the life of an exchange student

A lot of things have changed whilst I have been on exchange. For one, I feel like as a person I am more confident than I have ever been before... and I suppose that has come from navigating the metro systems in every European city I've set foot into.. Another thing that has changed about me is my school timetable. Last year throughout the HSC, school was filled with the humanities- legal studies, english of the analysing kind, drama and of course my beloved histories. This year however, I am no longer cramming my brain with history dates or script lines. 

The reason why I compare this drastic change is the contents of my timetable on a monday morning.

School from 08:10- 15:50. 6 classes. 

Beginning off with english, gym, physics, chemistry, advanced maths and last but not least biology. 

Doing these subjects in a foreign language is interesting, and I have occupied myself in many ways today. I would seriously die without my computer on days like today. I think I am now up to date with all emails and inboxes on facebook, I've checked out enough clothing stores to do my head in, started researching how to get all my stuff home and now finally I'm writing a blog entry to occupy myself through this biology peroid. I currently have 50 minuets of school left. YES! 

So I had a quite busy weekend (surprise surprise) This is just a regular routine now, and come Monday morning when my alarm goes off at 06:30am it takes a lot of restraint not to throw it out my bedroom window. But as my dad always says, I can sleep in Australia! So here I am, another sleep deprived exchange student updating you on whats the latest and greates in the land of the happiest people in the world- voted again in 2013 (i love denmark!) 

This weeks fun activities began on Friday, with my class at school where we didn't have to sit through double physics and maths peroids. Instead we had an activities day where we went around the school and partook in random activities. We started the day off by going around the school, looking at the quotes on the school windows and researching the movies that they came from. Being Friday the 13th, the theme was horror so all the quotes were horror related. Our next activity was a little random. We had to run around the school finding spanish words and remembering them. We then had a test when we got back. Needles to say, by Australian terms I can now speak German, Danish and Spanish. Our next activities were a lot of fun. We went over to the Musicon which is like a giant hall in Roskilde. Here we began with some yoga workouts.. This was so hilarious as some of the poses were so random and strange and so we all had a good laugh. The last activity was by far the funnest. This was us on scooters driving through zig zaged soft drink bottles. Of course it was a competition and my class wasn't really the best. It was a really really fun day with my class though! 

After activities day, I went home and got ready to go to my last Fredags Rock with two of my Australian friends. I met up with the first in Tivoli and we ate some ice cream and caught up with each other. After we strolled around Tivoli soaking up its awesomeness (like we do every time we are in there). Then, my other friend came and we started going on some rides! We also met up with her Newbies who were both from the USA. We had a really nice dinner in a restraunt in Tivoli and just chatted... We ended up sitting at our table for like 3 hours. It was very hyggelit. As for Fredags Rock, the band that played was okay however Lauren and I didn't really stay and mosh pit like we usually do. As it was our last summer tour in Tivoli we mainly went on rides. It was a lot of fun.

As an exchange student, the most fun comes from being spontaneous, and thats exactly what this weekend was! I decided to go home with Lauren after Tivoli for the first time ever. We had to wait a long time for our train at Copenhagen (danish transport systems!) but we eventually arrived home at like 1 am so crashed into bed. The next day, we went into Holbeck and did some shopping. Holbeck is the next big town over from Roskilde and has the widest shopping street in Denmark. Lauren lives right on the Fjord, so it is a very plesant bike ride into town. The weather was so beautiful so we had a very relaxing day. We met up with her newbies again and showed them some danish shops. We updated their wordrobe to danish style, gave them some advice and just had a girly day. It was a lot of fun. Lauren and I afterwards bought some exchange supplies and rode home. We baked pizza, and ate in the lovely sun and just talked and talked and talked. By night we decided to watch a movie however ended up talking through the whole thing so it just stayed off. It was a really fun weekend!

On the Sunday we woke up, cooked a breakfast, talked some more, planned adventures and I caught the train back to Roskilde with 30 mins to spare before I was heading off to the Tivoli theatre to see a H.C Anderson show. At 2:30pm I was picked up by my 3rd host family who took me into Tivoli! Before the show started, me and my host sisters went on some of the rides- the demon (which is a big roller coaster and so much fun) and the newest ride in Tivoli which is really fun! The theatre started. It was all about Hans Christain Andersons fairytales with a modern twist. The acts that featured had a very circus appeal and it was amazing! There was one girl who did a trick with a ring where she was literally dancing in a giant hollahoop. It was mindblowing and so amazing to witness as I have never seen anything like it. Overall, it was also nice to see some of the H.C Anderson fairytales live! And as a bonus i've ticked off another thing from my to do list in Denmark- go to the theatre in Tivoli! 

So this weekend was a lot of fun! And the next few will be equally as fun. This afternoon when I get home from school I need to start packing my suitcase to move famalies because I move in 11 days. It's so crazy to think that I am about to move in with my 3rd and last family. Part of me can not believe it! 

So apart from packing, I've got plans to go shopping in Copenhagen tomorrow cause i finish school at 10:30, then meet up with my newbie on Wednesday in Roskilde, thursday I'm having dinner at my ex Rotary presidents house and Friday I'm off for the weekend on a Rotary get together. This week is setting out to be crazy- but i love my exchange life and wouldnt change it for the world! 

Kuns og hilsen 

Sarah 

Er I rigtig bad til English nu?

So as I enter further into the Danish language, it seems that my English skills are in decline- like a lot.... of course I can still speak English and of course you can still hear my charming Australian accent but actually thinking and writing passable english phrases is becoming more difficult (thought id never ay that!) 

Call me crazy but I have now actually started thinking in Danish, because it speak it all the time. So when presented the task of writing a horror story in English I decided it was time to revisit some of the 'skills' that I had developed throughout enduring Advanced English for the HSC..... 

So i wrote a pretty decent story that I was happy with. I managed to pump it out in just an hour and just turned it in, happy and satisfied that it took me such a short amount of time. I was expecting a pretty decent mark because HELLO I can speak English and this task should be really really simple. However this comment shattered all of my hopes, dreams and aspirations and even made me question how well I know my own language, from someone whose first language isn't even English 

It seems my grammatical errors of not placing a comma after the speech marks were what caused me to recieve this mark...

So for all those English speakers out there who may not be aware when writing a story WATCH OUT WITH YOUR COMMAS! or you too may be accussed of not knowing your language 

(i think ill write my uni stuff in Danish next year) 

So this is how my week started, but since then it has improved! 

Denmark is now shifting from actually really nice weather to cold windy rainy days. This makes it really hard to dress, as you never know if you will freeze to death, or die of sweat. This bipolar weather has meant that sickness has been going around, and it seemed to find its way to me on Monday. I'm now feeling a little better- but still sound like a croaky old frog which makes my danish sound even funnier. 

It's hard for me to comprehend that yesterday marked the 4 month mark in Denmark... meaning 4 months until I am home. This time in 4 months I will be on a plane, probablly still balling my eyes out, yet paradoxically (big word- i still can speak english ;) ) excited to see my family and friends again. This realisation that my time is running out has made me ensure that i pack my weekends, days, hours, minuets and seconds with Danish fun! 

So....Last weekend I joined my third host family on a tour to their summer house. Their summer house is located about an hour from Roskilde in a town called Næstville (Pronounced like Nextvil in English) 

I had a really great weekend up there and the weather was really nice, so we played some card games until 1am in the morning, played a danish game called Kong Spille (Kings Game- really hard to explain) and just had fun spending some time together. 

On the way to their summer house on Friday night, we stopped at a museum called Artkin for the opening of a new exhabition featuring the paintings of a mexican lady. This was really cool to see and the museum was very modern and of course the paintings and artworks featured were really beautiful! I had a really great weekend! 

This week has been relatively normal as I settle back into the routine of 6:30am to 15:50 finishing days at school. This morning however my whole class was at school at 07:15am to pack away the stools after an event. My class are the help class and they do things like this throughout the year to earn money for their study tour. It can actually be very hyggelit and this morning we all got some breakfast after our hard work. Im now in maths.... really bored..... so hellooooo blog ;) 

On Friday I think i will also go to Tivoli for my last even Fredags Rock concert. I am sad to say that this weekend is the last I can go to Tivoli until October because it will close as Denmark becomes really really cold. I will also be in Tivoli on Sunday with my third host family who are taking me to see a Hans Christain Anderson 3D show- should be really fun! Saturday I think ill finally check out the Roskilde Viking Museum! After all how I have been here 8 months and not seen it?! 

And then the next weekend I have a rotary get together with my district so i will finaly get to meet all of the new exchange students. We will do things like Zumba and go exploring in the town which we are going too. Then the weekend after that im off to my 3rd and last host family! But no sooner have I moved in, I'm off to Club Le Santa and Madrid for 13 days! I'm sooo excited :D and with that, it will be the end of October and the start of November- how can that even be possible?!?! 

reflection time

I encountered a lot of people in Europe- I even encountered myself 

This quote reflects a lot about my exchange and the overall experiances I have encountered throughout my travels abroad. I have had so many wonderful experiences- from skiing in Norway, to climbing the Eiffel Tower three times, to seeing one of the best summers denmark has had in like 25 years. I am so fortunate to be on this little adventure, and I would like to take the time to thank everyone who has helped me get here. But an especially big thankyou to my mum and dad. Thankyou both for making my biggest dream come true <3 

LEGOLAND!

nb: PHOTOS OF LEGOLAND WILL SHORTLY FOLLOW- just have to load them onto my computer :) 

If I ask any of you what comes to mind when I say Denmark, I'm sure that many of you immediately think of the Little Mermaid, Princess Mary or the yummy pastries that local bakeries sell posing as 'Danishes'.... Some may even ask the question "is that a place in Germany?" or the best one "they speak dutch right?!" 

Having lived in this country for nearly 8 months now these superficial ideals are now far from my mind. When someone asks me what comes to my mind, I think of home, music festivals, ice cream and loving people who have made me feel so welcome in this tiny land. I have also learnt a lot about Denmark, and realised that many of the things that I use in every day life were thought up by the minds of great danes. The viking land holds the  inventors of Skype, pandora and of course the small  toy that all children young and old encountered at least once if not multiple times during their childhood (maybe also their adulthood). Yes thats right, LEGOOOOOOOO is a proud invention of the Danes. (I am quite embarrassed to say that I was not aware of this fact before arriving here.) 

DID YOU KNOW?! 

Lego is a Danish invention that was first invented in 1934. The founder called his company "Lego", deriving from the Danish phrase leg godt, which means "play well". This little piece of general knowledge made me love Lego even more! 

Enough with the general knowledge.... Last weekend, I was lucky enough to go to a theme park totally made of Lego with one of my nearest and dearest Aussie friends Beth. This theme park is a lego lovers dream as everything in the park is made of lego- from lego made trains to a tiny lego village depicting look a like landmarks around the world. This only holds 90 million lego blocks!

This amazing theme park is the largest tourist attraction outside of Copenhagen, located in Billand. (This is about a 4 hour train ride from Roskilde) so naturally I have been wanting to go there ever since I arrived in January! 

I was in Legoland last Sunday. I went with Beth's host mum and two host brothers who have been to the park as many times as I have been to Tivoli (which is pretty impressive and hard to beat!) We arrived at opening time and left at closing time and a little bit of rain was not going to spoil the fun that we had. Due to the on and off showers that we encountered throughout the day, many people decided to stay indoors, which gave us the perfect opportunity to try all of the rides at least 5 times. Some of my personal favourites- the polar express roller coaster and the mini car roller coaster that took us on a lego construction adventure. Legoland was just awesome and i wish that Sydney boasted such a wonderful tourist attraction. One of the coolest things I have ever seen was the Lego Village. This place was HUGE and I think it had about 30 displays. My favourite was a depiction of Nyhavn- my favourite place in Copenhagen. Others included a depiction of Los Angles and a figure of the Statue of Liberty! Legoland was very very family friendly- having not too many scary rides but just enough to keep the big kids interested. The lego made train that drove around the park was a highlight , I mean how many people can say that they have ridden in a Lego train?! I had a really really fantastic day and hope that one day I can take my family to Legoland so that they too can experiance this awesomeness! 

I made the most of my time in Jylland (Jutland) staying with my friend Beth. I travelled up on Thursday afternoon, and came home on Monday afternoon. Our schedule was pretty jam packed and we both had a really wonderful time! 

On the Thursday after I caught the train up, I went to Beth's Rotary Meeting. This was held in Vejle which is the next town over from Beth's... so about an hours drive. Her Rotary was hyggelit as we had a tour of a hotel owned by one of the members in the club. We then ate a lovely dinner and drove home. Beth was picked up by a Rotary member, and he took us on a little tour on the way home. The destination was to the little town of Jelling, which holds the Viking Stone- aka the stone that recognised Denmark as a country from the 10th century. The huge stone is completely carved in Viking runes- so it was quite a site! It is the writing of a King of Denmark, and it is the first written record of Denmark as a country... pretty cool right?! I was so glad that I got to see this stone... It was a surprise of my tour til Jylland! 

With the Jelling Stone! 

On Friday we spent the day at Beth's house, busily preparing a cake for a competition. Her little town of Guld was holding a little show (similiar to Cobitty Markets) so her host mum asked us if we would make a cake. Well, we took this task very seriously making three deliciously decorated cakes. The masterpiece was Beth's monster cake, and I made flower cupcakes and piggy cupcakes to go on the side. The pig theme was very fitting, considering Beth lived on a pig farm. This in itself was a different experience for me as pigs are one of the main aspects of the 'farming country' that is Denmark. Beth lives in a beautiful Farm house situated on a hill surrounded by golden wheat fields and a bright blue lake at the bottom of the valley. This picture perfect scene was my home for 5 days and it was very very beautiful. Beth also lives with a family of 5 kids, 2 kittens, 30 pigs, 2 dogs and 15 chickens. Of course there is a mum and a dad to keep the house in order. This big family was very different to what I am used to, and I'm so glad that I got to experiance this and saw the innerworkings of this Danish industry! The view was spectacular and it was defiantley a mini holiday for me- just what I needed! 

On Saturday, Beth and I enjoyed a little cheeky sleep in because we were both so unbelievably exhausted from getting up at 06:30am every day for school. We then caught the bus into her town to see the movie 'The Mortal Instruments' which is VERY good and I would really reccomend seeing it! I am also keen to read the books, and can not wait to get my hands on them in English before I tackle them in Danish because reading Harry Potter in Danish is hard enough :P 

After the movie, we walked across half of her city to go to the Horsens Medievil Festival which was held at the old jail on the top of a hill. This was AWESOME and the festival had an amazing atmosphere that I dont think you would find anywhere else in the world. I think Beth's whole town had turned out for the event and all of the workers were dressed up in costume and some of the local towns people also decided to get in costume for the occassion. This was really cool to see, and they even had demostrations such as the walking through of the prisoners or the king and queen reception by the marching band. It was like stepping back in time! The food reflected the era and there were bands to entertain the audience. This was really really cool, and I was so lucky that I was on a visit to Beth when this occurred! 

When Monday rolled around, it was time for me to catch the train over three of Denmark's islands and arrive back home in the space of just 3 hours (strange right?!).  Beth and I enjoyed one last cheeky sleep in and then took a little tour of Horsens. I arrived home very tired from my awesome weekend! 

My busy schedule is now in full swing again! This week on Tuesday I went to language school. Wednesday night was Rotary where my host brother from my first family who just arrived home from India gave his speech on his experiances. It was so nice to see him and my host mum again because I have missed them so much! On Thursday I ate sushi after school with two of my friends from school and finally this afternoon, I'm heading off to a summer house with my 3rd host family who I am moving in with very very soon! The weather forecast looks so good so im very much looking forward to seeing their house in the sunshine as oppossed to the rain and snow :) 

Other than that, of course I have had school which is now a little hard as sometimes I start school at 08:10am and finish at 16:00! So they are very very long days filled with maths, chemistry, biology and physics- omg. One of the funniest things though about school now is gym. My class is doing something called an ø løbe which in english means an orentiering run. So literally every gym class for two hours, my class is split into groups of 2, given a map with the location of 'points' and instructed to locate the points. This sounds easy, however it is held in the local forrest so on Wednesday I ran through cow paddocks past not so happy cows and through patches of stinging nettle! Danish PE is quite funny and very very different to the indoor sports we had. Oh and another thing- it was raining and we did not stay indoors! No more PE in the EHS gym! hahaha but it is very fun and rather hyggelit to complete the o lob! I have found it an experiance that I would not get in Australia. 

So plans for the next few weeks 

-Summer house with family number 3

-Tivoli concert HC Anderson

-Rotary Get Together with other exchange students

-Moving host families

-School party

-OCTOBER VACATION- TRIP TO SPAINNNNNNN WOOOOO HOOOOO 

Vi ses snart Australien! Jeg savner dig alt så meget

Kuns xxx 

back into normal routine

Once again I apologise for the lateness... A double math lesson doesn't really appeal to me, so I will use the time to update you all on my Danish adventures! 

Summer has sadly come to an end, and I am back to 6am wakeup calls to be at school 8am. As I have moved host families, I no longer need to take the bus, which means I can actually get in touch with danish culture, and ride my bike to school! It's so wonderful to do this at 7:40am in the morning, and it actually clears my head... the hill that i have to go up though makes my morning, every morning. 

I ended my summer holidays with a bang, by going up to Jutland and visiting two of my friends who live up there. I managed to get through some of my 'to do' list in Denmark. 

I caught the train 4 hours and met my friend in Aarhus. Darcie (who lives in Aalborg- about an hour from Aarhus) and I were there for the day. It was strange for us to be back in Aarhus in Summer, as we had been there six months before and it was snowing! We saw the Aars museum (a museum of contemporary art) and the main feature of this is the rainbow panarama that gives you a beautiful view and outlook onto the city. I loved spending the day in the Museum, and the views from the rainbow were spectacular! Another feature in the museum is the 'Boy' which is a giant sculpture of a crouching boy. It is absoloutley huge! and is abnormally life size. Darcie and I also spent the day wandering the Aarhus shopping street- which was actually our first introduction into danish fashion 6 months earlier. It was so nice to be back in Aarhus! and i felt like i saw so much more of it in the summer as it was not so cold! We caught the train back to Aalborg, and to her house. We watched some movies and went to bed ready for day two of our little adventure!

Aars museum!

Inside the Aars museum- with the origional painting! 

Aars is really modern and features very modern art 

Aars! 

ROSKILDE CHURCH! wooooo! 

The beautiful rainbow panarama 

The view over Aarhus- Denmarks second largest city! 

RAINBOW PANARAMA! 

Rainbow panarama! 

the scuplture 'boy' 

Aalborg was a beautiful town in the middle of Jutland that has beautiful side streets and an amazing bakery that sells chocolate balls which they are famous for. This is basically just a sweet bread roll with half a block of melted chocolate in the inside. It was delicious! In Aalborg, there was also a HUGE shopping street, so Darcie and I had a really fun day roaming around there! Some purchases that I am particularly proud of are my Paris collared shirt that has the Eiffel tower all over it! We then went back to her house, made some home made pizza and continued watching our movie collection!

AALBORG! The view from the Aalborg tower! 

One of the main features in the garden of a museum in Aalborg 

The Aalborg tower which Darcie and I went up! 

our delicious home made pizza 

Making the most of a beautiful Danish summer afternoon in Juland! 

Aussie Aussie Aussie 

The next day, Darcie, me and another girl Grace from Australia caught the train up to Skagen, which is the top of Denmark. Skagen is about 6 hours away from Roskilde (shows you how big denmark is huh?) Skagen is so famous because it is where the Swedish and Danish sea meet, and you can actually see the different coloured oceans and it is just so beautiful! To start the day off, we caught the train for about an hour and a half, then saw we could hire bikes so decided to be very danish and make the most of the opporunity. We were very glad for this because we could easily get around, and it would have been about an hours walk out to the point! So we defiantley made the most of our day! We started off enjoying the shopping street and soaking up the atmosphere. We then went to an art museum ( Skagen is very very very famous for painters) and one of the main artists whose works were in the museum are the most famous in Denmark. The works were simply beautiful! And im so glad i got to see the actual ones! I have seen the movie called marie krøyer which is about the artists wife. It is really good for anyone who is interested! This movie that i saw ages ago gave me a back story into the museum and the works featured there so it was very interesting! After the museum, we continued on our journey through Skagen and came across a lighthouse. We climbed the 100 or so stairs to see the most amazing view of the point. It was wonderful- but so so windy! Skagen was so picturesque! After our little expedition, we continued to the point. We had to park our bikes and walk but that was fine as it allowed us to soak up the beautiful yellow beaches, and it reminded us all that we were standing on the tip of Denmark! As we walked out to the famous point where the oceans meet, we saw some bunkers from the first world war! This was awesome, so much history lurking even in Skagen! We eventually arrived at the point, and it was AMAZING! It was a really windy day so the ocean was a little wild, but that was even more interesting to see! I loved Skagen! After seeing the point, we ate our lunch in the sand dunes and just talked about our exchange and all of the adventures in euro tour. I hadn't seen Darcie in 6 months and Grace in 4 so it was awesome to catch up with my two best friends from intro camp! After our hygge in the dunes, we caught a sand dune tractor across the beach and back to our bikes. Of course we stopped in the souvenir shop to get some badges for our blazers and cycled back to get an ice cream. What a way to end a beautiful day!

On the way to Skagen! 

We made it! 

In the art museum! How beautiful are the paintings?! 

Art museum skagen 

The view from the lighthouse! 

THE TIP OF DENMARK! 

We were so lucky with the weather! 

On the way out to the point 

The lighthouse we climbed! 

Bunker form world war 1 

WHERE TWO OCEANS MEET! SKAGENNNN 

Cycling around Skagen was awesome! 

I caught the train home on the Monday  and started school on the Wednesday! So i am now back into the daily routine of things after a luxorious 3 month holiday! But it is good to be back at school again with my Danish friends! And its suddenly hit me that i only have 5 months left with these wonderful people. It will be so weird not sitting in class with them every day, or eating ice cream with them after school. It will be hard going home and not speaking danish also! As now im so used to it! And i can even speak it full time at school which is pretty cool for me! One of my biggest achievments in my language happened last week in Danish class at school when i read out a paragraph like a normal danish student. I was so proud and my class gave me a clap! Seeing all the new exchange students arrive reminded me how far i have come in this language. I have also now begun reading harry potter in danish- one of my goals for my exchange! 

I have also been making the most of my Tivoli wild card, by seeing some Fredags rock concerts! I have now visited Tivoli more times than a dane has in their lifetime. Everyone thinks its so funny and I love Tivoli so so sooo much. My wild card is the best thing i have ever bought and it has got a very good workout during summer! 

So two fridays ago, I saw NIK OG JAY! I also have a love obsession with this danish band, much to my classes horror. Nik and Jay taught me my first Danish work 'læker' and i just think that they are the funniest music people ever! So no surprises, when nik and jay collide with tivoli I HAVE TO BE THERE because its two of my favourite danish things! I met one of my friends gabby (also from australia) in Tivoli and we waited 6 hours to get second row. It was so so worth it! and nik and jay were awesomeeeeeee as always <3 feel free to check them out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k22VMbhAnzw (i think they are so funny!)

FREDAGS ROCK I TIVOLI! Nik and Jay! I only waited 6 months to see this! 

Tivoli by night! So sooo beautiful! 

NIK OG JAY WOOOO 

NIK OG JAY! WOOOO

NIK OG JAYYYYY 

NIK OG JAYYYYY 

NIK OG JAYYYY!

Og nu, jeg skal skrive på Dansk for Karoline, min dansk lære på Facebook ;) Så sidste Fredag, jeg var sammen med mine danske venner til Mads Langer i Tivoli! Jeg elsker Mads Langer! Han er også dansker og er meget meget lækker! Efter skole, Cecilie, Kristine, Karoline og jeg var i Tivoli for at høre Mads Langer! Vi købte tur pas og havde en rigtig sjovt aften! Cecilie, Kristine og jeg prøvet Vertigo!!!! Det var rigtig sjovt! Så vi spiste is, og hygge, og vente på Mads Langer! Og Mads Langer var MEGET FITTTTT!!!!! you can see his song here... its awesome!!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0i8EUEiDro 

på englesk: 
And now i will write in Danish for Karoline my danish teacher on facebook (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lær-dansk-med-Karoline/427330470686885?fref=ts). So last Friday, I was with some of my danish friends to see Mads Langer in Tivoli! I love Mads Langer! He is danish and i think he is pretty nice looking! So after school, Cecilie, Kristine, Karline and I were at Tivoli to hear Mads Langer! We bought a tour pass so that we could go on the rides and we had a very very fun night! We even tried the Vertigo which is really scary! :) it was so fun though. After we ate some ice cream and just had a cosy time waiting for Mads Langer! And Mads Langer was AWESOME! 

Kristine, Cecilie, Karoline og Mig 

MADS LANGER!!!! 

I had a very very busy weekend after Mads Langer. Darcie was down for a visit and so her and I went to Malmö Sweden for the day. We had a real shopping day (as thats what you do in Malmo) and it was so nice! We managed to somehow walk to the otherside of the town and ended up at a train station that wasnt the one we wanted to go home on. It was really funny!! So we wandered back, and ate lunch at Jensens Bøfhus which is a Danish restraunt... It was a really good day of shopping and I wish Darcie lived closer so i could see her more often! 

Darcie and I on the train to another country- takes just 20 mins... WHAT?! 

Ready to shop in Sweden! 

After Malmo, we went back to Gabby's house (who lives in Copenhagen) and got ready for Ivan's 18th birthday! Ivan is an exchange student from Argentina! We had a travel plan all planned out but we got really really really lost on the way and ended up being 3 hours late. But it didnt matter and we all had a great night! His class was really sweet. We stayed the night there, and ate a breakfast brunch with Ivan the next morning. It was great to see him again!

With some exchange students for Ivans Birthday brunch! 

Darcie, Gab and I then caught the train into Copenhagen to eat some kebabs at my favourite place in Nyhavn!! It was so nice, and we sat eating them on the harbour. I then caught the train back to Roskilde, and met up with my host cousion and aunty to go to their house to make a danish dessert called føldeballer which is one of my favourite things in Denmark! 

It was so much fun making them with my host sister and cousion Nils. We made three flavours- vanilia, rasberry and licorice. They tasted sooooo good and I will defiantley make them when i get home to Australia! 

Jeg lave føldeballe med min værts søs Emma! 

YUMMMMMM 

SOOOO DELICIOUS! 

What a weekend and what a great few past couple of weeks! 

On the agenda for the next few weeks......

-Legoland on Sunday with my friend Beth

-Rotary Get together

-voting

-school photos

-moving host famalies

See you soon Australia! 

how to be danish

I have recently started reading the book 'How to be Danish'... for those who are interested here is a link http://www.amazon.com/How-Danish-Journey-Mysterious-Denmark/dp/1780721331. It is actually a fun and good read, as it reflects on the Danish culture and thus the things that I have been experiancing this year. I am finding that im smiling and agreeing along the way, as the book holds the key to some of the things that I have noticed about Denmark.. guess it just may be a foerign eye. But reading it now, I've realised that these things have just become the normal and part of every day life. I no longer see them as strange, its just the way life is here.  And so an insight into this book... i give you an interesting post about the Danish way of life. courtesy of a status update from my first host dad :) 

Overall, Danes are more concerned with the greater good of the group than about their own individual accomplishments. Everything works like a well-oiled machine because they observe the rules. People tend to be punctual and precise, and will expect the same common courtesy from those they meet. Play by these rules, and you will find Danes warm and welcoming...

1. Don't Be Sexist
If you are a male, this does not mean you have to be a full blown chauvinist before this rule applies to you...but Danish women do not like to feel patronized, and they especially don’t like being called “Darling”, “Sweetie” or anything else that might come across as derogatory. Overall, Danish women are highly independent and are regarded with the same esteem in the workplace as their male counterparts. It is nothing strange for a working mother to balance a successful career and a family life, and Danish women are proud of this achievement.

2. Don't Break Rules
As mentioned, there is only one proper way to act in Denmark under most circumstances. Danes in general are disciplined rule-followers, so don’t you dare to jaywalk across a street. Courteous behavior is expected from everyone, be they local or tourists. If you break the rules, expect to be admonished in a most civil manner.

3. Don't Forget Hand Signals
It is a lovely day outside and you fancy a bike ride around the city. You’re pedaling happily away, taking a right corner without signaling. Who still uses hand signals anyway, right? Remember the point about rule breaking. Failing to signal your anticipated action in advance will result in a chain reaction of violent swerving and braking, and most likely a few Danish curses flung in your direction.

4. Don't Judge Family Values
"Children should be seen and not heard." We’ve often heard this phrase when growing up. In Denmark, things work a little differently. Danish children are encouraged to express their opinions from a young age, and will be informed about more adult topics the moment they are old enough to curiously ask about them. To the less liberal among us, these open-minded family arrangements might seem a bit strange. Also, marriage is not a prerequisite and many couples with children life together without ever making the relationship “official” through marriage. This may be a beneficial relationship for both parties. It is not your place to question the family dynamic.

5. Don't Expect a "Thank You"
This might sound like a contradiction, considering how highly Danes value good manners. Make no mistake, Danes are polite and respectful, but the lack of social pleasantries might shock non-Scandinavian travelers. The thing is, the words for “thank you” or “please” in the Danish language are simply redundant when you're polite to each other constantly anyway. So when a Dane tells you to pass the salt, don’t glower at them and ask for the magic word. Just pass the salt and tell him to pour you a drink.

6. Skip the "How are you?"
"Hi, how are you?" This is a source of great amusement to the Danes; asking after someone’s well-being without taking the time to stop and listen. It does not form part of the standard greeting that we have become so accustomed to. Only ask a Dane how he’s doing if you really mean it, preferably at a bar when you have to sit down. Remember, there is no such thing as small talk. This rule generally applies to the rest of Scandinavia as well.

7. Don't Forget the Three Ps
Privacy, privacy and privacy. I can not overstate this enough. Danes value their privacy highly, especially in the large city of Copenhagen. It forms part of their culture and who they are. People won’t ask after your health or your homeland because they assume that you would not like to be bothered with trivialities. However, if you make the first move and introduce yourself, they will respond warmly to you.

8. Don't Expect Confrontations
Generally speaking, Danes don’t lose their cool. If they get upset, they will tell the person off in a cool and collected way. As a rule of thumb, Danes are all about good vibes and comfort. There is even a word for it; “Hygge”. It is difficult to explain exactly what ‘hygge’ is about, but it can relate it to food, places, atmosphere and even people. If a person is ‘hygge-like’ it means they have a good and relaxed presence about them. This will win you many friends during your travels.

10. Don't be Surprised by Frank Opinions
Danes don’t sugar-coat to win your favor. They believe an honest approach is the best one. If you ask a question, expect an honest answer. This does not mean to say that Danes are always serious and without humor. They are outspoken and lively once they warm up to you, but in serious conversations, they will not mince words.

About the Danes...
While most Danes enjoy companionship and are generally laid back, there are certain formalities are observed and practiced throughout Denmark. There is this unspoken rule about privacy; Danes believe that everyone has the right not be pestered in public, and they enforce this right quite passionately. This is a world free of awkward social niceties and general inconveniences. They express themselves openly and meaningful conversation is the central element of Danish culture.

this is bound to make you smile. i love denmark. so much

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BVfneC6dXY