Settling In

I'd like to preface this post by warning you that it will probably take longer to read than you have time for. There's just so much to say!

I've been in Copenhagen for over a week now and have been having a great time so far! Last Sunday, I met my host family for the first time. I am living in a small town called Smorumovre with Dorrit and Dennis, my host parents, and thier two daughters, Celina and Cilie. Celina is 12 and Cilie is 10 and they are so adorable! They also have a dog named Lucky who is so well behaved. He even wipes his feet after he goes outside! The whole family is so nice and they have a beautiful home in the countryside. I haven't gotten a chance to explore the area too well yet due to the busy first week and fear of getting lost and missing the bus, but I'll be reporting back soon! It is so serene and pretty though, with lots of fields. I've been watching the sun rise during my morning runs (which usually start out in the dark) and it is so peaceful that I have to turn Kanye off for a while and put on something a little more meaningful.

I've never done a homestay before, so this whole experience is totally new for me. It is a little overwhelming at first, living in someone else's house in a different country, with people I have never met before this week. And although I miss going home to my dorm room at Gettysburg after class and seeing my friends at practice, it is simply an adjustment, like all new experiences.

This week has been pretty busy, with orientation and the start of classes. Orientation lasted from Monday through Wednesday. After the welcoming ceremony on Monday, we were sent into groups for our orientation sessions. We all had different meeting rooms in the heart of the city, which tooks us way too long to find, even with the combined effort of at least 50 college juniors each with a different map of the city. The first day was a bit of a snoozer and basically consisted of filling out applications for residence permits and the typical "Hi, I'm so-and-so, I go to this college and I like to ..." icebreaker types even though no one remembers the name of a single person they met. On Tuesday we were sent out in small groups to explore the city and find certain tourist hot-spots such as the castle where Queen Margaret lives, the waterfront, parliament buildings, etc. This was definitely my favorite part of orientation and it ended with a shopping trip to make a Danish lunch. It was a great opportunity to get a better feel for the city on our own. On Wednesday, my orientation was with my "core class," which is called Human Health and Disease. I am part of the Medical Practice and Policy program. Even though I'm probably one of the only ones in the class who doesn't want to go to medical school, I'm pretty excited about it. It's taught in a Danish hospital by physicians and offers a lot of hands of learning opportunities. Thursday was the first day of classes. Both of mine were cancelled. Obviously, it was a tough day. I ended up spending the whole day mingling back and forth at the Studenthauset (sp?), a cafe where a bunch of Danish and DIS (my study abroad program) students hang out, the lounges in the academic buildings and wandering the streets of Copenhagen.

Today, I traveled to Helsingor on a DIS trip with Kelly and Lexi (two friends from Gettysburg). It was a fun day (although we were very tired from the week and night before and missed the views on the bus ride over because we fell asleep...whoops!), but extremely cold. We saw the castle at Kornborg too, which is where Shakespeare's Hamlet takes place. Now, I am exhausted, but back in Smorumovre. I have finally warmed up after a cup of tea, fresh baked cookies, and a great dinner.

Rather than give you a boring hour by hour summary of my first few days here, I figure I'll share with you the most important or interesting things I've learned so far. That way, when you all come visit me, you'll be perfectly prepared and may even pass as a Dane.. don't count on it though!

1. Never walk in the bike lanes. I made this mistake the first day I was truly on my own (my host mom brought me into the city on Monday). There is one part of the city that I go through that is a construction zone and has a specific bike and walking path roped off. As I was walking through, I noticed a woman walking next to me in the other lane. I thought, "Hm. That's strange. I wonder why she is in that one." Then I turned around. To my surprise, I saw a stampede of about 100 bicycles barreling at me at tour-de-france time trial speed. My first thought was, "Oh my God, it's the first day and I'm actually going to die." Then I tried to escape but realized I had too many layers on to crawl through the barrier between the lanes, was too far away (and too slow of a sprinter) to run to the end of the lane without getting swallowed up, and blocked by a herd of crazy Danes on the other side. I was stuck, completely embarassed, and totally, "that stupid American." I moved as close as I could to the edge of the lane, leaned back, and gave my most apologetic expression to all of the passing bicyclists. After an eternity, I was able to back track and move into the walking lane and haven't ventured back since.

2. Do not jay-walk. (Okay, I'll admit, I don't obey this one still). Wait for the little walking man to turn green. In Denmark, people are in less of a rush to get places and won't run across the street with one second left on the timer. They probably wouldn't do too well in NYC. In fact, you can even get a ticket for it.

3. The Danes are very laid back people. They are friendly if you approach them, but they will not typically be the first to approach you. The trains are virtually silent, unless it is past midnight (not that I've been on the train past midnight or anything...). Unlike Americans, "awkward silences" are not at all awkward. They don't try to fill every dead space with chit-chat, which is something I cannot and probably will not ever get used to. I'm the queen of unsuccessfully trying to make awkward situations less awkward. On the streets, they are not very outgoing towards other people and may not even smile at you when passing by.

4. Learn through observation. I wasn't aware that if you push the button in the center of the train door, it will open. Instead, I spent the first few days walking through cars of trains until I found a door that people were entering or exiting on. I'm kind of embarassed to admit that. I also spent ten minutes on the bus debating whether or not I needed to push the "STOP" button in front of me to make the driver stop, or if he would automatically stop at every station. (In case you're wondering, it's the former). Thankfully, I figured these two handy tips out both on my own, without having to ask and be the "stupid American" again -although I've been that person too many times to count so far.

5. Speaking of trains, put your iPod on when you get on the train, and make sure to set the alarm. I've dozed off a couple of times already, but have yet to miss my stop...or get on the wrong train :)

6. The streets are still impossible to pronounce. Make an effort though. I'm trying my best to pronounce Vestergade as "Vesta-gal" (still not sure if thats even the correct way) despite my inability to mimick any accent, which I've inherited from my mom.

7. Trying to learn a card game in Danish is virtually impossible. I decided the best way to attempt to get to know my host sisters and have them warm up to me was by hanging out with them. The language barrier was a bit hard though, so after a nice dinner of rice pudding (prepared by the kids) I played a couple of rounds of go-fish and spit with them before they decided it was time to show me one of thier games. I didn't understand one rule of it, but somehow I ended up winning...(I didn't realize I won until a few minutes after the fact either). Turns out we even have some similar taste in pop-culture (they love Avicii, Adele, Taio Cruz -they even danced for me, and like to watch Friends!)They also enjoy playing on thier keyboard. I tried to teach them Heart and Soul, but it didn't work out too well.

8. Exercise is not the reason Americans are obese. We eat a lot. Yes, the Danes are very green and ride thier bikes all the time, which probably keeps the pounds off as well, but I swear I've eaten single meals that are bigger than what some people here consume in a day. (Disclaimer: My host family cooks really good meals and provides plenty of food!) A lot of Danish people eat a slice of toast for breakfast -thats it! Then they bring a very small sandwich typically for lunch (thier packages of lunch meat probably contain about five slices (not a joke) of either ham or chicken -no turkey) and maybe a piece of fruit, and they do not eat that much at dinner time. They do eat a lot of meat though! All of the DIS students noticed this very quickly. We didn't want to feel like the "fat Americans" so we have all been very conscious of how much food we stuff on our plates. Since our stomachs are probably super stretched though, we were starving the first day of orientation. As we've gotten more comfortable in our families, the size of our portions has also increased. We also started hoarding the free pastries we got during orientation. They are delicious!! European Nutella is also ten times better than in the States, and my host mom loves peanut butter (which is not commonly eaten here), so thats great news for me!

9. On the subject of food, we also have different ways of eating our food. When Americans get a piece of steak, they cut it up into small pieces. In Denmark, this is considered childish. They eat using thier fork and knife the whole time, cutting as they go. I haven't mastered this yet, and probably will still cut up my meat like a five year old.

10. Wear comfortable and warm walking shoes, always. Once again, my mother was right and I am eternally grateful I brought a pair of supportive shoes that have a sole. I'd also like to take this time to thank my Aunt Emily for disproving of my shoe fashion taste and the greatest pair of boots I will probably ever own. I've worn them almost every day and they have not only kept my feet warm, but stylish as well!

I could ramble on for awhile, but I'm tired of typing and your eyes are probably tired of reading. I'll try to keep up with a weekly update, but I can't make any promises! Hope all is well back home and in Gettysburg. And, good luck to the Gettysburg track and field team at your first meet today!

Savner jer alle! (Miss you all!)