A Few Revelations From Denmark

Some discoveries I have made since being in Denmark:

1. I want to go back in time and grow up as a young Danish child, one piece snowsuit (cutest and most practical thing ever!) and all

2. Forest kindergartens are ridiculous...and amazing!

3. Handball should be the new national sport of the USA- it has everything Americans could want- two 30 minute halves for our short attention spans, a lot of goals (25-30 per team, per game seems pretty standard), its fair share of aggression, and few stops in play. (sidenote: Denmark just came in second in the world championships!! It was SO exciting, but disappointing we didn't win. Still, second in the world is pretty darn good for a country of 5.5 million people, which is just under the population of the state of Maryland, for comparison)

4. Scarves are the best, and most necessary, accessory to any outfit. The bigger, the better is a rule that often works for this item of clothing.

5. Hygge. enough said

6. It is very difficult to play soccer on an old, frozen turf field. I am playing for a team here (DIS has a partnership with ØKF, a Danish club), and we are playing outside. Unfortuantely, we play on a pretty old turf field, slightly above mini-golf grade, with a sand base- so, when it rains, the water goes into the base and freezes. This means that cleats do not get any traction, and planting/cutting feels like trying to change directions on a frozen pond. But, it was fun none the less...I definitely have missed competitive soccer.

7. You appreciate the sun much more when you rarely see it.

8. Danish is HARD. You probably pronounce as many letters as are silent, and there is no telling how a word might be pronounced. This could just be me being new at the language, but it is VERY difficult to speak. There is an r sound that comes from deep in the throat- it is kind of like throwing up when you (try to) say it, in terms of the mouth/facial movements. But really. Haha. 

9. Not every single Dane is tall and blonde (many are, however)


10. I am grateful for the phrase "excuse me". There is no equivalent for this phrase in Danish; there is "undskyld", which means "i'm sorry", but it isn't used in the same way- when people need to get by others on the train/bus, it is normal for Danes to make a noise, jiggle their bag, or just sort of push through.

That's it for now, more updates to come!

Forests and One Piece Snowsuits

So today was my first day at my practicum site, Skovager, the forest kindergarten I will be observing this semester. And, as expected, it was completely different than what you'd see in America's kindergartens. Kindergarten in Denmark is more similar to nursery school in the United States, since it is from ages 3-6. Kids then enter grade 0, which helps to prepare them for more classroom time and school, which would be sort of like our kindergarten a year later. But then again, this is Denmark, so it's not exactly comparable either.

I arrived at the kindergarten at 8:30 this morning- it's about 45 minutes away by walking and buses, so it was an early morning. When I got there, kids were getting their adorable and oh-so-practical one piece

snowsuits!

snowsuits on, with occasional help from a pedagog (the adult who runs kindergarten, not really a teacher). Some were still arriving and saying bye to their parents; I was able to talk to the mother of an adorable girl who just turned three named Ada about why she chose a forest kindergarten for both Ada and her older, 8 year old sister. This mom expressed very Danish views about the value of being outside (in this kindergarten, they try to spend 90% of each day outside), in that it allows the child to run and play and challenge him or herself more. She said that it was very important for her that her child would be able to take risks and learn, even if it means falling down a few times or getting a scrape now and then. It was really cool to hear these perspectives that I have been hearing about and reading about.

Once all the kids were ready, we gathered outside to take attendance to know who was missing, and

Nora- what a cutie!

then they all got in pairs, or found the hand of a pedagog or DIS student to hold (I had Ada on my left and Nora on my right)- we were taking a field trip! Though normally, the kids just play in the forest in the backyard of the school, they do take trips to other outdoor places occasionally; they go to the place we went today about 4 times a year. We rode on a big coach bus for about 10 minutes until we arrived at the "nature center", paid for by people in the surrounding towns so it can be used by all the schools! I guess when there is better weather, all of the kids and pedagogs would bike to get here through a direct path in the woods (I told you biking was big here!), but right now the ground is too wet and snowy.

trekking up the hill!

The nature center consisted of one simple building, and a few open areas covered by a roof. It was surrounded by HUGE hills on one side (I guess at one point they took all the municipal trash there and covered it with dirt, so kind of like a land fill). When we got there, the kids took off their tiny backpacks and we broke into groups. My group was first to go explore the big hills; we set off with about 10 kids and 2 pedagogs, up the extremely steep slope. Luckily, we took a path that wound up between the different peaks gradually, but it was still so, so slippery. There were parts of the path that were entirely ice. But of course, this was not a problem at all. Sure, the kids slipped and fell every now and then, and there were a few tears, but no one got hurt, and they learned to be careful on the ice, or to walk on the snowy grass.

At the top of the biggest hill, there is this cool flat rock that has a metal rotating arrow attached to the top- you can climb up and point the arrow at different parts of Denmark. The kids were climbing all over it (it 

huge rock, kids on top- standard! 

was probably 6-7 feet high, with stone steps up), and sliding on the very slippery ice around the base. The adults were usually standing a short ways away, watching, but not concerned or worried about safety; they trusted that the children were competent and wouldn't

edge of the hill, no big deal

jump off the top, and the children, accordingly, had fun and did not jump off, break a bone, crack their skull on the ice, or any of the other number of things Americans would worry about. During this, 3 or 4 kids wandered maybe 50 yards away to a slightly lower part of the flat top of the hill, standing right at the edge and looking down. Again, no problem for kids or pedagogs- no one fell off, and the kids had a great time.

We then headed down and played outside for a little longer, before sitting down around the fire pit that was under one of the coverings. Yup, the kids just sat on benches 3 feet from the fire and ate their

our pinecone feeders on the right.
saws and hammers in the background :)

lunches, while the adults ate ours. No worries about the kids jumping or falling in the fire, and there were not even any near incidents. After a little more playing (no fancy playgrounds or anything, just grass to run around in, rocks and fences to climb on, sticks to play with, and something that kind of looked like an outdoor makeshift grill hanging from a metal pole inside a

"en hare"

"kitchen"/circle of rocks), we went inside to make pine cone bird feeders, and look at the snakes, various examples of types of wood, rocks, mice, and different stuffed (dead) animals- this kept the kids entertained for quite some time! And, I learned how to say rabbit (hare)- en hare! haha

Of course, after a little time inside to warm up, back outside we went, to play with all of the kids. It was a lot of fun, chasing them around and playing tag, picking them up and spinning them around, or just sitting and playing a silly game. Of course, there was a slight language barrier, but this could usually be overcome with a funny face or piggy back ride- some things are universal.

climbing on the fence

Overall, it was a great first day. The pedagogs were really nice and helpful, the kids were adorable in their one piece snowsuits, and I definitely experienced a big piece of Danish culture. It was so cool to see kids have the freedom to run, play, and invent their own fun. No one complained that they were cold, and no one said they were bored or wanted to go home. No one got hurt, despite much of their fun coming from sliding down hills (on their pedagog's lap, entirely appropriate in Denmark, as is hugging, tickling, etc), jumping off

just playing with a huge stick, nbd

picnic tables, climbing on rocks, and running around in snow boots and snow suits. The only slight mishap came right when we got there- one of the boys, Jacob I think, jumped onto a frozen stream, which proved not frozen, and soaked his socks and filled his boots with icy water. But of course, no one batted an eyelash- these things happen- and he was given new socks, his boots dried out by the fire, and everyone was happy.

I can't wait to go back in 2 weeks! (next week I'll be in Western Denmark on a study tour with my class)

So Danish Right Now

My last post was about ways in which aspects of life in Denmark is similar to home, but don't get me wrong- I am definitely in Denmark! Today, I even went on my first Danish bike ride! As mentioned previously, EVERYONE rides bicycles in Denmark. When going to class at 9 last week, there was literally men and women as far as I could see on the main road, all purposefully riding their bicycles in a neat line, wearing long black coats. At the train station, there are hundreds of bicycles parked along the sidewalk and in their double layer bike rack. It is a standard form of transportation to get to the train or work. My host mom, Søs rides about 10 kilometers every day to work, and her commute will soon double to 20 kilometers. It's just a way of life.


I finally had my first taste of this lifestyle! My host dad, Henrik, and I went for a bike ride around Ishøj and to the store to pick up a few things with Milo. Although it was a bit cold outside, the ride was great; it felt wonderful to be outside and on a bike again! I have literally ridden a bike about twice in the past 10 years (both rides occurred maybe two summers ago), which is very abnormal here. Luckily, the saying "you never forget how to ride a bike" appears to be true, and I rode with ease. It's great, in Denmark most roads have special bike lanes, so it's not like in the States where bikers are hated by drivers because they are always in the way. And another fun thing about Danish bikes- you brake by pedaling backwards, which made slowing down really easy! I know that growing up, my bike that had training wheels braked in this fashion, but once I graduated to a bike with gears, it was only hand brakes, but I really liked using the pedals.


Another part of my life right now that is "so Danish" it my practicum site, or the school that I will be observing in for 4-5 hours every Thursday. I was placed in a "Forest Børnehave" with kids ages 3-6, which, quite literally, means a "Forest Kindergarten". This is the description I received of my school, Skovager: "This institution has a building they use as a home base and to take shelter some of the time if necessary. Generally they are out and about in the surrounding woods during the day and sometimes they take field trips to other forests". Søs told me that this is the kind of kindergarten that all parents would want their kids to go to. Danes really value time outside in nature; it is normal practice to have babies nap in their big prams outside under a roof during daycare, for example. So, this kindergarten is very typical of Danish culture; the kids will literally be outside for most of the day, every day, in all temperatures and many kinds of weather. 


I am very excited to begin my practicum. It will be fascinating to see the differences between Danish and American children, teachers, and school. It is generally said that Danes view their children as more competent, and trust them with more freedom, so that will be really interesting to see. This kindergarten will literally be the opposite of American kindergarten. They do not begin teaching academics at all in the public school system until children are out of kindergarten, so kindergarten and earlier is strictly for developing social skills and things of a less "scholastic" nature. I remember at my kindergarten there was a big focus on learning to read and write for kids who couldn't yet, and other more academic topics. Yes, we had playtime and story time and recess, but these things were much more structured and limited. This Danish school will be very different, with a much more unstructured day, where kids can create their own fun and experiential learning.


So, that's my life right now- just SO Danish. Haha. My first full week of classes begins tomorrow. Soccer begins tomorrow night as well, which will be freezing, but I can't wait. It will be nice to get into a rhythm, but I have been enjoying the free time I have right now. 

Little Tastes of Home

1. Friends
        No, not making friends, although I suppose that I have done that as well. I'm talking about the TV show "Friends"- if you know me, you most likely know how much I love that show, and you might even know how I own all 10 seasons on DVD (thank you, Black Friday online sales and my birthday). Well, Friends is one of the those American creations that has crossed the Atlantic to good old Denmark! Pernilla (my host sister) was over for dinner on Thursday night, I believe, and we hung out for a few hours, which was awesome. Of course, we bonded over our shared love for Friends, which is shown in English with Danish subtitles.

2. Guacamole
        I definitely love guacamole as well- it was one of the last things I made for myself before leaving for Copenhagen, and I had it literally every single day during the family vacation to Mexico. The same night as Friends, we had a dinner of fajita style chicken, and yes, guacamole (with some other toppings as well) on bagels, which was all delicious!

3. Classes
        Yes, classes have officially started. I had introduction to my practicum for my core class "Children in a Multicultural Context" on Thursday (sidenote: a core class is basically my main class at DIS- we will go on a short trip to western Denmark and a long trip to London together. a practicum is for this class, and I will be going to a school to interact [play] with and observe children, but more about that later), and I had my first full day of classes on Friday. In addition to the two above mentioned courses, I am also taking "Developmental Disorders", "Environmental History of Europe", and "Danish Language and Culture". Hopefully I'll be able to share some more Danish phrases with you soon!
         But yes, although they felt slightly larger than some Bucknell classes, the rooms didn't look exactly the same, and you call your professor by his/her first name, it definitely felt familiar to be sitting at a desk in a classroom again. So far, I really like all of my courses- all that's left to do is purchase notebooks! (I took notes in the DIS orientation program, haha).

4. Pizza
         Last night for dinner, we got take-out pizza from a local restaurant. Granted, it did taste slightly different, meaning that it was better than American pizza, but definitely a familiar meal. It had thin crust that was soft and not too crispy, and I had "kebab" (kind of like roasted beef or sausage maybe, really good!) and salad on mine, no dressing of course. It was delicious; can't wait to eat the leftovers in the fridge!

5. Bucknell
        There are 14 people from Bucknell here, I believe, which is a lot. And, there are 5 people from Bucknell in my core class, which is about 25 people- 20% Bucknell students! I can't say I was particularly thrilled about those numbers at first, I was looking forward to something different, but I'm meeting many new people as well, so it's okay. And it is nice to see familiar faces every now and then. I'm actually getting ready right now to meet up with Danielle in Copenhagen for a couple hours.

So, that's it for now. Hej hej!

Freshman Orientation: Part Two

We started orientation for DIS on Monday, and it definitely felt like orientation at Bucknell all over again! There are just under 700 students studying this semester, so we were broken into two larger group to help with logistics. It began with an opening ceremony, held in a really beautiful, historic hall for ceremonies (Festhalen). This was actually a really cool way to begin the semester- we heard speeches from a few different people, including two interns who studied at DIS a couple years ago and talked about their experience in Copenhagen, and Anders Uhrskov, who is the Director of DIS. In between the speakers we heard the DIS Strings (basically a small orchestra from one of the big music schools in Copenhagen), and they performed Ode to Joy, and a few other songs whose names I forget, but it was really amazing!

We then broke up into smaller groups of 6 people, and were given a "scavenger hunt" to 

Danish children at the Trinitatas Church

complete- basically, taking us to the different buildings and classrooms at DIS to 
familiarize us with the offices and resources and where they all are. It was helpful, but walking around on the sidewalks of the middle of Copenhagen, we might as well have been wearing huge signs that said "Hi, I'm an American!" (we might as well have been wearing orientation lanyards and name tags- Bucknell people, you know what i mean!). We were standing on the sidewalks in our groups, completely blocking the way for pedestrian traffic, and spilling out onto the street as well, so bikes had to navigate around us. Oops! (Also, EVERYONE rides bikes in Copenhagen, and much of Europe as well- the amount of bikes parked by the train station would blow your mind!)


Later, there was an "Immerse Yourself" fair at "Studenterhuset", basically a 2 story cafe type place, to see the different clubs, sports, and activities DIS offers. Once again, as the hundreds of students waited on the pedestrian-only street to go inside, we completely blocked traffic, resulting in many irritated Danes. But we finally made it inside, although I didn't really sign up for anything, as I was already signed up for soccer (fudbold). It starts Monday, and I am really excited for that, and hoping it will be fun/at least semi-serious and competitive.


The next day, meaning today, we had day 2 of orientation. I liked today a lot. We first met in a group of about 17 in a classroom to talk about our expectations of Denmark. Then I went with 5 other students on a little walking tour of Copenhagen. We went to the Royal Palace, where we saw the big changing of the guards, which takes place at noon and midnight every day, the Danish parliament building, the Trinitatis church, and a couple other places. At each stop, there were people from

Changing of the Guard

DIS there to explain the story behind the building, the area, and/or some aspect of Danish history, which was really informative and interesting. I really enjoyed this part of the day today; it was really helpful to gain some sort of foundation for the country I'll be living in until May! I also liked the smaller group size; it was good to be able to get to know some of my classmates a little better, and I bonded with a girl in my group, Sarah, over the similar schools we go to (Gettysburg and Bucknell).

We then were given the challenge of navigating a Danish supermarket, which can be trickier than it sounds, and returned back to our classroom to debrief. After that, I picked up my textbooks, and headed back home. The commute is easy enough, even if it is slightly longer than the absolute maximum 15 minute walk I would have at Bucknell, from Vedder to the Observatory, or a similar route. Haha.

 With Sarah in Nyhavn, Copenhagen

I'm still not feeling 100%, which stinks, but I took a nap before dinner and will be going to bed once I post this. Dinner was great again tonight; we had sliced carrots (yum), pasta salad (literally salad chopped up pretty small with orange peppers and baby penne pasta mixed in; none of that gross stuff we eat in the US with dressing) and chicken, that was delicious and wrapped in some type of bacon maybe, made with gorgonzola cheese. I even learned the Danish word for carrot (gulerod; it took a few tries to be able to say it close to to how it is really pronounced), and taught Søs and Mads the word "refrigerator" (it's a tough one!), or just "fridge" for short. 


Then we just had "hygge" and hung out, with candles of course...I read an article for class (I'm ahead- whaaat?!), and we watched some tv and talked about the differences between the US and Copenhagen in public transportation and other areas. Bedtime now though; I'm all caught up with blogging :) Have a good night...or, have a good dinner, if you are at home!

Settling In

As I write this, I am sitting in my bedroom in my new home in Ishøj, which is about a 45-50 minute commute to the center of Copenhagen (or, København, if you are in Denmark). I walk to the bus station, only a few minutes from where I live, hop on a bus for maybe 10 minutes, and then catch a train to Nørreport, the station near DIS, which takes maybe 20 minutes. Not too bad, especially since I don't have any classes during the first time slot (both by luck and by choice). We had our first day of orientation today; classes begin on Thursday, but before I get to that, I'll backtrack a little bit and tell you about my host family!

As I mentioned, my family is comprised of Henrik, Søs, Mads, and Milo, the dog, and I also have two host sisters, Kristina and Pernilla who don't live at home anymore. After they picked me up at the airport, we headed home, only about a 20 minute drive. Since they had already picked my (HUGE) bags up from DIS, I was able to immediately begin unpacking and settling in, which was great. It definitely is nice to no longer be living out of one small duffel bag!

We then sat down to a home-cooked dinner, which was absolutely wonderful. The food was great! We had a Danish version of meatballs (I learned, and forgot, of course, the Danish word already, but Henrik made them and they were great!), sliced potatoes with sesame seeds- can't really describe them exactly, but it was Kristina's recipe and they were delicious!, beetroot/beets- again, I don't know exactly how to describe all the food (it took us a day, Henrik's phone, and a translator to figure out the english word for this one), a huge salad, with dressing on the side (fortunate for me, since I LOVE vegetables, but HATE dressing), and a glass of wine. It was all delicious, and as I said, it was great to have a home cooked meal, and to get to know my new family a little better. Kristina, one of the Grejsen's (their last name) daughters, stopped by for a little bit so I was able to meet her.

We then sat in the living room/tv room/sun room- it has a television, couches, and basically two walls of floor length windows (and a heater, since it gets cold). It is very dark during a Danish winter, so that is a great room to let what sun there is in, and I'm sure it is a wonderful room when it is sunny! During and after dinner we enjoyed what is known in Danish as hygge (have fun trying to pronounce that one! kind of like hoogeh, but not quite). This doesn't have a translation or synonym in english, but it is kind of the feeling of warmth, community, and coziness (and candles! it's dark outside!) with family and friends, and often, food as well. That is the best I can do right now to try to explain it, based on my experiences and knowledge so far, although it is far from encompassing what hygge really is. But it's great! That night we sat in the room I mentioned before, with lots of candles lit, and just enjoyed each other's company in the warm room, with the sound of rain falling on the roof (possibly the best sound ever), talking, reading, and watching some television.

The next morning we woke up, had a breakfast of toast, Rugbrød, cheese, (really good!) tea, and perhaps some other foods- can't quite remember. We then headed to church, where I sat next to a translator during the service so I could understand the sermon. Usually they have english headsets, but they weren't working that week. It reminded me of the church I go to at home, Walnut Hill. I was also able to meet Pernilla and much of Søs's extended family, which was very fun!

After a quick lunch at home went to the Hilton Hotel to register with DIS and pick up my bus/train ticket, course schedule, etc, before returning home to hang out and relax for the rest of the night. Dinner was great, again- we had chicken wings, something that was kind of like a long grained rice or barely with cucumber, onion, and some other things mixed in (again, I forget the name of it...clearly I need to work on that!), and orange peppers (YUM!). I was able to watch my first game of handball, Denmark vs. Romania (Denmark won!) as well.

Ever since first deciding to study abroad, I knew that I would want to live with a host family. I wanted to really immerse myself in the culture of wherever I went, and since I knew pretty early on that Denmark was where I wanted to go, it was the Danish culture I wanted to experience. I also wanted to be able to form meaningful connections, even if it was only for a little over four months, and have a home base to go back to between classes and travels and everything else.

And now, this desire, which seemed so far off when I first began planning to go abroad, is a reality. And it was a great first weekend of settling in with the Grejsens! I did nervous n't really know what to expect going into it, at all. Before meeting them, I had only exchanged brief emails and messages with them, and went into it only knowing a few details about the family. I won't say that I was- I really just didn't know what to expect, or what they would be like at all. I guess I hoped for the best, but planned for the worst...and I can definitely say that my host family has not disappointed, and the experience has been great so far!

Milo :)

This experience is a first for both myself and the Grejsens- I am the first DIS student that they have hosted, and I know that, at least from my perspective, that it has been great so far! I have really enjoyed getting to know Henrik, Søs, and Mads better, and Milo has been great company (if you know me, you know that I LOVE dogs!)...I need to work on my Danish dog commands, although he seems to be at least semi-bilingual!


The only downside is that I am slightly sick- nothing major, I just have a cough and am a little congested, probably from all the traveling, walking, hostels, airplanes, and not getting quite enough sleep, but I'm starting to feel better. And I am excited to see what the rest of the semester has in store! It hasn't even been three days yet, but I think I am really going to love being in Denmark :)

All Around Europe, and Back Again!

So, I already wrote about the flight from Budapest to Paris- time to back track a little bit, and actually tell you about my travels in Budapest, and then Paris as well. I write this now from my new home in Ishøj, Denmark. But of course, I'm behind on blogging, so you'll have to wait to hear about that :)

BUDAPEST
My flight to Budapest from Geneva was smooth as well. I can say this now, in retrospect (didn't want to speak too soon and jinx it!) but we were lucky enough to have no delayed or cancelled flights, which made travel pretty easy! It was cloudy when we left, which was disappointing, since we had hoped to see the Swiss Alps. I took my window seat (we've gotten pretty good at flying easyJet- there isn't assigned seating, so it's basically a mad rush to get in line to board, but we've been fortunate enough to make it on early enough to have a choice of seats), and proceeded to doze off. Luckily, I woke up in time to see 
that the skies had cleared, and we were flying right over the mountains! They were breathtaking! I hope to be able to go back, perhaps to ski.

Street in Budapest

We landed in Budapest and it was pretty dark and cloudy already (it was about 4:30 local time), and found our way to our hostel, which I have mentioned once already. If you are ever in Budapest, I definitely recommend Hostel Maverick- I can say with certainty that it was great for the entirety of our stay. The room was beautiful, kitchen and wi-fi were convenient, and Levi, at the front desk, was great!



Budapest itself was absolutely beautiful. We were staying in Pest; the city is broken down into two parts- Buda is the western side of the river, and 

Fisherman's Bastion, overlooking Pest  

Pest is the eastern side, so Budapest is the whole city. It was so picturesque, and the architectural style was very unique. We ended up trekking throughout the whole city by foot, of course! We saw St. Stephen's Basilica, the 

Fisherman's Bastion

Parliament Building, Margaret Island, in the middle of the Danube River, Fisherman's Bastion (picture a castle-like structure going along the top of the hills of Buda, overlooking the river and Pest- beautiful!), St. Matthais Church, Buda Castle, a church built into the hills (Cave Chapel), the Central Market (lots of fruit/produce, meat, crafts, and prepared foods for sale), and finally, the famous Chain Bridge at night, which was beautiful! It was a long, busy day, but we had to pack everything in!


For dinner, on Levi's recommendation, we went to (yes, a real meal!) Bali Restaurant, which does not actually serve Indonesian food, despite the name. 

Chain Bridge

Excited to try some Hungarian food, I had goulash and paprika chicken with buttered noodles- delicious! We also got free hot wine with our meal, a specialty of that part of Europe, or so I've been told. It was DELICIOUS (although I will admit that, for how much I enjoyed it, Danielle enjoyed it much more!), made with dry red wine, cinnamon, vanilla, sugar, and perhaps a few other ingredients, heated on the stove and served with a slice of orange. It was a wonderful treat :)

PARIS
After our long night, we slept in a little bit the next morning, before catching our flight to Paris, which I already described. We arrived in Paris fairly late in the evening, checked into St. Christopher's, our hostel, and in traditional Michelle-Danielle fashion, found a grocery store, where I purchased some food for the next few meals- a few carrots, 2 clementines, an apple, a large bag of sugar-glazed nuts (I don't generally like nuts, but the sugar made them great! and, protein filled!), and even a few turkey cold cuts! All for just over 4 Euro- such a good deal! We went back to the hostel to eat and plan our travels; the girls we were sharing the room with were extremely quiet (as in, we felt uncomfortable munching on our carrots, it was so quiet), so we went in the hall to plan our BUSY day of walking.

We certainly got a full day's worth of Paris in the next day! We woke up pretty early and had a FREE breakfast at our hostel! It was great- as many baguettes as we could eat, which was absolutely delicious. We took a few extra pieces to supplement our lunch, packed snugly in our purses, and began our journey.

We worked our way down towards the Seine and saw the Bastille, and then crossed the 

Notre Dame!

river and walked through the Jardin des Plantes, where we passed the menagerie, or, the zoo, and saw some cute wallabies. We then headed to the Pantheon, but on the way we stopped and got a chocolate eclair and a freshly made crepe with chocolate in it- nothing like a 10am snack! We saw the Pantheon (unlike the one in Rome, this was not free...so, we didn't go in), and then headed back towards the river to see Notre Dame. 

It was absolutely beautiful, and I took plenty of pictures.  

Arc de Triumphe

We finally got a few together- we discovered a few strategies to ensure our camera would not be taken- either asking a couple who also had a camera to take it, since we'd then take one of them, or asking someone who had a better camera than us. Haha. We then walked along the river (a long walk!) to the Lourve, where we stopped to take pictures, but then continued up to go see the Obelisk, and then the famous Arc de Triumphe. After standing in the middle of the street, more or less (by a crosswalk where cars weren't supposed to go), to get pictures, we headed for the Eiffel Tower, got some pictures, and continued to the nearest RER train station to go to Versailles.

By that time, we had been walking from about 8:45 until around 2 

Gates of Versailles

maybe, so our feet were NOT happy with us. Luckily, we had a short train ride to sit, rest our feet, and have some lunch. We arrived at Versailles not long after, and it was beautiful!! And we were even able to go in and bypass the usual 15 Euro fee, because we realized that EU residents ages 18-26 get in free, and we are currently legal residents, age 21, of Denmark! That was really exciting (and amazing!), so we wandered the palace and gardens until about 5, when it was getting dark.

Eiffel Tower at Night!

We then hopped on the train and headed to the Eiffel Tower to see it at night, making it just in time to see it sparkle. Of course, just as we were leaving to walk to dinner, it began to rain. Clearly we had rain coats and umbrellas (we didn't), so it was a very wet walk, and even a run at one point. I'm sure we were very entertaining. The place we wanted to eat at had closed, so we found a nearby restaurant that wasn't too expensive, but of course, the menu was all in french, and the waiter spoke no english. Ordering was interesting, to say the least. The food was good though, so it all worked out. We left just before 8 to head up to the Lourve (we also could get in for free!), and walked around the exhibits until closing, when they began to kick everyone out. We saw the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, Winged Victory, and many other amazing paintings and sculptures. I definitely wish I knew a little more about art and art history, but it was impressive none the less.

We then finally headed home, which was a VERY long walk after a VERY long day, and 

The Lourve

made it to our hostel. We didn't do much the next morning, just enjoyed our free breakfast and then headed for the airport, taking a metro and then a train. As mentioned previously, I received yet another pat down (because I look so suspicious, clearly), and then we headed back to Copenhagen.

My host family met me at the airport- Henrik (my host dad), Søs (my host mom), and Mads (my host brother)- everyone but Milo, my host dog, which was great! After a quick stop at the SAS desk to rebook my flight home, we headed to Ishøj, where my home for the next 4 months will be, about 20 minutes from the airport. That's all for now, but I promise I'll write more about getting settled in my next post- I'm sure this is long enough already!

Tips for Traveling on a Budget

As I have quickly discovered, traveling in Europe can get very expensive, very quickly. I definitely have found myself spending more money than I had expected, despite efforts not to. So, from one broke college student to another, here are some solutions that Danielle and I have found successful in dealing with this issue. Side note: these tips probably seem slightly humorous, and yes, they actually did turn out to be fairly entertaining at times :)

1. Don't Eat Real Meals
       By this, I mean, don't go to restaurants. It is much more fiscally responsible to go to a local grocery store! We have found that items such as bread (with nutella, if there are small packages), apples, large carrots, clementines, nuts, and the occasional cold cut can be perfectly sufficient to get by for a few meals. There was definitely a learning curve, but I think I am on my way to mastering the art of 2-3 meals for 4 Euro or less. Haha.

2. But, Spend On Food When Appropriate
       You're saving money on some meals for a reason! This is best described through examples. In Italy, eat homemade pasta and pizza, and definitely get gelato; these foods can only be truly experienced here. In Switzerland, buy chocolate (which should be a no-brainer, probably). Definitely try to find local markets (such as the market with delicious dried mango in Rome), and buy street food when possible (such as crepes in Paris). Food is a great way to experience culture.

3. Walk- EVERYWHERE!
       What, your hostel is on the outskirts of the northeastern part of Paris, and the Eiffel Tower is on the other end of the city? No big deal, your feet can handle it (Or can they? Because mine do NOT feel good right now). But seriously, walking can save you money and help avoid the cost of buying bus, train, metro, etc tickets. When walking is feasible, by all means, walk- good for you, and the environment! I do not think I have ever walked this much in my life- today, in Paris, we were either on our feet (taking pictures or looking at something) or walking (most of the time) for around 12 hours. Yes, I will be the first one to say how painful that is after a week of traveling. But hey, if you want to save money, sometimes extreme measures are necessary- haha.

4. Never Pay For Towels
      So you get to your hostel, and realize that towels are not included in the price of the room? Or maybe you booked the hostel knowing that little detail, and planned to rent one there? Well, don't! As Danielle and I have learned, a t-shirt can sufice for a towel, when necessary. And, as a bonus, when you arrive at a hostel that has even a small towel, it will make your day. If you get a full sized towel, it will seem like a luxury.

That's it for now. In Copenhagen now with my host family- they are really nice, we had a great dinner (a real meal!!), and it's good to get settled in a little.

OH- one more update- received my second pat down in Paris today. haha

Metal Detectors, Baggage Checks, Pat Downs, and Romania

I will begin this post by saying that usually, I am a great traveler. I always make sure to pack my liquids in a separate bag (following the 3:1:1 rule, of course), I try to avoid wearing jewelery and belts (and make sure to take them off if they are on), and I always take me sweatshirt/jacket and shoes off before being prompted. Possibly because of this, I have never, in all my years of traveling, been pulled aside or had a bag searched while going through security.

Well, this streak most certainly ended during my European travels. I have had my purse searched, my duffel bag searched twice, I have set the metal detector off twice (when the only metal on my was the button/zipper on my jeans, usually harmless), and I received my first pat down today. Thank you, easyJet!

On the bright side, our flights so far (knock on wood) have gone smoothly without any major delays. I did have to repack my suitcase today before the flight from Budapest to Paris, because the women checking boarding passes were enforcing the rule where your bag has to fit into the metal display case that they have, but besides that, everything has been great. So that is definitely a plus!

I promise I will post about travels in Budapest, but for this specific entry, I will focus on the flight to Paris when leaving Hungary. After receiving my pat down, Danielle, who has learned to patiently wait for me to be thoroughly searched when going through security, finally made it to our gate. We met James, from Korea, who goes to school in South Carolina, and learned some travel tips for Paris.

However, we hit our first speed bump when having our boarding passes checked. We were told that our bags, which were the same size as they had been on the other four easyJet flights we had taken, and fit into the overhead compartment, were too large to travel, and we would have to check them. Granted, yes, they were bigger (too tall when lying flat) than the little metal box that your bag is supposed to fit inside, but they fit on the plane none the less! Luckily, I was able to rearrange my suitcase and it fit (Danielle was not so fortunate), but it mean that i was wearing 2 jackets, had my purse and camera stuffed inside, and had two apples, a water bottle, and a small bag of converters/my cell phone charger stuffed in my pockets. I looked slightly ridiculous, but it worked. I can be a larger person, I just can't have a larger bag. Hmm... Of course, once on the tram to take us to the plane, I put everything but my camera and purse back in the suitcase, which fit, easily.

Being among the last to board, I was fortunate enough to get a window seat, second row to the back. A girl named Andra, from Romania, sat next to met, originally in the aisle seat. She moved in to the middle when they announced the flight would be full (it wasn't, but she stayed), and we began talking. It turned out to be the best flight so far. It was the longest, with an estimated flight time of 2 hours, 20 minutes, but it flew by- we literally talked the whole time!

Subjects included the revolution and opportunity in Romania, her financial internship in Paris, the different languages we each speak, United States geography, what I am studying in school, diversity in the school system, multiculturalism, the different healthcare systems in various countries, and everything in between! It was really interesting to be able to talk to someone with such a diverse background, coming from a country very different from the US. I feel like I am being slightly redundant, but meeting people of diverse backgrounds has definitely been a defining feature of my travels so far.

More about Budapest, Paris, and travel on a budget to come soon...au revoir from Paris, we head back to Copenhagen tomorrow!

The Kindness of Strangers: Köszönöm, or Köszi for Short!

The title of this post is how you say "thank you", or "thanks" in Hungarian. It was the first word we learned after touching down in Budapest, and it has already been, and undoubtedly will be, an important one during our time here. I know I said I wouldn't blog again until I was in Copenhagen, but the hostel we are staying at, Maverick Hostel, has not only free wi-fi, but free computers with internet as well, so I'm currently on one of those. The hostel is BEAUTIFUL, and we have our own room and bathroom!

For dinner tonight we decided to pick up items at the grocery store to prepare in the hostel's kitchen, since it costs less than a "meal" out- prices were so cheap! The currency in Hungary is in much larger amounts; I ended up paying with a 2000 Forint (not Forinth, thanks Levi!!) bill, although my food was lower than that. I had coins also, in amounts like 20 Forints, 100 Forints, etc, but I didn't really know how to use them yet.

Once again, the kindness of strangers came through. After the cashier pointed to my wallet to indicate that I could use coins to make the purchase easier, the nice older woman behind me literally reached into the coin pile in my hand, sorted through the different currencies (I had Euros and Forinths), and the two of them worked together to find the appropriate ones for the transaction. And again, the one Hungarian word I have learned so far came in handy- I thanked both women with "Köszi!" and a very appreciative smile. As expressed in my last entry, it really has been remarkable how helpful people have been since arriving in Europe.

Just a Few Examples:
1. The family at the train station in Rome who helped us get on the right bus after literally waiting, wandering, and trying to find someone who spoke English to ask for help. They also made sure we switched buses because the first one was broken, and found a nice older Italian woman to help us get off at the right stop once they got off. She is person 2.

3. The woman at our all female hostel in Rome- yes, running the hostel is her job, but she went out of her way to book a taxi for us, tell us what buses we could use to get to various places, and show us exactly where different sites were on the map.

4. The women at the grocery store in Budapest. See above.

5. The woman at the train station in Budapest who confirmed that we were heading in the right direction to get on the train to Nyugati, before we even got the chance to ask.

6. My future host family- I haven't met them yet, but they picked up my suitcases from DIS (my program name; Danish Institute for Study Abroad) and brought the HUGE bags to their house so they will be waiting for me.

7+. Countless more- the two people who helped us find out way out of the Copenhagen train station, the woman who offered us assistance in finding our Danish hostel before we even asked, and everyone who will, in the future, help me find my way around the streets of Europe.

THANK YOU/TAK/DANKE/GRAZIE/MERCI/KÖSZI!!!

We are planning to have a full day in Budapest tomorrow, so there will definitely be stories and pictures to follow. We are heading to Paris on the 13th, and then will be there until we return to Denmark on the 15th, this Saturday, where I will finally get to meet my host family!

Four Cities, Four Languages, Three Countries in Four Days!

First off, as I write this, I am now in Geneva, and you can tell from the title of this post that it will be a long one. I'd put pictures up, but right now they are all still on my camera, so those will come later, I promise :) Also, as a warning, this is mostly a content post- I want to record it before I forget it all! I am still processing and reflecting on everything.

Where do i even begin?! The flight to Copenhagen last Wednesday was good; I sat next to a really nice Swedish family on the plane, a mom and her 2 daughters. in between napping and reading we chatted about the US and Scandinavia, etc. We arrived in snowy Denmark at 7am, which our American heads felt was 1am because of the time difference- but instead of time for bed, it was time to go!

After baggage claim and customs, we finally made it out of the airport with our 2 HUGE suitcases each, plus duffel bags. Luckily, we had carts to wheel our bags to the train, but then we were on our own. DIS is not far from Nørreport, the nearest train station, but it was much harder than it sounds! We just happened to arrive during a big snowstorm, although we landed without a problem (so we KNEW we weren't in the US anymore!). The sidewalks were snowy, and with probably a total of 130-140 pounds in luggage, we weren't going anywhere fast, or even anywhere slow. It look us a good 20 minutes just to make it out of the station (the trains get in below street level, and we were highly confused and exhauste), but thanks to 2 very helpful Danes, we found the street. With all the snow and luggage, walking to DIS was NOT going to happen, so we took a taxi the few blocks. (Sidenote: my large duffle bag lost its wheels at some point, which i didnt realize when i packed it, so that couldn't even roll, though I attempted to wear it backpack style..it's not a backpack)

We dropped our bags at DIS, and after a short rest, we began the walk to our hostel, Sleep in Heaven, about 15 minutes away. We stopped to get delicious croissants in a cute Danish cafe, and then rolled our duffel bags (at this point, my smaller one still had functional wheels) across the city to the hostel, which turned out to be bright, clean, and very safe! A nice Danish woman helped us to find it, as we were one block too far down the street. That's one thing we could tell immediately about the Danes- although people we passed on the streets weren't outwardly super friendly and might not smile or say hi, they were always more than happy to help out a couple confused American tourists.

We were staying in a room with two other girls; Kana from Japan and Cherish from London. They were both really great, and made our first hostel experience wonderful. We met two guys from Germany who were in the room next door, and went out and wandered the streets of Copenhagen. It was really cool for me, because i was finally able to put my 4 years of German to use! The guys, Jan and Christian, laughed about my American accent, but it was fun trying to speak in each other's language and learn more words and phrases from them.

BASEL, SWITZERLAND

Basel Rathouse

The next morning we headed off to Basel, Switzerland. Basel was really beautiful, with lots of gorgeous old fashioned architecture. We explored the city using our free transportation pass, got our first taste of Swiss chocolate in Switzerland, and saw the Rhein River. It was kind of cloudy and a little rainy,

River in Basel

 so that was slightly disappointing, but it was a good afternoon/evening none the less. I loved being able to communicate with people here in German, since it is in the more German part of Switzerland.

The hostel in Basel was also really safe, although a different feel. It was called Basel Backpack, and true to name, it was a trendy, urban hostel meant for true backpackers. We were in a shared female room with 2 other women- a girl from China and a woman from Germany, who tended to sit on her bed and stare in front of her for long periods of time. Danielle and I also took advantage of our time at the hostel to plan our Roman, since we were leaving early (5am!) for the weekend. After planning the trip, we met two people also staying at the hostel- Norman, from Berlin, and his friend, who had really pretty curly red hair and was from Bavaria. Norman is an artist, and looked the part, with long dreadlocks (check out his website, allthecolors.net ), and he had painted the walls in the hallway of the hostel. They were both total free spirits, living at the hostel until they had money to go elsewhere, kind of going wherever the wind blew.

That's definitely been the highlight of travels so far- it's been so amazing to meet different people from all over the world, who come from different backgrounds and upbringings, but still share so many of the same human universals. No matter where we've gone, there has never been a shortage of local people willing to point us in the right direction, or fellow travelers willing to swap stories.

Back to travels, though. We left Basel bright and early (well, not bright at all. it was still dark) to head to Rome for two days. Rome was absolutely amazing. We created a great plan, using advice from Danielle's European travel book, and following recommendations from Pete Schielke, who had studied abroad there.

ROME DAY ONE:
We checked in at our super clean, all female hostel. The woman who ran it was so helpful, showing us on the map where the main sites were and what buses we could take. She even helped arrange our ride to get back to the airport Monday! As we began our trek across the city, we walked through an amazing

Fruit at the Roman Market

outdoor market of flowers, fresh fruits and vegetables, clothing, and everything in between, and picked up the most amazing dried mango that would serve as a snack throughout the day. We went to the Pantheon, which was the first famous Roman site I had ever

Pantheon

 visited, so I was definitely in awe, and grabbed a delicious lunch where we shared gnocchi and mozarella and tomato. We then got delicious gelato (dark chocolate and cannoli for me!), and headed back across town to see the Vatican before the museum closed.

GELATO!

Unfortunately, the Sistene Chapel happened to be closed early that day, but it was still amazing to see the Vatican Museum. It was cool to be there with Danielle, because she is Catholic, so she was able to share a little bit of the meaning behind some things we saw. By this time, our feet were KILLING us from all of the walking on cobblestones, but we powered through it, and after looking around for a couple hours, we walked around the walls of Vatican City to go in the front and go
 inside of St. Peter's, which was absolutely beautiful as well. We got dinner at a small place on the way back to our hostel- we were too tired to go anywhere farther!- and actually got our first full night's sleep, which was amazing...I could have slept forever after all of our early morning travels!!

ROME DAY TWO
I thought it wasn't possible, but it was even busier than the first day, with lots of walking! We woke up at 7:30 to head to the Colosseum

Looking out over Palentine Hill

and Palentine Hill/The Forum, which was a LONG walk from our hostel! Both were incredible though; it is so crazy to think how long ago they were built by the hands of the Romans, using technology that we would consider primitive, and that all of the buildings served such an important role to the Roman life and culture. I was completely in awe- everything was so picturesque and beautiful. (real pictures to come, I promise!)

We then walked as fast as our poor feet could handle to the bus stop to hope on an extremely crowded bus to head to the Vatican to hear the Pope speak. It was really cool, even though I'm not Catholic, and don't speak Italian. We had a great

The Vatican

view of the window that he spoke from, and we stood next to this sweet, older Italian woman. She has lived in Rome for 50 years, but it was her first time being there to see the Pope, who speaks every Sunday. She was a wonderful help to have, as she translated some of what was being said for Danielle and I, and shared her personal insight as well. Like I said before, the people that we met were truly amazing! At the end of his address, he blessed the crowd in all different languages, so it was cool to hear some English, and to understand some of what he said in German!

We did a lot of afternoon sightseeing, walking all over the city. We got lunch at this great place, as per Pete's suggestion (thanks Pete!), and I had delicious homemade pasta with shrimp and cherry tomatoes and bruschetta. We splurged on real food and meals in Italy; in other places, we are definitely sticking to the minimum. We went to the Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona, and the Trevi Fountain, which was beautiful at night (we saw it after watching the sunrise from a park above the Steps). Then we got great pizza for dinner, followed by more delicious gelato (white chocolate/nutella with a little dark chocolate, all dipped in chocolate- SO GOOD!). Then I think we just headed home, since it was late by then, and our feet felt no better than the day before.

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
This morning we headed off to Geneva bright and early. We flew over the Alps- the view of the snow capped peaks from the (VERY) few gaps in the clouds was great. Geneva was great, definitely different

"Broken Chair"

than Rome- less crowded, and we were not on as tight of a schedule. We went to the United Nations to see the flags of all the countries, and saw the huge

Red Cross Museum

statue of a broken chair, in honor of people injured by landmines and bombs and the like. We then walked to the Red Cross museum, and ended up spending a couple hours there walking through the various exhibits; it was amazing! It was about Henry Dunant the history of the Red Cross and what it has done- it to see how one man, with a lot of ambition, heart, and desire to create a better future was able to literally change the face of the world. After you exit the exhibits, there is a big guestbook you can sign- it was almost entirely filled up, though the most recent entries were from this past November (I can only imagine how many books they have!!)- it was really inspiring to see the messages about peace, love, and hope written by thousands of people from various

Red Cross Museum-
"Write Your Definition of Freedom"

places in different languages. There was also this display where people were able to write their definition of freedom; there are some ideals that go across all languages.

Then we just wandered across the river to the Old Town of Geneva, with lots of beautiful historic streets and buildings. We went in almost every chocolate shop we saw, and stocked up on Swiss chocolate- definitely my splurge for this city!- but made up for it by getting a few

Flower Clock in Geneva

things at the grocery store for dinner. We saw the flower clock (a huge clock made of, you guessed it, flowers!), walked down by the water, saw a few different churches and cathedrals, and went back to the hostel. Just like they've all been so far (knock on wood!) this hostel is clean and safe and great- we have a 3 bedroom room with a sink to ourselves!

I'm sitting on my unmade bed (the sheets are next to me) as I write this. It's been such a whirlwind, these past (almost) 5 days- it feels like so much longer since I was last home! It has been absolutely incredible though, I cannot believe the different countries I have been to already! It will feel weird, in a great way, to finally be able to settle down in one place and not live out of one small duffel bag (newly purchased at a little souvenir shop in Rome, since my small duffel bag broke as well). I'm definitlely excited to see what Copenhagen, classes, my host family, and Danish culture have to offer me, but I defintiely want to soak up every ounce of the experience leading up to then. We leave for Budapest tomorrow at 2, or, at 14:00 (we are in Europe, after all) and after spending about 2 days there, we will spend about another 2 in Paris, before flying back to CPH.

This has been amazing so far. My first trip to Europe is definitely exceeding expectations, not that I knew what to expect. The best part, I think, has just been the experience of meeting different people and experiencing the wonderful things that they have to offer. I have met people in hostels from Germany, Ireland, London, Japan, Romania, and a few other places, and it has been so cool that, though we all are traveling for different reasons and come from very different places, we can still find common ground and learn from one another. The local people we have met in each city have truly made the experience as well. As I have mentioned, the helpfulness of people has been incredible- it is amazing to see the common ties of the human spirit. Today on the train to the airport in Rome, we shared a section of seats with an Italian woman. Though she spoke no English, the laughs that we shared about the repeated delays, and announcement of these delays (in Italian), needed no translation, and she was kind enough to let us no that there was "no problema", despite all of the delays. We have needed help at nearly every bus station or train station to make sure that we are buying the right ticket or getting on the right train/bus, and whether it's a man at the luggage check, a security officer, another random traveler, or anyone in between, everyone is beyond willing to help us, even when we can't communicate using the same language.

Okay, that's it for now. If you made it to here, I am beyond impressed. I think this post is probably more

Grafiti in Rome

for me and my memory bank than anything else- I am scared to see how long it will be when I press publish. But I don't want to forget anything about this experience. I probably won't post again until I'm back in Denmark. So, until then...

Hej, hej! Tschüs! Ciao! Au Revoir!


Michelle