TGIF! (And Saturday)

It’s a cloudy (typical) Sunday morning here in Denmark!  As much as I’m missing sitting in Zelda’s Cafe recapping the weekend with friends, a Sunday ritual at school, the past couple days have been so busy that I’ve had no time to be homesick.

After my one class on Friday, Conservation and Biodiversity, taught by a sweet, bubbly, plant-loving Dane dressed head-to-toe in various shades of green, I enjoyed lunch at Torvehallerne again.  I think it’s safe to say that my friends and I are hooked!  I’ve already made friends with the owner of the stand selling the most amazing sun dried tomatoes, olives, and artichokes, as well as olive oil and balsamic vinegar (I get a sample of something every time I pass).

Friday night was a blast because I got to meet up with some friends from Bucknell!  I met up with four other girls from DIS and four students from the Bucknell In London program for dinner and some happy hour drinks not far from where I live.  It was really nice to see some familiar faces!  I even navigated the bus system and made it home without any problems – I just may be getting the hang of public transportation after all!

Saturday morning I went with the other DIS students from my kollegium to get our residence permits.  It was a quick and easy process.  We were so close to the little cafes along Nyhavn port that of course we had to stop by one for brunch.  It’s my goal to try them all by the time I leave!  I’m so excited to sit outside at the tables lining the water once the weather warms up.  After brunch, my friend and I decided to check out one of the department stores nearby.  I was only looking, but the store was so fancy and grand on the outside that it looked more like a luxury hotel than any Macy’s or Nordstrom’s in the states, so of course I had to have a look.  I have a bad habit at home of buying things I don’t need, but here the prices are so expensive that even I wasn’t tempted (twenty dollar Essie nail polish anyone??).  I’m saving my money for traveling and sun dried tomatoes from Torvehallerene!

After returning from the city, I took a nap and then cooked dinner in my room with a friend.  Even though the “kitchen” consists of two hot plates and a sink, we made some pretty good salmon and sweet potatoes.  After dinner, we had a drink at a cafe down the street and came back for our kollegium party.  It was a lot of fun to meet some of the other people living with us. I met a lot of the Danish people living here, as well as some Australians law students who are doing an exchange program with students from Copenhagen University.

I’m not sure what’s up for today; I should probably motivate myself to get some schoolwork done.  I must say, I love that my classes here are pass/fail, but I’m definitely less motivated to study than when I am at home.  Oh well, it will be nice for one semester to just take classes for the fun of it – and to live it up in Europe while I have the chance!

First Day of Classes

Today marked the start of classes for the semester.  My first class in Copenhagen was actually not at DIS, but at Copenhagen University.  I signed up for the class (a philosophy class – rather out of my element) because I thought that taking a class with Danish students would be a great experience.  I didn’t have much to add to the discussion about Kierkegaard and other Danish philosophers, but I plan on trying to take in as much as possible!

After philosophy class, I had a class called “The Public Health Implications of Modern Lifestyles.”  My professor is great – he’s really passionate about the subject material and has an interesting Danish sense of humor.  I had Danish Language & Culture next.  I’m hoping to at least be able to read and pronounce common words and phrases by the end of it.  I’m also really excited about the fact that we learn history and culture in addition to language.  We’re going out to dinner soon and, later in the semester, we’re going to watch a ballet and tour one of the famous castles in Copenhagen!

My last class for the day was for my core course, Medical Practice & Policy, and is called Human Health & Disease.  The hospital where the class will be taught is just a short bus ride away from the center of downtown.  We have two teachers for the class, both doctors, and a medical school student as a class assistant.  One of the doctors teaching the class is the head of the neurophysiology department at the hospital and both seem easy-going and excited to teach us.   Throughout the course of the semester, we’ll be working on case studies and learning useful skills such as how to write a medical record.  I’m also really looking forward to the guest speakers and labs that are planned!

After four classes with no break, I was thoroughly exhausted (and starving) so it was nice to get back to my kollegium and enjoy dinner in the common room with friends.  I only have once class tomorrow, Conservation and Biodiversity, but I still have some reading to do so I best get to work on that!

I’m looking forward to tomorrow evening when I get to meet up with some friends from Bucknell!  They’re studying abroad in London this semester, but are coming to Copenhagen for the weekend.  I hope I can show them around without getting us too lost…

Guards at Amalienborg

Everything about my visit to the royal palace was grand and beautiful. I love how the people of Denmark are so proud of their history and tradition!

Orientation Day 3

Well, three days of orientation has me thoroughly exhausted.  I was a little short on sleep today because last night I went out with others from my kollegium for our first of many adventures going out in Copenhagen.  It was a blast, even if we didn’t exactly manage to blend in as Danes; the huge group of American students on the metro and walking into bars was definitely obvious.  We still had a great time dancing and chatting with actual Danes!  Most of us still can’t manage to walk anywhere without getting lost and public transportation is a whole other challenge – especially once the buses start coming much less frequently at night.  We’re determined to figure it out, though, and we’ll all have some great stories to tell about our adventures getting back to the kollegium.

Today we participated in “The Amazing Race” through Copenhagen as part of orientation.  Walking miles through the streets of Copenhagen in the crisp morning air was a harsh wake-up call for some!  Still, exploring more of the city makes me fall in love with it even more.  Our adventures took us back to Nyhuvan Port and to Amalienborg, the beautiful royal palace.  I loved listening to our guide tell us about the history of the Danish royalty.  Interestingly, ninety percent of Danes are in support of a portion of their tax dollars going to support the monarchy.  (Try getting ninety percent of people in America to agree on anything!)  Even though the Danes have a much different political system that we do in America, I admire their appreciation for history and tradition.  I’ve only been here a few days, but I feel as though they are such a happy people in part because they can appreciate nice things that are a part of their everyday lives; they don’t sweat the small stuff and they take pleasure in simple things, such as commuting to work on their bike on a brisk January morning (or getting a chuckle out of helping a lost tourist find their way).

My group dropped out of the race early because we decided that warming up in a cafe along the water sounded all too appealing.  A latte with a little Bailey’s and my first Smørrebrød (a traditional Danish open faced sandwich) really did the trick.

After defrosting, it was time to go to the academic orientation for my core course – Medical Practice & Policy.  I found out that I will be studying at Rigshospitalet, the main teaching hospital in Denmark.  I’m really looking forward to getting an inside look at a different form of healthcare and to having the chance to spend time in the hospital setting.  Interacting with actual Danish doctors and patients will definitely be a great learning experience and I’m excited to get started tomorrow!

I have a packed class schedule tomorrow, but I’m looking forward to my classes and to getting into a routine here.  I joined a gym and have become better at navigating the grocery store.  As soon as I stop feeling like I’m lost more often than I feeling like I know where I am, I think I’ll really feel at home here.  I may not have seen the sun since I got here and I’m really missing the Today Show, but it’s worth it in those moments when I’m walking down a cobblestone street listening to the beautiful music of a man playing the accordion, the smell of great street food in the air, and I realize “Wow, I’m actually here.”  During my time here, I hope that the Danes’ sense of contentment and laid back happiness rub off on me.  There’s so much to take in here – history to learn and people to meet – and I plan on making the absolute most of it during the next four months!

Second Day of Orientation

Today we had our second day of orientation.  I only had one meeting scheduled, and they talked mostly about transportation.  All I know is that my bus pass will get me to and from class, and that there are a lot of ways to get fined if you’re traveling out of certain “zones.”  I’m sure As confusing as it seems, I’ll get the hang of it once I start exploring the area more!  They also talked about the huge biking culture here; I think I may start biking to class once the weather warms up – that is, if I can overcome my fear of biking into the city during “biking rush hour” (a real thing here).

After the meeting, I walked around the city a bit with some friends.  I wanted to take them to them Torvehallerne for lunch, the great indoor market where I went a few days ago.  They loved it as much as I did!  We loved talking to the friendly shop owners and sampling everything from tea to hand salts to cheese, finally settling on a fresh fish market for lunch.  I also had my very first Danish pastry!  I forget what it was called, but it was basically a giant truffle, and it was delicious!

Before coming back to the kollegium, we enjoyed some sights around the beautiful city.  I can’t wait to have the chance to explore more of the historic museums and castles!

I also (finally) got a new SIM card for my phone, so I’ll be able to communicate via Facebook or Viber!  I’m off to meet up with some girls in my kollegium for dinner – more to come from Copenhagen soon! xoxo

Highlight of Orientation Day 1

(I swear I’ll never get tired of locks) Oh, and the rest of orientation was good too…

Home Sweet Home

I finally moved into my kollegium today!  I really like my room and am working on making it feel like home!  Maggie’s painting that I brought really helps 🙂

After dropping my bags off in my room, we went for a short tour around the neighborhood.  There are plenty of grocery stores close by, so I’m well on my way to a fully stocked kitchen.  I spent hours in just two grocery stores – not only was I interested in all the unique items, but half the time I couldn’t be sure what I was actually buying!  The dairy section is especially confusing, but thankfully I came home with the milk and greek yogurt that I was hoping for.  My room came with plenty of pots, pans, and other utensils.  No coffee pot though, so I’m going to experiment with using my first french press tomorrow.. wish me luck.

After shopping, I got to meet a lot of other DIS students living in my kollegium over dinner.  Everyone seems awesome and there are some full-year students living here who are great at answering all of my questions.  Tomorrow at 7:30am we have to catch the bus into the city, which is just about ten minutes away, for our first day of DIS orientation.  I think I’m experiencing reverse jet lag – I could hardly sleep last night because it was only 5pm at home.  Needless to say, I’m pretty tired now after the busy day, so I’m off to bed.  Goodnight, or as I think they say in Denmark, Godnat!!

Copenhagen At Last!

Today I ventured into the city for the first time to meet up with some fellow DIS students.  Even the snow/sleet/hale didn’t take away from my first experience in this amazing city.. I’m already in love with it!

I took the train into the city early this afternoon.  I made very certain to take “tog 2” because I was informed by the nice concierge that “tog 1” goes to Sweden!  The directions to the place where I planned to meet up with my classmates seemed simple enough, that is until I actually got off the train and started wondering around the city.  I found that city streets in Copenhagen aren’t as clearly marked or as straight as those in most U.S. cities; one street will suddenly end and another will begin without any indication.  Thankfully,  the Danes I met were very willing to offer directions when I pointed to, since I couldn’t pronounce, the street I was looking for.  After an hour of wondering around enjoying a great latte from a coffee shop where I stopped to ask for help, I finally found our meeting place (only ten minutes late!).

Two of the DIS students I met up with are year long students, so they were here last semester and knew their way around the city.  We walked around for a couple hours, window shopping and getting the lowdown on the best places to eat and study.  One of my favorite sights was the beautiful and historic Nyhavn port.  I can’t wait to enjoy a nice lunch at one of the cafes lining the water when the weather warms up!

When we could no longer feel our hands or feet, we warmed up in a nice cafe.  All the walking had made us pretty hungry, so we headed back to Torvehallerne, two amazing buildings making up a market filled with fresh produce, meats, cheeses, wines, chocolate shops, and restaurants where you can grab a quick (and amazing) bite to eat.  Needles to say, I was in heaven, if not a little overwhelmed by it all!  I almost ordered from a cool looking shop that cooked paleo dishes using local, organic ingredients.  I couldn’t pronounce anything on the menu, though, so I opted for the fresh pasta place where the others were going.  I had pesto pasta washed down with a shot of grappa – an Italian brandy, complements of the chefs at the restaurant who seemed to know the DIS students who were showing me and the other newcomers around.  Torvehallerne is dangerously close to my classes, so I will probably become a lunchtime regular.  I must try all the chocolate and cheese places before I leave… obviously.

Taking the metro back to the hotel was quick and easy.  I’m coming to find that public transportation in Denmark is really as great as everyone said.  Tomorrow I finally get to move into my kollegium, which the other DIS students said is in a great location.  Can’t wait to get settled in and learn my way around the city so I can stop looking like such a tourist!!

“If Copenhagen were a person, that person would be generous, beautiful, elderly, but with a flair.  A human being that has certain propensities for quarrelling, filled with imagination and with appetite for the new and with respect for the old – somebody who takes good care of things and of people.”
– Actress Connie Nielsen

I swear I’ll stop posting photos of all my meals…

A great breakfast after a (loving) 2am wake up call from my parents… 8pm their time! I would have eaten my weight in bread and pastries if I was on a vacation, but seeing as I’ll be living here for the next four months, I’m practicing some self control.

Off to explore the city with some fellow DIS students.. Copenhagen here I come!

Wine & Dine

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The perfect way to relax and unwind after a long day of traveling! They called it a buffet, but it was unlike any buffet I’ve ever been to before… great cheese and crusty, nutty breads with jam, about five kinds of smoked salmon (including gravlax like my dad makes at home), and the infamous pickled herring – I’ve heard stores about it from my who have traveled to Denmark before (shh, I actually liked it). Then it was on to the hot dishes: swordfish, veal, and another meat (tasted like chicken), which was delicious too. A glass.. or two.. of wine topped it all off!

I must say, I’m glad I didn’t cave and order room service like I was inclined to do, due to my insecurities about eating alone! All the Danish people I have met so far have been so nice; one of the bartenders I was talking to lived in a kollegium, like I will be living in starting on Sunday, when she was doing her undergraduate studies here. She gave me lots of great advice and assured me that I would have a great semester here.

Wishing I could share this great food and wine with all of you back home… I guess some of the cool Danish music I’ve been enjoying will have to do for now.