ass. I can't wait to come back and check out the cafes and chocolatiers!

On the way back to the IPC, we found this shady looking bus parked on the side of the road

"Slikbussen" literally translates to "The Candy Bus". Every American
parent's worst nightmare.

It was literally a bus full of candy. Simon (Germany) was
 over the moon.

All in all, a very successful day! Short study tour starts tomorrow! I better get some sleep. Need to get up at 5:50 AM to make it down to Copenhagen for my first class at 8AM. Sigh.

First Day Volunteering

I mentioned before that I would be volunteering at Cafe Paraplyen this semester. It's similar to a soup kitchen, except this house is open to the public and charges its visitors a small fee (38 kr is considered a small amount by Danish standards) for a hot meal or a dessert. Cafe Paraplyen also holds a variety of classes, workshops, and talks that people are welcome to attend...they even have a masseuse that comes in periodically. (His services are available to both volunteers and house users...I got to get on that!!)

The day started with a 9:30AM meeting over breakfast to assign duties. I was preparing my traditional breakfast of jam and cheese on bread when I smelled a strange odor. Thinking that I must be sitting close to an open trash can, I proceeded to take a bite out of my breakfast. Then I sloooowly set the bread down. What I really wanted to do was projectile vomit across the room and gargle with scalding hot coffee to get the offensive taste out of my mouth...but that would make for a poor first impression. The volunteers sitting next to me, two hilarious older women who reminded me of those "crazy aunts" that you always see on TV, caught me discreetly scraping the cheese onto my plate. 

Birget: "Oh yes, that cheese is a little strong."

Me: "Yes, yes it is."

Alice: "You don't like it?"

Me: "Um...what kind of cheese is this?"

Birget: "It is cheese from cow... very old cow"

Birget and Alice proceeded to crack up while I miserably finished my jam and bread, still contaminated by the essence of that accursed cheese. I'm not even exaggerating. I had used my fingers to shift the cheese on my bread and my fingers smelled like ripe old gym socks!! UGH.

Birget: "Maybe you should try the Brie?"

Me: "No thanks...now I'm scared."

The table was filled with food and laughter. Nothing like everyone in the room laughing at a joke that you can't understand to motivate you to actually start learning Danish. People proceeded to introduce themselves to me in Danish and I just nodded politely until my supervisor Louise saved me. Sorry first half of the table, I still have no idea what your names are.

I got assigned to work with Darle washing dishes. Now I really wish I had a picture of Darle. Hopefully I will get one before he leaves in a month. Darle was born in Italy and immigrated to Denmark when he was young. He has the build of a boxer and sleeve tattoos that he hides under a sports jacket. He has pierced ears but only wears an earring on one side. When he rolled up his pants to show me the Viking (He pronounces it "Weeking". Too cute, this man.) tattoo on his leg, the elderly woman knitting across from me gave him the stank eye. When he's not volunteering at the Cafe, he works as a cars salesman. On the weekends, he sells antiques at the local market. Even though he looks like a total BAMF, he is always smiling and cracking jokes. He looks like he's in his early 40's but he's actually 54, he boasts. Why am I telling you this? Because I ascertained all this relying only on broken English and an elaborate game of charades. BOO YEAH, I AM THE MASTER OF THIS GAME, Y'ALL.

Darle spent the day teaching me random phrases in Danish (I remembered for about two seconds how to say "salt", "pepper", "young", "old", "Thanks for the meal", and "See you next Friday!") and how to operate the dish washer (I simply MUST have one in my future house. It made dish-washing nice and steamy). We also spent the day figuring out where the random items go. Seriously, there is a drawer specifically for egg slicers. Ain't nobody got time for that. I love mindless tasks and I am moderately certain now that I was born to be a professional dishwasher. They had to pry me out of the kitchen and force me to have lunch. Just something about stacking the plates and the cups, sending them through the dishwasher, letting them cool, and putting them back where they belong, restoring order in the chaos of a busy kitchen....aaaah, therapeutic.

A few pictures to illustrate my experience:

Hot coffee and tea are free at the cafe. Guests can pay
 extra for apple juice or soda.Look at this cool
 coffee maker!!

Menu of the Day: Ground beef cake with onions

The ground beef cake is served with beets and
potatoes,drowned in brown sauce.

Volunteers get a free meal on days that they work. They can also drop by when they're not working for a discounted price. I could not do justice to this meal with only a caption and a bleary iPhone 3 photo. Apparently, this is a very traditional Danish dish. Another volunteer (who looked like a punk-rock version of Heath Ledger), described it as "old-school". The beefcake (the food, not the volunteer) was topped with caramelized onions...but it could have been crap for all I cared. It was ALL about the brown sauce. More like crack sauce. After I finished the potatoes, I was tempted to search for some bread to mop all that goodness up. I have no idea what was in that sauce, but John (the chef) certainly knows what's up. I don't even like beets, but the their tanginess complemented the hearty savoriness of the sauce so well, I cleared this plate. Meat and potatoes. Them old-school Danes are definitely my kind of people.

One last thing: my experience this week really taught me the necessity of picking up some basic Danish. I felt so ignorant during my interaction with the other volunteers and the guests of the house when they would make the effort to communicate despite their limited English and I couldn't even meet them halfway with some limited Danish. I literally know nothing expect "Tak" which is "Thanks" in Danish. I mindlessly thanked people all day for handing me their dirty dishes like an idiot for lack of a bigger vocabulary. I was making small talk with Nina, an elderly volunteer, and I told her I was studying Neuroscience back home. I think she misunderstood me and thought I was already in medical school. She told me she had cerebral palsy and wanted to know more about it. I didn't have the Danish capabilities to convey to her that I really wasn't qualified, and even worse, I couldn't express any sympathy either. I did my best, but I'm sure I just came across as awkward. She looked sad, I felt like a turd. ):

I have to take both the metro and the train on my commute to and from Fredericksberg, but this was the first time I got to sit in one of the end cars. The metro that runs through Copenhagen is completely unmanned and comes around every minute or so. If you have an all-zone pass, or even a pass with less zonage (I completely just made up that term, but I hope it catches on), definitely take advantage of the metro and explore the area around central Copenhagen. There is so much going on everyday!

Doesn't that just look sick??

So yeah, DIS is about so much more than just your studies. Take the opportunity to volunteer -- a perfect way to immerse yourself in the Danish culture, understand modern issues from a new perspective, and meet interesting people -- all while having a great time (and getting fed)!