This week has been a week full of unwanted adventures and a lot of stress. In order to be officially accepted into my summer internship I need to pass a security clearance. You would think that this would be a simple task seeing as I have never even come close to committing a crime in the United States, or anywhere else for that matter...but simple it was not.
The major problem was that I needed to get fingerprinted for my clearance. In the US this is a simple task requiring you just to go to the nearest Police Station. So naturally I meandered through Copenhagen looking for a Police Station. I finally found one and went inside to inquire about getting fingerprinted. The man looked at me like I was crazy and asked what I needed them for. He informed me that the only people who got their fingerprints taken in Denmark were criminals. I thought about my options at this point, but decided committing a crime in Denmark would not help me in passing my security clearance.
The next day I meandered over to the embassy... and they were closed. Naturally the only weekday the embassy is closed is the weekday I don't have classes. I e-mailed them to no avail, and when I called I got no where. Finally I got a call back from the embassy and they gave me two options for fingerprinting... Call a PI who would charge a small fortune and might be able to do it, or go to a hospital and see if the morgue could finger print me. I decided to decline both options...
So I finally accepted the fact that I won't be able to get my fingerprints taken and I won't be able to complete all the forms over here either. The last problem was that FedEx costs $200 back to the US. So I resolved to use the usual Danish Post and it was much much cheaper and should hopefully still only be a few days late.
At least it's the weekend now! I think I'm going to tour the Carlsberg Brewery tomorrow, should be fun!
Friday, February 25, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Once in a Blue Sky
Yes, once again I'm aware that that is not how the actual expression goes, yet it seems to make much more sense, and holds the same meaning here in Denmark. You see, a blue sky in the middle of winter, is a very rare thing which is why today was a lovely day despite the 25 degree weather.
This week was pretty much consumed completely by school work, gray skies, and windy days. The temperature itself isn't so bad... but it's the wind that can really make or break it. And yet again, my attempts to get anywhere on time were foiled by the faulty regional train system.
But don't worry, the week got better from there.
Last night we went out to the LA bar and had a good time. It's very interesting to see what American music makes it big here. Like us, they enjoy the occasional throw back song, which must explain why everyone went crazy when they played "It's my life" by Bon Jovi.
Today I woke up to a beautiful blue sky! Not only that, but I could actually see the sun, which is even rarer than seeing anything blue in the sky. My friends and I took it as an omen that we needed to do something different today, so we went to SWEDEN!!!
Fun Fact: From Kobenhavn K (central station) to Malmo (sweden) it takes 25 minutes.
From Kobenhavn K to Trekroner (my station) it takes 30 minutes. That's right folks, it's quicker to go to Sweden than to my home
....
Fun Fact 2: Kobenhavn K --> Malmo = $28 round trip.
Kobenhavn K --> Trekroner = $36 round trip... makes no sense!
We experienced Sweden through the food and the shops... sadly the chocolate factory closed before we got there :(
Picture of us in the streets of Sweden... with cool fake musician statues
Lastly, I finally got my CPR card today.. which means I'm officially part of the Danish Healthcare System. YAY free health care.
This week was pretty much consumed completely by school work, gray skies, and windy days. The temperature itself isn't so bad... but it's the wind that can really make or break it. And yet again, my attempts to get anywhere on time were foiled by the faulty regional train system.
But don't worry, the week got better from there.
Last night we went out to the LA bar and had a good time. It's very interesting to see what American music makes it big here. Like us, they enjoy the occasional throw back song, which must explain why everyone went crazy when they played "It's my life" by Bon Jovi.
Today I woke up to a beautiful blue sky! Not only that, but I could actually see the sun, which is even rarer than seeing anything blue in the sky. My friends and I took it as an omen that we needed to do something different today, so we went to SWEDEN!!!
Fun Fact: From Kobenhavn K (central station) to Malmo (sweden) it takes 25 minutes.
From Kobenhavn K to Trekroner (my station) it takes 30 minutes. That's right folks, it's quicker to go to Sweden than to my home
....
Fun Fact 2: Kobenhavn K --> Malmo = $28 round trip.
Kobenhavn K --> Trekroner = $36 round trip... makes no sense!
We experienced Sweden through the food and the shops... sadly the chocolate factory closed before we got there :(
Lastly, I finally got my CPR card today.. which means I'm officially part of the Danish Healthcare System. YAY free health care.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
...And That's Why No One Jaywalks in Copenhagen
Yesterday I did the unthinkable, I acted like a tourist. I had the day off to do as I pleased, and just this once... I wanted to act like a tourist. After sufficiently sleeping in I finally looked out my window, and much to my surprise it looked like it was a beautiful day. The weather was lovely and the sky way blue, so I made my way to the train station. A train and metro ride later I was back in the King's New Square, but this time I wasn't on a silly scavenger hunt. I meandered over to Nyhavn Street. For those of you who have no clue what I'm talking about... just think about all the pretty multi-colored houses on the canal you've seen in pictures of Copenhagen...that's Nyhavn. After I took enough pictures to prove that I was in fact a tourist, I made my way to Stroget, the longest pedestrian shopping street in Europe, and found a store to go shopping in. I bought some jeans, a sweater, a skirt, and head band all for around $55 dollars... not bad!
Today was back to school and back to the dreary weather and rain. Besides the usual monotonous class schedule one thing caught my attention today. As I was making my way to Norreport station to head home I noticed that there were people jaywalking. At first I thought they must be tourists, no Dane in their right mind would jaywalk. But then I realized they were in fact rebellious Danes trying to catch their train home. This realization came just before a bicyclist plowed right into one of the culprits. And now you know, that's why no one jaywalks in Copenhagen. There is much to great a risk of being plowed over by one of the thousands of crazy bicyclists flying by.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
At least I made it to class...
You know the expression "when it rains, it pours"? Well, in Denmark it should be changed to "when it's windy, all hell breaks loose."
As I was doing homework in my room last night all of a sudden my window flew open. As I tried to force it shut, I realized that my lock was broken, and had to Macgyver it closed. I didn't even need to look out my window to understand how windy it was, I could hear it howling and needed to use headphones to drown out the sound as I fell asleep.
Little did I know that the wind would have a severe impact on getting into Copenhagen today. As I sat at the train station this morning I found it odd that the departure board was empty. I continued to sit at the station as all the trains just flew on by without stopping. Eventually one finally came and it took me over an hour and a half to get into the city this morning. Getting home was just as complicated. I had to change trains twice and wait for quite some time. Apparently the wind had blown a roof onto one of the tracks and also knocked out some of the towers that communicate signals. Yeah, it was that strong. At least I was only a few minutes late to class, which is better than most people who missed their first or first and second classes.
Besides from my challenging commutes I thought I would give you all some insight into the cultural differences here in Denmark.
Eating: While eating Danes hold their fork and knife in their hands at all times... even if the meal doesn't require a knife at all, it remains in their hand. They even cut up their hamburgers.
Walking: No one jaywalks... I mean no one. One of the roads on the way to school is closed, and still then... no one will walk on red. It gets rather annoying.
Talking: Danes tend to be quite reserved and very quiet. You don't need to know someone to tell if they are American. They give it away automatically because as soon as they open their mouth, it seems as if they are yelling compared to all the Danes talking.. that is, if any Danes are talking at all.
Doors: The doors here are nearly impossible to figure out. When it seems like you should push, I pull... and when I'm sure I need to pull, it's in face a push door. Not only that, but it's harder to get out through a door than in. Most doors have a complex system of locking. In order to get out you need to push a button while simultaneously turning the knob, which is very complicated when you have something/anything in your hands. Sometimes there are multiple buttons, and you have no clue which one to push, and the danish words don't help.
As I was doing homework in my room last night all of a sudden my window flew open. As I tried to force it shut, I realized that my lock was broken, and had to Macgyver it closed. I didn't even need to look out my window to understand how windy it was, I could hear it howling and needed to use headphones to drown out the sound as I fell asleep.
Little did I know that the wind would have a severe impact on getting into Copenhagen today. As I sat at the train station this morning I found it odd that the departure board was empty. I continued to sit at the station as all the trains just flew on by without stopping. Eventually one finally came and it took me over an hour and a half to get into the city this morning. Getting home was just as complicated. I had to change trains twice and wait for quite some time. Apparently the wind had blown a roof onto one of the tracks and also knocked out some of the towers that communicate signals. Yeah, it was that strong. At least I was only a few minutes late to class, which is better than most people who missed their first or first and second classes.
Besides from my challenging commutes I thought I would give you all some insight into the cultural differences here in Denmark.
Eating: While eating Danes hold their fork and knife in their hands at all times... even if the meal doesn't require a knife at all, it remains in their hand. They even cut up their hamburgers.
Walking: No one jaywalks... I mean no one. One of the roads on the way to school is closed, and still then... no one will walk on red. It gets rather annoying.
Talking: Danes tend to be quite reserved and very quiet. You don't need to know someone to tell if they are American. They give it away automatically because as soon as they open their mouth, it seems as if they are yelling compared to all the Danes talking.. that is, if any Danes are talking at all.
Doors: The doors here are nearly impossible to figure out. When it seems like you should push, I pull... and when I'm sure I need to pull, it's in face a push door. Not only that, but it's harder to get out through a door than in. Most doors have a complex system of locking. In order to get out you need to push a button while simultaneously turning the knob, which is very complicated when you have something/anything in your hands. Sometimes there are multiple buttons, and you have no clue which one to push, and the danish words don't help.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Bridges, Battlefields, Buildings, & Bars
So much has happened since I last posted -- but to give you just a brief highlight before I go into detail of some of the more comical and interesting parts -- I've gone to the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Store Baelt Bridge, Dybbol Battlefield, a little town called Haderslev in Southern Denmark, Schleswig- Holstein Parliament in Kiel (Germany!), Nieddereger Marzipan Shop (in Lubeck, Germany), and Schiffergesellschaft (the most amazingggg restaurant!)
On Thursday I departed for my short study tour to Southern Denmark and Northern Germany. In the beginning it seemed like it might be a quiet group seeing as everyone immediately passed out on the bus, but after our first stop at the Store Baelt Bridge the fun began!
*Fun fact 1: The island in the middle of store baelt bridge used to house "fallen women" as Jacob, our professor called them.
We returned to the bus after lunch and got ready to embark on yet another journey. However, we no longer wanted to sleep, and what's a better way to bond than over a deck of cards!? Never will you see so many people condensed into such a small area on a large bus.
As we played cards we made our way to the Dybbol Battlefield where we learned all about the year 1864. After that we hit the road again to go to Haderslev where we spent the night. After a delicious dinner we found a lovely bar that had happy hour and we settled down there for the rest of the night.
*Fun Fact 2: There is a dice game you can play at pubs in Denmark called Snooks... if you lose 2 rounds in a row you have to buy a round of beer for everyone who is playing.
Friday we woke up and departed for Germany. Our first stop was the Parliament building in Kiel where we spoke to some of the members of parliament.
*Fun fact 3: The elevators in the parliament building are amazing! They don't have doors at all, and they never stop moving... they function on a continuous loop, so you need to hop on and off quickly before they pass your level.
We departed Kiel and drove to Lubeck where we went to one of the oldest Marzipan shops.
The ice skating rink was flooded, so we ended up at the irish pub across the street from our hostel at around 9pm. We stayed there until last call. Drinking in Germany is significantly cheaper than drinking in Denmark, so of course we had to take advantage. While there, Jacob regaled us with tales of his time in Government... most of which had to do with drinking.
The next morning at breakfast we realized that we were missing a student, he was no where to be found, and the last someone had seen him was at 5 am while he was still out drinking. We left the hostel with no sign of the missing student and began our tour of Lubeck. Our tour guide, affectionately called Mr. Mustache, led the most animated tour around lubeck. Had it been any other guide we all would have miserable walking around in the pouring rain and tornado like winds. We ended the tour at an amazing restaurant. Still no sign of the missing student. Finally, 45 minutes before we were going to leave Lubeck and go back to Denmark we made contact with the missing student, who had no clue where he was. Jacob told him to get a taxi and provided him with the address that would lead him back to us. He made it with 2 minutes to spare.
On our trip back to Denmark we took a ferry. Our bus just drove right up onto it, but not only that... next to us as we drove onto the ferry was a train doing the same thing!!!! Ferry is an understatement... it was more like a cruise ship, shops, restaurants, cafes... the works.
So much happened, and I can't nearly write all of it, but if you have any questions feel free to ask! Now I can't wait for my long study tour!
On Thursday I departed for my short study tour to Southern Denmark and Northern Germany. In the beginning it seemed like it might be a quiet group seeing as everyone immediately passed out on the bus, but after our first stop at the Store Baelt Bridge the fun began!
*Fun fact 1: The island in the middle of store baelt bridge used to house "fallen women" as Jacob, our professor called them.
We returned to the bus after lunch and got ready to embark on yet another journey. However, we no longer wanted to sleep, and what's a better way to bond than over a deck of cards!? Never will you see so many people condensed into such a small area on a large bus.
As we played cards we made our way to the Dybbol Battlefield where we learned all about the year 1864. After that we hit the road again to go to Haderslev where we spent the night. After a delicious dinner we found a lovely bar that had happy hour and we settled down there for the rest of the night.
*Fun Fact 2: There is a dice game you can play at pubs in Denmark called Snooks... if you lose 2 rounds in a row you have to buy a round of beer for everyone who is playing.
Friday we woke up and departed for Germany. Our first stop was the Parliament building in Kiel where we spoke to some of the members of parliament.
*Fun fact 3: The elevators in the parliament building are amazing! They don't have doors at all, and they never stop moving... they function on a continuous loop, so you need to hop on and off quickly before they pass your level.
We departed Kiel and drove to Lubeck where we went to one of the oldest Marzipan shops.
The ice skating rink was flooded, so we ended up at the irish pub across the street from our hostel at around 9pm. We stayed there until last call. Drinking in Germany is significantly cheaper than drinking in Denmark, so of course we had to take advantage. While there, Jacob regaled us with tales of his time in Government... most of which had to do with drinking.
The next morning at breakfast we realized that we were missing a student, he was no where to be found, and the last someone had seen him was at 5 am while he was still out drinking. We left the hostel with no sign of the missing student and began our tour of Lubeck. Our tour guide, affectionately called Mr. Mustache, led the most animated tour around lubeck. Had it been any other guide we all would have miserable walking around in the pouring rain and tornado like winds. We ended the tour at an amazing restaurant. Still no sign of the missing student. Finally, 45 minutes before we were going to leave Lubeck and go back to Denmark we made contact with the missing student, who had no clue where he was. Jacob told him to get a taxi and provided him with the address that would lead him back to us. He made it with 2 minutes to spare.
On our trip back to Denmark we took a ferry. Our bus just drove right up onto it, but not only that... next to us as we drove onto the ferry was a train doing the same thing!!!! Ferry is an understatement... it was more like a cruise ship, shops, restaurants, cafes... the works.
So much happened, and I can't nearly write all of it, but if you have any questions feel free to ask! Now I can't wait for my long study tour!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
A Clarification and an Explanation
As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, I am taking a class called Virtual Worlds and the Social Media. As part of the class, I am required to keep a blog and post assignments sporadically throughout the semester. Luckily for those of you who don't want to be bored by my assignments there is a simple way to skip them!
As you can now see, there is a pink column down the side of my blog... there you will find my updated about me section, as well as on the top something called Tags. There are two tags, general and VW assignments. To only see my posts non-related to class, click on the general tag. As you might have already noticed my first class post is a little repetitious of what I've already shared with you.
Tomorrow I will post about my field study as well as my itinerary for my upcoming trip to Northern Germany!
As you can now see, there is a pink column down the side of my blog... there you will find my updated about me section, as well as on the top something called Tags. There are two tags, general and VW assignments. To only see my posts non-related to class, click on the general tag. As you might have already noticed my first class post is a little repetitious of what I've already shared with you.
Tomorrow I will post about my field study as well as my itinerary for my upcoming trip to Northern Germany!
Assignment 1: The Trials and Tribulations of Navigating In and Out of Copenhagen
Many Europeans often critique Americans on their lack of "metros" or rail systems. However, we have one advantage in America. You see, we will never fall asleep on a late night train and end up in a completely different country. Navigating through Copenhagen has not been the walk in the park that I had expected and there are several tales to back up my assertion.
I was taking full advantage of the lack of Wednesday classes when I decided to meander into Copenhagen this past Tuesday evening. Having been assured by my train schedule that I would be able to catch a train back to Trekroner up until 3am, I embarked on my journey for the night. However, much to my surprise when I returned to the train station shortly after 1, there were no more trains heading in my direction. A 600kr taxi ride (split among 6 of us) was my only solution to returning to my humble abode for the evening. While that might seem unfortunate it pales in comparison to the experiences some of my kollegium neighbors embarked on that night.
My friend Burns attempted to get home by himself that night. He managed to catch the last train, but he also managed to fall asleep on said train. When he woke up he was no longer in a zone covered by our transportation pass, so he was forced to catch a taxi by himself. I'm sure his parents will be please with the 600kr charge on their emergency credit card.
Worse than an unfortunate credit card charge however, is the tale of one person in my Kollegium who fell asleep on the train and woke up in Sweden.
Moral of the story: If riding a train after a night of drinking, remember the buddy system... and hope they don't fall asleep too.
I was taking full advantage of the lack of Wednesday classes when I decided to meander into Copenhagen this past Tuesday evening. Having been assured by my train schedule that I would be able to catch a train back to Trekroner up until 3am, I embarked on my journey for the night. However, much to my surprise when I returned to the train station shortly after 1, there were no more trains heading in my direction. A 600kr taxi ride (split among 6 of us) was my only solution to returning to my humble abode for the evening. While that might seem unfortunate it pales in comparison to the experiences some of my kollegium neighbors embarked on that night.
My friend Burns attempted to get home by himself that night. He managed to catch the last train, but he also managed to fall asleep on said train. When he woke up he was no longer in a zone covered by our transportation pass, so he was forced to catch a taxi by himself. I'm sure his parents will be please with the 600kr charge on their emergency credit card.
Worse than an unfortunate credit card charge however, is the tale of one person in my Kollegium who fell asleep on the train and woke up in Sweden.
Moral of the story: If riding a train after a night of drinking, remember the buddy system... and hope they don't fall asleep too.
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