AHHHH I DON'T WANT TO GO HOME! DON'T MAKE ME!

A couple weeks ago, I would have begged you to move up my departure by at least a week.  But now that it comes down to it, I am incredibly emotional about leaving.  While I know it would not be practical for me to stay for a whole year, that's all that I really want right now.  My two best friends here, Elizabeth and Marianne, are staying for the whole year, and leaving them knowing they still have another 4 months here makes me green with envy.  At the same time, there are so many things I am looking forward to about going home and back to Santa Clara next semester... But it's just so sad to think that this chapter of my life is over.  Well, bittersweet I suppose, but I am the type of person who has a hard time letting things go so.... that is not helping the situation.

As much as I would love to say, yeah, I will go abroad at another point to work or volunteer, the odds of that are slim and it still wouldn't be the same.  Nevertheless, it is a nice thing to keep in the back of my mind during this time.  I feel like I really started to blossom here only recently.  Bummer.

I was going to make a list of things I will miss about Denmark, but instead maybe I should try to be a little more positive and think about what to look forward to when I get back:

-my family and friends, of course!

-Holidays with my whole giant family... I wouldn't miss it for the world

-Chipotle/taco bell/good Cali mexican food (yeah, make fun of me for the taco bell but you would miss it too if you are surrounded by pickled herring and rye bread for 4 months)

-heat. sunshine. not wearing a jacket, tights under my pants, gloves, a hat, a scarf, snow boots...

-moving into my new house!!!!

-seeing everyone back at school

-meeting the new dg babies (I am a grand-big now... so old!)

-so many more types of food I could list here... but specifically my momma's cooking :) which i will only have for a few weeks, but still...

-not worrying if people are making fun of me in a language I don't understand

-21st birthday in 2 weeks!

that's just a short list.  But it's already making me feel better.  Be home soon!!!

I leave Denmark in 4 days.  Well, more like 3 and a half days. I have not started packing and still have a final tomorrow, so these will be a few crazy days.

I am having very mixed emotions about leaving.  For the last couple of weeks I have been very antsy to get back home, but now that it is coming down to it I am realizing how much I am going to miss this place, for so many different reasons.  There are things that I didn't get a chance to do that I regret, like taking the 30 minute train ride to Sweden... just to be in a different country that easily and quickly is something I should have taken advantage of!  And maybe I have spent a little too much time in bed wrapped in blankets watching movies online.  But hey, maybe thats not the worst thing... and it's pretty much the best option when you live in a weird little town 30 minutes out of the city, and your room has no heating.  I have come to cherish my time alone; it's not really a thing you get much of in a college atmosphere (ask me about it when I am living in a house with 9 other girls in a few weeks) and I think it's important to be able to be content without always having to be running around doing stuff or constantly being surrounded by other people.

People have told me that you don't really realize how great your abroad experience was until you are back home.  I'm sure that it will hit me even more then, but right now I cannot tell you how lucky I feel to have been able to live and study in a different country for 4 months, completely on my own.  With more and more American students studying abroad, especially from Santa Clara where it's almost an expected right of passage during your junior year, it is so easy to take this opportunity for granted.  It's easy to forget that not everyone can just drop everything and go to Europe for four months.  Not only have I learned about a different culture and way of life, I have met some fabulous people who I would have never had the opportunity of meeting otherwise.  I have been pushed out of my comfort zone, but with incredible results.  So to those who encouraged and enabled me to have this experience (most of all, my fabulous parents) and supported me along the way, I cannot thank you enough.  

Now, I am off to make the most of my remaining time here...

I can't tell you how many times I have been asked, mostly by confused Danes, "so uhhh, why did you come to Denmark?"

I really don't know what to tell them.  The abroad options which I seriously considered spanned a good 5 continents, and my reasoning for each place was completely different.

My reason for choosing Denmark at the time was: I don't know anyone going, and I want to have an experience all my own (turns out John and Will are here from SCU, but they hardly distract me from having my own experience, but rather provide comfortable and familiar faces :). )  I get credit for all of my classes here as well, which is great for a double-major that is slightly behind on classes.

Other reasons?  It's somewhere different, and I must admit, I thought everyone in Denmark was going to be a hippie or something.  Which is not the case at all, but they still lead a pretty relaxed lifestyle, and have really got their priorities straight.  While I certainly do not think that such a welfare system would EVER fly in the US, I think we could learn a few things from the Danes.  For starters, Danes value family and friends above all else.  Most only work a good 6 hours a day, which I know because I see them at 3 pm "rush hour" losening their ties and having a beer on the train with their friends before they go home to spend some quality times with their families.  They don't really get why Americans work so hard, which I don't really get either, except for money I guess.  And personal satisfaction.  But personal satisfaction in Denmark doesn't exactly consist of how much you get done in a day's work.  It's about cultivating personal relationships and knowing how to spend their free time in an enjoyable manner.

Yup, us Americans could sure learn a few things from the Danes.

Except in my opinion they are kinda crazy for living in a place with 5 hours of sunlight and ridiculously cold weather.  But that's just me.

a few things i love about winter in denmark (despite the 5 hours of sunlight everyday):

-Christmas decorations EVERYWHERE, and everything being all hygge... and candles (Jen knows how great the candles are!)

-people wearing santa hats around, just for the heck of it, and not getting weird looks

-little kids waddling around in snow suits, looking like the little brother in the Christmas Story... I so wish they made them in adult sizes!

Hello my loyal blog readers,

I have had quite a week!  In a nutshell, I had a blast with Jen Jen and Heather who came to visit this week, I finished a huge group project that was 60% of my grade (with an A-, horray, what a relief!), and experienced my first snowfall in Denmark.  So basically, it was a great week.

Jen, Heather and I had a ton of fun this week.  We went to a jazz concert that was really fun even though it was mostly old people (we youngins spiced things up a bit), ate some great food including a traditional Danish meal, which I had not had yet since I have been here!  We enjoyed the Christmas decorations and spirit, as well as the magical Christmas atmosphere at TIVOLI!  Definitely the highlight of my week.  For those of you who don't know what Tivoli is, it is basically a theme park here with some rides, great restaurants, a bunch of shops and great decorations.  Walt Disney drew his inspiration for Disneyland from a visit to Tivoli, so if that doesn't convince you of it's magic, I don't know what will.  I had been holding out on going until Christmastime because it is a little pricey, and so Jen and Heather and I went on Friday.  And wouldn't you know, it was the first snow of the season that day.  I can't explain how BEAUTIFUL it was there, but I will post some pictures to try to illustrate.  We went on a 10$ roller coaster that I would say was worth it, munched on some "varm vaffels" and sipped on yummy glogg.  

Tivoli, AMAZING

Jen and I at the Absolut Ice Bar, I can't figure out how to turn it :( Sorry

As you can see, we also went to the Absolut Ice Bar.  As if it wasn't cold enough already!  But we had a great time, it was definitely an experience and I am glad I went because I am sure I would regret it if I had not gone the whole time I was in Copenhagen!

It was so great to have them here, I really needed that espeically because I am so sad to be missing Thanksgiving in Shasta this week, and CRAFT DAY.  I guess I can't complain though because I am going to Paris on what would be craft day... boohoo, poor me.  I got most of my schoolwork done last week so this week should be fun as well!  Updates soon!

Here it is, at last, Spain!  It feels like forever since I have been back in Denmark, so I will try my best to recap everything.

Barcelona was, of course, beautiful and tons of fun.  It was kind of a bummer that all of my friends studying abroad there were off elsewhere on break while I was there, but Pat and I still had a great time.  It was a little overwhelming though; there were tourists and Americans everywhere.  I guess I have gotten used to fitting in in Denmark, but obviously Pat and I stuck out like sore thumbs in Spain.  Our hostel was cute and in a bustling area, and it was fun to meet the people from all over who were staying there.  I enjoyed my first experience with real Spanish tapas, and will forever thank Barcelona for introducing me into tortilla sandwiches.  Not actual tortillas--tortilla is what they call a sort of potato-omelet, which itself is scrumptious, but put that baby on a sandwich and it is heaven.  I am serious, even the ones we got that the lady did not defrost all the way and were still frozen in the middle were exceptional, and that's saying a lot.

We went to the Picasso museum, and it was WAY cooler than I thought it would be.  Not a lot of his later stuff was there, but all of his works from his youth were and I was blown away by how amazing and realistic his paintings were when he was, oh you know, about EIGHT.  It's crazy how that transition to modern art occurred.  We also saw a lot of Gaudi architecture... I really didn't know I was a fan of architecture until I saw this guys stuff--AMAZING does not even begin to describe it.  The Sagrada Familia--or as I liked to call it, the Sangria Familia-- was crazy; something you can't really understand unless you go.  So go, all of you!  And the park he designed... I felt like I was in a Dr. Seuss book or something!  So those were the highlights from Barcelona, along with the amazing weather which was such a nice change.

This is a picture of Las Ramblas, the big (touristy) pedestrian street by where we stayed.  It was awesome except for the fact that there were tons of stands selling caged animals like tiny bunnies and chinchillas and mice.... so sad. Pat had to tear me away, I wanted to free them all. But anyway, it was a beautiful street, as you can see:

Next we flew to Granada, which was definitely my favorite stop in Spain.  I am sure it had something to do with seeing my friends who are studying abroad there.  That was really what I needed, I had really really been missing my friends from home.  Granada is such a charming little city and a very nice change of pace from the craziness of Barcelona.  The Moorish vibe made the city very unique, and the teahouses were SO AWESOME.  At one point I found myself sitting in a Moorish tea house drinking Pakistani tea and reading "Three Cups of Tea"... which is about Pakistan... a little ironic? 

 Anyway, the highlight of Granada, besides seeing my chickens of course (no, not real chickens...), was the Alhambra.  One word: B-E-A-UTIFUL. okay, another word: MAGICAL.  And maybe also just plain AMAZING.  When I was reading tour books before we got to Granada I kept reading about "the magic of the Alhambra" and how it is the most visited site in Spain, but I honestly had never heard of this place.  Nor am i quite sure how to describe it.  It basically is a huge ornate Moorish/Spanish-style castle and series of other old buildings that are... well, they are old.  Sorry but I really don't remember the history here.  Except that Ferdinand and Isabella were involved somehow so that makes it pretty old.  And the gardens were beautiful; we didn't even get to see the big garden because there was a huge downpour while we were there (thankfully we had already seen the palace) and we got to run down the hill back to our hostel (which was also gorgeous and charming, by the way) in really classy blue plastic ponchos.  But nonetheless, it is just a stunningly beautiful place.  I would put it way up there on the places to see before you die list.  This is a picture of a fortress in the Alhambra, I have a lot of other pictures I will put on Flikr so check them out! 

Next, Pat and I took a 3 hour bus ride to Seville.  To be completely honest, I don't remember too much of Seville.  I was absolutely exhausted and only there for less than 24 hours anyway, plus my camera had run out of batteries and I lost my charger somewhere along the way.  Oh, and all of my jewelry.  Yeah, not fun.  But annnnyway, I do remember Seville being similar to Granada in its architecture and Northern-African vibe.  It was a beautiful place and I wish I had gotten to explore a little more, but what we did get to do was see a Flamenco show.  I literally  have never seen anyone so concentrated or passionate about anything as that Flamenco dancer.  It was not at all what I expected--it was much better.  I thought there would be all these ladies prancing around in tacky frilly dresses, but it was actually just a singer, guitarist, and dancer all fully hypnotized by the music and in their own world, seemingly unaware that there was anyone watching them at all.  So yes, that was definitely the highlight of Seville.  Sorry, no pictures, but I will steal some from Pat to put on Flikr later.

It was sad to leave Spain and my brother, who stayed there for a few more days, but I was really anxious to get back to Copenhagen.  After my day and a half in Amsterdam, of course!  Amsterdam... what a crazy, crazy place.  It really didn't seem real.  The canals are gorgeous, the people are so, so nice and happy (hmm, I wonder why??)... I had been really really excited for the Van Gogh museum, especially after the taste we had in Vienna at a temporary Van Gogh exhibit, and it lived up to my expectations and made me want to sit down and paint right then and there.  I never made it to the red light district, which apparently was stupid on my part, but I really didn't have time nor was I particularly interested.  

I met up with some friends while I was in Amsterdam, but there were a lot of people from Santa Clara there at the same time who I never got to see.  I was there for Halloween, which actually is not a big deal at all in Europe, even in the crazy city of Amsterdam.  But I wore my Viking hat all day anyway and got some strange looks.  Vikings didn't actually wear hats like those, by the way, according to my Nordic Mythology class (see mom and dad, I am actually learning stuff over here!)...  Anyway, it was a great ending to the trip, but I would love to go back when I have more time and energy (but really, which one of these places would I NOT want to go back to??)

It is really great to be back in Copenhagen, I have had an absolutely insane week though and been at school from sun up to sun down every day (which isn't too hard when the sun rises at 8 and sets at 4:30, but still...).  So I am very much looking forward to the weekend and my cousin Jen coming next week!  I hope the weather gets better when she is here, it has been very windy and rainy... not fun.  Anyway, I will be better about updating from now on, now that I am all caught up!

After London, I flew to meet up with my family in Vienna.  Vienna was gorgeous, but I was exhausted and sick at this point in my trip so I'm afraid I didn't give enough effort to really take in all of the city.  Sorry, Vienna.  A couple of my favorite things (besides being so happy to see my family, of course) were the Mozart Strauss concert that we went to, and the Van Gogh exhibit.  The architecture was beautiful as well, and it was great to meet up with my friend Julienne from school who was studying there.  However, my time there is kind of a blur as I was either half asleep or in desperate need of sleep most of the time.  I guess that means that I must go back someday to give it the proper visit it deserves!

Luckily, a few days later when it was time to go to Prague, I was feeling much better.

Prague really blew me away.  I had heard that, like most European cities I had seen, it was beautiful and, unlike most European cities I had seen, it was cheap (which proved to be relatively true, especially compared to Copenhagen and London).  But I also found Prague to have a charm that I can't quite describe here.

I guess what explains it well is my very first experience in Prague:

We had arrived midday and decided to wander the city for a bit.  We walked to the city center to find that there was a political rally of sorts with a concert and free food and beer.  It was a very lively place and everyone seemed to be very happy (I don't blame them, come on, it's free food and beer!).  But what really made me realize Prague was a great city was when an older man got on stage and started singing Frank Sinatra 'Under My Skin,' but with his charming accent it sounded like "under my schkeeeen."  Priceless.

Other fun things we did included exploring the old castles on the hill and the wonderful views from there, and seeing a jazz show at a place Bill Clinton had once played the saxaphone... they took this claim to fame pretty seriously and had pictures of him everywhere.

One word of advice for anyone who might go to Prague someday:

Don't mess with the swans.  They are vicious.