Pretty cool if you ask me

Viggo Mortensen's son is in my Danish class! You may recognize Viggo from a little film called Lord of the Rings. His kid was giving a presentation in class just we all had to, and yup, there he is talking about his Xmas vacation in Idaho with his Dad, Mr. Aragorn!

Death by Research

So this semester just might kill me.

Instead of playing with children one day a week and talking about it another, I am doing real hard core academic school now and RESEARCH. I am carrying a lot of negative energy around with me these days because of this research project I am doing unwillingly. There is no way of getting out of it and I need to just embrace it at this point, but hellllooo I would never voluntarily sign up to do research in my whole life, let alone abroad in a cold country where most literature is in Danish and people speak…Danish. I am looking into aggressive fantasy play in children under the age of 10 and how it is perceived and dealt with here in Denmark.
On a lighter note, here are some snippets of my portfolio from last semester when I was working at my preschool. The center is huge on documentation, so they take a lot of pictures and had me make these for the classroom so the parents could see what we did that day. Most of the pictures are from an extended art, music, and movement project I did with them over the course of about a month. I might get to go back and see my kiddies when conducting interviews at the center so that is one good thing that could come from the research :)

OH OH and one of my good friends here is an Alpha Gam. We didn’t even know it until yesterday and it was so exciting to meet another one all the way in Denmark. She goes to school in Illinois. The lifeguard at my camp this summer was an AGD and I sat next to one when flying home from Michigan this summer. Its fun.

This weekend is a thing called “Festilavn” and frankly I don’t know much about it but I will report back after its all said and done. It is sort of combination between Mardi Gras, Carnivale, Halloween, and Mexican birthday parties so can you say SHITSHOW?

Desire and Pain

It’s certainly been a while, so story time!

I have had my same cell phone back in the USA since I was 16 years old. Its huge, its beat up, but it works and I love it. I hate change in terms of technology so I am really attached to that phone. For example, using an apple computer or being forced to send a text on someone else’s phone will ruin my day. I am stubborn, but whatever. So in these almost 5 years of sweet mobile phone ownership, my phone and I have been through a lot. And it still works. Everyone has a broken phone story, but I never had one because my phone just rocks so much…

Finally, though, I have a story about (almost) killing a phone!

So the other night we went to a place called Kulør bar and it is a lovely club where you pay 60 DKK to get in and you get unlimited beer from 11-1. There are great lights and music and we had an amazing time. We were making our way home from the metro (it’s a bit of a walk) but we all had to pee really bad from all that beer. So we go on the side of the road and my friends pee closer to the road and I don’t know why I went further away, but I was walking in a field about to go pee and the next thing I know I am up to my chest in water and its all dark! I am somehow fallen into a pond and I couldn’t get out. My scarf had fallen over my eyes and for a second it was kind of nice down in that puddle of water, I almost wanted to just stay there. I eventually pulled myself out though and was freezing and completely soaked. So we walked the rest of the way home, hung up my clothes and went to sleep. I didn’t bring much out with me, thank baby jesus. But I was wearing my Italian leather shoes and my piccell was in my pocket. It was so broken for a while, but after a few days of drying it out and trying it over and over again I think its back to its working state :) It’s a piece of shit phone but I would have had to pay a lot of money for it because I am only renting it…I am gonna have to go back to this pond and see where the hell I was. It was too dark to know…I don’t think it’s always a pond, just built up swamp or something. Quite a good night I must say, in retrospect and now that my phone is working. I just need to stop thinking I can speak Danish really well to everyone I meet once I am drunk, hahahaa (awfully embarrassing!)

Another time a few weeks ago my host mom gets a call from some people saying they need some old people for a music video out at this old military base close to the sea. She runs an old people’s center so she had plenty of active old people who wanted to be in this music video. We had no idea what the hell this would entail, but we round up all the old people and drive out to this place. Its 8pm at night, dark, and absolutely freezing. The wind is blowing, but they had bribed the old people with chili con carne and beer. So we are chilling in the tent and finally, they call us all out for the music video. The band is mostly comprised of Swedes who sing in English. They are called….EVIL MASSACRE!!!! Us youngins (my new roommate Michelle and I) didn’t get to be in the music video but just watched and couldn’t stop laughing. It was the most bizarre thing in the world; especially for my roommate considering this was her second night in the country HAHA. So there was this death metal band of everyone dressed in black, with skulls all around in an old army fort. They have long hair and there is fire going on in the background. The words to the song are about fearing upside down crosses and Lucifer and the old people are just standing on this hill with fire watching this band. They run through the song a few times and Michelle and I run off and go meet this silly band (they are all really nice and not hard asses at all as their music might indicate). It was really cool to see how a music video is made. At the end of it all we go back out of the tent after chatting with the band and the director is having the old people chant something. As we were leaving I asked one of the ladies what they made her say and she said that she didn’t even know because it was something in English. Turns out they made all these old Danish people who don’t speak English chant “desire and pain, desire and pain”! Haaaa. It’s an ongoing joke around here now. So bizarre. And they even want one of the ladies back to do some more shots for the video…

Oh this life.

Randomosity

-Many of the bathrooms here are coed. And not unisex so they are private and can be used by men and women separately like in gas stations, but men and women piss along side each other. It's always interesting when I am adjusting my tights and some man comes out of the stall.

-"Fart" means speed. So on all the buses and maps or anything having to do with speed, it says FART. I am NEVER going to get over that. Its funny. I go out of my way to play the card game speed so I can say "Skal vi spille fart?" (Shall we play speed?) Heheee.

-From what I have noticed a lot of Danes are scared of heights and hate roller coasters a lot. I think its interesting since Denmark has no mountains and the 2 roller coasters they do have in the DK are pathetic. I wonder if there is a connection between all of this.

-Some of my photos were purchased by my school as promotional materials. Yeehaw free money!

-People are so good looking here! I could be dressed to the nines and a girl with mono and leprosy could come on the bus in her pajamas and look better than me.

-I feel like there are a ton of Seven Elevens here! There are about 100 in the entire country which is probably statistically remarkable except I don't do math so I don't know for sure.

-There is also McDonalds, Burger King, Blockbuster, Ben and Jerry's, Build a Bear, and other names that we are familiar with back home. There is IKEA and H&M too but those are Swedish. Oh and one Starbucks in the airport where it costs an official 10 dollars for a coffee. If only I had enough money and enjoyed those shitty build a bears I could live an all American life over here. I wonder if Ben and Jerry's will give out free ice cream on free day in April?

-My 18 year old host brother just dropped out of Denmark's equivalent of high school and, while he is being urged to get a job, this is a completely acceptable path to take.

-Many Danish people I have encountered are really talented at musical instruments and art. Its so strange. Everyone just picks up guitars and can cut paper like nobody's business.

-There are people lighting off fireworks outside right now. Yay Christmas!

-In Denmark porn and nudity is very acceptable. There is nudity in advertisements and displays that the entire public eye can see. At the movie store the porn is right out in the open for anyone to get, right next to the latest new releases. A little shocking at first I must admit. I guess that there are certain types of porn in Denmark like fecal porn, beastiality and other hard core bondage pornography that is illegal in other countries so people come here for it. Also, those specialties are legally offered in prostitution so there is a good sex business in CPH.

-I might switch into the red room now that my roommate moved out. Its such a hard choice though since this has been MY room for the last 4 months and I swear I will want it back when the new girl comes. Red is a lot more cozy but the blue is more conducive to studying...

-My mom sent me some of her Christmas cookies in the mail (HELL YEAH!)

-Many Danes have a hard time pronouncing V's. Its hilarious to hear them say "Wisit" And "Wiking" instead of "visit" and "viking". I should probably stop making fun of my host family...

-I really love Danish movies. They have a particular style with really dark fucked up situations that end up being endearingly comical and turn out all right in the end. Still fucked up, but all right. The acting is simple, real, and the stories give really good insight to human nature. Watching the films really helps me with my Danish.

-All of my friends have left Denmark. I am so happy to be a full year student and thankful that my program is for full years. Other people who had to leave claimed that they really just couldn't spend an entire year abroad so I am happy that I can. I won't graduate ever, but whatever. At least I am not paying 50,000 a year like them!

-The hardest part about being here is not being able to just pick up the phone and call people whenever I want. I use facebook instead of my cell phone and I just miss talking to Joshey because he really doesn't email much.

-I always have had issues with interrupting people in conversations because DUH what I have to say is just way more important than anything you have to say ever. But this has gotten even worse here since I never know when I can say something to people if they are speaking in Danish. Its really hard to find the best time to interrupt or ask a question when I don't know what they are saying at all!

-Sometimes I wish people didn't speak any English here. I am sure I would be much more fluent if I was forced to always speak Danish. A friend of Taylor's came to visit and she is studying in France. She has spent a few months in France before now but is basically fluent. Her boyfriend is French and speaks no English so her sex life does depend upon her French skills, but why can't I manage better? I want to speak Danish soooo badly. English is a gift and a curse.

Dilemma

Next spring I don't know what I want to do in terms of traveling. Well I mean, ideally I do know, but I have to make a choice and a compromise for time and money's sake.

(I spend one week in (probably) London with my class, then have two weeks free) (Turkey and skiing are what I really have my eyes on...)
MY OPTIONS:
a) Turkey for a week. This costs 1195 US dollars. You take a class for half the semester (1 credit) and learn all about Turkey so the trip actually has a context. Everyone I talked to LOVED this trip and my roommate went on it and raves about it too. I heard the class isn't too hard or time consuming but I really am not good with history and shit. I am really fascinated by the middle east and this trip could kind of be a gateway to that world and the weather will be WARM!
b) Skiing trip to the French Alps for a week for 995 US dollars. I haven't skied in a few years unfortunately so I would hate to get up (or I guess down?) there and realize I can't do it anymore or something but I love and miss skiing so much and the snow up here is supposed to be phenomenal. The ski trip, because it will be in a resort environment might have more expenses attached to the trip, but it sounds legit.
c) There is a volunteering trip around 500 US dollars where you go and volunteer in central Europe for a week. Not the most touristy, "travelly" or typically "fun" thing to do, but it is cheaper and I do love volunteering and haven't got to do any since I've been here. It would be really great for my resume also...
d) Russia. This is similar to the Turkey trip where you take a class for half a semester and then go on the trip. I think it costs the same as Turkey. I have heard from others that this trip isn't as good as Turkey and you kind of have to really WANT to got to Russia because its depressing as shit and the weather sucks. When will I ever go to Russia though? (I'm pretty positive you need special visas and crap to even go there) So that would be really exciting to go there and have a class to protect me, haha. I have kind of ruled this one out since Turkey and Skiing are way cooler to me right now, but just throwing this out there.
e) I could just travel on my own some more. I really want to do some Nordic and Scandinavian countries before I leave...so a week doing that could be well spent. (However, I do plan on taking more smaller trips next semester to Norway and Finland, etc. I am doing shitty in school while going to every class so I might as well go take a couple of four day weekends and experience something while doing shitty)
f) OR I could just stay in Copenhagen and save some dinero. Maybe Greta or someone else can visit during that week and I can just chill here.

On all of these trips 2 meals a day, museums, lodging, transportation, expenses, equipment etc. are included and typically DIS hooks us up in real nice and fun places since they subsidize a lot of the price.
I don't have that much money and have to somehow make it until May so I will probably have to decide only on one trip. HELP ME! give me some feedback friends! And if you are really curious here is the link to the website with all the info. The pictures of skiing the French Alps are pretty goddamn mouthwatering!
http://www.dis.dk/Students/optional.php
http://www.dis.dk/Students/adventure.php


Lovelovelovelove