30 Days has September...

Wow! I cannot believe it is already the 30th of September! I have been in Denmark now for about 6 weeks now. I am almost half way through my time in Denmark which is really sad to think about... Anyway....

Last Sunday I went to Legoland. It is a 3 and a half hour drive from Copenhagen and is located in Jutland (Western Denmark) in Bullund. They describe Legoland as the Disneyland of Denmark. While it is definitely not as great as Disneyworld, I still had a pretty good time. It is probably a park more geared toward little children, but I can now check off that I have been to Legoland off my list of things I need to do while in Denmark. Here are some pictures of my time there. I have more on my facebook if you want to check it out.

Mount Rushmore- made of Legos!

The Lego version of the White House

Look a replica of Nyhavn! If you don't know what Nyhavn is look it up on Google. It is much prettier in real life

This week has been a really busy week for me. I had a 10-page- paper due for my Positive Psych class and a test in Danish class, all due today. The turning off the internet at 9:30PM at night didn't really help much, but somehow I got the paper done.

Wednesdays we do not have any classes so they are reserved for little field trips. I had two on Wednesday. The first one was for my Danish class. We went to a cathedral in Roskilde where many of the old kings of Denmark are buried. For the 2nd field study, we went on a Sex tour of Copenhagen for my Psych of Human Sexuality class. There is a part of Copenhagen called Vesterbro which has a lot of sex shops and used to have a movie theater that showed porn, which has since been shut down. Denmark legalized porn in 1969 b/c the prime minister at the time believed that it would lessen the popularity if he made it mainstream. It did not, however. Also, gay marriage was legalized in 1989. It's weird to think that Denmark has had legal gay marriage since before I was born while America does not.

This is going to be where the queen is buried when she dies. She designed it herself. The glass to make it will be imported from America. I had no idea America was a big importer of glass!

For my Livability in the Modern City class, we go on lots of site visits. Yesterday, we went to Ørestad and saw this really cool apartment building called the Figure 8 building. It was build just last year in 2010 and has around 200 apartment buildings. Check out this website which will tell you more about it: http://www.building.co.uk/buildings/the-man-made-mountain-copenhagens-8-house/5007509.article

It must be weird to live in an apartment that tourists like visit and take pictures of. I would be really cool to live there, but I'm sure it is really expensive. Here are some pictures that I took, thought the ones on the link up there are much better than mine.

On Monday I'm going to Milan with my Positive Psych class. I am so excited! We get to see the Last Supper! AHhhh! It is going to be 85 degrees in Milan! Though it has been unseasonably warm in Copenhagen lately- 75 degrees. My next post I will tell you all about my Milan adventures. Vi ses!

~Jenna

Update (I know such a creative title...)

Hej Hej (Hi, Hi)! Sorry for the lack of updates. I couldn’t really think of what to update about but figure I better keep up now, or else it will become impossible to catch up to what I have been up to.

I think I have finally figured out what I am doing for travel break. DIS gives us two weeks off to travel. It is really awesome! I supposed it is one of the perks to studying abroad here in Denmark. Our break is from October 29- November 13^th. The first week (Oct 29-Nov 4) I will be in Portugal on a surfing trip. DIS arranges some trips we can go on and I have chosen to sign up for one the 1^st week. I have never been surfing before and it sounds like a lot of fun. We also get to go to Lisbon for a couple of days, too. The 2^nd week I am meeting with three of my other friends Rachel, Emelye, and Victoria in Madrid, then we are going to Paris, then to Vienna! I am sooo excited. I haven’t booked any flights yet, but I know we need to do that soon as possible fore prices go up even further.

Next week I am going to Milan with my Positive Psychology class! From October 3-8^th. I can’t wait! The weather in Milan should be warmer than Copenhagen, which is definitely a plus. I am hoping to meet up with my friend, Noemi. I worked with her at Camp Sankanac four years ago and she lives in Milan. It would be really great if I could see her again! Hopefully it will work out. She can show me some of the cool, non-touristy stuff to do in Milan. The next weekend (October 14- 17) I will be visiting my friend Meaghan in Switzerland and my cousin Phil in Germany. So in the time that I am here I am going to Milan, Basel (Switzerland), Kandern (Germany), Lisbon (Portugal), Madrid, Paris, Vienna, and London! Crazy!! I may go on a day- trip to Sweden someday, too as it is so close and would be a shame to never go! 

Tomorrow I am going to Legoland. It is Denmark’s equivalent of Disneyland, apparently. It is in Jutland, about a 3 hour drive from Copenhagen. I will be sure to post pictures and write all about it next time! Sorry this post hasn't really been too descriptive as to what is going on, but honestly, I can't really think anything worth writing about. I guess that is indicative of the fact that I have been here a month and have started to create a routine. Rest assured, I am fine, and love being here! All the hard work I put into making this happen was definitely worth it!

~Jenna

Hello! It is time for another blog post. By now I am starting to have a routine on what I do during the week.

This past Thursday (September 15) , I went with my Livability in the Modern City class to the Lousiana Museum. It was really cool. Right now, until Oct 2nd, they have an exhibit about "Living". There were some interesting collections of art that had to do with how people from other cultures live and how where they live is structured.  It was unlike any museum I'd ever been to. You could actually walk outside of the building and there were some pieces of art and could even see the water/ Sweden! Very cool. Here are some pictures you can check out. The second one was a shadow screen where the board would light up according to shadows. The last picture is the view from outside the museum.

That night I got back and went to an election party at my host family's friend's house. They sat around and watched the progress of the election. My host family was hoping the conservative parties would win, because the liberal parties would raise taxes even more, which in Denmark is already at 50%. There are 7 political parties in Denmark and I cannot even begin to explain how they all work because I do not fully understand it myself, but all I know is that the liberal parties won. Now keep in mind, the "conservative" parties in Denmark= liberal parties in the US and the "liberal" parties in Denmark= even MORE left- wing than Democrats. I don't really think that there are our Republicans have counter-parts in other countries, but perhaps someone could prove me wrong.

This weekend I didn't have anything planned or do anything, which was very nice. I went to Tivoli Garden on Saturday with my host mom, Anne Marie, my host sisters, Eva and Jane and their friend Sinne. I had a lot of fun, even though I was really tired. For those who don't know, Tivoli Gardens is an amusement park that is located in Copenhagen. It is apparently the 2nd oldest amusement park, the 1st being Dyrehavsbakken, which is also located in Denmark. We also had ice cream, which was nice. I love ice cream! Wish the weather was better, but oh well.

This week I have a lot of assignments due, so hopefully I will be able to get them all done. Still no luck with moving the internet so I can be on later than 9PM my time. My host mom has to order a special cord online, so hopefully they can move it in a couple of weeks.

Until next time...

~Jenna

"Shoes... Let's get some shoes"

Hola! Yeah, I just wrote in Spanish, you jealous? haha I kind of miss Spanish because Danish is just so much harder than Spanish was for me, but that's okay.

On Monday, I got to sleep in because I did not have my Virtual Worlds and Social Media Class. Because we had to attend a workshop last Tuesday evening for three hours, we didn't have class. It was nice to be able to sleep in and also spend some time getting ready/ looking nice. The Danes are SO fashionable and I feel like the clothes I brought with me here cannot even compare to how the Danes dress. Even my fellow DIS classmates seem to be well dressed. I don't know if they are up-ing their style since we are in Copenhagen, or if they dress like that all the time, even in the U.S. No offense to everyone at Eastern, but most people dress very casually. Whenever I dress "up", a.k.a. dress like a normal Dane, people will ask me why I am dressed up. Just some food for thought. I do remember my friend Sarah who studied abroad in Spain told me that Europeans always dress nicely and she is definitely right. Maybe DIS only let in students who dress nicely... haha just kidding.

I had some time between my Psych of Human Sexuality class and my Livability in the Modern City class so I went shopping. I was on the prowl for some cute boots and I found them. I spent more than I ever would in the US, but this Copenhagen, the 5th most expensive city, so I guess something's got to give. I also went to a store called Tiger, which is sort of like Five Below, and they sell cute little things that are inexpensive, just like Five Below, however, I am pretty sure there were items in there more than 25 kroner ($5). I got a new pair of headphones, as the ones I brought over, only one of the ear buds worked. They aren't the greatest quality, but hey at least both ear buds work.

After that, I went to a site visit for my Livability in the Modern City class to Amager Strand. It was this man-made beach. I probably would have enjoyed it more if it A. wasn't so cold and windy and B. didn't take so long to walk through. They apparently have made it that no cars can park around it by putting the curbs up really high so that cars cannot open their doors around the place. By making it only accessible by biking/metro, it helps make people be more environmentally conscious. I'm sure it is a really fun place to go in the summer, but since it is officially fall, it's a bit too cold for me. I think it's funny that most of the beaches here are man-made.

Yesterday, I had class until 12. Unfortunately, the boots I bought seem to be a bit too small and give me blisters. However, I felt really cool when I saw another Danish girl wearing the same boots in black. Today I went to a shoe place in Gentofte to see if he can make the shoes bigger and he can. It will only cost about $12, which is pretty good. Later that day I met some girls to figure out what we were going to do for travel break, which is from October 29-November 13th. From October 29-November 4th, I will be in Portugal taking surfing lessons. I am so excited! It is a DIS trip. However, I do not have any plans for for the 5-13th so my friends and I were trying to figure out what to do. We are hopefully going to Prague, Vienna, and Paris, though some of these are subject to change. All I know is that we are definitely going to Paris, which I am happy about. I then ate dinner with my friends in town at a cute little cafe.

Sorry no pictures this time! I hear that the weather in Philadelphia is becoming more fall-like. The weather here has been fall-like for a while. Thanks for reading!

~Jenna

Positive Psychology section C goes to Jutland

Hi all! So yesterday I got back from a short study tour with my Positive Psychology class. I had a wonderful time and it was nice to be able to get to know some of the people in my Psychology class better. I didn’t really know that many people in the class before, so it was great to get closer to my classmates. When we go to Milan in three weeks it should be really fun!

We departed for Jutland (Western Denmark) at 9:15 on Thursday. After a 2-ish hour drive we arrived in Odense, which is on the next island over, called Funen. We went to the University of Southern Denmark and listened to Kaare Christensen. A few years ago, there was a study done that looked at who in the world is the happiest and Denmark won. America is number 21. Check out this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ToXXFQEbE8.  Kaare is featured toward the beginning. We talked about the difference between happiness and satisfaction are and some of the research he is doing in the field.

We got a quick bite to eat and then we were off to Arhus. We settled at our hostel, which was very nice. I roomed with my friends Ansley, Caitlin, and Allie. We had our own t.v. and bathroom, which was not what I was expecting when I heard we were staying in hostels. That night we had a wonderful dinner of salmon, creamed spinach, and potatoes. Later that night, we walked around town. We met a Russian guy and a Danish guy. They thought my friends and I were from Spain. I thought it was a compliment, seeing that we didn’t stand out as “American”.

The next day, we went to KaosPilot, which is an alternative school that’s main focus is on entrepreneurship. This school you must be 21 to enter and it helps you to prepare for your future career. In this lesson, we learned to figure out what our strengths were and how we were to use them to help solve what we most hated in life. It was pretty interesting. I had never thought about using my strengths to help eradicate what I dislike in life.  

After that, we had free time in Aarhus. My friends and I went to Dem Gamel By( The Old City). We got some bakery treats, which were pretty good. The Old town reminded me of Lancaster, Pennsylvania and the Amish.


 Wish we had time to go to the Art Museum, where this cool rainbow thing was, but we didn’t have time. Plus, we were kind of museum-ed out.


That night we went to another hostel. This place we stayed in cabins. It was very, charming. This night we just hung out and played cards. 

The next day, we went to Jelling Denmark and got to hear about the famous Jelling Stones and how Bluetooth, the king of Denmark at the time (this was probably around 500 A.D. or something) wrote the name “Denmark” down on this famous stone. It was interesting, I guess, but the museum left much to be desired. It was small. I had pictured it being a bit larger. Soon, we left and made a 3 and half hour journey back to Copenhagen. It is nice that Denmark is so small. A 3 and a half hours drive west for me would only take me to the middle of Pennsylvania.

Now, I am just working on homework/ this blog. I finally went to church and had a great time! I went with two other girls from DIS who I didn’t know, but it was great. We went to Copenhagen Christian Church. I met a lot of people from everywhere- Denmark, Germany, Nigeria, China. I will definitely be back.

I lost my transportation pass last night, which really sucks. This is what I use to get back and forth on the train. Hopefully someone found it and will turn it in, but I probably shouldn’t get my hopes up. Until then, I will just have to buy individual tickets for each ride I do.

That’s all for now!

~Jenna

Impressions

Hey! I know I just put up a new post a couple of days ago, but I don't have to be anywhere for 4 hours and don't feel like doing homework so I am going to update my blog. This post will just be my impressions of the Danes.

Danish people aren't as formal as we are in the U.S. For example, they rarely, if ever, call anyone Mr. or Mrs. You call everyone by their first name, even old people. They actually would find it kind of rude or odd if you were to be formal with people.

Danes are very concerned about the environment. My host family likes me to have the door to my room and bathroom closed at all times. I don't know how that is supposed to conserve energy, other than keeping the warm air from getting out of the room, but other than that I don't really understand. Perhaps someone who is more environmentally savvy can help me to understand. Other than that, I just kind of find it to be annoying. I am used to having my door open, because at Eastern having the door to your room open means that you are not busy and are open to having people come in your room. They also only shower for short times, like 5 minutes. I try to keep my showers short. I think most only shower every other day, but I could be wrong. I have no idea when my host family showers because they use a different bathroom than me.

 Danes also have very little trash cans in their house/ around town. In an average American home, there would be a trash can in every bathroom, in the kitchen, and in every bedroom, or at least that is how it is at my house. My host family has one trash can in the kitchen. Others who have host families have said the same thing. Hm.... I guess it discourages throwing out more than you need to.

I think it is cool that you get money back for bottle that you recycle. Say, if I bought a water bottle at 7-11, after I am done drinking it, I can take it to Netto, the popular supermarket chain, put it into a machine, and get 1 or 2 kroner back for it (which is about 20 to 40 cents). You do not make money, however, because when one buys a drink, the price of recycling it is already included in the price. So in essence, you are getting back money that you have already spent.

My host family likes to turn off the internet at 9PM my time which is very annoying. The internet is in my host sister Eva's room and my host mom does not like to have it on while she is sleeping b/c something about radiation. Yeah, I don't get it, either. I think my host mother has some sort of fear of radiation because she hides our microwave behind a movable cabinet cover. They have talked about moving the internet down to the basement, where I am staying, but I don't want to get my hopes up. If my host family doesn't host anymore students, then why make them move the internet to a place that is not convenient for them? If they do host more DIS students then it might be wise to move it... I can deal with it being turned off, it is just an annoying because I can't really talk to people in the US since most people are at work/ in class until 4 (10PM my time).

I have a cold, which is also annoying. I don't usually get sick so it's been a while since I have been. I actually can't remember the last time I had a cough. Hopefully it goes away soon. Tonight I have to go to a workshop at 6PM my time for my Virtual Worlds and Social Media class. Something about learning how to use a blog. I have to make a blog special for that class. We'll see how that goes. Tomorrow at 8:30AM I am going to the Danish Parliament to talk to Peter Jensen, a politician, about Positive Psychology. Hope it's interesting!

Thanks for reading!

To be or not to be...

Yesterday I went to Kronberg Castle in Helsinør, which is where Shakespeare’s Hamlet was set. I don’t think Shakespeare had ever been to Denmark when he placed the play there, but rather, found out there was a castle in Denmark and decided his play should take place there. 

The castle was really cool. We were very close to the border of Sweden. I could see Sweden just over the water. Denmark apparently used to own southern Sweden, but lost the land due to a war. Denmark has apparently lost many wars.

Before going to the castle, my friend Lacey and I walked around the town a bit. I stopped and had lunch. There was a little fair going on in the town. Hot dogs, or pølser as they say in Danish, are apparently the thing to get while in Denmark. I had one on the streets of Copenhagen, and it was pretty good. They use a different kind of ketchup than Heinz, which I am going to need time to get used to. We also went shopping. They had some really good deals at this store called Saint Tropez. My friend Lacey was able to get a pair of pants and two shirts for $60, which is really good. Things in Denmark can be really expensive, aka, $8 for a cup of coffee.

The castle was pretty cool. We first went to the soldier’s quarters and that was kind of freaky. It was very dark. I think that it was also a dungeon of some sort. We then got to see the ballroom and where the king would eat his meals. Apparently, when the king wanted to give a toast it was a big deal so his workers would have to yell throughout the castle that the king was giving a toast and all must come to see it.

The castle was not as nice as I had pictured at least from the inside, but the outside was very cool. It was neat to be able to see Sweden, and to say that I was at the castle where Hamlet took place. We are all really tired by the time we left; everyone was asleep on the bus.

At five, I met a group to go over travel plans for our two weeks travel break. The first week I am going to Portugal, but then I will be able to join them for the 2^nd week. I think we decided we are going to Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, Rome, Vienna, and Prague. I will be going from Paris onwards. I feel so much better knowing I have somewhat of a tentative plan set. I also might be visiting my cousin Philip in southern Germany and my friend Meaghan in Switzerland one weekend in October. I am really excited to get a chance to see Europe! In November I will be going to London for a weekend with my Literary London class. That should be really fun!

 Afterwards, my friends Allie, Frances, and Mariya tried to find somewhere to eat dinner. We ended up settling for this place called Mama Rosa, where we had pizza/ lasagna. It was very good, but very expensive! Will not be going out to eat for a while…

After that, Frances, Mariya, and I met Lacey and we had a few drinks. I am starting to get a cold and was feeling really tired so I didn’t stay out very late.

I was supposed to go to Tivoli Gardens today. They weather is going to be really nice today- sunny, 72 degrees (which is warm for Denmark). However, my host sister, Eva isn’t feeling well so hopefully we will go another weekend. I really wanted to go to church today, but no one is willing to go with me. I feel sort of discouraged, because I would like to go to church while I am here, but I feel that I am one of the only Christians in a sea of many non-Christians. I have asked a couple of friends to go, but they are busy with homework/other things. If you believe in God, please pray that I will be able to eventually make it to a church and find just one friend that is willing to go with me. Maybe I will have to suck it up and just go by myself. Perhaps I will try to do that next week.

I think my host mother, Ann Marie, feels bad that Eva is sick so she is going to have some cake/ roast some marshmallows. I invited my friends Marisa and Emelye to come since they live so close. So at least I will be doing something sort of fun today.

I really should get started on my homework. Next weekend I will be going to Jutland, which is Western Denmark with my Positive Psych class. I don’t really know any details, but I’m sure we will talk about it tomorrow in class. Sorry I am not posting any pictures today. I am feeling really tired. Perhaps I will post them in a couple of days on my Facebook/ here.

Thanks for reading!

~Jenna