Author: Bailey

20 year old student, wannabe full-time traveler
photo enthusiast, amateur baker and foodie, cat person
love to craft and alter things

March 10, 2016

yay for universal healthcare!

I have a slew of medical issues, which like to present themselves at the most unforeseeable/inconvenient times. This time, it was a Monday afternoon which opened the opportunity for me to view and be treated in a Danish hospital, first hand.

First off, in all ambulances they ask you the same types of questions.

(note first they speak to me in Danish, and then I have to say, I don’t understand that much Danish, I only speak English)

What is your full name?

What is your birthdate?

How old are you?

What’s your CPR number? (okay this is special to Denmark)

Where are you from? What are you doing in Denmark? (because I am clearly not Danish)

Denmark is run on a universal health care system which means everyone can go to the hospital and get treated, if they have a CPR number. Otherwise, without a CPR number you pay out of pocket for any medical treatment. I just received my own CPR card last weekend, so it is kind of funny that I would end up in the hospital, now.

red must always be a “trauma” color

An interesting part is the wait time in the hospital. I arrived around 2pm [via ambulance] but needed to be transferred to a hospital closer to my homestay, because they didn’t have a bed for me to stay overnight at the first hospital. Finally, I was moved to the new hospital, which will now be referred to as the 80s hospital , and it was around 11:45 pm.

It was quite a lot of waiting, but DIS made sure to have a person there who could make sure I was being treated with good care and being explained everything that was going on if I didn’t understand or was confused by anything.

The whole aspect of having a “caregiver” (because my parents aren’t here in Denmark )surprisingly works well with what my Medical Ethics course discusses and debates weekly about with the correct care of patients and what is considered “right”. So at this point, I see this hospital visit as a specialized “field study” to understand a hospital in a foreign country.

Comparisons with American to Danish hospitals:

The main thing I like about my floor (at my new, 80s hospital) is that the nurses station is half the floor, and half patients beds and lounge. The chaos and noise associated with the work nurses do is partitioned off and away from disrupting sleeping patients. I find this to be very a nice and surprising part of my stay. It also meant that the floor is a nice quiet hum about it.

The beds are less “boat like” and more like a mattress on wheels. This may just be different because of my hospital experiences (my own and seeing other people in hospitals) in Minnesota. There is less physical restrictions, less things confining me to my bed here which makes wandering around the floor pretty simple.

Another interesting thing is that in Denmark, I’m not connected up to everything at all times of the day. I am free to wander the halls on my floor, without asking permission. Their hospital makes me feel much more like a grown up person, than a five year old.

The 80s hospital is also VIVID and brightly colored. Every chunk is a different rainbow color and is refreshing to the normal beige, or tan colors of hospitals. It reminds me of my parent’s home in Minnesota because the lime green color of the walls in the kitchen back home match the lime green lockers here in Denmark.

blue and city views

While I probably freaked my parents out (and myself when I woke inside an ambulance), as well as anyone who saw my medical trauma, I do find this experience interesting and refreshing. I got to learn more about Danish culture, society, politics ( we had lots of time to kill talking about anything and everything, so yes Settlers of Catan is played in Denmark!) I actually enjoyed the change of atmosphere and viewpoint and I’m even more excited to explore other (less medically charged) sites across Denmark.

While I wouldn’t recommend needing to be in a Danish hospital for any period of time (I wouldn’t recommend a hospital for anyone at any time), its interesting to be able to compare a US hospital experience from a Danish Hospital experience. For the record, I am on the mend and okay again, back to the daily grind of life, and school and travel.

March 6, 2016

London-town

This weekend I had the lovely opportunity to visit a place I’ve been wanting to go for quite some time, London!

Number 1 destination: Platform 9 3/4 because I am a Potter-head.

first day of school pics always make me giggle

Number 2 destination: Cereal Killer Café because I am obsessed with cereal of almost any/all kinds

imagine having this many options every morning?!

their hot chocolate rivals Serendipity 3’s (in NYC)

Number 3 destination(s): touristy places like the Tower Bridge, Harrods, Buckingham Palace, Tate Modern Museum, The Royal Mews.

this is not the London Bridge that’s falling down…

breathtaking view from a church tower

one of the royal family’s carriages (at the Royal Mews) * highly recommended

Number 4 destination(s): Seeing people I know! Good to see some Smithies, and my friend Rachel from back home, Minnesota!

Burrow Market Smithie Meeting!

great catching up especially in such a funky part of London!

March 3, 2016

wind ? rain ? that’s just Ireland.

Last week I had my first long-study break or long-study tour where I was able to travel to Ireland and explore quite a bit. This type of travel break is a special feature of DIS as it allows you (either now, or later in the semester) to take a week to go with your core course to another part of Europe in connection with your studies, or just have a week to travel or relax. This week, was my free travel week.

Being the ambitious person I am, I decided to go all over Ireland for the week. I started by visiting family friends who live in Dublin and hang out with them for a couple days. They showed me some of the city, and went for a hike in some beautiful mountains. It was the most relaxing and refreshing part of my trip, as well as just lovely to catch up with them after such a long time.

Matthew and I

Trinity College Library (inspiration for Hogwarts Library)

Howth Head with Tom, Conor and Ian

Hay Penny Bridge (used to cost a hay-penny to cross)

The next city I gallivanted on to was Galway. I got to explore all over the city for a day, which ended up being very wet and got to see quite a lot of street art and eat some delicious (VERY fresh) fish and chips.

Mc Donagh’s Authentic Fish and Chips

The next day, I caught a tour company bus to explore the Cliffs of Mohr as well as half a dozen other sites as well. I could talk about the breathtaking views for days, but I’ll just post some of my favorite pictures below.

getting my butt muddy

this man braved the wind&rain to play accordian to the cliff-goers

selfie with a castle

celebrating Leo’s Oscar win

the wind was pretty strong

Next, I was able to make a pit stop at Bunratty Castle, which is near Limerick. This was an extremely cool place to explore as it is a castle with most of its furnishings still in tact and on display. The castle is free to creep through however one pleases and apparently still holds Medieval dinners every so often. As a fan of the show Reign on the CW, this was right up my alley and I wish I could’ve attended such a dinner, next time I guess!

Bunratty Castle

Along with Bunratty Castle, I was able to stop by Durty Nelly’s which is a pub right next door to the Castle’s village set-up. My Grandfather spoke of that pub from his days working for President Nixon, so it was fun to relax there for a bit and feel connected to him even so far away. Unfortunately, the best picture I have, is a selfie of the old man I asked to take a picture for me (see below).

My last city of exploration, which I was probably most excited about was Dingle, Ireland. This is a cute little town on the Dingle Peninsula is a very difficult area to get to, as it is not a major tourist destination especially not this time of year.

new friends, who I saw in Galway, at the Cliffs of Mohr and then Dingle!

best ice cream, fresh everyday (even in the off season)

black cats are supposedly unlucky?

I had a ton of fun just exploring the streets and observing the cute store fronts. The main reason I wanted to go to Dingle was to see my parent’s names in the church marriage book. 30 years ago, my parents got married in St. Mary’s Church. I really just wanted to see the history, or see with my own eyes the full record of my parent’s union– and yes it was there, but no pictures were allowed.

Despite the crazy amount of bus rides and people deciding to scare me about catching flights, I was early for every flight I had and didn’t miss any connections, buses or planes. So what I learned from this Irish journey is, follow your heart and listen to your own instinct over the pub owner’s, or the taxi driver’s, or really anyone else’s. And a little Irish music, can really make a huge difference in rejuvenating your spirits.

rain and wind can still = loads of fun

February 25, 2016

Minnesotan’s Danish facts

Living in a new culture and trying to understand or spot differences in ways of doing simple things has been an important part of reflecting on my everyday experiences. Below is a list of some preconceived notions prior to my arrival, their transformations as well as things I hadn’t thought about prior to my arrival and their specialness through my eyes.

When I thought of Denmark before coming I imagined Nyhavn as a central and mainstream location, where most people come to hang out. I understand this is a very silo-ed view of Denmark, which is why I am so happy to understand the general makeup of the country as a whole.
- While it is very bustling, beautiful and probably a wonderful place to hang out in warmer months [ i.e. summer] — it is not my favorite place to hang out. I have enjoyed exploring the “burrows” of Copenhagen, also called neighborhoods; and finding small coffee shops which are hopping with few foreigners and a vast amount of Danes.
“I should probably make a budget section special to paying for bathrooms”
- I’ve been to Europe before with my family and a summer Archaeology Dig (via Ohio State University) so I knew about street bathrooms that require a fee. I was semi-worried about paying for something that is more or less a publicly given right in the United States. Luckily, I’ve been able to strategically plan my needs along with wanderings and find myself in coffee shops or nearby DIS buildings when nature calls.
Goals for semester before arriving in Denmark: TRAVEL as much and as widespread as possible
- new goals; understand the culture beyond the “tourist’s perspective”, travel where possible (loads of study breaks) but also make time to explore Denmark in general, stay in my homestay/CPH area enough to feel like a local and part of my host family
The arrangement and set up of streets is very strategically planned to be biker friendly or pedestrian friendly or both.
- Many places/streets are set up by those guidelines (much more than most large cities in the United States). As far as car usage, due to the fact I live in a suburb of Copenhagen, cars are a main form of transportation. Also through my Core Course Study Tour we were able to explore different neighborhoods and determine that not every place in Denmark (even very urban neighborhoods) focus on the biker/pedestrian culture. This means that many places are very unsafe to bike in, or require much more attentive navigation and much more understanding of one’s surroundings.
As such a green country the way they reuse things must be SO innovative and utilize new ways to “be green”
- not quite. Yes, Denmark is very green, they have many Wind Turbines, very windy country. Things I saw as “basic” are not quite so basic. Recycling of bottles, paper, and cardboard is much trickier than expected and selective on terms of where to recycle and which bottles can be recycled– and normal paper is not recycled.
“only bring simple, black and neutral clothing”
- NOT TRUE. the moment I got here I longed for my Pink Doc Martens and ended up having my mom [ thanks mom] send them to me. Bring clothes you like and be okay with re-wearing things a few times between washing. Also, comfy shoes are #1 essential item.

February 23, 2016

yes, schoolwork

Some people have this fantasy or idea that study abroad is just “partying, sleeping, traveling, and eating” sorry to ruin the illusion, but school is a large chunk of the study abroad experience. This week is mid-terms week, for a majority of my courses which means busy (but not as stressful as you might imagine).

I’m surrounded by wonderful coffee shops and pastries to keep me motivated. Instead of feeling mad about the work, I’ve been able to see the milk-carton blue sky and just be happy to take breaks walking through the cobblestone constructed lanes. (sorry no pastry pics, needed a sugar rush faster than the photographic evidence)

no, the clouds aren’t painted

February 20, 2016

rain puddles

Today, was a very rainy day. Despite the droplets continually falling on our heads, my friends Sammy, Natalie and I ventured out to the Danish Museum of Design. It was a fun museum to see due to the historical timeline it brings you through from early inspirations of Japanese traditional designs to modern day examples, like Bauhaus designs. It’s also free for students and anything free is a wonderful bonus!

chair cuddles

We found some great inspiration throughout to recreate some art/design pieces in current time. Please enjoy some of our interpretations.

sammadonna

“look serious or too cool”

Natalie copying a girl who had been standing there previously

real art

It’s amazing how a great group of friends can change your entire perspective and influence you to truly think differently. I am enjoying meeting new people on a regular basis, but also forming deeper connections with people in my courses, people who I know randomly, or are friends of friends. Thanks to the great people [ along with Denmark in general] I feel like there is never a dull moment or a time when I haven’t discovered something new or been able to just enjoy my surroundings.

thanks for sending my docs mom! they bring a bit more color to my feet pics

Thanks for sending my pink docs Mom! They bring a bit more color to my feet pics!

February 17, 2016

schedule freeness

line jumping at a Nørrebro park

One aspect of studying at DIS that I haven’t really thought too much about is the class-free Wednesdays. This means that more often than not, you have a majority of your day to go and experience life in the area you live, or any part of Denmark. If you do have class, its a field study often to also experience Copenhagen with your class. Today, I took advantage of schedule freeness and explored Nørrebro with my friend Kristen.

building art (which reads “eye man”)

Nørrebro is one of the neighborhoods near the city center, sort of like the Brooklyn of Copenhagen. Which means that it has extreme amounts of culture, personality and is overall a nice place to wander and bike aimlessly!

One thing about Copenhagen is that the parks here are wonderful no matter what age you are. I have found a variety of playgrounds that have made me want to be a mini-human again. They are often colorful, uniquely designed and not full of colored metal bars or constrained by regulations (that I know of or can tell). They are much different from the ones I played on during my childhood in Minnesota. Please enjoy a brief video of trampoline jumping below.

In-ground mini trampolines of various shapes; circles or squares, are a normal feature found on playgrounds or parks.

When I stumble upon them, they add a delightful addition to my day!

February 14, 2016

Eurovision Song Contest

Last evening I had the lovely opportunity to hang out with a friend of mine, her host mom, visiting host student and her host mom’s friends as we partook in watching the Eurovision Song Contest.

I went in thinking, wow this will be a fun evening, we were having sushi and they have a cat. I was extremely excited to cuddle with and make friends with said fluff ball as my host family doesn’t have any furry animals. Unfortunately, I have lost my “cat sense” and their cat didn’t exactly fall into my arms, but the rest of the evening was even better than I could describe.

The Eurovision Song Contest is semi-similar to American Idol, X-factor or television singing contests. This competition is first within Denmark (what we were watching last night), and then the winners go to compete against the rest of European countries’ selected winners.

Last night, we watched ten different musical performances, of which only one was sung in Danish. In order to have a better chance to win the full European contest, and be understood, it is a trend to sing in English now-a-days.

ballots upon ballots

I won’t spoil who won the contest last night, but it was interesting to converse with some other Danish lasses about their lives, the upcoming Oscars Award Ceremony and truly feel the sense of hygge as we jammed out to some tunes.

Tak Jessie for a wonderful evening!

February 12, 2016

Loosing feeling, gaining insight

This week instead of having normal classes I had my entire schedule devoted to my core course, which is Urban Studies. This “core course week” is a special feature of DIS and has been my favorite week thus far! My class went to Hamburg from Monday to Wednesday and then we have been back in Copenhagen Thursday and Friday.

Christiania, Denmark (Freetown Christiania)

This week was full of new experiences with being cold. While I am a Minnesotan the cold of wandering each city for hours each day was an adjustment my ears and toes weren’t so prepared for!

The various “field trips” were filled with new insights into urban planning and the interlayers contained within it including; community, transportation, environment, and the desired outcome or purpose of each project.

Speicherstadt (warehouse district) in Hamburg

Besides just learning about the areas we were in, this week was also about getting to know my fellow classmates. This included bonding through the hot coffee runs (to warm up), the train ride discussions, and complaining about our butts hurting after (and before) our bike tours of each city.

During our bike tour in Hamburg

Random facts I learned this week:

-Crosswalk signals are EXTREMELY shorter in Hamburg

(in large groups, it may take 2-3 signals to get the whole crew across without being hit by any vehicles, no-one got hit so all clear)

-German Beer is better.

-The functionality of a city’s various spaces is dependent on what it’s urban planner’s focus is on [understanding the people, the users of each space]

The Snake (bike bridge) in Vesterbro, Denmark

-Bike lanes are absent in Hamburg

(this was interesting, and it had a strange affect on the feeling and function of the city as a whole)

-there are 3-D maps of the city of Hamburg everywhere!

(or everywhere we took tours!)

-My teacher, Silvia is just as photo obsessed as me!

this was half of my class and Silvia after our first bike tour in Hamburg!

Overall, I am so thankful for the crazy jam-packed schedule of this week and can’t wait to learn and explore even more!

February 7, 2016

castle elegancy

This weekend I was able to make my way to Kronborg Castle in Elsinore, Denmark. While it was a bit of a long trek to get there, it was well worth the train time.

This castle is what William Shakespeare is rumored to have been inspired by while writing Hamlet. Although he never visited Kronborg, he had friends who supposedly told him all about details of life there.

The other importance this castle has is its relation in look to the castle in Disney’s Frozen. So, basically I visited Elsa’s home last weekend.

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