BEER! and some greenery! oh yeah AND THE SUN CAME OUT TODAY!

Do you see that? Ah yes! That would be the sun! (And a tree trunk, but that is besides the point). Yay for vitamin D! Today we had a nice sunny break from the barrage of cloudy days in Copenhagen, and in the past few days there have even been a few signs of Spring! The birds have been singing, there have been small flowers growing, and the sun has been setting around 5:45 instead of 4:30. So, either Snow White has migrated to the area or it is almost springtime!

Today was a busy day that began with a class visit to a Impressionist art museum (gotta love that Manet and Degas), then consisted of some thrift shopping and a stop at the Carlsberg Brewery. We also visited a park (see below).

hmm....maybe Snow White has come to Copenhagen...but where are the dwarves!?

The Carlsberg Brewery tour was incredibly fun. And the 70 dkk entrance fee came with two beer tickets! Dad, get ready because I am bringing you back here! 

This is the original little mermaid model. I'm not sure what she is doing at the Carlsberg brewery though....

The biggest beer collection in the world.

This was the symbol on Carlsberg beer bottles until WW2 when they chose a new symbol for the brand.

The Carlsberg Special.

Carlsberg produces beer in many countries around the globe and is currently the 4th largest brewery group in the world. The company was founded in 1847 by J. C. Jacobsen in Copenhagen, Denmark. Jacobsen named the beer after his son Carl, who later took over the company when his dad died.

Monday night I went to Abigail's kollegium to make Derby pie for our visiting family. Long story short we doubled the batch so we could make two pies but couldn't find any pie pans. So we ended up just putting both batches in a broiler pan and using two crusts....haha SUCCESS! It was thicker than it was supposed to be so it didn't cook all the way through BUT it was still good. Plus: Danish fun fact of the day: There are no chocolate chips here. aaaanywhere. what is wrong with these people? I feel like the Danes would benefit from having tiny pieces of chocolate...even though it was fun chopping up chocolate bars with knives....one piece for the pie - one for me - one piece for the pie - one for me!

Tuesday after class, Abigail and I took the pie (and ourselves) to Ishøj. Morten and Linda made a mexican dinner (SOOO GOOOOOOOOOOOD - I don't think I realized how much awesome mexican food we have in America until I left). He also made a really good version of guacamole! It's more like a sauce but I promise it was so good: avocado, lime juice, any seasoning you want, salt, sour cream, chili powder? or salsa < I may be inventing that one. Then put it in a blender and put it IN your burrito or on your tacos. Morten also lined tortilla chips up on a cookie sheet and put a small amount of cheese on each chip with some seasoning. Then he put them in the oven so when they came out the cheese was completely baked onto the chip and you can dip them in salsa or the guacamole mixture! The pie was very sweet but I think they liked it. If they didn't they hid it well which was nice haha. I drank 2 cups of coffee after dessert because it was the Alterra coffee I had given them, then drank 1 more because they wanted us to try Danish coffee compared to the Wisconsin coffee......I was literally bouncing up and down on the bus ride home. I also couldn't stop twitching, which may or may not have scared the other passengers......damn you caffeine!

I hope you are all having a lovely week! Talk to you soon!

The Little Mermaid

Happy sunday everyone! the rest of this week was jam packed with surprises and other fun things. Thursday I went to the Danish Design Museum where they had an amazing record/vinyl exhibit complete with record players (or 'turntables'-thank you Jake). We also went to the Black Diamond! Contrary to popular belief, this is not an extremely difficult ski slope, it is a library. And a gorgeous one at that. Just google, "Black Diamond library Copenhagen" and see for yourself. The modern section of the building was completed in 1999 and is connected to the old library building by skyways. There are 2 museums inside the modern section as well as study rooms and book stacks. There are also these really cool ramp escalators! Just the sight of them gave me visions of Will flying down the ramps screaming in a wheel chair.

HISTORY SIDE NOTE:
Friday in class my history professor (the one that likes to tut-tut at everyone) brought a couple shell casings from the World War I battle of Verdun into class. His neighbor's father had been traveling throughout Europe and had happened to be in France when the war broke out. So naturally he volunteered to fight for the French army. He fought at the battle of Verdun, picked up this casing, and carved a design into the metal while recovering from his injuries in the hospital . (Sorry for the horrible photo quality).

If you can't see, it says 'Verdun' on the banner.

Friday Sarah, Josh, and I took a biking tour of the coast and eastern side of the city! Also we finally finally finally got to see the Little Mermaid!!!

Saturday AM I went to an area of town on the west side and bounced around a little bit because I had to buy some decorations for the Oscars Party tonight at Studenterhuset.

As a side note: last night Sarah and I booked our tickets for a 6 day trip to Rome, the island of Elba, Naples, and Pompeii. SO EXCITED. If anyone has any Italy advice for us (besides avoid the gypsy children) let me know! Also since I am studying abroad in Copenhagen I only brought winter clothes....haha maybe I should have thought this through a little more. 

Have a great day everyone.

And a happy happy birthday to my wonderful cousin Audrey and one of my best friends Krista!

Damn that's fancy...

hello everyone! I hope your weeks are going well. The past few days have been pretty laid back without many pictures so I waited until today to consolidate.

Sunday Funday:
-Went to a super cute hole-in-the-ground cafe to do some homework.
-Finally made it to Kebabistan!!! Oh jeez was it good. Each table also had some chilies and some chili sauce stuff.....super spicy stuff that chili stuff is. Now I can safely say that the Avengers were right: Shawarma is the best thing to eat after saving the world from an alien army....or after doing homework.

Monday tonday: I did a ton of stuff
-I got registered to be a Danish temporary resident!
-Discovered my new favorite cafe! Books line the walls all the way up to the ceiling and it has a distinctly antique home-y feeling that is really comforting. It is beautiful and has the best latte I have tried so far, plus they give you a cute little biscotti thing and a chocolate with it!

I just found this picture online, but I had to show you guys.

Tuesday ....day: ahh I am a rhyming failure

Weird improv dinner of the week: whole wheat penne mixed with raw green pepper and tuna with soy sauce/evoo. Call it weird or sick nasty or whatever you like, however it WAS edible! And it was kinda tasty in a weird "why is there tuna in my pasta?" way. 

Wednesday aka humpday aka today: 

-I went downtown to meet my friend Sarah and we went to Rosenborg castle together which is very close to the DIS campus. 

-This castle was largely a summer castle which was later turned into a safe place for royal heirlooms, jewels, etc in the early 1700's.

-Rosenborg has also served as a museum since 1838.

This picture was taken in a room completely full of plates and different pieces of china. There were multiple rooms like this in the castle: a silver room, goblet room, and a mirror room etc. The sheer amount of heirlooms that this castle contained was incredible. 

Only the best people have their thrones guarded by golden lions! 

This room had a the floor, ceiling, and all four walls completely covered in mirrors. 

Damn that's fancy.

 Danes love amber.

Elephant shoulder plates? Why not!

 

Ah yes, the crown jewels, I get it.

 MAM CAN I HAVE THIS FOR CHRISTMAS?

 Overall it was well worth the visit. The amount of detail put into each room was so overwhelming I can't even begin to try and explain, and the rest of the pics are on Facebook if you would like to see more fancy-ness!

See that dog up there? ^^^ He has no leash on, and that's his owner on the bike.

Welcome to Denmark: the land where dogs don't need leashes, doctor appointments are free, and you make people feel weird when you smile at their babies.

I pass this stand everyday and think about how pretty they are, so hopefully they brighten your day!

Well, now I am off to watching more Downton Abbey! I'm also eating a pomegranate :) So since I haven't given you an awkward selfie lately here you go!

I LOVE POMEGRANATES 

have a good day!

How to piss off a Dane:

Hello beautiful people! Last night we had our first kollegium party (which means our whole kollegium was invited, not just the DIS students - I think DIS gives us money for these so we meet more international people/stop hanging out with all americans haha). The party was Valentines day themed and really fun! SO I will use this as the opportunity to introduce you to my 2 SRA's (like american RA's but they aren't at your service 24/7....and they don't care if you have a pet hamster in your room).

This is Matilde! She is so great! I think she is going to school for developmental education, and this will also be her last semester at DIS.

Aaaaaaand this is Mads: (the one at the top) He is studying fitness and exercise science. He is super fun (if you couldn't tell by this picture) and he always rides his bike instead of taking public transportation.

^this is what happens when drunk people try to make a human pyramid

Today I woke up at the crack o' dawn (or 7am) for an International Reporting workshop, which involved two free meals. <SCORE

This workshop also involved us interviewing people on the street about current events........my current event was the Pope's resignation. Here are a few snippets from my interviews:

1).

Me: "What do you think about the Pope's resignation?"

Turkish man who has lived in Denmark for 26 years: "AHH! I am happy! He's old. It is time for a change. He had such a big house and Jesus probably would not have liked that. Maybe the next Pope should be italian!"

2). 

Me: "Hello. I am writing an article for a clsas, would you mind if I asked you a question?"

Lady: "well that depends on the question........." *looks at me like I am trying to sell her something*

Me: "Ok, well what do you think about the Pope's resignation?"

Lady: "OH, yeah I don't care. Hah hah!"

3). 

Me: "What do you think about the Pope's resignation?"

Old fashionable guy: *really weird smile* "Oh, no comment." then slowly walks away. 

^Did I mention that less than 1% of the Danish population is Catholic? I think the majority of Danes are Lutheran...however only 3% go to church regularly. Apparently everyone is either agnostic or atheist.

http://matadornetwork.com/abroad/how-to-piss-off-a-dane/  

^Also my friend from class sent me a wonderful link today! So here it is for you're viewing pleasure.

Also I would just like to add that I have probably done every single one of these things....awkward.

So, It's official.....

I'm sick! Which means no city adventuring. (I was gonna post this yesterday but got distracted by Pretty Woman and When Harry Met Sally....). So I am slightly better now! Enough of my issues, moving on!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Have you seen google's logo yet? It's too cute, you should go check it out.)

I had my first official shift at Studenterhuset on Tuesday night as a barista/bartender/therapist. (Just kidding about the therapist part. However, I believe my uncle Brian was a fantastic bartender therapist when he was in college). At first I was kind of nervous since I didn't really know how to do anything, but things got better as the night went on. The guy in charge of the bar that night was a wonderfully nice Dane named Mads who had a fantastic beard (a beard that even Kimbo Slice would envy). So, you know how in America your work training lasts a few shifts and its usually pretty intense and they show you how to do everything then watch you do it so they know you know how? Well that ain't the case here. I believe when I asked Mads how to make a Cappuccino and he said, "oooh, well try on your own, you can't mess it up. Just see what happens." Ok Mads! Righty-o! Fortunately i'm a caffeine addict and could figure out how to make the espresso...aaaaand then things went down hill. Don't worry though, the bearded wonder came to my rescue and taught me how to make all the other latte drinks. (It'll probably be the last time he says those words to anyone again though). Things went on pretty smoothly from there, I learned how to work the magical stamping dishwasher, how to make some drinks, and how to NOT forget to take the bottle caps off the bottles before handing them to customers (the only cans they have here are for hard cider). Ahh however towards the end of the night I got kinda cocky with the hot water for tea and burnt my left hand. It's better now! But my pride shall never be the same....

Tuesday was also swing dance night (Nicholas Scanlan you would have loved it, and it made me miss all my Johnson/Ruddy/Scanlan-Cheathams a ton). I think I almost got kicked/swung danced into about 5 times while I was clearing some tables, who knew swing dancing was so dangerous? All the other bartenders were extremely nice, most of them are on volunteer basis just like me. I did the math though and with the amount of free coffee drinks, booze, and experience I will get by the end of the semester...I think its worth it :)

Wednesday I got sucked into the black hole that is youtube, and I contemplated being sick without my mom to take care of me. Well I guess now that I am 21 I will have to start taking care of myself....pity. Hi mam! I also got to eat toast all day. I have decided that my personal heaven will be a land of toast that I can eat all day.

Today I worked another shift! And of course it is Valentines day! To celebrate, my roommate Kira and I went to the glass market and got some cake. She got a vanilla cake with raspberry filling and vanilla custard in the middle and I got a chocolate marble cheesecake:

This one is mine! (Also why are danish dessert forks super tiny?)

Audrey Rae Ruddy: The cake place we were at had cows EVERYWHERE. There were cow collages and cow figurines! I think I met about 10 of Mr. Cowies cousins. (There were also many mushrooms, but the cows were what made me think of you).

After class I came home to attend a security meeting at my Kollegium. There have been a few incidents in our area lately, and since this blog is about the whole experience of study abroad (not just the good) I will share them with you. In the past two weeks two different rooms in my Kollegium have been broken into and robbed (Both rooms belonged to DIS students) - apparently there are wooden windows on the first floor that can be kicked in. All the guys are fine now, and one of them even walked in on the thief in the act and proceeded to chase him down a few blocks. Other than that the corner store on our street was robbed twice and there was a smattering of other shady activity. My room is on the second floor so I personally do not feel threatened by a robbery, however many people were extremely upset about the whole situation. Long story short they are gonna up the security around here. I also think this might be a good lesson that just because Copenhagen is one of the safest cities in the world doesn't mean that regular crime doesn't exist here. 

On a lighter note, here is another bro quote! (rhyming skills)

Bro 1: Hey, I left a brand new bottle of extra virgin olive oil in the common room a few days ago and now it's not there. If you took it please give it back.

Bro 2: bro, it's in my room from when we cooked Saturday. 

Have a happy Valentines Day!
Love, Becca/Reba/Reebs/Rebecca

Top o' Copenhagen

 Today two of my classes were canceled. Happy dance! So I went on an excursion around the city complex with some friends! We went to the top of the round tower that overlooks the city.

Copenhagen is so beautiful and the sheer amount of copper roofs was amazing. Imagine what the city looked like back when those buildings were first built!


Also here is the hookup map that I told you about yesterday (Someone on my trip had the decency to post it).

Trip Recap

Hi everyone! So, we got back from our trip last night all in one piece! Which is a small miracle considering how much stuff they packed into our schedule. Our core course's objective is memory and identity, so the point of this trip was to examine the identity of Denmark and how history has impacted the people's opinions and lifestyles.

OH, ALSO my brother will is leaving today for Nepal! I think he already started his blog too, and seeing as he is an extremely entertaining individual, I have no doubt in my mind that his blog is going to be hilarious. (If he actually remembers to post. jk jk).

aww tazo so cute

So good luck will!!! I miss you a ton and I'll think of you every day out there in Kathmandu.

Alrighty. Pastry break brb. 

FRIDAY

Friday morning we left super early and spent the whole day at a Folk Highschool (or a Folkehøjskole in Danish). The most important thing to know is that these schools are nothing like american high schools. The young adults who attend these schools are usually around 18 - 21 years old and come to the schools only for a semester or a year as a break from college. Folk Highschools don't have classes or exams. As a student you pick a major (the school we went to had majors like: journalism, art, theater, music, outdoorsmanship, and ceramics) and devote your whole semester to self exploration and honing your major skills. All students live and socialize on campus (there is a bar and a dance floor in the basement), and only leave to visit home occasionally on weekends. 

This visit was truly amazing just to see how important self development is to many Danes. Many students save up money for years just to attend schools like these, and the students who don't attend usually take a semester off to go traveling. (This type of school is one of the only in Denmark that costs money. Primary school and college educations are paid for by the government.)

 This is the back view of the Folk highschool we went to: Ry Højskole

ok too much info, therefore it is time for bullet points:

• It was beautiful!
• We went on a hike to one of the highest points in the city.
• Denmarks tallest mountain - Himmelbjerget - was also in the city and stands at a whopping 482 feet. Tiny mountain!
• The students all have shifts helping cook meals and running the bar.
• Two of the girl students put up a hook up map....a poster with everyones pictures on it that connected people with string who had hooked up. I'm not sure if that was a brilliant idea or a terrifying one, but it was very entertaining to look at (probably not if you lived there though). 
• I had a lovely conversation with some of the danish students about obesity in America. American student quote: "Yeah, I miss seeing fat people." Danish students chalk up our battle with corpulence to our love of fried food (at first I disagreed about this...but then I remembered that our state fairs have deep fried snickers bars) and the problem of having the unhealthiest food as the cheapest food.
• BEST HOMEMADE BREAD ON THE PLANET I WOULD SELL MY SOUL FOR AN ETERNITY OF THAT BREAD IT WAS SO GOOD. And they put butter and jam on it! (Danes prefer marmalade over jelly).
• I'm not gonna lie I ate 4 pieces of that bread.
• at morning meetings every day students sing song from their Folkehøjskole song books. We got to sing some too when they introduced us to the school: Let it be and With a little help from my friends by the Beatles. Definitely didn't see that coming due to my catholic school upbringing. Song books = Peace is flowing like a river, Eagles wings, etc. not the Beatles.
• My team won the awesome contest, so free beer for all! 

SATURDAY

• Went to a concentration camp in Denmark called Frøslevlejrens (this Danish concentration camp was very different from other camps like Auschwitz - the prisoners were well fed due to Danish control of the meals, there was no torture and no killings in the camp, and the only thing prisoners had to fear was being sent to a bigger camp like Auschwitz. This camp was used in 1944 and 1945.

The central building.

A drawing done by a prisoner of the same building in 1944.

• We went to a castle!!!! Glückberg castle that is. Sadly, they did not allow pictures inside, which is such a bummer because it was magical. I have also decided that I am going to summer there next year. Maybe i'll have a garden party. You are all invited! Also, due to developing plumbing trends, all of the bathrooms are disguised as giant wardrobes! 

 Danish royalty used to spend their summers here before the Danish/German border changed,  today Glücksberg is still a german castle.

 Found a dog!

The tour guide made us wear these around the castle. (and yes you can slide across the floor in them like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATTjGKJwhFI)

• Lunch in the castle!

Lemon mousse soufflé thing with pomegranate seeds

• went to a small german town for the night (It used to be Danish before the border changed so a lot of the people speak German and Danish). 
• I had some authentic German food for dinner: Schnitzel anyone?

SATURDAY

• Got up early once again.
• Saw a battlefield where the battle of Dybbøl took place in 1864 (which the Danes lost spectacularly to the Prussians, resulting in the border change). 

• The next stop was a modern art museum called the Kunst Museum. This museum houses many famous Danish artists. Oh yeah, and they have a really cool gargoyle goblin fountain thing outside. (I like their "pretty fountains are for weird people, we shall have a gargoyle!" attitude).

• Our last stop before going back to Copenhagen was a traditional Danish lunch at an inn somewhere in the middle of Denmark. (<I have no idea where it is....fell asleep. Dang it). The food was amazing. First you start off with an assortment of fish and some salad. There was smoked salmon, some tuna stuff, and A TON of herring (also caviar). The next course is the main event. Here you have a choice of different cooked fish (the first course fish wasn't really cooked..I don't think), pork, meatballs, or beef. Then the third course is a small plate of cheese and or fruit. The finale is Dessert (which was a almond chocolate mouse roll thing - also delicious) with coffee. ALSO bread with every course. EVERY SINGLE ONE. I love bread, especially Danish bread. 

On the way home we watched A Royal Affair (a fantastic Danish movie about King Christian the seventh who was kind of crazy). It was very good (sad, but good) and I definitely recommend it.

I'm so happy to be "home"! I hope you all had a fantastic weekend! (Sorry for the long post). Talk to you soon! Love, Becca