Marie Goes to Denmark!

Hrvatska!

2009-07-03T01:25:00.011+02:00

Well, I'm exhausted but I know that if I don't get to posting things from Hrvatska, Croatia, now, I'll never get to it. I can't believe that I'm heading home first thing tomorrow morning, but I'm about travelled out right now and being able to settle in to home will be nice.

Altogether, it was a great week--I'm definitely ready to be traveling on my own now rather than with a group of 28 other students, but I'm so grateful to have been able to spend time in Zagreb & Split. Since I have 5 days of travel stories to tell, I think this one will be best as a photo post--It'll be a long one, but I promise it's worth it if you'd like a little taste of Croatia.

When we arrived on Sunday, we went on what we thought was a forest walk. It ended up being a treacherous downhill slide on mud with hopes of finding a cave. We eventually found the cave, but not without getting terribly muddy and wet and dirty. I was grateful for my chacos, but since we thought it was a forest walk many of us were in flip flops. Not so nice.

Here's just a little taste of our terrain.

Kayla was not so much a fan of the mud--especially when she ended up with it on her hands after slipping.

Despite the muddiness, I did enjoy this little outdoorsy fix!

Hey, we found the cave...eventually.

By the end our feet were just a bit muddy...

We were, however, HIGHLY rewarded after the hike with an amazing dinner. Because I don't eat red meat, I was served a vegetarian dinner at this restaurant. It may have been one of the best meals I'd ever eaten--all the veggies were cooked to perfection and we were really full at the end. YUM!

Monday, after recovering from the CRAZY walk, we got a chance to really explore Zagreb on our own. The outskirt areas were very different from the center of the town with old, 10ish story apartment buildings. These buildings were very much the remains of a communist society. Throughout town there were also more old, unkept buildings like this one below. Then there were gorgeous areas like the other pictures show.

Statue of King Tomislav, Croatia's first king who ruled in the 10th century AD.

After being in flat, flat København for 5 weeks, these hills in Croatia were a bit of a struggle, but they provided an absolutely beautiful look at the city.

Old government building

View of the city from atop the hill

Tuesday, after a lecture in the morning about Croatia's social structure and history, we had a guided tour by our lecturer who was a 27-year-old researcher from Zagreb. He was super knowledgeable and had a lot of great connections, so we were able to see some really neat places. Among those places, we visited 4 different places of worship--a Jewish Community Center, the Roman Catholic church, the Serbian Orthodox church, and the Islamic Center. The majority of Croatia is roman catholic; however, there are many minority groups and religions represented in Croatia due to the history of the region.

These two towers of the Catholic church can be seen from pretty much anywhere in Zagreb.

This cathedral is extremely ornate--pictured here above the crucifixion scene is ancient Croatian text telling the story of Jesus' death.

We had a quick peak inside the Serbian Orthodox church.

The outside of the Islamic Center--if you look closely you can see the moon, which was really neat because it was almost aligned with the tip of the temple, which also has a moon at the top as the moon is a symbol of Islam.

That night we went out for a few drinks. As far as drinks go, Zagreb was about 4 times cheaper than København, which was pretty crazy to fathom! The exchange rate from US Dollar to the Croatian Kuna and the Danish Kroner are about the same--in Zagreb we were getting two drinks for 17 Kuna and in Denmark we'd be able to get two beers for about 50 Krone.

Wednesday afternoon we flew to Split for just under 24 hours. It was a little disappointing that we weren't there for longer, but I made the best attempt to enjoy the time that I did have there. Hey, maybe I'll go back some day...

View from our hotel room's window

Diocletian's Palace in Split. Diocletian--former ruler of the Roman Empire & "son" of Jupiter--had this palace built around 300 AD. It was pretty outstanding to walk around here.

Split by night

Split by day. We didn't really have any beach time because of our jam-packed schedule, but we did at least get to enjoy the sunshine & views this morning.

Layover in Budapest--we saw Hungary, right? Okay, maybe not.

So, now, after a terribly long day of traveling, I'm back in København for one more night before heading back to Raleigh. It's so difficult for me to fathom that 6 weeks has already passed since I began this journey, but I'll definitely take a lot of wonderful things with me--namely the travel bug. I'm already thinking of where I'd like to go next. The only problem is that there are too many places I want to see! We'll see what the future brings :)

Ovdje sam!

2009-06-30T08:19:00.002+02:00

Hi everyone,

Ovdje sam, I'm here, in Croatia, Zagreb specifically. Our days have been jam packed and very long, so of course I've been exhausted and unable to post at the end of those days, but I'm going to try to make it happen very soon! Don't worry though...it's been beautiful and we've had lots of good times and good food (duh), so we're in great shape! I'll write back soon...promise!

hej hej

2009-06-27T20:45:00.012+02:00

It's hard to believe that my adventures in Denmark are actually coming to a close. In 12 hours, I'll be leaving DIS for the last time and heading to the CPH airport to catch a flight to Croatia. After those days in Croatia are up, we'll have one night at a hotel in København by the airport, so it won't really even feel like we're back. Crazy! Well, we've been checking off our lists and making sure we get the most important things finished before we head off to Hrvatska.

One of the things I really wanted to do was to see Nyhavn harbor by night...and to take some pictures of course. Kayla and I went down there Tuesday night for midsummer celebrations, but I didn't bring my good camera and when we got there we realized that both of our other cameras had died...therefore, we knew for certain that another trip was in store.

Last night, Kayla and I had an AMAZING dinner at the harbor with two girls from our class and we got the opportunity to take some awesome pictures. We decided that since it was our second to last night, we deserved to splurge a little...so we got fancy dinners and a bottle of wine. It was nearly $40, but for the dinner & atmosphere it was totally worth it!

The Harbor by night - 8:15pm

Kayla & me at dinner

My amazing dinner: Smoked salmon salad--with a honey dijon & sesame sead dressing.

After that, we grabbed some ice cream, another drink, and then went back to the harbor to take some night time pictures. It was stunning. The harbor is just beautiful every time of day, and again, I could not stop taking pictures.

I had to balance the camera on a flat-ish surface so that I could get some good nighttime pictures...this one turned out really cool.

This was at about 11:15pm

View past Nyhavn into Kongens Nytorv

Gorgeous boats

Today, we started the morning off right with some fresh pastries from our corner bakery. Then, Kayla and I went back out for a bit to grab lunch and finish up some shopping, and along the way we said goodbye to many of our favorite places. Then we came back to pack up the majority of our things so that they can be stored at DIS while we're on our study tour. Fortunately, I think i'm in good shape on weight this time...I hope, anyway! It was an interesting experience having to lug our huge wheeled suitcases down the cobblestone streets of København...but we succeeded. We came back tonight & enjoyed fixing our last dinner together. It was a good one, despite the fact that we were cleaning out the fridge.

Our morning pastries. Delicious!

My amazing sandwich from Vero Italiano--Smoked salmon, avocado, cucumbers, lettuce, tomato, & lemon pesto sauce on wheat bread.

Our last supper--whole wheat pasta with chicken & veggies.

It seems like our lives have revolved around food here...but at least it's been good food!

It still hasn't hit me yet that we're really done with Denmark because we're getting ready for Croatia. Every time I've left this apartment for a trip I've been able to come back and settle in for another night in my bed here. That's not the case this time. As I went through the motions of the day today, I kept thinking to myself that Kayla and I were doing so many things for the last time. We walked to Nørreport from DIS for the last time. We walked from our Amagerbro metro station to our kollegium for the last time. We fixed our last dinner in our little kitchen tonight. We're going to sleep in these little comfy beds for the last time. Tomorrow morning will be so strange to lock our very empty apartment's door and say goodbye to Øresundskollegiet for good.

But that's enough sappiness for one night, I believe. Tomorrow at 8:45 we're heading to the airport to fly Croatia Airlines to Zagreb. We'll stay in Zagreb for 3 nights, then go to Split for one night. Fortunately we'll have internet at our hotel in Zagreb so I'll definitely be able to update! I'm really looking forward to being in this country, mostly because it is going to be SO much different from both the US and Denmark. So, hej hej, goodbye, for now...my next post will be from Zagreb!

min yndlings ting

2009-06-24T22:10:00.009+02:00

It's sad to say, but my time in København is very much coming to a close. Sunday morning, we leave for Croatia, leaving behind our apartment and this life to which we've become so accustomed. Kayla and I are trying to race to the finish, getting everything done that we've wanted to do. Of course some things will not be completed, but we're doing our best to get the most important things in. With that in mind, I've decided to compile a list of min yndlings ting,my favorite things, about living in København. Unfortunately, I've realized that the majority of those things involve food, but eh...you've gotta do what you've gotta do.

1. Kayla Stanley

Kayla has been the source of so many fun times and laughs throughout this trip. It's funny how often we're on the same page...even if it takes us several days to acknowledge that thing. I'm a little disappointed it's taken me this long to get to know her (we go to school together at Meredith but weren't even facebook friends until a couple months ago). Better yet, she enjoys all the same foods I do. It's a rarety... We're already planning Denmark reunion events so we can give our friends a little taste of our life here.

2. Oscar Bar Cafe

Oscar is our favorite fancy lunch spot. We stumbled upon it the first week of classes, and I am so glad that we did. Every time I've eaten there, I've had an omlette with spinach and goat cheese. It's too good not to order again. Also, I need to add that it's a gay bar. We didn't realize that when we went the first time...now it explains some of the strange looks we got.

3. The Metro

Riding the metro from Amagerbro Station to Nørreport every morning before school or hitting the town just makes me feel like a real person. That may sound silly, but I just think that it's really nice that we actually get to live on our own in København, and we don't have to live in a DIS commune. I also really appreciate the slight Danish lesson we've received from listening to Metro the voiceover woman saying the names of the stops. I'm pretty sure Kayla and I can at least say those pretty well...

4. My blonde hair

This dye-job was probably one of my better decisions here. Really, it just makes me happy. That's enough of a reason, right?

5. Onions & Mushrooms

Kayla and I decided that the theme to our cooking has been "let's cook anything we can put sauteed mushrooms & onions in". For some reason, these HUGE mushrooms and little baby onions we've found in the markets here just taste SO wonderful with everything.

6. Avocado sandwiches from the bagel shop by DIS

This has been my lunch on several occasions...and I've devoured it every time, I think. Multigrain bagel with cream cheese, avocado, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, arugula, and pesto sauce. I'm probably going to need to figure out a way to recreate this at home...too bad the bagels at home aren't as seedy & delicious as this one.

7. My practicum

It's been such an awesome opportunity to be able to have a practicum as part of my regular course work & studies here in Denmark. It's really awesome to see what goes on here, but also to be appreciated for being with the kids. Tomorrow I'm going to the school for one last time to say goodbye to the kids & pedagogues, especially one of the kids who has become a friend.

8. Cooking in our Kitchen

Kayla and I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the cooking endeavors in our kitchen here. I know I've already mentioned this fact a few times, but I feel a need to reiterate it. Monday we sauteed up onions, mushrooms, blackbeans, artichokes, and sundried tomatoes and served the concoction over wholewheat pasta. It was delicious and beautiful.

9. Blending in

Okay, so this picture doesn't exactly depict me blending in, but it's one of my more "danish" outfits. I'm pretty proud of it, myself. I have this natural desire to blend in wherever I go and it's hit me hard here. There have been several occasions lately where people have asked me questions in Danish (such as for directions, etc.). That's a good sign, right? Now, hopefully my new danish clothing items/style will translate into my NC wardrobe well enough...

10. The charm of this city

København isn't actually that big of a city, but every day I love seeing a new bit of it. I love that people bike everywhere. I love the mustard and red houses. I love that everything is so green. I love all the city squares. Basically I just love it.

cykling

2009-06-23T01:07:00.016+02:00

Holy cow, what a weekend! Bornholm was absolutely beautiful; however, I am completely and utterly exhausted. Sleeping away from my own bed three nights in a row (in three different places, mind you) and cykling, biking, about 110 km can really wear a girl out!

Friday night, the group left a plaza near school at about 9:45 so that we could catch the night ferry from Køge, which is just north of København, to Rønne, which is on the island of Bornholm. Bornholm is actually closer to Poland and Sweden than it is to “mainland” Denmark, and although the territory has been claimed by several different countries over the years it is very much a part of Denmark. Therefore, we took the ferry trip to Bornholm because really that’s the only way to get there. After arriving Saturday morning (bright & early, I might add), we settled into our “hostel” in Gudhjem, which felt much more like a summer camp than a hostel, had breakfast, and went along on our merry little ways. The group I biked with, which included two girls from my psych/child development class and two guys, decided to conquer more distance the first day knowing that we’d be worn out on Sunday. Well, worn out doesn’t quite explain it, and throughout my biking, I often thought about the fact that when real bikers bike that long of a distance, they typically train for the experience. Nonetheless, we survived the 75 (yes, 75) kilometers successfully without too much damage. Getting back on the bike Sunday was not the most pleasant experience (actually, it was an extremely UNpleasant experience), but we made several stops, hung out at a couple beaches, ate some great food, played mini golf, and rode only 35 km. After a long day and a GORGEOUS sunset, we caught the ferry back to København again and arrived with just enough time for me to run home and drop my things off before class.

Here’s a map that I’ve labeled (to the best of my ability) with our routes. As you can hopefully see, we began in Gudhjem both days, and obviously the purple route is from Saturday and the pink route is from Sunday.

My highlights of this trip could probably best be summarized by the thoughts that ran through my head throughout my biking. I was at the back of the group quite often, which I’d like to attribute that to two things: the fact that my allergies were going INSANE and I didn’t bring my Allegra D to Denmark with me and my appreciation for the scenery—since I couldn’t exactly snap pictures while I was biking I had to at least take everything in. Therefore, by being at the back of the crew, I had quite a bit of time to think by myself. The greatest thoughts are as follows:

- 'Holy cow, my butt hurts'

- 'No wonder the Danes settled in the Midwest. This looks (and smells) like Wisconsin/Iowa/Nebrasca'

- ‘Against the wind…We were runnin’ against the wind’ (against being key here)

- ‘Is it ironic that I’m not humming Queen’s Bicycle?’

- Various profanities that should not be mentioned, my knowledge of which can only be attributed to the Eick girls

- ‘If my Colorado boy cousins were here they would be so freaking proud of me right now’

- ‘Mikey would really appreciate my chaco tan right now’

- ‘After this I could bike the greenway at Meredith with no problem’

- ‘Scratch that, I don’t want to get on a bike again for a long time’

- ‘Hmm…this really looks like Wisconsin/Iowa/Nebraska/Colorado’

- ‘Oh, right, that sign is in a different language--I am in a different country’

- ‘No really, my butt hurts’

On that note, here are some pictures. It really was a great trip and I’m glad I did it despite the excruciating pain I am currently experiencing and the pure exhaustion.

Day 1 - Saturday:

At this point, the bike and I were friends.

The rolling hills and plains

Beach #1 - Balka, pretty...but it did not even compare to what we were about to see.

By this point, this bike seat was the bane of my existence. Ouch.

Beach #2 - Dueodde, home of the finest sand in the world. It's used for most hourglasses and you can buy a little bit of it for about $5 in the gift shop!

Day 2 - Sunday:

Wildlife!

We began at that point that you can kiiiind of see all the way in the distance.

Beach #3 - Sandvig, Not a bad beach view, huh? The view was great...the water was FREEZING.

I survived...a little pink, but I survived

The reminder that we are, in fact, in Denmark

We went on a little hike after hanging by the beach. This side of the path looked like Chautauqua in Boulder, CO.

Then this side...not so much. How gorgeous is the Baltic, though?

Gudhjem at the harbor by night

We finished the weekend off right--with the Summer Solstice Sunset at about 10:05 pm.

smil

2009-06-19T17:03:00.003+02:00

I just wanted to take a quick break in my day for a smil, smile, break. I promised pictures of the kids from my practicum site forever ago, and i finally got a chance to get some when I went back to visit this week. It was gorgeous outside, so Susan, Mikkel, and I took the three kids who were at school that day to the park.

The break in my day is related to the fact that I'm going on my biking trip to Bornholm this weekend! I'm pretty excited...I'm not entirely prepared, but I'm definitely looking forward to what this weekend has in store for me, despite the fact that my booty is absolutely certain to hurt by the end of the weekend. The weather's looking pretty nice, so there will without a doubt be beautiful pictures taken while I am there! We're ferrying overnight tonight, staying in a hostel Saturday night, and ferrying back overnight on Sunday night. I'll arrive back in København just in time for me to run back home to drop my things off and grab a super fast shower. It should be great, though.

Anyway...more on that Monday, for sure. Here are the beautiful children who will hopefully bring a smile to your face as they have mine. I also need to mention that this photo-op really made me grateful that my dad has allowed me to borrow his Nikon D40x for my trip; however, it's going to be a bit of a fight for me to give it back. Maybe while I'm recouperating on cash after the trip I'll work on saving up to finally buy my own.

Okay, so this isn't a kid...but we drove around past the airport after going to the park. Ot was SUCH a beautiful day, though, that I couldn't resist sharing that, too.

Familien

2009-06-18T12:46:00.006+02:00

The day finally came that I had been waiting for since the middle of April, when I made connections with some relatives in the US who had the connections with the Danish relatives. It's really hard to believe that the people who hosted Kayla and me last night are actually related to me, too.

I've been trying to figure out how exactly John and I are related, and I think that with the help of my Leah, my grandmother's first cousin, and Wikipedia I have figured out the relationship.

John Hansen and I share a great-great-great-grandfather, Hans. If I have the story correct, Hans Petersen brought his family to the US from Denmark, but one of those siblings decided to return to Denmark. I of course descend from one of the siblings who stayed (Anton), and John from the one who returned (Hanne). So, thanks to that chart and my own ability to logic these things out, I can say that John Hansen and I are third cousins, once removed (because he is my Dad's age--so that makes him my Dad's ). Now that I've figured that out, I can definitely say that we are familien, family.

Anyway, John picked Kayla and me up from a Lyngby station in København and drove us to their home in Jyllinge, which is about a 45 minute trip and is in the center of Sjælland, the island where København is located. Danes really enjoy their meals and the time spent eating because they see it as quality time that is spent with one another, and we certainly had a great taste of this at dinner last night. It was wonderful to enjoy such outstanding food and time with some newly discovered family members. Kayla and I were so appreciative of the Hansens and their willingness to serve such an excellent (and Danish) meal to two complete strangers! As per my mother's request, I'll give you a little detail on dinner. We started with a potato soup, then had poppyseed encrusted salmon with boiled potatoes (with a buttersauce for the first two) and fresh salad, and finished with dessert--a chilled rhubarb soup with vanilla ice cream on the top. YUM! I think the poppyseed encrusted salmon is something Dad's going to have to try later this summer.

We finished the night very full and giddy on wine, but very satisfied! Before leaving I requested a picture with John & Jenny, simply to show the family back home that this really happened. I'm the first person in my branch of the family tree to make a trip to Denmark and meet some family from the Old Country, so this is a pretty neat experience. Of course they said that I'm always welcome, so perhaps there will be another trip to Denmark in the future. I can certainly see that happening...

Kastellet

2009-06-16T23:34:00.006+02:00

Well, I'm officially a fan of only having class on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. We had our first day off today, and it was SO nice to just be able to explore København for the day and not have to worry about going to class. Kayla & I slept in today and took our time getting ready, which was kind of nice. We also forgot some of the things we needed for our mornign errands, so the morning didn't go quite as hectically as planned--it was nice!

After wandering and a bit of shopping, we grabbed lunch and then met up with a few girls from our class to go to the Kastellet, the Citadel, which is on the northern end of København. Historically, the Kastellet was built in the 17th century as an entrenchment to protect the city. It is still owned by the defense ministry, but is not quite as associated with the military these days. It's a beautiful area and we really enjoyed walking around. The blueprint of the Kastellet shows that it is designed in a star shape, but you can't really tell that when you're walking around. Also in this area is the statue of The Little Mermaid. This fairytale was written by Hans Christian Andersen, who is the pride and joy of Denmark. The statue really isn't anything special, but it's definitely a tourist attraction in København and something we all wanted to see--so now we have!

After visiting the Kastellet we walked back into town by way of the palace and stopped at Nyhavn to get some ice cream. Then Kayla and I explored Amager, where we live, a bit before settling in for the evening. It was so nice to have a relaxing day and to be able to really enjoy being in and walking around København.

Our metro stop--I've really fallen in love with Public Transportation

People watching at the square by DIS.

At the Kastellet, Citadel. Although it's a fortress/military base, it's not quite like the ones in the US.

Who knew? Marie, Prinsesse af Danmark!

The Little Mermaid

Entrance to one of the palace buildings

Denmark is a country of happy people--they even dress the Kastillet and the palace in hearts :)

Tomorrow evening we're heading out to Jyllinge to meet the relatives! I'm really excited. It's kind of strange to think about the fact that our ancestors were siblings, but it'll be very cool to meet some new family members!

Lækre!

2009-06-15T21:04:00.008+02:00

So my favorite thing about living at our apartment in Amager is our cute little kitchen. It's a pretty tight squeeze, but we've fixed some delicious meals already...lots of fresh veggies with pasta, chicken, tacos...and everything has been awesome. Denmark is known for many of its food choices--the most obvious one probably being its pastries, which are referred to as Weinerbrød here. Yes, they are delicious, but many other things are delicious here as well. I've been trying not to treat myself to pastries TOO often. On our trips & study tours we've been exposed to some excellent danish cuisine, including lots of fish--particularly Salmon and Herring (yes mom & dad, I've eaten the herring, too)--breads out the wazoo, liverpaste--which is a liver pâté, and I've tried it and may possibly eat it another time except for the fact that I avoid red meat--and many super fresh vegetables! Denmark is also well known for its dairy products including cheese and butter...it's no surprise that Denmark, Wisconsin (where my Danish relatives are from) continues to be a dairy farming town! A favorite breakfast choice in Denmark is an openfaced sandwich with freshly baked bread, fresh cheese, and a few veggies on top such as radishes or peppers.

Anyway, I've tried lots of Danish cuisine, but we haven't exactly tried fixing any yet...that may be a battle for when I return home...

Tonight Kayla and I battled an American favorite with a little Danish twist. I try to eat vegetarian as much as possible, and Kayla eats vegetarian quite often, too, so we made Black Bean Burgers. They were super lækre, tasty! Kayla made the burgers with black beans, bread crumbs, and some salt, pepper, and garlic powder. We fixed them up with some sauteed mushrooms & onions, swiss cheese, and I put some tomatoes on mine. The Danish twist was the fresh rolls we bought at the Bakery down the street. They were absolutely delicious, despite the fact that I don't know exactly what kind of rolls they were. Yum!

We finished our very healthy dinner with a little treat from our bakery...

Cookie, Chocolate Icing, Strawberry Cream Filling, and Strawberries.

At some point I'll try to take some pictures of my Danish food before I devour it...but for now, this will have to do!

Tomorrow we're heading to the Kastallet, which is a Fortress on the northern shore of København. My friend Tory got some awesome pictures there on Sunday, and tomorrow is supposed to be pretty, too, so we're excited! Check back for some great pictures and other news...there are lots of fun things coming in the near future!

Ven!

2009-06-14T17:12:00.011+02:00

It's hard to believe that today marks 3 weeks since I have been living here in København. Kayla and I keep talking about how we only have 2 weeks really to spend in the city now before we go to Croatia, and we really can't imagine how fast the rest of this trip is going to go. So, with that in mind, we're really trying to savor the time we have left for this trip.

Yesterday morning, we sent off the three girls we'd spent the most time with on this trip--Brittany & Allyson, who were from Meredith, too, and Sarah from Whittier College outside of LA. I still don't think it has sunk in that they're gone and we're not going to see them for class tomorrow. Speaking of class tomorrow, we begin our new class, Cross-Cultural Psych, first thing in the morning. I'm trying not to anticipate too much about it because I don't want to have any predispositions, but I think it will just be a much different experience than what I had in my Children with Special Needs course. However, it's a psychology class so I'm sure I'll love it anyway.

This weekend has been really fun for me. I found out a couple weeks ago that my ven, friend,Tory, who is a good friend of mine from High School, was traveling the Nordic region for the past month. He just happened to be flying out of København, so it was the perfect chance for us to meet up! His train from Göteborg, Sweden came in just before noon, so I met him there, helped him get settled into his Hostel, and then we explored the city for the day. This past week it had rained every day--and Friday was an absolute monsoon--but we lucked out and had an absolutely gorgeous day Yesterday to walk around and see the sites in København. Tory even admitted that, weather included, København was the most beautiful city of all the ones he'd seen in Scandinavia. (Marie's choice for study abroad, for the win!) So, after a long day of walking around, seeing lots of sites--some popular, and other not-so-popular ones--we found a grocery store and Tory fixed an awesome dinner for Kayla and me. It was such a nice day for all of us to catch up, talk about Scandinavia and life, and have some awesome food. We met up with Tory again today to have lunch since John & Jenny had to cancel our plans for today (but don't worry--we're meeting them sometime later this week). After lunch, we said our goodbyes, and Kayla and I wandered a little more before deciding we were exhausted and to just head back to our apartment to do the nearly 100 pages of reading we need for class tomorrow. We both settled on a nap instead, but we're about to get on that in just a bit!

Here are some of my pictures from yesterday's day of exploration!

Bike rules at Nyhavn...rules of the road are pretty important here!

Beautiful ship in Nyhavn

Ship on the harbor--the Royal Opera House is in the background

View of the Palace

Palace! Someone's home...

Frederik V's equestrian statue, which is in the center of the palace grounds

Frederik's Church--right behind the palace

One of the many city squares and equestrian statues in København

Some of the gardens behind the Parliament building

Fish in the fountain!

The view from Tory's 13th floor hostel room. I rode that rollercoaster (in Tivoli), which you can see winding behind the buildings!

Tory & I were both so attached to our own cameras yesterday that we forgot to take a picture together, so Kayla took care of that today! Coincidentally we matched almost perfectly...precious, huh?

Snoezelhuset

2009-06-12T00:38:00.011+02:00

Wow...it has been quite a week! With my "Children with Special Needs" course coming to a close, my love for adventuring and living the Danish life has come to bite me in the butt because I've been writing lots and lots of short papers this week (apparently the procrastination bug still bites in København). For the class, we had 8 short, 3-5 page papers. In all, it added up to 32 pages of writing! That's a lot for three weeks, and I still have one to finish, but I'm going to do that in the morning when I'm fresh...I mean, it's not due til 5pm tomorrow anyway!

So, here's a recap of the week since I became a blonde...

This is for Brittany: Monday, after the hair dying adventure, we had DIVINE tacos with nearly every topping imaginable for dinner. This was my first one:

Tuesday our class did some field study time, and we visited a Snoezelhuset (pronounced snoozlehoose), which is best described as a facility that provides a multi-sensory environment. Snoezelhusets provide a space for sensory integration and stimulation to individuals who have deficits or excesss in sensory stimulation. This particular Snoezelhuset has four rooms, each of which is meant to provide different types of sensory stimulation to its users. Marian, the Occupational Therapist (OT) who works at the Snoezelhuset, was clear in stating to our class that this facility is not Tivoli (an amusement park in København). Rather, it is an environment where they identify a problem for an individual and determine how they can provide the necessary sensory input. The idea of Snoezelhusets began in Amsterdam in the 1970s, which to me is no surprise with all the trippy & psychedelic features that are included in these rooms. After we heard about the facilities, we got to try out all four of the spaces and imagine what it would be like to have sensory integration issues that could hopefully be supported by the Snoezelhuset. It was very cool, and nothing like anything I had seen or experienced before. At the Meredith Autism Program we have had a couple girls who are pre-OT do basic studies, most notably involving a platform swing, but this facility was a complete extreme compared to that swing! Very cool!

Here are a couple pictures I shot at the Snoezelhuset. They really do not do the facilty justice, particularly since you can only use one sense to experience these rooms; however, they'll help to give you a bit of an idea.

The red room: This mattress has speakers in it, and this room had a very harsh, highly stimulating feeling, so the bass really made the bed vibrate! Very cool.

This is a giant waterbed which has speakers beneath the water. Therefore, vibrations from the music come through the bed, giving sensory input of both the vibrations and the water movement!

We got to test out the bed & relax a little! Sarah's on top of a huge mattress, used to give additional pressure to whoever is using the room.

The Ball Bath

The black room: When we were in here the overhead lights were off and only a black light was on. Everything glowed, so it was pretty cool!

After the visit to the Snoezelhuset, we were planning on going to Tivoli (ironic, huh?), but things didn't quite go as planned so we had lunch, did a bit of shopping (it's dangerous here, by the way), and decided that it was better that we weren't at Tivoli because it was POURING. So, Kayla and I headed back to our apartment and we both did a little work and took some nice naps in the gloomy afternoon. That night we fixed another DIVINE dinner and finished up some work before hitting the hay.

Inside City Hall, loving my Danish heritage!

Doesn't this look like great napping weather?

Dinner: Chicken breast on a bed of sauteed spinach topped with melted swiss and sauteed onions and mushrooms. YUM!

Wednesday most of us had our last days at our practicum sites. Because I was short on hours, I had to go back today, but I'm planning on going back before the next two weeks are up, mostly because I really love the place! After our days at our sites, (and after I walked back to DIS in a torrential rain storm with no hood...and got ghetto and dried my hair under a hand-dryer), we met up to go to Tivoli! Tivoli is one of the oldest amusement and entertainment parks in the world, and it is also home to the world's first rollercoaster--which we all rode!

Hey Tivoli, Hey!

Dinner was delicious...and we American girls got some Hidden Valley for our French Fries. Yum!

We got to ride the world's first Rutschebanen, Rollercoaster!

All 5 of us waiting at the "Rutschebanen"

The Meredith Girls

Looking regal in my flying shark!

Beautiful Tivoli

Downtown København by night.

So, tomorrow is the last day of class, which is very sad. I've really loved both my professors and the subject material. The danish school practices and ideals are absolutely fascinating to me, and it is definitely a subject I want to look into more in the future! Monday I begin my cross-cultural psychology class, which I'm also looking forward to, but I think it'll be very different from the hands-on learning I've been doing thus far.

Anyway, this weekend should be fun...except for the fact that Sarah, Allyson, and Brittany are heading back to the States...because my friend Tory from high school will be in København, so I'm going to spend the day wandering with him on Saturday. Then Sunday I'm going to meet John & Jenny, my relatives who live in Jyllinge, Denmark!

It's crazy that three weeks has nearly gone by, but I'm so happy that I chose to come here, and I'm definitely looking forward to more wonderful times!

Selv!

2009-06-08T18:07:00.009+02:00

When you're in København, you should do as the Danes do, right???

Well...I've had selv, blonde, envy since the day I got here. I had blonde hair when I when I was younger and it's gradually gotten darker, despite the fact that I still genuinely believe that I'm a blonde. Well...I'm back at it: trying to blend in on the Denmark scene and to be a Dane!

Major thanks to B. Phelps for the photo shoot :)

I mean, I do have Danish roots after all...

elsker

2009-06-06T17:06:00.021+02:00

Well, I must say that the study tour was a great success. I absolutely fell in elsker, love, with Denmark on this trip. Get ready...this is a long blog post, but our adventures were outstanding, and I was certain to include lots of pictures to keep it from being boring! Check it all out :)

Our first stop was to Marjatta, an institution/community/society for children and adults with disabilities, located in Tappernøje. This school is based on Steiner methodology, which insists that learning is not a static activity. Learning at this school is based on nurturing and learning through the heart, body, and mind. Children here are taught music, art, and basic subjects...and all teachers are required to work with these areas, too. They are taught that no one is perfect at any of these things, so they must all practice to do the best that they can. The methodology is really interesting, and the school was absolutely beautiful. We felt like we were in a bit of a wonderland!

The teachers' room

One of the classrooms

Look at the care and thought that went into teaching this class!

Some of the children's artwork in one of the classrooms

The music room.

A mural of Marjatta. The school was named for Marjatta, a finnish goddess, whose son from a virgin birth was born with a disability. In the story, she buried her son and then dug him up from the earth as a "rebirth". The school's philosophy is that the parents must grieve because their child is not who they thought he or she would be, but that the Marjatta school provides a place for rebirth, which will enrich the child's life.

Most of the children enrolled in the Marjatta school live in the school's facilities. This is the kitchen in one of the living quarters for the children at Odense. Not too shabby, huh?

Everything there was absolutely magical! There were lots of colorful toys, ready for the children to use!

Yep, we were in Denmark!

Leaving Marjatta. What a beautiful piece of the world!

After leaving Marjatta, we headed straight for Odense. The first stop was to our Hostel, which we settled into Wednesday evening before going to dinner with our class. We were quite happily surprised by how nice this hostel was! The bathrooms were even nicer than ours at the apartment. We really couldn't complain--especially because breakfast featured Warm, freshly baked bread, lots of cheese, jams, and fresh veggies, and a cappuccino machine. These are all staples to the Danish breakfast. YUM!

Lovely Kayla lounging in our Hostel Room--Since we had a group of 5 (the 4 Meredith girls and Sarah, our friend from Whittier, CA), we had one of the largest rooms in the Hostel.

We began Thursday morning with the amazing breakfast and then really with visits to schools for children with special needs. I didn't know when I signed up that my school was a center for children with autism! This school actually based its approach off of the TEACCH methodology, which was developed at UNC Chapel Hill. It was cool to see some of the work they did with the kids...and another location that used PECS/boardmaker!

The children each had their own desks (some had their own separate rooms) which were set up to best suit their learning needs. This child is easily distracted, so his desk faces the wall.

The PECS weekly schedule

Our next visit was to the Odense Kulturhus, which is a club/community center for youth and adults with disabilities. It provides opportunities, which would probably not be offered otherwise, for adults with disabilities to establish careers. Some are musicians, others are artists, and others do weaving and fabric work. It's pretty outstanding what these people can do.

Inside the music studio

The art studio. Check out all these supplies!!!

We got to see one of the artists at work!

The textiles/weaving studio

Some of the fabric pieces that were for sale. There happened to be a set of placemats that were some of my favorite colors. I'm excited to use them in my new apartment!

Our next, and probably most amazing part, of the study tour was our experience at Fyrtøjet, also known as The Tinderbox, which is a children's cultural center. The Tinderbox, which is named for one of Hans Christian Andersen's most beloved fairytales, is an interactive center where children are invited to live the fairytales of Hans Christian Andersen. Well, since we are studying child development as well as the importance of play in danish schools and culture, we had the opportunity to dress up and play, too!

part of the set in the theatre

playing dress up and getting my face painted

Kayla, my roomie in denmark, and me showing off our beloved (not costume) Meredith College jewels!

our crew in for a group pic!

after dressing up, we did some artwork!

my AMAZING finished product...

Since Odense is so proud to be the home of Hans Christian Andersen, they of course have a museum to honor him. We got the chance to check it out after our fun time playing at The Tinderbox...it may have been a bit of a let-down after our super fun time playing dress-up, but we still got to learn a bit.

some ugly ducklings in the HCA museum

We concluded the night with some fun times at a local bar. We were clearly a hit there, because some of the bar regulars were chanting "U-S-A, U-S-A" and saluting us!

The locals are very proud of their odense beer...as they should be!

Friday included more fun & cultural experiences, including a stop at Egeskov Castle in Kværndrup, Denmark. This castle is the home of Count Michael, his wife, and his young son. The castle has been in the family for 9 generations! It is absolutely stunning, as you can see here.

The castle is surrounded by a moat and has a drawbridge that connects it to the beautiful castle grounds and oak forests. How very castle-y, huh?

A quick peek from inside the castle

The castle had an amazing outdoor area on the grounds, which included a treetop walking experience. We climbed up the rickety metal stairs, then walked on the rope bridges among the trees!

Meredith girls essentially walking the plank--I'm pictured here with Kayla & Allyson

We finished the trip with a boat ride before leaving the island of Fyn

All in all, this study tour was a great success, and it is certainly something I will not forget about my time in Denmark. I've absolutely elsket, loved, København, but it was great to get out of the city and to explore more of this amazing world!

Velbekomme!

2009-06-02T21:51:00.010+02:00

So I just fixed a delicious dinner and I got a little dorky and took some pictures. Cooking in this kitchen is a little interesting because it's technically a kitchenette. We have two cooktops, a sink, a mini-fridge, and a toaster oven. Nonetheless we've fixed some really delicious dinners! Everything is super fresh here, which just seems to make everything taste so much better!

Tonight was:

Blackbeans, chopped spinach, diced tomatoes, asparagus, and diced onion, which I sauteed with just a little olive oil on the cooktop. All this was served on top of some penne pasta. yum!

Cooking!

Utensils--we make do with what we have!

YUM! I'm a big fan of veggies.

Our little counter with the CLEAN dishes. We don't quite trust everything in the cabinet...

Little sink

Velbekomme! Bon Appetit!

Rejser

2009-06-02T14:39:00.006+02:00

We're hittin' the road! I just figured I'd check in before we leave for our study tour tomorrow. I won't have my computer with me for a few days (EEEK!) so I'll be out of touch with the world.

We (being my Child Development class) are rejser, traveling, to several places throughout Denmark to continue learning about Danish culture, schools, and children! Being the type A personality that I am, I would have loved to receive my itinerary for the trip about two months ago (or at least last week when we arrived), but of course we got our first glance at the itinerary this morning in class! When in Denmark we must do as the Danes do, I suppose, and be relaxed & spontaneous. So, I still don't have a great grasp as to what we're going to be doing because our professor dashed through the itinerary explanation quite quickly, but basically...we're going to a couple schools, lots of cultural sites including a castle and the Hans Christian Andersen museum, doing some stuff outdoors, and hopefully eating a lot of great food! We'll be traveling by bus on København's island, Sjælland and then heading to the island of Fyn where we'll stay at a hostel in Odense. The only real bummer I'm seeing thus far is that the beautiful 70-degree weather we've had for the past week is peacing out tonight, and the next three days are supposed to be rainy and in the mid-fifties. Oh well, we will bundle & prevail!

Anyway, we're leaving at 9:00 tomorrow morning and will return around 6:30 Friday night, so be ready for lots of updates & pictures!

SJOVT!

2009-06-01T21:22:00.010+02:00

Yesterday was such a sjovt, fun, day! We had quite an excellent time exploring legoland and pretending we were children again.

The day was full of fun, but the most interesting/fun/exciting moment had to be on the log flume. Well...Kayla, Brittany, Allyson, and I (the four MC girls in the Child Development class) decided that this looked like a great first ride! It was really cool because it was a lot like Splash Mountain at Disney World with the natural surroundings and the view of many parts of legoland, except that all the scenery and animals were made of Legos. Anyway, things were going quite gingerly until suddenly we realized that the boat in front of us didn't make it up one of the ramps. So, we bumped into that boat. Then about 30 seconds later, another boat met up with us and bumped from behind. Well, finally, when about 6 or 7 boats had piled up, the Legoland workers finally realized that there were some boats missing. Now, we have to keep in mind here that the Danes are extremely laid back people, and the workers were kind of escorting us onto boats and rides, but a lot of it was just us guiding ourselves. There were empty seats all over the place, but no one seemed to mind. Talk about a bit of difference from the states! So anyway, we heard someone come over the speakers and brittany picked out their saying "technical problems" in danish. So this little, blonde, twenty-something worker comes up to where we are on the ride and tries pushing us back into alignment. In the meantime everyone is giggling and jabbering on in Danish, while we up-tight American girls are freaking out, as you can imagine. Nonetheless, with the help of a few more adult male workers, everything was going again. We made it down to the bottom successfully and moved on to the next ride. It was pretty fun, and certainly cultural, experience! Our faces in the picture at the end were pretty priceless considering all the turmoil we had just undergone.

So the rest of the day was full of fun and laughs! Here are some fun lego-pictures :)

The 6 Meredith Girls at Legoland

Kayla & Me at Lunch

Brittany & Kayla

The Harbor--Lego Style!

The Danish lego representation of the Southwest!

Castle Scene

The hawk's nest pirate ride (like the teacups at disney).

We decided it was a really relaxing ride...then we decided that our lives must be far too insane.

My new lego boyfriend

The giant, and beautiful, elephant--made of legos!

Bjergbestigning!

2009-05-30T21:59:00.011+02:00

So bjergbestigning, climbing, was pretty much amazing today. We were in Kullen, Sweden which is technically part of the Östra Kullabergs Naturreservat. It's on a small peninsula near Skälderviken, which is some body of water I can't identify in English, but from the best of my knowledge it is a bay. We drove up the coast from København to Helsingør and took a ferry to Helsingborg in Sweden. The whole trip only took about 2 hours tops. Here's a little google map version of where I was so you can get a better idea. You can use the arrows/zoom function to get a better idea!

It didn't really feel like Sweden because we weren't interacting with the Swedes (and we didn't get stamps on our passports), but at least I can still say I've done something that most people haven't--rock climbed in Sweden! This area was absolutely gorgeous. I did several climbs, and have a few pictures to prove it. But mostly I enjoyed the scenery of this not-so-known part of the world. Here are a few pictures for YOU!

The beautiful town outside the nature reserve on the way up to where we climbed

More water with the sun reflecting

How gorgeous is this water?

The beach

There were all kinds of boats out today!

Gorgeous wildflowers were sprouting all over the place

Our climbing area

Me getting pumped. You know, the usual...

Climbing!

Yay! I made it!

Tomorrow we're heading to Legoland in Billund, Denmark, so there is lots of fun to be had there!

Dygtige!

2009-05-29T20:06:00.006+02:00

Hej! Sorry I haven't updated in a couple days...this whole traveling across the city thing can get a little exhausting. Especially when the road signs are a little discrete and getting lost is extremely easy to do. But anyway, I basically love my practicum site. I have been working with some pretty amazing people and kids for the past three days. I'm definitely going to take some pictures when I go back, the only problem is that isn't for another week and a half. Anyway, here's a not-so-quick bit of info about my practicum site.

I'm working with two pedagogues named Susan and Mikhel. They are outstanding. In the danish education system, two types of people are in charge of the care and education of the children--teachers and pedagogues. From the best of my understanding (and since there's no wikipedia definition (!?!?!?), I'll have to explain it), teachers are mostly responsible for the academic end of things whereas pedagogues are responsible for more of the whole wellbeing of the child. In the case of my program--which is an afterschool program where there are no teachers, only pedagogues--the pedagogues are primarily responsible for providing the children with situations that will enrich their social and self-help skills. It's really interesting, but very complicated. I don't quite understand the whole gist of things despite my spending 10 hours in this program over the span of this week. In a way these two people serve as counselors for the children, working with both the students and the parents, but additionally they are rehabilitation technicians, teaching them life skills. Fortunately, Susan is british (although she has been in Denmark for 18 years), so the two of us can carry on quite well in English! It's very helpful because she is always very careful to tune me in to everything that is going on.

So anyway...Susan and Mikhel are awesome. The kids are pretty great, too. I'm pretty sure that all of them have an autism diagnosis, technically, but only one seems to ONLY have autism. This one particular child is 18 and he's really funny. He definitely only has the mental capacity of an 8 or 9 year old, but he certainly has the 18 year old body. It's pretty cool watching him because I can see his mind working. I can also see his lack of social skills and strange behaviors that are key to an autism diagnosis. I also can tell that his speech is a little off, despite my major language barrier. Although this new friend of mine has autism, we've bonded. Today we had some discourse--mostly he was speaking to me in Danish and I was nodding and saying ja and dygtige, very clever. Nonetheless we've shared several laughs and lots of thumbs-up and high-5s. Yesterday, though, he told Susan that he trusts me and knows that I want what is best for him. That's huge! Susan thinks that is says a lot about me because he often has a very difficult time with strangers.

While this afterschool program is QUITE different from the type of work I've done with children with autism, there are a few similarities. The children have several tasks (mostly social or motor-skills oriented) that they must accomplish--perhaps not every day, but at least one a week. Also, the morning teachers and afternoon pedagogues fill out little summaries of the day in a log book. The best similarity I've seen thus far, though, is that in this Danish school, all the kids use PECS. PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) is a communication system that we use with a couple of our kids in the Meredith Autism Program. It involves the children having little image-cards that serve as choices for activities or food, and the child hands his or her choice to whomever is working with him or her as a means of communication. The images are all the same for the Danish PECS cards, but the label at the bottom is, of course, written in Danish. It was neat to have a little piece of home at this school! I'm really loving being there, and I'm going to try to work out my schedule so that I can go back and put in some extra hours even once I am finished with my Child Development class. It looks like my Psych class only meets Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings, so that should give me a pretty ample amount of time to share at the Fritidshjemmet.

Anyway, that's probably enough of an information overload for one day, so I'll finish up. Tomorrow I'm heading to Kullen, Sweden (which I can't quite locate on a map) to do some rockclimbing and Sunday I'm going to Legoland for some fun times, so definitely be on the lookout for lots of fun pictures!

Hej Hej!

Undskyld

2009-05-26T17:53:00.009+02:00

Hej fra København! Hi from Copenhagen! Undskyld, excuse me, for not actually posting since I've been here! Our last two days have been absolutely PACKED with orientation activities, so today we finally have had a moment to breathe. It's been very nice. I don't want to bore anyone with TOO many details, so here are some highlights:

Sunday & Monday were both filled with crazy amounts of orientation activities. In those two days we had orientation, moved into our Apartment (details on that to follow...), ate our first not danish meal at McDonalds (thank you, Copenhagen, for shutting down the city on Sundays), had an opening ceremony in the planetarium and a program orientation, took a crash course in Danish, ran around the entire city (somewhat aimlessly), and had a party at school--beer included! Those are just the small details...

Today we had our first class (Children with Special Needs: Danish Theory & Practice), which proved to be very exciting. I can already tell that I'm going to really enjoy everything we do--even the reading and papers. We have two professors: Anne Lise (pronounced Anna Lisa), who is Danish, and Judy, who is from Cornell (ever heard of it?). In Denmark, all teachers are recognized by their first names, regardless of their educational accomplisments! This whole country seems to be very casual, friendly, and class-less. The dynamic of the two teachers is really, really interesting, so I'm very anxious to see how that works out through the three weeks. Anne Lise is Danish, but she was born in NY and lived there until she is 16, so her English accent is almost perfectly American. I can tell that she is a pretty spectacular woman, which is associated by the fact that she has an uncanny resemblance to my Aunt Nancy (who is also a spectacular woman, if you don't know her). Her tone, voice, behaviors, and blue eyes are exactly like Nance. I wish the two could meet.

The other main highlight is that I received my practicum assignment today. I am going to be working in an afterschool program for children ages 6 and up at Fritidshjemmet v/ Strandparkskolen (I can't even imagine saying that 1 time fast, and yes...those are real words). This afterschool program is for children with ADHD, children within the Autism spectrum, and children with other physical/mental handicaps. We were assigned to our practicum centers based on a survey application that we'd filled out at home, and were told that there would be a rare chance that we'd be able to work with children with Autism, so I was certain to emphasize my experience in order to increase my chances. I'm super excited to visit the center tomorrow! We'll be doing about 20 hours there over the three weeks of the class.

So those are some highlights, but aside from that, I'm pretty much settled, and really happy here. I'm definitely in the right place for study abroad, and I couldn't be happier to have made the choice to study here.

Here are a few pictures, too, and I promise there is much more of everything to come! Thanks for reading :)

The Copenhagen Airport

Allyson (another girl from MC) and me on our Scavenger Hunt through Copenhagen

Next to the harbor--I actually got to see it for myself!

Jeg Er Her!

2009-05-24T13:47:00.004+02:00

At last, Jeg er her, I'm here!

Currently we're wasting time in the DIS computer lounge because we have to wait another 3ish hours before we can even get our luggage to go to our apartment. I got about 1.5 hours of sleep on the plane, which is not even close to enough. It's finally beginning to kick in that I've been awake essentially for 25 hours so far. But I'm here. I'm happy. I can tell it's going to be quite a bit different from classes & student life at Meredith (namely the fact that there are guys around...who at this point have mostly reinforced my pleasure in attending an all women's institution). However, different is going to be good, I believe.

Anyway, more fun things will come soon. But I just wanted to make sure everyone knew I was here safe and sound! Thanks for reading :)

i morgen

2009-05-22T20:01:00.001+02:00

I leave tomorrow, i morgen! It's hard to believe that I can actually say those words now. I was at the gym earlier with my mom and I told one of the trainers there that I'm leaving tomorrow--and then I gasped for a second and said, "yes, I leave tomorrow". Wow! I've been planning this trip essentially since December...and, well, time flies!

Anyway, the packing is coming slowly but surely, and I am highly anticipating the flight tomorrow--and the 9:25 am arrival in Copenhagen (by the way, that's 3:25 NC time. Yikes!) I really am getting excited, though, especially because I want to see what København is actually going to be like.

Well...I need to get on with my packing, so farvel for now. I'll be certain to post as soon as possible when I arrive and am settled!

Velkommen!

2009-05-12T04:52:00.000+02:00

Velkommen! Welcome to my blog! As a true child of the online technology age, I decided that this was by far the best way for me to update you, my friends & family, on my excursions and whereabouts while I am studying abroad this summer. For those of you who do not know, I'll be studying Child Development & Psychology during my time in Copenhagen--and I could not be more thrilled to be learning more about these subjects (really, I'm a huge nerd...you'll see that more as you read more)! Better yet, I'll be living in a new culture and negotiating my way through life in this VERY foreign country whose language I do not know. Nonetheless I'm thrilled to have the privilege to spend this time abroad studying and learning.

It's hard to believe that in less than two weeks, I'll already be in Denmark! Hopefully this blog will give you some insight into my life in denmark--don't worry, I won't just share the nerdy parts, and hopefully I'll share LOTS of pictures!

Here's a bit of my itinerary:

May 23 - depart from RDU

May 24 - arrive in Copenhagen

May 25 - begin child development class

May 30 - rock climbing in Sweden

May 31 - Legoland in Billund, DK

June 13 - begin psychology class

June 20 - overnight bike trip to Bornholm, DK

June 28 - depart for Croatia, 5-day study tour

July 3 - return home to RDU

Thanks for reading, thanks for your support, and please comment! I want to stay in touch as much as possible. Aside from the blog, you can get in touch with me on Skype (marie.lahaye.88) or by emailing me at mclahaye@gmail.com.

Farvel!