What....what...WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!
How in the world I am packing up to go home? This cannot be.
But, alas, it is. Four months in this fabulous country have flown by and now I must pack up and go home.
This is sad, I tell you. To spend the majority of my last day here cleaning is not how I pictured it, but that's reality I suppose.
I remember flying into 70 degree weather and now I am staring at a winter wonderland outside. Snow is everywhere! It's a good thing the Danes left last week or else I would have been absolutely dreading leaving the højskole. Like I said in the previous post, the højskole just became a building after they left, so in a way I am ready to say good bye. Luckily, I get to meet up with some of my best Danish friends tonight for one last dinner. They all come back from Turkey tonight, so I get to have one more hygge session with them. They honestly made my experience as fabulous as it was. I can't thank them enough for being so accepting and friendly. They were just absolutely amazing and hopefully I will be able to see some of them in future!
I don't really know how to write a good bye post, it really hasn't hit me yet. I am one of those people who starts crying after the good bye. It hits me when I am not there. This is unfortunate because I have to write this post now. I suppose I will just do one when I get home because that's when the waterworks will hit. Goodbye Denmark. I have the strangest feeling leaving you. I can't really describe it. All I can say is that I have LOVED my experience here. To those who are looking to do DIS, live in a folkhøjskole! Quite honestly one of the best decisions I could have made. It made Denmark apart me. (Corny, but true.)
Well, I have to get back to packing/ cleaning, I have to leave my room incredibly clean for the next DIS students!
The finale post will be typed up in good ole' AMERICA.
Hej hej!
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Living in a Folkhøjskole Video
If you're interested in living in a højskole, I did an interview about the living situation for DIS. It gives you a good look of what the Grundtvig Højskole looks like.
The Dreaded Last Week
Here I am....the last week.
My Copenhagen experience is coming to an end. I have such mixed feelings about leaving Copenhagen. Part of me is ready to go home, and the other half is not ready to leave this wonderful existence where everyday is a new adventure.
The only reason I am saying that I am ready to go home is that we had to say goodbye to our Danish friends in the højskole this weekend. For their last week, they all left to go to Turkey with the teachers, so now the Americans are left all alone in the højskole for the last week.
The Danish friends I have met here have really made my experience as wonderful as it has been, so when they left I was saying good bye to the Danish experience that I had known for these past four months. It was horrible saying good bye to some of my best friends, because there is a possibility that I will never see them again. Hopefully, I will, but in reality our two countries are very far apart. It is a dismal realization. However, our last week together was filled with great memories. We had an open mike night where Margaret and I did "Proud Mary" and the other Danes showcased some of their talents. We had a night where their parents came and we got to see all their artwork, photography, films, journalism work, and their choir sing! We also walked around the castle with them and had more snowball fights.
On the last night, we had a party where basically all we did was cry and hygge (getting cozy by the fire and sing songs and talk). The højskole provided a lovely finale dinner filled with speeches and songs and then we had an open bar for the rest of the evening. I spent the night hanging out with my best friends Tinne, Tijana, Freydis, Freya, and Kenneth talking about our memories and plans for the future. It was a bittersweet night filled with memories and friendship. The next morning I got up to say goodbye....there were lots of tears and it was very hard to watch them walk away. The resonating sound of emptiness filled the højskole when they left. The common room usually filled with a roaring fire, friendly faces and laughter was still and quiet in the morning light. The student's photography and artwork no longer brightened up the hallways. The lovely højskole I had known and made wonderful memories in was now just a building.
Though Margaret and I were very depressed from our friends leaving, we were determined to make our last week in Denmark a great one. I only have two exams on Thursday and Friday so I had about 4 or 5 days to do absolutely anything. So far we have gone to all the Christmas markets in Gammeltorv, Nyhavn, and Christania. These markets are filled with Christmas or "Jule" cheer. There is spiced hot wine (called glook), roasted nuts, christmas ornaments, knitted Norwegian sweaters, and much more just filling these markets. It was quite Christmasy.
I went to the International højskole in Helsingør, where the other DIS students lived. It was a neat experience because that højskole has students from practically every continent in the world and the base language spoken is English, so it was kind of like being back home.
I also walked to our castle one more time (Frederiksborg) and just walked in the gardens and admired the frozen lake and the snow. I was going to go to the IceBar but unfortunately last night I kind of broke my big toe.....so right now I am confined to my bed for a day or two...the snow is coming in handy as ice. So since I am injured, my plans have been cut short but I may spend the next few days studying and bonding with my fellow Americans about the wonderful adventures we have had in Denmark. Skol!
P.S. I also lost my camera, so the pictures on here are taken by my talented (Danish) friend, Kenneth.
My Copenhagen experience is coming to an end. I have such mixed feelings about leaving Copenhagen. Part of me is ready to go home, and the other half is not ready to leave this wonderful existence where everyday is a new adventure.
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| Tijana and I at the castle! |
The only reason I am saying that I am ready to go home is that we had to say goodbye to our Danish friends in the højskole this weekend. For their last week, they all left to go to Turkey with the teachers, so now the Americans are left all alone in the højskole for the last week.
The Danish friends I have met here have really made my experience as wonderful as it has been, so when they left I was saying good bye to the Danish experience that I had known for these past four months. It was horrible saying good bye to some of my best friends, because there is a possibility that I will never see them again. Hopefully, I will, but in reality our two countries are very far apart. It is a dismal realization. However, our last week together was filled with great memories. We had an open mike night where Margaret and I did "Proud Mary" and the other Danes showcased some of their talents. We had a night where their parents came and we got to see all their artwork, photography, films, journalism work, and their choir sing! We also walked around the castle with them and had more snowball fights.
On the last night, we had a party where basically all we did was cry and hygge (getting cozy by the fire and sing songs and talk). The højskole provided a lovely finale dinner filled with speeches and songs and then we had an open bar for the rest of the evening. I spent the night hanging out with my best friends Tinne, Tijana, Freydis, Freya, and Kenneth talking about our memories and plans for the future. It was a bittersweet night filled with memories and friendship. The next morning I got up to say goodbye....there were lots of tears and it was very hard to watch them walk away. The resonating sound of emptiness filled the højskole when they left. The common room usually filled with a roaring fire, friendly faces and laughter was still and quiet in the morning light. The student's photography and artwork no longer brightened up the hallways. The lovely højskole I had known and made wonderful memories in was now just a building.
Though Margaret and I were very depressed from our friends leaving, we were determined to make our last week in Denmark a great one. I only have two exams on Thursday and Friday so I had about 4 or 5 days to do absolutely anything. So far we have gone to all the Christmas markets in Gammeltorv, Nyhavn, and Christania. These markets are filled with Christmas or "Jule" cheer. There is spiced hot wine (called glook), roasted nuts, christmas ornaments, knitted Norwegian sweaters, and much more just filling these markets. It was quite Christmasy.
I went to the International højskole in Helsingør, where the other DIS students lived. It was a neat experience because that højskole has students from practically every continent in the world and the base language spoken is English, so it was kind of like being back home.
I also walked to our castle one more time (Frederiksborg) and just walked in the gardens and admired the frozen lake and the snow. I was going to go to the IceBar but unfortunately last night I kind of broke my big toe.....so right now I am confined to my bed for a day or two...the snow is coming in handy as ice. So since I am injured, my plans have been cut short but I may spend the next few days studying and bonding with my fellow Americans about the wonderful adventures we have had in Denmark. Skol!
P.S. I also lost my camera, so the pictures on here are taken by my talented (Danish) friend, Kenneth.
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| Memories...walking to McDonald's haha |
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| Chelsea (American) and I at the final party! |
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| A final walk to the castle... |
Monday, December 6, 2010
The.Bieber.Parade.
This is a Danish adventure is sure to top all the rest.
This weekend I was witness to a tragic event. A decimation to humanity, an absolute catastrophe to the Danish culture.......I witnessed the unspeakable crime of a Bieber Parade.
That's right. A parade...solely dedicated to the worship of an elven-sized lad named Justin Bieber. Praised for his angelic voice and cherub-like looks, Justin Bieber is a god among teeny boppers everywhere. Atleast 90% of the pre-pubescent girl population have pledged their heart and soul to him on countless fan forums. To my utter dismay, it seemed that the plague of "Bieber fever" had magically wafted its way over from America and had hit Copenhagen. Symptoms including uncontrollable sobbing, obsessive replaying of "Baby", and dire desperation to please and praise this Keebler House elf with obsessive fan relics and facebook dedication posts seemed to be evident among this throng of 800 girls in City Square.
It.was.horrifying.
Now you ask (or maybe not)....how did I come upon this herd of Biebers?
Well, I was peacefully strolling through the quaint shopping street of Strøget, taking in the sweet smells of roasted nuts and the faint glistening of snowflakes as they slowly fluttered down among the throng of Christmas shoppers. Christmas music filled the air and all was merry.....that's when I heard it.
The chanting. I should have left right then when I heard the first note piercing note of "One Time" ruin the Christmas atomsphere. It was a horrific sight. I turned to see what appeared to be thousands of braces clad, silly-band wearing Danish girls.
I was like Simba in the Lion King stampede, but instead of wildebeest it was much worse.....it was a herd of BELIEBERS.
The signs, the shirts, the metal on their teeth....I was trying to desperately out run them. They came fast though, their mission was to be heard throughout Copenhagen. Their mission to spread the belief of BIEBER was unstoppable. I didn't have Mufasa to rescue me from under their pounding All-Star clad feet, I had to rely on my own street skills to dodge these fiends of pre-teendom.
*Ok, yes this is one hyperbole of a tale but it's for emotional effect. *
Luckily, I escaped but I will never forget the day that the Bieber Fever hit Copenhagen. Let us all pray for mercy upon the Danish population, may they survive the plague of BIEBER. STAY STRONG DENMARK...STAY STRONG.
*Retold from Courtney's actual harrowing encounter of the BIEBER PARADE
This weekend I was witness to a tragic event. A decimation to humanity, an absolute catastrophe to the Danish culture.......I witnessed the unspeakable crime of a Bieber Parade.
That's right. A parade...solely dedicated to the worship of an elven-sized lad named Justin Bieber. Praised for his angelic voice and cherub-like looks, Justin Bieber is a god among teeny boppers everywhere. Atleast 90% of the pre-pubescent girl population have pledged their heart and soul to him on countless fan forums. To my utter dismay, it seemed that the plague of "Bieber fever" had magically wafted its way over from America and had hit Copenhagen. Symptoms including uncontrollable sobbing, obsessive replaying of "Baby", and dire desperation to please and praise this Keebler House elf with obsessive fan relics and facebook dedication posts seemed to be evident among this throng of 800 girls in City Square.
 |
| HORROR. |
Now you ask (or maybe not)....how did I come upon this herd of Biebers?
Well, I was peacefully strolling through the quaint shopping street of Strøget, taking in the sweet smells of roasted nuts and the faint glistening of snowflakes as they slowly fluttered down among the throng of Christmas shoppers. Christmas music filled the air and all was merry.....that's when I heard it.
The chanting. I should have left right then when I heard the first note piercing note of "One Time" ruin the Christmas atomsphere. It was a horrific sight. I turned to see what appeared to be thousands of braces clad, silly-band wearing Danish girls.
I was like Simba in the Lion King stampede, but instead of wildebeest it was much worse.....it was a herd of BELIEBERS.
The signs, the shirts, the metal on their teeth....I was trying to desperately out run them. They came fast though, their mission was to be heard throughout Copenhagen. Their mission to spread the belief of BIEBER was unstoppable. I didn't have Mufasa to rescue me from under their pounding All-Star clad feet, I had to rely on my own street skills to dodge these fiends of pre-teendom.
*Ok, yes this is one hyperbole of a tale but it's for emotional effect. *
Luckily, I escaped but I will never forget the day that the Bieber Fever hit Copenhagen. Let us all pray for mercy upon the Danish population, may they survive the plague of BIEBER. STAY STRONG DENMARK...STAY STRONG.
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| ABOMINATION OF MUSIC. |
Friday, December 3, 2010
Let It snow, let it snow, let it snow
Let it snow!!!!!!
(even though people are freezing to death throughout Europe) whatevs. It is so pretty!!!
Well, once again we find me abstaining from work. What's new.
I have a 15-page European film paper due next week, but that's basically it. Sooo I am just chillin' (literally) in the hangout room of Grundtvigs. I got some awesome reading glasses today from Tiger (the dollar store). I don't wear glasses but sometimes I trick myself into believing that I need them and in turn I feel more intellectual, so I bought some. Nothing about that reason of thinking is logical.
They also function as a great intellectual head band.
What are some Danish adventures I have been up to....wellllll:
1) Margaret and I ventured out into the snow to get firewood. This sounds so "1863: Uncle Tom's Cabin-esque" but it wasn't, it was already chopped up. We just had to get it.
2) Um, I watched the Danish film "Anti-Christ." Disturbing.
3) Worked on my foosball skills with the Danes, slowly but surely I will learn how to properly play without spinning my players into a frenzy.
4) Had some schwarma. Also, had some McDonald's. Ate a jar of Nutella. That's not Danish, but it is relevant. Food is always relevant.
5) Learned how to count to ten in Danish. Seeing that I have a difficult time counting money, this was a surprisingly hard task.
6) Walked...to... places.
7) Drew a polar bear today during Nordic Mythology.
8) Sang Christmas carols at the højskole around a fire. A large amount of Danes know how to play piano (they also know 5 languages fluently) so they are possibly a more superior culture.
9) Taught the Danes how to make s'mores!!!!!! It was so cute. The Danes with their little scarves and sweaters learned how to make s'mores. O my gosh, the Danes are just always adorable. You just want to keep one in your pocket.
Daw, I love Danes. They are just such gorgeous people (inside and out). I love my højskole (I TOTALLY JUST FIGURED OUT HOW TO MAKE the ø!!!!)
This just completely revolutionizes my blog.
What else can I do when I press the option key?
œ∑´®®†¥¥¨ˆøπˆåß∂ƒ©˙∆∆˚¬¬…æΩ≈ç√∫˜˜µ≤≥÷¡™¢∞§¶•ªº
Guess I know what I am doing for the rest of the night.
I swear Apple computers are like the Narnia closet, you just open it up and there are so many magical things to do.
(even though people are freezing to death throughout Europe) whatevs. It is so pretty!!!
Well, once again we find me abstaining from work. What's new.
I have a 15-page European film paper due next week, but that's basically it. Sooo I am just chillin' (literally) in the hangout room of Grundtvigs. I got some awesome reading glasses today from Tiger (the dollar store). I don't wear glasses but sometimes I trick myself into believing that I need them and in turn I feel more intellectual, so I bought some. Nothing about that reason of thinking is logical.
 |
| Totally worth it...right? Snazzy. |
What are some Danish adventures I have been up to....wellllll:
1) Margaret and I ventured out into the snow to get firewood. This sounds so "1863: Uncle Tom's Cabin-esque" but it wasn't, it was already chopped up. We just had to get it.
2) Um, I watched the Danish film "Anti-Christ." Disturbing.
3) Worked on my foosball skills with the Danes, slowly but surely I will learn how to properly play without spinning my players into a frenzy.
4) Had some schwarma. Also, had some McDonald's. Ate a jar of Nutella. That's not Danish, but it is relevant. Food is always relevant.
5) Learned how to count to ten in Danish. Seeing that I have a difficult time counting money, this was a surprisingly hard task.
6) Walked...to... places.
7) Drew a polar bear today during Nordic Mythology.
8) Sang Christmas carols at the højskole around a fire. A large amount of Danes know how to play piano (they also know 5 languages fluently) so they are possibly a more superior culture.
9) Taught the Danes how to make s'mores!!!!!! It was so cute. The Danes with their little scarves and sweaters learned how to make s'mores. O my gosh, the Danes are just always adorable. You just want to keep one in your pocket.
 |
| Learn fast...like the dodo bird, they will soon be extinct. |
This just completely revolutionizes my blog.
What else can I do when I press the option key?
œ∑´®®†¥¥¨ˆøπˆåß∂ƒ©˙∆∆˚¬¬…æΩ≈ç√∫˜˜µ≤≥÷¡™¢∞§¶•ªº
Guess I know what I am doing for the rest of the night.
I swear Apple computers are like the Narnia closet, you just open it up and there are so many magical things to do.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Now it's cold.
Frozen. Absolutely frozen. I don't even want to walk 10 minutes for I am in fear of slowly turning into a glacier. Ok, that's obviously an exaggeration. A glacier takes a long time to form. Moving on..
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| Don't mind meeee |
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| Seems like a nice guy. |
 |
| Maybe an explorer...maybe not. You know I have actually been relatively surprised with the weather here in Denmark. I thought it was going to rain all the time and we would be experiencing sub-zero temperatures by October. Nei, it has only rained a handful of times and the sub-zero temperatures didn't hit till this weekend. MERRY CHRISTMAS! Well, I must learn to master the Scandinavian ways of bundling up. Massive scarves, knitted crap, Norwegian sweaters, and the occasional thigh high boot seems to be the way to go. I may have to take a trip to the "Sweater house" this weekend and do a little damage to the bank account. May buy a reindeer blanket or two, because no house is complete without the essential Rudolph throw rug. As shown here.  Who knows what to do. Three weeks left...so sad. I don't want to leaveeeeeee! (despite the cold) The other day I had my last core class and I honestly felt depressed leaving it. Never before have I loved a class so much, that I didn't want to leave it. Our professor made us a goodbye cake that said, "team awesome" (epic right?) in messy handwriting..dawwwwww SO CUTE. I was coming very close to just engulfing my professor in a huge hug and just letting him know how much I loved my class. I suppressed that urge and settled for a handshake, but I felt utterly defeated and melancholy leaving that class for the last time. Someone cue the the depressing Charlie Brown Christmas music. |
To further exemplify how awesome my classes are, I brought it one of my Danish friends to class. No reason, just a little show n' tell if you will. Just waltzed on in 20 minutes late (due to train problems aka girl getting run over). Don't worry she was okay...back to the story.
It was great, it was like that one time in 4th grade when someone snuck their bunny into class and got away with it. Except I did it with a Dane. Mad props.
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| Not always the easiest task. Okay well, I can further procrastinate studying for my Communications class exam by writing more on this blog but I must bid you farewell once more. Tootles. |
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| Margaret= Denmark weather. Photo credit: Kenneth Laugaard Andersen |
Sunday, November 28, 2010
A Happy "Taksgiving"
One thing that never really occurred to me is that Thanksgiving is an American holiday. It's when you're abroad that you notice these simple little things. Like, oh we don't have 20 lbs turkeys at our disposal...well in this case we made it happen, we brought America to Denmark. How did we do this? We ordered two 20lb turkeys from the American Air Force base in Germany. That's what I call utilizing our connections. We also received a large amount of Thanksgiving decorations shipped in from the States to make it an extra authentic Thanksgiving. True, it looked like we were throwing Thanksgiving for a bunch of Kindergardeners, but hey if the pilgrim statues get the point across then so be it.
The next night one of our friends from Elon invited us over to his host family's house in Lynge for a second Thanksgiving! It was pretty much the same deal, but we had duck instead of turkey. Mm mm good. It was nice to be included in a family dinner again, and to see and interact with Danish children was a lot of fun too. Later on, we came home in a crazy blizzard that left us with 2 ft of snow in the morning. So of course, this calls for a snowball fight. I literally got pounded into the snow, this was a battle of the best.
The next day I just vegged out. I literally did nothing. I procrastinated from doing my procrastination work. Later we all had a "super hero" themed party. This was hard because where in the world would I get a costume for that?! Luckily people went as the most random things possible. There was Cinnamon Man, the ManEater, the Joker's son, and then people who just came in their regular clothes. It worked out.
O my gosh, I only have 3 more weeks left here....where.did.that. go. I am just in pure shock right now! How did 4 months fly by so fast?!?!? Wow, well Ill post an update soon.
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| A Taksgiving Dinner! |
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| Lovely decorations The Americans at the hojskole really outdid themselves. The kitchen staff was nice enough to let us borrow their ovens and cooking materials to make our Thanksgiving an extraordinary feast and some of the girls were really able to put their cooking talents to test. We had two butterball turkeys (w/stuffing), green bean casserole, corn, peas, cinnamon sweet potatoes, homemade cranberry sauce, buttered Southern rolls, three homemade pies (with homemade whip cream) and decorations everywhere. It was the ultimate Thanksgiving. We ate dinner in the oldest room of the hojskole which had authentic wooden Danish furniture from the 17th century and we held hands and went around and said what we were thankful for. We invited some of the Danes to come and experience a thanksgiving and they loved it! It was quite the festive feast. O and I had my first "white" thanksgiving! We had snow on the ground which made it even more enchanting. |
The next day I just vegged out. I literally did nothing. I procrastinated from doing my procrastination work. Later we all had a "super hero" themed party. This was hard because where in the world would I get a costume for that?! Luckily people went as the most random things possible. There was Cinnamon Man, the ManEater, the Joker's son, and then people who just came in their regular clothes. It worked out.
O my gosh, I only have 3 more weeks left here....where.did.that. go. I am just in pure shock right now! How did 4 months fly by so fast?!?!? Wow, well Ill post an update soon.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Went to Russia and Made it Back!
Forewarning...boring but informational post. Too much adventure for one blog.
Now what are your stereotypical thoughts of Russia?
Cold.
Depressing.
Communism.
Bears?
Well, I am glad to say that only one of those words is true. St. Petersburg is cold, but the rest of Russia was relatively comfortable with the correct winter wear on.
My trip to Russia with DIS was absolutely amazing. This trip help put to rest some of the typical stereotypical thoughts I had about Russia, but it also confirmed some. For instance, I thought Russia was going to be very poor, very cold, and overall I thought it would be a very depressing country to visit. It was the complete opposite! Most people were driving around in brand new models of Land Rovers or other luxury brands, the weather was only 30 F (it could have been worse), and the country was definitely more beautiful than I thought it was going to be. There were candy-colored palaces and churches everywhere and oddly enough both cities were actually pretty clean.
However, there were also stereotypes that were confirmed. Russians are very stoic people. They don't smile and are very distant, the woman all wear 6 inch heels and tons of makeup while the men look like they could be part of the KGB. No one speaks any English (not that they should) and everything is written in the Russian alphabet. The law enforcement is very strict and intimidating and their presence is evident on every street corner. So overall, Russia is a very foreign place to be. It's somewhere that you definitely need a guide who knows Russian and the true Russian culture, but don't let that scare you away! There are so many wonderful things about Russia so let me tell you a little about each city I visited in the "heart of darkness."
St. Petersburg
Absolutely stunning. This city is an embodiment of French architecture and is truly a "window to the west." The palaces among the Neva River look like Candy Land. Pink, blue, yellow, green, the colors pop out against the gray, snowy landscape of St. Petersburg. There are hundreds of statues and beautiful gold Russian orthodox churches that dot the city. The classic onion domes are everywhere to be found along with the occasional trace of communism that lurks behind every symbol of today's Russia.
While we were in St. Petersburg, we learned that Russia has definitely created a facade for the outside world. While the palaces are beautiful and the appearance of wealth is everywhere, we got an inside look of how true Russians live. Our professor organized an opportunity for us with his former Russian students to take us around and show us the St. Petersburg that they know. What we saw definitely left an impression. Our friend showed us communal flats where several families lived in a condemned apartment that just reaked of unhealthy living. Many middle class Russians can only afford this way of living because their wages are poor and most small businesses cannot withstand the pressure of competing with big companies and living in constant fear of corruption that continually plagues business owners. He continued to say that communism had left many Russians poor and unable to function in society that allowed political and economical freedom. Though this was the case for many Russians, he did make a point that most citizens of St. Petersburg do fine on their own if they find the ambition to break out of the communist mindset. As a journalist, he was able to afford a nice flat and a comfortable living on a pretty normal salary.
Throughout the days, we visited the beautiful Winter Palace and even saw a Russian ballet at the famed Mariinsky Theatre. We also dined on excellent meals that included reindeer meat, potato pancakes, fish, and even the classic Russian borsch soup. I left with such a changed outlook of Russia. St. Petersburg was truly a gem among the harsh, cold landscape of Russia.
Moscow
The New York City of Russia. With over 10 million people living in a big circle of constant traffic and dark buildings, this is what I had in mind of Russian life. The Red Square is the pinnacle of Russian authoritarianism. Foreboding Russian guards in fur hats stand sentry waiting for any chance of any interruption to occur, while the Kremlin fortress stands above the mausoleum where Lenin's 100 year old body is mummified is on display. However, the beauty of St. Basil's Cathedral brightens up the square with its gingerbread appearance and surrealistic architecture. Like in St. Petersburg, our professor paired us up with "Russian buddies " from the local university. Four of us met up with three other lovely Russians our age who showed us the fun side of Moscow. We walked throughout the parks, watched the Russian guards change post, and then went back to their apartment to have tea and cakes and talk about our different lives. It was an amazing experience because now I can say I have three Russian friends :)
I am sorry this post is so short and I wish I could share all the hilarity that I experienced on this trip, but it is simply too hard to constrict such a fabulous learning experience into one blog. I could probably write a novel on it, but due to time restrictions (project due and seeing Harry Potter at midnight) I simply do not have time to fully give my Russian experience the credit it deserves. I will leave you with this though. If you have the chance to take this trip. Do it. There is simply no possible way to have the experience I did without going through DIS. I saw and learned so much more than the tourist side of Russia and I got to experience the history, culture, and nationalism that this mysterious country has to offer.
Russia. Just do it.
Now what are your stereotypical thoughts of Russia?
Cold.
Depressing.
Communism.
Bears?
Well, I am glad to say that only one of those words is true. St. Petersburg is cold, but the rest of Russia was relatively comfortable with the correct winter wear on.
My trip to Russia with DIS was absolutely amazing. This trip help put to rest some of the typical stereotypical thoughts I had about Russia, but it also confirmed some. For instance, I thought Russia was going to be very poor, very cold, and overall I thought it would be a very depressing country to visit. It was the complete opposite! Most people were driving around in brand new models of Land Rovers or other luxury brands, the weather was only 30 F (it could have been worse), and the country was definitely more beautiful than I thought it was going to be. There were candy-colored palaces and churches everywhere and oddly enough both cities were actually pretty clean.
However, there were also stereotypes that were confirmed. Russians are very stoic people. They don't smile and are very distant, the woman all wear 6 inch heels and tons of makeup while the men look like they could be part of the KGB. No one speaks any English (not that they should) and everything is written in the Russian alphabet. The law enforcement is very strict and intimidating and their presence is evident on every street corner. So overall, Russia is a very foreign place to be. It's somewhere that you definitely need a guide who knows Russian and the true Russian culture, but don't let that scare you away! There are so many wonderful things about Russia so let me tell you a little about each city I visited in the "heart of darkness."
St. Petersburg
Absolutely stunning. This city is an embodiment of French architecture and is truly a "window to the west." The palaces among the Neva River look like Candy Land. Pink, blue, yellow, green, the colors pop out against the gray, snowy landscape of St. Petersburg. There are hundreds of statues and beautiful gold Russian orthodox churches that dot the city. The classic onion domes are everywhere to be found along with the occasional trace of communism that lurks behind every symbol of today's Russia.
While we were in St. Petersburg, we learned that Russia has definitely created a facade for the outside world. While the palaces are beautiful and the appearance of wealth is everywhere, we got an inside look of how true Russians live. Our professor organized an opportunity for us with his former Russian students to take us around and show us the St. Petersburg that they know. What we saw definitely left an impression. Our friend showed us communal flats where several families lived in a condemned apartment that just reaked of unhealthy living. Many middle class Russians can only afford this way of living because their wages are poor and most small businesses cannot withstand the pressure of competing with big companies and living in constant fear of corruption that continually plagues business owners. He continued to say that communism had left many Russians poor and unable to function in society that allowed political and economical freedom. Though this was the case for many Russians, he did make a point that most citizens of St. Petersburg do fine on their own if they find the ambition to break out of the communist mindset. As a journalist, he was able to afford a nice flat and a comfortable living on a pretty normal salary.
Throughout the days, we visited the beautiful Winter Palace and even saw a Russian ballet at the famed Mariinsky Theatre. We also dined on excellent meals that included reindeer meat, potato pancakes, fish, and even the classic Russian borsch soup. I left with such a changed outlook of Russia. St. Petersburg was truly a gem among the harsh, cold landscape of Russia.
I am sorry this post is so short and I wish I could share all the hilarity that I experienced on this trip, but it is simply too hard to constrict such a fabulous learning experience into one blog. I could probably write a novel on it, but due to time restrictions (project due and seeing Harry Potter at midnight) I simply do not have time to fully give my Russian experience the credit it deserves. I will leave you with this though. If you have the chance to take this trip. Do it. There is simply no possible way to have the experience I did without going through DIS. I saw and learned so much more than the tourist side of Russia and I got to experience the history, culture, and nationalism that this mysterious country has to offer.
Russia. Just do it.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Czech Trek!
Czech it out yo! I just came back from an AWESOME travel break trip to the Czech Republic. Hands down one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to in Europe. AHH everything was so great, so I might as well just go ahead and tell you too :)
Initially, I was a little hesitant about this trip. Traveling on a bus for 15 hours with a bunch of randos to the middle of nowhere Czech Republic doesn't exactly spell out fun for me. However, my friend Margaret convinced me to go with her. So seeing that I love the outdoors, this trip seemed right up alley. It was also cheap considering all the transportation, housing, and meals were included leaving it to be only $500 for the whole thing. Good price for you!
Well, so on and so forth let me tell you about my harrowing journey.
Day 1 (Sunday at 6 PM)
Margaret and I travel to Frue Plads to get on the overnight bus to the Czech Republic. I was really not looking forward to this...I despise buses. When I am not getting car sick in them I am sitting in an absolute bored stupor. Ughhhhhhh I can never sleep on buses. So we climbed on board and after 10 minutes of debating where the best place to set up camp was, I finally settled in. All 50 of us then took off to catch a ferry to Germany where we then continued our journey. After 4 hours of iPod shuffle music and the theme from 'Edward Scissorhands' (movie we were watching) playing in the background I started getting stir crazy. F this S I am going to pop an Advil PM in and see if it works.
It did. Thirteen hours later I woke up to the sun rising over the Czech mountains.....the fall colors were so pretty and it was so much warmer than in Denmark. Hallelujah! From the little Czech town we drove into, we then ascended a mountain to see Hruba Skala.
YUP. This is where we stayed! A castle. Not just any castle....a castle with a view. Real life? You betcha. The staff gave us an excellent breakfast buffet and then we started the day with some archery courses. I know youre saying really?..archery? But hey! It is cooler than you think. If we got the most points then we won a bottle of wine...sooo I got pretty competitive. We're talking Robin Hood competitive too. Fast as lightening I was, but I didn't win. I lost to a Jesus look-a-like. Figures.
After archery we did some "team building exercises" aka a bunch of games where you hold hands and and wear blindfolds. Literally, this was just one big moment of absolute confusion, but it was hilarious. The satisfaction from knowing you can make your circle into a star while blindfolded is un-paralleled. We then settled in the wine bar where we ate incredibly heavy Czech food. The poor vegetarians. Unfortunately, vegetarian translates to what in the world is wrong with you? in Czech.
Literally What Happens
So the poor things kept on getting fried potatoes and even desserts on occasion instead of the hearty meals we were getting. The staff eventually figured it out and gave them salads but I'm pretty sure the vegetarians were starving for a good 2 days.
Day 2
We woke up and did some crazy shizz. We zip-lined over a 500 ft deep gorge and then repelled off the same cliff. You know, I was really surprised I was able to get myself to do some of these things. I really do not like heights but I just took a leap of faith off a side of mountain and just hoped for the best. Though the one moment I regretted my sudden burst of courage was the rope bridge. Why..why...WHY did I get on this thing. This bridge was literally made of a rope and it just straddled you over a gorge. Fantastic. I was fine until I got 15 ft from the entrance and realized....this bridge is not stable. True you are attached to a safety harness, but making your way across a bridge comprised of two ropes is not fun. I was literally having a heart attack, my arms were shaking, the bridge was shaking...sheer terror. So for 15 minutes I tried balancing my way across that horrifying thing. Never again.
However, my little happy adventure took a bad turn when the night fell. Towards the end of the hike we decided to split and go back to the hotel rather than continuing on to see another castle. The guide just told us to follow the road back to the castle, well unfortunately the road splits into two different directions. So six other girls and I were lost in the middle of a Czech Republic forest in the dark. I did not sign up to be a member of the movie "Hostel." Luckily, we were all able to keep our cool. We finally stopped a car to ask for directions but for a good 30 minutes we were pretty lost.
Later that night we had this insane scavenger hunt that went all over the castle and its grounds. There were literally no rules. We had to find these messages in the dark with only candles and then piece them together to find the answer to find the prize. After finding all 20 messages which lead us through the gorges and into old houses we finally pieced it together. It told us to look under the dark knight to unlock the prize. First of all, we don't know who the heck the dark knight is and second, where we could find him before everyone else got to the prize?! So as I was walking around I am came upon a dementor-like person. Thinking this was the dark knight I tried to open its cloak but the person reached out and grabbed me which scared the living daylights out of me and then disappeared. Then I saw him unlock the door to the clock tower. I couldnt believe it, I found it! However, the rest of the groups saw me and rushed in before me. So annoyed, but I held my own! We all sprinted up this ancient staircase to the top of the clock tower to find this room filled with candles ( fire hazard?) That's when things got really competitive, like I was honestly getting ready to throw punches. The two groups up there were pushing and shoving for the first prize of 3 wine bottles, however, I saw the second prize and pulled a Michael Jordan and slam dunked the second prize from the window. BOO YA! So ended up leaving with two boxes of chocolate :)
Day 3
The next day we woke up to go caving! SO FREAKING COOL. Basically they would just shove us into a hole in the ground and tell us to find our way out without any flashlights. Not kidding, these people really have a thing with "trust." They are like "have trust in your group and your instincts, you will find your way out." Umm okay, so basically we have to army crawl through a system of tunnels in the dark and then somehow get through crack at the end that I can barely fit my arm through. Repeat the same procedure 14 times. So by the end we were all covered in dirt, but it was so cool to just trust your instincts and crawl through the dark and scale these huge walls just by using your senses. So 'Avatar.'
Later on in the day, we had lunch at a local Czech restaurant and then we went rock climbing and rappelling! It was great way to end our outdoor adventures in the Czech!
Day 4 and 5
Prague.
Amazing. Beautiful. Favorite city in Europe. I want you to go and experience the majestic beauty of Prague yourself, so I won't give away the wonderful hidden treasure that it is.
Initially, I was a little hesitant about this trip. Traveling on a bus for 15 hours with a bunch of randos to the middle of nowhere Czech Republic doesn't exactly spell out fun for me. However, my friend Margaret convinced me to go with her. So seeing that I love the outdoors, this trip seemed right up alley. It was also cheap considering all the transportation, housing, and meals were included leaving it to be only $500 for the whole thing. Good price for you!
Well, so on and so forth let me tell you about my harrowing journey.
Day 1 (Sunday at 6 PM)
Margaret and I travel to Frue Plads to get on the overnight bus to the Czech Republic. I was really not looking forward to this...I despise buses. When I am not getting car sick in them I am sitting in an absolute bored stupor. Ughhhhhhh I can never sleep on buses. So we climbed on board and after 10 minutes of debating where the best place to set up camp was, I finally settled in. All 50 of us then took off to catch a ferry to Germany where we then continued our journey. After 4 hours of iPod shuffle music and the theme from 'Edward Scissorhands' (movie we were watching) playing in the background I started getting stir crazy. F this S I am going to pop an Advil PM in and see if it works.
It did. Thirteen hours later I woke up to the sun rising over the Czech mountains.....the fall colors were so pretty and it was so much warmer than in Denmark. Hallelujah! From the little Czech town we drove into, we then ascended a mountain to see Hruba Skala.
YUP. This is where we stayed! A castle. Not just any castle....a castle with a view. Real life? You betcha. The staff gave us an excellent breakfast buffet and then we started the day with some archery courses. I know youre saying really?..archery? But hey! It is cooler than you think. If we got the most points then we won a bottle of wine...sooo I got pretty competitive. We're talking Robin Hood competitive too. Fast as lightening I was, but I didn't win. I lost to a Jesus look-a-like. Figures.
After archery we did some "team building exercises" aka a bunch of games where you hold hands and and wear blindfolds. Literally, this was just one big moment of absolute confusion, but it was hilarious. The satisfaction from knowing you can make your circle into a star while blindfolded is un-paralleled. We then settled in the wine bar where we ate incredibly heavy Czech food. The poor vegetarians. Unfortunately, vegetarian translates to what in the world is wrong with you? in Czech.
Literally What Happens
So the poor things kept on getting fried potatoes and even desserts on occasion instead of the hearty meals we were getting. The staff eventually figured it out and gave them salads but I'm pretty sure the vegetarians were starving for a good 2 days.
Day 2
We woke up and did some crazy shizz. We zip-lined over a 500 ft deep gorge and then repelled off the same cliff. You know, I was really surprised I was able to get myself to do some of these things. I really do not like heights but I just took a leap of faith off a side of mountain and just hoped for the best. Though the one moment I regretted my sudden burst of courage was the rope bridge. Why..why...WHY did I get on this thing. This bridge was literally made of a rope and it just straddled you over a gorge. Fantastic. I was fine until I got 15 ft from the entrance and realized....this bridge is not stable. True you are attached to a safety harness, but making your way across a bridge comprised of two ropes is not fun. I was literally having a heart attack, my arms were shaking, the bridge was shaking...sheer terror. So for 15 minutes I tried balancing my way across that horrifying thing. Never again.
 |
| whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy |
After a lunch and a few breathing exercises, we then went on a 4 mile hike throughout the mountains. It was gorgeous! There were the beautiful gorges and these really high mountains. The colors were vibrant and we got to do a lot of exploring.
However, my little happy adventure took a bad turn when the night fell. Towards the end of the hike we decided to split and go back to the hotel rather than continuing on to see another castle. The guide just told us to follow the road back to the castle, well unfortunately the road splits into two different directions. So six other girls and I were lost in the middle of a Czech Republic forest in the dark. I did not sign up to be a member of the movie "Hostel." Luckily, we were all able to keep our cool. We finally stopped a car to ask for directions but for a good 30 minutes we were pretty lost.
Later that night we had this insane scavenger hunt that went all over the castle and its grounds. There were literally no rules. We had to find these messages in the dark with only candles and then piece them together to find the answer to find the prize. After finding all 20 messages which lead us through the gorges and into old houses we finally pieced it together. It told us to look under the dark knight to unlock the prize. First of all, we don't know who the heck the dark knight is and second, where we could find him before everyone else got to the prize?! So as I was walking around I am came upon a dementor-like person. Thinking this was the dark knight I tried to open its cloak but the person reached out and grabbed me which scared the living daylights out of me and then disappeared. Then I saw him unlock the door to the clock tower. I couldnt believe it, I found it! However, the rest of the groups saw me and rushed in before me. So annoyed, but I held my own! We all sprinted up this ancient staircase to the top of the clock tower to find this room filled with candles ( fire hazard?) That's when things got really competitive, like I was honestly getting ready to throw punches. The two groups up there were pushing and shoving for the first prize of 3 wine bottles, however, I saw the second prize and pulled a Michael Jordan and slam dunked the second prize from the window. BOO YA! So ended up leaving with two boxes of chocolate :)
 |
| Had to scale this baby. |
The next day we woke up to go caving! SO FREAKING COOL. Basically they would just shove us into a hole in the ground and tell us to find our way out without any flashlights. Not kidding, these people really have a thing with "trust." They are like "have trust in your group and your instincts, you will find your way out." Umm okay, so basically we have to army crawl through a system of tunnels in the dark and then somehow get through crack at the end that I can barely fit my arm through. Repeat the same procedure 14 times. So by the end we were all covered in dirt, but it was so cool to just trust your instincts and crawl through the dark and scale these huge walls just by using your senses. So 'Avatar.'
Later on in the day, we had lunch at a local Czech restaurant and then we went rock climbing and rappelling! It was great way to end our outdoor adventures in the Czech!
 |
| Fancy footwork. |
Prague.
Amazing. Beautiful. Favorite city in Europe. I want you to go and experience the majestic beauty of Prague yourself, so I won't give away the wonderful hidden treasure that it is.
 |
| "Hot Wine" in Prague! |
Sunday, October 31, 2010
"We're Great Danes!! Ha......get it?"
Ah it has come time again to celebrate this wonderfully American made up candy corporation holiday...tis the day of All Hallow's Eve. I must admit it is a little strange celebrating Halloween over Europe...people are just like "eh....let's go ahead and bring out the Christmas decorations." Umm excuse me? I will not be satisfied to just 'moving on' until I get atleast 20 Reese's in my halloween bag. This year I will for-go the Twizzlers though...thank god. Who gives Twizzlers out on Halloween? You are an abomination to American nationalism madam, if you think it is okay to give out Twizzlers. Cheap.
 |
| Gross. |
Well, since I live in an awesome hojskole, where the motto is "there is always something to celebrate," the Danes were more than happy to take part in the American festivity of Halloween. Since I was done with the three weeks from hell, I was so excited to take part in all the pumpkin carving! Grundtvigs supplied us with 20 pumpkins or so to just have at it! Don't think there were any stencils or pumpkin carving tool kits in this joint. This was real pumpkin carving. We're talking free-hand, butcher knife wielding pumpkin carving. No mercy.
 |
| Absolute professionals. |
However, since my carving craft had been hindered by the fact that I used "kits" all my life...my pumpkin was resembling Quasimodo. So I substituted by just taking everyone's pumpkin guts out for them, because you know that's the best part. I swear, I think pumpkin guts are the key to time travel. There is no other smell that can whisk you back to your childhood like that. Woo getting sentimental there, continuing on...after pumpkin carving the rest of the Danes decided to go watch "The Shining" which I opted out of because if you're going to do a horror movie please do something that doesn't contain Jack Nicholson.
 |
| Americans know what's going on. |
The next night the real festivities began. Naturally, my roommate and I had absolutely no clue what were going to be. I was going to just be a Dane, but then I realized I couldn't really pull it off. So then I had the BEST IDEA EVER....
Two words. Great. Danes.
 |
| BRILLIANT! Right?! |
Easy, fun, absolutely clever, and we could bark....we would be the cat's meow at this party. Chicka chicka yeahh.
So we drew on our dog faces and wore Danish flags that said "great danes" on our costumes and pranced on down to the dinner. As we ran into the dining hall, we honestly thought....what the hell?! This was terrifying. Everyone was dressed up as something dead. Dead clowns, dead brides, dead fairies, dead butchers, and Amy Winehouse who basically looks like death. What is the debauchery? Halloween can be cute too! At least, the dining hall was decorated in a non-ghoulish manner. They had candles, lit pumpkins, and green potatoes? I don't know they had to dye something green. It was very well done.
 |
| Amy Winehouse (Tijana), moi, and Julie! |
Though this feast was fantastic, no one got our costumes. I was crushed! They just thought we were just cats with signs on us that said "great danes" which they took quite literally to mean "o we're cats that happen to be great Danish citizens." Absolute tragedy. It wasn't till later that we discovered that they call Great Danes by their French name here.. "Grande Danoires," well that's just perfect.
So Margaret and I just looked like idiot cats all night long. However, we lived it up by drinking Halloween punch and dancing the Monster Mash all night and having fun with our Danish friends. The Danes really are great...ha. ha. k.
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| The Great Danes and KISS. |
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| Danes living Halloween up. |
Well I need to pack for Prague! I am leaving this afternoon on a 12-hour bus ride (crying a little on the inside) but it's going to be a blast. Czech Trek here I come!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
"You know Swedish? Yeah, everyone in Africa knows Swedish."
Instead of doing my Communications paper or studying Russian, I am writing a blog. But let's be honest, when I am ever going to use Russian? (Mother comments "...when you leave for Russia in 2 weeks.)" Yes, yes, but besides that the only thing Russian is useful for is when I do my "Tatiana, the waxing lady" impression or on the off days when I try to be Agent Salt. Russian= not applicable to my life at the moment.
Well, this weekend has been a journey. After several hours of debating whether my mom and I should get on a plane to Stockholm or not, we finally settled that we should just take the 30 minute train over to Malmo, Sweden. Sweden is going to be Sweden anywhere right? True, I may get to see a moose or two more in the more Northern parts but let us not beat around bush, we are truly going to Sweden to just say "we have been to Sweden." Taking the TJ Maxx route by spending less on basically the same thing, we went to Malmo.
Pretty cool, nothing I would hop over the moon about, but it was Swedish enough. We got some of those wooden horses, walked around saw some Scandinavian houses, and then went to TGI Friday's. Classic americano.
Thinking we were done for the day, Mother of course had to talk to the Swedish couple next to us and they recommended that we see Lund as well. So, of course, we went to Lund. Still cool, they had an ancient church and mom was freaking out because it was Lutheran. "You know, we just don't have these things in America!" It was truly beautiful, it had this ancient clock and this old crypt. So I say it was worth it! Then we went to this Williamsburg-esque set up where they had houses from every time period in Sweden. Houses with grass roofs, mansions, windmills, wooden churches, the whole kit and kaboodle was there. Well done, Lund, well done. But after 10 hours in Sweden, I was getting a little antsy because I had a lot of work to do. So we went back to the SAS hotel and had a lovely night's sleep in our big, Danish bed :)
Next morning, we woke up to go to Hillerod and see my town! Mother was ooing and awing the whole train ride and just exclaiming how gorgeous everything was. Easily entertained she is.
Well, we got out and I decided to head over to Frederiksborg Castle. If you remember my post from a while back, this castle was the Yoko Ono to my John Lennon. If I was amazed, lord only knows how she was going to react.
Though we were eager to go inside, we were hungry. Unfortunately, everything is closed on Sunday. Options for food....7/11 and the Turkish/pizza joint. Sigh...so after eating some less than satisfiable Turkish shwarma we went to the castle. Mother could barely contain herself. Taking pictures everywhere, she was practically bouncing off the walls. It's a great castle and I was happy to be back, but as we were walking through the great hall disaster struck.
"O no......o no......o no o no o no o no" I stopped dead in the middle of this massive hall. A wave of nausea came over me and my stomach felt as though someone was ripping it apart. GOD, WE SHOULD HAVE CHOSEN 7/11! Ow. Okay, what do I do?!?!!? If I move, I will literally barf all over this 600 year old marble, gold leaf floor. Slightly panicking, I whisper, ".......Mom." She is too busy counting the sparkles in the room. "mooom......mom.....mom.....CHERYL!" I hear her go, "hmmmm?" in her happy, high pitched voice while she is still looking at a painting of a princess. I try to whisper, even though it echoes throughout the hall. "Mom....just..just..come here. I'm not feeling well." She turns around and goes, "O NO!! What's wrong?! Are you ill? Okay, okay, it's okay... what do we do?" As the Japanese tourists start pouring in (naturally) I start getting panicky and turning white. If I move, I will throw up. Staying still and immobile, seemed to be the best plan at the moment.
Let's just pan out and look at the situation.
My mom and I are standing in the center of a massive hall......just standing, while little Japanese tourists shuffle in taking pictures of everything in sight. We have no clue where a bathroom could be but I'm starting to get whiter and sicker. Where did this come from?! "Okay, honey.....let's... just go and find a bathroom."
"Mom, we are in the top floor of a castle that has over 200 rooms, none of which are bathrooms. They used buckets back then for Christ's sake!! WHAT AM I GOING TO DO!?" That's when it got worse.
Yup, their is vomit in my mouth. No choice, we are running.
Literally, vaulting over a Japanese lady (easily done) I booked it through 20 rooms, down 2 endless flights of spiral staircases, burst through the gift shop and saw the most beautiful sign in the world. The bathroom sign.
And the rest of the story you probably know. Cheryl (my mom) was somehow able to keep up even though she was carrying her over-sized satchel that could easily fit Gary Coleman in it (too soon?) and was wearing heels. But nevertheless, she was there in all her sweater and big hair glory to rub my back as I threw up in the cellar of a castle. Sometimes, you just need your mommy.
SO thank you sketch Turkey shop for making me up chuck in a 700 year old castle. Cheryl was quite worried and even though we still wanted to go through the gardens, I was feeling too bad to go any further. We opted to try and make it back to my hojskole, which luckily, I did. There I relaxed and much to my happiness, was able to get better and head back to Copenhagen.
Seriously, I probably need to practice Russian. I wonder if watching "Anastasia" counts as learning Russian?
Probably not.
Yup. Big thanks and much love to my mom who helped me get through my little Danish adventure of the day :)
 |
| She knows what's up. |
Pretty cool, nothing I would hop over the moon about, but it was Swedish enough. We got some of those wooden horses, walked around saw some Scandinavian houses, and then went to TGI Friday's. Classic americano.
 |
| Brr....Malmo. |
 |
| Momma enjoying the church. |
Well, we got out and I decided to head over to Frederiksborg Castle. If you remember my post from a while back, this castle was the Yoko Ono to my John Lennon. If I was amazed, lord only knows how she was going to react.
Though we were eager to go inside, we were hungry. Unfortunately, everything is closed on Sunday. Options for food....7/11 and the Turkish/pizza joint. Sigh...so after eating some less than satisfiable Turkish shwarma we went to the castle. Mother could barely contain herself. Taking pictures everywhere, she was practically bouncing off the walls. It's a great castle and I was happy to be back, but as we were walking through the great hall disaster struck.
"O no......o no......o no o no o no o no" I stopped dead in the middle of this massive hall. A wave of nausea came over me and my stomach felt as though someone was ripping it apart. GOD, WE SHOULD HAVE CHOSEN 7/11! Ow. Okay, what do I do?!?!!? If I move, I will literally barf all over this 600 year old marble, gold leaf floor. Slightly panicking, I whisper, ".......Mom." She is too busy counting the sparkles in the room. "mooom......mom.....mom.....CHERYL!" I hear her go, "hmmmm?" in her happy, high pitched voice while she is still looking at a painting of a princess. I try to whisper, even though it echoes throughout the hall. "Mom....just..just..come here. I'm not feeling well." She turns around and goes, "O NO!! What's wrong?! Are you ill? Okay, okay, it's okay... what do we do?" As the Japanese tourists start pouring in (naturally) I start getting panicky and turning white. If I move, I will throw up. Staying still and immobile, seemed to be the best plan at the moment.
Let's just pan out and look at the situation.
My mom and I are standing in the center of a massive hall......just standing, while little Japanese tourists shuffle in taking pictures of everything in sight. We have no clue where a bathroom could be but I'm starting to get whiter and sicker. Where did this come from?! "Okay, honey.....let's... just go and find a bathroom."
"Mom, we are in the top floor of a castle that has over 200 rooms, none of which are bathrooms. They used buckets back then for Christ's sake!! WHAT AM I GOING TO DO!?" That's when it got worse.
Yup, their is vomit in my mouth. No choice, we are running.
Literally, vaulting over a Japanese lady (easily done) I booked it through 20 rooms, down 2 endless flights of spiral staircases, burst through the gift shop and saw the most beautiful sign in the world. The bathroom sign.
And the rest of the story you probably know. Cheryl (my mom) was somehow able to keep up even though she was carrying her over-sized satchel that could easily fit Gary Coleman in it (too soon?) and was wearing heels. But nevertheless, she was there in all her sweater and big hair glory to rub my back as I threw up in the cellar of a castle. Sometimes, you just need your mommy.
SO thank you sketch Turkey shop for making me up chuck in a 700 year old castle. Cheryl was quite worried and even though we still wanted to go through the gardens, I was feeling too bad to go any further. We opted to try and make it back to my hojskole, which luckily, I did. There I relaxed and much to my happiness, was able to get better and head back to Copenhagen.
Seriously, I probably need to practice Russian. I wonder if watching "Anastasia" counts as learning Russian?
Probably not.
Yup. Big thanks and much love to my mom who helped me get through my little Danish adventure of the day :)
 |
| Cheryl hits up Copenhagen. |
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