Category: life

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

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!

One thing I didn’t think about prior to flying across the ocean was the entire subject of eating. I assumed I would try some interesting foods, or have to stop some of my eating habits, including peanut butter, my favorite cereals, and Ritz Crackers with cheese. A lovely surprise has been that living and eating with my host family has been not too difficult of an adjustment. This could be due to the fact that Minnesotan eating is pretty similar to Danish eating; lots of potatoes and vegetables with a type of meat.

The food, in my homestay has been wonderful! My host-dad is very savvy and thrifty at buying things on sale, at a good kroner value. This means he may go to the store multiple times a week, only getting a few items each trip. At first, I didn’t quite understand because at home we go once or twice a week to get all the items we want and need, but I am beginning to understand it’s to waste less, and keep all our food good and eaten.

I am used to the concept of composting, in Minnesota and at school in Massachusetts there are places for composting food scraps. Here in Denmark we have three hens which get our food scraps. This is sort of like composting….

I have been eating a lot more meat than I am used to here. My host dad is a “meat and wine expert” so he seems to really know what to prepare and what to pair with what. He is also trying to make me a well rounded person, teaching me about truly tasting wines for their full flavor.

Jette and Hans-Erik across the table after dinner one evening

Today I asked about Nutella because I was craving some chocolate. My host-dad explained  how he knew Americans like to eat it but, it is too sweet for him and my host-mom. Also he spoke how Nutella is “going the wrong way in life”. I mostly found this funny, as he also stocks various forms of ice cream in the freezer downstairs. By past host students, Hans-Erik was called “Ice Man” which is fitting for such an ice cream lover (another lovely similarity to my Dad back home!).

One day last week our neighbor Peter brought over “cream puffs” (I can’t seem to spell the actual name of this delicious treat!) I kept pronouncing it “flub-er-bubbers” but that is completely wrong. It was such a wonderful surprise and such a taste-y treat, a must try by all!

All in all, I am loving the connection I have been able to get with my host family through our nightly dinner traditions. I am hoping to pick up on some of their cooking skills during my time here!

After a week and a half of living “as the danes do” I am starting to get my footing. I am understanding the various forms of transportation and  which s-tog stop is fastest to my classes. I am understanding the silence of various public places which contrasts greatly with the friendliness of those whom I dare to speak with.

Among all of the new-ness, I realize how in a few short months, the insanity I find with some things here will probably seem normal. Below is my list of my first ten impressions/thoughts that come to mind when I think of Denmark today.

• Design ( spaces, sidewalks, stairs, visuals)

I have this thing with floors

• Hygge (not a place, not a thing, it’s a feeling)
• Black/Color (I expected all black, but there is actually a lot of color in Denmark, people wearing colors and throughout the city)
• Glass ( Just the use of windows and their “see-through-ness”)

CIID [Copenhagen Institute of Interactive Design] building {stairwell)

• Wet/Rain (both outside, and inside through the focus on shorter showers)
• Warmth (mainly through copious amounts of coffee and tea)
• “Locked” doors (S-tog and building doors both from the inside and outside)
• Handball (Nej!! Being shouted with much animation by my host dad at the TV due to some unfortunate results. The Danish team lost this week to Sweden and Germany)

If I could upload a video I would

• Light/Air (focus on air; the concept of fresh air; and the closeness of lamps to tables/your reading or food)
• Style (the effortless [or so it looks] style of everyone; riding bikes, walking around town, office wear)

My host parents have children that are all older than I. One of their daughters comes over often and has 2 sons, therefore my vært fætter (host cousins).One is 4, and the other one is 1 and both very adorable. They remind me of my cousins back home, except for the fact that I can’t understand what they yell at me, and they can’t understand what I yell back at them!

vært søster og vært fætter (host sister and host cousin)