Blogs from Birkerød, Region Hovedstaden, Denmark, Europe

I normally don't wear my new headphones when I'm walking by myself in the dark, but today I made an exception because it wasn't that late and I was only walking the 200m from the bus stop to my house. I saw two guys walking the other direction and I turned off the podcast that I was listening to because I wanted to be alert. They flag me down as we get nearer and ask me in Danish: -Excuse us - do you know where the 500S stops? -Yes, it's just ahead. -Thanks. Are you Danish? -No, I'm half-Danish. -Where do you come from? -I'm from the USA. -The USA?! No. Well, you look like an Afghan. -I do? -Yeah, you look like an Afghan! -I'm not. -No? OK. Well thanks, and bye. I was wandering ... read more

I know I have mentioned it before, but let me stress: do not take your sunshine for granted!! When I left the house today around 1145, the sun was making a definite, if all too brief, visit to my part of the world. It's incredible, the affect that just a little bit of sunlight can have on my day. It cheers me up instantly, brightens my mood. I cannot imagine how deliriously happy I will be once late spring rolls around and the sun is out in full force! I smile to myself as I walk down the street, alternately squinting up at the sun and keeping track of my shadow. I feel just like a child. When the semester began, I was a little disappointed because some classes that I had expected to be interesting ... read more

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!! I started school on Thursday. There are approx. 662 students, full-years like myself included. The newbies have questions - should I actually do the homework for this class? (No) Where is a good place to buy jeans? (Not Denmark) What's a good restaurant? (I don't know, I don't go out for food) Where do you meet Danes on a Monday night? (Where do you meet Americans on a Monday night? Exactly - neither of us know). I am optimistic about the quarter, despite my previous doubts. I think my new attitude has a lot to do with the fact that I saw the sun for the first time in what seems like months. The days are slowly but noticeably getting longer. Sunrise: 08:18 Sunset: 16:27 Length of the day: 8h 09m 12s Today ... read more

I feel like I've fallen off the face of the Earth...which is what may very well happen to countries like the Maldives, Kiribati, and Bangladesh if the governments represented at COP15 can't get their heads out of the ground and their hands out of their pockets...if the politicians don't start listening to the people instead of the corporations...if the USA doesn't stop acting as an impediment to these negotiations and just commit already. The city is in a tizzy. There are new people and languages and activities left and right and coming out the ears. It will be interesting to see what happens to the city (which has pledged to become carbon neutral by 2025) after all the climate warriors and politicians go home to their own countries. For now, no one can seem to get ... read more

EDUCATION For the majority of the semester, it seemed like I was just "abroad" without much "studying," which was fine by me, but now all of a sudden all my final projects are creeping up on me and I actually have to DO WORK. Which is part of why I haven't found time to update lately. My paper topics include the United States' military and nuclear history as it pertains to Greenland and the Inuit Einar Wegener's female identity and how it influenced the art of Gerda Wegener the development of the right to asylum in the European Union, specifically within the ever-more-conservative Danish context the murder of Dr. George Tiller within the context of Søren Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling HEALTH CARE Once upon a time, a young woman woke up. Later that day, her neck ... read more