drink up, me hearties, yo ho!

I've finally had all my classes. I'm excited for the health care classes, despite the fact that it's at 8:30 am, which means I have to leave Hareskov at 7:30. One of the teachers is very cute, and they both seem very dynamic. The material should be interesting; I would study public health more in the real world if biology didn't bore me so much and health-related things didn't gross me out so much. My Danish politics class will probably be a lot of work, but the professor is really funny, in a Danish sort of way. Migrants, Minorities, & Multiculturalism has the same teacher as my Jews in Europe class, but she's cute and old so it's not too bad. If I had to drop a class I would drop that one, mostly because it covers a broader area than my interest, and will be a lot of work. In that class, as well as in my Danish class, I have to keep an observation journal. That, combined with this and my real journal, equals quite a lot of reflection on my Danish experience. I'll probably reuse the same experience or example multiple times. But hey, then I'm sure to remember it. One thing I was reflecting on today about what I learned this summer is that it's so much better to have important conversations when sober, because they will be easier to remember and you can communicate more clearly, I think.

We spent the end of my Minorities class talking about Danish drinking habits. The legal age to purchase alcohol in Denmark is 16, much most youth start drinking at 12. It is a coming of age stage for most Danish youth, that lasts 5-8 years. Alcoholism is recognized as a problem, but not really addressed, at least in my classroom. There is one week a year when they encourage people to limit their drinking: women are told to have no more than 14 drinks a week, 21 for men. Everyone in my class was shocked by these statistics. I'm interested in learning more about the role and effect of alcohol in Denmark. It adds a dimension I'm less happy about to the society (though I enjoy the freedom to drink whenever and wherever I want). I got a bit of a taste of the Danish nightlife tonight (though not really) because we had the DIS social at the Happy Pig. It was only DIS people throughout the entire bar until 11. I met some new people, including a girl in my Danish Politics class who I may go to Madrid with. I also hung out with a bunch of Carleton people, getting to know them better. I didn't stay out too late, because I was unsure about the nightbus, but I made the last regular train and bus home. It was a fun night, and DIS got the bar to charge half price on everything, which was especially nice for my wallet.

Now though, it's certainly time for bed, because I have hours and hours of siteseeing ahead of me tomorrow, most of it on bike.