Status: Sitting in a hip coffee shop drinking a cheap $7.50 vanilla latte (yes, that is actually a real steal here) and taking a break from life.
Life is HECTIC here! I feel like I am always on the go with no chance to catch my breath. Well suck it Copenhagen, I’m catching my breath now. I have one hour before I need to start my paper that is due at midnight. So I decided to treat myself to a coffee (sadly not Caribou) and reflect back upon my week.
Drinking my trendy coffee with foam art while fake reading a Danish newspaper. Note: The World Championships of Cycling are taking place in Copenhagen at this very moment! I’ll be watching all day tomorrow after my field trip to a castle…such a hard life.
On Thursday night, I got together for the first time with my Danish Buddy Network. My school put me in a group with 20 Americans and 10 Danes and then provides lots of money for us to do events. On this particular night, we met at someone’s apartment and made a traditional Danish dinner together. I am in love with my group’s coordinator, Christina, and I could see a potential friendship blossoming. Here’s to meeting my goal of making meaningful friendships with Danes! After dinner, we headed to a bar to watch the news (remember that Thursday was election night) and had a beer, except that I HATE beer. So I got a cider which has about the same amount of alcohol as Listerine. (I always feel so weird talking about alcohol, but the drinking age is 16 here, so drink up… in moderation of course!) Tonight, my buddy group is going bowling. I’m pumped because compared to the Danes, I fail at fashion, controlling my eating and biking elegantly, but I think I can hold my own in bowling. For future activities, we’ll be going out to eat, to an opera, to concerts and much much more. I had a grand idea of doing a Pastry Crawl (like a Pub Crawl, but remember that I hate beer), so I am officially in charge of planning that. People are already associating me with food here. It’s scary. A girl in my class asked for my opinion on what chocolate bar to buy because she heard I was the “candy girl.” Oh gosh.
Yummy Danish food
On Friday, I had a movie night with my family. I helped make a pear tart and homemade whipped cream. But interestingly, sour cream is a very popular topping for pies and tarts and I like it better. Sour and sweet make a good combination. Listen to me! I am the “candy girl.” We all squeezed on to two couches and snuggled with licorice flavored tea (my favorite) and watched an old movie called “Not Without My Daughter” with Sally Fields. I’d totally recommend it.
Pear tart perfection
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On Saturday, I basically studied all day for my first test for my European Culture and History class. The test basically covered all of French history, like ALL, and also all of Danish history. So my brain really hurts but I can tell you how Danish peasants from the 18th century impacted the modern political system in Denmark, important stuff. In between studying, I went to Merle’s first birthday party!! Merle is my family’s niece’s baby. She is an absolute doll. Probably in my Top 5 babies of cutest of all time list with number one being of course me. Danish birthday’s are a big deal. Big. The birthday-er gets woken up by the family singing and waving Danish flags in their face. Danish flags are hung every where around the house. (I can’t really picture American flags at my birthday parties.) At the birthday parties, they serve hot chocolate, homemade whip cream, buns with butter and jam and layer cake. Layer cake is THE Danish birthday cake. If you don’t have one at your birthday party I think your Danish citizenship could be taken away. Seriously. Layer cake, like the name states, is layers of spongecake (I think) and filled with whatever you choose. Mine had chocolate and bananas :)
Happy first birthday Merle!
Hot chocolate, whipped cream and layer cake heaven!
Well I now have two hours to start and finish my paper before I go bowling. Gah!
Hej Hej,
Hannah