I know I haven't posted in a while, and I'm sorry. But my days here have been super good. The other day I went to the local swimming hall with Kristine. It was really fun, while also being a great work out. I did laps, played in the warmer area, then hit the saunas. It was really relaxing to be able to bike over and swim for the first time since last summer.
It's also been really warm here, Monday was the first time its been above freezing while I've been here. It was perfect not having to thaw my cheeks out when I got to school. More people now are wearing tights with dresses and skirts, but always a knit sweater over. Its really cool to see the fashion people pick out and how its similar or different to the way people dress back home.
Today I went to the post office and sent off some of my postcards. I will be making a bunch more to send out, I found out, it's very expensive to send just postcards.
I have heard from some people that I may be getting some letter sent here, and I am so excited.
I have a busy weekend ahead of me, so I'd better get back to my homework.
P.S. I'm getting fairly good at reading Danish, and can get through a paragraph with only a little bit of Google translate's help. I'll talk to you again Sunday, I'm going on a YFU weekend trip tomorrow.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Family Visit
I went to visit my Mormor* today and my Aunt Gitte. I took the train out to Virum and met up with Gitte and the station. We walked from the station to my Mormor's house and on the way we stopped at the grocery store to get food for lunch and pastries for after.
The walk was long and cold, but very peaceful and full of conversation. It great to be able to catch up with Gitte and say hi to Mormor. It was the best feeling to walk into her house and remember all the times I've had there.
Lunch was good and then we talked over tea and muffins. I told them all about Conserve School, and they told be about their travels and Gitte's new grandchild.
*Mormor translates to mom's mom, or grandmother.
This is me with my Mormor in her living room
The walk was long and cold, but very peaceful and full of conversation. It great to be able to catch up with Gitte and say hi to Mormor. It was the best feeling to walk into her house and remember all the times I've had there.
Lunch was good and then we talked over tea and muffins. I told them all about Conserve School, and they told be about their travels and Gitte's new grandchild.
*Mormor translates to mom's mom, or grandmother.
This is me with my Mormor in her living room
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Second Week of School
The second week of school, is going great. I had a a class outside of Copenhagen yesterday, with two of my exchange student friends. Its a class to learn Danish grammer. The teacher was a super nice old lady, who spoke English with a British accent.
We took the train out, and I got to have my first Danish hotdog since I've been here. There are always the best, and come in french bread. They are called French style hotdogs.
After the class we took the train home, and I didn't have school till 10am this morning so I got to sleep in.
It was a great start to my second week.
We took the train out, and I got to have my first Danish hotdog since I've been here. There are always the best, and come in french bread. They are called French style hotdogs.
After the class we took the train home, and I didn't have school till 10am this morning so I got to sleep in.
It was a great start to my second week.
Sunday, January 20, 2013
BagHuset
I went to a concert house last night with two of friends exchange student friends. I took the train to the concert and met up with them at the station at 8. The concert was in this old building behind a church. The name, BagHuset, means back or behind house, so its the house behind. It was really cool, so we found people we knew and sat at one of the tables. Next to us were more girls from my class and some of their friends.
The first band I thought was pretty good. Someone told me that some of them were students from other music classes at our school or were before and had graduated. By the second band, there were people dancing to the music, and a wall of swaying blocking our view.
We started dancing half way through the second band and all the way till just before midnight.
I was supposed to catch the train that left at 12:01, but I didn't know the way to the station, so I missed my first train and caught the next one with my friends after we said bye to everyone.
Do you know those classic scenes from movies where the two guys are singing at the top of their lungs, skipping down the street? Well that was my friends last night, singing Bohemian Rhapsody. Luckily we were in a shopping area, so no one lived there that we knew of. I helped them out with the words and we sang to the bus station.
Pictures of the bands below. Pictures taken by Line.
The first band I thought was pretty good. Someone told me that some of them were students from other music classes at our school or were before and had graduated. By the second band, there were people dancing to the music, and a wall of swaying blocking our view.
We started dancing half way through the second band and all the way till just before midnight.
I was supposed to catch the train that left at 12:01, but I didn't know the way to the station, so I missed my first train and caught the next one with my friends after we said bye to everyone.
Do you know those classic scenes from movies where the two guys are singing at the top of their lungs, skipping down the street? Well that was my friends last night, singing Bohemian Rhapsody. Luckily we were in a shopping area, so no one lived there that we knew of. I helped them out with the words and we sang to the bus station.
Pictures of the bands below. Pictures taken by Line.
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Sweden
Today I went to Sweden with my YFU group. We went ice skating and then shopping. Most of the stores were the same as in Denmark, but it was still super fun, and cheaper.
We had tons of fun ice skating with all the new people. A girl from Chile, and I were the only two new exchange students in the group, but we became quick friends with each other and everyone else in the group. It was fun to watch those who didn't know how to skate, and get hot chocolate afterwards.
New inside jokes were created and experiences shared, I had a great time.
Pamilla, Line, Luise, me
We had tons of fun ice skating with all the new people. A girl from Chile, and I were the only two new exchange students in the group, but we became quick friends with each other and everyone else in the group. It was fun to watch those who didn't know how to skate, and get hot chocolate afterwards.
New inside jokes were created and experiences shared, I had a great time.
shopping in Sweden
best hot chocolate, for a very cold day.
Pamilla, Line, Luise, me
Fest
Last night I was at my schools party.
First: I don't have different people in each class, my "class" is 2nd D and the individual class periods are then translated as "class periods."
Second: It's custom to have a get-together with your class at someones house before the party. They do this so that they can get drunk for cheaper because beer is expensive at the school. And yes, you read that right, they sell the kids beer during the dance, at the school. Because I though beer tasted gross, they gave me a wimpy beer, called cider. Its just like soda with alcohol, but less than in beer. I also had a Jule Øle, which means Christmas Beer. Its sweeter than normal beer and has more alcohol in it.
So I went to a pre-party at the house of one of the girls from my class. Only half the girls from class showed up, and no boys. They told me that normally everyone from class would come. Her mom came down with tons of cans of different beers, and we started the games. We started with a game where you keep beat with a song and then each person has a motion and you have to send it with your motion to someone else. The first to screw up drinks. Then we played a dice game where you have to role either a 7 or 11 and when you do you pick someone to drink a whole glass. They have to finish the glass while your still rolling for another 7 or 11. If you role another 7 or 11 before they finish, they have to drink the second glass too.
Once we got to the party most of us were tipsy and the others were drunk. Once we were inside, it looked just like on TV or in pictures of Night Storm. The only difference was that the school sold beer and smoking was only discouraged (and mostly just by peers).
It was super fun.
Here are pictures from the pre-party.
First: I don't have different people in each class, my "class" is 2nd D and the individual class periods are then translated as "class periods."
Second: It's custom to have a get-together with your class at someones house before the party. They do this so that they can get drunk for cheaper because beer is expensive at the school. And yes, you read that right, they sell the kids beer during the dance, at the school. Because I though beer tasted gross, they gave me a wimpy beer, called cider. Its just like soda with alcohol, but less than in beer. I also had a Jule Øle, which means Christmas Beer. Its sweeter than normal beer and has more alcohol in it.
So I went to a pre-party at the house of one of the girls from my class. Only half the girls from class showed up, and no boys. They told me that normally everyone from class would come. Her mom came down with tons of cans of different beers, and we started the games. We started with a game where you keep beat with a song and then each person has a motion and you have to send it with your motion to someone else. The first to screw up drinks. Then we played a dice game where you have to role either a 7 or 11 and when you do you pick someone to drink a whole glass. They have to finish the glass while your still rolling for another 7 or 11. If you role another 7 or 11 before they finish, they have to drink the second glass too.
Once we got to the party most of us were tipsy and the others were drunk. Once we were inside, it looked just like on TV or in pictures of Night Storm. The only difference was that the school sold beer and smoking was only discouraged (and mostly just by peers).
It was super fun.
Here are pictures from the pre-party.
Luise and Anna dancing
Amanda and Maja
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Life's Beginning
I got a SIM card and Danish number today. For now I am using my host brother, Nikolai's old beat up Samsung, until my cousin Nicolai's phone comes in the mail.
I went shopping with Kristine today. There is a dance tomorrow at the school, and you are supposed to dress and as fairy tale characters. Kristine and 5 of her friends are going to be Smurfs, so we went and bought white shorts, Smurf hats and TONS of blue face paint. I am going to be Tinkerbell, so we bought cheap, long green tank top. When we got home, I cut the bottom, so it looks like her dress. I'll be sure to get pictures of the party and costumes.
To get into town we had to take the bus. In the US we have cards that you swipe to pay for the ride, and in Denmark they have a "clip-card" that you push into this machine that clips it and stamps it. It the same thing that you use for the trains, but I haven't use that yet. I hope to when I go into Copenhagen, once it gets warmer.
Its only 27 degrees Fahrenheit here. That may not seem very cold, but there isn't snow, and there isn't rain, just wind. So it's always cold and windy and just pierces your skin and chills you to the bone.
I've been biking by myself to school in this weather, and it takes 25 minutes to get there, it's nearly 3 miles away. I've been adding more layers every day, and since we don't have lockers or anything to put our stuff in, I just wear it all
Tomorrow is the first day I will have more that 2 classes on my schedule. I have 4 classes tomorrow, chemistry (good thing I've already had that), Danish history, English (where is just like English at East), and Social Studies. And today us the first day I have to do homework, so I have to go do that.
See you tomorrow,
Kaia
I went shopping with Kristine today. There is a dance tomorrow at the school, and you are supposed to dress and as fairy tale characters. Kristine and 5 of her friends are going to be Smurfs, so we went and bought white shorts, Smurf hats and TONS of blue face paint. I am going to be Tinkerbell, so we bought cheap, long green tank top. When we got home, I cut the bottom, so it looks like her dress. I'll be sure to get pictures of the party and costumes.
To get into town we had to take the bus. In the US we have cards that you swipe to pay for the ride, and in Denmark they have a "clip-card" that you push into this machine that clips it and stamps it. It the same thing that you use for the trains, but I haven't use that yet. I hope to when I go into Copenhagen, once it gets warmer.
Its only 27 degrees Fahrenheit here. That may not seem very cold, but there isn't snow, and there isn't rain, just wind. So it's always cold and windy and just pierces your skin and chills you to the bone.
I've been biking by myself to school in this weather, and it takes 25 minutes to get there, it's nearly 3 miles away. I've been adding more layers every day, and since we don't have lockers or anything to put our stuff in, I just wear it all
Tomorrow is the first day I will have more that 2 classes on my schedule. I have 4 classes tomorrow, chemistry (good thing I've already had that), Danish history, English (where is just like English at East), and Social Studies. And today us the first day I have to do homework, so I have to go do that.
See you tomorrow,
Kaia
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
ONLY ONE CLASS!
Today, I only had gym in the morning because my other morning class was canceled, and I had nothing scheduled in the afternoon because I'm not taking an extra language like Spanish or French.
So I went to school for my one class and then hung out in one of the many couch areas before lunch. I didn't bring my own lunch because I was just going to bike home at noon. My friend Luisa is from Germany and has been at the school for the past semester. She is in my class so she helped me around the school and got me the WiFi code and Google docs stuff all set up.
In gym there were two different rooms you could go to for class. My class still into two groups and went to eat of the different places from the changing rooms. The one I chose was doing dance or Zumba sort of things. The other group was playing soccer.
At lunch I met up with my host sister. Kristine, and 2 of her friends and we went to get pastries from the bakery in town near our house.
Now I'm home with a full stomach of pastries for lunch and blogging. A dream school day.
So I went to school for my one class and then hung out in one of the many couch areas before lunch. I didn't bring my own lunch because I was just going to bike home at noon. My friend Luisa is from Germany and has been at the school for the past semester. She is in my class so she helped me around the school and got me the WiFi code and Google docs stuff all set up.
In gym there were two different rooms you could go to for class. My class still into two groups and went to eat of the different places from the changing rooms. The one I chose was doing dance or Zumba sort of things. The other group was playing soccer.
At lunch I met up with my host sister. Kristine, and 2 of her friends and we went to get pastries from the bakery in town near our house.
Now I'm home with a full stomach of pastries for lunch and blogging. A dream school day.
Monday, January 14, 2013
First Day at School
Today was my first day at school. The school system is very different than in the states. Here you check your shedule in the morning and it changes day to day, so you have to check to know what classes you have and if any of them are camceled. You have the same people in all your classes, so I had music and religion today and I had the same people for both my classes. You would normally have more classes, but some of mine were canceled today, so I got off school at noon.
I cought on to music class really quick, though I can't understand all Danish, it was easy to watch what she did and finish the assignment since music is a universal language. But not so with religion, though there are the same names for some things in religion through out the world, a lot of the more commons words I didn't know. All I got from the class is that Buddha was a monk and a monk is someone who connects with Alla. We also talked about Buddha and Islam and the similarities in believe and such. I boy jokingly (or maybe not) said he could walk on water and that he could show the teacher during break, when we talked about Jesus in realtion to it all. During the break it got water from the bathroom and put a small puddle on the ground and stood on it saying, see I can too stand on water.
All the Danish is starting to get to me, since people either speak bad english, which makes me feel bad that I'm making them speek a different language, or fast Danish which is hard to catch when you don't know the language very well. I also can't make full Danish sentences yet, so I just say ya and no and thanks. I'll hopefully get to that soon.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
In Denmark!
I am finally in Denmark. My host family met me at the Copenhagen air port and brought me back to their beautiful home. I have my own room and Kristine, my host sister, is right next door.
Tonight after we had lunch and a little down time. Two little cousins came over to hang with us before the party we were going to later. I played a Danish version of twister (which has two dice instead of a wheel) and Wii with them and my host brother, Nikolai.
Later that night we went over to a cousins house for Christian's 18th birthday. We had a good dinner and then a fun lottery and dessert.
The lottery had three candy prizes and three adventures to take Christian on, like get Ben&Jerry's icecream or buy him chocolate.
After dinner and dessert, we watched handball on TV. Handball is like soccer, with soccer goals and everything, but instead of kicking the ball you throw it. I thought it seems odd and pointless at first, but it got really interesting. We watched the men's championship handball game and Denmark won by a lot.
My first day was great, and because there is a computer in my room, I'm going to use it wisely and try to post about my adventures in Denmark every night.
Friday, January 11, 2013
Last Day in the States
To day is my last day in Madison. I was supposed to leave from Madison to Chicago at noon, then to Frankfurt and then finally on to Copenhagen. But my flight in Chicago was canceled because of fog, so now my mom is driving me to Chicago at 5 tonight. I now have an 8 hour, direct flight to Copenhagen.
I very excited that I’m so close to being in Denmark. I’ll let you know how my first day is tomorrow.
I’m gonna miss you guys,
Kaia
I very excited that I’m so close to being in Denmark. I’ll let you know how my first day is tomorrow.
I’m gonna miss you guys,
Kaia
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