Denmark Summer 2008

6. August

2009-08-07T08:07:00.001+02:00

De sidste to-tre uger, har jeg vaeret for meget trist. Det savner jeg meget. Jeg vil tilbage.

Der er nu ikke nogen her for mig. Jeg skal tilbage.

10. July

2008-07-10T08:06:00.001+02:00

I have several more posts that I'm going to add here, at least one of which will be quite long, but this one is going to be brief.

I'm back in Portland now -- I arrived late Monday night after a nearly 22-hour stint in airports and on planes -- and am currently bouncing around from place to place while looking for an apartment. If I ever take off and go to Europe or someplace for a month again, someone remind me to have a place to live lined up before I go.

Anyway, yesterday (after having spent the previous afternoon walking all around the city writing them down) I called six numbers, and found one opening -- at, somewhat ironically, the first number I called. ~~I'm viewing it a little later today, and then we'll see. Maybe I'll call a few more numbers; maybe I'll fill out an application.~~ But now, the guy just called me back and told me nevermind; the apartment's been rented. So I guess I'll call some more numbers and keep my fingers crossed. It's discouraging, though.

I want to live somewhere I like, but at this point, I can't really afford to be super picky (as I usually am). I think I'll need to pick an apartment the way I picked my (first) college -- find a location I like, visit, and if I don't hate it, take it. Admittedly, that college didn't quite work out -- I transferred after my freshman year -- but I think I got a few good things out of it. And right now, I just need a place to live.

If you, by some mad chance, know of any apartments with uncarpeted studios open in Southeast Portland, in complexes which neither you nor anyone else I know live in (I don't know why; it's very odd but I just feel I can't deal with this), please let me know. I'll make you cookies or muffins or something as a thank you, once I have a kitchen again.

The next post will be relevant to Denmark again, I promise. I just had to get that previous stuff out.

1. July

2008-07-02T22:13:00.002+02:00

I'm back in Copenhagen. You can call me now.

I would write more, but we have to pay for internet in our hostel, which I am unwilling to do, and so I walked back to the school to use theirs. Unfortunately my computer will not allow me to connect to the wireless. (I get a signal, and actually, it did eventually connect, but then it said I had limited or no connectivity, despite displaying four of five bars.) So I'm using a lab computer, which has an annoying Danish keyboard which would be really convenient if I was used to it and writing in Danish -- but I'm not, so now it just means I keep messing up and have to delete things all the time. Hopefully I can connect tomorrow, and perhaps write something then. That's all for now.

30. June

2008-06-30T21:08:00.004+02:00

It's been a while. We're on our study trip now, and I haven't had much time or internet.

So let's see. In the past five days -- in addition to several academic visits -- we've visited two amusement parks, two art museums, a castle, the Roskilde Festival grounds (kind of), the northernmost point of continental western Europe, the largest moving dune in northern Europe, a church almost entirely buried in sand, and now we're in Göteborg, Sweden. Oh my word.

Yesterday we rode bikes around, and today we took a ferry across (to Sweden) both things I was very much looking forward to. It's been nice -- or at least mostly not raining too badly -- almost all the time we've been outside. Oh, except for when we visited the Roskilde grounds and had to hide in a motorbike shed because the rain was coming down so hard it could have put an eye out. We were supposed to walk around; our instructor very wisely cancelled it. I was a bit disappointed (not because I wanted to be in the rain, but because I would have liked to get a feel for things beforehand) but as long as it doesn't pour like that when I go back for the actual festival, I'm fine.

Tomorrow we have two academic visits. One is to the West Sweden Tourist Board; the other... I'm not sure what it is. And then we go to another amusement park. Apparently amusement parks are everywhere over here.

I have lots of new photos, if you are interested. (The one up above is from Tivoli Gardens, which I loved.) I'm also going to take a photo of our bathroom before we leave, because we're staying in a real hotel tonight (as opposed to a hostel, not that there's anything wrong with staying in a hostel) and it has one of the nicest bathrooms I've ever seen. The towel rack has a little electrical thing plugged into it to heat the towels. Granted, in my old apartment, I didn't need any special apparatus to heat the towels (along with everything else) but still.

And finally -- if for some reason you were thinking of phoning me, now that I am in Sweden it will cost even more, so please only for emergencies. I should be back in Denmark around 3 o'clock Wednesday, and then everyone can resume (not) making my phone ring of the hook.

25. June

2008-06-25T08:31:00.004+02:00

I am sad because I've been here for two weeks and no one has written a letter to me. Emails, yes, but I also enjoy receiving written-on-paper, sent-in-envelope letters. Those you can touch. I refer you again to my mailing address:

Sara (+ my last name)
c/o DIS, Danish Institute for Study Abroad
Vestergade 7
DK-1456 Copenhagen K

Denmark

But if you're going to post a letter to me, do it quickly. I'm not sure how long it takes for things to get from wherever you might be to Denmark.

--

Yesterday I finally got the schedule for my study tour. Here is where I will be:

26. June (morning) -- Roskilde, DK
26. June (afternoon) -- Elsinore, DK
26. June (evening) -- Copenhagen, DK

27. June (morning) -- Roskilde, DK
27. June (afternoon) -- Odense, DK
+overnight in Odense, DK

28. June -- Legoland (DK)
+overnight in Aalborg, DK

29. June --

Skågen, DK
+overnight in Aalborg, DK

30. June -- Nordjylland (DK)
+overnight in Göteborg, SV

1. July -- Göteborg, SV
+overnight in Malmö, SV

2. July (morning) -- Malmö, SV
2. July (afternoon) -- Copenhagen, DK
+overnight in Copenhagen

I return to DIS for my final exam in the morning 3. July (I could pick up letters then). After that I will be staying on my own and attending the Roskilde Festival.

If you would like more detailed information on where specifically I'll be any of these days, please email me.

24. June

2008-06-24T13:13:00.003+02:00

Yesterday was Midsummer's Eve. We went to Amager Strandpark (literally Amager Beach Park; Amager is the name of the island I live on). It did not rain, but it was very windy, and right there off the water...

For some foolish and unknown reason, I neglected to bring a large coat. I also forgot to bring my camera. My roommate, however, said she will email copies of her photos to me, so maybe in a few days there will be one or two pictures of me looking very cold.

The bonfires were neat. Everything I was wearing now smells like wood smoke, which, oddly enough, I have always liked. We also walked over a footbridge connecting the artificial island to the main one, which (if its name on the map can be believed) was a kilometer long. I really liked standing on the bridge. The water was so calm, and although it was about 10:30, it was just that kind of dusklight where everything seems very beautiful... The city lights in the distance and I could almost forget about the hundreds of other people there behind me...

I'm beginning to seriously regret not remembering my camera. I'm keeping it tied to my hand from now on.

23. June

2008-06-23T09:12:00.002+02:00

I'm excited -- today is Midsummer's Eve (or, as the Danes would say, Sankthansaften (means Saint John's Eve)). Going to a bonfire on a beach, singing old songs, and sending the witches back to Germany -- the Harz Mountains in particular, I believe. Don't ask me more -- that's all I know. It's an old tradition.

No class today -- I'm not sure whether it's due to the unofficial holiday or to some other reason. I am, however, finally meeting with my T-shirt group at noon for discussion. It would have been nice to do this yesterday, or any of the days before, but I guess later is better than never.

Yesterday we had our consultation with the instructor and the textile designer (no, we're not actually making shirts, just in theory) and talked very briefly about a few ideas. I have a feeling we're going to go with the one I had until then never heard about -- which, in my opinion, looks like it was designed by an American surfing company and that I -- along with the majority of the residents of Copenhagen -- would never wear. I guess we're designing with our fellow DIS students in mind, though, and it doesn't look bad, so...

I'll never say anything. I'm completely afraid of one of the boys in my group, and mostly afraid of the other. I'm not sure why this happened (aside from the fact that I'm mostly afraid of almost everyone). I used to be really mortified when this happened, but now I really hope it shows when I feel myself blush. At least then it makes more sense that I'm mumbling.

But on to happier things! Yesterday I made one of the best loaves of banana bread I've ever made. (Unfortunately encountered no one in the kitchen. I never thought I'd say this, but I think I get up too early.)

Today I'm going to try and take some pictures -- and will definitely do so tonight, unless of course the weather is too horrible to go out. It's the strangest weather here -- I'll never figure it out. But I'm really hoping that, since Midsummer's Eve is all about the longest day of the year (even though, technically, that was Saturday) we'll at least be able to see the sun.

18. June

2008-06-18T14:14:00.003+02:00

More pictures up -- including one of me with the little mermaid! For some reason, you can't tell in any of the photos, but it rained so hard that day (Monday the 16th). It was incredible. Far, far worse than Portland.

I've had three classes so far. They're going okay. Nearly everyone had been here for several weeks before and already knew each other. That's difficult for me.

Lots of reading, too. I don't know if I "get it" faster than other people or if I just overgeneralize, but a lot of it feels really repetitive to me. Of course, that may just be because I'm not very interested in business or economy. Tonight in our evening class, we're starting our T-shirt design assignment, which should be... interesting. I am going to fail.

17. June

2008-06-17T10:36:00.005+02:00

Last time, just as I was about to post something, my roommate, who has the port in her room, pulled out my internet cable to plug in her own. Since then I've gotten really busy.

Right now, in addition to completing a massive amount of course reading, I'm uploading photos to a brand new flickr account (which I don't really know how to use). I'll post a few of the better ones here, but if you'd like to see the rest, they should be here, organized by date. I tried to label them, also, but I'm sure I've missed a few.

The photo up above is the best one from Saturday (14. June)'s canal boat tour (one of about seven hundred tours DIS sent me on). It's the Old Stock Exchange, as seen from the water.

How to contact me

2008-06-11T09:44:00.000+02:00

If you would like to send me mail (or nice packages), please do. Since I will be there for such a short time, it is best to send mail to the school. Use this address:

Sara (+ my last name)
c/o DIS, Danish Institute for Study Abroad
Vestergade 7
DK-1456 Copenhagen K
Denmark

If you would like to get in touch with me via phone, please keep in mind that I will have a different phone and phone number while I am away, and I will not be answering my usual one. If you do not have my phone number and feel you should, please email me and I will send it to you. Once you have my number, you should dial 011 followed by my number, and it should go through. I say should because I have never done this myself and am therefore unsure.

As long as I am in Denmark, I get free incoming phone calls and (I think) text messages, but am charged to call/send out. If I am outside Denmark, phone calls cost way more. I will let anyone with my phone number know if there are times when it is better not to call me. And Rachel, please remember that the phone, in all cases, is to be used sparingly.

You can find more information about my phone plan here and here.

Email or comments on this blog are still the best ways to reach me.

1. June

2008-06-02T03:09:00.000+02:00

We bought a camera today, so I can take and post pictures while I am in Denmark. Now I just have to figure out how to use it. Its features are incredibly extensive.