Living in a Fairytale

Hello world,

It seems as though my presence has been missed... I have received numerous requests to update my blog so here it is:


Last time I left you with the impression that things were really starting to get good for me. And I am happy to report that that is still VERY much true! It is still so surprising to me how fast this year is going. I see the months change in color; green to yellow, Orange to deep crimson red and now recently a misty frost that leaves me with the feeling that I am in some enchanted fairytale. I think Denmark has a kind of quality that leaves you feeling like you live among make believe creatures.. it must be the gigantic ancient castles and churches. Or possibly the Viking ruins that litter family farms in the country side. Whatever  it is, I have decided that this place is magical, and I am now finding it completely possible to fall in love with a country and its people.

I promised to tell you all about my trip to Sweden... no worries! It was fun. It was a weekend trip; short and sweet. We stayed at my host uncle's house. I have  a few major details about Sweden that I will never forget. For starters, you have to take the ferry from Denmark to Sweden, and to my surprise there really isn't any specific law about gambling.. So if you walk into the gambling area, you can find ten year olds playing on the slot machines. Also, Swedish is a very beautiful language. It's alot like Danish, and the Danes can actually understand Swedish pretty well. But when they speak it's almost like they are singing... Whereas Danish just sounds like you have a potatoe in your mouth and your choking. Anyway, Sweden was lovely and I'm glad I got to experience it.

Another major thing that has happened to me recently is that I switched host families. It was very strange knowing that I would have to start complelty over again; new people, habits & routines, and a new room. It was also a little unnerving knowing I would never live with my first host family again.. I hope they get the chance to read this, because they were so amazing to me. I was blessed to get to know the Pedersen family; they are so kind and they made me feel right at home from the moment I came to Denmark. I miss them, but my new family is equally grand. I'm all settled into my new room as of now, and I LOVE it! But just FYI: having to pack up an entire room is a miserable task. I came to Denmark with two suitcases, and I left my first host family with three times that much.. I don't know how I'll get it all home!








To end this post, I thought I'd tell you about the article I was in for a magazine I. My town in Denmark. A journalist called me a few weeks ago and asked if she could interview me for a spread they were doing for Christmas. She wanted me to make my favorite Christmas dish and tell her about my Christmas traditions from Alaska. I thought it would be a small article and in one of those cheap magazines that you can find next to the flyers at the grocery store. But to my surprise, it was a ful page article with a fairly large size picture of me in the middle. She even included the story I told her about how my first time on the bus here in Denmark was a big ordeal for me (I've written about it in a previous post). And because of the article, all my classmates and friends from school have been messaging and calling me saying "Hey! You're in the magazine!" It's amazing what one magazine can do in a small town like Silkeborg, and I'm so thankful I get to be a part of it!

So Much to Say, So Little Post Space...

Hello all!

I'd like to start off this post by saying that my blog has reached almost 2,000 page views! Thank you to all my wonderful viewers! It's nice to know people actually enjoy reading about my many adventures.

Next, I'd like to apologize for not updating lately... I have been SUPER busy! But I promise I have a lot of exciting stories to tell.. it's been an interesting few weeks!

After the break, Danish students are supposed to pick a "career line", which basically means that they get to choose a career path that they think they might like, and then the school puts them in a class where the subjects match with the career path. This happens to all the first years, and since my school changed their Exchange Student policy last year, I am part of the first years too. All of the Danish students got the classes they wanted, but the previous class I was in became too full, so I was switched to another class. I was pretty upset because I had just started to make friends in my old class, and then I had to start all over again in a new class where I didn't  know anyone. The first couple days were very hard for me, but I had to keep reminding myself that exchange is about challenges, and facing those challenges will make you a more successful person in the future.

 After the first week back at school, I was invited to a Halloween Get Together for all of the Rotary Youth  exchange students in Denmark... it was a blast! My host family was kind enough to take me there by ferry, which is something I've never done before! All the exchange students  stayed at a school in a town called Holbæk, which is just an hour or so outside of Copenhagen. We carved pumpkins, got to explore the town, dressed up in costumes for the big Halloween Dinner, and then we had a Halloween dance where we didn't stop dancing until well past midnight.  It's a wonderful feeling being with other exchange students because  they understand exactly what you're going through, because they are going through it too. I am happy to say that I have over 200 people that I wouldn't  even hesitate to call my family.. afterall, we stick together through everything, and that's what families do, right?

 

 

                                                                               

 

 

 

When I got home from my Rotary weekend, I was invited to go on a class trip on Monday. It was a Hyttetur, which translated means a Cabin Tour. My entire class of 25 was going to bike together in the woods to this cute Little cabin where we would spend the night and do some quality bonding. I was pretty excited about it.. Until I realized how far we would have to bike. It was 9 km ( 6 miles) to the cabin from the school, and we all had to somehow meet up at the school before we left together. Well, the place I am living at right now is a 45 minute bike ride to school (if you are fast). I had to borrow my host sisters' bike, which is a Little too big for me so I was hobbling around trying not to fall off, and I ended up getting myself horribly, horribly lost... I ended up in a totally different town! And of course, I had forgotten my phone so there was no way for me to contact anyone. I finally managed to find my way to school after about an hour and a half, and I was soaked because a very unfriendly semi driver decided to soak me with a puddle. When I pulled up to school, my entire class was waiting for me. They all thought I had slept in, so I had to kindly inform them of my adventures of the morning. After some calculating, I figured out I probably biked close to 22 miles altogether in just one day... Anyway, the cabin retreat was loads of fun. We played different acitvities, cooked dinner together, and even made homemade bread over the fire. It was great for me to bond with my new class, and after that trip I can say I am pretty comfortable with everything at the moment.

 

To end this long post on a good note, I decided that I should inform you all that I had a dream in Danish last night. Yes. IN DANISH! I have been waiting for this moment ever since I stepped off the plane in Billund, Denmark. After talking to countless past exchange students, I am well aware that the first dream you have in your host language is very special because it marks a point where you are finally able to somewhat understand what people are saying to you.

 

 

I hope all of you get the chance to dream in Danish one day :)

 

 

P.S: I am going to Sweden to vist my host dad's brother this weekend.. stay tuned for posts and pictures about my trip!

 

 

xoxo fra Danmark

 



Efterårsferien (Autumn Break)

Good news... Autumn break was everything I thought it would be plus a little more :) It was relaxing on some days, and other days I was so busy I'm surprised I even had time to breathe! To inform you of my whereabouts of the past week, I think I'll give you some of the highlights:

• After school on Friday I had been planning on going to my friend Sarah's house for the night. My host mom was out with a friend, so I decided to take the bus. If you know me I'm always late.. and I mean ALWAYS. So of course, I miss the bus to the city. I'm sitting there, waiting for the next bus when an elderly couple comes over to me and they start talking to me in Danish. I kindly told them that I don't speak Danish that well, so they were then very interested in where I come from and blah blah blah. Long story short, I ended up having a 20 minute conversation with a pair of Jehovah's Witnesses about how Alaska is most certainly NOT Canada and is in fact part of the United States. The were perfectly nice people (although they should have probably brushed up on their geopgraphy skills) and I can honestly say it was the first time I've ever had a conversation with a Jehovah's Witness.. It just shows you who you can meet on the bus! Anyway, I ended up having a great time at my friend Sarah's house, who is just awesome :) She has been so great to me since I've came here, and I am really grateful for our friendship
• On Saturday I went to a class get together. Because I'm a first year, we have to pick our career paths so that we can have specific classes after autumn break. Some of my classmates are changes classes, so it was a great way to celebrate being together.
• relaxing days in my pajamas watching Gossip Girl
•  I went to Århus for the day with some of my host family's friends that were staying with us. We window shopped, and went out to a Cafe. Tuesday night we all traveled to Copenhagen for the big adventure, which took 4 hours actually.
•  My host mom and I stayed together in her company's apartment in Copenhagen. My host dad was at work, my host sister was in Dubai with her shool, and my host brother was in Turkey with his school as well. So it was just the two of us. Wednesday was a great day. We went site seeing all over Copenhagen. I got to see the Rosenberg Castle, the Royal Family's Crown Jewels, King's Garden, the parliment, the Danish stalk market Building, the Queen's Castle and I got to go on a Canal tour... And I was lucky enough to be accompanied by my friend Andrew who is an exchange student from the U.S who met up with us in Copenhagen.
• I got to fly in the cockpit to Switzerland which was AMAZING! I got my own headset, so I could hear other pilots and the control towers. It was a very clear day so I got to see the Alps when we were coming into Switzerland.
• I went to one of the oldest amusement parks called Tivoli, which was so much fun
• On one of the last days of break , I got to spend the night with my third host parents, who made a lovely dinner for me and then watched Slumdog Millionaire with me. It was a fantastic night :)

That pretty much sums up my week :) I posted some pictures... In order they are: The Rosenberg Castle, the Crown Jewels, a room in the Rosenberg Castle, the Crown, parliment building, and an old ship from the Canal tour. Enjoy!

 
 



 

 

 



 

And Let the Celebration Begin..

TO MÅNDER I DANMARK!!! Jeg er meget glad. Jeg elsker min familie, venner, skole, og Rotary Club. Det er meget flot i Danmark nu fordi det er efterår. Det er så smuk!

 

TWO MONTHS IN DENMARK!!! I am very happy. I love my family, friends, my school, and my Rotary Club. It is very nice in Denmark now because it is autumn. It is so beautiful!

...And let the celebration begin! It has been two months since I have left Alaska and I must say it feels like 2 hours. The time is flying by.. I can already see the changes in myself. I believe going on exchange is the best thing that I could have ever done. I wish everyone my age could experience what I am experiencing now... Forget about the highschool rumors and the big football game; I've already seen the Queen of Denmark, tasted pig liver (not the tastiest thing, but it's worth trying), and I am currently attending a school where learning Latin and Greek is the norm. I have grown up, and that is exactly what I needed. I now manage my own money; I pay my phone bill and I pay for my bus card. I'm broke half the time but hey, at least I'm learning responsibility! I have been blessed with the most amazing people here in Denmark. When I really think about it, I feel like I belong here, like a part of me was always destined to end up here on exchange. I agree with their ideals, I am absorbing their culture like it's second nature. I can't help but feel like I am a young child again... learning a new language, learning new customs.. I stare wide eyed at people most of the time and I find myself copying their actions; memorizing their movements. It's been a long road to get to where I am now, but I know it has been so worth it.. even the hard times here have been the best.

On a different note entirely, autumn break is rounding the corner. You know what that means! 1 week of food, friends, sleep, and lots of days spent in the comfiest clothes. But instead of enjoying the weather from indoors, I am going to be flying to Geneva in the cock pit with my host dad! He is a pilot and has invited me along to take part in this amazing adventure. This will be on Tuesday of next week. Immediately following I will be going to Copenhagen (the Capital) for a bit of shopping and some site seeing. On the days before my big adventure, I'm planning on going to a class get-together this Saturday, and then I have plans to hang out with some friends on the days prior. Sunday of course will be devoted to my unhealthy obsession of Gossip Girl (a highly addicting tv show if you didn't know). I have signed up for Netflix, but I'm planning on canceling my account after the first thirty days because it's free right now... My 2 months of exchange have taught me how to save up as much money as possible. After all, my wish list of Danish fashion items won't pay for itself. Now it's time for me to dive head first into my last day of school before break.. wish me luck!
Kram fra Danmark
(Hugs from Denmark)

Overly Sentimental.. But Hey, I'm an Exchange Student!

Here I am, being all sentimental again.. But these are some of the feelings I've been having and when I made this blog, I even wrote at the top "experiences, FEELINGS, etc..." You get the picture. Lately I've been feeling a little lost.. As most of you probably know, I have a boyfriend back in Alaska. And it hasn't been a walk in the park.. Long distance relationships are difficult. So I've decided to limit my contact with people from back home. This was my original plan, but it turned out a little differently. But I need to focus on here and now, I can't be attached to things that are happening at home. I love you all.. (Nathan I hope you're reading this) But I've decided to take the leap and live in the moment. 

On another note, I've been having a pretty good week. I went to a friends house on Friday night, and then to a birthday party. Her name is Laura and she is SO sweet. She's my third host sisters close friend, but she has treated me like one of her close friends anyway :)

I went our local semi-pro soccer team on Sunday which was very fun. I had a hotdog there, but in Danish it's a little different.. It's called "pølser med brød" which literally means sausage with bread. So you eat the sausage and then the bread, you're not supposed to eat them together. I thought that was strange! This morning I was thankful for a little act of kindness given to me by particularly happy bus driver. I got off at the wrong stop, but it wasn't that far to walk to my next stop so I decided to walk. Well, the bus driver saw me and picked me up and didn't even make me pay! Of course she spoke to me in all Danish, but I just smiled and nodded my head and thanked her (in Danish!) when she finally dropped me off. To top it all off, there was a beautiful sunrise that I got to see from my the lovely bus window.

I've seen the kinder side to Denmark.. And it makes me a little happier. I know it will be hard not talking to the people I love back home, but I have been shown that there are people who care enough about me here to make sure I am happy and safe... The hardest things in life are sometimes what is best for us. You can thank my father for that little piece of advice :) 

Vi ses! 

Another Batch of Homesickness... Along with Some Happy Moments

I'm pretty sure the title of this post explains the past week- I've been going through some challenging times. I never really thought I'd miss the little comforts of home, like my own bed, chai tea, my favorite movies... But here I am, missing exactly that. I have wonderful days here, and then some days I feel a sense of lonliness that can only be accompanied with homesickness at the pit of my stomach. I won't bore you with details.. SO I guess I'll transition into some of my happy experiences in the past 10 days! I am getting along so well with my classmates; they are so sweet to me and invite me to hang out all the time. Friday night I went to a get together for all the first years at my school. We ate popcorn and watched Insidious which was completely terrifying! It's safe to say I did not sleep at all that night. But it was still loads of fun! Saturday night was very special because all three of my host families and my Rotary counselor got together for a big dinner. It was a very special moment for me because I knew that I had brought these people together, just by simply existing. I cannot explain to you the feeling that accompanied me Saturday night... But pure bliss is a good way of trying to describe it. Sunday afternoon I went to a museum in Århus with my second host family. It was a orginal buildings from different centuries, and when you walked inside it showed you how the Danish people lived, worked, and shopped during that period. It was so much fun and also very interesting. Today I was very fortunate to recieve a care package from my grandparents. I felt very accomplished because I told the postman that "I don't speak Danish".... In Danish. Oh, the irony! But the package was wonderful; it made my day so much better and I am so happy to know that the people who love me most are thinking of me. Thanks to all of you who read my blog. To end this post on a good note, I hope you all have a fantastic week; I know I will :)

 Kram fra Danmark
Hugs from Denmark, xoxo

1 Month Down..

En måned i Danmark! Jeg er så glad være her. Jeg elsker at her.
- One month in Denmark! I am so happy to be here, I love it here

I've been here for one month.... I can't believe it. It feels just like yesterday I was walking off the plane in Billund, Denmark, unsure of absolutley everything. Now I just have to laugh at myself for all the funny/embarrassing moments that have happened in the past month. Here's some examples:

•  When I first arrived here, I would say "Tak for mad" after everything because I was under the impression that it was a very polite way of saying thank you. A couple weeks later I realized that "mad" meant food, so I had been saying "thanks for food" when my host dad would drop me off at school, when my teachers would give me papers, etc... Now I know that they weren't laughing at what I thought was my cute American accent that became very pronounced when I politely said thank you, they were laughing at the invisible food I was apparently thanking them for.
• I didn't know that you had to press the stop button on the bus if you wanted to get off, I just thought the bus driver would stop at every stop. After a couple weeks of having to walk a few miles more than I needed to, I realized that the red button labeled STOP wasn't just there for emergencies.
• Everywhere I go, people think I'm Danish (it could be the blonde hair, but it may also be the thousands of clothes I've bought in the short amount of time I've been here) so they speak to me In Danish and I just look at them like a lost puppy...
• The first weekend I was here my host family took me to Djurs Sommerland, which is an amusement park in Århus. When I walked into the bathroom I got really embarrassed because there were men everywhere. I thought I had walked into the wrong bathroom, so I asked the person next to me if this was the ladies room and he looked at me like I was crazy. Apparently same sex bathrooms are the norm in Europe, but how was I supposed to know that?
• I'm not even going to count how many times I've gotten lost...
• Or missed the bus...
• Everytime I speak Danish, I feel like I have a potato in my mouth.. It's a really awkward language, so therefore it has led to countless embarrassing moments when I say something in Danish and people have NO clue what I'm trying to tell them.

I could go on for days about all the funny things I've done here, but I'll just leave it at a few of the best ones. My point in this post is that even though I have never felt so uncomfortable, awkward, embarrassed, crazy, and just straight up weird ever, I wouldn't trade this month of my life for anything in the entire world. I love it here in Denmark, and I can see myself changing (for the better!) every second that I'm here. I can't wait for the next ten months! If they go by as fast as this month did then I will be home before I know it.. And I can't even bare to think about leaving this amazing place yet. There's still so much to do! I haven't seen even a quarter of the things I want to see yet. Today I am thankful for everyone I've met, everything I've done, and everything I will do. Much love, Denmark. xoxo

To the people who read my blog:

Vi ses næste uge!
 -See you next week!