back to school

So I have officially started at my new school here in Denmark. It is an experience but i am really loving it so far- especially English classes because it is about the only thing that I understand at the moment. The language is proving difficult at times, but I am trying really really hard. I have now started at language school and am doing a little bit each night with my host family. I can now count to ten, say the days and even the months. Yay team.

My experience at school so far has been really really good. My class is lovely and are making me feel really welcome. Obviously, Danish schools are really different to Australian schools and I can not believe how relaxed it is here. They have uncensored internet so Facebook is used in class, they call their teachers by their first names and have music in the cafeteria at lunch. No uniforms are also really cool- so its mufti every day here in Denmark! But the school has a really relaxed vibe and it is so chill compared to Australia.

Since my last blog, I have been so busy! On Tuesday or Tearsday in Danish I went to sort out my visa (finally) and then explored Roskilde Cathedral. It is one of the most amazing places that I have ever been to. So much history! The Danish royal family is actually buried in there and each room has an amazing burial chamber and beautifully decorated rooms. The chalk paintings on the walls date back to hundreds of years ago and it is so beautifully preserved. I really want to go back (especially because my camera ran out of battery) but I will try and go to a service there- maybe at christmas because it is just the most amazing church!

I also went to language school which i found all by myself. I spent the afternoon beforehand roaming the streets of Roskilde. It is such a beautiful town and I am so fortunate to be spending the next year here. Language school was really good. It was nice to meet some other exchange students who are experiencing exactly the same things as me. Met some Rotary kids who are on the same bus for Euro tour as me (IM SO EXCITED HURRY UP JUNE!) I'm going again this afternoon after school. Should be good.

I am constantly asked what strange experiances I have encountered during my time here and now that I think about it, I would have to say the roads. They are so so so narrow and yesterday I nearly had a heart attack when my bus nearly smashed into another bus. I held my breath as the window just missed the corner. It was so scary- but everyone was acting like it was perfectly normal. That is something that I am going to get used to.

Missing you all Australia

xxxx

ps won't be writing much for the rest of the week (unless i'm really really bored in class tomorrow) but next week i'm off to language camp so won't have access to my computer.

fun in the snow

Okay, its official- I LOVE SNOW! I spent all of yesterday making snowmen, snow angles and having a snowball fights with my little host brother Carl. It was so so much fun! It snowed the night before so the snow or sni in Danish was fresh, soft and fluffy. Whilst we were out in the snow, it began to snow again!  It was seriously the coolest thing ever

I have to admit though that in the movies, making snowmen looks soooo easy. Well let me tell you- it's so not. There is actually an art to it and I was the idiot who just thought that you could make a lump in the snow and add extra stuff as you needed it. Well this technique failed miserably, so my first attempt was quite shocking! However, I quickly adapted to the proper technique, of making a small snowball in the snow and rolling around in it so that it gets bigger and bigger. This worked, but again my snowman didn't look quite right- but hey at least I tried!

I also got to tick off making a snow angle from my bucket list. I have alwayssssss wanted to make one, and it is as cool as it looks in movies- Needles to say that my life is now complete!

Snowball fights are just also just as fun as they look in movies. The snow is so so soft and so it doesn't hurt when you get hit at all It is just the best and I was literally covered in snow.

Yesterday we also had a brunch with an Indian exchange student, who was the host sister of my host brother who is currently in India (so confusing). She was so so lovely, and she, like me, had never made a snowman so we had a really nice afternoon together! She is also on my bus for euro tour (yay I actually know someone!) Danish brunches are so so good as well... but everything is good over here!

This morning, I left for school at 7:31am and it was so dark outside. I will defiantly have to get used to that. Anyway, it was about a half an hour trip through the centre of the town, to the other side of the town. So I'm currently sitting in the students area waiting eagerly for 9am when i will be met by some of my classmates. I have all my fingers and toes crossed that they will be nice and that I will have a good day.

Write soon
xxx

brunch time.

So as I am writing this post, little droplets of snow are falling down from my bedroom window. I will never get tired of this. It is so pretty, and the lyrics of 'let it snow' are running through my head. What makes it even better is that my host brother told me that the snow is snowball snow! Hopefully it will still be soft and fluffy in the morning so I can have my first snowball fight. I am so excited. 

I had a really really good day today. It began with a brunch where I got to meet all of my host families. They are all so so lovely and I can not wait to stay with all of them. Hearing about all the amazing things that I will be doing like skiing in Norway for Easter, the Roskilde festival and christmas markets in Berlin make me even more excited for this year ahead. It will be an amazing one no doubt! The brunch made me realise that I am so blessed to have three beautiful host families! 

After the brunch, I left Anita and Esben's place in the countryside and travelled to Roskilde and arrived at my first host families house. They live about 6km out of town, in a block of houses where all the families know each other. They have a common room, which is used for socialising and eating meals together on a weekly basis. I had my first experience of this tonight when I went to a birthday party for two of the people living in the area! It was really cool to experience actually! So I have been told that the Danes like to celebrate birthdays by decorating everything with their flag- and this is no understatement. The flag was everywhere, on the serviettes, on the table cloth, in the middle of the table- it was really cool! So i kind of did have Australia day- but with the wrong flag deco.

day in the kitchen..

I can not believe that it has been a week since I left Australia! It seems so strange to think that I was sweating in 45 degree heat when today I woke up to a foggy sky and trees covered in ice. This week has flown by- so I can just imagine how fast the year will go! I'll be back home before you know it. 

Had a quiet day in today to prepare for our brunch tomorrow. We made a quick trip to the supermarket to buy the ingredients we needed to prepare all of the food. I was making pavlova, and was relieved to find that in Denmark they sell egg whites and egg yolks separately so no clumsy egg incidents were had in the kitchen today. 

The brunch tomorrow is for me to meet all of my host families. I must admit that I am a little nervous but can not wait to meet them all!! After the brunch, I leave the beautiful town of Skibby and move to Roskilde with my first host family. My first family has three boys; one who is my age, one who is in India on exchange and the other who is around 12 (I think). Will be a nice change, and something that I am not used to! I am really looking forward to it, as I guess that this is where the real adventure starts! 

Anyway, back to the kitchen....So I attempted to make mini pavlovas. Was a little worried about how they would turn out- but they actually taste really good! Unfortunately, fresh strawberries are very rarely found in Denmark so frozen berries will have to do! Making the pav today though was really nice, especially because I would be celebrating Australia day back home. I'll miss a good old game of backyard cricket in the heat- the little pav doesn't really do it justice. 

Happy Australia day Australia! Missing you all xxx 

sporty sarah.

As you can probably tell, I am absolutely loving it here in Denmark... however i'm not sure that Denmark feels the same way about me... Every time I go to get my visa, it seems that something goes wrong. I wasn't able to access my security number the other day and today when we went to the police station, after waiting an hour, the lady informed us that the system was down. Just my luck! 

Apart from this minor glitch, today was a pretty good! Had an interview and visit at my school. It felt so weird walking through the hallway and not seeing everyone wearing uniforms. The exchange officer greeted me with a warm smile and made me feel really welcome. This made me relax a little as I was so nervous. She gave me an idea of what to expect at the school, told me a little about the classes I could choose from and then gave me a mini tour.

So... I was placed in the sport class (hahahahaha!) Watch out Nick and Han, I may learn a thing or two this year. Won't know what has hit you when I get back!  I'm actually excited to try different sports, especially European handball! As well as focusing in sport, I'll also be doing  standard subjects like maths, physics, history and English. I also get to keep up with my creative side  as they offer drama as an elective. This year of schooling will be very interesting- especially being in a specialist sports class- but none the less this year is about experiences and thats exactly what I am going to get! 

a little more exploring

I have always loved the beach... The feeling of the soft sand and the peaceful atmosphere created by the waves crashing on the shore is something that you just can not beat. Even in winter the beach is beautiful and if the weather is right, you can sometimes even squeeze in a swim-especially at the Point. In Denmark though swimming at the beach is impossible as I found out this morning when I visited one just down the road. 

It felt really strange wearing boots, a thick jacket, a beanie and gloves to the beach, especially because it is summer back home. It was actually -4 today though so the weather was nice for our visit! We arrived to a snow covered fishing port that is a popular summer spot. There were lots of small and big fishing boats that were covered in snow (your kind of place Nick). There was also a beautiful view of Roskilde and I am told that you can sometimes see people snow surfing there (what?!?!) A quick walk through the soft snow and we came to the beach. It was like an ice rink! Very different to Aussie beaches in winter. I got to walk out on the ice which was really cool! Made sure that it was very stable because this was one time where I did not want to go swimming at the beach!  

After our little walk, we drove into Holbeck for the afternoon. This is also another harbour town that has a bigger fishing port. There is also a little ferry that goes out to another island. Would be good to do in Summer (already making a list of things that i want to do!) Like all of the towns that I have been to, Holbeck was so beautiful! So many old buildings and cosy little shops. Really loving the European fashion as well. 

Arrived home to have a quiet evening. I'm loving the Danish houses. Like everything else, they are so cosy. Could easily get used to the heated floors and heated carseats!! So good!

Reminders of home are still everywhere I look, especially because the Aussie open is being televised here. Kind of nice to have different commentators, even if I don't understand them! Saw an add for the AFL this morning so may even get to cheer on the Swannies this year! Was also so excited when I found out that junior Masterchef Australia is on tonight! fingers crossed that the new series is broadcast here.    

Have a big day tomorrow- am going to my school to find out whats in store, visiting the language school and finalising last minute things around Roskilde. Should be good! 

F is for furniture and food.

Before arriving in Denmark, I had never seen snow. Now I wake up to a view of snow fields every single morning. It's defiantly a change in scenery, and one that I am really enjoying, especially when I wake up to little droplets of snow falling out of the sky! This was a sign that today was going to be a pretty good day- and indeed it was. 

This morning, Anita and I visited IKEA. I have never been to the one in Sydney so I was keen to see what the fuss was all about. The IKEA was massive- wayyyyyy bigger than the one in Sydney. It was actually really really cool, and I am all inspired to sign up for The Block 2014. The furniture was also a little different to the stuff you see in Australia. Some of the room set ups were typical Swedish which was really cool and interesting to see their style.  IKEA also had a Swedish food court, cause ya know Sweden is like a 40 minute drive away and everything. 

After leaving IKEA all inspired to renovate a house, we spent the rest of the day exploring Roskilde. This was the first time that I had been around the town on foot, and I was excited to see what was in store. Roskilde is famous for two things- the massive music festival and the cathedral. I have to wait a little to make a judgment on the music festival, but after stopping in the town today, it was clear to see why the cathedral is so famous. Like all of the old buildings here, it is absoloutley amazing. The clock tower is just wonderful and its set in the middle of the town. It's kind of like Camden's St Johns, but a thousand times bigger and not set on a hill- as there are no hills in Denmark. I didn't actually go inside the church- saving that for Thursday but i can imagine, if the outside is anything to go by, that it will be amazing! Will post some pictures then. 

I also got to explore the main street of Roskilde today. It is such a beautiful little town with lots of little shops and cafes lining the cobble stone streets. Danish cafes are actually one of my favourite things about Denmark. They are all so cosy with cute little booths and candles burning in the windows (this is a Danish tradition in Winter- all houses do it. I love it!). It is a great way to escape the cold, as i discovered today when I entered the Frellsen chocolate shop. This chocolate shop was lined with beautiful handmade chocolate that were mouth watering. Similar stuff to Australia, except this chocolate covered ball thing which I found out was a Danish speciality. So far, all Danish traditional food has been pretty nice, but this was just amazing. The inside of it was gooey, similar texture to pavlova, but with an even better taste. It was one of the most amazing things I have ever tasted and went even better with a hot chocolate. Anita bought six more samples! Three almond and marzipan and  three liquorice. My liquorice one is still sitting in the fridge... and thats a good thing! 

After escaping the cold and walking away with a little extra baggage, we strolled through some of the shops in the town. I went into H&M searching for a few more warm clothes so that I won't freeze at school. I have noticed that most Danish shops play the top 100 American hits... It's a relief as it can be the only thing that I understand when shopping...Was a little shocked today when the Collective's song 'Surrender' started playing. It was actually nice to hear an Aussie band- even though it is not one of our finest!! 

Walked away with a few more additions to my wardrobe and then headed to the supermarket.On the way, we passed my school. Getting a little nervous about starting! Have a meeting there on Thursday which should be good. I find out all of the classes and things that I will be doing and then I start on Monday..... scary times.  

Anyway, we visited a supermarket to buy the ingredients for tonight's dinner- MUSCLES! 

Danish supermarkets are actually pretty cool. The one we went to had everything. It was like Big W and Woolies combined. The seafood section had some pretty strange looking things! Bought all the spices and stuff that we needed and then headed home. 

Drove a different way home today, and saw an old town that is about 300 years old. It was a beautiful little street that was lined with trees that would make an archway when all of the leaves come in Summer. The first part of it had the workers houses. They were like little cottages that were so beautiful and old. Then we came to the owners house. I am told that it once belonged to a Lord. It was massive! Looked like another castle (they are everywhere over here!) Also had a beautiful stable attached to it. Could not believe that this was like a 5 minuet drive away! Everywhere you turn, you learn something new about this country! It is just unreal. 

Arrived home to light snow falling and then cooked dinner. Was a little nervous about eating muscles... but once again whilst I am here I figure that I may as well try everything that is put in front of me. I was surprised, as they were actually pretty nice. Can imagine myself eating a plate of them whilst in Brussels on Euro tour (saw the itinerary. it looks amazing SO SO EXCITED!! four days in Paris- OMG) Anyway, finished dinner and then ended the day with a hot chocolate and the musical cats. 

Tomorrow I am heading into another town for a little more exploring and a walk along the harbour. 

princess for a day

As a little girl, I always dreamt of being a princess. The beautiful dresses, the flashy parties and of course the big castle were my expectations for the future. Like any little girl, Disney movies left me with big expectations... But eventually I grew out of this stage when I realised that kissing a frog was not the way to meet and marry a prince. 

Today however, at age 17 this childhood dream of mine was revisited when I visited the Dream Castle in Frederiksborg. This castle is exactly how my five year old self imagined it to be. The grounds were surrounded by snow and beautiful gardens, there were little towers, big windows with divine views, balconies, a surrounding park and the little lamp posts that lined the paths were just the icing on the cake.

The inside of the castle was even better and fulfilled my princess fantasy. It was a step up from yesterday and I did not think that was at all possible. The chapel was the first building that we visited. The detail in the roof and surrounding walls was just magnificent. Lining the walls were shields of famous people, that meant something to Denmark. The people could design their own coat of arms. There were so many, some even 300 years old! I was so excited when I found Princess Mary's- the security guard understood this when he found out that I was Australian. 

We then continued wandering through the castle. The artworks that were on the walls were just amazing and all of the furniture was in its original condition. The four poster beds, the beautiful cutlery, the carved wardrobes, the thrones- it had it all. 

There was so much history surrounding this castle. This time, it centred around the Danish Royal family and also a little bit of general knowledge about Denmark. There were paintings from the myths about how Denmark was formed, all of the revolutions, every king and queen and of course the world wars. So much history for one castle! It was great. 

My favourite room was the ballroom. Walking in, you could easily imagine people wearing great big fancy dresses and waltzing around to old records. It was like a room that you see in a movie. It was breathtaking and I could have spent hours in there. 

So as we drove away from the castle, my princess fantasy was satisfied. And with that, we visited the castle of a real life princess, home to an Aussie girl whose dream came true. To my surprise, this castle wasn't as big or princess like. It had more or a modern look but it was still beautiful! In summer there is a cycle track that surrounds it- can not wait to explore it beyond the barricades! 

After exploring more castles, it was time for lunch. This time I had a traditional danish hot dog. I am not usually a fan of hotdogs, but i decided to give it a go as to the Danes, i guess it is like our meat pie. It was surprisingly nice... but don't think i will be back for more! 

Then arrived home and it was my turn to cook dinner. Got my masterchef on and cooked some beef maccaroni (one of my all time favourite foods) and Mum's chocolate slice. Was really good! and nice to have some familiar Aussie food. 

Off to do a little more exploring tomorrow. May even check out a real IKEA!

xxx

A little exploring...

Woke up this morning to see the sun shining through my bedroom window. Was a pleasant surprise as I have been told that it rains a heck of a lot in Denmark. It was a beautiful day though!  and if it werne't for the snow i would think that i was back home in Australia.

So I rugged up in my new winter coat and boots (rocking the eskimo look) and was ready for a day of sightseeing in this beautiful country! We drove about an hour to get to our destination-Hamlet's castle. Along the way, I enjoyed the beautiful countryside. The Danish forests are just divine and the snow makes everything a thousand times better.  Also saw a few bizare sights (people rollerblading/skiing to work-WHAT?!)

Anyway, eventually arrived at Hamlet's castle and it was breath taking. To think that it was built some 300 years ago by hand is just incredible. The detail in the woodwork and bricks was unbelievable! (although it was freezing as they didn't think to put in some heating). The chapel building was by far my favourite. It was once where the royal family had all their services so you can imagine the detail! It was just perfect and it really did take my breath away. Again the surrounding snow just made it more magical and as many of you know I do have a soft spot for Shakespeare. The history side of it was also interesting. I am amazed at how much history surrounds Denmark. It is so interesting and I am loving exploring and learning about all of the cool places in this wonderful country! This particular castle was built when the coast of Sweden was apart of Denmark. It was designed to stop enemy ships from entering and was once a navy base up until 1990.

The castle's location was also spectacular. It was right on the coast of Denmark. You can actually see Sweden there.  I can not believe how close it is. I am told that if the water was frozen enough, we could have ice skated there! UNBELIEVABLE! I am still wrapping my head around the Geography of Europe. It takes three hours to drive from one end of Denmark to the other- that is just INSANE!

We stopped for lunch at a beautiful old Danish inn. It had so much character, and was filled with 'hunting trophies' which are something that i have never seen before. The snow looked like table cloths on the outside tables! it was really really lovely. I tried a traditional Danish seafood sandwhich (Danish bread is so good). It was fish, prawns, some really really good sauce that i can not pronounce and caviar. Was a little hesitant on the caviar- but when in Denmark DO AS THE DANES DO! The desert was also a traditional Danish cake made of almond base- apparently it is eaten on New Years Eve. It was delicious!

The sun was setting as we left the restraunt at 4, still finding that a little strange.
Drove a different way home along the coast. Was beautiful.

Arrived home, helped cook dinner and then sat down to watch Denmark play European handball! They won! Have also been watching the Aussie open, so home doesn't feel that far away right now. Although it will tomorrow, as according to the weather it is said to feel like it is -20 degrees. FUN TIMES!

touchdown!

three timezones, three international airports, three drastic weather changes and two very long plane rides. yeap thats right folks, after this little adventure i have officially touched down in Denmark!

The 18th of January was a very eventful day. It began with my little sisters birthday and ended with me saying goodbye to my family for a year at Sydney airport. I was so nervous, checking my bags in and held my breath as the lady weighed my bag. Long and behold we were actually allowed to take 30kgs (or so i am told) so my 200g over 20kgs was allowed thank goodness.

I always knew that saying goodbye was going to be hard... and it really was. But all the emotional farewells seemed worth it when we finally walked through the departure gate and boarded the plane.
But just a heads up. When sydney is the hottest day on record, you DO NOT want to be in a plane, especially if that plane is delayed on the runway AND you are wearing a blazer.
Over all the plane flight was pretty good. Met some kids from all around Australia who were heading to Germany, Switzerland and ofcourse Denmark. We were seated together in our countries which was really nice and we nervously chatted about our expectations for our year away.

By the time we hit Bangkok, i was so thankful to be on solid ground again. Customs was fun, especially having to take off our shoes but by that time i was pretty delirious and was ready for a good night sleep. So upon checking my ticket as to when we boarded the next plane at 0:55am, i was excited to find that we were touching down in Denmark at 6:35am...Great Sarah you can do this I thought to myself, only another six hours!!!!

Well i got a shock when i was informed that it was actually an 11 hour flight. Fantastic!
But I managed to sleep most of the way which was good! By the time we were flying into Copenhagen airport i was wide awake and ready for whatever the day was going to throw at me. It was breath taking to look outside the window and see snow.. and i mean soft fluffy movie snow!!!!!

A big cheer came from all the 22 exchange students abroad and we were all excited to meet our host famalies. Stepping off the plane was a sigh of relief. We had made it!!!
The cold was actually welcoming after being on a hot and stuffy plane (and also escaping the aussie heat) So after saying goodbye to those catching a connecting flight to areas outside of Copenhagen, we ventured through to the beginning of our year away!

I was met by the lovely Anita and Esben who are my district councilors whilst in Denmark. We drove about an hour from the airport to their beautiful home. I gazed out the window the whole time taking in the beautiful snow covered country side thinking that i am the luckiest person in the world right now. In the back of my mind though was the reality of not seeing my family in Australia for one year... it finally hit me- this will be my life for the next twelve months

ANYWAYS. So Anita and Esben live in a beautiful country house with a goergus view of a lake. of course being winter their surroundings are completly covered in snow which i think is the greatest thing ever. I have a beautiful view from my window and i am so excited to be staying here!

I had my first danish meals today. Danish bread and pastries are amazing (can see where i will be putting on the weight-gulp). I also went shopping with Anita and bought some winter boots and a beautiful winter coat (european fashion is to die for). I then settled in, helped cook dinner and found out about all the amazing things that i am going to be doing this year.

I have had to pinch myself multiple times- but THIS IS REAL! and i have a feeling that i am in for the adventure of a life time.

Off to visit Hamlet's castle tomorrow- should be GREAT!

Hope you are enjoying the heat Australia!

xxxxx

The Calm Before The Storm

15.1.13

As I stare at the surroundings of my bedroom, my stomach is doing backflips and a million things are running through my mind. The countdown that I made back in June no longer reads 150 days.... Amid the green crosses are the numbers 3, 2,1... a very appropriate place to start

My journey begins back in March of 2012 when i first applied to become a Rotary Youth Exchange Student. Living in another country and experiencing a completely different culture has always been a life long dream of mine- and the Rotary program fulfilled this beyond my wildest dreams. So off I went to the application- wearing every good luck charm that I owned and crossing my fingers and toes- hoping that i would be accepted. After a very nervous wait, and another round of interviews, I received the news that I was officially part of the 2013 outbound students. My excitement levels were through the roof and kept on increasing dramatically throughout the year.  Through Rotary, I have met wonderful fellow exchangees at District weekends and camps. We bonded over scenario solutions and mastering the art of systematic cup passing. The highlight of these camps however, was finding out the country that i would be heading off to DENMARK!

Now, i know what you are thinking.  Being Australian, Denmark=Princess Mary!. I guess its just a cliche- like France is always associated with the Eiffel Tower or England Big Ben. I will admit though, Princess Mary was one of the only things that I knew about Denmark (oh and the date that it was invaded in WW2- damn you HSC modern history!) But as soon as i started researching,  I realised that there was so much more to love about the country which houses our beautiful Aussie princess. 

From reading travel websites I found that there was some general thoughts on Denmark; the buildings have thousands of years of history, the people are the happiest in the world,  they have their own currency and their pastries are AMAZING. - sounds like the place to be.. and i will be.... in THREE DAYS! 

I AM SO SO SO EXCITED! (maybe not for the 50 degree temperature difference though... )  

Anyways, times ticking away and i need to zip up my suitcase. 20kgs for the win!

xo