Pictures!!!

Hey everyone! I'm back in Copenhagen... until tomorrow afternoon when I'm off to the Czech Republic for a few days. So... I don't really have much time for a big post or anything. But... I uploaded all of my pictures!!! Warning: There are over 800... So, be warned that it might be a big time eater...

Amsterdam Pictures!!!

Berlin Pictures!!!

Brussels Pictures!!!

Lithuania Pictures!!!

London Pictures!!!

No descriptions for now, but when I get back and have more time I hope to do actual blog posts about my trip and to pick out some pictures to explain. Theres some good ones in there. The ones that look boring... Probably the most interesting. But you'll just have to wait to find out why... But yeah, enjoy the pictures!!!

EDIT:

Czech Pictures!!!

Travel!

Hi! I'm in London! Just thought I'd let you all know I got here safe :) Vilinus was... Beautiful sometimes, depressing at others. You'll get a good post later... And I have over 300 pictures already to be put on photobucket when I get a computer that can do that... But, right now, I'm going to bed. Its like 3 AM. I need sleep!

Travelling.

Hi! The rest of this week hasn't really been anything special. Just... doing lots of work and lots of procrastinating. Whoops. And I bought Pia and Amanda pastries as a surprise! HOWEVER...

TOMORROW I'LL BE IN VILNIUS!!!

Which... is... pretty awesome. We got our itinerary for the trip... We're going to a play and to the national art museum, to the castle at Trakai to the sauna and tasting authentic Lithuanian food... And that's just the fun stuff! We're also going to the Kirtimai Roma settlement, the Museum of Genocide Victims and Paneriai (the location and memorial where most of the Lithuanian Jews were killed during the Holocaust...) All of that is in one day. So thats kinda depressing. But we'll be there during the Lithuanian Elections! AND The day after elections we're talking to one of the guys that is running! So me -may- be talking to a member of the Lithuanian Parliment! We're going to the Presidential Palace and to Sugihara house (a Japanese diplomat who saved a bunch of Lithuanian Jews) We're going to a Yiddish Center and a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania... Its -A LOT- but it should be fantastic! Plus, the people in my program that I'll be there with are great!

Then I'm off on my week of European Adventure! Which... I'm sure you've heard about. I'm granting myself tourist amnesty again... Which may or may not mean I'll be purchasing 24-48 hours tickets for the hop-on-hop-off tour busses for all the cities I'm going to... I feel like, while more expensive, that would be the easiest way to do it (since you can't buy maps ahead of time and I won't have my computer... and I'm not spending 60$ on books that I can't fit into my luggage for a week.) There'll be maps at the hostels (hopefully) but... We'll see. I printed off real quick info about all the cities... But I couldn't find a list of addresses of nifty things or anything. Whatever. It'll be good.

Please note: I won't really be posting to blog so much... I'll have access to communal computers... SOMETIMES but that time will be used for quick posts and e-mails and facebook status changes so you guys all know I'm alive and well. I'll be back for a little bit on the 25th and 26th... So I'll try to atleast get you a picture post then at the very least.

For the rest of the night, I'm just relaxing and packing and hanging out with Pia and Amanda. I -wish- I could go to culture night tonight... But I have to be to the airport by 7:30 AM... So thats... not happening. Culture night is a night where all of the museums and a lot of other cultural places open up until 2 AM and they're free with a culture night pass and there are special events and its... basically a big deal. But... I need to pack and rest and get things straightened out for the next two weeks.

Have a great two weeks everyone!!! <3

Mosque!

Today I joined the Muslims in the West class on a field study to the DIT Mosque in Norrebro. I'm not in the Muslims in the West class, but the Migration and Identity Program opened up all of the field studies to everyone in the program- I jumped at the opportunity. I decided that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. I could skip out on that paper... And it was totally worth it.

The mosque was just a couple of run-down looking buildings on a street corner. I would have never guessed it was there. They were just plain, brick buildings (minarets are banned in Copenhagen.) We went inside, and were welcomed with sodas and cookies and a beautiful room filled with volumes and volumes and hardbound books. (Numbered from right to left, of course.) The man giving the lecture was SO nice. He made jokes the entire time (starting with one about how the technology not working wasn't Shari'ah Law, but Murphy's Law.) He gave a lecture on Islam & Teaching, which was really interesting. He hit on the main points of Islam, such as the believe that all people are basically good. He also cleared up a bunch of misconceptions about how women CHOOSE to wear the hijab- its not forced on them in most versions of Islam (basically, any non-fundamentalist versions. Fundamentalist being the extreme branch.) He talked about how Islam rules say you must follow the rules of the place you're at and then Islamic law and discussed how children are not forced to fast during Ramadaan- its their decision until they hit puberty. He was just a nice guy. At the end he asked us to ask questions, please! And went on like that for a while. He was SO glad that we were there and that we were learning about Islam and not just accepting the stereotypes. We ended by going on a tour of the mosque. It was in the building on the other side of the courtyard. It used to be a wine storage warehouse, but they bought it and did all the construction on it themselves- and on the inside its beautiful with nice rugs and carved wood. It was simple, but very nice considering they had done it all themselves. He also demonstrated how you have you wash yourself before prayer- which was complicated and intricate, but interesting. At the end he invited us all to come and watch a service- there were chairs in the back for that reason. I think it would be SO interesting. But... Its on Fridays at 12:30. I have a class until 1... and another one at 1:15. So I'd miss both. So, that probably won't happen.

Afterward, we hopped back on the bus to school, but since the tour was officially over and school was in the exact opposite direction of home... I got off a few stops later and went to the bus to my house. I didn't find the one by Norrebro Station since there are a whole BUNCH of bus stops there, but it was a beautiful day and I knew where the stop by the Norrebro Bycenter was, so I just walked down there. I've kind of grown attached to just walking, alone and listening to the world. Its nice. It reminds me how how independent I am :) I just walked and enjoyed looking around. Thought again about how I'd miss this place. Its not even anything I can put my finger on... Sure I can name some little things I'll miss about here, but theres the one big thing that I just can't name. The feeling always hits me when I'm walking somewhere by myself and I know exactly where I'm going. I'll be happy to go home too. Looking forward to it. And looking forward to seeing that guy I know... But, for now, I'm just going to enjoy my time here. And hope that in the future I can come back.

Rain!

So... I don't even remember what day it was. But I was walking back from the bus stop (its about a 7-8 minute walk) and it was drizzling a bit. But I didn't even break out my umbrella. I just walked. And at that moment, everything felt right. Even the rain was beautiful. I realized just how much I would miss it here when I have to leave. Sure, its a good two months away, but time has gone so quickly. I'll miss Saint Peders Bakery... They have the BEST chocolate filled croissants. And AMAZING sandwiches. I'll miss my commute. I'll miss the little pond I walk by every day, where, if its dark, there's usually a heron. I'll miss the little trees in our little suburban town. I'll miss Amanda, and her animals. I'll miss remoulade- this AMAZING condiment that I can't even describe that we just don't have. I'll miss the thin little chocolate I put on toast. I'll miss the danish rye bread because its not really rye bread and its SO good. I'll mostly miss just the little things... I'll even miss getting nearly hit by bikers... I'll miss all the colorful little houses and the cobblestones and the spires and everything that is SO beautiful about this city. I just walked and thought about how lucky I was to be here and to get to spend 4 months of my life here. By the time I made it back to the house, I was in a great, content mood. I thought about how I love the S-tog and seeing the bikes everywhere and and how I'm learning so much... Leaving will be bitter sweet. I'll be SO glad to get back to a place where everyone speaks my language and where BLTs are 7$ instead of 75 kr (15$) and I'll be happy so see my friends and family. But... I'll miss it here.

Other random things. Amanda's baby rabbits? They're adorable. I come bearing pictures.

Before they opened their eyes... after they grew fur.

Again, closed eyes, fur.

They're so big now!!! After they opened their eyes- 3 days later!

AWWW!!!

This one is so cute! Its the only light colored one.

And... Today was a good bus day. This morning I was waiting for the bus and an older lady gets off and starts talking to me in Danish. I kind of get out words resembling "Jeg taler ikke dansk" (I speak not danish) and she nods understanding and tries again showing me her bus ticket. She wanted to let me have her bus ticket so I didn't have to pay! Kind of illegal, but sweet. Usually people see I don't speak Danish then nod and ignore me. She actually tried to get her mesage across. And, I understood, for the most part. She said something about how the tickets are good for two hours... Implying that I didn't have to pay. It was very sweet of her. I showed her my bus pass and told her thank you and she smiled and went into the store behind me.

OH! Did I tell you Amanda tought me to count to 10 in danish?! I can't spell them... but I'll try :) Ein, to, tre, fear, feb, sex, sou, ode, nee, tea. Butchered the spelling. BUT I CAN SAY THEM! You're jealous. Admit it.

Anyway, back to busses. On the way back from school today a guy sat next to me. A little bit later he came back with the bus thing that has the schedule of stops in it. I kinda looked at it for a minute and he said somehting in Danish I assumed to be "where are we" since he kinda pointed at the list while he said it... So pointed and told him Emdrup Torv and I was VERY proud that I was able to help someone in Danish :) I know my way around now pretty well and am COMPLETELY comfortable with the public transit system, so I'm capable of helping people. But... my Danish... Is pretty non-existant. Maybe I should have Amanda teach me who what when where and why. i feel those might be helpful. I already told her to teach me the numbers up to 20. She looks rather excited about getting to teach me. :) Love her.

As far as school goes, this week is all midterms and things. Monday I did have a guest lecture- it was one of VERY few scholars on Roma in Denmark! Roma are REALLY interesting... (More commonly known as Gypsy...) They're Europe's oldest minority, thought to have come from India about 400 AD? Long time ago. But, they're also HORRIBLY discriminated against. As in, they live in shanty towns without electricity and with only 1 or 2 water pumps for over 1,000 people. They were one of the targeted groups during the Holocaust and ~1 million of them were killed... but no one recognizes this at all. Germany just recognized them as a victim group in 1989 I think? I think there are about ~15 million world wide... So not very many. And they don't have a homeland really. Anyway- the lecture was REALLY good. She brough pictures from her studies too. Other than that... I've been studying and reading and writing papers (kinda...) And writing an essay for an internship I want and getting info for travel break... Fun things like that.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, we don't have classes. Sometimes we have field studies, but since only 2 of my classes are DIS classes (2 are KU) that doesn't happen a lot for me. BUT the Migration and Identity Department opened up all of their field studies to interested students! So... tomorrow I'm going to a Mosque with the Muslims in the West class. I'm REALLY excited for it. I mean, I should have denied the opportunity and done work, maybe? No... Once in a lifetime opportunity to visit one of the only mosques in Denmark... And it was at the center of the Cartoon Controversy that happened a few years ago. I'm SURE you heard about it. It should be interesting. I'll let you know how it goes :) And I'll probably take a few pictures.

Other than that... Saturday I head to Lithuania! The beginning of my three week travel adventure!!! YAY!!! I'm excited. And I promise to post a quick thing on my blog every time I get the chance so you know I'm alive. The first week I'll be with my class, and the 3rd week I'll be doing outdoor adventure things in Czech Republic... The 2nd week I'm travelling alone. Thats when you'll be getting the blog posts. THEN I get back and its Halloween! THEN its ELECTION DAY. THEN I may or may not have to go into hiding. We'll see. THEN its my brithday!!! Exciting. And... thats about it for now. Have a great day everyone!

VOLUNTEERING!!!

Hi! This will be pretty quick... Just because I have a TON of work I should be doing and have a midterm tomorrow bright and early... Ew.

Random thing of the day: So. They had traffic problems in downtown Copenhagen. So they decided to get rid of lots of parking and add more bike lanes. I love it. So much more sensible than widening the roads and adding more parking. They also added a giant bike bridge and made lots of bus-only lanes. They're hoping to be the #1 biking city in the world by 2012. Yay bikes!

Anyway, WEEKEND! I decided to lay-low this weekend since next weekend is the beginning of my 3 week long European adventure! Thursday Kara and I went to laundromat cafe. very tasty. Decently cheap. 5 pancakes for 9$... A BLT for 15$. Not... HORRIBLE. Actually, its some of the cheapest real food I've seen while here. But I've gained a rather... skewed... sense of what is cheap and what is not while here. Then I went and watched a movie for class... it was called "Head On." And... it took me about a day to figure out what it had to do with class. It was tough to decipher through the blood, sex and drugs... But it was there. It was about (the related to class version:) How this guy gave up all of his Turkish heritage in Germany and then this Girl had to accept her turkish hertiage... He, by abandoning this heritage had become trapped in too much freedom (sex and drugs... constantly) and she had to accept her heritage in order to gain more freedom while he had to accept it to get his life back from too much freedom. ...Something like that. Its complicated. ANYWAY. Then i went home.

Friday I had class and at night I went to Kara's house. I wanted to spend some time outside of my house... but still not OUT. So, I had a chill time watching the danish equivalent of America's Got Talent. it was pretty good! I ejoyed it. Then I went home and booked most of my travel break.

Final itinerary: 11-16 Lithuania, bus to Riga, Latvia. Fly from Riga to London, bus to Hostel on the 16th. London 16th-20th. Train to brussels on the 20th... Day in Brussels... train to amsterdam... 2 days in amsterdam (21, 22) then fly to Berlin (23, 24,25) fly to CPH and spend a night at home :) (do laundry and such.) 26th meet with group for Czech Trek. Then come back on friday (Halloween!) and spend weekend recovering and relaxing and doing homework :)

Saturday... I didn't do much. I went and volunteered and watched Pirates of the Carribean 2 with Amanda and Pia. Pia didn't like it much... haha. ALSO: AMANDA'S BABY RABBITS OPENED THEIR EYES!!! THEY"RE ADORABLE!!! (pictures soon!!!) Then Sunday (today) I volunteered more and procrastinated on my immense pile of work. haha

But volunteering. Its AMAZING. I love it SO much. Its at a pool in Norrebro. We get there and put curtains on all the windows and kick all the men out of the building... Then there are 3 groups: women, girls 8-10 and girls 10-12. They're all SOOO nice. And many of the women speak a little english. So... between my (very) slight understanding of danish, body language and their little bit of english... we get along just fine! I mostly am there for moral support... I hold them up when they try to float and hold their hand when they get scared and smile and tell them "Godt! Godt!" (good! good!" Sometimes I try to give them swimming tips to help them... But its hard... Basically the set up is the trainer stands up on the side of the pool and gives them directions in Danish... The assistant trainers (me!) dechipher (usually using the demonstration or watching to see what everyone does...) Then we watch to see who is having trouble and go help them. I go for 3 hours on Saturday and 2 hours on Sunday. Its great fun. And today we did water aerobics, so I'll get quite fit as well! haha. Today we also had a group in the deeper end. I was the assistant trainer who could swim... So I got to go to the deep end and tread water for 2 hours. Good thing I'm good at that from water polo...

The assistant trainer on Saturday was a girl from DIS that I'd never met. Turns out she's from Washington state too!!! Its crazy. She was super nice. She's in the medical practices and policy program.

And, a quick little story. Saturday. In the 3rd group (10-12) at volunteering on cute little girl showed up. She was the only girl all weekend to come swimming with her headscarf. (they come with one on, but since there aren't any men, they can take them off while they're there- thats why there are curtains. I think thats how it works?) Anyway. She was standing up on the side of the pool listening to the introduction all hunched over with her arms crossed looking very ashamed of being there and in a swim suit... So I helped her out and got her into the pool. I tried to talk to her, got her name. Then we did kicking on the wall and jumping up in down in the water with the group and I stayed right with her and we laughed and smiled and was great fun. She had opened up completely and was having a great time. Then, I had to go help another girl and she looked so sad! So I helped the other girl and went back to her... But she didn't really need help. But at the end, when we had free-play time, I dragged her around on a floaty toy for a bit... Then went to pull another girl around and she had just gotten out of the pool and was leaving. It was interesting. Maybe I will see her in 3 weeks (when I go back, after travel break :) )

Today I worked with more advanced girls. We did a little bit of diving into the pool. One girl kept coming up to me and just talking to me. It was really nice. She didn't have great english, but she was trying. She seemed like she was having such a great time swimming and she kept wanting to get better... But this would probably be the only time she was allowed to swim, no matter how much she loved it... So I thought that was sad... Sweet girl :) I helped her with diving. :)

And that was my weekend. it was a good weekend. This week though... it'll be... very rough. Lots of work and little sleep... Oh man. I hope YOU have a good week, though!

A note on culture.

HI! So, I'm finding that I am now quite well adjusted to life in Copenhagen. I don't even have to think about things to get through my day... which is both good and bad. However, now that I'm used to little things like pulling open doors and stepping over door jams or looking on the corners of buildings for street names, little culture things are starting to show up. Just little ones... particularly at home.

For example, everyone says Danes are MUCH more blunt. Which I kind of saw every once in a while. Now that my host family is used to having me around and we're comfortable around each other, that whole blunt thing... Whoa. The kids will look at Pia and tell her they don't like dinner or tell her to go get them water... Not because they disrespect her, but that's just part of kids being kids and thats what they're supposed to do. They're also much more open about bodily functions. For example, Pia at dinner today asked if I needed any red wine. I said, "Nej tak" (no thanks) and served up dinner to Amanda, her friend and Michael. She responded by telling me that she had just gotten her period and needed wine. Okay. Good to know. Thanks. I was taken a little aback... but no one else seemed to think this was out of place at all.

And now, my favorite story to demonstrate bluntness: Its about Amanda, dearest host sister, who I'm QUITE fond of. I'll miss her. Anyway, the two of us were eating dinner last night. Just the two of us, Pia wasn't hungry. So I ate... she kept eating... and eating... and eating. Then we finshed and sat down on the couch with Pia and the three of us watched TV. We were sitting there and Amanda starts talking about how she's SOOOO full. And she jokes and say "SHE DIDN'T STOP ME!" and points to me, refering to how I didn't tell her to stop eating. I just laugh and tell her how I totally know best about when she should stop eating and she should listen to everything I say. Then, she gets rather gassy because she ate too much. Pia and I just laugh at her, (if Michael does the same thing, he gets repremanded because thats not something you should do in public, but presumably, Amanda knows and thus she doesn't get repremanded. I think.) Then she lets a big one rip and RUNS from the room. Pia and I just laugh at her. A few minutes later, this adorable 10 year old girl with perfect blond hair comes back and simply says, "It was big." and sits down. Pia is just like, "The fart? Yes, it was very big." Very nonchalant, like we were talking about homework or television. And Amanda looks at Pia like shes completely stupid and just says, "No. The shit." And goes on with her life like this was nothing to be concerned about. And that was that, we went back to TV. A few minutes later, Amanda asks for ice cream, Pia says no, but Amanda persists. They argue a bit in Danish, then Pia says she can have a little bit if she asks if I want some too. So Amanda gets up to get us ice cream. Other things happen after this, but that illustrates my point.

First of all, that level of blunt-ness. I've never seen it before. And then Amanda just says "shit" like any other word (actually, Amanda and Pia have had discussions about why when they watch american TV certain things are bleeped out... Pia didn't know. I answered that some words you just can't say on TV. They didn't understand.) And then the fact that she was so open about this... Very odd. Then they argue and she gets her way? Not normal. Other things happen where Amanda will just be sitting on the couch with us and ask Pia for water... and Pia will just get up and get her a glass of water. Tonight we had to pass Amanda her water whenever she needed it. I don't think this is her being spoiled at all; I think its just part of the culture. I've heard a lot about 'kids being kids' and Danish culture just letting kids do what they think is right... And I'm wondering if this is part of that mentality. I'm assuming when they argue in Danish that they discuss why one wants it and why the other doesn't or whatnot... But I can't really be sure. I can't even really be sure that this happens in every family. I mean, I only see mine and hear about others.

Anyway, until the 11th, I'm lying low since I have 3 weeks of travel coming up and mid-terms are next week. So, I'm just doing homework and writing papers and hanging out at home. Friday I think I'm going with Kara to watch movies at her house and then Sunday I might go to Amager with Gabi and explore a little bit and maybe make an apple pie? OH! And I think that I start volunteering this weekend. But my contact has been a little unclear on this... Oh well. Have a good rest of the week everyone!