Surviving Week 2

Hello again from Copenhagen!

I have survived my first 2 weeks of Copenhagen! Horay! There was a little while where I thought I wasn't going to make it . I am very proud of myself for getting this far. The first two weeks are supposed to be the hardest, so I am very excited that they are over. They certainly lived up to the difficulty level everyone told me about!!
Last Sunday I went to Frederiksborg Castle, the royal palace of King Christian IV. It was soooo beautiful. The inside was incredibly ornate and beautiful. It is full of antiques and paintings, it has almost all of the family seals in it from the entire royal family and nobility. This castle really reminded me of a real castle. It was grand and ornate and everything you expect from something 400 years old.
This week was my first full week of classes as well. They are going to be incredibly difficult I am thinking, even more so than Smith. I am doing a practicum with children for one of my classes and I got to meet my children on Thursday. They are amazing!! It was probably one of the most fun days I have had so far in Copenhagen. My children are between 5-9 and speak little to no english as well. They do however know how to insult me and tell me that I am an idiot while pointing and laughing. They think they are funny, which is actually pretty true. Otherwise though, it is pretty easy to communicate with them. We are playing the whole time, so I join in games I know or can catch onto quickly. It is amazing how much can be spoken through physical contact and pointing.
I went to see the famous statue of the little mermaid this week as well! She is beautiful, albeit anticlimactic. The Danes are very proud of their statue, but it turns out that she is incredibly small and not very mermaid-like. It was really cool to actually she it though after we had heard so much about her.
This week coming up is going to go by incredibly fast. Tomorrow I officially get to move into my new residence. I will finally be able to unpack and get settled. I am so excited for this I can't even describe it. I am also really nervous because I have finally gotten settled here and now I have to meet a whole new group of people all over again while also relearning bus routes. Unpacking will make it all worthwhile though. Wednesday I am planning on going to Sweden for the day with some friends into Malmo, which is the closest city to Copenhagen. They are connected by a bridge and you can take the train over there, it only takes about a half hour. We plan on just walking around and claiming victory in our first international travels. Then this weekend we are off to Western Denmark on a short Study tour with our program. We leave on Thursday and arrive back on Saturday. That basically leaves me with Sunday to do all of my homework. Let's hope I do it all in time!!!

I love you all and hope that you are doing well. I miss you terribly!! Leave lots of nice comments

Hamlet's Castle and Bar Night

Hello Everybody!

Yesterday was an amazing day for me. I was able to go to Hamlet's castle and see the surrounding area Elsinore. The castle is known as Kronborg and was the residence of many of the famous kings and queens of Denmark. Overall the town was very quaint and small. It's full of little shops, most of which either sell wine or are bakeries. Both of which are fine with me! The castle itself was really beautiful. The Danes are known for being very modest so the inside was not ornately decorated, but it was still old and historic. Our guide refused to show us where the ghost in Hamlet appeared because he says it is not based on historical fact. He also took us into the dungeon and through the bottom of the castle. It was incredibly freaky and looked pretty damn haunted!! I met a bunch of really awesome people during the trip and we all ended up hanging out together for the remainder of the day.

Now for the fun stuff!! Yesterday night the people I met and I went to the bar to go hang out. I had my first Carlsburg, a very good Danish beer. Although I don't love beer too much, it was actually pretty good. Once my friend posts her pictures I will be sure to add a picture of me drinking my beer!! It was the first night I got to go out since arriving in Copenhagen, so it was good to get out of the building and see nightlife in the city.

Today I am going to Frederiksborg Castle which is a Renaissance castle in Denmark and then when I get back it's time to crack down on some serious homework to get ready for classes tomorrow. It will be our first full week of classes!! eee! But I am really excited to get into the swing of things. It's must easier to adjust when you have a routine.

So all in all things are good here. I miss everyone terribly and although I am having a good time, I can't wait to see everyone in a few months.

Love you, Jenny

Hej fra København!

Hello from Copenhagen!!

For the next couple of months I will be updating the blog with pictures and synopses of what I am doing in and around Copenhagen. I hope that you can access this and see all about the adventures I have been having!! I''m going to post a few pictures on the blog. If you want to see more, you should get a facebook and friend me!!! I am sure to have many albums there by the end of the semester and I would love to share them with you all.

So far in Copenhagen I have been having a pretty rough time. On top of leaving the country for the first time and being extremely jet lagged, my housing situation was horrible. When I arrived my room in my kollegium (a type of Danish dorm) was not ready so they put my in the guest room. Any of you who have spoken to me or mom and dad know that my guest room was in fact a janitor's closet with no bathroom, internet access, or kitchen access. I was living in hell for 3 days!! After a minor mental breakdown in the housing coordinators office, I was put into temporary housing down the street in a dorm of all American students. While this is very very nice compared to my other room, I am very excited to move out on February 1st into my real room. I will be living with all Danish students and I will really be able to immerse myself into the culture. Who knows, they may even help me with my Danish homework! All together though, I will have moved 3 times since I have been here. It's been really difficult, but it keeps getting better everyday.

On one of our first days of orientation we did a scavenger hunt around the city and got to go to all of these amazing places. We went to King Christian IV's summer home, Hans Christian Anderson Park, Ameliarbor (Queen Margarethe's Palace), Parliament, and we even got to see the new opera house via a water bus. The day was beautiful and of course I forgot my camera, so a friend and I did the walk again and took pictures. Unfortunately my computer won't upload them right now, but don't worry I stole a bunch of other peoples pictures which are just as good and from the same day!! The one that I am putting in the blog is the main Lutheran Church of Denmark. It is beautiful outside and in!!! The architecture here is very quaint and beautiful. Row houses are colorful and quirky and the city is full of fun mixes of styles from every era.

Tomorrow I am going to Elsinore, Hamlet's Castle and I am very excited for this. The day after I am going to King Christian IV castle. If you haven't guessed King Christian IV is a BIG deal in Copenhagen. He planned almost the entire city and is responsible for some of the most famous buildings in and around Copenhagen. They forget that he almost made the country go bankrupt!! Monday I am having dinner with a visiting Danish family. Its a program similar to host family, but I don't have to live with them. They seem very very nice so far and I am thrilled that I get to make that kind of connection here.

That's all for now. Check back for more updates! I would love to hear from all of you. Love you and Miss You LOTS