Looking ahead

Things are starting to get busy now. My first full week of classes ended with dinner at Nørrebro Brygus with my Danish class. Dinner was a traditional dish called Burning Heart, or Burning Love. It was mashed potatoes topped with beets and bacon, and was rather tasty. Today I am going with my host family to my Christina's nephew Gustavo's birthday. (I think that's how it's spelled. Maybe I will inspire him to start going by a really cool nickname). Tomorrow is finally the get together for the students and their host families in the Roskilde area. We're going bowling then having a BBQ, and it should be great fun, as I like bowling, BBQs, and all the people that I have already met who are living around here. Then Monday at 9AM I start my core course week, for which I will be travelling to southern Zealand to check out some sea cliffs which are apparently very beautiful and also make it very easy to see the K/T boundary. Also on this trip we will be having lunch at Babette, which is a restaurant that is run by one of the people who was involved in starting Noma, aka the best restaurant in the world for a few years until an unfortunate norovirus outbreak. So presumably the restaurant we are going to will be pretty good as well.
The first full week of classes went pretty well, but I definitely am not yet in school mode entirely, and motivating myself to do HW was difficult. But i suppose that is sort of to be expected. All my classes still seem exciting and I am still looking forward to what I will learn, which is good. That's all I've got for now. I hope you have enjoyed or will soon enjoy the photos I have posted, I am sure there will be many more once I return from my trip south.
Until then, may your days be filled with a lack of boredom!
YAY!

PHOTOS!!!

Most of these are from the Little Mermaid statue's 100 b'day party and the Copenhagen Pride Parade.

Round Tower (observatory) and Trinity Church: Science meets Religion

Back of the Royal Library...

Front of the Royal Library

no idea what these things are

Pride Week at City Hall

Beautiful moon, trying to get a good picture. This one is just artsy.

Still not great, but it does remind me of Jupiter

There we go!

Spinny firework thing on the water

Fireworks from a barge

I like the firework setting on my camera...

It works pretty well...

and also...

I really like

Fireworks!

It's a building. It's a flag. It's PRIDE WEEK!!

Oh hey Putin (the theme of the parade was to Russia with love)

Oh hey sparkly guy with flags

fun car!

Fun truck!

He's got a penis gun and a license to thrill.

I like this outfit

Big flag!

Tivoli does Pride

A threeway kiss...had not witnessed that before.

So it's been a while...

Sorry to have been absent for a few days, having homework really messes with my evening schedule. Also I can't say the past two days have had anything particularly interesting. Classes continue to be enjoyable, despite the fact that homework is eating up my evenings once again. On Monday I wasted 4 hours trying to find a Frisbee practice. I was unsuccessful as I was looking in the wrong place. Oh well. I did get a nice walk along the beach and I also found a place to get a new webcam, so now if you skype me, you will be able to see my beautiful face. I also had a nice "race" going against a bus as I was biking to the train station. I had a two minute head start, the bus caught up and passed me, but I ended up winning in the end, as it had to wait for me to pass before pulling into the station. HA! Yesterday I went out and explored Roskilde in the evening with Alison, Julie, and Jennifer, who seem to be becoming my closest friends (so far at least) hopefully because they like me and not because we always run into each other, taking the same trains and whatnot. There was not much going on, as it was a Tuesday night, so nothing was open and no one was out partying. But it was a nice evening for a stroll. Today I have had nothing! No classes on Wednesdays, and I had no field study of any sort either, which is what Wednesdays are reserved for. I was not nearly as productive as I had hoped, in regards to doing work or getting out to see stuff/explore. But I am leaving soon to go to a Frisbee hat tournament at the beach, so that should be fun, assuming I don't go to the wrong place again. Then two more days of class, and on the weekend I am going to go to my host mom's nephew's birthday party (Saturday) and then we have a bowling party/BBQ for the students staying near Roskilde, so that should be fun as well. And next week I take my study short study tour, which promises to be fantastic, so I am really looking forward to that!
And now I return to my life, and you can return to yours.
Tavo, signing off!

203

hours since I've been in Copenhagen. It's been a lot of fun so far. But as I was in the shower (a great place to do some thinking, in my opinion) was was planning what to say in this post, and was working with something along the lines of "it has been a great and exciting week, but now that I'm just going to have class every day, the excitement will probably go down." Then I realized that is not true at all. Aside from the fact that my classes seem like they will be interesting (I consider interesting and exciting different) there is still lots of excitement in the future. I have one week of normal classes, then the next week is my first (short) study tour! That weekend does not have anything particularly interesting going on yet, but the following weekend I am going on a bike trip around a 100% off the grid/renewable island. Beyond that is more excitement in the form of adventure and study tours, nicely spaced out every few weeks. So I am pretty sure that while I may (and hope to) settle into a routine, it will never get boring.
And now an update as to what I've been doing. My second day of classes on Friday went as well as the first, and I am very excited for Sustainable by Design and Danish Language and Culture, my Tuesday and Friday classes. It may seem strange, but the danish class may be the one that is most like what I am used to, what with two of my classes apparently half engineering, another heavily design based, and my core course including a trip to Greenland. I certainly am looking forward to all the new ways I may have to use my mind to get the most out of these classes! After class on Friday I did not hang around, but came right back home, knowing I was going to go back into the city for the Little Mermaid statue's 100th birthday party. I caught the tail end of a russian group's performance of the Little Mermaid, which i could not understand, but did recognized some Disney tunes. Then came a sort of strange, but enjoyable interpretive dance routine, followed finally by fireworks! I had a nice time at that event, and learned that the "firework" setting on my camera does work pretty well. Following fireworks I headed (with a group of DIS people I met there, some "old" friends, some just met) to a DRC in Amager. DRCs are basically like a dorm of only DIS students, but with Danish RAs. It seemed pretty nice, and I think I would have enjoyed living in a DRC, but it would have been a different experience. I hung out with my new friends for a while, then when they went out to party I headed home, partially because going out isn't really my thing, partially because it was already 00:30, but mostly because the bus was uncomfortably crowded, and since I wasn't that excited about what the rest of the night had to offer, I just wanted to get off.
Saturday I had a lazy morning, and in the afternoon headed back into Copenhagen to go to the pride parade. I met up with Allison on the train in, and we met up with some DIS people she had met the night before once we were at the parade. In terms of scale, it of course did not compare to NYC pride which I went to this summer, but there was lots of good energy, and the "afterparty" in the City Hall Square (renamed pride square for the occasion) was fun. I came home for dinner and hung out with my host family, and it was generally a quiet and pleasant evening. I also skyped with my family back home which was nice. Tamsin is just about to head off to China where I'm sure she's going to have lots of fun!
Today has been lazy as well. I did some laundry this morning and read a few chapters in my book. In the afternoon I went on a run with my host brother Mikkel. It was a very pleasant run, but after not doing anything this summer, it felt more like 6 miles than 6 km, so maybe I should start running more often. This evening if I finish my homework soon, I think I will bike into the nearby city of Roskilde to explore a bit, and maybe get some ice cream. If I can get in touch with any of my friends who also live in the area I might do it with them, otherwise I'll probably just strike out on my own.
I think I'll probably do a separate post to include a bunch of pictures, but maybe not now, because I'm feeling lazy and I don't want to search for my camera cord at this time.
Sorry if that's a disappointing end to this post, but at least you know you have something exciting to look forward to soon!
That's all for now!

first day of classes

was great! getting up at 6:30 was not as bad as I expected, and I think I can even be on time if I take the next bus, so that gives me an extra 15 minutes! 3 classes today, my core course at 8:30. It definitely seems like it's going to be good. Next up was Waste Management at 10:05, and finally Renewable Energy at 1:15. The last two classes are taught by the same professor (Carlos. not professor) who seems pretty cool. It is the first time doing the waste management class, so that could be a rough one, but Carlos seems very organized and it seems like his methods should work well. Both of his classes he says will be about 50% engineering. Not hard core, but still different than what I am used to. I am personally very excited about it, as I think my mind is somewhat suited to that way of thinking, but I have never had an academic/classroom experience to test that belief. All my classes were around the same size, not sure exactly what they were, but around 20-25, so that is good. Didn't do much learning today, mostly just overviews, as I had expected.
After class I checked out Pride Square, which had a few tents selling stuff. I bought the official event bracelet to show my support, and also got a pretty sweet rainbow striped tie. After dinner this evening I biked with my host family through a nearby forested area with some nice running trails and we ended up at a field where we tossed a Frisbee around for a bit. I didn't have too much reading tonight, so that was nice. I am looking forward to seeing what my last two classes will be like, and then my first real weekend in Denmark (last week didn't count, I was too out of it).
I am also looking forwards to bed, so now I shall end this post.
              z

             z
            z
| /\---O |
|            |

Well...

I am starting to think daily updates will be hard to continue once classes and such get under way, but I think I can probably manage at least twice a week. We'll see what happens
Today my train was delayed so I was late getting to the first event, where I and a group of 5 other DIS students were given a map of the city with 5 locations marked where we were to meet DIS faculty who would tell us a bit about the area. Being late turned out ok, because I ended up with a bunch of other students who were late because they were on the same train/coming from the same area. These new friends were Tyler, Alison (one L this time, not two, for those of you who remembered Allison was the first person I met here), Jennifer, Julie, and Emily. Later we also met up with Ashley. And someone else who left as soon as I met her, so I don't remember her name. The event was fun, but most of it went to places I had seen yesterday, but it was great in that it helped me make new friends. Then I had my introduction to my core class. The professors seem cool, and I already know three people in the class: Audra, who I had met on Tuesday, Alison, and Achira (who goes to Wesleyan and is also an E&ES major so she was in the sophomore seminar with me, and I sort of knew her). So that class looks to be fun, especially study tours to Greenland, Mons Klint and Stevns Klint. Today was also the activities/immersion fair. I signed up for Copenhagen Hucks, and also checked out several other groups, like a flag football club and a storytelling workshop. Then I headed home with a sizable group of new friends. Before I sign off and do my homework, I want to mention a few possible excitements coming up, in case I update less frequently. This Friday is the 100th anniversary of the famous mermaid statue, and there is going to be an event with fireworks, so of course I want to go. This whole week is Pride Week, with events every day in the City Hall Square (apparently renamed pride square for the week) culminating in the parade on saturday which I hope to attend. Also this weekend there is a Viking Ship festival closer to home in Roskilde, and sometime soon a food festival will take place. There is so much going on. But for now, I'm stuck doing homework.
KNOWLEDGE!!! It is also part of why I came here, so I guess it's sort of important.
I hope you all are having as much fun as I am!

Doubletime

So as you faithful readers surely noticed, I failed to brighten your day with a wonderful post about my experience. In case any of you were worried, it was not do to an encounter with one of these or any other mishap. No, I merely failed to keep you informed since I fell asleep at 7, which was significantly earlier than planned. So today you get a double dose!
Yesterday I had orientation day 1. Carsten, my host dad, came with me to make sure I did not start off by getting hopelessly lost during my commute. Stop #1 for the day was the Tivoli Hotel. It was the first time I really realized  how many of us there are. There are over 1,000, I've heard. There might be people here whose schools are smaller than this program. The opening ceremony was nice, we heard from a few DIS people as well as one of the many (7?) mayors of Copenhagen, this one was mayor of culture etc. The evening before she had been handing out medals to those who completed the Copenhagen ironman triathalon. Including the Crown Prince. Pretty cool that he does that sort of stuff, but I guess that sort of engagement is not uncommon, as the royal couple are about to have an exhibit of there works in various media go up in an art museum. But I digress. There was also music from the "DIS Strings" a group of students from Copenhagen's Royal Music Academy. They played the Champagne Gallop, which was specially composed for the Tivoli Garden's second anniversary (in 1843 I think...Tivoli Gardens is an OLD amusement park. Second oldest in the world I think. The oldest is just north of the city, so I guess back in the day Danes really knew how to have fun). They also played a suite from West Side Story (European story set in America. I didn't find it that relevant, but good music, so I can't complain) and they finished with Ode to Joy, which is apparently the "national" anthem of the EU. I didn't like their arrangement too much.
That was to close, then came the swarm. 1000 college kids taking over the sidewalks as we made our way to the DIS buildings to get books. The line was really long, so I went and picked up my Danish cell phone first, then got the books I need for the semester (only five, many classes just post readings online). Then I had student affairs orientation where they told us about resources available to us, about how we are going to apply for residency permits and how to get health care cards, and most importantly that we should call home (already 40 calls in two days from freaking out parents). When that was all over, I decided to go back home. Allison, who I believe I mentioned before, was meeting her host mom and going home, and I decided to join them. Because friends on a commute is more fun than doing it alone. At home I tried to be social, but failed due to falling asleep at 7. But apparently everyone went to sleep pretty early, so I don't feel THAT bad.
Today I was on my own...for the 3 minute walk to the bus station. Allison and her host mom were on the bus I boarded, as was another DIS girl, Audra, who also lives in Svogerslev and is doing the same core course as I, but I think in a different section. We found even more DIS kids at the train station, and we all traveled together. Activity #1 was a housing orientation, where we were told some things we could expect from our experiences, ways to help it be good, and resources to use if it's not working out. Here I learned that living far away has its conveniences, as my public transportation pass will take me anywhere I want to go around the city and it's outskirts, while others with fewer zones on their passes have to pay closer attention to where they can go for free. After this meeting I had a little free time, which I used to go to the DIS free store (stuff students from last semester left behind) and managed to get a voltage converter, which I hadn't yet bought because they were pricey, so getting one for free was nice. But then came the bus to go an register for a residence permit. This was stressful. I did not want to mess something up and find out that unless I fixed it on my own, I'd get kicked out in the middle of November. There was also lots of waiting. When I stepped outside, I was very relieved. It was also beautiful out, so I decided to walk from Amager back to the center of Copenhagen. I took a roundabout route, stopping to eat at a nice little park before skirting the edge of Christiania, walking along the canal past the very scenic Nyhavn to see the Amalienborg Palace (where the queen lives), then on through the King's Garden (a very nice park) to Rosenburg Castle, home of the Crown Jewels, then finally along Stroget (the major pedestrian/shopping street) to City Hall then on to the train station, where I met up with Hannah and Matt, two more people who also take the train to Roskilde. That's about all I'm going to say, but here are some pictures from my walk today!

City Hall

Spire of Church of Our Saviour (apparently you can climb up to the top--on the outside)

In a nice little park in Amager

A look down the canal

cool old buildings

Sand Sculpture

Nyhavn

Opera House

Panorama is a bit weird, but this the the Amalienborg Palace

difficult to see, but those little guard places have hearts cut into the side...not sure why

the Queen's car?

some building with a big dome

I like flags

walkway in the King's Garden

Rosenborg Castle

I need to come up with better titles...SPLUNGE!

Today was pretty laid back. I got to sleep in then enjoyed a nice brunch with the family. Our planned bike tour of the area turned into a car tour due to rain, but I got to see Roskilde, the city next door, with points of interest being the viking ship museum and a cathedral where the monarchs have been buried the last 700 years or so. we returned home by way of a friend's house, because they had gone to pick up another DIS student and had gotten my arrival packet for me. Alison (the DIS student staying there) is from Claremont, CA, and hopefully we can be train buddies commuting back and forth every day. The rest of the afternoon I spent looking through my arrival packet, planning the next week (how am i going to get around without getting lost) and looking at my first assignments in most of my classes. Dinner was home made falafel (YUM). After dinner we went and threw a frisbee around in a local park, which was nice. On our return we ate some blackberry cake from my host mom's mom, and watched a BBC nature program then some news.
Tomorrow I head into Copenhagen for my first day of orientation, so let the semester officially begin!
For those of you who like clicking on things, here is a link and one more link for good measure.
TTFN!
TTT-A

Denmark!!!!!

Despite the exciting title, this will be a boring post. I arrived in Denmark today. YAY!!! My host family is great so far. But I haven't done much except unpack, eat, and take a 5 hour nap that hopefully helped me recover from getting 2 hours of sleep 2 of the past 3 nights.
So that's all for now. I plan to bike around the neighborhood I am living in tomorrow, and starting on Monday I have orientation and on into classes. WHEE.
Bye.

Reykjavik: Day 2

For those of you waiting to find out, today was, in fact, phallological. I did go to the museum of that name, and it was about as strange an experience as you might think. Also any fellows out there, in case you were wondering, yes, you can donate your "member", and even have a model of it displayed until you no longer have need for the real deal. Following this adventure, I went to a geothermally heated public pool. And yes, the locker room showers were in the buff. Did I see even more penises than intended today? Yes. Was it worth it to soak for an hour in a hot tub? Yes.
Aside from that, I walked through the botanical garden and took a short ferry ride out to Videy, which was nice. I had a long walk back to my hostel from the ferry, but for part of it I walked with Christina from Finland who was spending a week in Iceland on the way back from Greenland where she was doing research for her masters in biology. If you were planning on visiting Finland, she recommends Helsinki, which is "a very nice town" and the national parks in the north if you like nature.
I had a very yummy crepe with nutella and strawberries to use up the last of my kroner before grabbing my stuff at the hostel and heading to the airport. I am currently waiting for my flight to Denmark and all the fun (and learning) that await for me there.
I don't feel like uploading new pictures, so for now, this is all, check back later if you want, there may be photos, and links on links on links...
on lynx
Ciao for now!
Tavo

Reykjavik Day 1, Part 2

Whew. An exhausting day. After leaving my stuff at the hostel and having breakfast I headed out to explore Reykjavik. My the first site I stumbled across was Hallgrimskirkja. From there I wandered around a bit, passing the Iceland Phallological Museum...no joke! I didn't visit it, but it is on the list of potential sites to see tomorrow. After some aimless wandering I set my sites on the pearl, however, as I had been noticing earlier, Reykjavik streets are not nearly as intuitive as the streets I'm used to, so it was a while before I got where I was going, but I did. And these cool dudes were jamming out.
I was finally able to actually check in at 14:00, and as soon as I did I napped for an hour. Because i was going on 2 hours of sleep. And I woke up and felt much better. I grabbed a panini for a late lunch/early dinner, then was picked up to go on a tour of a few of Iceland's natural wonders. We made stops at þingvellir national park-- home to Iceland's first Parliament way back in 930--Gullfoss, and a hotsprings area which included this one which erupted every 6 minutes or so. Also I got to nap on the bus on the way back, which is probably the only reason I am not asleep right now.
Tomorrows plans may include a visit to the aforementioned Phallological museum, perhaps a trip out to the island of Veðey to see the Imagine Peace Tower designed by Yoko Ono dedicated to her husband whatshisname...Jack Lemon?
And now I'm trying to be funny, which probably means I should go to sleep. Another day in Reykjavik tomorrow, and then on to my adventures in København!!
And so Tavo the zombie says goodnight.

Day 1: Reykjavik

Safely landed in Iceland, and I am writing this post from the Loft Hostel in Reykjavik. So far it is quite lovely. Only got an hour or two of sleep on the plane, and I can't check into my room until 14:00, so we'll see how I do with the tour today that goes until 22:00...
Off to explore the city a bit, then off to tour some of Iceland's beauty! Another post with pictures to follow tonight if I am still functioning...
YAY! This is FUN!
That's all for now.

An update! Two reasons why I like Iceland are this and these recycling bins vs. this red and unfriendly looking trash bin that says "think twice before throwing it here! it will end directly in nature!

Departure Day

I made a blog! Now you, (yes you!) can read all about my semester in Denmark and maybe beyond. YAY!
Hopefully I will give plenty of updates and stories and pictures etc. to keep you all in the know.
I'm writing this from Cape Cod as I enjoy one last day with my family before heading off. I'm excited for this adventure to begin.
And so ends entry number 1 in this blog.