I know, I know, I've been slacking

Hej alle!
I know I am slowly getting slower at putting these blog posts up, but hey at least they are still being put up at all!
and yes I know I promised to put pictures on photobucket, but it takes SO long, but hopefully soon I will find enough motivation to do that.

Now time for what everyone actually comes here for! To see what I have been doing! At least I think that's why you guys read this?
So in my last blog I left you around November 4th. As I mentioned I had a Rotary get together in Holbæk, which is a town on Sjælland.
It was for all of the exchange students, newbies and oldies. In case you aren't familiar with all this exchange student lingo, I am a newbie and the people who came in December/January of last year are oldies since they will be leaving in December/January of this year. We hadn't met most of the oldies, so it was fun to meet some new people, but I also feel like we all already had our groups of friends and people to talk to, so I didn't meet as many oldies as I would have liked, but hey at least I met a few cool Australians, Brazilians, a South African, and New Zealanders.
Friday (nov. 4th) Alicia and I took the train together from Odense, but the train was pretty late because of some issue, so we missed our 2nd train, but that was fine because we met up with some other exchangies in the Roskilde train station and had another train like 20 minutes later that we could take. On this 2nd train there were a bunch of Brazilians and other South Americans, and one poor American left in all the craziness of Spanish and Portuguese. We all also kind of dominated the sitting area with our bags and things, but no one seemed to mind and they were all a bit interested in us since they kept looking at us.
Then we arrived in Holbæk and there were LOTS more exchange students there waiting to get on the bus to take us to the school we would be staying at. We took a city bus and in total there were only 2 Danish people on the whole bus, the driver and the Rotex helping us. Then we got to the school and had to wait in a not so organized line to get signed in and it took awhile because people kept distracting the person signing us in.
It was nice that at this weekend we could choose where to sleep. There were I think maybe 6 or so rooms and you could just put your stuff in any of them.
That night we just ate pizza, had a disco, and talked with each other since most of us hadn't seen each other since Intro Camp. I think I got to sleep around 3:30 that night.

The next day we had breakfast of what else, but Bread as it seems we always eat a lot of at Rotary events. Then we had a couple hours to explore Holbæk on our own, which was pretty fun. I went off with Kirsten (from Canada), Marisa (from USA) and we went shopping a bit, then walked by the water and took pictures and then through a park, where I made them take lots of pictures of me, and them since I was the only one not used to a "real" fall where the leaves all change colors.

Then we came back and had lunch. Then it was time for activities. There was pumpkin carving on the schedule along with some sports, but since Simran (India) had never carved a pumpkin we all wanted to do that, but we later learned the people who had promised us the pumpkins couldn't deliver them anymore for some reason, so we just watched the soccer game for a bit and then went inside since it was so cold.

That night we had a Halloween party and my costume was a California girl. And no I didn't just wear my regular clothes and say I was that, I wore a California t-shirt, shorts, flip flops, the California flag as a cape, and sunglasses to compete the look.
We had a dinner that night and it was fun with everyone dressed up, with some being more creative than others. Rotary was there for dinner and our show. People that wanted to had signed up for different acts for our entertainment. A bunch of us from the US were going to sing Party in the USA, but then people slowly started backing out and we never really practiced, so we just decided not to do it. The rest of the performances were singing, a dance battle between Latinos and Brazilians (that was really fun and funny), an Australian dance, a slideshow for the oldies since they will be leaving soon, and some more. They also had a battle of the countries in singing our national anthem as fast as we could and as much as we could in 30 seconds. Let's just say America did not do so well.  It's hard to sing it to a different tune and really fast when most of us barely know all the words to it, but it was still hilarious.

Then we had another disco that night and could just hang out and talk also.  I did a mix of both, but somehow I ended up at 5:30 still talking with 4 other exchange students, then I realized I really should get some sleep, so we all went and passed out. People kind of just slept wherever they wanted, so there were people all over couches and the ground and in the hallways, pretty much anywhere you could find a semi comfortable spot.

Sunday we were woken up and had to pack all our stuff before we got breakfast. Then there was a few goodbye songs for the oldies and it was pretty sad watching them all and realizing that would be us in some months. It's really scary how fast the time is going and I don't really like to think how many months I have been here or how many I have left.

Sunday I came home and just relaxed and then Monday I got to stay home from school because my host parents couldn't really drive me there or pick me up, so that was nice to get some extra sleep after only have 8 for the whole weekend.

All of the exchange students

Tuesday and Thursday I am kind of having trouble remembering what I did, but I don't think there was anything too special.
Wednesday was a day called Operation Dagsværk, where we had the day off from school and if you wanted you could raise money for building schools ( I think) in Peru. I went to Odense for the day with 4 girls from my class and we sold cake. In total we made over $100 US dollars on just selling the cake for 90 cents each piece. It was a nice day and I liked being able to bond a bit more with people from my class. Then after that I went to a girl's house who is in my class and we watched a movie and I talked to her parent's a bit in Danish. Then we went to another girl in my class's house to have dinner with 7 other people from my class. It was really tasty and a nice end to a good day.

I found this sign- apparently California has special chicken

The dinner with some kids from my class

Friday we had a Gymnasium Party that night, so I got ready at my house and then went to a girl in my class's house for the pre-party. The gym party was all right, but there was some Danish rappers that weren't very good especially since I couldn't understand them. Then Alicia came home to my house for the weekend.
Saturday we woke up nice and late and then went shopping Odense with another exchange student from our school, Katharina from Germany. It was nice and I bought a couple of things, but we kinda forgot that stores close around 3 or 4 on Saturdays, so we had to finish earlier than we planned. It's so weird having Saturday be a short shopping day where back home that's one of the bigger shopping days. We ate at McDonald's because Alicia wanted it and it's cheap, but she had fun saying the American (me) was in her natural habitat and finally at home.


That night we ate dinner with my family and then watched movies and ate junk food.
Sunday we made an American breakfast for my family, consisting of pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon. It turned out pretty well and I have now made pancakes twice in my life all on my own!
Then we spent the rest of Sunday being lazy and taking pictures outside again because of the beautiful fall leaves and my obsession with them.

Monday nothing really happened.
Tuesday one of the exchange students I had become friends with was sent home, which was a sad day for all of the exchange students and we tried to support him the best we could.

Wednesday: Alicia and I were supposed to go see Twilight: Breaking Dawn with the boy who got sent home, but since we had already bought our tickets we still went. Before that though Alica, Nora (from Austria), and I went to Alicia's house to get her things for the movie and somehow we just ended up lying on the floor in her laundry room because the floor was warm and heated and we were freezing from our walk home. Then we went to a restaurant called Asia with Gustavo (from Brazil) since he is going home in December since he's been here since January. Also, I kinda made them go since I was really wanting Chinese/Japanese food. It was pretty good and definitely filled my craving for Asian food for awhile.
Then Alicia and I went to the movie. It was in English with Danish subtitles and at one point the subtitles said "hjem i fart" or something like that which really just has to do with home and speed, but Alicia and I had both been reading the subtitles at the point and started laughing because to us it was funny, but of course no one else found that phrase funny.

Thursday my Mormor (host -mother's mom) picked me up from the bus station and we went to her house and had tea and bread which she had made. It was really good! And then we went to her friend's shop where he fixes clocks and it was actually pretty cool seeing all of those really old clocks. Some were around 300 years old and one even had it's original paint. Then I saw the daycare where my Mormor works sometimes and it was pretty much the same as an American daycare, but it was nice to see. Then I went home and had the usual Thursday night pizza with my family.

Friday I deleted my English essay by accident, so I had to rewrite it all since it was due that night. That was not so fun, because then I got writer's block on what to write about since I couldn't remember my other one very much. Then I watched most of the 2nd part of the last Harry Potter movie with my family. Yes, Katie I actually watched Harry Potter. I didn't really know what was happening though because I haven't seen most of them.


Saturday I slept kinda late since I was really tired. Then later that day my host mom and I started on Thanksgiving dinner. We made the cranberry sauce and pumpkin (butternut squash instead- we couldn't find pumpkin) pie. Then my host mom made some caramels, which tasted really good!
That night we watched the last episode of Bingo Banko for this season and then 2 movies. I was kinda proud of myself for staying up to 12:30 since I usually go to bed fairly early here, but it may be because I had slept until 11:15....

Sunday I woke up at a bit more of a reasonable time and had breakfast with my family. Then I just kinda hung our for the day until it was time to start making Thanksgiving dinner. I made the stuffing and then my host mom made the mashed potatoes, turkey, green beans, and gravy. I invited 3 girls from my class to come celebrate with us. It was a very nice, hyggeligt night and all the food tasted almost as it should! The pie was a bit thinner than usual, but it was fine still and I'm pretty proud of making a butternut squash pie all the way from scratch, since they don't sell cans of filling here. Before dinner started I had everyone say what they were thankful for, which was nice and heartwarming haha. Overall it was a good night and I'm glad I got to have Thanksgiving in Denmark (even if it was a few days early). And to all you people from my Thanksgiving back home who may or may not be reading this: I wore my 25th Annual shirt in the spirit of Thanksgiving! And I hope Thanksgiving is good for everyone this year!!

Now highlights from this last week:
Monday I brought more pumpkin pie into class to share with my class and most seemed to like it!

Thursday I went to downtown Middelfart after school and finally got my NEM ID, which means I can finally get my bus card, which gives me free train rides on Fyn also! Then I went home and watched some of the Macy's Day parade online, which was really nice. That night I skyped with my mom and dad and sister and it was nice to see and talk to them for a while since I have only skyped with them each once since I have been here.

Friday we had gym class and we are working on making dances in groups to perform in a few weeks to our class. The group all the exchange students were put in (Alicia, Paulina, and I), is doing African dancing, which should be interesting to do in front of 2 classes. Then that night I watched a Christmas movie with my family and started packing since I move on Sunday.

Saturday: Today I woke up at 5:45 to skype with my whole family that was at my parent's house and it was nice and kinda funny to see them all trying to skype! Then I went back to sleep because in my opinion there is not much of a reason to be up that early on a Saturday. Then today I finished packing and took some pictures of Morud before I move tomorrow.

To end this post I want to put what I'm thankful for: I'm so thankful for all of the wonderful people I have met so far, and the wonderful experiences I have had. I am thankful for my family and friends back home who have supported me through this and encouraged me to go on exchange! I will see you all before I know it! All in all I am thankful for where I am right now.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! ( a few days late)

Farvel for nu,
Nina

(and if you want to see the pictures bigger just click on them!)

What I've been up to these last few weeks!

Hej!
So I figured it was time to tell everyone what I have been up to these past couple of weeks since I haven't done a post in a little while.
As I said in my last blog I was on holiday for a week from school and I will just go over the main highlights of the week!
Wednesday (10/19) my host parents didn't have work, so we took a trip to the west coast of Jutland. It was very windy and we could pretty much be held up by the wind. The water was nice to see and it was a good day to be there since the weather was a bit wilder because then we got to see the waves. It was somewhat similar to Northern California beaches, but way windier! We also drove through the military base and saw the tanks and trucks returning from practice. Then we went to a small town called Ribe where we ate lunch in a small restaurant that was really just an old house turned into a restaurant. There were I think just 2 different small rooms with tables, so it was very hyggelig (Danish word with no direct translation just cozy, nice as the closest translations). We then went to Ribe Domkirke (Ribe Cathedral), which is very old and famous. It was a beautiful church with a big organ. Then it started raining, so we ran to the car. Then we went to a town and saw a lighthouse and the levee where they had some poles that showed how high the water had gotten during different storms. Then it was off to just past the border into Germany to buy candy, soda, and beer since it is much cheaper in Germany. We stocked up and then headed back to Morud.

Thursday (10/20) was I finally got to go to the foreign service registration place to fill out the papers for my Danish CPR number since my visa paperwork finally came!! Then it was Chris' 12th birthday. We went go karting and then out to dinner at an American restaurant called Bones. During go karting I kind of crashed into the barrier walls a bit, but I was fine it just took a few minutes to get the kart out, but I promised my family I drove much better in a real car. Then I just sort of took it easy driving for the rest of the time we had go karting, so I came in last place, but that's fine with me since I don't want any broken bones! Then we had dinner. It was a really good ribs place. They had a bottle of California wine on the table, co of course that was the wine my host parents had to have ;). Then we went to a candy shop and then headed home where we watched a movie. It was a really nice and fun day.

Saturday (10/22) my whole family came over for Chris' birthday breakfast. There was some of Jytte's family and some of Niels' family. It was nice to meet everyone and we had a delicious breakfast. I had peanut butter on one of my pieces of bread and that started quite the discussion about peanut butter. Then some of the daring family members decided to try it, but no one liked it, they were all pretty grossed out haha.
We watched Bingo Banko also and I was only 4 away from winning, which was pretty close for us, but maybe next time!!

Sunday I can't really remember if I did anything too exciting, but I don't think so.

Then Monday (10/24) I only had 2 classes in the morning, so Jytte and I decided it was kind of pointless for me to get up at 6:30 to go to school for an hour and a half and then have to wait 3 hours for the first bus, so I got to stay home and just sleep and relax, which was nice.

Tuesday (10/25) I had my last soccer practice. It was pretty fun, we just played a mini game the whole time and then some tv station came to film us playing because the town I play in, Veflinge, has to close it's elementary school, so for some reason they are making a video about it and our soccer team got to be in it. Then we had a dinner with the team where we ate burritos (they call them Mexican pancakes here) and played a foosball tournament. It was a  fun way to end the season, but I'm sad I won't be able to see the team very often once I move to Gamborg in around a month.

Then on Thursday (10/27) Alicia and I did our presentation in Danish class on the psychiatric hospital and it went pretty good. Then Alicia and I had decided to carve pumpkins, so I slept at her house that night also. We walked to her new host familie's house with 2 pumpkins, our back packs, and my bag of gym clothes and sleepover stuff, so we must have looked pretty funny. Cadu (from Brazil) also came with us since he is living in Middelfart right now. We had a fun day just hanging out and laughing a lot. We had a delicious dinner with Alicia's host parents who are really funny and nice.  Alicia and my first 4 classes had all been canceled for the next day, so we got to sleep in, which was really nice. Then we made pancakes from scratch while listening to some Danish and Disney music. We also worked on our pancake flipping (without a spatula) techniques, which was really funny and entertaining even though the pancakes got a bit destroyed from being flipped over and over again. Then we went to school to 2 hours and the day was done! Then I went back to Alicia's house and we hung out until her host parents were home. They brought us to a bigger town called Kolding, where we went shopping, but Alicia and I were just feeling really poor and everything was so expensive, so we only bought one pair of shoes each. It was a fun, yet depressing shopping trip just because shops are SO expensive. The cheaper option is H & M, but even that is more expensive than H & M back home. Then I came home to Morud  and it was nice to be home again. We just watched a movie and then I went to sleep!

Saturday (10/29)- My host parents had a party to go to, so Chris and I were home the day, but Jytte's mom and her friend came over for dinner, which was really good and we mostly talked in Danish, so that felt good how much I could understand. Then Chris and I watched Bingo Banko and fell asleep on the couch until my host parents got home.

Monday (10/31) I gave a presentation in Chris' class. He's in 6th grade here and I just spent the whole day at his school. I told about California, the United States, and they asked me LOTS of questions, which were fun to answer and I made brownies for them which they seemed to love. It was interesting just to see how an elementary school is here in Denmark. Then I went to a Rotary meeting that night.

Tuesday: (11/1) I went to the movies that night with Jytte and Chris to see the newest Tin Tin movie in 3D and it was really fun. It was my first time at a Danish movie theater and they are a bit different than American theaters. First of all you get assigned seats (you can decide whether you like the one's they offer you or not), but you have seats you have to sit it. Then you go in and buy food and you just grab what you want, like popcorn is already served in bags and there is no butter popcorn :(, just extremely salty popcorn. It was a fun night even though we got back a bit late.

Wed (11/2): That night I had a Spanish class field trip to a city called Kolding which is on Jutland. it was to go see a movie about abortion and the laws regarding it in Nicaragua. I went there with 2 girl from my class and the Spanish teacher drove us since we live the farthest from school I think and he had room. The first hour and a half was a lecture in Danish on what we were going to see and then there were 3 questions asked (one by a boy in my class named Martin who I know might read this- thanks for continuing my boredom ;) ) and he spent like 10 minutes answering each one, so I was a tad annoyed/bored during that part. Then the movie came and I wasn't sure what language to expect, but it ended up being in Spanish with Danish subtitles and they talked really fast, so I was a bit lost the whole time and I ended up falling asleep for some of it. To my defense I was really tired also, but that was not my favorite movie for sure. Then I got back at 11, which is the latest I have stayed up in awhile. Yes, I know I am like an old lady here, but I get so exhausted every night and my family tends to go to bed earlyish, so hey why not get more sleep?

Thursday (11/3)- I went to soccer. I thought I had gone to the last outdoor practice, but they won their school team soccer game, so they needed to keep practicing. It was good to see them all again and it was a nice practice. Then at the end they completely surprised me with a t-shirt with a picture of the team and I <3 VM Pigerne (Veflinge-Morud girls) on it. I almost cried because it was so sweet. They really made my first months great and fun even though I was pretty new to soccer. They helped me a lot and taught me lots of Danish. I met some of the sweetest people and I hope I will still be able to see them once I move, which is coming so soon!

Friday: I got to leave early from school (missed history- YES!) because I had to go home and pack and then go to the Odense train station to go to the Holbæk for a Rotary get together for the weekend.
I wil write a short post about the weekend late this week since I think and I know all of you do too that this post is WAY too long.


Well there's what I have done! I hope I remembered everything that was important!
Farvel for nu,
Nina

30 differences between Denmark and the United States

Hej.
I have been meaning to do this post for awhile, but it always felt like it would take more work than just a post talking about what I have done. As I have been here a month and a half I have noticed more differences, but yet it stays somewhat similar.

1. Very little censorship.  It is so weird hearing songs on the radio with swear words in them or seeing adds on tv with swearing and nudity. Here is an add for a cell phone company that was quite a shock to see on daytime tv:

And trust me there are one's even more shocking than this! But in a way I think it is better. The United States is very strict and somewhat prudish when it comes to what can be shown in public, but Denmark is very open about it. There aren't really ratings on movies and just some of the general topics of shows are deemed acceptable here. It just makes everything more comfortable and open to talk about in a way.

2. SO much more freedom. Everyone just gets a lot more freedom, responsibility, and trust at a much younger age in my opinion. Little kids (maybe 6 or 7) ride the regular transport bus home from school and get home on their own. The would never happen in the US. Then parents would be afraid of something happening to the child all the time. Don't get me wrong parents worry about their kids, but they just don't always hold them back, they let them do things on their own. Another example of the freedom is with school. At my school it seems like it is pretty much your responsibility to show up. Of course the school might call your parents if you have too many absences, but really only if it was a huge problem. Not like in California where you miss one class and you get a call home.
Also it seems like a lot of people have jobs.

3. Everyone eats with a knife and fork here. Now don't get me wrong, I didn't just pick up food and eat it with my hands back home. People here eat with the knife in their right hand and the fork flipped over in their left hand. They always keep them in their hands pretty much until they are done eating. It took some practice and lessons, but now it is almost automatic for me. One day I was trying to show some girls from my class how I used to eat, but whatever I did just felt too awkward and I can't even remember how I used to do it. I find it so adorable when I see little kids eating with their knife and fork. They just look so proper. Also, we eat a lot of open face sandwiches here and they are always eaten with a knife and fork!

4. Danish people are a tad more reserved until you get to know them. This is not meant to be rude to Danish people, it is just something I have noticed and had to get used to. In the US I just feel like we talk like we are friends with everyone. We hug each other a lot more and are just extremely friendly from the start. Where as sometimes you have to get to know one another better before you get to that point.
I think Danes try to stay out of one another's business in a way, for example if I were standing on the street looking really confused at a map and looking around a lot no one would really say or do anything different. Whereas in the United States I feel like someone would ask if they needed help or something. It is not better or worse, just different things for me to get used to.

5. People bike EVERYWHERE, no matter the weather. It does not seem to stop no matter how much it is raining. Today it was pouring rain and many kids in my class showed up with the front of their pants soaked, or some other kids wear waterproof pants I have noticed (Katie didn't you need a pair for your orientation? ;)) I have yet to have to bike somewhere, but I know when I move to my second family I live biking distance from school, so I think I need to start practicing before there is snow and ice everywhere! I love it on Sundays though just to see cute, elderly couples out for a bike ride. It just looks so happy!

6. Having your elbows on the table is not rude here. Before I came to Denmark I didn't really know, so I just tried to eat with with my elbows off the table, which is something I rarely do. After a few days and eating with many different people I came to the conclusion that it is not rude, so now I am comfortable just resting my elbows on the table as I eat.

7. The stoplights/ walk signs. First of all stop lights go from green to yellow to red and then back from red to yellow to green, so once the light goes from red to yellow the cars start getting ready to go. I don't know how well this would work in the United States because I feel like people would start going just way too soon with this system.
The walk signs are also different. They still throw me off sometimes. There is a green walk man and a red, don't go walk man, but the light counts down in red and I used to think it was how much time I had to cross the street, turns out it's actually how much time until I CAN cross the street. Good thing I figured that out!

8. Sundays- everything is closed pretty much. Almost all stores are closed all day. Sometimes I can find a coffee shop or something open, but usually only one. Some grocery stores are open, but if they are it is for a very short time.

9. There are so many traffic circles here. In Petaluma there are maybe 3-5 tops (don't quote me on it). Here they are everywhere! I think I go through 4 just on my way to school. I just feel like I am always going through them haha!

Now the rest I'm just gonna list without explanation:

10. winnie the pooh = peter plys

11. they sell beer and wine at the movies


 12. guys wear tunics and capris


13. people eat carrots/cucumbers a lot as snacks at school


14. ketchup costs money at some places and mayonnaise is an option for french fries usually


15. all cars are stick shift


16.  swearing in class is fine.


17. we call our teachers by their first name


18.  you can trust almost every bakery to be delicious. Even 7/11


19.All school stuff is turned in online, you check your schedule online, and everyone brings their computer every day to school


20. emergency number is 112 not 911


21. Once you turn 18 you start getting paid by the government a couple hundred dollars each month


22. Milk usually only comes in 3 sizes and only if you go to the bigger stores


23. Driving age is 18 and it costs a lot to get a drivers license 


24. drinking age is 16 and sometimes beer is sold in vending machines


25. Their aren't really substitutes at my school, class is either just canceled or the students are supposed 
to do the work on their own 


26. the Danish flag is used a lot like for birthdays and other celebrations


27. kids can have their phones out in class


28. we are given breaks in class where it's fine to go out and smoke/ so many Danish teenagers smoke


29. Some public bathrooms you have to pay for


30. Most Danish people love lakrids (licorice). There is everything imaginable in lakrid flavor- ice cream, gum, gummies, sauce for ice cream, and alcohol. 




Well that's all I have for now, but I am sure there will be more to come!
Farvel for nu,
Nina

A much needed update!

Hej!
First of all sorry this has taken awhile to write; I've just been busy, and tired and didn't really feel like spending a lot of time writing a long blog post. But now you can know what I have been up to for the last 2 weeks or so.
Friday the 7th I was driven into Odense to meet Jaz's aunt. Jaz is a friend of mine from back home, who I have gone to school with since kindergarten and he happened to come to Denmark for the year also to live with his aunt and cousin. Jaz's aunt happened to be in Odense, so she offered to drive me to visit Jaz for the weekend. He lives in a town called Birkerød, which is like 20 minutes from Copenhagen I think. We spent Friday just watching a scary movie and going for a walk with a girl he know's who is from Poland and lives in Denmark now.
Saturday (October 8th): It was a really busy day, so I will try and remember everything we did!
First we drove to Kronborg Castle (Hamlet's Castle) and walked around. I think this is the first castle I have ever been to and it was really nice. We also took a tour of underneath the castle and climbed the tower. From the castle we could see Sweden, which is such a weird feeling; being able to see another country from across the water!

Then we walked around the town of Helsingør and I tried this Danish snack. I asked whether it was better to know before or after I tried it, and Jaz's aunt said after. It is  called flæskesvær ( I think) and ended up being fried pig skin, but it wasn't actually as bad as that sounds, it tasted alright!
Then we took the coastal drive to Copenhagen and it was a really pretty drive! Then we saw the Little Mermaid. Everyone else that had already seen it told me how small it was and that they were disappointed, but I had then imagined it would be really small, so it was bigger than my expectations.

Then we got dropped off at the train station to meet Sonia (the girl from Poland) again and walk around Copenhagen for the rest of the day. We walked on the shopping street and I resisted buying very much except for a few postcards and a keychain for my Rotary blazer, which by the way is getting filled pretty fast! Pictures to come soon!
We also went to Nyhavn, which is probably the picture you would see first if you were to google Copenhagen pictures.

Then we headed to Christiania, which is a small, controversial community in Copenhagen. Here's a link to read more about it, since it would take too long to completely explain on here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freetown_Christiania , but pretty much it is a very unique place that can really only be found in Denmark. In Christiania you can't take pictures because of all of the drug trading, so I only have this one from the front gate:

Christiania was a really unique place to go and it was fun to look around.
Then Jaz, Sonia, and I went to this really good coffee shop called Barresso, which I may have talked about before, but it is really good, but incredibly expensive. I ordered a small hot chocolate with whipped cream, but as with anything I order in Denmark I am never really sure what I am getting until Ihave it in front of me. This turned out to be a VERY small drink with a straw with chocolate on it to stir in the hot milk, then the whipped cream was literally just a glass filled with whipped cream. This cost me around 7 dollars, but it was still good!

Then we went home and had dinner, then just relaxed after a very busy day!

Sunday (October 9th): We had breakfast with Jaz's grandparents and the food was delicious as Danish food usually is and it was really nice to meet his grandparents.
Then we drove through places in Copenhagen again, like the Parliament building, the Queen's castle, and this area across the water from the Opera house. We also climbed the Rundetårn (Round Tower) and got a great view of Copenhagen!
Then I took the train home, which was just a nice, calm train ride, with not too many people. It was good to be home again!

Now just the highlights from last week:

Wednesday at language school we were given the assignment to find something interesting to do in Middelfart and make a speech about it as if we were showing it to our parents from back home. We were put in pairs and I'm with Alicia (from Canada). The class went down to the tourist center and chose our topics. Alicia and I chose the psychiatric hospital museum, because we really couldn't find too many fascinating things in Middelfart that we could make a speech about.
On Thursday we went to the museum and struggled a bit trying to figure out what we needed to pay since the man working only spoke Danish. In the end we got our tickets and the man convinced us to buy a pamphlet explaining the museum in English. We had fun wandering around and figuring out what things were, but it was a bit creepy with it's white walls and soundtrack of patients from when the hospital was still open.

Friday: My class had the last 2 classes of the day canceled, so I went to a sandwich place that is really good with  some people from my class. Then we went back to school because we were having a "Fredags Cafe", which is pretty much just people drinking beer and eating cake after school, but the money was for charity. There was also a limbo contest, which was funny to watch and the winner of course won a bottle of beer. Then the "slave auction" began. It was pretty much people going on the stage offering different things and then the audience would bid on them. For example some of the things offered were making lunch for someone for the next week, playing Oh Susana on the harmonica while the guy took off his clothes, unlimited drinks at the next Gym party (that one went for a lot), and so on. It was really funny to watch and 2 girls in my class helped explain what it was the people were offering.

My host dad, Niels, was gone in Germany until Sunday, so it was just the 3 of us home. That night we watched a traditional Danish movie, called Olsen Banden. They didn't have any English subtitles, but we put the Danish one's on because it made it easier to be able to read and listen, so I could actually understand some of what was going on. I want to watch it again once I get better at Danish, so I can fully understand it.

Saturday was my last soccer game. I played for about 30 minutes and made some good passes as the girl's on my team told me. We won 5-2 and it was a good game to end the season on!

Then that night I taught them to play a card game called Ocho Pinnocho and I changed it so Chris and Jytte had to answer in English and me in Danish, which made it a lot more challenging at least for me! We also were talking about some tongue twisters and difficult words to say sin Chris is always trying to get me to say Rød Grød Med Fløde ( something only Danish people can really say correctly), so I taught him She Sells Seashells by the Seashore and another exchange student had told me that Danish people have trouble saying "There are 2 squirrels in the refrigerator", so I tested that on Chris. He flawlessly said all of it, but then wouldn't try refrigerator, so I said I wouldn't be entertaining him by saying Rød Grød Med Fløde anymore haha. Eventually he tried saying it after a bit of persuading and did pretty well considering it is a pretty hard word to say!

Then we watched Bingo Banko as always and then an American movie that was on tv, but as usual I fell asleep!

Sunday we went to Legoland again because we had some free passes from last time and Jytte had gotten a few more at work, so we invited Jytte's friend and her 2 daughters and 2 of the oldest daughter's friends. They are all friends with Ellen (my host sister who is in Alaska on exchange) and I have played 2 soccer games with one of them. The four of us just went off on our own and they were all very nice to me and we spoke mostly in Danish. It was cold, but at least there was no rain! We rode lots of rides and this time Legoland was decorated for Halloween (even though they don't celebrate it here), which was nice. It is so different here with places closing for winter because of the weather. Tivoli and Legoland are both closed now, but they open for certain times, like Christmas and the fall holiday (which I am on right now). It was a nice day at Legoland and I am glad I got to go again!

Monday, I went to Fredericia to see the exchange student that lives there, Cadu (from Brazil) and Alicia and Gustavo from my school also came. I met with Cadu first because Alicia and Gustavo had some issues with the train. Apparently they had ended up on a direct train to Kolding, when they had thought it would stop in Fredericia, so they had to take another train back, but it all worked out.
We just wandered around the shopping streets and ate lunch (bread and chocolate milk), had ice cream, shopped, and had fun. It was a really nice day and we had a lot of fun and I didn't spend TOO much money. ;)

Now I am on efterårsferie, which is a week off from school. It used to be a week where the kids would go help pick potatoes with their parents, but now it's just a vacation week.

I have lots of plans for this week, so the next blog will be full of exciting things!
Farvel for nu,
Nina

Highlights of last week and so far of this week!

Hej igen, (hi again)
So now you know what I did Monday and Tuesday of last week, but as for the rest of the week I didn't really do anything on Wednesday or Thursday.
Friday I stayed home with Chris and we watched tv, but I was exhausted so I just fell asleep on the couch as usual. I just get so tired here with so much Danish all the time and just focusing really hard on what people are saying, trying to figure it out, so I usually fall asleep fairly early (9:30 on school nights, and maybe 10 or 11 if I'm being a real rebel/ have a bit more energy on weekends)

Saturday was the district conference in Odense, so it was really good to see a bunch of exchange students again. We did a short presentation at the conference, but it wasn't much. We just walked in with flags from our home countries and some people said something in Danish if they wanted to. No one from the US was going to, so Anna (from New York) and I decided to just say a very short thing in Danish, and it went well.

Then all the exchange students went bowling. We had a good time and it was the first time we were meeting the "oldies", or ones who have been here since last January. They were from Australia and one from Argentina I think.It was fun, but everyone wished we could have had longer to hang out and bowl. A lot of other districts in Denmark have had a get-together for a weekend, but no one is really sure in my district if we are having one or not, so we'll see!
Saturday it was just Chris and I home again, so we watched this show called Bingo Banko, which is like the American show called National Bingo Night, which really didn't last long. It is basically a tv show that starts around now each year and then you print out bingo cards off the computer and play. The hosts do all kinds of crazy things to get the numbers to make the bingo and if you get 1 row, 2 rows, or all 3 rows filled you call and can win lots of good prizes. We have never won yet, but we're hoping I'm the lucky charm (so far not too much). Then we watched a movie and again I fell asleep!

Sunday: I worked on my Rotary presentation all day and wrote a whole speech in Danish. Then I baked brownies to bring to my Rotary presentation, since I thought it might be a nice touch to show an American dessert!

The brownies!

Monday: I was nervous all day at school about my speech, but one of the girl's from my class helped me on the bus ride home with how to say the more difficult words, which was really nice of her! Then I practiced some more at home until it was time to go. There were maybe 30 people at Rotary that night and all my host families were there. They started by inducting 2 new members and then it was my turn. For a moment we couldn't find my speech, which stressed me out a bit because let me tell you I could not have done it off the top of my head. Luckily we found it underneath some other papers! The speech went well I think, considering I spoke for about 10 minutes in ONLY Danish. I think people understood most of what I said, or at least they were being nice and said they did, but everyone was really nice about it and laughed at the funny parts, so I know they could understand some. One of the parts many people enjoyed was when I said that in Petaluma we have the "World's Ugliest Dog Contest" and showed a picture of last years winner. Then we had a delicious dinner as always and then I served my brownies, which I think was a nice end to the evening. By the end of the night I was exhausted from having been worried about the speech and having finally given it, but I feel accomplished for being able to do it all in Danish and it really shows me how much my Danish has improved since I have arrived! But one thing is that after giving the whole speech in Danish, all the Rotarians spoke only in Danish to me and I couldn't understand a lot of it still. I think my writing is improving much faster than my speaking just because nothing is pronounced like it is spelled.

Exchanging Rotary flags ( I don't think flags is the right word, but for some reason I just can't think of the right one now!)

Tuesday: It was a really good day for me even though nothing very excited happened. We got out of school early, but the bus didn't come for another hour, so 2 girls from my class and I walked to the center of Middelfart since they needed to go to some stores there. It was just nice hanging out with people from my class, similar to what I would do back home.
Also Jytte and I decided that we should start speaking almost only Danish, and I realize just how much I have learned since I have been here. While I am no where close to fluent, it just feels nice to be able to finally understand and be able to respond to simple sentences and questions in Danish.
Then I had soccer and it was a fun practice. We did lots of small activities the whole practice and then just had fun shooting goals at the end. Plus the weather was perfect. It was crisp out, but there was no wind, so it wasn't too cold. And the sky was dark, with even darker clouds, but the field was all lit up by the lights. For some reason it was just a great day and when your'e an exchange student you know not every day do you feel like this, so it's nice to have a day like this!

Wednesday: My Danish language teacher was sick, so the exchange students just walked around Middelfart. We went in lots of stores and in this second hand store we had lots of fun, since a lot of the stuff was old and looked like it was from the 70s. Alicia (from Canada) found 2 American flag handkerchiefs and they were cheap, so of course I had to buy them!


Well that is all that has happened these last few days, but the last week has been busy and I already have plans for this weekend!

Farvel for nu,
Nina

Concert in Tivoli!

Hej,

I figured it might just be easier to make a separate blog post about the concert since there is lots to tell! On Monday (9/26) I went to a concert in Tivoli with Alicia (the other Rotary exchange student at my school) and we had some adventures. First of all when we got on the train we kinda forgot that we needed to make sure we got in the right wagon, so we walked back and forth like 3 cars in the train and people kept pointing which way to go, but whenever we got to the spot they pointed to it was some really weird door and was just like the connector for the two trains, so it was a bit sketchy and we had no idea how to get to our car. Even the ticket checker had pointed for us to go this way. It wasn't until we had the ticket checker bring us there that we realized we had been walking through the quiet zone the whole time! Whoops! and let's just say we weren't being as quiet as they wanted, but we didn't know! So then the ticket collector brought us to the post we had been to 3 times and was like "Oh I guess you can't go this way". Alicia and I didn't feel so stupid then that we couldn't figure it out, because there really was no way to get through there! The solution we had to get to our train car was to get off at Odense and run the length of the train to get to our car, but luckily it all worked out and we made it.
We arrived in Copenhagen with no more trouble and then we were waiting for Simran (from India) to arrive when we saw some more exchange students, so we said hi to them and wandered around the station a bit.

We had found a sign that said NFL so of course us Americans had to take a picture!

Then once we found Simran we headed over to Tivoli (a very famous and old amusement park opened around 1843). We squeezed together on a ride that we thought was going to be more intense than it was, so we were freaking out about where to put our bags and such, but once it started it was really calm, so we just laughed the whole way since we had been worried for nothing! We rode a few more rides including this spinning swing that goes 262 ft ( 80 meters) up in  the air. It was pretty cool and we got a great view of Copenhagen from up there!

The really tall swing!

Lily, Simran, Alicia, and me

Then we found more exchange students and were all so excited to see each other. I think there were between 20-30 of us at Tivoli that day. For most of the night it was Alicia, Simran, Lily (from Colorado), and me together. We went on a ride called the Dæmon 4 times because the first time I was nervous and Alicia didn't go, the next time we convinced Alicia, but she was nervous, and than the last two were to get good pictures to buy. It was fun and one of the scarier rides at Tivoli, but it really wasn't that bad.

 Alicia and I refused to go on the ride where it drops you a few hundred feet really fast because we just have the fear that our legs will get cut off and personally I don't like the feeling of my stomach in my throat, so that ride we skipped.
The concert had a bunch of really popular Danish artists. The lineup was: (here's a popular song from each band also
Sak Noel

Medina

Rasmus Seebach

Nik & Jay

L.O.C

Alexandra Stan

Kato & Friends

Aqua

Burhan G

Ankerstjerne
Hampenberg feat. Alexander Brown, Yepha & Stine 


and the last two I don't think i heard and I don't really know who they are, so feel free to listen to them on your own!
You probably don't know most of these bands, but the one you might know is Aqua- "I'm a Barbie girl, in a Barbie world..."- Yeah, ring a bell? Turns out they are Danish, which I didn't really know! Too bad they didn't sing Barbie Girl at the concert.
We got pretty close to the stage, but then it was too crowded, so we wandered around Tivoli for a bit. Then we just sat in the garden at Tivoli and watched the concert from the screen since we were tired and knew we had no chance of getting close to the stage. It was really nice just being there and enjoying the songs, even though we couldn't sing along with most of them.
Then Alicia and I had to go catch the train back. Sounds easy enough right? Well not for us. We felt all smart that we found where the train should be, so we went upstairs to look for food. Then we headed back downstairs to the platform. It was a bit confusing since we had gotten off the train across the street and now we were getting on in the station, but we just hoped we were in the right spot. We then just sat there for about 10 minutes. Then I looked up at the screen and it said a different destination than what we needed, so I asked a woman if we were in the right spot. She said we needed to be 2 platforms over and we only had 2 minutes until the train was supposed to leave (Danish trains are very on time unlike the busses here), so we ran up the stairs and then over to the stairs to bring us to the right platform. We found our train, but then it was so full that we had to just keep running to find a place where we could squeeze in. Finally we found a spot where we could barely fit. Then we had to make our way through lots of people to find our seats. Some nice Danish teenagers had people move for us since we felt bad making everyone stand up (there were people EVERYWHERE- seats, aisles, doorways). Then we found our seats and had to have the 2 people move that were in them since we had them reserved. Then we tried to sleep until we got to Odense.
Alicia spent the night at my house and then we went to school the next morning. I had so little sleep that I wasn't even tired until I got home and then took a long nap and went to bed early!
The concert was really fun and I am glad I went even though train tickets are crazy expensive here!

Farvel for nu,
Nina