Happy Easter!

[photo:  We spent the last day of the Czech Trek in Prague.  The whole city was decked out for Easter]

The 8 hour bus ride and 2 hour ferry ride brought an end to the DIS spring break.  I'm back in the Cope now, preparing to resume battle with laundry and homework.  It was wonderful while it lasted, though!  On the Czech Trek we got a chance to mountain bike, climb, repel, hike, and explore the numerous caves and caverns riddled throughout the forest.  Our hotel was pretty nifty, too.  We spent the week in an old castle situated right on the side of the mountain.  I feel the "Czech Trek" may as well have been called "Mary's Dream Trip".  I may have ruined a shirt or two along the way, but it was definitely worth it.  

[photo: My hands after repelling.  I think this was the result of either a dirty rope, nerves, or both]

Although most Danes rarely go to church, Easter is a big deal over here.  Yesterday was a national holiday and every store in town was closed.  Stores open again today, but only for a few hours, then the rest of the weekend everything will be closed up again.  This gives me just enough time to run to Netto and stock up on Guld Korn (I could live off of that cereal alone.  So tasty)
[photo:  Yup, that's our hotel.  Life doesn't get much better]

Although the last few weeks have been a blast, it's nice to be back in a familiar city.  And I think my body will appreciate a rest from hazardous activities for a little while.  My mom is flying in today, so I'll switch from traveler to tour guide and try to show her all the best of Copenhagen.  

[photo:  At Les 2 Alps there was an ice cave carved inside of the glacier on top of the mountain.  We came right at the end of the season, so some of the sculptures were beginning to melt - but t-rex here was still holding on]

I can't believe how time is flying over here!  Facebook is flooded with invitations for grad parties, people are starting to talk about summer jobs, and (less fun) DIS keeps reminding students about final exams.  Just 5 short weeks left in Europe-land.  I'll try to make it count!

Just a quick update

Unfortunately I only have about 5 minutes to write a little update, so this may come out sounding a bit condensed and certainly a bit rushed, but here goes:

Last week I was snowboarding the French Alps at Les 2 about 2 hours from Grenoble.  I had a great time, the weather was wonderful, and I met some fantastic people on the trip.

As most of you probably know by now, last week was also a difficult one for the Moritz family.  My dad went to hospital with a sinus infection and a very bad headache, but doctors ended up finding cancer in his brain, on his lung, and on his spine.  He had surgery on Thursday to remove the stuff in his brain ("It was rotten from too much Mad Magazine", he told me) and everything went just fine.  He's at home now, eating jello and watching cops with the dog, but he's going to go through some chemo and radiation for the rest of the cancer.  

I got home in the Cope last night around 3 am, and I'm heading out to the Czech republic via bus at 5:45 pm today (translation: sleep, laundry, food, pack).  I don't think I'll have internet access next week, but I'll try to post some pictures and stories as soon as I can.  

Until then, vi ses, hej hej!  

Why hello there!

[photo: Hanging out on castle ruins in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.  If ever go into exile, I might just move here]

Wow, that was a long time not to update!  Between traveling and hanging out with a friend from home on her spring break (Hi, Emily!) I completely forgot to update.  Ok, excuses aside, here's what's been going on in my neck of the woods.

St. Patrick's day was great fun with a "parade" (people wearing green walking behind a guy dressed up like the saint himself) and some traditional Irish culture at a local beer garden.  There was a folk band playing all of the old songs, some Irish step dancers, and plenty of Irish stew (which is some kind of beef / potato mix) throughout the evening.  

Last week I went to Bulgaria with my study program and got a taste of some Eastern European culture.  The first place we stopped was in Sofia, the capital.  We toured the Aleksander Nevski Memorial Church and got a crash course in folk dancing before finally checking in to the Red Star Hostel.  From Sofia we drove into the Balkan Mountains to the very remote, very beautiful Rila Monastery where we toured the church, hiked, and spent the night.  Our last few days were spent in Plovdiv, the second largest city in Bulgaria.  Our guide claimed the city was older than Rome, and we got to see some of its history first hand at the ruins of amphitheaters, castles, and churches from the last couple millennia. 

Next week I'm heading off to Grenoble, France and Les 2 Alps resort for a bit of snowboarding (err, I mean...I'm studying applied physics).  I may not be able to post again for a while, but I promise all is well over here!   

Chicken = Kylling, Kitten = Killing

This explains the look I got when I ordered the "Kitten Sandwich"

[photo: Aleks and I were walking about when we found the coolest bike store ever.  Danish design is not just for wealthy homes and museums, it's part of everyday life]

Earlier this week a friend showed me Cafe Retro, a nifty little place near Nyhavn about 5 minutes from where I have most of my classes.  This place is the definition of "Hygge", the Danish word for "cozy".  In a country where clouds and cold weather dominate most of the year, creating a cozy indoor environment has become a big part of the culture.  This cafe has huge wooden beams, old squishy couches, plenty of candles, and some of the cheapest soda in town.  A great portion of the Cafe's profit goes to charity and the workers are all volunteers.  Every time I grab a cup of coffee in there I feel like I'm saving the world, one sip at a time. 

[photo:  He looks just like Sammy!  Ma & Pa - be sure to give the dog a big kiss from me]

On Wednesday I visited the Carlsberg Brewery.  Besides the usual "history of beer" type display, they also had the world's largest beer bottle collection, the Carlsberg stables, and the "aroma test", where visitors could choose which aromas they preferred and the bartenders would recommend a specific beer for them.   

[photo: Ok, I promised I would go see her this week.  I give you "Den Lille Havfrue", the Little Mermaid]    

[photo:  I didn't cook a thing, but look how shiny the silver is!  Courtesy of yours truly.]

Vibeke and Marianne threw a fancy party on Friday night complete with champagne and bow-ties.  I think the Dane's reputation for being quiet and reserved needs to be reevaluated.  There were plenty of speeches, wine, laughter, more wine, great food, even more wine, and finally music and dancing.  The vicar was the last person to leave at around 4:30.  I think everyone, with the exception of the cats, had a great time (Vibeke's brother is allergic, so they had to incarcerate the cats at the neighbor's house).  

The Rich and Danish

[photo: When she's not mud wrestlin' or trap shooting, Queen Margrethe II (far right) enjoys wearing sparkly things and waving at crowds]

I promise Europe is still old and beautiful and cloudy, but I didn't have my camera with me this week to document it.  Instead, here are some pictures I ripped from the internet of a few important Danish public figures (I suppose this is the only way I'd get their picture anyway)

[photo:  Crown Prince Frederick and Crown Princess Mary were married just a couple of years ago.  As an Australian, Mary is a bit of a novelty over here.  I think this couple has 2 kids now]

My group finished our project for Aging in Northern Europe by interviewing an elderly man about his recent retirement.  It was neat to spend a rainy afternoon sipping coffee in cozy apartment while Anders told us about his days as a jail guard.  Everyone has had projects and papers due this week as we head into midterms.  

The beloved statue of Hans Christian Anderson's "The Little Mermaid" will be sent to Japan at the end of the month as part of a mini worlds fair of sorts.  I know this is pathetic, but I haven't been out to see her yet.  My train passes that spot in the harbor every day, though, so I just need to hop off and pay her a visit.  

[photo:  Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen is a member of the Venstre party.  Don't be fooled by the girly flowers in the picture, this guy means business.  He's favored to become the next president of the EU]

Vibeke and Marianne are back from vacation (skiing in the Czech Republic, Marianne had a medical conference down there).  They've been busy with preparations for a big party this Friday celebrating Marianne's promotion as the head professor of neurological studies at the State Hospital.  Later today I'll help polish the silver and pull out the dinning room table.  I'm so glad I brought a dress (good call, ma).  

Festelavn!

[photo: The Danish version of Halloween is called "Festelavn".  The celebration takes place before Lent and involves wearing funny costumes and hitting the "cat in the barrel".  Back in the day I'm sure some unfortunate felines fell victim to this holiday, but now the barrels are filled with candy, like a piñata]

Yesterday a friend and I hopped on the regional train and headed over to Malmø.  After about a half hour ride (I still can't believe how close Denmark is to Sweden) we arrived at the central station.  The city is perfect for day trips with plenty of little shops, cafes and such.  We stopped by the Swedish Design Center and saw some of the most oddly shaped chairs in the world.  Before we headed home we stopped by a store that sold wooden shoes and a traditional bakery.   

[photo: The holy grail of my European travels - A Swedish Chef!  I know Thomas will be excited about this, as will anyone well versed in The Muppet Show]

[photo: The Swedes are all about peace, love, and pastries]

My Cross Cultural Encounters class has started working on our project with asylum seekers.  Each group is teamed up with a Danish immigrant to investigate various topics for a magazine published by the asylum center.  Our group is focusing on a play called "Fence".  Playwright Michael Svennevig tells the story of Sandholm Camp, an asylum center where many of the residents suffer from post traumatic stress syndrome.  The camp is located near a military firing range (not exactly helpful for people recovering from war-related stress).  We start interviews next week, which should be thought-provoking to say the least. 

[photo: When I truly have to get some reading done I head over to the University of Copenhagen library.  It might just be the quietest place in the city.  The first time I walked in my converse were squeaking, and every time I stepped I felt like my shoes were shouting "american american american america"]

    
[photo: This sign is next to a door off the alley I walk down on my way to class in the morning.  I don't know what the Fabulab is, and the key-pad lock has kept me from finding out.]

"I sure hope 'melet' means flour"

[photo: For breakfast this morning I tried to make Vibeke and Marianne some good ol' American flapjacks.  They tasted just fine, but it's clear I need some practice.  "This one looks like Sjælland!" exclaimed Vibeke.  I've provided a map of Sjælland to illustrate my level of incompetence]  

Yesterday Vibeke and I went to a concert at Copenhagen's new concert hall.  It was classical music featuring soloist Andreas Scholl.  When he first started singing I pretty much had to pick my jaw up off the floor (check out the video to see why).  The new concert hall is a bit awkward for large crowds to navigate, but it's beautiful in the actual auditorium.  There were several terraces arranged sort of "in the round" to provide seating for 1600.  The design was very organic, with no right angles or straight edges (hence the difficulty when finding one's seat) and it was all done in a light wood lit by a sort of orange glow from the lights.  Essentially, I felt like we were in the middle of a peach.  It was a wonderful concert.  

[photo: I like to start my day right with "Guld Korn" cereal.  I was doing so well with the games on the back...until I got to the word scramble]

At least once a week I try to grab some shawarma for lunch.  I think this is technically a Turkish dish, but it's all over Copenhagen (hot dogs are to New York City as shawarma is to Copenhagen).  It basically consists of beef, lettuce, magic sauce, and pita.  The beef is cut off a spindle which is usually displayed in the window of the shop, a form of advertisement so effective it's almost cruel.  It's become a sort of bragging right if a DIS student can find the cheapest shawarma in town.  

 
[photo:  Lots of host families are out of town this week, so the DIS kids are banding together to make dinner for each other.  On Thursday we managed a chicken-vegetable-rice combo with some curry thrown in at the last second.  Mission accomplished]

A local cafe by day / bar by night called the Studenterhuset (student house) is run mostly by University of Copenhagen students and DIS volunteers.  I worked my first shift on Wednesday night and had a blast!  Behind the counter I found some flyers they were going to put up for swing dancing on Sunday afternoons.  After joining the Bradley Swingers last semester, I've been feeling a bit deprived.  After a late pancake breakfast, I can't think of a better way to procrastinate on a lazy Sunday.  

It schnowed!

I have about a ten minute walk to the s-train station.  Here's some stuff that I see along the way.

[photo: This is my street, which as of yesterday I can pronounce correctly.  And yes, the city dots all the j's at the end with a little heart]

[photo: Ok, I might have the coolest host family, but these guys would probably be the second coolest host family.  Check out that playhouse!]

[photo: This is the Mexican / Italian food place run by some Turkish guys.  I try to stop in on Saturdays]

[photo: "Democrats", the local toy store.  I think Dad and Grandpa will find this amusing.  Also, the little orange elephant in the corner glows at night]

[photo: Yeah, the Danes really are that happy]

[photo: Best graffiti ever]

Århus

[photo: If I had a dime for every bicycle I've seen over here I wouldn't need to go back to Bradley]

This may be a historic first.  I'm actually updating this thing on a Sunday as promised!  On Thursday my program (Migration and Identity) went on a study tour to Århus, the second largest city in Denmark.  We got to hear all sorts of people talk about immigration, integration, and what all this change means for the Danish society.  We had a lecture by a man named Mehmet Necef who tried to answer the question "is denmark a racist society?"  He was arguing that it was not, but nevertheless he managed to ruffle some American feathers during his speech.  
[photo: Our hotel, the Cab Inn, was located right along one of the canals]

We also stopped by the ARoS museum and got to see their new exhibit "Enter Action".  I'm not even going to pretend to understand modern art, but this exhibit was pretty nifty.  Everything was interactive and connected in some way to technology and its affect on society.  Check out a video of one piece called "Life Writer"
[photo: We visited Søndervang, a school with 80% non-ethnic Danes.  The staff and students described the challenges of having such a diverse student body.  In the teacher's lounge we found the quick solution to dealing with the issue: a beer machine]

The food on this trip was amazing, especially considering there were 40 in our group.  Buffets are pretty popular over here, and we hit 4 wonderful places.  I wish I knew the names of all the dishes, but I could barely pronounce them let alone spell them.  One dish was pretty familiar, though.  They served waffle bits with yogurt and some kind of heavenly chocolate sauce.  Next time you're whipping up some fancy breakfast I highly recommend this combo.  

This next week will probably be pretty busy as classes start to really kick into gear.  I hope all is well back in the motherland!

Looks can fool ya

[photos: I've been very lazy with my camera this week, so I just copied these from the net.  Above we have the new opera house, library, and theater.  All of these are located within a mile of each other along this canal.  Can you tell which is which?]

I may have mentioned this in a previous post, but this weekend Marianne competed in the national competition for indoor rowing.  She and her team managed to get 3rd place!  It was one of the weirdest / coolest things I've ever seen.  The competition was held down at a local sports hall where they filled the gymnasium with rows of rowing machines.  The machines were hooked up to all sorts of gizmos which were connected to a giant projector showing the distance traveled by each "boat".  The event was set up like a track meet with individual and relay events in distances from 200 m sprints up to 2000 m races.  The relay events were by far the most exciting.  Every 500 m the rowers literally switched places on the machine.  This is far more complicated than just passing off a baton and has much more potential for failure.  Vibeke took several pictures, so I'll try to upload them as soon as she sends them to me.  

In other news, I found an awesome author!  The father of the girl who stayed with Vibeke and Marianne before me gave them a series of books by Karen Blixen.  The books contain several stories filled with all sorts of mystery, romance, and murder (I'm currently reading Seven Gothic Tales).  Blixen often wrote under the name Isac Dinesen, so if you see either one of those authors on the shelf, check 'em out.  Blixen is a Dane but she wrote in English, giving the syntax kind of an interesting flavor.  

This last week I also started to delve into Danish film.  The film club had its first meeting on Sunday where we watched "Idioterne" (The Idiots).  It was filmed according to dogme 95, something I knew nothing about.  It was possibly one of the strangest movies I've ever seen, but I would still recommend it to those interested.  I don't want to spoil any of the plot, but here's a synopsis.

On a more random note, the strangest thing keeps happening.  Since I've arrived, four Danish people have come up to me and asked if we knew each other.  The conversation usually goes like this:

Dane: Undskyld, Fiskar eru hryggdýr sem dvelja í vatni og anda með tálknum? 

Me: Uhhh...

Dane:  Oh, Undskyld

Me: Wait, I'm sorry I don't speak much Danish

Dane: You just looked familiar 

Me: Oh...

Dane: ...

Me: I like your...country.

(followed by immense awkwardness if this happens on the train)

[photo answer:  top to bottom = library, theatre, opera house]

Cloudy with a chance of...well, more clouds really

[photo: Frederiksbørg Castle.  What started as a humble hunting lodge grew to become a spectacular 400 year old monument to the Danish monarchy]

All the DIS students have survived their first full week in Copenhagen.  Besides the occasional housing mix up (someone was assigned a janitor's closet at the international dorm), everyone seems to be pretty settled in.  The city is remarkably easy to explore.  Between the S-train, metro, and bus system, public transportation is easy to find and usually easy to navigate.  Still, the most fun way to get around the city is simply by walking.  The area is compact enough that there are plenty of stores, cafes, and libraries all within a few minutes of each other.     

[photo: The church inside the castle.  A choir of Danish kids were rehearsing below]

My most interesting class so far has been the Environment History of Europe.  I've studied Europe before, but somehow this aspect of history always gets sort of glanced over or bundled with agricultural studies.  The professor is particularly entertaining, too.  For those of you who went to Valley, his style is very similar to that of Mr. Thornton (complete with bad puns).  

The food so far has been surprising tasty.  Danes don't eat a lot of spicy food, but nevertheless a number of Tai places can be found all over the city and in the suburbs.  Vibeke grabbed some carry out for dinner from a Tai place down the street the other night an nearly drank the entire pitcher of tea to relieve the heat.  For the first time EVER I was the one in the room saying "Oh, it's not that hot".  Then again the score is even for every time a Dane has said "Oh, its not that cold outside".    

Tonight my Danish survival group is going to grab some dinner at the Barbar Bar, a local favorite.  The only catch is that we have to order our food in Danish.  I'm hoping pointing at the menu and smiling at the waiter will suffice.

[photos: I really don't know what's going on here, actually]

Velkommen til København!

(photo: Marianne did some post graduate studies in New York and received this book as a gift from an American friend.  She set it out for me and was excited when I knew about Garrison Keillor)

I know this post comes a day late, but it took a day or so to get my head back on after all the travel.  All the DIS students were super jet-lagged when we all arrived at the headquarters on Sunday afternoon.  By the time we were picked up by our host families most of us had been up for around 30 hours with another few hours to go before dinner and bed.  The tiredness did, however, make stressful events seem quite humorous ("Score! SAS lost my bags! Now I don't have to carry them, haha!" ~red-haired guy).  

Copenhagen is, from what I've seen so far, a beautiful city.  We had opening ceremonies today in the Ny Carlsbuerg Glyptotek, a museum located in the heart of the city.  They held the ceremony in a room designed to look like a Greek temple where we were surrounded by Greek statues, marble floors, and ionic columns.  A winds quintet played a few pieces by Beethoven and Carl Nielsen, a very famous Danish composer (he's on the 100 DKK bill).  

Vibeke and Marianne have been very welcoming.  The first night we had tea by the fire while watching "lifgardt" (that's not how it's spelled, but I can't seem to find anything close on google).  Anyway, the show doesn't have any subtitles, but it's formatted a bit like CSI.  Between the language barrier, cultural differences, and the fact that they were already half-way through the season meant that occasionally Marianne would say something like "They just talked about the Muslims immigrating to Denmark, which is the source of some racial tension here, but Mohammed is still in love with Ulja, who is the sister of Tarben".  It all makes sense now.

I know the first few days will be a bit awkward, but it's refreshing to be out of my element.  I think I could have written an entire post on just the shower and the alarm clock (I did battle with both.  The shower won, but the alarm clock I managed to beat into submission). 

This week is filled with orientations sessions until Thursday, when we'll start our normal classes.  I should be able to update regularly from here on out.  If the first two days were this interesting I can't wait to see what the rest of the week has in store.  

In case you were wondering

[photo: All I really need for the trip]

Hey there, everyone!  Although I don't leave until the 17th of January, I wanted to post some basic information about what I'll be up to next semester.  

"Where in Africa are you going?" ~Rob

Actually, I'll be heading to Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark.  Denmark shares a southern border with Germany and consists of a peninsula (Jutland) and several smaller islands (Copenhagen is on Zealand).  The language is Danish, the population is around five and a half million (around one and a half million live in Copenhagen), and they have a parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy.  The Kingdom of Denmark encompasses Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands.

"Why on earth are you going to Copenhagen?"

I've always wanted to study abroad.  My mom studied for several months in Turkey back in the day, and hearing her stories (along with working at Active Endeavors), gave me the travel bug.  I told the very nice ladies at the study abroad office at Bradley University that I wanted to travel, I'm a mechanical engineering major, and I don't speak German.  That narrowed my options fairly quickly and lead me to DIS, the Danish institute for Study Abroad.  This particular program has a great reputation, allows me to knock off a few gen eds, and all my classes will be taught in English (danke, Dr. Blouch).  I'll be taking my classes though the University of Copenhagen and the theme of my studies is "Migration and Identity"    (fitting, eh?)

"Will you stay with a host family?"

You betcha.  I will be staying with Vibeke and Marianne, a same-sex couple living about half and hour north of the city.  These women are in their 50's, both are doctors, and sound like lovely people.  

So that's the gist of my spring semester.  I'll try to keep this blog updated on a weekly basis.

I hope everyone had a lovely New Year's!