I don't mean to disappoint, but this week has been kind of slow. I know, I know, studying abroad is supposed to be glamorous and full of crazy adventures and mis-communications. But I'm the dull exception to that rule for now. I finally started Danish lessons, twice a week, for three hours each day! I'm studying at Studieskolen, which is downtown. The other students are from Brazil, Portugal, Spain, Germany, Austria, England, Italy, and the USA. I can talk about the weather and deliver a message for you if you're late to work. Good stuff. Since class is three hours long [View Full Entry]

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I would now like to introduce a new section of the blog called TINADAD - Things I've Noticed about Denmark and Danes. (You should pronounce the acronym like Trinidad but without the r.) TINADAD 1: Gas here costs about 9,71 kr/liter. After some simple arithmetic I've discovered that gas costs about 7.25 USD/gallon. Apparently though, the cars are much more fuel-efficient. The other day I read an article in one of the free Danish-language newspapers that I pick up every morning at the S-tog station (the train I take to school, tog meaning train in Danish) about how to max [View Full Entry]

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I woke up in Lubeck at 730. This is actually sleeping in, as most days I wake up around 7 o'clock to breakfast with my family before they go to work/school. My class embarks on a walking tour with a very mustached man we meet by the river (don't worry, it's on purpose). He shows us some sights and tells us some facts, but I'm pretty sure everyone will only remember the mustache. And the marzipan shop that we invaded directly after the tour...yummmm. Time for the bus! We set off for Hamburg. I try to enjoy the scenery along the [View Full Entry]

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I meant to update this blog before I took off on my short study tour with my peers and program adviser, but I was a little preoccupied, what with all the packing and homeworking. As is, I will introduce you to my German adventure now, just to give you a little taste before I go to bed. So Thursday morning I meet my peers bright and early at Frue Plads, a square near school in Copenhagen. We board the bus and high-tail it to Lubeck , Germany. We have to take a ferry across the waters that separate the southern islands [View Full Entry]

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Let me tell you why I'm having a great day! I woke up and went for a 4.59 km run. My aunt has signed the two of us up for a 5 km race on Sunday! I had leftover banana pancakes and coffee for breakfast! It is very windy today. It must mean autumn is right around the corner. That's my favorite season! When I got to Nørreport Station I went to the ticket office to inquire about the price of a train to Amsterdam. I asked in Danish and... SHE RESPONDED IN DANISH!! THE WHOLE CONVERSATION OCCURRED IN DANISH!! AND [View Full Entry]

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Today was my aunt's **th birthday (fødslelsdag), so we celebrated - naturally. Birthday breakfast seems to be a tradition in Danish life (it certainly is in my family). So at 830 my uncle, cousins, and I had breakfast and gifts for my aunt ready on the table. Cute family togetherness ensued. Then I started some homework because - yikes - I'm in school (how I miss Cinci's schedule!). My aunt and I went for a midday run of (drumroll please) SEVEN KILOMETERS. Rolling hills, a glimmering blue lake, beautiful countryside, soft gravel trails...I didn't even notice how far we ran until [View Full Entry]

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Yesterday it was overcast and today I experienced a flash hail storm, yet my disposition is remarkably sunny. Here are just some of the reasons why. 1. Thursday night I was able to talk, with the magic of Skype, to one of my favorite people in the world, having finally coordinated schedules that are 6 hours apart. 2. I love my bicycle. It gets me where I need to go, as well as where I don't need to go. But biking is certainly a struggle in a tight skirt. I do not recommend it. I have learned my lesson. Biking is, [View Full Entry]

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Today I attended an orientation session that was a crash-intro to Danish life. Topics addressed included: *sex *drinking *humor *social interaction *drugs *punctuality *environmentalism According to the presenter, Danes: *are more blunt/direct in their communication *like to make fun of people they include (i.e. minorities) *are more like an extended family than a nation *are de facto alcoholics from the age of 13, and can therefore drink anyone under the table *don't do small talk, but *do sarcasm *get chlamydia - at least 12% of them under the age of [View Full Entry]

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New Danish beginnings Though I have been in Denmark a fair few weeks now, I have only just gotten around to updating this blog for the first time since last year when I left Chile. The story is now unfolding in Denmark's capital, Copenhagen, where I will be studying for the next year. My aunt and uncle, who live just north of the city, have graciously welcomed me into their home, which will be my home also until May 2010. I'm slowly settling in and becoming more Danish by the day; I have a bicycle, Ikea furniture, and a CPR number. [View Full Entry]

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O my goodness. So the past three days have been extremely exhausting, but totally fun. We arrived here in Pucón on Sunday morning at about 830, having taken an 11 hour bus ride overnight from Santiago. We didn’t have anything to do, and the weather was rainy and miserable. We consulted the guidebook pages that we had ripped out and brought along, and decided to make our way to a vegetarian restaurant/hostel that served breakfast. We sat there for two and a half or three hours, talking with some of the other kids there, including a German chick who had been [View Full Entry]

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