One Down, Three to go!

Hygge. Every table in Denmark has a candle on it! 

Hello Humans,

Can you believe it?! One month ago today, I began my journey to Copenhagen! I can't believe how fast time is flying. I am trying to savor every minute, because I know the next three months are going to go by even faster. It seems like it was just yesterday that I was jetlagged, totally lost, and terrified of public transportation. These days I am just normal tired, in a perpetual state of kind of lost... kind of found, and terrified of only two of three types of public transportation. Leaps and strides! Just kidding. Really, Copenhagen has become very homey. I have never been a real city girl, but I really do love it here. There is so much to explore. Every twisty, turny little side street in the center city has a cool bakery, bar, cafe, thrift store, boutique, or museum tucked in it. Every day is a new adventure. In addition, this month has forced me to be *way* more independent than ever before. Maybe by the time I get home, I'll almost be like... like... an adult?! Just kidding. All grown up's are pirates.... and we kill pirates!

Speaking of being a child for the rest of forever, I have some crazy stories for you guys. As you may or may not know, I spend every Thursday here hanging out with the most adorable children on the planet. Last Thursday, my (insert Danish word for kindergarten thing that I cannot spell, say, or really explain very well here) went on a field trip. Where do Danes take field-trips? Oh.. the middle of the forrest, obviously. Who built to fire? The five-year-olds, obviously. Not only did they build a fire.. they built a better fire than I could have. Now... a lizzy fire is pretty much spraying an absolutely dangerous amount of lighter fluid on a burning little twig and hoping it catches... but still! FIVE YEAR OLDS. Think that is crazy? Guess what the youngest ones were doing while some of the older ones were making the fire. Oh, just.. whittling.. using HUGE KNIVES. In Danish schools they not only allow children to use knives, they flat out encourage it! Guess who almost cut herself while trying to help one of the four-year-olds? THIS GIRL. By the end of the day (which was, all joking aside, awesome), I am convince the children thought I was the biggest DUNCE in the entire world. As I have mentioned in just about every post... my Danish is absolutely horrible. However, the kids are too young to really grasp the concept of my language barrier. Therefor, throughout the day, they were chatter away at me, stare up at me expectantly, and then give me a look that just screamed, "Wow lady.. I asked you if you like to play tag. What are you...a moron?" Answer: Yes. Even with the language barrier, my interactions with kids here have been such an incredible learning experience. When you take away your ability to talk to kids, you are reminded of all of the ways that we communicate non verbally. Essentially, snow-ball fights, weird faces, and crazy sound effects were the name of the game, that day. (Err... well, let's be realistic. That's a pretty standard day in lizzy-land.)

Unfortunately, the rest of my week has not been all that exciting. I think God (or the aforementioned evil gypsy witch) was reading my blog last week and went "Ah ah ah... not so quick!", when I declared myself plague-free. Tuesday night, after I posted my last update, I came down with plague round two. I spent all day Wednesday in bed. Thursday, I knew I had to visit my site and play with the small children in the woods, so I shlupped my butt to the drug store/pharmacy in search of some cold medicine. Here is my word of advice to you folks: WORSHIP AMERICAN COLD MEDICINE, because it is the nectar of the gods. The cold medicine here is made for babies and people who hate fun. Who doesn't like the loopy knock-you-on-your-ass high (not to mention the blissful decongestion) you get from Mucinex? Apparently, the Danes. I settled for some nasal spray and cough syrup, and managed to make it through Thursday. I kept the rest of the weekend pretty low key. Nap time is the happiest time of any day, so I just kind of made all the day time nap time. I caught up on lame chick-flicks and not lame cool movies I'd missed, and had some pillow talk skype with my puppies. I could probably write a whole book about how obsessed I am with my puppies, but I will spare you the pet-owner bragging. You should know, though, that my puppies are the cutest, smartest, (errr, well, one of them anyway), and most lovable little monsters on the planet. Here, I will insert to obligatory shout out to Mara and Bill, and tell you that I ALSO had a wonderful skype date with my parents this weekend. If I don't, Mara will guilt trip me about how I like the dogs more than her. She doesn't lick the phone when she hears my voice. It's pretty hard to compete! (Just kidding. Love you Mom & Dad!)

The absolute best part of my weekend was Saturday night, when I ventured to a friends apartment for dinner. Having conquered the scary Netto, I am actually capable of whipping up some culinary delights here. However, cooking in my own kitchen is roughly akin to sticking your hand in a blender on high. I don't think I realized just how spoiled I was in my beautiful Riverview kitchen last semester. I think my "kitchen" here is the size of my mini-fridge my freshman year. My friends apartment has a REAL kitchen with a REAL oven. It was absolutely magical. We made two different kids of pizza and apple crisp. Last semester, I saved my parents a therapist bill or two with apple crisp, bubble baths, and naps. Needless to say, I am losing a few marbles without crisping or bubble-bathing abilities. The second best part of my week was my AWESOME sign language group. I forget if I've told any of you about this, but I managed to find a bunch of fellow DIS students who are native signers/ASL students/are super interested in learning more about ASL. I didn't realize just how much I would miss it, here, and I was so happy to find some people who shared my passion. I found an awesome group of people to laugh, sign, and drink coffee with in the super "hyggely" (pronounced Hue-glee) meaning cosy, student cafe. Much like silent coffee did in the US, it keeps me going through the week. Horray!

Reading this post was probably something like watching paint dry. Not too much to report, this week. The next few weeks are full of super exciting adventures! I promise I'll post some more pictures next time. Love you all!

143,
Lizard

My Rainbow Panorama

Brace yourselves: It is 35 and sunny in Copenhagen today. That's right... it's above freezing, for like.. the first time since I arrived. I didn't even wear a scarf! Miracles do happen.

I have so many adventures to tell you fine followers about! Where to begin?

Last Wednesday, I spent the day exploring the National Museum in Copenhagen. We have no Wednesday classes, here. Because I have to wake up ungodly early, "hump day" frequently is synonymous with "nap day". However, I was feeling particularly cultured and decided to go venture out like a real person. The museum was pretty standard old-shit-that-I-find-nerdy-cool-because-I'm-an-anthro-major type stuff. There were signs all over promising me a TREASURE ROOM... but after about an hour of looking for a room full of shiny things, I concluded that no such room exists. Womp Womp. Here are some pictures of things I DID see there:

Very large rocks. 

Charming knights. 

Probably the exit at the Ministry of Magic. 

Unfortunately, a few hours into my Wednesday adventure, the plague struck. I hypothesize that the grumpy museum guard ladies who yelled at us for standing in the fireplace PROBABLY were gypsy witches, and cast a horrible death spell on me. I have never gotten sicker faster. I went home, ate an egg, and fell asleep at 5:30pm. It's a wild life. 

Thursday morning, I left for my short study tour around Western Denmark. I was still feeling like a plate of garbage (Note for Rochestarians: not a garbage plate), but I was excited to get out of the city for a few days. The trip was a combination of academic, cultural, and just-for-funs visits. The first cultural visit was advertised as a "castle". Now... I am no castle expert, but this thing was more creepy-old-house-owned-by-really-rich-lady-who-looks-like-cruella-de-ville than it was castle-y. The tour guide spoke pretty much no English, and told us "NO FLASH", when I guess she meant to say "No cameras". So, I managed to snag some rather unimpressive (and probably illegal photos) of said boring old house: 

The "Great Hall". It was probably 10 degrees in here. Danes hate happiness.. and heat. 

Velvet walls. Oh la la! 

Next, we headed to a town called Middelfart (that's pronounced mid-fart), to go to a bank whose name I cannot spell for the life of me (and also because I don't have any of the fancy Danish characters on my computer). Regrettably, the banks name is pronounced "Mid-Fart Butt Segs". I'll let you take a moment to appreciate that one for yourself. I mean come on... I know I am not your most mature friend, here, but WHO could resist laughing at that. (PS. Sorry Mom, I never claimed that this would be a PG blog!) The bank was really incredible. They have a super sustainable business model, and they use a lot of positive psychology and wellness theory to guide their company. Meditation rooms, open floor plans, and a really incredible installation art! Pictures, you say? Comin' right up!

For a place with such an unfortunate name, it sure is pretty! 

Artwork built right into the floor! 

We spent our first night in a hostel. I was still plagued by the plague (tehe), so I went to bed at around 8:30. I am obviously the biggest party animal you know. Friday morning we sat through a few cool presentations about NGO's by women who had anti-butts. You know.. not just flat butts or little butts. But butts that actually actively caved inward. The NGO's themselves were actually totally awesome, so I probably shouldn't be butt-judging anyone. Next, we traveled to Aarhus, Denmark to visit a really incredible alternative school called "Kaos Pilots". We played a lot of awesome games. I, for the second time, taught a group how to play some good ol' High Five Buddy. Camp is everywhere, folks. As if this did not make me miss camp enough, we spent our second night at a camp site in woods. The cabins were warm and cosy, and we spent the night out by the camp fire, roasting s'mores. Continuing the "Danes don't really understand American food" theme, the marshmallows were obviously super weird. But the stars were out, and I made lots of new friends. Hooray! 

cute little camp :) 

By Saturday, I was almost feeling like a functional human being. We spent the day at this INCREDIBLE art museum in Aarhus. The museum in mostly installation art. What is this, you ask? Yeah, I had no idea either. It is something you almost need to experience. The artist transforms a space, rather than a canvas or sculpture. It is pretty incredible stuff. Sometimes it is just incredible to get a chance to see how absurdly talented people can be. I can put my socks on correctly most mornings. So, that's exciting! My two favorite pieces in the museum were "Your Rainbow Panorama", and "Boy". The former is this breathtaking installation at the very top of the museum. Each part of it gives you an new perspective on the incredible city view below. Inside the museum, there is a piece called " Your atmospheric color atlas". It is just a room filled with thick fog and intense rainbow lighting. As you walk through in a circle, the colors blend and transform. According to one kid in my class, it is "just like an acid trip." Excellent. Obviously, in true Lizzy form, I had to be rushed to an exit as I nearly passed out. There is a sign on the front that said "This rainbow may be too disorienting for some." I suppose I can never live inside a rainbow. Pout. 

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the day:

"Boy"

I am convinced he is more real than I am. But, then again, I *might* be a cyborg. 

143's in Denmark <3 

<3 Warhol 

Overall, the trip was absolutely incredible. It was a great bonding experience. In addition, with DIS picking up the tab, we went to some AWESOME restaurants. Real food?! What is this. I had the single most incredible brunch I have ever had in my life on Saturday morning (and I am somewhat of a brunch connoisseur, so this is quite the accomplishment!) I never considered myself a picky eater, before, but Denmark has seriously pushed me outside of my comfort zone. As the wonderful Kate Mahar once said, we kind of order things here that SOUND like something we might like.. and then end up getting something weird and confusing. But, I am adjusting well. Through an intense process of trail and error, I have found a lot of really great things in the scary grocery stores near me. Instead of JUST eggs and peanut butter (not together. ewwy!) I am now living off of: peanut butter, nutella, apples, bananas, dried appricots, rye bread, danish pancakes, cherry tomatoes, spinach, Nutella, Cherios, rice, and ground chicken. A steady improvement, right? 

Many more adventures to come. I can't believe I have been here three weeks, already. :) Longest days, shortest weeks. 

Love & Miss you all! 

Lizard 

Happiness is a warm butt

Greetings from the only warm spot in Denmark. I am currently at school sitting on what I like to call the magic bench. They only heat classrooms and big spaces, here, so finding a warm spot to relax at school is near impossible. Remember all those nice fancy lady clothes I brought? Welp, I haven't taken off my coat in two weeks. Here's to hoping I can dress like a real human when (read: if) it gets warmer. Today, I sat down on a bench and, for a second, questioned whether or not I had peed my pants. MAGIC WARM BENCH. It must have a heater living directly under it (or it is the throne of god). For the first time at school.. my butt is warm. Ah sweet bliss.

It's been a week since I last updated. Remember how I warned of a "lizzy+blog=luv4eva" honeymoon period? To put it metaphorically, Blog and I are on the flight back from Aruba. (Keep heckling me to post, Allison Huberlie!) I promised I would post over the weekend. But Sunday quickly turned into one of those days where you wish the world was 150% quieter, darker, and less-stale booze tasting. Blogging was far less appealing than my pillow. 

Where to start? Classes are going well. Two of my professors are phenomenal. My positive psychology professors name is "Mads", and he looks and acts like a younger, more charming version of Mad Eye Moody. Making all of my Hogwarts dreams come true, one step at a time. Then, we have the terrifying professors. On the first day, my anthropology teacher accidentally touched the wrong button on our smartboard. He then SLAMMED his head against it and yelled (hehem. pardon my french) "FUCKING SHIT I AM GOING TO KILL MYSELF!" He is easily the most terrifying man I have ever met. The Danes, as a whole, have a *very* cold, sarcastic sense of humor. They also love to swear in English. For example, you will see a group of Danish teens walking and hear "blah blah blah blah Verstergade godnut tac moar FUCK THAT SHIT MAN." It totally threw me off the first couple of days. I am convinced that my other crazy professor, who claims to be a child psychopathologist, is just a confused alcoholic. She gives directions like "Stand up and walk to the front of the... oh my you're scarf is pretty... tell me your name and then.. the book defines child psychology as... it's cold in here.. nevermind stay seated." I don't think I have heard her finish a complete thought, yet. She does a lot of stumbling around and giggling at herself. Somebody needs to stop pre-gaming lectures. 

My second weekend in Copenhagen was pretty wonderful. I have classes ungodly early all week. Three days a week, I have to wake up in the SEVENS. I haven't seen 7:00am since high school. (Okay, so technically I see it every day of camp in the summer. But that is fake life, where I get to wake up and play capture the flag while dressed like Tinkerbell. It totally doesn't count!) Last semester, I had no classes before 12:30pm, and no Friday classes. Needless to say, having to experience actual morning hours, and coming to the realization that weekends are only two days long has been *brutal*. So, I allow myself to sleep in on the weeekends. Saturday, I kidnapped Kate Mahar for a few hours, and went exploring. We romped around the city, chatting about camp and trying not to freeze to death. Here are some pictures from our journey: 

These photos were taken all over the city. The final picture is perfect, and should be captioned "MOTHER OF GOD MY HANDS ARE COLD." In case you are wondering, it was approximately -2 degrees fahrenheit with the wind chill, that day. Every picture brought to you today was nothing short of an excruciating sacrifice. Kate and I would get to something pretty, rip off our mittens, cry, snap a few pictures extremely quickly, cry some more, and put back on our mittens as fast as possible. Obviously, only very pretty things like Kate Mahar faces merited photographing/torture. My hands were beet red by the end of the day. 

Saturday night was absolutely wonderful. But, the kind of wonderful that makes Sundays really un-wonderful, wonderful. (Sorry, Mom!) I managed to drag myself out of bed long enough to venture over to IKEA for the first time ever. The store was super intimidating, but I finally found some things to make my apartment a bit cozier. I even found TOP SHEETS! The Danes are very fickle with their bedding, so this was a real accomplishment. Even though I wanted to eat that morning just about as much as I want to jump into a pit of knives on any given day, I was SHOCKED by the killer IKEA food. It was also the cheapest food I have found to date in Denmark. I spent the rest of the day in boring paper writing land, wishing I was watching the Superbowl (aka: the animal planet puppy bowl). 

On a more reflective note, I am really starting to love it here. It has taken me a few weeks to settle in. The Netto is still the scariest grocery store ever, and my Danish is still as horrific as ever (How is Vestogade pronounces vest-er-gale, just.. how?!) But, things are becoming a lot more homey. I know my way around a good part of the center city. I have a favorite cafe, bakery, bar, and grocery store, and I even found a way to watch my favorite tv show over here (absolutely 100% legal and not sketchy... I promise)! This coming Thursday, I am going away on my first study tour. I leave ungodly early to tour the Western Denmark countryside. I promise to blog as soon as I get back with lots of pretty pictures! 

Love and miss you all!

Lizard