London Calling

Hello!

So I am about to leave for Scotland in about 10 minutes so I thought I should probably write my blog about London last weekend. London was in one word...amazing. I have wanted to go there my entire life and it was well worth the trip. To sum it up it was about good sights, good food, good friends. Alyssa, Annie, Britt, Jenni, and I headed to the Copenhagen airport a bit early in the morning last friday. Our flight was a 1:15 so we just relaxed for a while and talked, got massive amounts of food, it was all good. I consumed a whole box of pringles, sour cream and onion, which I think was worth it due to my deprivation of chips over here.
Also, security here in CPH is a lot more 'lax than at home, you don't even need to remove your shoes and they don't even check your passport really (maybe once). So we get to London where we are supposed to me Alex, Britt's freshman year roommate, who also goes to Gettysburg. So we are wandering around Heathrow baggage claim trying to find her, and Britt is suprised she is nowhere in sight because she always sticks to promises (and she said she'd pick us up). SO, we finally get in touch with her via phone and turns out the tube was broken (the line to the airport) and she had tried to get there for over an hour before they kicked off everyone on the train alltogether. So the 5 of us took a very expensive cab to her apartment. I think split between 5 of us it was about 20 pounds each.

So expensive, but we got to see some of London as we navigated there. We finally got to her, she felt really bad, then we crammed all into her little single apartment with the greatest location right by Waterloo Station. I was already in awe as she took us around, across the bridge, to trafalgar square, big ben and parliament...all beautiful as the sun was setting. I was already in love with London and it had only been 3 hours.

Scariest thing ever was trying to climb this lion statue for perfect photo-op at trafalgar square. Thought I was gonna die and fall to my death on to the hard cement, but somehow made it.
We continued to just tour/walk around. Alex was the best touguide, and was all weekend. She was so good to us and we would have been horribly lost without here.

We decided to head back to her apartment, change, go out to the cheapest london dinner we could find, then went out to this place called Oxygen Bar. We stayed there the entire night, where we encountered many strange things such as a Bachelorette's party, sketchy old men, spaniards both by the name of Javiar, Australians, and much more. I probably have the least amount of stories from this night, but ask the others, they'll tell you.

So we head back pretty late, but we were ready to make the most of saturday. We woke up kinda late and didn't get out of the apartment until noon. But thankfully there are starbucks and a tube pass to get us all around London all day. So we head to Kings cross station, see platform 9 and 3/4...my dream is complete. We also head to Buckingham palace and walk around the park a bit. It was so pretty and the weather was perfect and sunny. A nice change since it's always overcast and cold in Copenhagen. Thankfully it didn't rain!

We also headed to Abbey Road and tried to mimic the infamous album cover. Harder then you think, considering it's a real street with a good amount of traffic. Also hard when you have this creepy man who waits for someone to take a pic (loiters near you) then puts on this sketchy white murderer mask and his black hood up..and follows you..only to ruin your picture. Happened multiple times, I wanted to kill the guy.

I believe we ended Saturday with a trip to Westminster Abbey which was so beautiful. The sun was just setting and I got some amazing pictures. It was a nice day to just walk around and explore with friends. I'm probably forgetting some things now since it's a week later.

Saturday night we headed to chinatown for some good chinese good to celebrate the chinese new year. So many lanterns everywhere, it was so pretty. We then went out to this place called O'Neill's with 4 floors and a live cover band which was amazing. Of course we were in the front row, intensely dancing, which I don't think anyone else in the crowd did. We looked a little crazy, but I guess that's what Gburg does to us.

We ended the night a little bit earlier so we could wake up in time the next day sunday, go out to breakfast, and hang out before leaving England.
Overall, it was a wonderful weekend. I am rushing now because I am off to Scotland for a week with my class!
Will update then...and Eddie will be here!

xoxo

Short Study Tour to Århus, Esbjerg, Roskilde and more.

Hi,

I have been bad about updating the last couple weeks, I know. I think it is because my work is picking up and there is so much to do and well...sleep is precious.
I have not had the chance to detail my trip to western Denmark to the lovely towns of Århus, Esbjerg, and Roskilde. I posted pictures on facebook from the trip which involved visits to organizations semi-related to my core class, the Psychology of Happiness (the fluffy term...known in the field as Positive Psych).

We first took a bus to Århus, where we did a workshop at this special type of school called the KaosPilots. It is a program for entrepreneurers (can't spell that) who learn business and life skills. Basically they help them find their passion in life while teaching them process management etc. It was a cool workshop, we did these relaxation exercises and got to know our classmates better, talked about our feelings, you know..psych stuff. One exercise I enjoyed was we were asked to list the top 7 things we are passionate about in life, then the top 7 things we are angry about in society, then the top 7 things we are great at. It is pretty difficult to write down things you are great at, which was the toughest part for me. Anyways, after compiling these lists...we got in groups of 3, shared them, then worked to give each other suggestions about what each could be themed. So, for instance, my top 7 passions...the common theme among them (we decided) was "cultivating/finding beauty in life and relationships"...so yeah, I guess that's me.

We stayed at a hostel that night, and also go to go out to a nice dinenr and then experience some Århus social scene. There was a scottish bar with trivia in english that basically alluded to the fact that Americans are dumb. Not much excitement with this night, I was so full from dinner (in a good way) I thought I might puke. SO on to the next day.

We then journeyed by bus to the lovely town of Esbjerg. There we were introduced to this school containing a program called the SKILLS program. On the way there, however, we go to stop at these really cool statues called "Man Meets the Sea"..essentially these 4 white, stone giants overlooking the ocean. It was SO cold and SO windy...pretty much unbearable...but still so beautiful.
Anyways, this SKILLS program took in troubled youth, teens with horrible pasts and gave them a 8 week course on essentially...life. They ate together, exercised together, learned about proper nutrition and taking care of yourself. They also were taught all that grown-up stuff no one teaches us in the States, such as banking, taxes, etc. Additionally, they had classes in Psychology as well to learn about its uses and applications. There were 17 and 18 year olds who stood up in front of all us and shared their incredible stories and abusive pasts and how this program changed their life. It made me feel indrecibly grateful for who I am and how I got here. They were so inspiring, and I wish we ahd programs like this in the United States. It may seem like we do from the description, but trust me, we do not.

After our emotional day, we checked into our hostel and then headed to a...bowling alley... for some dinner and cosmic bowling. Kind of bizarre. It was interesting to say the least. Bowling came with a free drink and there was a bar so everyone could relax, have some fun, and...bowl.

The final day was spent traveling. We then had a lovely lunch at a restaurent on the water with a traditional Danish dish called "shooting star" in english. Fish, Shrimp, Caviar. Next we headed to the Viking museum next door, had a very boring lecture on viking culture and Danish Hygge (coziness). I only say boring because we were all so tired at that point, no one was paying attention, and the man lecturing sounded like he should be employed by those companies who make "put you to sleep tapes." He had a soft, soothing voice that just, well,...put you to sleep.

So I was so tired when we got back from this trip, but it was a Saturday, and an opportunity to go out..so my friends and I decided to. I mean, we are in Europe, right?
Well I was not very pleased when this one bouncer rejected me and told me that in order to get in I needed to carry around a copy of my passport.Meanwhile, I had shown him an ID with my birth date on it. Anyways, there is no way I am doing that. So that made me mad. Luckily, when we went elsewhere, we were able to have fun. Though Danish Clubs play some really bizarre music. Like techno about bouncing kittens. No joke. I asked them to play some Lady GaGa, but no cigar.

Alright, well, there is more to update on. Essentially, it was Fashion Week in Copenhagen this past weekend which was cool. We put our names on the guest lists of some shows/events but never made it there (and lines were long). We also with with Britt's host sister to see Valentine's Day...the movie with a billion famous people in it. It was good, since I technically have a valentine, but probably depressing for those who don't. It was no where near as good as Love Actually (same premise), Taylor Swift was a horrible actress and painful to watch, and Patrick Dempsey's character was mean (so obviously didn't approve of that). Also, forgot to mention we had a mexican buffet dinner pre-movie that was amazing.

Sorry this post is all over the place but I had a lot to fit in. I will try to be better next time. I am going to be in London this weekend (!!) and then the next weekend I'll be in Scotland for a week with my core class. I will update after London!

Hilary

Hello everyone!

I'm trying to update this more frequently, but I have been dead tired. As a matter of a fact, I am currently contributing to this excessive tiredness due to the fact it is 12:30 am here and I decided to post a blog. Keeping the blog seems to ground me, so I enjoy doing it. I also enjoy sleep though. I have to keep like 3 diaries of other sorts for some of my classes, which I have yet to start. I feel like those will be pushed aside more than I'm willing to admit because the blog is much more fun. I changed the title of my blog as well....now it is a little less intense, and more along the definition of 'to cavort' aka to have boisterous fun, says dictionary.com.

Last week I decided to focus on the wretched blizzard, but low and behold..it blizzard-ed again today! Had to leave the city early so our train wasnt canceled or delayed. Train delays in freezing cold are not very fun. I do not have class tomorrow, but If I am forced to go into the city I plan to explore a little bit...which I do need.

This weekend was fun. We went out to a club on Friday, stayed the same place the entire night. Danced a lot, though didn't get back until very late. It was nice to just dance though. More normal. Saturday night was Deirdre's 21st. A bunch of us gettysburgians trekked over to her and Tara's host family/house to enjoy about a 7 course meal (including cake before the appetizer, ahhhh) after which I gained about 20 pounds. But soooo yummy! Salmon, shrimp as appetizer...steak, potatoes, salad as main course...all so familiar. Then brownie and ice cream for a second dessert. I was in heaven, until the next day when we were fed a huge breakfast and then a second brunch...felt like I was gonna hurl on the train home due to excessive eating. Guess all that exercise went to no use.

This week we have class Monday and Tuesday, our usual no class Wednesdays (except if you have a field trip) and then on Thursday we leave for what is called our 'Short Study Tour' to western Denmark. You go to different cities out west depending on what program you are in (Jenni and I are different). I forget a lot of specifics but I leave Thursday morning for Århus, which is a 4 hour bus trip away from Copenhagen. We go to another city Friday and then another on Saturday before returning home. I will update you all on how it went, because hopefully after the fact, I will have knowledge as how to describe it.

Also, exciting news...5 of us: Jenni, Me, Britt, Alyssa H, and Annie all plan to go to London on Feb. 19th! Can't wait. Though booking travel is probably the most unorganized messy thing I've encountered..and this was for one city. Should be interesting when we have to do our Spring break MArch 27-April 11 travel plans.

Although I have been sooo tired and irritable this week, I am glad to say this blog is a bit more on the positive side..which this site in general definately needed.

I will write again soon! Probably Sunday.

xoxo

Hilary

Positive Psychology

A little ambitious to do two posts in a row, but I wouldn't necessarily count this. My core class here in Denmark is called The Psychology of Happiness. In the field, it is known as Positive Psychology. Basically, the area of Psych tells you to quit dwelling on the typical Psychology we see and hear about these days...the kind of stuff such as disorders, psychopathology, etc. Positive Psycholgoy focuses on your strengths. For instance, I took a 240 question test this morning that at it's result...gave me my top 24 character strengths. It is pretty cool.

Anyways, I decided to share my results.


Top Strength: Industry, Diligence, Perseverence

2: Judgment, Critical Thinking, Open-mindedness

3: Hope, Optimism, Future-Mindedness

4: Kindness and Generosity

5: Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence

6: Caution, Prudence, Discretion

7: Capacity to love or be loved

8: Honesty, Authenticity, Genuineness

9: Gratitude

10: Leadership

I am only posting my top ten, since writing them takes forever. Anyways, it is a pretty neat test. If you have about 20 minutes you should check it out. Go to AuthenticHappiness.com, do the quick registration, and then hit test center. This test is called the VIA Survey of Character Strengths (Adults). There are a bunch of other neat tests you can take as well.

Til next time,

Hilary

Week 2: I look like I live in a freezer...

So it's been over a week in Copenhagen! It is going by slow and fast, if that even makes sense. I feel as if I have been here longer. Due to the cold and blizzard conditions, however, I have been limited in exploration. AKA I basically only know how to get to my school. The rest is still a bit of a challenge. Hopefully that will end soon.

Nightlife in Copenhagen can only be described in two words: expensive and late. The city isn't very much alive until from 12-6am. Thus, I have been getting home very late and very cold. The trains run all night on friday and saturday, but only once per hour. Ours, unfortunately, only comes at :02...so if you don't catch the 2:02....you have to wait. Until 3:02. I have already spent many atimes, huddled up, loitering in the 7/11 on the corner near our train station desperately trying to retain any form of warmth while waiting for our train. It is not a fun-filled wait. When all you want to be in is a warm bed. But that warm bed is a 25 minute train ride and one mile, painfully cold walk away. As a result, I have very little desire to go out.

Did I mention, when you are out in the city at night, that not one of us knows where we are going? So we spend usually over 30 minutes walking in the freezing cold place to place, trying to figure out the scene. We still haven't. I see these leggy, blonde, gorgeous danish girls in skirts and I think they are utterly insane.

Did I also mention my awkward reaction when Danish men try to hit on me in Danish...the look on my face must be priceless. I pretty much just nod and try to avoid their desperate attempt to make me play pool with them.

Classes are going well. I haven't done much but I have tons of reading. So any mention of being abroad and it being a joke can be disregarded. I probably have more reading than at Gettysburg.

Today, I had a field trip to the Danish Institute for Human Rights. Wednesdays we do not have class and sometimes have field trips, depending on what classes you are in. Now, I was very much looking forward to this. However, Today it literally blizzard-ed in Copenhagen. I'm talking high winds, more ice than snow...flurries...whipping me in the face, stinging my eyes...I could not even look up. Well, this institute, it is a 40 minute walk from my school. In a blizzard. I also was not wearing a hat today. My hair had ice encrusted to my scalp. You couldn't even tell my hair color. I felt like I was in Antartica. It seemed like some kind of joke.

The field tip was very informative, but basically 4 different lecture topics for 2 hours. I was falling asleep toward the end. I did learn some interesting information though. Such as, did you know that even if you are born in Denmark, you are not considered a Danish citizen unless one or both your parents are Danish? Different from the US. Basically even if you were born and grew up here your entire life, if you break the law or do something stupid...you can be shipped out at any point. Scary. Anyways, I did not want my field trip to end, because of course, the blizzard had gotten worse.

My teacher also did not walk us back, as he had walked us there. Luckily, a girl knew the way to the nearest Metro and we smushed into a metro train packed like sardines. My first time on the metro. So crowded I could not breathe. People were pressed up against the glass, that is how crowded it was.

I finally made it back to near my school. I had to meet up with Jenni who was at a Museum with Britt. Lucky.

We (Jenni and I) still had the interesting task today of going grocery shopping. Now, our Danish host mom was home all day doing nothing. She asked us if we could get her some groceries and gave us a list and some money. I considered this fine until I realized we would be carrying very heavy grocery bags across Copenhagen in a blizzard, taking the train where we would be warm for 25 minutes, then trekking home in 4 inches of snow and wind for about a mile with the heavy grocery bags. Via a blog, this probably does not seem too bad. Buttttt....

Let me tell you, I have never laughed this much since being in Copenhagen. I laughed because if I didn't, I think I would collapse on the ground, curl up and die. In the snow. Laughter was the only thing getting me home at that moment, because all I wanted to do was chuck the grocery bags onto the train tracks and crawl home.

So, before this, we had to navigate the grocery store...with EVERYTHING in Danish...finding stuff such as yeast...which I do not even know where its location is in a US supermarket. We decided to splurge on ourselves at the grocery store and buy ourselves chips and salsa. This purchase would later be my single motivation in getting home from the train station.

So, we take the train, which is packed as well, home with groceries. And our dreaded trek in the snow for a mile begins. Jenni and I each have a very heavy grocery bag as well as all of our school stuff on us (in our school bag). I could not move my uggs very far through unplowed snow that had accumulated so much since this morning. I know this because I shoveled the path from the driveway before I left for school. We were so hopeless, we began to go a little mad..shouting chips and salsa, chips and salsa for about half the way home just so we could get there. I seem dramatic, but I am not kidding in the least. Again, like earlier in the day, I looked like I stepped out of a freezer. Ice all over my body.

Needless to say, I am never complaining about walking the full 10 minutes it takes to go from point A at Gettysburg to point B. Never, ever.

I don't know what else to discuss, so I will end it here.

Hej Hej,

Hilary

PS. The chips were amazing. The salsa tasted/had the consistency as if you were dipping a chip in pasta/red sauce. A bit odd but what can ya do.

Over and out.

Week One: Peanutbutter Jelly Time

I decided to try doing a blog. Adventurous some may say, but alas it remains the best way to keep everyone updated on my life across the pond. For this first entry, I could probably write pages. The last 4 days have felt like an eternity. Now that classes have begun today, I may finally have the chance to settle into some sort of routine. If I have told you about København already, sorry and too bad, cause I´m writing it again.

Speaking of sorry, I´d have to say...though trivial...it is one of the biggest culture differences I have encountered thus far. Danes are very blunt. In the city, if you are knocked around by mobs of commuters getting to work, there is no *excuse me* or *sorry* ever uttered. People just go on with their day. Now after been almost run over several times by countless bikes (you know, the whole Green concept) and being almost hit by a car- to even squeezing by someone..I keep saying sorry. I then of course, remember I am speaking English, am a silly American, and they frankly don´t care if they´ve bumped into me or not. I heard someone at DIS explain it as...if you bumped into 50 people on your way to work each morning, you would then be saying sorry 50 times, and what is the point of that?? True, I guess it does make sense. Anyways, us Americans are a little baffled. They also don´t have a word for please in their language, which by the way...is the most complicated thing I´ve ever heard. Nothing NOTHING sounds like it looks, legit. There is not even a slight chance I will be learning it, once again labeling me as a foolish American who always mumbles across words when going to a cash register at a store, being confused as Danish and thus being spoken to in utterances, until I work up the courage to say ´Ummm.............................I only speak English´. True story of my first encounter, most awkward thing ever. Jenni witnessed. I´m thinking it gets less awkward each time...hopefully.

By the way, the last few days have consisted of primarily jetlag, going to school and getting home in pitch black due to lack of sunlight, adjusting to Danish home life, trying to navigate trains when everything is in Danish and I have no idea WHAT it says, and running around the city on scavenger hunts in between 4 hour orientation sessions twice daily where I fall asleep due to waking at 5am. Sounds fun, right? I´m looking forward to classes starting. Also, did I mention I have NO IDEA where I am or where I am going about 75% of the time. I am clueless with direction and maps and find myself forgetting places I was an hour ago. Things are looking up.

Okay I´ll stop with the harsh stuff, onto the amazing stuff...like living in Europe. Ahhh.
The city is very pretty. I love the buildings and the area, and I am very grateful to be here. Did I mention, however, this is their coldest winter in 15 years?? It hardly ever snows in København but has been snowing the past week. My scavengr hunt around the city was in a blizzard. that was interesting. Im glad to have snow instead of rain though, since that would just be awful. I took some pretty cool pictures and I cant wait until everything is green again!

My host family is very nice. Rita is the mom, a teacher, and Flemming is the dad and a lawyer. Their house is small and one story (no basement either) but furnished very nice. There is a kid suite area with cabinets, couchs, and a tv...kind of like the kid section of the house. Jenni´s room connect to it, so it is almost like her own suite. My room is on the wall before it and also right next to my 14 yr old host brother´s room. My room is much smaller than Jenni´s since she won the rock paper scissor´-for first pick- challenge. BUT her room is extremely cold and she has less of a bed. Mine is not as cold and more comfy and much warmer so I am happy.

Just to exemplify Danish bluntness, our host mother approached the 2nd or 3rd day and was like "Dont you have a present for Valdemar (host brother)? He is expecting his present." Good thing I got him something, or else I probably would have died in embarassment. I was shocked she said it this way, but I guess that´s just how it is different.

In the kid area we have our own minifridge where my host mom bring us food to pack for lunch. Now we have already been introduced to some interesting food, most of which I can write or pronounce, let alone know what it is. I eat it though. They eat fish a lot, we´ve had fish soup several times which is good. Only problem is Fish of all sorts makes Jenni gag, so thats unfortunate. Glad I like it. Rita also makes homemade buns all the time which are tasty. I have not taken to eating cheese and jelly on my buns though, and their breakfasts are different--containing carrots, and ham and cheese options as well. A lot of stuff we would eat for lunch. I tend to have some cereal and skim milk for breakfast along with a bun with jelly on it.

Lunch is where it gets tricky. She is supposed to make us something (most people´s host moms do) but we make it ourself which is also common among students living with a family. However, we mainly have access to only the food in the kid fridge. She basically thinks all Americans love peanutbutter and banana or peanutbutter and jelly sandwichs...that or ham and cheese (which i dislike)...so I pretty much have eaten peanutbutter..something...everyday for lunch. We will have to see what other stuff she eventually gets us. Im hoping one day we can go grocery shopping with her (which I have also done at a Danish store called Netto during Orientation).

Last night for dinner we had Veal and it was pretty good. It was cooked kind of like the way a crockpot cooks roast beef all day and I just had to tell myself I wasnt eating baby cow the whole time. It was realy good though. The other night, Jenni and I went to one of our older host brothers (does not live in the house) hockey game. He plays for the national team for Denmark...pretty cool. It was fun, despite the fact we stood and watched it for 2.5 hours or however long..after a tiring day of running around the city and little sleep. Guess I just thought we would be sitting...but no. Other than that, it was really fun and good bonding with our host family.

Jenni and I have been happy so far, of course I am unable to say I am loving it yet, but I think that is just about adjusting. Im probably leaving sooo much out but Im in the small DIS library at school and waiting for Jenni to get out of class so we can travel home and NAP. Therefore I will end it here. I already have a lot of homework to do, even before the first class, which angers me but its all good in the hood. Til next time.

Hej Hej (bye bye in Danish)

Hilary

PS. A danish (the pastry we eat) is not called a danish here. Its called Vienna bread, but in Danish. Wienerbrød. Weird that we call it a danish, and they say its from Vienna. Adios.