the teddy bears' picnic

I went into the woods today, Hareskoven, for the first time I've been here, despite the fact that it's only a block away. It's been a lazy weekend, and today was cloudy but warm and dry, the perfect opportunity to go on a walk before finals and winter sneak in. I didn't wander too far, for fear of getting lost and then having it get dark, as it does at an absurdly early hour these days. But it was really nice. Sometimes I took a main trail, other times a lightly trodden footpath, and sometimes I just wandered amongst the trees on a soft bed of fallen leaves. There were a good number of people in the woods today, mostly families with kids, but the adorable Danish kids just made me smile; they did not detract in any way from the peacefulness and 'naturalness' of the forest. It was so calming and relaxing and beautiful. I took my camera and my journal with me, and made good use of both.

Despite the warm weather (around 50° F), Christmas is in full bloom in Denmark. I went to three Christmas markets on Saturday. I find a lot of the merchandise to be a bit too Christmas-y - there's not much you can by to use any other time of year - but it's fun and festive. I haven't bought any Christmas presents yet (first I need to get throughbirthdayss in my host family-Siv's is tomorrow), but I'll get around to it. All the Christmas stuff is a bit overwhelming, but the lights everywhere certainly brighten the dark afternoons. There's a practical purpose to starting the Christmas festivities and decorating so soon--this would otherwise be a very depressing time of year.

Now that I've finished the bulk of my academic work here (besides finals), I've been thinking about what comes next. I will certainly be sad to leave this remarkable place, but it will be nice to be back in the states, to see friends and family and be surrounded by a language I understand (Oh, to know what is going on around me!), etc. I'm also pretty set on going to Africa this summer; I filled in a preliminary application to volunteer for two months at a Liberian refugee camp in Ghana. We'll see what happens there, but somehow or another I will end up volunteering or interning in Africa. I feel so ignorant in my dreams of Africa-I'm not interested in a certain place or problem, I'm just this privileged little white girl who thinks she can somehow make a difference on that poor, war-ravaged continent. But I'm tired of academia and the thought that some day I'll make a difference with the things that I've learned. I need to get into the field and put the knowledge and skills I do have, now, to work. I need to do something with my hands and my heart, and not just my head. And this is the time in my life to start.