As my first semester abroad came to a close, I was homesick, frustrated, and worried. At one point I seriously considered withdrawing from my program - not to go back to the USA, but to take Danish lessons and travel at my leisure. Unfortunately the Danes love their rules, and because of the visa restrictions, withdrawal would essentially mean deportation. That being the case, I am sticking to what I originally signed up for, and I will try to make the best of it. It's definitely a case of "if I knew then what I know now" because I do know now what I didn't know then, and I am actually redoing the same basic scenario, so I can use this knowledge to my advantage. Paris, France So in early December I was starting to feel ... read more

The year has 16 months by Henrik Nordbrandt The year has 16 months: November December, January, February, March, April May, June, July, August, September October, November, November, November, November. I was going to go for a run today with my aunt in order to justify all the fatty fat fat food we consumed yesterday for our humble Danish version of Thanksgiving; however, as soon as she got home from work, the sky opened up and it started pouring. It really is no wonder that the concept of hygge is so important to Danes; without it, the weather would make them all suicidal. The gray drizzle is putting me in some sort of a mood. I can't wait for April. ... read more

I'm sure it seems like all I do is travel outside of Denmark to exotic locations like Amsterdam, Brussels, and Kangerlussuaq - but that is not the case. This weekend I am staying in Denmark. Granted, I am traveling from Copenhagen to Jutland, the main peninsula, but at least I'm not leaving the country. And it's not all fun and games; I have research papers to do. I mean, I won't work on them this weekend because this is strictly family business, but hey, it's something hanging over my head. First, I will take a bus to Århus to visit some family, kind of. It's my grandfather's half-sister and her husband and daughter - I think, but don't quote me on that. After a couple of days there, I will take the train to Aalborg to ... read more

This weekend I traveled to Amsterdam to meet my best friend Amanda (who you may remember from the Swedish cycling holiday adventure) for two days of boots, maps, music, and friendship. And it certainly was. Picture this: an enthusiastic reunion between two childhood friends near the luggage carousel in Amsterdam-Schipol, full of hugs and jumps and giggles and inside jokes. They immediately start scheming ways to make the most of their weekend together. The first idea? No sleep. The second idea? Lots of coffee. Did they make this happen? Very, very nearly. My introduction to the city of Amsterdam was this: as soon as we arrived at Amsterdam Centraal, the main train station, we discovered a machine that prints out maps, complete with routes and destinations, for girls who can't find the street they are looking ... read more

They warned us that the long study tour would be exhausting, and they weren't kidding. All the academic visits that we did are like a blur, so I'll just highlight the parts of the trip that I like best/remember best. Day 1 is nothing but driving. Really. I wake up at the crack of dawn and a bus full of my classmates departs Copenhagen at 0845. We drive south, cross to Germany on a ferry, turn west, stop in the Netherlands for dinner, and arrive in Brussels at 2300. Our hotel is called Maison du Dragon ("dragon house") and it is located in the red light district (this particular district was mild compared to the one I would see later in the week). We visited a plethora of institutions during our stay in Brussels, sometimes two ... read more