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.

Glædelig Kalkun Dag

My Thanksgiving this year combined the best of both worlds: good ol' Danish "hygge" and traditional American face-stuffing. Min far made his pumpkin soup when my parents were here last week (was it only last week?) so we started off with that, as usual. Then a nice Danish salad, and then the tidal wave of food. The turkey was delicious, the stuffing was stuffing, the sweet potatoes didn't have enough butter or maple syrup but were tasty nonetheless, the Brussels sprouts were rosenkål, the cranberry sauce was perfectly tart, and very few of the plain old boiled potatoes were eaten (am I forgetting anything? I don't think so.) Less dishes than usual, but less people too. We all ate very heartily, so there were surprisingly few leftovers; still the refridgerator is bursting at the seams. We took a break to dance and play some Danish Pictionary Junior, and then dessert. I made my chocolate cheesecake with a brunkager (gingersnap) crust. For some reason the cake was denser and sweeter than usual, but still absolutely delicious. We also had homemade pumpkin pie and whipped cream, to top everything off. It was a feast of food, a tradition transported, a family festival, a hearty hygge. You get the point.

And now, my papers are finished, my stomach is full, and I have had a delightfully hyggeligt aften. There is MUCH to be thankful for.

a piece of heaven

or, a train ride through god's country

there and back again

It's good to be back in Copenhagen. Fall is fully in swing now (actually, the Christmas season has already started), but it's warmer than Bucharest and Bratislava and dryer and more pleasant than Athens. During the past two weeks, the only sunny days were ones I spent in airports and on airplanes. Despite the cold and rain, I still had a fabulous time. In Athens, I explored the Acropolis and other ruins (for free, as a student in Denmark) and went to the beach, where the water was warm but I would have died if I went swimming because the air was so cold and wet and windy. What stood out most about the Acropolis was the broken umbrellas, more than the ancient ruins that I was too cold to really enjoy and appreciate. Still, I was very much aware of the history around me as I stood on a weathered, rocky outcropping at the base of the Acropolis overlooking the city. It really made me realize that for all that history repeats itself, for all that things can be restored or recreated, nothing will ever be the same.

Bucharest is bleak and sad, in a very post-communist sense, I think. At the same time, it felt surprisingly familiar and safe, especially inside of restaurants and cafes and museums. There were definitely many happy people, but I did notice one ride on the Metro when everyone in our car looked glum and sad. There were plenty of nice buildings falling apart, with yards in disarray. And the amount of neon billboards is almost astounding, and all for international corporations. It's hard to find Romanian beers to try, because pretty much all the restaurants and bars serve Carlsberg and Tuborg. I wish I knew more about recent Romanian history, because the city seems very unsure of its identity. They love the French, and recently unveiled a statue of Charles de Gaulle, who really has no relevance whatsover to the city or country. However, I can see Bucharest being the next Berlin in 15 years. It felt perfectly safe to walk around, at least with someone else, despite all the grafitti and buildings in disrepair, except when we had luggage. Walking out of the airport Dan and I were accosted by illegitimate taxi drivers trying to rip us off. The same happened when we walked by the train station on our way to our hostel. In general, people weren't particularly helpful. A woman who worked at the airport claimed there was no ATM. One young woman who spoke English helped us at first, but when she missed the first bus to town because she was confused about where to catch it, she stopped talking to us completely.

Dan and I expected a similar experience when we got off the plane in Bratislava, but instead we felt a welcome return to the European Union. Everything was clean and in good condition. The cold wet rain we had been experiencing farther south turned into dryer and more fun snow. Bratislava is like a smaller, cheaper, less tourist-filled Prague. The clean streets are filled with random statues, there are enough places of interest to fill more than a day, and a full night out (dinner and drinks) for two can cost about 20 dollars. Basically, Bratislava is a hidden gem of Central Eastern Europe. Dan and I had a snowball fight and built mini snowmen at the castle.

My parents come on Thursday(!!!) so I get to be a tourist again, this time in Wonderful Copenhagen. I'm excited to go to museums and eat at restaurants. Until then, I'm locking myself away to write a paper.

North by Southwest

After a brief respite in Copenhagen, I headed north to Bergen, Norway. It was a cloudy day, but as my plane broke through the clouds on its descent, I discovered I was going to heaven. For one, the hilly, rocky islands and slopes of the fjords only accentuated the bleak flatness of Denmark. But honestly, my train ride from Bergen to Oslo illuminated the most beautiful landscape I have ever seen in my entire life on this planet. Bergen is a cute little city worth visiting, but after everything I had seen, Oslo was kind of a letdown and way too expensive. There are some museums there that would be nice to visit, but my timing was off so instead I slept through most of my time in Oslo.

Madrid's a nice city, and my hosts were certain to make sure I had the necessary cultural experiences, though it's not someplace I feel I need to go back to. My hostel was loud, but the people in my room liked to sleep, and I met lots of nice people. I drank sangria and cider, ate paella, and had way too much tapas. I visited the Prado, home of Hieronymous Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights and too much religious art, the the Reina Sophia, a more interesting modern art museum that is home to Picasso's Guernica. I walked all around town, had a cafe con leche in the Retiro and a beer in Plaza Mayor. Despite two dinners that other people paid for and free tapas, it was an expensive trip since the Carleton contigency is used to eating out for lunch since they get most of the money in a stipend from Carleton to pay for it. It was very nice though to see and spend time with Ann and others from Carleton, and my Spanish friend Miguel that I met at French camp years ago.

From Madrid I flew to Cologne, the hub of discount airlines Germanwings. For all its randomness as a destination for me, Köln's a rather nice city, which a famous cathedral that miraculous survived WWII bombing right outside the doors of the train station. On Friday I went to the Chocolate Museum, which claims to be like Willy Wonka but is really just a museum about the history and production of chocolate, and does include some active chocolate making machinery and a glass elevator. The most impressive part of the museum, really, was the gift shop, with more flavors of chocolate products that I ever thought possible. I bought myself a Bio-Beer chocolate bar--an organic, fairtrade dark chocolate candy bar with a chocolate filling that has organic beer brandy. Fascinatingly delicious.

After the chocolate museum I headed south to the quaint old town of Oberwesel in the heart of the Rhine Valley to attend the fall retreat of the European Unitarian Universalists with Christopher. It was quite odd being a *conferee* of sorts, but a really enjoyable and relaxing time after all. Most of the attendees were expats and the children they've raised in Europe, though there were some honest-to-god Europeans among the crowd. Because of the ex-pat domination, the retreat had a very UUA feel, but with broader perspectives and a more international outlook. The guest speaker was Rev. Gordon Oliver from South Africa, who spoke on the theme of forgiveness and reconciliation. During the theme talk he discussed the steps he took to fight apartheid as mayor of Cape Town. The Sunday service took a more spiritual approach, and made me feel more connected to my faith here in Germany than I have been for the past two years in Minnesota and even on Star (which loses its religious affiliation somewhat when you work there). Sometimes you need to go far to find home. I had my first Samhain service since my youth group days, which was really nice. On Saturday afternoon I attended a workshop on international UU theology, and although I was rather critical of the New Zealeand theologian I had to present, I really liked what this one young Spanish theologian had to say about person-centered faith. The workshop in particular and the retreat overall made me much more aware of international Unitarian perspectives and standpoints. Still, in many ways this retreat could just have well have been in the states, yet I wonder what it's like to be a member of this religious minority in Europe. So many Americans have never heard of UUism, and the denomination is even smaller in most of Europe. Having retreats like this a couple times a year, even if there is often less than 100 attendees, most be really meaningful for the European UUs. It was pretty meaningful for me, as it is.

25,000 words on Berlin & Prague

disenfranchised?

My absentee ballot arrived in the mail yesterday, so I quickly filled it out, sealed it up, and went to the post office today to mail it. In my experience in Denmark so far, mailing ANYTHING to the US costs at least 8 kroner. But the postal worker today, when I was sending the most important document I have sent so far from Denmark, charged me only 7 kroner. Maybe it's cheaper to send things is official government envelopes, or maybe the woman was new and confused, or maybe she was taking a stand against American hegemony and ensuring that I couldn't be an active American citizen while living in Denmark. Either way, I'm concerned that my ballot will not get to New Jersey and thus my vote won't be counted in this close election. (Someone's actually running against my asshole Representative, and although he probably doesn't have a shot he does have a similar last name, so if you're from NJ's 5th, get out and vote! And watch the clip of Paul Aronsohn on the Colbert Report.)

In other news, autumn is in full swing. The trees haven't really started changing yet, because it was such a warm summer, but there's that chill in the air. The apple I ate today just tasted like fall. It was delightful. I'm about to head south to slightly warmer weather, but so it goes.

I had a pretty busy weekend; I went out with some friends Friday night, but didn't stay out to late because I had to wake up early on Saturday to make some nice fluffy American pancakes with real maple syrup. My host family didn't really think there was anything so special about the syrup, as my mom thought they would, but they quite enjoyed the pancakes. At the dinner table on Saturday night I observed the universality of tension between a mother and her sixteen-year-old daughter. "You can only go out with your friends if you get your homework done beforehand, and no talking online while you're doing it!" Mothers will always, wherever they are and whatever their daughters do, find some point on which to hassle them.

On Sunday, I returned to Jutland, spending many hours on a bus in order to visit Legoland. It was well worth it. The miniature world is AMAZING, and although the park is aimed towards kids, there are a lot of great rides. It's definitely a place I'd like to bring my kids some day, as an excuse to experience it even more fully.

In Danish news, the Danish People's Party has made a fool of themselves and their closed-minded racism. There's a travel warning for Danes going to Muslim areas, such as Turkey, where my host sister is going with her father tomorrow. Besides that, I don't think the rest of the world cares, yet. But we'll see--it took a few months for the cartoon crisis to get out of hand. That whole situation exploded because of a lot of overreacting on all sides along with an unwillingness to engage in dialogue. People even outside of Denmark continue to defend the publication of the cartoons as freedom of speech, as though in objecting to them Muslims are backwards people who will force us to do away with our most prized freedoms. An article in the New York Times quotes a Dutch woman with a Muslim husband: "No amount of explanation about free speech could convince her husband that the publication of cartoons lampooning Muhammad in a Danish newspaper was in any way justified." I do agree that the government can't legally do anything to Jyllands-Posten for publishing the cartoons, but the Prime Minister could have still met with the Muslim leaders in Denmark, and there is certainly no need to socially defend the paper. Just because there's freedom of speech doesn't mean you can be a complete jerk without suffering social consequences.

more disconcerts

Alas, DIS sponsored no such musical event. But "disconcerted" continues to describe my existence.

Yesterday I went to Dannerhuset, the women's shelter where I'm supposed to be volunteering, for a meeting with the committee I'm suppose to volunteer with. I had missed their first event because they had my wrong email, but now that everything was straightened out, I was excited to make it up to them. The volunteer coordinator had emailed me that the meeting would be on October 4th, at 18:30, and unless I let them know I couldn't attend, they'd be counting on me. So I go. And although there are plenty of people in the house, there's absolutely no sign of the meeting. One nice women helps me look in all possible places, but the events committee could not be found. So I left, frustrated because I had scheduled my day around this meeting and even more because my attempt to be productive and proactive had failed.

When I got home, I emailed the committee. Turns out the meeting was at 19:00, though this hadn't been communicated in any of the emails I had received (unless of course the Danes decide to invent their own numerals). I will be at their meeting next Monday at 19:00, godwilling, and hopefully I will be able to contribute in some way, though I will be traveling during the event they will be discussing, the house's birthday on November 2.

My travel plans, the flights at least, have finally been finalized. I may still end up sleeping on the streets of some random European city, but so it goes. I wish I could make some sort of interactive map showing where I'm going, but since I have not been graced with such talents, an explanatory paragraph will have to do.

On October 14th, I leave for my study tour of Berlin and Prague. I don't know the itinerary yet, but I will be back in Copenhagen on the morning of October 20th. Bright and early the next morning, this Bergen County girl flies to Bergen, Norway, to spend a day and a night before seeing the fjords and the mountains by rail on my way to Oslo. I'll have about 24 hours to experience Oslo before I take off for Madrid, to visit my Carleton roommate Ann and my friend Miguel. I'll be there until the 26th, when I'll fly to Cologne, where I'll spend the night and then take the train to Oberwesel, Germany, to attend a European Unitarian Universalist retreat with Christopher. After the weekend retreat, I'll spend another night in Cologne, before flying to Athens on October 30 to meet up with my friend Dan. We'll spend two nights in Athens before traveling north to Bucharest, Romania, where we'll spend another two nights before moving on to Bratislava, Slovakia. Finally, after taking advantage of the cheap prices of Eastern Europe, we'll return to Copenhagen on the morning of November 5th, full of energy and ready to go back to classes the next day.

topsy-turvy

While in America, a teacher was suspended because some kid told his parents he saw nude art on a class field trip to a mainstream museum (Museum Field Trip Deemed Too Revealing), parents, students, teachers, & pedagogues took to the streets in Copenhagen today to protest budget cuts in childcare and other welfare programs (Protests paralyse nation's schools and day care centres). There are times when it's hard to notice the differences between Denmark and America, but reading the news today, it's almost disgustingly obvious. In the US, there are places where one crazy parent can complain that her child was exposed to some art and a qualified teacher is out of a job. In Denmark, people who already pay up to 60% of their income in taxes are more than happy (in principle and in reality) to pay even more if that means that their children can attend better schools and childcare and the elderly can live in better nursing homes. Denmark is far from a perfect country, but America...sometimes America just sucks.

domestications and destinations

Now that I actually have some pictures on my family and house, I suppose I'll introduce them to you.
This is the living room and dining room of the house, as seen from the kitchen. Besides this, there are three small bedrooms and a bathroom. It's small, even by Danish standards, but very hygge.

This is me with Eva, my host mother, and Siv, my host sister. I don't have any pictures yet of Mikkel, my older brother, because he lives on his own and only comes around occasionally.


Everyone in Denmark has a summer house (practically—and it would have been harder to save the Jews if they didn't), so on Friday night Eva and I took to Askø, a little island north of Lolland, which is south of Sjaelland. If possible, the islands of southern Denmark are even flatter than the rest of the state. There are dykes and tall trees along the coast of Askø so that everything doesn't wash away when the water is high. It's quiet and peaceful, but unless you're one of the handful of farmers who lives there year round, there really is nothing to do. There are lots of orchards on the island, both on the farms and in the summerhouse yards. Mostly apples and pears, but we found some plum trees and wild blackberries grow everywhere. There's no beach, just a platform jutting out into the water where you can swim or fish or sunbathe. The water is incredibly calm and clear. It made me realize that there aren't enough seas in America. There are rivers and there are bays and there are harbors. And there are plenty of inland lakes and such. But anywhere there's ocean water it's usually deep and cold and moving. Out here, all the salt water is calm and shallow and warm, at least everywhere I've been. Even at Skagen on a windy day, the waves were pretty insignificant.

Being that there's not much to do on Askø and the adjoining island Lilleø (ø is Danish for island), we left early Saturday afternoon. Saturday night I met up with my friend Dan, intending to go to the International Party at Studenterhuset. The party turned out to be pretty lame, so we decided to wander around and barhop. We ended up going to the Happy Pig, where I lightly bumped into someone on my way to the bar. He started saying something to me in Danish, so I told him I only spoke English. Turns out he's South African, though has been living in Denmark for 9 years. Dan and I started talking to this guy, who later introduced us to his Danish friend and his Norweigan friend. We talked a lot of politics with them; they were very happy to hear that we weren't Republicans. I also learned a very sad fact, that New Jersey's bad rep isn't limited to the states. In fact, the state's image might be even worse in Europe, because people are less likely to have the firsthand knowledge that it's not all the trash it's talked up to be. Despite the fact that I'm from New Jersey, these three guys were very nice and friendly, and when they left the Happy Pig they invited Dan and I to come with them to Cafe Sommersko. The event at Cafe Sommersko was a birthday party, and although we felt awkward because we knew no one at this private party, there was plenty of free wine and cake to enjoy. Eventually all the partigoers started leaving, so Dan and I did too, and walked around the city for a while, heading home around 3 am. Copenhagen is actually more awake at 3 am than it is at 11 pm. It's a crazy city.

Today was also adventure filled, as I went with DIS to a football game. FCK v. Brøndby, the two biggest Copenhagen teams. It was pretty crazy. Louder than I expected, but also more in order than I expected. There were no fights between fans, as far as I saw, though some Brøndby fans, upset by their defeat, did tear apart their stadium chairs and throw pieces at the field. The players themselves were pretty agressive as well. We had the lyrics to the FCK song and had been taught them by our Danish teachers, but when they played it there was too much overall loudness to understand anything. Because there were so many DIS students, I think we kind of missed out on some of the cultural experience because we weren't sitting next to regular rabid fans. However, on the train to DIS hours before the game and on the walk to the train station after the game we certainly got a sense of it. Everyone was screaming, whether their team won or lost. There was definitely some tension between the fans, but what I saw never seemed on the point of eruption. The stadium is in a really nice upscale neighborhood, quite the contrast from most major American sports stadiums, I think. It was an interesting juxtaposition of the loud, drunk fans and the ritzy restaurants and apartments. This is a country of interesting juxtapositions.

culturally disconcerting

This is what I saw at the train platform yesterday morning on my way to school. Lovely, yet extraordinarily depressing and disconcerting. Because soon instead of a lovely sunrise, all I will see is darkness. I am SO not excited for that.

Of course, much more happened yesterday than just a sunrise. In fact, it was a day filled with cultural experiences. I finally have a bike, which I rode to the train station on my way back into the city yesterday afternoon. It's still going to take some time to get used to having a pedal break again, but it's really nice to have another mode of transportation. For dinner I went on a picnic with some DIS kids and interns at the King's Garden. Kongens have is behind some castle and is filled with grassy lawn and sculptures, from the traditional H.C. Andersen one to modern ones. We played this game called Viking. It's a lawn game, kind of like bocce...kinda. There are five wooden blocks standing in a row on each side, and a bigger wooden block with a crown (the king) in between the two lines. Each side stands behind their line and has to throw wooden rods to knock down the wooden blocks on the other side.The rules are a bit more complicated than that, but that's the jist of it. It was a lovely day and a lovely picnic.

After the picnic I headed back to DIS with two friends, and eventually we met up with a bunch of other people and went to Christiania, which was celebrating its 35th birthday. That was even more of a cultural experience, and a lot of fun. We saw the very end of the fireworks from outside of the city. Inside there was a DJ and dancehall lights at the first main intersection. We danced there for awhile, and then wandered around for a bit. The party got a bit scary when someone started throwing homemade firecracker grenade things around, but luckily no one got hurt, just a little shook up and our group got separated. At 11 a concert started with a folksy old hippie band. They were really good, but it got really crowded, especially with Americans (at least with lots and lots of DIS kids). I left when the last person I had come with left (though I certainly still knew a good number of the people in the crowd) and followed him around for a bit, up and down the main street, running into more people we knew and talking to them. At one point, back by the concert, a Danish man asked if a group of us were from Spain or Italy. We obviously weren't Danish, but we didn't look like Americans. It was kind of flattering. A little before 1, after enjoying a cheap falafel sandwich from the falafel truck, I headed home, successfully taking the nightbus to Åvej.

I was probably the least intoxicated person at this intergenerational birthday bash (one old guy splashed his beer on his hair as the concert began, another made my friend do a sort of jig before he let him pass by through the crowd), but I still had a really great time. The communal spirit in the celebrating was awesome--the way the party took over the entire town, so you could be sitting in a café or bar or be at a concert or at a dance or at a bonfire, etc., and still be at the same party.

cpr saves lives

That is to say, having a CPR number in Denmark means I get to go to the doctor for free. I finally have a CPR number, and the yellow card to prove it (and to use as a library card). I feel so much more legit somehow.

I also finally made some Danish friends this weekend. Mikkel (my host brother) took me to see his school Friday evening, which doesn't sound all that interesting, right? However, this being Denmark and all, his school of course had a bar, with a "Friday café." There were only a handful of people there this weekend, because there was a big party last Friday, but I think that was actually better. Something big and exciting, like a theme party or karaoke, would certainly have been fun. But instead I got to talk to and get to know everyone there. I even contributed my iPod to DJ'ing—at least the song 99 Luftballons. I had such a good time, drinking and talking and singing with these Danes. It was a cheap night out too (though I do owe Mikkel a drink or two for buying dinner) because this was a school bar rather than some overpriced Copenhagen café. All in all I think Friday was my best night in Denmark so far. It was so much fun to meet and talk to and hang out with nice Danes my age. I really hope to go to another Friday café soon and hang out with Mikkel's friends some more.

På lørdag, I slept late and then worked on my Danish Jewish Museum paper. Then Siv and I made dinner and afterwards went i byen, to Nyhavn, where we got coffee in one of the chic cafés along the canal. Then we walked along Stroget and people-watched in Rådhuspladsen and then went home early. This morning I woke up early to finish my paper, and then made challah using my greatgrandmother's recipe, as recorded by my mother—my personal Rosh Hashanah celebration. I don't think I let the dough rise long enough because the bread turned out a little too dense, and I didn't put enough eggwash on before baking, but considering I have no experience baking bread and was converting from cups to deciliters, I think I did a pretty good job.

I worry, but there's nothing I can do about it.

That I think perfectly captures the major differences between American and Danish childrearing.

My 16-year-old host sister, Siv, like the average Danish teen, drinks a lot. Danish society legitimizes this behavior, since the legal drinking age (which was only recently restricted) is 16. However, parents like Eva still worry about their kids because teenagers are the most likely group to do stupid dangerous things when drunk. But unlike American parents, who would ground their teens if they thought they were going out and drinking too much, Eva just expresses her concern and lets Siv do what she wants (as long as that doesn't involve having parties in the house that would mess anything up). Eva partied as well when she was a teen, but that's not why she can't stop Siv now. Danes grant their children more freedom, to make their own decisions and their own mistakes, to take responsibility for their own actions. They may suggest their child choose a certain option, a certain path. But they cannot try to force them to, they cannot restrict the child's behavior outside of the house, and rarely actually restrict the child to the house. They let them go, and hope for the best.

my karma ran over your dogma, and now i'm in trouble...

It seems I've done something to spiritually offend Copenhagen's public transportation system, because I've been having some bad luck with it lately. Last Thursday I almost missed my study tour because the train stopped in Emdrup. I followed the crowd and took the bus, which got me in at 9:15 exactly. Luckily I had the leaders phone numbers so they knew to wait for me. On Tuesday the computer system for the trains was done, so my train never came and although I left my house extra early, I missed half of my class. Luckily all the trains were messed up, so about half the class was late. And the Wednesday night, the train decided to specifically target me. When it pulled into my station, I pressed the button on the door for it to open. But it didn't. Instead of flashing green, it was red. Other people got out at other doors, but I was stuck. I ran to another door, but by the time I got there, the train had started to move again. I got off at the next stop, thinking there might be a busstop with a map so I could figure out how to get home. But no...I was in an abandoned parking lot in the middle of nowhere. Turns out I wasn't far from home at all, but who knew? I had to call my hostmom at midnight and get a ride from her.

In other news, I went to Tivoli yesterday with Laura. It's a wonderful place, so much cleaner and calmer and nicer than American amusement parks. Plus no lines and right in the heart of the city. I was feeling brave so I went on the swings that go way high up. The view is so spectacular. You can see the entire city underneath you, and all the way to Sweden even.

Classwork is finally picking up; I have a 3000 word paper due Monday that I've done some of the research for (ie, I visited the museum that the paper is about) but I haven't started writing yet. I'm 95% sure I'm going to drop my Migrants class. I'm kind of sad because it's interesting material but there's no way I'd be able to get as much out of it as I'd like and with its conflicting due dates I don't think I'd manage. I feel bad only taking 4 classes, not because it feels like slacking, because it doesn't as I'm used to only 3 classes, but because there are so many other interesting classes I could have taken. At Carleton I've done a pretty good job balancing the types of courses I'm taking, but this semester except they're all pretty similar in form and/or in content. So the issues of migrants, minorities, and multiculturalism, at least in terms of Denmark or Jews, will continued to be addressed, just in different classes.

where the northern sea meets the northern sky

Having traveled through northern Jutland, it is good to be back in Copenhagen. Stereotypically, Copenhageners think jyllanders are hicks, which I did not find to be true; however, there is much more life in the city, and it has become something familiar. It's still surreal though, to be here.

Jutland was nice, but made me realize just how small this little country is. Aarhus, the second largest city, has a total of TWO ice cream places, only one of which was open on Saturday afternoon. It reminded me a lot of Dumfries, Scotland. Cute, but barely a city. There is a lot of history there though, and they are slowly uncovering these amazing frescoes on the walls of the church. Aarhus is also home to Den Gamle By, which is a Plymouth Plantation-esque open air museum of old buildings from Aarhus. There are many old buildings still to be found in the center of the city as well.

From Aarhus we traveled to Aalborg, which felt bigger during my brief nighttime experience, I think because the buildings aren't as old, but it is not even the third biggest city in Denmark. We stayed at a hostel a little outside the city, along the river. It was very pretty. There is this one block of condensed nightlife in Aalborg, that we stopped by. The prices were about half what they are in Copenhagen. It is very lively, but we did not stay out too late and sadly did not make any friends.

After visiting a grammar school (Grades 1-9) outside of Aalborg, we drove north, stopping at Frederickshavn Naval Base. I found the visit interesting only because onboard the naval vessel they are as concerned about fire safety as we are on Star (but so much more prepared) and they create all their own drinking water using an RO. The highlights of the trip came as we approached the northern tip of Denmark. We found ourselves transported to the middle of the desert, or so it seemed. After climbing to the top of this gigantic dune and sharing an absolutely foul shot of Gammel Dansk, we headed to the ocean for a brief yet surprisingly delightful swim.
From the beach we went to the town of Skagen, where we were staying the night. Skagen is like the Martha's Vineyard of Denmark, and by mid-September, it's practically a ghost town. There is absolutely nothing to do at night. As it caters to primarily to wealthy Copenhageners, prices are also high. However, it does have a nice art museum and just north of town is Grenen, where the seas meet.
Here you can see the northernmost tip of Denmark.From there you can look south--all of Jutland is before you.This is the farthest north I have ever been--notice the waves coming in from opposite directions.
All in all it was a very good tour. The stops lacked cohesion, but were interesting and enjoyable. The leaders and group members were great, and I won a ticket to Tivoli. I learned a bit about the relationship/differences between Copenhageners and Jutlanders, and got a greater perspective on Denmark outside of Copenhagen. Rural Denmark lacks the beauty of steep Norweigan fjords and stuff, but it has its own beauty, especially that dune, and was worthwhile to visit.

Even Copenhagen, like Skagen, is starting to get quiet, now that tourist season is over. We walked by the canals this afternoon, and saw that the tourboats were practically empty even though the weather was beautiful. It's nice, not to be surrounded by throngs of tourists, but it's also kind of sad that more people aren't experiencing this remarkable city.

As for my own city, I saw the trailer for the World Trade Center movie today. Before I knew what movie it was there were scenes of New York, and that made me happy/homesick. But then I realized what it was and that made me tense and upset. That movie should not have been made and I cannot understand why anyone would see it. Not in New York, not elsewhere in America, not in Denmark. Next time I see something that reminds me of home, I want it to be happy.