Hi, sorry I haven't posted in what seems like forever. Things have been crazy and I will TRY to post every week now, so bear with me.
So exactly a week ago, I switched host families. The timing could not have been worse, for last weekend I was at a rotary get together. During this get together, I danced all night and did not sleep very much. So when Sunday rolled around I was quite grumpy and just wanted to sleep. My mood worsened when Bettina picked me up from the station, it hit me that I was actually leaving the people who helped me make my adjustment into Denmark. We arrived at the house, much too soon. Martin was already there, and Gerdt, my counselor, was there too. We had coffee together and just chatted. Soon enough, the conversation switched to all Danish. I resorted to zoning out and staring at the fish tank, unwilling to cope with reality. Eventually, it was time for them to leave. I hugged both of them and miraculously managed not to cry. As soon as the door closed behind them, I was thrown into a new life. With two young boys, it would no longer be quiet. A week has gone by, and I'm settling in quite nicely.
Halloween was this past Friday, and much to my disappointment Denmark does not celebrate Halloween like we do in the USA. It is not a popular holiday, it is difficult to find a neighborhood to actually trick or treat in. But my host family happens to know someone who live in an area that there is a small amount of trick or treating. So I dressed up as Rapunzel from Tangled and handed out candy to children who probably don't speak English. It was a sad excuse for Halloween, but it was better than nothing. Since I did not get to fully celebrate Halloween (or Thanksgiving for that matter), I will put an obnoxious amount of time and effort into Christmas. I will TRY to refrain from singing Christmas carols until December 1st, but I can't guarantee anything.
Lately, a friend and I have been discussing college. It's mostly her talking about all the advanced classes she has taken and how she's worried about getting into a good college, which in turn stresses out a very average student like myself. I would enjoy going to college, but there are multiple questions that need answering before college life can begin. First things first, what would I like to major in? That is a question I have struggled with for most of my high school career. I don't want to wake up someday when I'm 30 and realize I hate my job. I want to be completely in love with what I do, and I don't quite believe that you can make that decision at 18. Also, I haven't found anything I am good at or passionate about, I've dabbled in writing, photography, and even art for a brief time. After trying all of those and more, I never found something I excelled at. Writing is the closest I got at being good at anything, and even that is pretty rough around the edges. With all those questions, there are some things that I know for sure, I want to do something in liberal arts (no math and science for me!!!), take a women's studies class, and be able to study abroad at some point. With that small list, I still have quite a bit to still figure out. Hopefully this year points me in the right direction.
Growing up is a huge part of exchange. Before you leave you need to be mature enough to take care of yourself, and you need to be able to handle the freedom you are given. From a young age, I was very mature. I was put in some situations that required me to grow up before other kids, I believe that it aided in my independent nature. Being mature and independent were some of the big things that made me right for exchange. But none of that could have prepared me for my family growing up. When I saw a picture of my little brother in his football gear, I was flooded with panic. He looked so grown up and I realized that he only has a few precious years of elementary school left. When I get back, he'll be transitioning into that awkward middle schooler phase. I am definitely not ready for that change. He wont be the little boy that I left back home. My sister began her first year of high school this year, HIGH SCHOOL. In my mind, she is much to young to already be in the high school. This year she will also turn 15 and get her permit. She is making all of these changes, without me there. No matter how grown up I may be, it can't compensate for my family growing up too. The clock is ticking, and I can't stop it no matter how hard I try.
Roughly a year ago, I began getting serious about becoming an exchange student. After many hours, I finally completed and sent in the application. Then I had the club interview to worry about. Even though there were familiar faces on the board, I was still a nervous wreck. I thought I would fail the interview and all my dreams would be snatched from me. Afterwards, I was told I passed with flying colors. The next round of interviews came around and this time it was serious. If I didn't impress these people, I was done. During the interviews I was quiet, and shy. The more I thought about what was at stake, the more I clammed up. The only thing that kept me from running out the door in fear was how much work I had put into all of it. I remember seeing the other kids in the room and wondering who would get in and who wouldn't. Months later I got to know those guys pretty well. When that interview was over, I was exhausted. I slept the entire card ride home. Weeks passed and I checked my email everyday, waiting for an answer. The day it arrived, I cried. I was so happy, I couldn't believe it was actually happening. At the time I don't think I knew exactly what I was getting into. I didn't quite realize what a year in a foreign country entailed. But now I know, and I would make that decision again in a heartbeat.
While on exchange, you can never have too many friends. Over time you collect friends from all over the world, USA, Denmark, Australia, Thailand, the list goes on and on. My closest friends though are the ones from the USA and Denmark. With my Danish friends we talk about boys, Harry Potter, and school things. As a rule, Danes don't get very personal with people they just met. I am much more personal with my friends from the USA. We talk about ridiculous things and vent about all the problems exchange students have. They make me feel like I can conquer the world and I hope they feel the same. It's very rare that you can find someone you can spend AN ENTIRE WEEK with and not get sick of them, but I have. People say that you make friends for life while on exchange, and it's true.
Monday, November 3, 2014
Sunday, November 2, 2014
My 6th week
One of the main things you need to learn on exchange is, people are going to tell you that the way you are doing things is wrong. The way you approach school work, make friends, learn the language...there are going to be a handful of people who will tell you everyday that you're not doing anything right. On these days you just need to stand up straight, look them in the eye and tell them you're doing just fine. Not everyone is going to accomplish goals the same way, and not everybody has the same goals. Maybe someone's goal is to make one good friend, and the other's is to make 10 good friends. Some may just go to school for the social aesthetic. People are going to do things their own way, and that's okay.
The absolute hardest part of this experience has been the language. Some days I actually contemplate the theory of language, I will be staring at a person speaking Danish and think "They are making sounds, that I don't understand and its a language?!"
Some days it just utterly baffles me the way language works. For my person language learning experience, its been rough. At this point in time I can understand quite a bit of simple questions, I know important phrases, and the basics of sentence structure. That's all great, but there's one problem, I won't try and speak Danish. I am so self conscious about my pronunciation. I KNOW I need to speak it, but I need to get over my insecurity. With the other exchange students, we speak a hilarious mix of Danish and English. We all feel better looking stupid in front of each other because we're all in the same boat. Everyday I try to speak a tiny bit more Danish, whether it's saying good morning to my classmates or telling the cashier at Netto that I don't speak Danish. It's not much, but at least I'm trying.
I've been here for six weeks already, I am not devastated about missing anyone...except my sister. She was the one person I saw Every. Single. Day. This is the longest I've gone without seeing her. I'm not going to lie, it's hard some days. Especially her very first day of high school, on that day it was all I could do to not break down crying in the middle of class. That day was once in a lifetime, and I missed it. I feel like a horrible person because of it. She was the last person I hugged when I left the USA and she will be the first I hug when I get back. I miss her more than anything in the world. As clique as it may sound, she was/is/will always be my best friend.
Since I have been avoiding this subject for quite some time, I think I will finally address it. In the schools here in Denmark, there are NO dress codes. Nothing that says skirts/shorts need to be this long, or that you can't wear tank tops. At first, I generally didn't notice. Until a classmate wore a tank top to class one day. So I asked someone about dress codes at the school. I had a huge grin when my classmate replied that there wasn't any. Three things I have noticed about not having a dress code; 1. Everyone still dresses in a respectful manner, nobody dresses in a "distasteful" way. 2. IT DOES NOT DISTRACT THE MALE STUDENTS!!!! That right there is 99% of the reason high schools in the USA claim to enforce the dress code. I have never once seen or heard of a male student or facility member having a problem with the female's choice of dress. These sexist pigs need to STOP sexualizing young women's bodies. 3. It's an awesome feeling to be able to wear a skirt and not fear getting in big trouble for it. So bottom line is, there is no actual need to have a dress code. They only exist because of sexist pigs who over sexualize and objectify women's bodies.
The absolute hardest part of this experience has been the language. Some days I actually contemplate the theory of language, I will be staring at a person speaking Danish and think "They are making sounds, that I don't understand and its a language?!"
Some days it just utterly baffles me the way language works. For my person language learning experience, its been rough. At this point in time I can understand quite a bit of simple questions, I know important phrases, and the basics of sentence structure. That's all great, but there's one problem, I won't try and speak Danish. I am so self conscious about my pronunciation. I KNOW I need to speak it, but I need to get over my insecurity. With the other exchange students, we speak a hilarious mix of Danish and English. We all feel better looking stupid in front of each other because we're all in the same boat. Everyday I try to speak a tiny bit more Danish, whether it's saying good morning to my classmates or telling the cashier at Netto that I don't speak Danish. It's not much, but at least I'm trying.
I've been here for six weeks already, I am not devastated about missing anyone...except my sister. She was the one person I saw Every. Single. Day. This is the longest I've gone without seeing her. I'm not going to lie, it's hard some days. Especially her very first day of high school, on that day it was all I could do to not break down crying in the middle of class. That day was once in a lifetime, and I missed it. I feel like a horrible person because of it. She was the last person I hugged when I left the USA and she will be the first I hug when I get back. I miss her more than anything in the world. As clique as it may sound, she was/is/will always be my best friend.
Since I have been avoiding this subject for quite some time, I think I will finally address it. In the schools here in Denmark, there are NO dress codes. Nothing that says skirts/shorts need to be this long, or that you can't wear tank tops. At first, I generally didn't notice. Until a classmate wore a tank top to class one day. So I asked someone about dress codes at the school. I had a huge grin when my classmate replied that there wasn't any. Three things I have noticed about not having a dress code; 1. Everyone still dresses in a respectful manner, nobody dresses in a "distasteful" way. 2. IT DOES NOT DISTRACT THE MALE STUDENTS!!!! That right there is 99% of the reason high schools in the USA claim to enforce the dress code. I have never once seen or heard of a male student or facility member having a problem with the female's choice of dress. These sexist pigs need to STOP sexualizing young women's bodies. 3. It's an awesome feeling to be able to wear a skirt and not fear getting in big trouble for it. So bottom line is, there is no actual need to have a dress code. They only exist because of sexist pigs who over sexualize and objectify women's bodies.
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
My 5th Week
Hello again, I'm already up to 200 pageviews! Thank you so much to everyone who takes the time to read my blog. It means so much to me that someone out there is keeping up to date on my exchange. I hope you like it!
I am exactly 4,312 miles away from home for approximately 10 months. Most days are great and I absolutely love everything. But some days I just want to crawl back into bed and hibernate for the rest of the year. Monday mornings, bad hair days, and when my host parents cook something that's not my favorite make me want to be home. These are all little, insignificant things that really affect my mood. But looking at all of those things, they would happen whether I was in India, Australia, or even home. Bad days are bound to happen no matter where you are, that's just life.
I've been talking a lot about school here, but I have never described how it works. For starters, it's on a block schedule. Which means each class is an hour and 40 minutes long. Now we don't have the same classes every day, some days we have two classes and some days we have four. There is no definite schedule, so I need to check every night what classes I have the next day. Some times classes get canceled (that would be the cause of the less than four classes a day). Also, a class is never in the same room twice. You constantly need to check your schedule to make sure you are going to the right classroom. In order to find out your schedule, you need something called Lectio. Lectio is a website/app that has your schedule, daily homework, and messages from your teacher/classmates on it. It's a fantastic app, but I haven't quite figured it all out because it's in Danish.
This past week we had some guests in our English class. One was a group from Spain, and the other was a group from Austria. They were here Monday to Friday to observe Danish culture with their English teacher. These groups came into our class and we broke off into small groups with one Spaniard or Austrian per group. We were given a sheet with questions on them such as "What does religion mean in your country" or "What are some political issues in your country right now". Everyone had to answer on behalf of their country. My favorite part of having these foreign guests was that it united me with my fellow classmates, we were all excited to learn about this new culture. Also, these special guests had no clue I wasn't a Danish student, until I spoke with an American (Minnesotan) accent. That was a happy moment for me, for once I fit in here instead of standing out.
Usually when I talk to an exchange student, they talk about how much they are going to drink and party. Every time I heard someone say "Oh man, you are going to drink SO much on exchange!"
it made me vaguely uncomfortable. As a general rule, I don't like drinking. I never have. Before I came, I began to get more and more worried what my exchange would be like if I didn't drink and party like the rest. Would I not make friends? Would my entire exchange be spent sitting home alone on Friday nights? Well the answer came to me this last Friday night. Some friends and I wandered around Copenhagen, no real plans but to go to Nyhavn. We wandered aimlessly around and eventually stumbled upon a small pizza shop off the main road. After examining the prices, we decided to get some pizza. As we were eating, we came to the realization of what exchange really is. It's finding your way in the city and finding somewhere to eat that isn't a tourist trap. It's all about acting like a local. The next day a friend and I wandered around Gillijelle and found an adorable coffee shop to sit at. At that moment we both agreed that this was what being on exchange was REALLY about; living like the locals.
I am exactly 4,312 miles away from home for approximately 10 months. Most days are great and I absolutely love everything. But some days I just want to crawl back into bed and hibernate for the rest of the year. Monday mornings, bad hair days, and when my host parents cook something that's not my favorite make me want to be home. These are all little, insignificant things that really affect my mood. But looking at all of those things, they would happen whether I was in India, Australia, or even home. Bad days are bound to happen no matter where you are, that's just life.
I've been talking a lot about school here, but I have never described how it works. For starters, it's on a block schedule. Which means each class is an hour and 40 minutes long. Now we don't have the same classes every day, some days we have two classes and some days we have four. There is no definite schedule, so I need to check every night what classes I have the next day. Some times classes get canceled (that would be the cause of the less than four classes a day). Also, a class is never in the same room twice. You constantly need to check your schedule to make sure you are going to the right classroom. In order to find out your schedule, you need something called Lectio. Lectio is a website/app that has your schedule, daily homework, and messages from your teacher/classmates on it. It's a fantastic app, but I haven't quite figured it all out because it's in Danish.
This past week we had some guests in our English class. One was a group from Spain, and the other was a group from Austria. They were here Monday to Friday to observe Danish culture with their English teacher. These groups came into our class and we broke off into small groups with one Spaniard or Austrian per group. We were given a sheet with questions on them such as "What does religion mean in your country" or "What are some political issues in your country right now". Everyone had to answer on behalf of their country. My favorite part of having these foreign guests was that it united me with my fellow classmates, we were all excited to learn about this new culture. Also, these special guests had no clue I wasn't a Danish student, until I spoke with an American (Minnesotan) accent. That was a happy moment for me, for once I fit in here instead of standing out.
Usually when I talk to an exchange student, they talk about how much they are going to drink and party. Every time I heard someone say "Oh man, you are going to drink SO much on exchange!"
it made me vaguely uncomfortable. As a general rule, I don't like drinking. I never have. Before I came, I began to get more and more worried what my exchange would be like if I didn't drink and party like the rest. Would I not make friends? Would my entire exchange be spent sitting home alone on Friday nights? Well the answer came to me this last Friday night. Some friends and I wandered around Copenhagen, no real plans but to go to Nyhavn. We wandered aimlessly around and eventually stumbled upon a small pizza shop off the main road. After examining the prices, we decided to get some pizza. As we were eating, we came to the realization of what exchange really is. It's finding your way in the city and finding somewhere to eat that isn't a tourist trap. It's all about acting like a local. The next day a friend and I wandered around Gillijelle and found an adorable coffee shop to sit at. At that moment we both agreed that this was what being on exchange was REALLY about; living like the locals.
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
My 4th Week
Hi there! I'm so glad you're reading my blog, and I would really love it if you would leave some comments below. Perhaps questions you have, topics you'd like me to cover, or what you like/dislike about my post? Thanks to everyone following my adventure!
Whilst preparing for our exchanges, Rotary told us repeatedly, "If you don't go to school in your host country, you get sent home. No school=No exchange."
Before arriving in Denmark, I had contemplated that statement numerous times. Why was school so important during exchange? It would just takes time away from all the adventures I'm having, I could stay home if I wanted to go to school!The answer was, you experience emotions and culture that you couldn't have any other way.
One day I was sitting in some class, bored out of my mind. Then some boys right in front of me started goofing off, they were acting like a bunch of idiots. Even without understanding what they were saying, they still made me laugh pretty hard. Another time this happened was this past Monday. The previous Friday, there was a boy who was hit by a train after being at a school party. The boy, Jonas, was sixteen. Much too young to die. Monday morning, we all filed into an assembly. Somebody, I presumed he was the principle, read something about Jonas. Even without understanding what was said, I could feel the heartbreak. So many classmates were in utter grief, and I could feel without understanding. School is important because it gives you an insight to things that are unspoken in a culture.
Over the course of a month, my language skills have grown. While I still can't understand everything, its a great start. I had my first conversation in FULL Danish. It went something like this;
*70+ year old lady says something to me in Danish*
"I cannot speak Danish."
"Oh! Where are you from?"
"I am from the USA."
It might have been a short conversation, but I was extremely proud of myself for being able to do it. Lately, I have been saying "I cannot speak Danish" quite frequently in stores. I love the fact that if anyone saw me on the street, they would assume I was Danish until I opened my mouth. I even dress like the Danes, black, grey, and white.
The biggest part of exchange is experiencing your country in a non-tourist way, which I accomplished on Saturday. My friend Aly and I decided that we wanted to go to Copenhagen on Saturday. This trip would include no plans, no schedules, no tours. We just wants to wander around and get lost in the city. We made it to the main Copenhagen station and met up with another friend, Sophia. After we all met up, we had to figure out the best way to get to a specific part of the city. It took us around 15 minutes to figure out where to go, then we struggled to figure out which train to take. When we got to the place we wanted, we went to H&M. Later, Aly had to meet up with her counselor. That took us a solid half hour to get everyone in the right place. After meeting up with him, we argued and got lost trying to find the perfect place to get Chinese takeout. We settled on a questionable place called Mr. Chin's Chinabox Takeout. When the day was over, we found our way to the train station and went home. We didn't accomplished much that day, but we didn't ask a single person for directions. That's what being an exchange student is all about, getting lost and figuring things out the way a local would.
Lately the debate of whether or not people from the United States should call themselves "Americans" has come up. Geographically speaking, there are two (some may say three) Americas. North and South (sometimes Central America too). Within these Americas, there are countries. I don't know about you, but if I knew someone was from Chile, I would call them Chilean. I wouldn't call them South American, unless I didn't know exactly which country they were from. The same thing should go with those living in North America. Canadians, Mexicans, and those living in the USA are all by definition North Americans. Sadly the USA has no official term for it's citizens, but I have found that US-American is less offensive than American. Personally, I like to call myself a Minnesotan, then explain that it is a state in the USA.
This week has been full of ups and downs. The death of someone in school, maneuvering classes that I can't understand, wandering around Copenhagen & Hillerød, speaking Danish.The fact that I have been here for a month already is extremely disheartening. I can feel the minutes ticking away, it makes me very nervous and I don't want to waste a single moment. I'm afraid of what's going to happen when this year is over, I will be a senior, time to start real life. If you don't think that's absolutely terrifying, there is something seriously wrong with you. As humans we fear the unknown.
Whilst preparing for our exchanges, Rotary told us repeatedly, "If you don't go to school in your host country, you get sent home. No school=No exchange."
Before arriving in Denmark, I had contemplated that statement numerous times. Why was school so important during exchange? It would just takes time away from all the adventures I'm having, I could stay home if I wanted to go to school!The answer was, you experience emotions and culture that you couldn't have any other way.
One day I was sitting in some class, bored out of my mind. Then some boys right in front of me started goofing off, they were acting like a bunch of idiots. Even without understanding what they were saying, they still made me laugh pretty hard. Another time this happened was this past Monday. The previous Friday, there was a boy who was hit by a train after being at a school party. The boy, Jonas, was sixteen. Much too young to die. Monday morning, we all filed into an assembly. Somebody, I presumed he was the principle, read something about Jonas. Even without understanding what was said, I could feel the heartbreak. So many classmates were in utter grief, and I could feel without understanding. School is important because it gives you an insight to things that are unspoken in a culture.
Over the course of a month, my language skills have grown. While I still can't understand everything, its a great start. I had my first conversation in FULL Danish. It went something like this;
*70+ year old lady says something to me in Danish*
"I cannot speak Danish."
"Oh! Where are you from?"
"I am from the USA."
It might have been a short conversation, but I was extremely proud of myself for being able to do it. Lately, I have been saying "I cannot speak Danish" quite frequently in stores. I love the fact that if anyone saw me on the street, they would assume I was Danish until I opened my mouth. I even dress like the Danes, black, grey, and white.
The biggest part of exchange is experiencing your country in a non-tourist way, which I accomplished on Saturday. My friend Aly and I decided that we wanted to go to Copenhagen on Saturday. This trip would include no plans, no schedules, no tours. We just wants to wander around and get lost in the city. We made it to the main Copenhagen station and met up with another friend, Sophia. After we all met up, we had to figure out the best way to get to a specific part of the city. It took us around 15 minutes to figure out where to go, then we struggled to figure out which train to take. When we got to the place we wanted, we went to H&M. Later, Aly had to meet up with her counselor. That took us a solid half hour to get everyone in the right place. After meeting up with him, we argued and got lost trying to find the perfect place to get Chinese takeout. We settled on a questionable place called Mr. Chin's Chinabox Takeout. When the day was over, we found our way to the train station and went home. We didn't accomplished much that day, but we didn't ask a single person for directions. That's what being an exchange student is all about, getting lost and figuring things out the way a local would.
Lately the debate of whether or not people from the United States should call themselves "Americans" has come up. Geographically speaking, there are two (some may say three) Americas. North and South (sometimes Central America too). Within these Americas, there are countries. I don't know about you, but if I knew someone was from Chile, I would call them Chilean. I wouldn't call them South American, unless I didn't know exactly which country they were from. The same thing should go with those living in North America. Canadians, Mexicans, and those living in the USA are all by definition North Americans. Sadly the USA has no official term for it's citizens, but I have found that US-American is less offensive than American. Personally, I like to call myself a Minnesotan, then explain that it is a state in the USA.
This week has been full of ups and downs. The death of someone in school, maneuvering classes that I can't understand, wandering around Copenhagen & Hillerød, speaking Danish.The fact that I have been here for a month already is extremely disheartening. I can feel the minutes ticking away, it makes me very nervous and I don't want to waste a single moment. I'm afraid of what's going to happen when this year is over, I will be a senior, time to start real life. If you don't think that's absolutely terrifying, there is something seriously wrong with you. As humans we fear the unknown.
This is a frequent problem, cars driving down unmarked, pedestrian zones. (Hillerød)
Copenhagen
Went to the MAD (Modern American Diner) in Copenhagen, here's their attempt at Mac n' Cheese...
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
My 3rd Week
Hello again! I'm sorry there was a bit of a gap between posts, I was not able to post anything. So it will jump from my 1st week to my 3rd week. Sorry.
This last week, I was at intro camp. Rotary sends all the exchange students to the Nørgaards Højskole. (I can't really explain what the facility is in English, the best I can do is call it a year long boarding school). At intro camp, we were subjected to 6 hours of Danish lessons everyday. The main thing that I learned was that Danish has very complicated grammar rules and how to say I love cake, (Jeg elsker kage). The food was typical Danish food, and made in mass quantities. I have never missed American food more, especially Mac n' Cheese. THEY DON'T HAVE IT HERE, AT ALL.
Every night during the week, the South Americans would play music and have a dance party. It was insanely fun to try and dance to their music. The North Americans were awful at dancing compared to the South Americans, but it was still fun. The South Americans are a lively bunch, especially when you're on a long bus trip and it's before 9:00. They play their music loud, and it's just WONDERFUL.
On Thursday, we went to Aarhus. It was an hour long bus ride, which was spent gossiping. Our first stop in Aarhus was the Aros Art Museum. Some of the people were extremely loud in the museum, children who make unnecessary noises should not be aloud inside. I absolutely adore art museums, but at that point I wanted to walk right out. Besides the chaos, the museum was marvelous. I am a big fan of contemporary, modern art and that place was like the holy grail. There are three exhibits that come to mind when I think about that museum.
1. The rainbow on top of the building. It is utterly fascinating to see all the ways the colors of lighting can change our perspective.
2. The Boy, it is a larger-than-life sculpture of a young boy. This may not sound impressive, but he was so life-like it gave me the chills. The amount of detail was phenomenal.
3. The rainbow smoke room. It was a room filled with (harmless) smoke burned from banana oil with colored lights. It was surreal, you couldn't see more than a foot ahead of you because the smoke was so thick. The colored lights made it dream-like with all the colors of the rainbow. So if you are ever in Aarhus, go to the museum and see this exhibit.
After that, we wandered around Aarhus. We found a Starbucks, which was exciting. I hadn't yet seen a Starbucks in Denmark. And I bought some excellent Italian ice.
As the week was drawn to a close, there were many dramatic goodbyes. Long hugs and tears between friends, and passionate kisses between forbidden lovers. The bus ride back had an air of exhaustion, just about everyone was sleeping peacefully by the time we made it to Copenhagen. When the bus stopped, I said goodbye to people who went from acquaintances to good friends. It wasn't sad, because I will see them again. It was a good week, filled with Wicked, #europrobs, and some Danish lessons.
This last week, I was at intro camp. Rotary sends all the exchange students to the Nørgaards Højskole. (I can't really explain what the facility is in English, the best I can do is call it a year long boarding school). At intro camp, we were subjected to 6 hours of Danish lessons everyday. The main thing that I learned was that Danish has very complicated grammar rules and how to say I love cake, (Jeg elsker kage). The food was typical Danish food, and made in mass quantities. I have never missed American food more, especially Mac n' Cheese. THEY DON'T HAVE IT HERE, AT ALL.
Every night during the week, the South Americans would play music and have a dance party. It was insanely fun to try and dance to their music. The North Americans were awful at dancing compared to the South Americans, but it was still fun. The South Americans are a lively bunch, especially when you're on a long bus trip and it's before 9:00. They play their music loud, and it's just WONDERFUL.
On Thursday, we went to Aarhus. It was an hour long bus ride, which was spent gossiping. Our first stop in Aarhus was the Aros Art Museum. Some of the people were extremely loud in the museum, children who make unnecessary noises should not be aloud inside. I absolutely adore art museums, but at that point I wanted to walk right out. Besides the chaos, the museum was marvelous. I am a big fan of contemporary, modern art and that place was like the holy grail. There are three exhibits that come to mind when I think about that museum.
1. The rainbow on top of the building. It is utterly fascinating to see all the ways the colors of lighting can change our perspective.
2. The Boy, it is a larger-than-life sculpture of a young boy. This may not sound impressive, but he was so life-like it gave me the chills. The amount of detail was phenomenal.
3. The rainbow smoke room. It was a room filled with (harmless) smoke burned from banana oil with colored lights. It was surreal, you couldn't see more than a foot ahead of you because the smoke was so thick. The colored lights made it dream-like with all the colors of the rainbow. So if you are ever in Aarhus, go to the museum and see this exhibit.
After that, we wandered around Aarhus. We found a Starbucks, which was exciting. I hadn't yet seen a Starbucks in Denmark. And I bought some excellent Italian ice.
As the week was drawn to a close, there were many dramatic goodbyes. Long hugs and tears between friends, and passionate kisses between forbidden lovers. The bus ride back had an air of exhaustion, just about everyone was sleeping peacefully by the time we made it to Copenhagen. When the bus stopped, I said goodbye to people who went from acquaintances to good friends. It wasn't sad, because I will see them again. It was a good week, filled with Wicked, #europrobs, and some Danish lessons.
After saying goodbye, I had to take the train home, because my host family was stuck in Sweden. I had ridden that route one time before, with people who spoke Danish. I bought a ticket, with the help of a kind stranger, then waited for the S train that would take me to the Hillerød station. The screen near the tracks said "00 until departure" and I still couldn't find a train that said Hillerød on it. So I asked someone who works at the station if that was the correct train, I couldn't understand what he was saying and he just pushed me towards the train doors. Inside, the train was packed like a can of sardines, I could barely fit my suitcase between the people. After about 5 minutes on the train, an announcement came on over the intercom. It was in Danish, so I asked the patrons of the train what the announcement had said. A nice, young woman answered, "You have to get off the train and take a train bus to Hillerød, it goes straight to the station there. I'm heading that way if you want to follow me."
I nodded, relived that someone knew what was going on. When we got off the train, we headed out the doors of the station to a bus stop right next to it. A typical city bus came and picked up a load of people, we were not able to get on. We waited for about 20 minutes, then a female train attendant came and told us that the buses were having trouble getting around, so they would send tour buses to take us to the station. Eventually the buses came, and I was separated from the nice lady. When on the bus I relaxed, thinking "This is it, this bus will take me to the right station, then I can take the local train and go home".
Boy, was I wrong. The bus came to a stop, at Helstrup... So I ran around for 5 minutes and found a train that was maybe going where I needed it to. I got on, then train came to a stop, in Hillerød. I called my host mom and told her that I was almost home, she said that if the train didn't leave in 20 minutes my host dad would come and pick me up from the station. Shortly after the phone call, my phone died. My host mom is the type of woman who worries, a lot. As soon as it died, I knew she would get very worried, and I hoped she wouldn't call the police to look for me when I didn't answer my phone. The train came, and I got on. There was some things that needed fixing, so the train didn't leave for a good 10-15 minutes. Finally it took off, and my host dad was waiting at the Græsted station when I arrived. It had taken me 4 hours to get home, instead of the usual 2 hours. Later I learned that all of this was caused by major flooding all over the country.
There are three thing that I am proud of doing since coming to Denmark;
- Being able to remove a chocolate stain, and a blood stain from a WHITE shirt.
- Maneuvering an insanely difficult transportation situation, while staying calm.
- Finally loving what I'm doing with my life.
My 1st week
Lets start with the journey here.
It was about 5:45 PM when I finally go onto my flight. To say in the mildest terms, I was a wreck. I was leaving the people who loved me most in the world FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR, who in their right mind does that?! Obviously, if you know an exchange student you will agree they are not the typical breed of human. Saying goodbye to my mom and sister hurt the most. My mom was saying how proud of me she was, all I could do was TRY to thanks her…words will never explain how much I have been blessed by my parents. Saying goodbye to my sister was almost unbearable, I almost couldn’t leave. She is my best friend, my partner in crime.
Fast forward a few hours. There I am in the Minneapolis airport, RUNNING AS IF LIFE DEPENDED ON IT (for those who know me personally, I’m sure you're shocked) because they were calling a flight for Amsterdam. As I make it to my gate, huffing and puffing, I realize that it was not my flight. All that cardio for nothing. The flight to Amsterdam was miserable, it was loud, uncomfortable, and I got maybe two hours of sleep on that Eight hour flight. Landing in Amsterdam was a relief…for about ten minutes. Then it was on to customs and immigration, sheer hell. Onto another flight to Copenhagen. After landing, I collected my bags and went through the doors. The very first thing I saw was a big banner saying “Welcome Baehlee!”
I was so relieved. On the car ride to my new home, I immediately began to like my host family. They were perfect. After seeing all of the house, I loved it. It is the kind of house I would like to own someday. My host family is eccentric to say the least, reminding me so much of my family back home. What I love the most about them, is that they are not perfect. They make mistakes and it's ok when somebody screws up. Whether it's eating a food that is meant for a dessert topping, or messing up when speaking the language, mistakes are what exchange is all about.
I have lived in the same small town my entire life. I have gone to school with the same couple hundred students since kindergarten. On the night before my first day of school, I could not sleep. My anxiety over being the new kid was sitting on my chest like a rock. I was afraid to be the new kid, on top of that, I can't speak the language. When morning finally came, I picked out a killer outfit and my host mom drove me to school. Walking in the doors, I was simultaneously mesmerized and terrified. Everywhere I looked was well groomed, nicely dressed, teenagers. My host mom and I waited for a teacher to come and bring me to class. I was so scared, I could barely say hello. They brought me into the classroom and I met my class. Instantly there was a girl who helped me out. She too had been an exchange student, so she knew how I felt. On that first day I didn't do much, just watched and listened. Even without speaking the language I could tell who were the class clowns, socialites, braniacs, and teachers pet.
Adjusting to everything in Denmark has been pretty easy, except for the language and the public transportation.
It was about 5:45 PM when I finally go onto my flight. To say in the mildest terms, I was a wreck. I was leaving the people who loved me most in the world FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR, who in their right mind does that?! Obviously, if you know an exchange student you will agree they are not the typical breed of human. Saying goodbye to my mom and sister hurt the most. My mom was saying how proud of me she was, all I could do was TRY to thanks her…words will never explain how much I have been blessed by my parents. Saying goodbye to my sister was almost unbearable, I almost couldn’t leave. She is my best friend, my partner in crime.
Fast forward a few hours. There I am in the Minneapolis airport, RUNNING AS IF LIFE DEPENDED ON IT (for those who know me personally, I’m sure you're shocked) because they were calling a flight for Amsterdam. As I make it to my gate, huffing and puffing, I realize that it was not my flight. All that cardio for nothing. The flight to Amsterdam was miserable, it was loud, uncomfortable, and I got maybe two hours of sleep on that Eight hour flight. Landing in Amsterdam was a relief…for about ten minutes. Then it was on to customs and immigration, sheer hell. Onto another flight to Copenhagen. After landing, I collected my bags and went through the doors. The very first thing I saw was a big banner saying “Welcome Baehlee!”
Here's a picture of the group that traveled together, in the Copenhagen airport.
I was so relieved. On the car ride to my new home, I immediately began to like my host family. They were perfect. After seeing all of the house, I loved it. It is the kind of house I would like to own someday. My host family is eccentric to say the least, reminding me so much of my family back home. What I love the most about them, is that they are not perfect. They make mistakes and it's ok when somebody screws up. Whether it's eating a food that is meant for a dessert topping, or messing up when speaking the language, mistakes are what exchange is all about.
I have lived in the same small town my entire life. I have gone to school with the same couple hundred students since kindergarten. On the night before my first day of school, I could not sleep. My anxiety over being the new kid was sitting on my chest like a rock. I was afraid to be the new kid, on top of that, I can't speak the language. When morning finally came, I picked out a killer outfit and my host mom drove me to school. Walking in the doors, I was simultaneously mesmerized and terrified. Everywhere I looked was well groomed, nicely dressed, teenagers. My host mom and I waited for a teacher to come and bring me to class. I was so scared, I could barely say hello. They brought me into the classroom and I met my class. Instantly there was a girl who helped me out. She too had been an exchange student, so she knew how I felt. On that first day I didn't do much, just watched and listened. Even without speaking the language I could tell who were the class clowns, socialites, braniacs, and teachers pet.
Adjusting to everything in Denmark has been pretty easy, except for the language and the public transportation.
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
10 days until exchange
My name is Baehlee, and I am from Minnesota. In exactly 10 days I will be starting my year as a Rotary exchange student in Denmark. This blog will be all about my year there.
To start off with, I’ll tell the story of my life leading up to my exchange.
It all starts way back to my first trip without either of my parents. It was seventh grade, and I went on a mission trip to Denver Colorado with a local church. After that week without any sort of family member with me, I figured the whole traveling thing was pretty neat. I had seen parts of the country people in my family hadn’t seen before.
Fast forward a couple years later, it was eighth grade and I had just joined the swim team. There was a girl on my team who seemed a little different from everybody else, after awhile I found out it was because she was a foreign exchange student from Denmark. Immediately I envied the way she was so excited about all the things that seemed so normal to me, I wanted to see the world in the same way she did.
That next year, I started high school. One of the first things I did was get information on how I could become an exchange student. The results were not too great. I had to be sixteen by the time I left for my exchange, which meant I had to wait a year longer than I had anticipated. The year after that, I was finally ready to apply. Tons of paperwork had to be filled out, and I had to do two extremely nerve-racking interviews. Shadows of doubt filled my mind as I waited to get my acceptance letter, I was afraid I wasn’t good enough. The day the email finally came, it was clear that all the stress and fear was well worth it. When I read the email, I cried from total happiness. I was finally able to do what I had spent the last two years dreaming about.
A few months later, we all found out our country assignment. One of my top choices had been Croatia, a Rotarian from my club told me the probability of me going to Croatia was very high. So when I was told I was going to Denmark, I was incredibly disappointed. But after learning more about the country, I can honestly say that I am beyond happy with my country assignment. In ten days I will start the greatest journey of my life so far, in a country I’ve already begun to fall in love with.
To start off with, I’ll tell the story of my life leading up to my exchange.
It all starts way back to my first trip without either of my parents. It was seventh grade, and I went on a mission trip to Denver Colorado with a local church. After that week without any sort of family member with me, I figured the whole traveling thing was pretty neat. I had seen parts of the country people in my family hadn’t seen before.
Fast forward a couple years later, it was eighth grade and I had just joined the swim team. There was a girl on my team who seemed a little different from everybody else, after awhile I found out it was because she was a foreign exchange student from Denmark. Immediately I envied the way she was so excited about all the things that seemed so normal to me, I wanted to see the world in the same way she did.
That next year, I started high school. One of the first things I did was get information on how I could become an exchange student. The results were not too great. I had to be sixteen by the time I left for my exchange, which meant I had to wait a year longer than I had anticipated. The year after that, I was finally ready to apply. Tons of paperwork had to be filled out, and I had to do two extremely nerve-racking interviews. Shadows of doubt filled my mind as I waited to get my acceptance letter, I was afraid I wasn’t good enough. The day the email finally came, it was clear that all the stress and fear was well worth it. When I read the email, I cried from total happiness. I was finally able to do what I had spent the last two years dreaming about.
A few months later, we all found out our country assignment. One of my top choices had been Croatia, a Rotarian from my club told me the probability of me going to Croatia was very high. So when I was told I was going to Denmark, I was incredibly disappointed. But after learning more about the country, I can honestly say that I am beyond happy with my country assignment. In ten days I will start the greatest journey of my life so far, in a country I’ve already begun to fall in love with.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)