BIG GAP. 2 MONTHS. MIGHT FILL IN LATER.

A little bit of fun on a friday night, a great visit by a great friend and some other odds and ends

What am I doing right now? Listening to the Adrian's entire iTunes library, which I copied to my computer. How am I typing this? With the computer screen I got for 40 dollars from the Danish craig's list because mine went completetly nuts. What am I still not doing? Homework!!!

So my computer broke (I know the excuses begin). But those of you who know the history between my computer and I will understand. Anyways went to dba.dk and found a computer screen and bought it...the guy was great but clearly selling everything in his apartment. So what has happened to me since then?

Wandered through Copenhagen and found some yarn strores. I went into this one: its called Uldstedet and is located in the badement. I was there for an hour and got some really pretty yarn. They have so many patterns and so much gorgeous yarn. I'm going to try and make a scarf...we'll see if I have the patience to finish it! This is right on the way to my train station...any predicitions about the frequency of times I get sidetracked?

BOOKED MY TRIP TO PRAGUE!!!!!!!!!!

Had my first two studies (we don't have class on Wednesday so that we can go on "field trips"). One was to the pharm. company my teacher works for. They develop drugs for various skin disorders. We got lots of free stuff (Sodas, food, pens, notebooks, coffee...a finger puppet). WE were also able to take a tour and were able to see the labs. It was so cool. It was like orgo lab + blue booties + two floors + distillation colums as big as I am. This is where they make the actual concentrate for their drug which is later sent out for formulation and shipping. Made me want to go into pharm.

Second week field study was to the National museum to learn about Danish prehistory. Not so great. Pretty much spaced out the entire time. They do have a gold room however. Went back on my own the next day: it was much more fun.

Last weekend we went to Tivoli. Tivoli is right in the center of KPH and it is said to be the inspiration for Walt Disney World. You can kind of get the feel of it from these two pictures. It feels less commerciailized than Disney. Also, there are people of many different ages and some very fancy, very classy expensive restaurants (you know, with waits of 2 hrs). We saw the inspirations for Thundermountain rail road, Epcot and the whole pin trading idea. At least those were the connections I could see!

Tivoli at Twilight.

We ate a two hour dinner at the hard rock cafe (we made that appetizer laaaast). We had to kill alot of time before the concert started (free in the park). We had never heard of this band and the audience was HUGE. It was kind of weird, at one point the two guy dancers game out dressed like glow in the dark dinos and started pole dancing (above). The best part was when a really cute guy in a red shirt and black suspenders came out and played the bag pipes.

Later that night we went to La Hacienda, a club with 4 rooms and unlimited drinks: the flourescent colored champagne was iffy; the beer and wine weren't bad. And when you got that rare glass of pure champagne, well it was great! We met..many interesting people. And Sara and Adrian came by!!!! And yes, I do remember all of them including hair colors (which turned into a very hotly debated topic for the rest of the weekend). It was really great, but we stayed true to the Danish lifestyle and got home on the first train of the am. ETA at the Kollegium? 6.30. We got to see the sun rising between the smoke stacks. And the last (first?) morning star.

Sunday I got to hand out with Sara and Adrian at the living room and it was really nice. We did homework and Sara and I got to catch up. And she brough me swiss chocolate..the darkest possible! :o) Sara, if you're reading this...THANK YOU!!! and I'm glad you came.

Thats about everything of interest that has happened to me! I just go tback from a great trip to Sweden, which I'll update about soon, hopefully!

Vor Frelser's Kirke, Christiania and a departure from the ordinary

So now that classes have become ordinary and I am slowly learning how to do life in CPH (you know the little things...how to grocery shop, when to cross the street etc.), I'm just going to update the unusual and extraordinary.

Vor Frelser's Kirke (Our Saviour's Church)

The gold ball at the top? We went there!!!

It was just that. We had seen the dramatic gold and black spiral winding around Our Savious Church from week 1 and finally got to climb it. The stairs progress from typical wooden stairs to steep, well worn and smooth attic type stairs the ascend in no discernable pattern to metal steps winding around the outside of the building. The view was gorgeous. Rumor has it that it will sway in a good wind. Kind of disappointed it was windy!

Christiania

A little background: Christiania is the "free town" in CPH and it is completely self sufficient and somewhat anarachist. It is walled in and now has its own kindergarden, clubs, cafes, grocery stores, tourist trade and home improvement area (where you can get the supplies to build an ENTIRE house). Inititally I thought they were "selling out" by giving tours of their own home, but Christiania is really amazing and everybody is really cool there.

You can't take photos on the "pusher" street (the main and most interesting street, so named for the open sale of hash/pot etc. along the sides of the street), and it would be hard to capture the atmosphere even in a photo, so I'll try and describe it here:

You walk through the gates and immediately in front of you is pusher street. Initially unassuming and oridary (some sort of machinary/tractor shop is the first thing you see), the street becomes vibrant as you progress down the dirt path. Soon you reach a square where tabels are laden with stone pendants and hand knit finger puppets, long cylinders are covered in bracelets of leather or embriodery floss, tents are hung with scarves and dresses and hats, earrings and necklaces are pinned against fabric backboards and a few stalls have incense propper in a dish. Surrounding the perimeter of the square, booths on a higher platform are all selling lighters, pipes, bongs, rings, sunglasses and gum. Beyond the square are houses and shops and cafes. Each one is covered in paint: in a mural, elaborate graphite design or imiation mosaic. There are also plants EVERYWHERE and the aformentioned dealers on all sides (literally you look and see about five stands; men with a small table and an umbrella with a few rolled joints and other stuff). There are people everywhere, on all available seats and dogs roaming the streets. There is a huge lake, where people sit and eat and smoke and drink. Everything is just very relaxed and happy. It was also sunny and 70, which might have helped!

We also went to a bakery, of which I do have pictures! Its supposed to be the best bakery in CPH.

Short Study Tour

So last night I got back from my short study tour to western Denmark, it was really busy. We went to Aarhus and Odense, the second and third largest cities in Denmark, respectively.

1:Odense (Oh-den-sah) on the middle island, Funen.

2:Aarhus (oh-hoos) on the mainland, Jutland, almost directly above Odense.

University labs, ROBODAYS and the night in Odense

On the first day we drove to the University of Southern Denmark and visited a researcher/prof there. After the beautiful facilities (think Ikea again:white, black and natural wood colors with lots of light and open space), the lecture was fascinating. It was a very research based institute and they work with various types of cells(including human embryonic stem cells...this was one of the first places to do that work!) Had lunch there, and then drove to Robodays.

Not gonna lie, Robodays sounded really lame. It was awesome. When I hear "robot" I think R2D2 or erector sets. No way, here are the highlights:

Keepon: a dancing yellow robot reminiscent of a Peeps who uses a camera to respond to the movement of children. It is used to study Autism as well as synchronization in children.

.

RoBlood: Detects where your veins are using various imaging techniques (kind of blurry, but the blue is where your veins are), a robotic arm is being invented which will take your blood.

HGV: like the little cleaning robotos in WALL-E, it follow a yellow or blue line and can delviver equpment, pick up a trash etc.

A pocket GPS which vibrates, for blind people

That night we....

....walked around Odense, it was similair to Copenhagen but seemed more down to earth. It was very busy and full of robodays stuff.

....stayed in a hostel (super small rooms! I should have taken a picture. My bed pulled out like a trundle bed and it felt like I was at a sleepover again, but it made for zero floor space)

...had a great dinner with some wine

....went to the symphony orchestra (It was great, I've never been before. We were behind the orchestra and I can't fighure out if that was a good thing or a bad thing)

....discovered a bar with some live jazz music and no cover (best part!) and played some games at the table.

A Great Breakfast, The Business Side of Things, Pigs and the Most-Beautiful-Hostel-in-the-World

So the next morning we got up and had a fantastic breakfast. I got to try all those things the host family keep talking about The Danish "rugbrot" (which is this dense, heavry rye bread) with butter and a thin slice of chocolate (EVERYONE has that here. I never thought I'd say this, but I didn't like it), jam and brie, muesli with yogurt, pate (um no.)...


We also got to hear about the business aspect of biotech start-up companies and about funding, patents etc.


Skjyby ("Sky-bue")!!!!!!COOLEST PART OF THE TRIP!!!!!!! We got to go into the basement and see them practice on pigs!!!! They were doing endoscopy and usign cameras to practice surgery. Then they cut open one right in front of us to practice this new technique which uses an electrode to cauterize and cut at the same time. It took a really long time and the fat is really thick, but once they got through it reallyw as hollow, they could just stick their hands it. It smelled awful though.


We did a sacvenger hunt around Aarhus: this city was less reminiscent of CPH than Odense, even though if was closer in size. It was more modern than either of the other two. We lost.


Drove to the hostel (photo above). It was gorgeous.


Visited a german bunker and had a campfire with wine, s'mores (marshamllows, digestive biscuits and that thin breakfast chocolate) and bread )made by wrapping dough around a stick and putting it over the fire)



ARoS, Roaming and Ice Cream

The next morning we packed up and went back into Aarhus where we got to go to the museum there (just opened in 2004). It is really nice and we got a tour. I loved so many works there (one of my favorite places in Denmark so far) but here are the big impact ones:

A detail shot of "Marilyn" a photorealism painting that was the most impressive piece I have ever seen. It was a compeltely different technique that I have had no exposure to.

Huge. Really creepy. But really cool at the same time. he wasn't allowed to be upstairs because of fire proof issues so instead he is in the basement surrounded by sprinklers.

Might be offensive: this a horse. It made me nausesous (and not much does) especialyl when you see the cross sections with hair and horse meat.

Also: an installation art in the basement (9 rooms, each representing a part of Dante's Divine Comedy). One room has a daylight cycle in 8 mins. Another had a huge sculpture connected to the internet. There was a randomely pulsing light. It turns out that everytime a star in the universe dies, the info goes over the internet and the light pulses.


We walked around the city for the rest of the day (I BOUGHT BOOTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and ended the day with some danish ice cream at ParadIS (chain or organic, freshly made every morning). I am utterly fascinated by the ice cream flavors they have here and I'm considering making a list in the side column...but that might be a little obsessive. Anyways here they had: Milk (not vanilla) ice cream with chocolate, greek yogurt flavor with honey, elder flower sorbet, passion fruit sorbet, chocolate-nougat, Licorice, Ferrero Rocher (need I say anythinge else?), hazelnut and then the typical ones.

We came home. I can't believe how much it felt like home when we drove into Frue Plads.

In Retrospect, volume 2

Today (Monday the 7th)

Ordinary day. I LOVE MY BIOTECH CLASS.

Sunday the 6th

Went on a Han's Christian Andersen Walking tour of KPH sponsored by DIS. It was really cool and we learned oh so much.

For example!

-Dickens and Andersen were friends

-Andersen was tempremental and full of it - There are over 200 portraits of him and he was known to throw tantrums (kicking and screaming) if he got a bad review.

-Andersen was also friends with Thorvald who died in the Royal Theater. Andersen said that was the best way to die.

-Carlsberg beer: Made by a man named Carl with water from the moutains (Berg).

Saturday the 5th

Went and drove around all of Zealand (Island of Denmark where Copenhagen is) looking at old stuff. Some of it was cool: We saw the viking ships and the flord they were excavated from in Roskilde, the fortress on the other side of the island, an ancient burial mound and...this part is cool...The site of Beowulf's great hall and shipsites. Long day.

The edge of Beowulf's hall. Riviting, huh? Try seeing it in the Danish rain and wind.

Friday the 4th

Drink of choice: Beer of varying alcohol: 2.7-7.7

Events: Hung around the kollegium with some nice polish people we met. Then Adrian, Tessie and I went into the city and had one of the best nights roaming downtown KPH.

Observation: McDonalds are neither cheap nor fast...but they are packed. They are very modern (semi translucent red barriers, modern art, metal findings).

Pivotal moment: Tried to take the night bus home (the S-tog stops at 12:30) and no one could tell us where to get off. We asked how they knew. Our answer: "oh you just know when to leave". Photo shoot at the fountain by the train station...none of which are posted here.

I don't know. Me and Tessie. This was my idea I take all the blame.

Thursday the 3rd

Nothing interesting that I can remember.

Wednesday the 2nd

Ventured out to Amager Beach. Photos below with Jessi, Tessie and Adrian. You can see the bridge to Sweden very faintly. Funny story: the harbor is closed for swimming (its a seasonal thing) but you see the turq. boardwalk? There is a courtyard type square in the middle and as we were leaving two people hopped out who had been skinny dipping. They were really old. Has amazing pastries on our way home.

Tuesday the 1st

Went out to dinner with my Danish Survial group. It was really nice. Had pear cider. It was fantastic. Thought of you El!

Monday the 31st

Class and then Adrian and I redid the Scavenger hunt we had to do during orientation (the one my group WON by the way!). Took some photos.

Royal Palace. This is the prince's house. There are four other identical ones all around this one square. The Queen lives in one.

Part of the Royal Theater.

View from the Rundetarn (Round tower) of Copenhagen. You climb all the way to the top, where there is an observatory. The architect (Christian IV?) designed it so there would be no steps, supposedely. However there are steps so I don't know.

Church where the current prince married his wife. They met at the olympics and in 2004 got married here (Frue Plads Kirke). There were red carpets all over the streets and people in neraby houses rented out their window. Goine rate? 1000dk/hour. Thats 200 american.

Other cool stuff in our tour as well...but I'm done procrastinating.

In retrospect, volume I

I was starting to forget what I've done, so figured I should update.


Wednesday, the 26th

-Last day of survival danish. We learned how to ask for a danish pastry (The "Danish", as we know it, is actually from Vienna. They are instead called Wienerbrod.) and walked around a bit.

Some Danish Pastries

1)I forget the name 1) The "Chocoalte bowl" 3) The "snail"

-Went on a scavenger hunt of major sites within the city and got free coffee! It was from the back of a portable cart Tried my first Espresso. It was horrible.

-Played UNO with Waterproof cards. It was genius.

Thusday, the 27th

-FIRST CLASSES!!!! SO excited about Biotech. I can't even explain it. This is an area of bio and chem that we don't really get exposure to at Carleton. Because I haven't worked in a lab, its completely foreign to me. We get to visit some huge pharmeceuticals (Topo Target and Leo) and my teacher works in the industry (something with business and market analysis of pharamceuticals). Biomedical HIV and AIDs was great as well. I went to Complexity of Cancer (which is really far away...a bus ride actually) to try and decide between that and HIV and AIDS. I got lost getting out of the building and it took me 15 mins to find the exit.

-In between my classes (5 hour break) had a coffee and explored and got my CPR number (kind of like an SS number, I only get one and its good for a lifetime.) Best part? It entitles me to free health care and meds.

-Went on a run with Adrian and explored the area. Great thing about Denmark are the bike paths...they make for easy running.

Friday, the 28th

-Had my first day of Art History, Nordic Mythology and Classical and Renaissance Rome. I am so exicted about all of these. Especially art history. I've never taken a course in art history before and we're studying one of my favorite periods (Classicism to Symbolism so 19th centuryish). Nordic mythology was HUGE (Bigger than orgo or intro bio) but they're splitting us up. The teachers were hilarious and just fed off each other. And Rome? Well, its rome. And we're going there for a week.

-my friend Jen came over to my Kollegium and we got ready for our DIS welcome party. On the way we got off at Kobenhavn H (Central Station) to find her host dad's office. Not gonna lie, it too us awhile....we circled the entir station looking for the "apotek"... but I found some great restaurants I want to try, as well as a Thai market!

-Got ready. I am super intimidated about going out in denmark, amidst the fashionable and fantastic danes. It went all right. We went on a canal tour (so cool, will try and post pictures soon) and then to a club which was ALLLLL DIS beacuse it was a welcome party. It was okay the music was not that great (think songs from five years but none of the really good ones) and it was too american.

-Going back home we stopped at the ever popular 7-11 and discovered why there are so many of them (one on each corner). There were lines OUT THE DOOR at all of them, and slow moving lines as well.

Saturday, the 29th

-Woke up late and tried to do some grocery shopping. I didn't finish. Have I mentioned that yogurt here? It comes in milk cartons and the texture is almost like...Danimals.

-Took the train into Copenhagen and met at DIS for a tour of the "other" Copenhagen. We went into Vesterbro, a part of the city outside central copenhagen. The former red-light district of C., it is now the place to be, according to my tour guide. There were some great shops and cafes that I want to find again.

-On above tour I tried "Super Fliers". These are traditional danish candies that danes will have sent to them when they are gone for awhile. No they are not minature paper airplanes as I thought. They are Licorie straws filled with pure salt and sugar.

-Had lunch at Cafe Citroen with some people from my tour. Beautiful sun and good company. It was really nice.

-Realized I had half an hour to do grocery shopping (danish stores close at 4 and aren't open Sundays) so I quickly finished my grocery shopping at Netto (almost like a bargain basement/dollar store with piles of food haphazardly crammed into shelves. Kinda sketchy)

-Bought chicken for the first time. I'm going to try and cook it sunday.

-Went and cooked dinner with Adrian and Jessi and Tim. Gradually more people from my Kollegium showed up. It ended with about 20 of us (including 7 rom poland and 2 from denmark and then the four of us) around the table with these ity bitty disposable shot glasses. So we tried polish vodka. One was just like Smirnoff but the other was definitely not. It was called Pitu and it had a picture of a lobster on the label...why would someone do that? I was just envisioning lobsters the whole time. It kind of smelled like seafood, but that could have just been the mental connection I was making. Needless to say I will not be having that again.

Sunday, the 30th

That's today!!!! I made breakfast and I'm about to try and run (its so windy so maybe not!). Plans for the day? Go into Copenhagen and wander and find someplace to do my HW.

Past Two Days (forgot to post this...written awhile ago)

the 24th, day 1 of orientation

Man, it was only yesterday? Well on this first day of orientation I got off to a great start by getting up late and getting lost and missing my first orientation meeting. I did succesfully find the train station and buy my rail pass and get on the correct train, however. So wandered around Copenhagen with some people from my Kollegium for awhile. Had lunch at an outdoor fair (Here till Sunday, it has greek, spanish and other ethnic foods...dutch pancake anyone?....as well as numerous nut/fruit/cheese/bakery stands) and sat on the steps of a fountain. During the afternoon I attended "Living and traveling in Denmark". See Below. That night we went grocery shopping (definitely needed more time, we closed down the shop and I had only found toilet paper, yogurt, broccoili, and bread). I also discovered I need to learn to cook. Despite some perfectly toasted bread, my eggs was well...the equivalent of a smooshed bouncy ball and the broccoli was the consistency of mashed potatos.

What I learned from Living and traveling Denmark

1. During my tour to Rome, we will get to cut lines (aka no waiting at the Vatican)

2. Europe is entirely too big and I have entirely too little time.

3. The danish, when on the inside of a train seat,will expect you move when they persistently rustle their bags. They will not speak to you.

4. The danish expect "more than third base", as my speaker put it, when they offer you a bed to sleep on for the night.

5. When americans come into a club, they say "Oh my god, we're at a bar". The danish say, "Oh fuck, there goes my night".

6. Danish humor: they find offensive jokes funny. Genocide? Supposedly hilarious here, though offensive to many americans. You should have seen our faces when he said that.

7. St peter's has coffee for 10 kroner ($2) instead of the customary 40 ($8)

8. They DO have peanut butter here.

the 25th, day 2 of Orientation

And so began my first day. Met a lot more people. I wonder how many will actually remain good friends? Oh how reminiscent of freshman year. Also learned some danish, and went to a Danish grocery story. Got my books (in an Ikea blue bag!) and went on a scavenger hung of Denmark which was actually fascinating. I want to do it again, but with a camera this time. I don't like Espresso, I discovered. Then went to a fair ( I did much better than the Carleton acitvities fair, I only signed up for a few things including the Climate Change committe and the Chicago 2016 olympics committee--they are deciding where to have it here in Copenhagen, a supposedly neutral city). That's it.