May Day

I've been looking forward to May Day ever since I heard about it during Orientation week. The thought of this day eventually coming got me through the frost-bite inducing 19-degree weather for the past three or four months. It's hard to believe that my time at DIS is going to be over in a little more than two weeks. When I think back upon my experiences here years and years from now, I'm going to blithely gloss over the peacoat/scarf/two pairs of gloves/layer on everything in my closet weather, and just remember the perfectness of May Day.

May Day is also known as International Worker's Day, but in Denmark, young and old people alike flock over to Faelledparken to enjoy the dawning of spring, listen to speeches,and hang out with friends. Translation: glorious day drinking. Just kidding (except, no really).

I have never seen so many people so naked in Denmark. Look! Forearms!

Even these kiddos are out to have a good time. Except don't look
 in the bushes behind them...there may be a dozen or
 so people peeing in the bushes...

...and I don't blame them. Look at this line!!

Random drum line get-together. Just jammin' and bringing
 on the fun times.

So if you're contemplating coming to Denmark for the Fall semester, good for you. Enjoy the great warm weather and try not to despair as you slowly descend into the dark, glacial winter times AKA finals period. But if you're here for the Spring semester and starting to wonder if things will ever get warmer...look! Evidence! Coldest and longest winter since the 40's in Denmark and yet May Day is still glorious and beautiful. Don't abandon hope. Just grab a blanket, grab a crateful of beers and wine coolers, and get ready to get your tan on. :)

Enjoying May Day! It's the Danish way!

Canal Cruise

There are several options to immerse yourself in Danish culture through DIS. I am currently signed up for two of them. I've posted several times about my visiting family and yesterday, I met my members of my buddy network for the first time. I think there used to be some sort of Danish buddy system where Danish students were paired up with American DIS students. Now, because of the popularity of the program, there are several DIS students matched with several Danish students to make a buddy network. 

I thought it might be awkward because I missed out on the first few buddy network events. (Mostly my fault, I was too lazy to brave the public transportation nightmare down to Copenhagen from Helsingor on weekends.) But nope, this Canal Cruise experience was AWESOME. I met one other DIS student and two Danish students. With Anders Larsen as our guide, free champagne and snacks, how could this trip be anything short of amazing?

We boarded our boat at Stormbroen in the middle of Copenhagen.

Anders, a teacher at DIS, gave us a rather...eccentric tour of the city.

Apartment buildings constructed out of old concrete silos

Unique architecture along the waterfront.

Office building with large open space in the middle,
 making the building seem almost transparent.

Just to make the cruise that much better, Anders brought along a special team of cabin crew members. "Sexual harrassment of the cabin members is not prohibited. In fact, it is encouraged."

Anders and his lovely lady cabin crew team.

Buddy network 7 enjoying some champagne on the canal! 

Nothing like a brisk cruise on a canal under a setting sun to welcome Spring to Denmark! :)

(Finally) Exploring Denmark

I've been living in Denmark for over two months now, and I am ashamed to admit that, before this week, I have seen little outside my everday commute between Helsingor and Copenhagen. Study tours were really helping me compensate for my personal laziness when it came to travel. This past week was the second travel break, and my girlfriend, TT, came all the way from the US to spend it with me. We hadn't seen each other in almost four months so yeah...we spoiled ourselves. We're shamelessly sentimental that way.

I wanted to give TT the complete Denmark experience so we went a lot of places that I had always planned on going to...but never got around to. In other words...we got lost a lot. Here are a few pictures from our adventures:

1.) Kronborg Castle -- I've been living down the street from this place and I still had yet to see it. We bought the full ticket (Casemates, Ballroom, Chapel, Telegraph Tower = 75 DKK per person) because I was DETERMINED to climb the tower. I apparently have a thing for towers and stairs...as you shall see presently.

Known for being the setting of Hamlet, Kronborg castle is
located right on the beach.

 The Casemates were kind of like a dungeon under the castle. TT loves scary movies and gory goodness so she was having the time of her life wandering into dark tunnels and abyss-like enclaves off the beaten path. I was afraid for my life. There were some terrifying fake people down there, but this awesome fella down below made every moment of horror worth it.

Holger Dansk -- legend has it that when Denmark is
 in a time of need,the Holger Dansk will wake
 up and come to the nation's rescue!

Trips up the tower occur every hour. It is about 200 steps up this bad boy, and I am not ashamed to say that I demanded a few breaks on the way up. But hey, I was recovering/in the midst of a bad bout of food poisoning, so I think I did pretty fantastically.

Gorgeous and definitely worth the climb!

Sampling the gift shop wares. The things I
do for TT's amusement...

2.) My roommate suggested that we go check out the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art close to Humlebaek Station. (Student Admission = 95 DKK) The museum was featuring Pop Art Design while we were there. Both of us are not very much into modern art (Our favorite thing is to go around, point at things, and say "I can do that.") but it was still a chill afternoon wandering from exhibit to exhibit and enjoying the sea-side garden sculptures.

Definitely our favorite exhibit. Only two people could go into this
 room at once. The walls were completely made up of mirrors
and we stood on a platform surrounded by water. 

The weather was permitting enough for us to sit outside and
 enjoy the sculptures and the scenery. We felt really old just sitting on the
lawn as young children clambered up and down the hills.

One of our favorite things to do as "big kids" is to
crash the children's corners. Yeah, we're horrible people
 but just because we arein our second decade, we
 have not lost our burning desire to play with Legos!!

3.) I'm all about the Two'fers, so I insisted on taking TT to Sweden for a day trip just so she could say she went to Denmark AND Sweden. Like I mentioned before, for only 55 DKK round trip, why the hell not?

Can you name all the country's flags?

Festive Easter celebrations in front of the
 steps up to Karnan.

Special chick cakes for Easter!

We stopped by Fahlman's Konditori, the oldest cafe in Helsingborg.

I promised TT ALL the pastries. This cinnamon roll was SO good.

Almond crusted pistachio goodness. Also, TT swears there
 was a mandarin orange slice in the center.

Some really cool sculpture we happened upon while lost.

After Karnan tower, we decided to venture out to the Fredriksdal Open Air Museum. It's only about 1.5 km from Helsingborg, definitely walking distance. TT is a huge fan of touching animals...especially when it's prohibited. Here are a few photos as proof that I am dating the Animal Whisperer. 

I stood by and watched them cluck at each other for five minutes.
This duck/goose/thing started following TT around
inside the cage. Terrifying.

This is TT reaching OVER an electrified fence (behind the wood)
 in an attempt to touch the pig. Long story short: she succeeded.

After a long day of walking and eating, TT and I found a few reclining chairs by the dock and decided to enjoy the sunset.

4.) The Blue Planet Aquarium just opened last week and TT is a huge fan of aquariums. She decided to take me so we could do a re-visit of our first date to the Baltimore Aquarium.  

PIRANHAS. FROM THE AMAZON.

Just keep swimmin'.

Did you know male seahorses carry the babies to term? 

Life-size shark display...

...a little bit more impressive than the baby hammerhead sharks
in the tank.

Also, the rainforest exhibit was toasty warm and indoors.
Made me dream of better climates and hope for Spring.

TT communing with the animals. Notice how many other adults are
taking part in this exhibit.

After the aquarium, TT and I went to this buffet in Copenhagen that I've been dying to try. It's called Riz Raz and it's located really close to DIS. TT is a vegetarian, and even though I am a devout meat-eater, this vegetarian buffet was OK by me. :)

My mountain of falafel.

If you're a vegetarian, traditional Danish food (meat and potatoes) might not be the perfect fit for you. In preparation for TT's visit, I had to do a lot of research. Some good places if you are vegetably inclined.

1.) Vegetariet -- In Helsingborg, Sweden, this restaurant serves both vegan and vegetarian food buffet-style. You pay by weight. I was actually pleasantly surprised at the vast array of salads + cooked foods they had available. Mmmm. Good. I ate fake meat...and I liked it. (Don't tell my family, I may be disowned.)

2.) Morgenstedet -- There are a lot of vegetarian restaurants in Christiania but TT and I decided to hit up Morgenstedet because it seemed more affordable than the rest. I was afraid to pull out my camera here due to the strict No Camera policy in Christiania, but the cauliflower pea soup and peanut curry  were AMAZING. The two of us were stuffed for 150 DKK.

3.) Pastries -- when all else fails, feed the vegetarian pastries. On Wednesdays, giant cinnamon rolls are sold at St. Peter's Bakery for 15 DKK. I got another puff pastry that was smothered in chocolate and had traces of sweet cream inside. Mm. Two pastries were 26 DKK with my DIS student discount!

One more massive adventure to blog about after this. I'll keep you posted!

Day Before

Going to Budapest tomorrow for my study tour! The excitement hasn't really hit me yet. I didn't start packing until 1 hour before I had to leave the IPC. Procrastination to the max. Because we have to be at the airport at 6AM tomorrow and that would mean getting up at 4AM to get there, not to mention there might not be any trains running that will get us there in time, my friend Kelly and I are spending the night in one of the 24-hour rooms in DIS. Ratchet, I know.

Getting comfy in V10.

On our way from Norreport station, we stumbled (quite literally) across a drunk guy lying in the street. His friends were trying to resuscitate him by slapping him repeatedly in the face. Uh, Copenhagen looks a little bit different at 10 PM. The lines for the clubs around DIS were also bumpin', particularly the Miami Bar. So awkward to stroll through these queues with our giant suitcases "Excuse me, sorry, excuse me. Thank you."

So yeah, I have to get up at around 5AM tomorrow to catch the metro, but I will post soon with lots of pictures from Budapest and Vienna! :)

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.

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)!

A Dark Day in Denmark

This is not the blog I planned on writing when I left for my field study this morning. By all accounts, today should have been amazing -- a scavenger hunt through the heart of Copenhagen, observing differences in the expression of sexuality and gender between American and Danish urban societies. As we gathered in the basement of Vestergade 5, we were each handed a pamphlet with a list of both gay and straight bars and clubs we were expected to find and scrutinize under educated sociological lens. Along the way, we were also expected to observe couple interactions (cough PDA cough) and family dynamics. Sounds fantastic right?

Wrong.

The day soured quickly after we ventured out from DIS. My group decided to hit up the closest location on the list which happened to be a gay bar around the corner. What transpired was mostly our fault, but it really shook us up and set the mood for the rest of the hunt. Since the club was our first visit, we didn't really have a set idea of what we wanted to do. Did we want to just observe from the outside? Or should we go in and take a look around? Our teacher, Helle, had suggested that we maybe go in, order a glass of water (around 20 kronor), and soak in the atmosphere. We decided to bite the bullet and go in, thinking there would be plenty of people inside so that we could slip in and out unnoticed. 

We opened the door and immediately four pairs of eyes were fixed on us. Three guys at the bar and the bartender turned and stared at us, four little girls with backpacks on, frozen in horror in the doorway. It was too late to back out so we awkwardly found a seat in the empty bar. The bartender came over to take our orders, but we were still puzzling over the Danish drink menu. It was only 1:30PM, far too early for a drink, and none of us were really hungry. One of us ordered a water while the other three politely declined. The bartender looked really annoyed and said, "This is an 18 and over bar." so we assured him that we were all twenty. I tried to explain to defuse the increasingly tense situation. 

"I'm really sorry, we're here for a school project..." I was hoping to engage him and maybe get a Danish perspective on the Copenhagen party scene.

He cuts me off, "Well, you are certainly not going to do your project here if you don't order something."

We were really looking for an excuse to leave, and while we were hoping for something a little more discreet, being asked to would have to suffice.

When we got outside, there was a moment of collective, mortified silence. I was so appalled and embarrassed, I wanted the pavement to open up and swallow me whole. We shouldn't have gone in unless we were going to order something, but we weren't expecting to sit down in the first place. I guess this was also a lesson in Danish forthrightness. No silent disgruntlement on this bartender's part, he tells you straight up when there is an issue. I feel like this situation would have been handled differently in the States, much more polite dancing around the issue, certainly. My group decided to observe from the outside from then on and walked away from the scene of the crime as fast as we could, our horrified shuffle punctuated with occasional exclamations of "Oh my God." (I purposely omitted the name of the club because I don't want to give them a bad rep for what was probably an anomalous encounter.)

The rest of the scavenger hunt was tame in comparison. Considering that we took a stroll down Istedgade, a street in Copenhagen that is dominated by sex shops and adult clubs, that's how traumatized we were. We finally decided to take a break and sit in Baresso, the Starbucks of Copenhagen (Note: the ONLY Starbucks in Copenhagen is located at the airport. So yeah, leave your Gold Cards at home.) We spent a good forty-five minutes winding down and discussing different things we had observed throughout the city before heading back to DIS. As we got up to leave, all of sudden one of the girls asks, "Guys, where's my backpack?"

Her entire backpack. Complete with laptop, camera, and wallet inside. Gone.

We frantically started asking the patrons around us if they had seen anything, but really? We were sitting right next to her, and we didn't see jack. The scariest part was, it really could have been any of us. We had our bags carelessly tucked around us, mine was just hanging on the back of my chair. Perhaps the thieves targeted her because she was the only one with a backpack rather than a purse, and it was fairly obvious there was a laptop inside. One minute, she was tucking sugar packets into the front pocket of her backpack, the next moment, it was nowhere to be found.

We went back to the DIS and reported her items as stolen. The front desk informed us that DIS students are insured and can be reimbursed to some extent for stolen possessions. We made a list of the items in the stolen bag and then took a trip to the police station to fill out an official report. As we walked, Amber lamented, not the lost items themselves, but the emotional value they held. The pictures on her camera, two years worth of documents and files on her laptop -- no amount of reimbursement can bring those things back.

When we finally returned from the police station, Amber realized that she had no money to get back to her host family. The front office was closed. Fortunately, our teacher was still in her office and generously offered to pay for a klippekort (similar to a transportation pass). It must be said though that everyone at the DIS was so helpful and comforting about the issue...unlike the hot policeman who told us, "This is not uncommon. We get 100 cases each day. It may be a while until we get to your case." 

Even though eventually the police will (hopefully) review the Baresso security cameras and identify the perpetrators, there isn't much that can be done. 

A few lessons I learned from this experience:

1.) Keep your belongings close. Whether it's a backpack or a bag or just a cell phone, keep it close to you, especially when you are sitting down or walking. Keep backpacks or bags tucked in between your body and the seat so that you are leaning on it while you are sitting. iPhone thefts have been rampant in these past few weeks so a few tips here too. Don't leave your iPhone in loose outer coat pockets or in the outer pocket of your backpack. Keep them in the pockets of your tight-fitting jeans or in the pocket of your jacket under your outercoat.

2.) Back up files continuously. Sometimes, shit happens and there's not really anything you can do about it. Just do your best to preemptively minimize the damage.

3.) When in doubt, go to DIS for help. The nice ladies at the front desk were able to give us a checklist of things to do such as cancelling credit/debit cards, contacting PicCell to discontinue accounts, etc.  Which leads me to..

4.) Keep a copy of all account numbers at home. Whether it's your credit/debit card number, your PicCell account, your driver's license, or passport, just keep a photocopy at home (in both Denmark and with your parents) in case something unfortunate happens so you can have all the necessary information on hand to take appropriate action.

5.) Minimize the amount of things you carry on you. If you don't need your laptop that day, leave it at home behind locked doors. If you're going on a field study in Copenhagen, DIS has plenty of lockers that you are free to use. Just go to the front desk in Vestergade 7 and they will help you check one out. 

6.) To quote Alastor Moody, "CONSTANT VIGILANCE". Look out for your own belongings and be aware of your surroundings. Maybe if I had been less focused on my pastry and more on the people around me, we wouldn't have appeared to be such easy targets. 

Another thing to note, be careful when you use the backpacks that DIS gave us. In Copenhagen, those backpacks pretty much mark us as easy prey because would-be thieves know that we aren't from the area. ...not that our tendency to speak louder than the average Danes in obnoxious American accents doesn't give us away. Don't get me wrong, I love my backpack, but I think I'm going to save it for when I get back to the States. Right now, it's doing a great job doubling as a laundry hamper.

This is one of those unfortunate happenings that makes you want to throw your head back and scream to the universe "WHO THE HELL DOES THAT?!? WHY. OH THE HUMANITY." Walking around all day, weighed down by the hopelessness of the situation and not being able to offer any real comfort was devastating, and I wasn't even the one who had my belongings stolen. I found myself clutching my tote bag a little closer to me on the train ride home today.

I don't want to end things on a sad note, so I'll leave you with something to look forward to. Short study tours are happening next week!! I'll be traveling to Western Denmark with the rest of my section in Medical Practice and Policy to conquer both castles and clinics alike! Expect all the updates! My camera battery is a-charging!

Change is for the Better...Right?

Some things have changed since my last post. Nothing terribly monumental, but significant all the same. For one, I can now say that I've had a real Danish. Correction, I've had two Danishes. The first one was so good, I may have blacked out and came to with the second one already in my mouth.

An important thing to note: Danishes are just called pastries here. (Actually, more accurately, they're called "weinerbrød"  in Denmark, meaning "bread from Vienna".)  I overheard the following conversation in the student lounge. 

Girl #1: "Oh my God. Did you have one of those Danishes at the Studenterthingy after the Amazing Race?"

Girl #2: "Oh my God, YES. They were so good!! But I thought those were just pastries though? I want to try an actual Danish."

facepalm. Danishes are pastries, guys. F'real. I think this is residual bitterness from not getting any Danishes that day. But no more! Today, I took my first bite and was anointed into the enlightened Danish-eating kingdom.

I'll blog more about pastries another day, after I check out the bakery around the corner from DIS or finally try some smørrebrød (an open-faced rye bread sandwich that is the epitome of Danish cuisine.) Expect some serious food porn then.

But on to more serious topics. After sitting in on Neuroscience of Fear last Friday, I realized that the class wasn't what I had been expecting. A lot of the material I had already covered at my home institute, and I didn't really get a sense of the new perspective on the field that I was looking for in a study abroad program. To be honest, I initially chose the class because my academic advisor wanted me to scope out the developing Neuroscience program at DIS for future semester students from my school. However, now that I'm actually in Denmark, I realized that I wanted to take the opportunity to take classes that I am genuinely interested in, and more importantly, to gain experiences that I couldn't otherwise find in the States. 

Changing courses was easy. A few of my DIS friends at the International People's College (IPC) had done it already and recommended that I either go to the website or take care of it at the office in person. I switched into Danish Language and Culture and exchanged my books the next day.

Now comes the part I'm a bit ashamed about...

I went to Danish Language and Culture for the first time today. It may have been because I was a day behind all the other students, but I was so lost in today's class. I struggled over the pronunciation and was so flustered at being cold-called. About ten minutes into class, I resolved to do a cowardly thing -- I would drop the class. In my defense, for the rest of that class period (one hour and ten minutes), I weighed the pros and cons of my decision.

PROS:

1.) According to my schedule, I would then have Tuesdays and Fridays off....in addition to the Wednesdays that DIS keeps free for field studies.

2.) I found out that I have to work 6-8 hours a week to meet work study requirements. Having Tuesdays and Fridays off would help me work this into my schedule, as well as the 3-4 hours of volunteer work that I do for the Service Learning Seminar.

3.) I have to be home by 7 PM for meals at the IPC. Dropping the class would allow me to make it back in time.

4.) I still have the Danish Language and Culture materials in a binder. I can now learn Danish at my own pace. The podcasts online can help me pick up the pronunciation. (Note: Danish is almost never pronounced as it is spelled. Most disconcerting.)

CONS:

1.) I miss out on the awesome immersion opportunities that the Danish class offers such as a visit to the Museum of Danish Resistance, the Royal Danish Theater, and the Royal Danish Defense College

2.) No one will keep me accountable. I have to be incredibly self-motivated to continue learning the language.

3.) I might miss out on learning Danish culture from an actual Dane's perspective

The consequences of my decision definitely settled in this evening when I was on the train home to Helsingør. The pleasant "ding-dong" notification preceded the conductor making a short announcement in Danish. This is not an uncommon event. Sometimes the trains get backed up and we have to wait for one to clear out before we can pull into the station. I thought the conductor was saying the same old thing, "Sit tight, thanks for your patience." Then the train started moving backwards.  Panic. First thought: AM I GOING TO MISS DINNER???

The train pulls into Nivå station. More announcements in Danish. A few Danes start getting off the train, but still others remain in their seats, unperturbed. I catch a few words I recognize, like Helsingør (where I want to go) and Østerport (where I came from). After about 15 minutes of sitting in the stationary train, the conductor makes another longer announcement. Everyone starts to file off the train. I finally cave and ask a Dane several rows in front of me what was said. Apparently, the train had broken down and we were asked to move over a few platforms to catch, not the next train, but the train after that. Whew. Some life lessons stand to be extricated from this experience.

Lesson #1: When in doubt, don't hesitate to ask. This also holds true to public transport. Don't just get into random trains because the city names seem familiar or because you "always get on on this side". "Hmm, yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm going to the place that starts with an H." Hillerød and Helsingør are a good thirty minutes apart. Oops.

Lesson #2: Knowing Danish in Denmark can suuuuure come in pretty handy. Further motivation for me to crack open that binder and get to work!

Anyways, now you know the truth. I'm a lazy bum, sittin' pretty on 12 credits this semester. Still, I promise to make the most of every opportunity! I took advantage of the free time I had this afternoon to take a quick expedition around Copenhagen. Just a few pictures to illustrate the beauty this city has to offer:

The Lute Players, located just around the corner
 from DIS on Vestergade.

Københavns Rådhus (Copenhagen City Hall) 

Tivoli: second oldest amusement park in the world.
Doesn't open until April though. ): 

The Dragon Fountain located in City Hall Square

Hans Christian Andersen Statue, located across the
street from Tivoli Amusement Park and adjacent to City
Hall Square.

The other downside of all this free time is that my friends still have class. ): It's not as fun exploring by myself, but I think we will definitely conquer Helsingør this weekend, weather permitting. Walking around in 19-21°F weather is not the business. Never before have I been so cold. I lost sensation in my face and consequently, the ability to speak because I couldn't tell what shapes my mouth was making. I really need to invest in one of these.

Until next time! Keep warm!