If you want the truth about my exchange and how I'm doing, then this blog post is for you. If you are tired of the shallow posts saying how grand life is, then this post is for you. If you care about how I'm REALLY doing, then this post is for you. Otherwise, stop reading now.
I decided to write this post awhile ago. I just haven't been able to do it until now. I figured that I owe it to my faithful readers, family, and friends. You deserve to know how I really am doing.
It's the day before Thanksgiving. Almost a month before Christmas. Just weeks until my 18th birthday. I've been in Denmark almost 4 months right now. Some days it feels like it's been a century. Other days, it's like the blink of an eye.
I've had my struggles here in Denmark. As I'm sure all the exchange students here this year have. It hasn't all been a bed of roses or a walk in the park. It's been a year, give or take, since I first filled out my application and completed my interviews. Wow, how long ago that seems. And how surreal that I'm actually here now. I'm doing something that I never in my entire life desired to do...I guess people and dreams can change, can't they.
Ok, it's time for the 'nitty gritty'. The truth about all things.
That non existant bed of roses that I mentioned earlier is true. It hasn't been. Every day is a challenge for me. Something I have to work for. I have to work for my language, my school, my rotary, my friends, and most importantly, myself. I want to look back in this year and have no regrets.
Having friends over here has been hard. My closest friends are other exchange students. I love them all to pieces. I do have some Danish friends, but not a million like I would like. My class of 26 people is generally very nice to me. But sadly, I can say I'm only genuinly friends with less than half. The language barrier didn't scare me at first when I came. Everyone said that Danes love speaking English and would gladly practice on me. Well, I don't know which Danes they have been talking to, but my Danes choose to almost never speak English. The language barrier is now a huge deal with making friends. I speak Danish when I can, but not understanding what your classmates are saying to each other across the lunch table or classroom is just a horrible secluding feeling...do I wish I had more Danish friends? Yes. But I love the ones I have right now and I really wouldn't trade them. I just keep hoping I'll make more as the language goes along.
Speaking of Danish...it goes. It just goes. I'm like a duck out of water a lot of the time. I understand so much somedays. And other days it's hard to make out two words. I have the reading and writing level of a middle schooler I think. That is to say, I can read a lot and write a lot. But not everything. Especially not super scientific or advanced pieces. My speech, however, is probably more like that of a small child. 5-8 maybe. That's the frustrating part. Thinking about the language and everything I say before I say it. I'm
not worried about saying it perfect anymore, cuz heaven knows, I probably will never say it just perfect. I still get laughed at or chuckled at when I try to say some things. That's a bit disheartening. It was cute in the beginning, but really? Four months in, and you're still having a problem with my accent? I don't comment on when you say English words wrong...so yea. Danish is coming. Slowly. I like to think I'm on track with most of the rest of the exchange students here. But somedays I'm not so sure. Sometimes I feel like I'm so left behind. That I'll never dream in Danish again. That I'll never hit the fluency where I can have a whole conversation. Those things worry me a great deal...I try to integrate Danish into life whenever I can. I type to friends in Danish and I speak when I can. I just want it so bad. And I fear it'll never come.
Now for home. Do I miss my home of Newport? Yes. And no. I miss my family a lot. I miss being my daddy's little girl. I miss my mom. I kiss fighting with my brother and sister. I miss terribly my niece and nephew who are like my own children. I miss them all. I miss my friends too. Not as much as I originally expected too. But I do. I muss driving the loser lap around town cuz there is nothing better to do. Miss Dutch bros. ^_^ but in general, I don't miss 'newport' very much at all. Sure, it's my home. But here is something I realized the other day. I am really blessed. Some people don't have any place on God's green earth that they can call a home. And I've got 4. My home in Nebraska. That will always be my home. My home in Ohio. My family will always welcome me. My home in Newport. Where I decided to let myself sink in and take root. And now my home here. Denmark. It is a blessing to say I have that many homes and places where I know I belong. But you can only be in one home at a time. And you'll always miss the others. I have cried since I've been here. Not a cry to go back, but a cry to not be forgotten. Replaced. A cry that you'll always love me no matter where in the world I go. That's what I cry for.
And my last, but certainly not least, subject that I will be addressing tonight with complete truthfulness is changes. Changes here in Denmark. Ones I see in myself. Ones I wish to see. Ones I wish will never take place...I have changes already since coming to Denmark. I'm becoming who I am. What I see so far is that I'm becoming assertive again. I've changed a lot in the past few years. I lost who I was for a long time. But now, I see that person coming back. It might not sound like much to you, but I've struggled with being assertive for a long time. I've been working on it over here. If I don't do it for myself, no one else is going to. It's not a bother to people to ask questions or favors. And it's not embarrassing. I've asked so many people for help out here. More than a year in Newport probably. Huge change for me...another change I'm working on and that I gradually see improvements in is my self esteem and confidence. I used to be a confident girl with esteem as high as the sky. But somehwere along the bumpy ride of life, I lost a lot of it. I'm working on that over here. People ask me why I've stopped using make up or why I only use mascara now. Because I want to feel beautiful just being me. I don't want to be covered up anymore. I want to be real. And I've been doing that here. I wear some mascara and that's all. And believe it or nor, I feel beautiful no matter what. Because I am beautiful. You can't get your worth from anyone but yourself. I'm perfectly, beautifully, and wonderfully made...now a change I don't ever want to see in my time here. Alcohol. The drinking age is 16 here and it's hugely part of danish teen life to get hammered at parties. My classmates and friends no that I don't want to get drunk. They have a hard time accepting this though. I don't want to regret anything I do out here. And a drunken night at a party could undo my whole life. I've seen what alcohol can do to people and families. Alcoholism is a huge part in my family background and history. I've never had the desire to drink or get drunk. I don't think people realize this. I don't think they can really understand my reason: I care too much. I care about my future. I care about hurting my family. I care about hurting myself. I've always been the one to think about the consequences something could have. I've never been a live in the moment kinda gal. My decisions do effect other people. Just like their decisions effect me. In my life I never want to have a negative impact on someone's life. I don't want that part of me to change. It's too important.
So...I think that's about it. The truth. The real truth. Nothing but the truth. I bet some people are reading this thinking why would I post something like this? Well, as part of the changes thing, I'm working on not caring about what people think. It's only what I think that matters. And I thought this would be good to inform people on how I'm really doing. So! If you want more truth, send a comment or email. Questions are always welcome.
Love you all so much!
Rebekah Smith <3
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Mamma Mia!!
Well, as I mentioned in my last post, I will now tell you about the rest of my weekend! =) Here we go!
So after my tour of Næstved, I managed to catch my bus in time (always a good thing) and I went back home. I was only there for a few hours, however, before I was picked up =)
See, I was going to Copenhagen for the weekend with a family from rotary! How exciting! I was picked up by Marianne Bülow and her sister at about 4, then off to Copenhagen we went! We got into the city at about 6 maybe? not sure, but we parked the car and got out. We walked towards Tivoli (the oldest amusement park in the world) and then we walked towards this restaurant. A really fancy one, I might add. (Better than Applebees ^_^) And we went in and ate dinner there. I MUST tell you, I met probably the nicest waiter in all of my life! He was sooooooooooooooooo nice!!! He heard I didn't speak English, and he spoke directly to me, and he asked about why I was in Denmark and for how long and stuff like that. SO NICE! He had a pretty thick british accent, and I think he said he came to DK in the 80's and just never left ^_^ yea, if it were up to me, I would have tipped him a million kr. He just started off my night amazingly, and when we left, he told me to have the best year and the best time here. Yea, he was awesome =D
After dinner, we walked outside and towards the main entrance to Tivoli. It was all decked out for halloween =D it was great. We were able to go inside and walk aruond the park for a bit. It's closed right now, but will open again next week. We were all just a really special group that got to go in =D Tivoli looks like so much fun, if only I had enough time to come back next summer to go! So we walked around the park and then finally started heading towards the theater house in the park. O yea, I forgot to mention, but I was going to see the musical "Mamma Mia" performed live and in Danish!!!!!! I found out that the play was coming to Denmark a few weeks after I arrived (I saw in a magazine) and I new from that moment that I wanted to go! And then in late Sept. a woman from my rotary club called me and told me she had an extra ticket and would I like to go...WOULD I LIKE TO GO!!!!!! yea, I was sooooo excited and looking forward to going. =DD So we got to the theater house and went inside and waited for us to be allowed to be seated. (I really need to mention, that this wasn't an ordinary showing of the play, it actually doesn't open for another week. But this was a special showing for rotary. This was a fund raiser to get the polio vaccine to the few countries that need it still. I found out just the other day, that with all the money made on this night and the money that Bill Gates has promised to donate, over 100,000 children can now be vaccinated. Way to go rotary! Make a difference in the world!) When we were finally allowed to take our seats we went in. The seats that Marianne had gotten were about 4 rows back from the stage and dead center! Yes, it was amazing. The musical was performed in Danish for the first time, and they all did a marvelous job =D I was able to follow the story and understand a lot, and I was really glad for that. It was an amazing time at the musical. I loved every second of it =D
Then on Sunday (Marianne and I stayed in her flat in Copenhagen for the night), her husband and 2 sons came to see us. We left the house at about 11:30 and set off for a tour around the city of Copenhagen! It was just a lovely time. The best ever. And I thought Næstved was lovely, well it's got nothing on Copenhagen ^_^ we walked down the street and I looked to my left and guess what I saw! The royal guards were marching down the street! No kidding. Haha so we walked a little behind them and walked to the queen's castle and saw the changing of the guards at noon. That was really neat to see. Then after that we walked through the royal garden and saw the new opera house that seats over 1,000 people. We walled down the canal-front and saw the headquarters of the biggest ship building company. It's owned by denmark's rishest man, go figure. We walked all over to where the little mermaid usually sits. She is on vacation in china right now though ^_^ then past this old english church. I saw about twenty churches in Copenhagen I swear =P we went to this old park that's for remembering WWII and all the soldiers. That was really cool to see. And there were statues everywhere in the city! Some kings, some heros and soldiers. Really awesome. After walking for a little over an hour and a half, we made our way back to the flat for some lunch. But on te way, I went into 2 churches. One was a Russian church, and I went to the top and inside the sanctuary, they were having a little ceremony. A baby was being baptized I think. I didn't take any pictures, but that was cool to experience. Then I went to this other church, one of the biggest they told me. It was absolutely gorgeous inside. There was a domed ceiling and all 12 desciples' pictures were up with their names. And there was an old set of organ pipes on one end of the room, and on the opposite end there was a newer set. It was a gorgeous old church. I'm really happy I went inside. Then! We finally got back for lunch.
After lunch, we went out again! But this time we didn't walk very far, we got onto a boat =D and took a canal tour. It was so amazing to see most of Copenhagen from the water. I saw so much, and such beautiful buildings. Once that tour was over, we set out on foot into the dead center of the city. We saw all the shops and I saw some familiar brands =) (Tommy hilfiger, I miss home) haha and gucci! I saw that, and was tempted to go inside =P I got this really delicous hot chocolate from a street vender =) I saw a balloon animal making clown! And some of the most 'hygglidt' (cozy) things in Copenhagen, there we little cafes with seats outside about every 30 meters, I swear! And there was a fire outside next to the tables sometimes, and usually there were fuzzy warm blankets on each chair outside. How cozy!! I want to go to one =P (I learned this is just a recent phenomonon in DK, only the past 10 yrs or so.) there was one last sight to see in Copenhagen before the day was done! So we walked over to this other church with a huge cylindrical tower right next to it. Guess what we were going to do =P I don't remember if I have ever mentioned it, but I'm deathly afraid of heights ^_^ however, I haven't once given up a chance to go up high when someone asks =P up the tower we went! This was no ordinary tower though. No stairs. Inside it was jst a spiralled incline. All the way to the top. (there was a floor with a modern art museum in it. I really am not fond of modern art. It doesn't speak to me at all. I could make art like that, people) but finally we made it to the top. It was gorgeous to see all of Copenhagen from a birds eye view. Loved it. This was one of the highlights of my trip =) and then, the trip was over. =( we headed home after eating again at about 8? I didntt get home until almost 10, so yea haha it was a great trip though =D
So that! My friends is the rest of my weekend. I'm hoping to be posting pictures here soon. So please come back and check them out. Take care of yourself! Miss you all. Keep reading, and keep questioning and commenting. Love you!
Rebekah<3
THINGS IVE LEARNED::
-It's not uncommon at all for guys (haven't seen a girl do it yet) to wear the same outfit two days in a row.
-scarves are super popular here, even among the guys.
-big, clunky looking wedge shoes are 'in'. They looked awkward at first, but I really want a pair.
-most girls wear some type of heel everyday whether it's a wedge, boots, or stilettos.
-if you're riding a bike, it seems like it's safer than walking. Cars will stop for bikers crossing the street, but if you're on foot, they WILL hit you ^_^ (that's not actually true, but it seems like it. Very different from Newport where pedestrians have the rght of way no matter what)
-a lot of people consider going to McDonalds a real novelty and treat. Most people go at MOST once a month. But that is a lot!
-WINTER IS COMING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There is now frost on the ground in the mornings, and it is near 0°C, luckily, I won't have to ride my bike from Nov 13 on. (I switch families)
-in Taiwan they don't celebrate Christmas =((( (my second family has a son there right now)
KEEP READING! THANK YOU! love!
So after my tour of Næstved, I managed to catch my bus in time (always a good thing) and I went back home. I was only there for a few hours, however, before I was picked up =)
See, I was going to Copenhagen for the weekend with a family from rotary! How exciting! I was picked up by Marianne Bülow and her sister at about 4, then off to Copenhagen we went! We got into the city at about 6 maybe? not sure, but we parked the car and got out. We walked towards Tivoli (the oldest amusement park in the world) and then we walked towards this restaurant. A really fancy one, I might add. (Better than Applebees ^_^) And we went in and ate dinner there. I MUST tell you, I met probably the nicest waiter in all of my life! He was sooooooooooooooooo nice!!! He heard I didn't speak English, and he spoke directly to me, and he asked about why I was in Denmark and for how long and stuff like that. SO NICE! He had a pretty thick british accent, and I think he said he came to DK in the 80's and just never left ^_^ yea, if it were up to me, I would have tipped him a million kr. He just started off my night amazingly, and when we left, he told me to have the best year and the best time here. Yea, he was awesome =D
After dinner, we walked outside and towards the main entrance to Tivoli. It was all decked out for halloween =D it was great. We were able to go inside and walk aruond the park for a bit. It's closed right now, but will open again next week. We were all just a really special group that got to go in =D Tivoli looks like so much fun, if only I had enough time to come back next summer to go! So we walked around the park and then finally started heading towards the theater house in the park. O yea, I forgot to mention, but I was going to see the musical "Mamma Mia" performed live and in Danish!!!!!! I found out that the play was coming to Denmark a few weeks after I arrived (I saw in a magazine) and I new from that moment that I wanted to go! And then in late Sept. a woman from my rotary club called me and told me she had an extra ticket and would I like to go...WOULD I LIKE TO GO!!!!!! yea, I was sooooo excited and looking forward to going. =DD So we got to the theater house and went inside and waited for us to be allowed to be seated. (I really need to mention, that this wasn't an ordinary showing of the play, it actually doesn't open for another week. But this was a special showing for rotary. This was a fund raiser to get the polio vaccine to the few countries that need it still. I found out just the other day, that with all the money made on this night and the money that Bill Gates has promised to donate, over 100,000 children can now be vaccinated. Way to go rotary! Make a difference in the world!) When we were finally allowed to take our seats we went in. The seats that Marianne had gotten were about 4 rows back from the stage and dead center! Yes, it was amazing. The musical was performed in Danish for the first time, and they all did a marvelous job =D I was able to follow the story and understand a lot, and I was really glad for that. It was an amazing time at the musical. I loved every second of it =D
Then on Sunday (Marianne and I stayed in her flat in Copenhagen for the night), her husband and 2 sons came to see us. We left the house at about 11:30 and set off for a tour around the city of Copenhagen! It was just a lovely time. The best ever. And I thought Næstved was lovely, well it's got nothing on Copenhagen ^_^ we walked down the street and I looked to my left and guess what I saw! The royal guards were marching down the street! No kidding. Haha so we walked a little behind them and walked to the queen's castle and saw the changing of the guards at noon. That was really neat to see. Then after that we walked through the royal garden and saw the new opera house that seats over 1,000 people. We walled down the canal-front and saw the headquarters of the biggest ship building company. It's owned by denmark's rishest man, go figure. We walked all over to where the little mermaid usually sits. She is on vacation in china right now though ^_^ then past this old english church. I saw about twenty churches in Copenhagen I swear =P we went to this old park that's for remembering WWII and all the soldiers. That was really cool to see. And there were statues everywhere in the city! Some kings, some heros and soldiers. Really awesome. After walking for a little over an hour and a half, we made our way back to the flat for some lunch. But on te way, I went into 2 churches. One was a Russian church, and I went to the top and inside the sanctuary, they were having a little ceremony. A baby was being baptized I think. I didn't take any pictures, but that was cool to experience. Then I went to this other church, one of the biggest they told me. It was absolutely gorgeous inside. There was a domed ceiling and all 12 desciples' pictures were up with their names. And there was an old set of organ pipes on one end of the room, and on the opposite end there was a newer set. It was a gorgeous old church. I'm really happy I went inside. Then! We finally got back for lunch.
After lunch, we went out again! But this time we didn't walk very far, we got onto a boat =D and took a canal tour. It was so amazing to see most of Copenhagen from the water. I saw so much, and such beautiful buildings. Once that tour was over, we set out on foot into the dead center of the city. We saw all the shops and I saw some familiar brands =) (Tommy hilfiger, I miss home) haha and gucci! I saw that, and was tempted to go inside =P I got this really delicous hot chocolate from a street vender =) I saw a balloon animal making clown! And some of the most 'hygglidt' (cozy) things in Copenhagen, there we little cafes with seats outside about every 30 meters, I swear! And there was a fire outside next to the tables sometimes, and usually there were fuzzy warm blankets on each chair outside. How cozy!! I want to go to one =P (I learned this is just a recent phenomonon in DK, only the past 10 yrs or so.) there was one last sight to see in Copenhagen before the day was done! So we walked over to this other church with a huge cylindrical tower right next to it. Guess what we were going to do =P I don't remember if I have ever mentioned it, but I'm deathly afraid of heights ^_^ however, I haven't once given up a chance to go up high when someone asks =P up the tower we went! This was no ordinary tower though. No stairs. Inside it was jst a spiralled incline. All the way to the top. (there was a floor with a modern art museum in it. I really am not fond of modern art. It doesn't speak to me at all. I could make art like that, people) but finally we made it to the top. It was gorgeous to see all of Copenhagen from a birds eye view. Loved it. This was one of the highlights of my trip =) and then, the trip was over. =( we headed home after eating again at about 8? I didntt get home until almost 10, so yea haha it was a great trip though =D
So that! My friends is the rest of my weekend. I'm hoping to be posting pictures here soon. So please come back and check them out. Take care of yourself! Miss you all. Keep reading, and keep questioning and commenting. Love you!
Rebekah<3
THINGS IVE LEARNED::
-It's not uncommon at all for guys (haven't seen a girl do it yet) to wear the same outfit two days in a row.
-scarves are super popular here, even among the guys.
-big, clunky looking wedge shoes are 'in'. They looked awkward at first, but I really want a pair.
-most girls wear some type of heel everyday whether it's a wedge, boots, or stilettos.
-if you're riding a bike, it seems like it's safer than walking. Cars will stop for bikers crossing the street, but if you're on foot, they WILL hit you ^_^ (that's not actually true, but it seems like it. Very different from Newport where pedestrians have the rght of way no matter what)
-a lot of people consider going to McDonalds a real novelty and treat. Most people go at MOST once a month. But that is a lot!
-WINTER IS COMING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There is now frost on the ground in the mornings, and it is near 0°C, luckily, I won't have to ride my bike from Nov 13 on. (I switch families)
-in Taiwan they don't celebrate Christmas =((( (my second family has a son there right now)
KEEP READING! THANK YOU! love!
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
It's Like a Fairytale
I've had a very interesting weekend/past couple of days.
On Thursday, nothing really spectacular happened. I had volleyball like usual, but it wasn't a normal practice. The coach had another obligation with the school that night, so a bunch of us just fooled around and played a game. This was Stephanie's first practice, and another exchange student, Ruby's (New Zealand) 2nd or third practice.
On Friday, I got out of classes early, 11:25! And I was going over to Stephanie's house for the night, but she didn't get out until 1:30. I decided to make the time productive, so I walked to the library which is 2 minutes away from the bus stop. I got 6 new books. Yay me! The last 3 Harry Potter books (I have read the first few, then stopped, and now I don't want to be surprised when the new movie comes out), The Poisonwood Bible, a book with Edgar Allen Poe's writings, and Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. I honestly can't wait to finish these books because I have heard such great things about all of them! Ok. Then at 1:45 I headed over to the bus station to catch the bus to Steph's house. I met her on the same bus about 5 minutes later (she took a different stop) and then we were off together! That night we both just had a lot of fun hanging out, we always have fun just doing that. We watched an anime movie "Howl's moving castle" by the same artisit who did "spirited away" and I love the latter movie =)
And on Saturday, we had to wake up pretty early (8;00, o my goodness) because we had to be back into Næstved at 9 to meet up with our Danish class. This is why I stayed the night at her house, that way I had a ride into town that morning. Our class (only 3 of us ended up being able to go) took a tour with our Danish teacher around the city. Well, more through it than around it =P We walked all over the center part, and we learned some history about the city, and we saw some really great things. Like I have mentioned before, the ancient-ness of all of the things out here just warms my heart. I love it. We saw some old churches, but didn't get to go inside =( they were closed. We were just able to see a whole new side of the city. I found out that there is a Saturday market there, so now I want to come back into town on a weekend! And then, since we had about an hour before I had to leave to catch my bus, my Danish teacher drove us 3 in her car to the outside of town. And guess what we saw!!! A CASTLE! A REAL CASTLE! yea, it was pretty amazing. We rounded the corner in the car, and there it was. You could hear all of us girls just gasp as soon as it was visible. Breathtaking really. It's a yellow castle, and I found out that that is where the crown prince stayed with Mary (his now wife) when they got together. And I learned that there is a winter thing that happens there. I want to go!! haha and in the spring there is a huge thing with a bunch of tulips. People plant them like crazy on the grounds I guess and they start to bloom in the spring. It's supposed to be really beautiful...I can't wait to go! I hope I can =D =P It was a great day with my Danish class. Det var meget hyggligt =D (It was very...cozy/comfy/not sure) I can't wait to go back into the city and explore some more.
That's about all for this post, guys. I will be writing more about my weekend very soon. So stay tuned!!! =D
THINGS I'VE LEARNED SO FAR::
-use of the word 'toilet' and not bathroom. So if you come here, don't be offended when someone says to you "I need to go use the toilet"
-my butt no longer hurts from my bike =D actually, this isn't new news. it's like a month old =P
-There really aren't any suv's out here. all the cars are pretty much the same--small. but there are a few, don't be fooled.
-when you buy a car here, you actually pay for it about 3 times because of all the tax on it. So if it cost 100,000 kr, it would cost you about 300,00 kr
-when Danish students raise their hand in class, they always point one finger up, as if you say 'I have a point'??
-Næstved turned 875 years old this year =) one city is older than my entire country! haha
ok, that's all for now. MUCH LOVE! =D
Rebekah
On Thursday, nothing really spectacular happened. I had volleyball like usual, but it wasn't a normal practice. The coach had another obligation with the school that night, so a bunch of us just fooled around and played a game. This was Stephanie's first practice, and another exchange student, Ruby's (New Zealand) 2nd or third practice.
On Friday, I got out of classes early, 11:25! And I was going over to Stephanie's house for the night, but she didn't get out until 1:30. I decided to make the time productive, so I walked to the library which is 2 minutes away from the bus stop. I got 6 new books. Yay me! The last 3 Harry Potter books (I have read the first few, then stopped, and now I don't want to be surprised when the new movie comes out), The Poisonwood Bible, a book with Edgar Allen Poe's writings, and Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. I honestly can't wait to finish these books because I have heard such great things about all of them! Ok. Then at 1:45 I headed over to the bus station to catch the bus to Steph's house. I met her on the same bus about 5 minutes later (she took a different stop) and then we were off together! That night we both just had a lot of fun hanging out, we always have fun just doing that. We watched an anime movie "Howl's moving castle" by the same artisit who did "spirited away" and I love the latter movie =)
And on Saturday, we had to wake up pretty early (8;00, o my goodness) because we had to be back into Næstved at 9 to meet up with our Danish class. This is why I stayed the night at her house, that way I had a ride into town that morning. Our class (only 3 of us ended up being able to go) took a tour with our Danish teacher around the city. Well, more through it than around it =P We walked all over the center part, and we learned some history about the city, and we saw some really great things. Like I have mentioned before, the ancient-ness of all of the things out here just warms my heart. I love it. We saw some old churches, but didn't get to go inside =( they were closed. We were just able to see a whole new side of the city. I found out that there is a Saturday market there, so now I want to come back into town on a weekend! And then, since we had about an hour before I had to leave to catch my bus, my Danish teacher drove us 3 in her car to the outside of town. And guess what we saw!!! A CASTLE! A REAL CASTLE! yea, it was pretty amazing. We rounded the corner in the car, and there it was. You could hear all of us girls just gasp as soon as it was visible. Breathtaking really. It's a yellow castle, and I found out that that is where the crown prince stayed with Mary (his now wife) when they got together. And I learned that there is a winter thing that happens there. I want to go!! haha and in the spring there is a huge thing with a bunch of tulips. People plant them like crazy on the grounds I guess and they start to bloom in the spring. It's supposed to be really beautiful...I can't wait to go! I hope I can =D =P It was a great day with my Danish class. Det var meget hyggligt =D (It was very...cozy/comfy/not sure) I can't wait to go back into the city and explore some more.
That's about all for this post, guys. I will be writing more about my weekend very soon. So stay tuned!!! =D
THINGS I'VE LEARNED SO FAR::
-use of the word 'toilet' and not bathroom. So if you come here, don't be offended when someone says to you "I need to go use the toilet"
-my butt no longer hurts from my bike =D actually, this isn't new news. it's like a month old =P
-There really aren't any suv's out here. all the cars are pretty much the same--small. but there are a few, don't be fooled.
-when you buy a car here, you actually pay for it about 3 times because of all the tax on it. So if it cost 100,000 kr, it would cost you about 300,00 kr
-when Danish students raise their hand in class, they always point one finger up, as if you say 'I have a point'??
-Næstved turned 875 years old this year =) one city is older than my entire country! haha
ok, that's all for now. MUCH LOVE! =D
Rebekah
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Oreos+Peanut Butter=Heaven
So since I had just a thrilling weekend =P I was hoping that the actual week would be a lot better. I really wanted to do stuff this week! Because let's face it, staying at my house, in the middle of no where, is not the most exciting thing in the world. Don't get me wrong, I love living where I am. It's beautiful, but I miss being able to go to town whenever I wanted..I miss living in an actual town! =P So this week I was hoping that something fun would come up =)
On Monday I went to school like always. My first class on Mondays is always gym...great way to start off the week ^_^ No, it's not that bad. At least I can participate in that class! It's usually fun. I have a great teacher. He's really nice..so anywayz, there was gym, then after gym was the rest of school =( yea...haha I got to see my friend René though! Yea that was great. We were able to talk for a bit, and then we decided that we wanted to hang out after school. (I didn't have my normal Danish lessons because the teacher was sick) So René came over that night from about 7-10. We just relaxed in my room. Ate some candy. Takled..O how I miss doing that! Having a friend over or going out and just chilling. It was really nice to be able to spend time with my best friend =) As it turns out, René is kind of a neat freak, and he didn't like the way I had cleaned my room. So guess what he did! ;) yea, I want to have him over more often if he'll do that for me haha then after that we just hung out and ate candy from my candy stash =D he had like 30 pieces of salt water taffy, I swear. ^_^ And you know why that's really funny? Cuz the first time he had them, he said they tasted terrible...Well, I showed him!We also ate some skittles (if you remember, they don't have those here, so it was quite a treat) and then! I gave him the best thing he will ever experience in his life! An oreo with peanut butter =DD Everyone over here says that sounds just disgusting (they don't like peanut butter, but I think they just haven't had the right kind) but René really liked it =P He said it was so strange to put those together, but it was good! YOU are welcome =P Then at about 10, he left. Sad day =( I wish I could hang out with friends 24/7 sometimes...
On Tuesday, I had biology in first module. So I was just sitting there minding my own business when a friend leaned over and asked if I'd eaten breakfast. I hadn't had time that
morning so I said no. Next thing I know, I'm in the front of the class getting my bloodsugar tested for an experiment! They had those little diabetes bloodtesters, you know, the ones that prick your finger. So I had to do one for a baseline. (I helped a bit) and then I ate some apple, and I had to have 4 more tests at timed intervals. SO.MUCH.FUN. =P not really. It's a good thing I'm not sqeemish with blood. But my fingers hurts for awhile after that. Haha
then we all got off of school at 11:30. No way I was going back home for 10 hours =P So me and Stephanie decided to go shopping at the mall since we didn't want to walk around downtown in the cold. But first, we had to walk to the bus station and go to the post office so I could mail a HUGE letter back home to the US. (you're welcome amber hatten ^_^) We got to the post office, I picked up a package of envelopes and went to the counter to mail this letter. I was really disapponted that I couldn't talk to the lady in Danish. I couldn't for the life of me remember how to say letter in Danish =( but I did it in English. So the letter is now *safely* on its way home now. Haha...
then Stephanie and I boarded a bus and went to the mall. Niether of us has eaten lunch yet, so naturally we were starving. Guess what we bought!! A pizza =D and we ate it all. It was soooo good guys. =P then we went to scout out some shoe stores and sales. It was sad, we didn't find anything too amazing. So we just stuck to buying the necessities. I love the store "Bilka" because it's like walmart. Always some good sales. After purchasing our 'stuff' we decided that an ice cream cone sounded good. It's called soft ice. And let me tell you! It's the creamiest soft serve ever!! It's sooo good =) Stephanie then decided she didn't want one, so I got one by myself. And I ordered in Danish! It's funny how things like that just excite me so much ^_^
at about 3 we decided to head home as both of us had busses to catch. Stephanie caught the bus back to the station and I, not having any money in my pocket whatsoever (spent it all shopping and hadn't gotten my allowance yet), decided that I could just walk the few kilometers to my nearest bus stop...don't you just love how I get ideas like this! See, if you remember, I had walked to the mall already. So how hard could it be to get back? Well, I went a different way than the last time because I knew it would be shorter to go the straight line route instead of taking the big "L" route. So I set out!! I got maybe ten minutes down the road when I started to doubt myself. Am I on the right road? Will I get lost?? I can see the headlines now! "Foreign kid wanders from næstved to Germany, how she got there, we may never know" lol these things just started running through my mind. Lucky me.. Then I saw something familiar on another road. "should I turn?" I didn't turn. I decided I would just keep walking the way I was headed. About 30-40 minutes after I started, a road came into view. The main road my bus takes!! I made it =DDD that's right, I didn't get lost =P so I walked to the nearest bus stop, sat down, and waited for about half an hour for my bus. Great times haha.
O, and Tuesday night during dinner, I found out that parliament was having an important ceremony. The new year for them had begun. I guess that's a big thing? I really didn't know much about it, so for the next 10 minutes or so, my host dad and I talked about it and ue explained how the system works with the elections and everything. Really interesting, not gunna lie.
And today is wednesday! Nothing special going on today. I get out of school at 1:30 and I'm just going to go home an relax. Can't beat that right now. The 5:30 wake up is taking its toll. I just want to sleep most of the time haha. Really looking forward to sitting in some comfy clothes and watching some tv. Wish me luck ^_^ I will write more later! Thanks for reading!!
THINGS IVE LEARNED SO FAR::
-Danish tv is mostly in English with Danish subtitles. There are a few channels with only Danish speaking though.
-they put ketchup on their spaghetti here =P sounds disgusting, I know. But it actually good. It's pasta, this plain meat sauce, then ketchup on top!
-in grocery stores, you have to bag your own things..most places don't provide bags eitwr. You need to bring your own or buy them.
-waking up just 30 seconds before your bus stop comes is very awakening.
-Danes must bleed carbs, I swear. From all the breads, pasta, rice, and potatoes.
-Danish has some insanely longs words..why? Because they are actually a bunch of little words squished together! Seriously, like 'whole grain pasta'turns into fuldkornspasta. The trick is finding out where the words start and stop.
-I now ride my bike when it's very dark outside. No sunrise. I'm very thankful for the 'dorky' lights on my bike. I haven't gotten run over yet! =D
-a lot of people bring their laptops to school. Pretty much 30% of the time is spent on school work. The rest of the time they are on facebook or surfing the Net.
-snails are becoming a new nuisance here.
-all the good Danish guys are taken =((( haha just kidding
-there are only chalk boards at the school. No white boards. 2 smart boards that I've seen, but the teachers I have don't know how to use them.
-danes who will be driving soon are insanely jealous when they hear how cheap and easy it is to get a license in the US.
-I look forward to thursdays because that means volleyball. =)) (except for tomorrow, there is no practice)
-Denmark is probably one of the most expensive countries in the world (for those of you who don't know)
-there is a mixed knowledge of english among older people. Some can understand perfectly but can't speak very well. And others can communicate very well in English.
-I love how rotary is made up of normal everyday people =) just wanting to make a difference
I think that's all for now! Remember to check out facebook for pictures! (if you don't want to be on facebook, I will be uploading on some kind of picture sharing website soon) keep reading my blogs and tell me what you think or ask questions. I love it. Talk to you all soon! Miss and love you =)
<3 Rebekah knus og kys (hug and kiss)
On Monday I went to school like always. My first class on Mondays is always gym...great way to start off the week ^_^ No, it's not that bad. At least I can participate in that class! It's usually fun. I have a great teacher. He's really nice..so anywayz, there was gym, then after gym was the rest of school =( yea...haha I got to see my friend René though! Yea that was great. We were able to talk for a bit, and then we decided that we wanted to hang out after school. (I didn't have my normal Danish lessons because the teacher was sick) So René came over that night from about 7-10. We just relaxed in my room. Ate some candy. Takled..O how I miss doing that! Having a friend over or going out and just chilling. It was really nice to be able to spend time with my best friend =) As it turns out, René is kind of a neat freak, and he didn't like the way I had cleaned my room. So guess what he did! ;) yea, I want to have him over more often if he'll do that for me haha then after that we just hung out and ate candy from my candy stash =D he had like 30 pieces of salt water taffy, I swear. ^_^ And you know why that's really funny? Cuz the first time he had them, he said they tasted terrible...Well, I showed him!We also ate some skittles (if you remember, they don't have those here, so it was quite a treat) and then! I gave him the best thing he will ever experience in his life! An oreo with peanut butter =DD Everyone over here says that sounds just disgusting (they don't like peanut butter, but I think they just haven't had the right kind) but René really liked it =P He said it was so strange to put those together, but it was good! YOU are welcome =P Then at about 10, he left. Sad day =( I wish I could hang out with friends 24/7 sometimes...
On Tuesday, I had biology in first module. So I was just sitting there minding my own business when a friend leaned over and asked if I'd eaten breakfast. I hadn't had time that
morning so I said no. Next thing I know, I'm in the front of the class getting my bloodsugar tested for an experiment! They had those little diabetes bloodtesters, you know, the ones that prick your finger. So I had to do one for a baseline. (I helped a bit) and then I ate some apple, and I had to have 4 more tests at timed intervals. SO.MUCH.FUN. =P not really. It's a good thing I'm not sqeemish with blood. But my fingers hurts for awhile after that. Haha
then we all got off of school at 11:30. No way I was going back home for 10 hours =P So me and Stephanie decided to go shopping at the mall since we didn't want to walk around downtown in the cold. But first, we had to walk to the bus station and go to the post office so I could mail a HUGE letter back home to the US. (you're welcome amber hatten ^_^) We got to the post office, I picked up a package of envelopes and went to the counter to mail this letter. I was really disapponted that I couldn't talk to the lady in Danish. I couldn't for the life of me remember how to say letter in Danish =( but I did it in English. So the letter is now *safely* on its way home now. Haha...
then Stephanie and I boarded a bus and went to the mall. Niether of us has eaten lunch yet, so naturally we were starving. Guess what we bought!! A pizza =D and we ate it all. It was soooo good guys. =P then we went to scout out some shoe stores and sales. It was sad, we didn't find anything too amazing. So we just stuck to buying the necessities. I love the store "Bilka" because it's like walmart. Always some good sales. After purchasing our 'stuff' we decided that an ice cream cone sounded good. It's called soft ice. And let me tell you! It's the creamiest soft serve ever!! It's sooo good =) Stephanie then decided she didn't want one, so I got one by myself. And I ordered in Danish! It's funny how things like that just excite me so much ^_^
at about 3 we decided to head home as both of us had busses to catch. Stephanie caught the bus back to the station and I, not having any money in my pocket whatsoever (spent it all shopping and hadn't gotten my allowance yet), decided that I could just walk the few kilometers to my nearest bus stop...don't you just love how I get ideas like this! See, if you remember, I had walked to the mall already. So how hard could it be to get back? Well, I went a different way than the last time because I knew it would be shorter to go the straight line route instead of taking the big "L" route. So I set out!! I got maybe ten minutes down the road when I started to doubt myself. Am I on the right road? Will I get lost?? I can see the headlines now! "Foreign kid wanders from næstved to Germany, how she got there, we may never know" lol these things just started running through my mind. Lucky me.. Then I saw something familiar on another road. "should I turn?" I didn't turn. I decided I would just keep walking the way I was headed. About 30-40 minutes after I started, a road came into view. The main road my bus takes!! I made it =DDD that's right, I didn't get lost =P so I walked to the nearest bus stop, sat down, and waited for about half an hour for my bus. Great times haha.
O, and Tuesday night during dinner, I found out that parliament was having an important ceremony. The new year for them had begun. I guess that's a big thing? I really didn't know much about it, so for the next 10 minutes or so, my host dad and I talked about it and ue explained how the system works with the elections and everything. Really interesting, not gunna lie.
And today is wednesday! Nothing special going on today. I get out of school at 1:30 and I'm just going to go home an relax. Can't beat that right now. The 5:30 wake up is taking its toll. I just want to sleep most of the time haha. Really looking forward to sitting in some comfy clothes and watching some tv. Wish me luck ^_^ I will write more later! Thanks for reading!!
THINGS IVE LEARNED SO FAR::
-Danish tv is mostly in English with Danish subtitles. There are a few channels with only Danish speaking though.
-they put ketchup on their spaghetti here =P sounds disgusting, I know. But it actually good. It's pasta, this plain meat sauce, then ketchup on top!
-in grocery stores, you have to bag your own things..most places don't provide bags eitwr. You need to bring your own or buy them.
-waking up just 30 seconds before your bus stop comes is very awakening.
-Danes must bleed carbs, I swear. From all the breads, pasta, rice, and potatoes.
-Danish has some insanely longs words..why? Because they are actually a bunch of little words squished together! Seriously, like 'whole grain pasta'turns into fuldkornspasta. The trick is finding out where the words start and stop.
-I now ride my bike when it's very dark outside. No sunrise. I'm very thankful for the 'dorky' lights on my bike. I haven't gotten run over yet! =D
-a lot of people bring their laptops to school. Pretty much 30% of the time is spent on school work. The rest of the time they are on facebook or surfing the Net.
-snails are becoming a new nuisance here.
-all the good Danish guys are taken =((( haha just kidding
-there are only chalk boards at the school. No white boards. 2 smart boards that I've seen, but the teachers I have don't know how to use them.
-danes who will be driving soon are insanely jealous when they hear how cheap and easy it is to get a license in the US.
-I look forward to thursdays because that means volleyball. =)) (except for tomorrow, there is no practice)
-Denmark is probably one of the most expensive countries in the world (for those of you who don't know)
-there is a mixed knowledge of english among older people. Some can understand perfectly but can't speak very well. And others can communicate very well in English.
-I love how rotary is made up of normal everyday people =) just wanting to make a difference
I think that's all for now! Remember to check out facebook for pictures! (if you don't want to be on facebook, I will be uploading on some kind of picture sharing website soon) keep reading my blogs and tell me what you think or ask questions. I love it. Talk to you all soon! Miss and love you =)
<3 Rebekah knus og kys (hug and kiss)
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Hash...anyone?
This past week has been awefully dull =( A few things happened, but not many..
Monday started a new week at school. And an odd week it was. It's call 'AT' week. All the classes stay in one classroom for the entire week, and the teachers come to us. There is only one subject talked about during this week, and it's usually one that's worth thinking about and trying to figure out how to fix. My class's subject was Burma, and all the bad things that have happened there with the dictatorship and everything, and what we could do to help..Now, I thought that normal school was boring, but nothing compares to sitting in the exact same classroom for the whole day. ^_^ My ipod has become my new bestfriend.
Monday afternoon I had my Danish lessons like always. It's getting better. My friend Stephanie was deathly ill the past week, and Monday was her first day back. She walked into the classroom, and all 6 of us (5 students, 1 teacher) just stare at her. Then I think I may have said it first, or our teacher did, but someone said 'Wow, Steph. You look like hell' hahaha funniest thing ever. Not that my friend looked horrible because she was still sick, but because all of us in the room said it. =P It's ok, she laughed too..and she blames me for her illness. So she has plans to get me =/ haha
Monday night I went to a Rotary meeting. This one was held in Næstved at a museum type place. They played about 6 films on the old times in Denmark. The first was about the Suså (which i thought was going to be the only one) but then more and more films started playing =P I really don't mind going to the Rotary meetings. Even if I get really bored because I don't understand it. You know why? Well, the poeple are really nice, and they always have tea, coffee, and cake ^_^ hahhaha yea. i'm a bad person, I know. =P
On Tuesday nothing really happened. Same old same old. After school, I went shopping with my host mom and sister to look for winter shoes for Astrid. That was pretty much all that happened...Wednesday morning I was finally able to open a package I had gotten from my mom in the States! Yea, you don't know the excitement. haha it's better than Christmas! So I opened it before I had to leave for school. Candy (they know me too well), my winter coat (they care if i freeze), some socks (she is a mom afterall ^_^), and probably my most favorite things in the entire box! A pair of gloves =DDD thanks mom, now my hands don't freeze while I'm riding my bike in the morning.
Wednsaday after school I decided to do something brave, go to the post office next to the bus station and mail some stuff. See, I have already done this (I mailed my grandma a bday card) but I decided to try to talk to the lady in Danish. So I braved my way up to the counter and I did it! I told her how many letters I had, where they were going, and everything! So proud of myself ^_^
Thursday was volleyball. I showed up to practice and there were about 10 guys there already and no girls. Fun fun fun..yea no. =P Then more guys started showing up. I think there were 15, and then the coach started practice. In the middle of warming up, a few other guys came, and then 2 girls! yay. haha overall it was a good practice. I need some work, cuz it's hard after not seriously playing in a year. But it's coming. I love volleyball. And it's going to be great to have a team again. Maybe some new friends? The guys are really nice ^_^ nice looking too =P
Friday night my host parents took me to Christiania which is in Copenhagen to see their oldest son play with his band at a club to celebrate the release of his second cd..Now, I can't tell you everything there is about Christiania, but it's a strange place. It's literally it's own world. It used to be a military base, then the government gave it up, and some guy from nowhere comes in and sets up camp and starts his own city ^_^ and I'm not joking. They have their own rules there almost. If you want to know more (or better) info, look it up. I'm sure there's a lot about it..Well in Christiania we went to this club, right. We get in the door and guess what's right there on a table: a sign saying 'hash cakes for sale' lol!! and actally sitting there were some! People were even smoking it inside the club, which I have just come to learn, it's ok to smoke it in Denmark. You just can't sell it...how you're supposed to smoke it without buying it or selling it is beyond me...=P So we saw the band, it was good. Very different music than what I normally go for.
Saturday was a cozy day. I didn't go out, just stayed at home all day in my pj's. I cooked some mac 'n' cheese for dinner as my host family was out of the house. And I just relaxed =) Same with Sunday. Not much has happened today. Just chilling out and enjoying life...That's all folks!
THINGS I'VE LEARNED SO FAR::
-it's illegal to smoke inside a club, but no one really cares and they all do it anyway
-'leftovers' don't really exist in my house..if it's not eaten and it's not meat, it gets trashed
-there are some people in this world that you will just not get along with..ie, hot shots on the volleyball team
-riding a bicycle applies directly to life (comment if you want more info)
-Danes think some American foods just sound disgusting..peanut butter, mac 'n' cheese, etc.
sorry I can't think of more! Like I told you before, I just forget what I think about to write down =( message me! email me! comment me!
miss you all. love. knus og kys! (hugs and kisses)
Love, Rebekah <3
Monday started a new week at school. And an odd week it was. It's call 'AT' week. All the classes stay in one classroom for the entire week, and the teachers come to us. There is only one subject talked about during this week, and it's usually one that's worth thinking about and trying to figure out how to fix. My class's subject was Burma, and all the bad things that have happened there with the dictatorship and everything, and what we could do to help..Now, I thought that normal school was boring, but nothing compares to sitting in the exact same classroom for the whole day. ^_^ My ipod has become my new bestfriend.
Monday afternoon I had my Danish lessons like always. It's getting better. My friend Stephanie was deathly ill the past week, and Monday was her first day back. She walked into the classroom, and all 6 of us (5 students, 1 teacher) just stare at her. Then I think I may have said it first, or our teacher did, but someone said 'Wow, Steph. You look like hell' hahaha funniest thing ever. Not that my friend looked horrible because she was still sick, but because all of us in the room said it. =P It's ok, she laughed too..and she blames me for her illness. So she has plans to get me =/ haha
Monday night I went to a Rotary meeting. This one was held in Næstved at a museum type place. They played about 6 films on the old times in Denmark. The first was about the Suså (which i thought was going to be the only one) but then more and more films started playing =P I really don't mind going to the Rotary meetings. Even if I get really bored because I don't understand it. You know why? Well, the poeple are really nice, and they always have tea, coffee, and cake ^_^ hahhaha yea. i'm a bad person, I know. =P
On Tuesday nothing really happened. Same old same old. After school, I went shopping with my host mom and sister to look for winter shoes for Astrid. That was pretty much all that happened...Wednesday morning I was finally able to open a package I had gotten from my mom in the States! Yea, you don't know the excitement. haha it's better than Christmas! So I opened it before I had to leave for school. Candy (they know me too well), my winter coat (they care if i freeze), some socks (she is a mom afterall ^_^), and probably my most favorite things in the entire box! A pair of gloves =DDD thanks mom, now my hands don't freeze while I'm riding my bike in the morning.
Wednsaday after school I decided to do something brave, go to the post office next to the bus station and mail some stuff. See, I have already done this (I mailed my grandma a bday card) but I decided to try to talk to the lady in Danish. So I braved my way up to the counter and I did it! I told her how many letters I had, where they were going, and everything! So proud of myself ^_^
Thursday was volleyball. I showed up to practice and there were about 10 guys there already and no girls. Fun fun fun..yea no. =P Then more guys started showing up. I think there were 15, and then the coach started practice. In the middle of warming up, a few other guys came, and then 2 girls! yay. haha overall it was a good practice. I need some work, cuz it's hard after not seriously playing in a year. But it's coming. I love volleyball. And it's going to be great to have a team again. Maybe some new friends? The guys are really nice ^_^ nice looking too =P
Friday night my host parents took me to Christiania which is in Copenhagen to see their oldest son play with his band at a club to celebrate the release of his second cd..Now, I can't tell you everything there is about Christiania, but it's a strange place. It's literally it's own world. It used to be a military base, then the government gave it up, and some guy from nowhere comes in and sets up camp and starts his own city ^_^ and I'm not joking. They have their own rules there almost. If you want to know more (or better) info, look it up. I'm sure there's a lot about it..Well in Christiania we went to this club, right. We get in the door and guess what's right there on a table: a sign saying 'hash cakes for sale' lol!! and actally sitting there were some! People were even smoking it inside the club, which I have just come to learn, it's ok to smoke it in Denmark. You just can't sell it...how you're supposed to smoke it without buying it or selling it is beyond me...=P So we saw the band, it was good. Very different music than what I normally go for.
Saturday was a cozy day. I didn't go out, just stayed at home all day in my pj's. I cooked some mac 'n' cheese for dinner as my host family was out of the house. And I just relaxed =) Same with Sunday. Not much has happened today. Just chilling out and enjoying life...That's all folks!
THINGS I'VE LEARNED SO FAR::
-it's illegal to smoke inside a club, but no one really cares and they all do it anyway
-'leftovers' don't really exist in my house..if it's not eaten and it's not meat, it gets trashed
-there are some people in this world that you will just not get along with..ie, hot shots on the volleyball team
-riding a bicycle applies directly to life (comment if you want more info)
-Danes think some American foods just sound disgusting..peanut butter, mac 'n' cheese, etc.
sorry I can't think of more! Like I told you before, I just forget what I think about to write down =( message me! email me! comment me!
miss you all. love. knus og kys! (hugs and kisses)
Love, Rebekah <3
Monday, September 27, 2010
Things sure are...different
So! Since my last post was insanely long, I decided to post 2 entries. One about my time and one about new and interesting and different and WEIRD things. haha here you go =)
THINGS I'VE LEARNED SO FAR::
-Denmark is the only country that doesn't have a 'B' note, but it has an 'H' I guess. Mind fully blown. So much for music being an international language. This was like telling me 2+2=5 here..makes absolutely no sense.
-There are spiders everywhere here! And big ones. With huge webs. And literally EVERYWHERE. ewwwwwwwwwwwwwww
-People can park on the wrong side of the street here..In fact, if there is no designated parking spot, people just park half on the sidewalk.
-Canada has a lot of the same systems as us in the US: the oulets, using feet and inches to measure height...so ha! take that Europe! haha we aren't the only ones that do it this way =D
-I figured out which era the Danish fashion reminds me of! The '90s, most definitely. I couldn't figure it out for the longest time, but indeed. We are talking shoulder pads, pants up high on the waist line for girls, wedge shoes, one piece suits...yea, the whole nine yards =P
-The busses do not always run on time, and the next bus WILL leave you behind.
-My Danish teacher said that some drunk Viking must have thuoght up the Danish language, cuz it's just that crazy haha
-The notebook paper for school has 4 holes, not 3. Why they need an extra hole? I have no idea.
-Some words in the Danish language cannot be translated. EX: hyggligt (hue-gah-lee) everything is hyggligt. It's like saying comfy or cozy, but there is really no way to tranlsate this word..IT'S EVERYTHING! haha
-Speaking English to some people shocks them at first..but speaking Danish to a classmate is almost more shocking.
-If you're done eating, put the knife and fork on teh same side of the plate, otherwise you're still hungry..yes, it took me a good 2 weeks to figure this one out. "Why are they still giving me food?!" yea, that's why...
-Black is a major staple in most people's wardrobe.
-The music is old here. Old as in, they are just now getting things on the radio that we had months ago.
-Chucks/All stars/Converse are very popular. Go US =D
-A lot of people are caffeine addicts. Coffee and tea all the time. Sometimes they drink 3 cups of coffee at 8-9-10 at night. It's usually black, no cream or sugar. And it's ALWAYS scalding hot. I don't know how they drink it that way, but they do.
-People play hacky sack here! Haha this gave me a kick
-The water is completely clean no matter where you go. Straight from the tap is how they drink it. And I also blame the water for a few things: making my hair grow super fast, making a lot more hair fall out, making the Danish people so tall! It's gotta be the water, guys. It's gotta haha
-A Dane can out-eat an American any day. Seriously, they eat A LOT. I saw this little 11 year old eat 3 plates full one time.
-Sometimes they eat really slow and sometimes you blink and the food is gone. They tend to talk a lot during mealtime, so this could explain it.
-A 'typical' Danish boy might come off as gay. They dress well, smell nice, are very free and open with other guys, and their mannerisms are very feminine. Don't be fooled hahaha they are about 95% of the time straight.
-When in a place like a store or postoffice, people are generally very willing to help if you ask. Like I said earlier, they are kind of taken aback by the English at first, but they help with a good attitude =) very nice people
THE LANGUAGE BARRIER::
I think I should updat y'all on how my Danish is going. Det går ok. It's going ok. Pretty much. Haha I am learning more everyday, but it's just not enough. I have danish lessons after school on Mondays for a few hours. Right now, I'm in that place where I can understand if they speak slowly and give me a few seconds to translate, but that's not what most people let me do. When I'm in a group of people and they start speaking Danish I can usually pick out words and figure out what they're talking about. But somedays, my brain gets so tired that I quit. I haven't gotten my first dream in Danish yet, but everyone says it should be coming any week now ^_^ I have started to think in Danish though. Not fluently by any means, don't get all excited. But sometimes I'll just be sitting in class and I'll just start saying Danish sentances in my head. The only problem with this is that when someone asks me a question, I can only off the top of my was give them a bare minimum answer. But if I can think about it, I can say so much more in my head. It's frustrating cuz it jusr won't come out. Haha Also, an interesing fact, my English is starting to suck. Majorly. My vocabulary is shrinking rapidly. My grammar is getting bad. Sometimes I hve to ask my friends what the word I'm looking for is. Yea, that doesn't help when they don't know the word either. =P so, my English is going bad really fast, but my Danish is getting better super slowly. I wonder if I wot be able to speak at all during this year ^_^ o, one more thing, "tell us what you know in Danish!" is a horrible thing to get asked. Because now, I know more than my name, but I can't translate a sentence for you if it's too big. So pulling a good Danish sentence out of my head is tricky. It takes a minute or two. O! And when I read, I can read almost everything now. Ok, not everything, but I can read a lot an understand it. It's because I can think about it more and read the context...I think that's about all for language ^_^ it's coming. But it's just gunna take some time. More time.
That's all for now! =D I hope you are learning a lot from these blogs. I wish you could experience it for yourself, but since you can't, I hope you find this insightful. =) until next time! <3
Rebekah~~~~ jeg elsker jer. Og, jeg savner jer. Jeg skal ser jer snart! (I love you all, and I miss you all. I shall see you all soon)
THINGS I'VE LEARNED SO FAR::
-Denmark is the only country that doesn't have a 'B' note, but it has an 'H' I guess. Mind fully blown. So much for music being an international language. This was like telling me 2+2=5 here..makes absolutely no sense.
-There are spiders everywhere here! And big ones. With huge webs. And literally EVERYWHERE. ewwwwwwwwwwwwwww
-People can park on the wrong side of the street here..In fact, if there is no designated parking spot, people just park half on the sidewalk.
-Canada has a lot of the same systems as us in the US: the oulets, using feet and inches to measure height...so ha! take that Europe! haha we aren't the only ones that do it this way =D
-I figured out which era the Danish fashion reminds me of! The '90s, most definitely. I couldn't figure it out for the longest time, but indeed. We are talking shoulder pads, pants up high on the waist line for girls, wedge shoes, one piece suits...yea, the whole nine yards =P
-The busses do not always run on time, and the next bus WILL leave you behind.
-My Danish teacher said that some drunk Viking must have thuoght up the Danish language, cuz it's just that crazy haha
-The notebook paper for school has 4 holes, not 3. Why they need an extra hole? I have no idea.
-Some words in the Danish language cannot be translated. EX: hyggligt (hue-gah-lee) everything is hyggligt. It's like saying comfy or cozy, but there is really no way to tranlsate this word..IT'S EVERYTHING! haha
-Speaking English to some people shocks them at first..but speaking Danish to a classmate is almost more shocking.
-If you're done eating, put the knife and fork on teh same side of the plate, otherwise you're still hungry..yes, it took me a good 2 weeks to figure this one out. "Why are they still giving me food?!" yea, that's why...
-Black is a major staple in most people's wardrobe.
-The music is old here. Old as in, they are just now getting things on the radio that we had months ago.
-Chucks/All stars/Converse are very popular. Go US =D
-A lot of people are caffeine addicts. Coffee and tea all the time. Sometimes they drink 3 cups of coffee at 8-9-10 at night. It's usually black, no cream or sugar. And it's ALWAYS scalding hot. I don't know how they drink it that way, but they do.
-People play hacky sack here! Haha this gave me a kick
-The water is completely clean no matter where you go. Straight from the tap is how they drink it. And I also blame the water for a few things: making my hair grow super fast, making a lot more hair fall out, making the Danish people so tall! It's gotta be the water, guys. It's gotta haha
-A Dane can out-eat an American any day. Seriously, they eat A LOT. I saw this little 11 year old eat 3 plates full one time.
-Sometimes they eat really slow and sometimes you blink and the food is gone. They tend to talk a lot during mealtime, so this could explain it.
-A 'typical' Danish boy might come off as gay. They dress well, smell nice, are very free and open with other guys, and their mannerisms are very feminine. Don't be fooled hahaha they are about 95% of the time straight.
-When in a place like a store or postoffice, people are generally very willing to help if you ask. Like I said earlier, they are kind of taken aback by the English at first, but they help with a good attitude =) very nice people
THE LANGUAGE BARRIER::
I think I should updat y'all on how my Danish is going. Det går ok. It's going ok. Pretty much. Haha I am learning more everyday, but it's just not enough. I have danish lessons after school on Mondays for a few hours. Right now, I'm in that place where I can understand if they speak slowly and give me a few seconds to translate, but that's not what most people let me do. When I'm in a group of people and they start speaking Danish I can usually pick out words and figure out what they're talking about. But somedays, my brain gets so tired that I quit. I haven't gotten my first dream in Danish yet, but everyone says it should be coming any week now ^_^ I have started to think in Danish though. Not fluently by any means, don't get all excited. But sometimes I'll just be sitting in class and I'll just start saying Danish sentances in my head. The only problem with this is that when someone asks me a question, I can only off the top of my was give them a bare minimum answer. But if I can think about it, I can say so much more in my head. It's frustrating cuz it jusr won't come out. Haha Also, an interesing fact, my English is starting to suck. Majorly. My vocabulary is shrinking rapidly. My grammar is getting bad. Sometimes I hve to ask my friends what the word I'm looking for is. Yea, that doesn't help when they don't know the word either. =P so, my English is going bad really fast, but my Danish is getting better super slowly. I wonder if I wot be able to speak at all during this year ^_^ o, one more thing, "tell us what you know in Danish!" is a horrible thing to get asked. Because now, I know more than my name, but I can't translate a sentence for you if it's too big. So pulling a good Danish sentence out of my head is tricky. It takes a minute or two. O! And when I read, I can read almost everything now. Ok, not everything, but I can read a lot an understand it. It's because I can think about it more and read the context...I think that's about all for language ^_^ it's coming. But it's just gunna take some time. More time.
That's all for now! =D I hope you are learning a lot from these blogs. I wish you could experience it for yourself, but since you can't, I hope you find this insightful. =) until next time! <3
Rebekah~~~~ jeg elsker jer. Og, jeg savner jer. Jeg skal ser jer snart! (I love you all, and I miss you all. I shall see you all soon)
Monday, September 13, 2010
ET...Phone Home!!!
so! this past weeks have been awesome =D you kno, it still had it's ups and downs, but for the most part it was good =) sorry it's been like 3 weeks since my last update. Wow. It HAS been that long. Well, let me try to remember what has happened =D
the week went by like usual. nothing special happened. and then this weekend of September 10-12, the other kids in my district went to the southern island called Lolland (low-lan) to a little town called Maribo (my-bo). it was a lot of fun =) I got to see all of the kids in my district and that was awesome because I really like my district. We also got to spend time with the oldies in my district too. Oldies are the people from the southern hemisphere that have been here half a year already.
So on Friday, I went on the train with Stephanie and we all met up in Nykøbing. then we hopped on the next train to Maribor. That is where i saw all my friends and the new oldies. After checking with our 'surpervisers' for the weekend, we all got on this really old style train that was going to take us to the place we were staying. And I do mean that this train was ancient! Haha it actually belonged Tina museum and the rotary let us ride on it =) that was a lot of fun. I got to stand in between the cars, terrified of falling off. And the wistle of the train blew and blew. I'm not sure exactly how long we were on the train, but it was great.
Then we got off the train and were driven to the camp site where we were going to be for the next few days. No, we didn't stay outside, we were in a little cozy cabin type thing. Me and all my friends claimed a whole top row of bunk beds so we could all be next to each other. 5 beds. One and a half for luggage, and three and a half for 5 girls ^_^ o yea. Haha that's just how we make things work =P it was a lot of fun. I love being with my girlfiends...so on Friday night we got to just relax for a few hours. And then after dinner, at about 8 I think, some ZUMBA intrustors came! For those of you who don't know, zumba is a mix of dance and workout. It was sooooo much fun =D sure, I can't dance, but I honestly think that none of us can. Haha so after they left, guess what we got! Cake!! (kage {kay} in Danish) yep. After we worked off all of our calories, then let us eat more ^_^
that night we didn't sleep very much. Not by choice either. It was the blasted oldies!! It's unfortunate, but they didn't get along well with us. Well, the ones from Australia and new Zealand mostly. They just are a bunch of party animals and that's not what a lot of us are into. So we butted heads a few times...anywayz! On Saturday! We went into the town first. And had a boat ride in a lake. Pretty relaxing. We saw so many ducks!! And they were so close to us. Like on shore they were only a meter away on te grass! So me and some friends had some fun chasing them. Haha there is a video on facbook. Check it out! Then after the ride we got to wander in the city, and we got to see a military tatoo. It was like a bunch of marching bands dressed up in old style military gear and playing. So cool. But, what made it the beat ever! There were some bag pipers. I'm sorry that a lot of you absolutely loath the noise, but I love it =) and!!! they started to play "Amazing Grace" as we were walking back to our bus. I can't explain to you the emotion...it was just, GAH! yea. haha i loved it soooooo much =D then after that! We went to this place called Knutinborg..I think that's how you spell =P this place is the coolest! It's a SAFARI! in the middle of Europe!!!! Yea it was great. We got there and the weather was kind of junky, go figure in Denmark. ^_^ but we got there and ate lunch outside and then! Before we started our tour of animals, we got to roam around this playground area. LET ME TELL YOU! this, was the most awesome playgroud/obstacle course that I have ever seen! It wad so big and there was so much to do. I want to go back just so I can play there again =D am I a child or what...then! We got to see the animals. Giraffes. Tigers. Wolves. RHINOS. Zebras. Gazell. It was AWESOME. haha I love the zoo, but this was like the zoo on steroids. So much fun =) I would love to go back with my girlfriends sometime.
Then we spent ANOTHER sleepless night in the cabin. Then left bright and early on Sunday (Søondag). So, after a BUNCH of confusion over who gets into which vehicle and which train to get on, we boarded the train and were off! About an hour later, Næstved was approaching, and after that is Ringsted. Now, I wasn't exactly sure which stop to get off on. See, Ringsted is closer to my house, but Næstved is usually where we get on and off the train. So! wanting to call my host family to ask them, I reached for my phone, and guess what...that's right! DEAD AS A DOORNAIL -_- so I decided to just get off in Ringsted since it's closer to my house, and I figured that was where I would be picked up at. Jokingly, I knew something was going to go wrong, and that I would be stranded at the train station. So I told Stephanie to look for my host parents and point them in the direction of Ringsted if she saw them at the Næstved station. So I said goodbye to Steph, and then I was on my way to Ringsted. After arriving I looked for my host mom or dad..no dice. SHOOT. Yea, through my head I was saying "I'm in trouble" just over and over again. haha this stuff just always seems to happen to me! So I'm in a total calm/stressed/panicked state, if ever such a thing existed ^_^ so I had no idea what to do. My phone was dead, and I didn't see any outlets in the walls. So I walked up to a couple of the oldies and was like "guys, I need help from my older and wiser oldies" haha And they suggested taht I go up to the counter at the convenient store and ask to plug in my phone..I guess they really aren't that bad, huh. =P so I walked up to the cuonter and asked the lady if there was anywhere I could plug in my phone, she pointed to a corner. I quickly walked/ran over to the corner, and as soon as I bent down to plug in my phone, I heard my name from behind me. My host mom had arrived!!!! haha I ran up to her and gave her a hug andtold her how scared i was that I was going to be stranded there forever! And guess what, she had gone to Næstved, she had seen Stephanie, and Stephanie actually told her where i was!!! yea, this kind of stuff only happens to me guys ^_^ it's soo funny to think about now. like, wow. anywayz! that was that weekend =D crisis averted.
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Just when you think nothing else can possibly go wrong, it does. I'm talking about the following Monday morning. SO.MUCH.FUN. not. this was the worst day I've had in Denmark to date. Let me explain! So I woke up on Monday morning, bright and early at about 5:30 like usual, got ready, and started out on my bike at 6:30. I ride my bike every morning to the bus stop 2k away, which isn't so bad. It takes like 8 minutes, something like that. So I set out! Well, about 2 minutes into my bike ride, it started to sprinkle..OH NO. And then! POURING. And not just normal pouring. POURING BUCKETS! so, that was not fun, I had to finish my bike ride, soaking wet. Then, with the bus stop in sight, this big blue van pulls up next to me, this lady leans out her window, and starts yelling at me. IN DANISH. So I had to just sit there, in the pouring rain, listening to this lady yell at me, and then I finally said that I don't speak Danish. She looked back at me, annoyance clearly written on her face, and just said very curtly "you need to put lights on your bike" i then replied with not having any lights, and she said to get some! then she drove away. So then I rode away, drenched, and got on the bus, freezing. I was hoping my clothes would dry in time, but no dice. I had PE that morning too. So I had to take off the wet clothes, then put them back on...fun fun fun. ^_^ worst morning ever.
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Now! A bit more recent. This past weekend, sept 18-19, me and Stephanie went down south about 2 hours to see my friend Hillary from Canada and Erica from Illonois. (These were my group from intro camp) That, was a super long train ride, I must say. haha but it was all worth it, because I got to see my awesome veninder (girl friends). So we finally got off the train and then were met by Hillary and Erica and then walked out to Hill's house. We chilled there for a few hours, then ate dinner. And somehow we made dinner last almost 4 hours it felt like. TOO MUCH TALKING. haha but then, we finally had the night to ourselves. And we went out like we planned to. CLUB. My first dicso in Denmark. We had to first walk to the bank so Hill could get money to pay for us all to get in, and then we had to walk to the disco. It was like 11:30-12 at night by the way. And freezing. haha but! we finally got there. It was still super early when we got there, so we just chilled out and talked until like 1 when more of a crowd started coming. There was some dancing, but like I said in a previous post, the people here can't dance very well ^_^ but we tried. haha the only thing i hated about the club was all the smoke. it's "illegal" to smoke in clubs, but no one really cares. So it felt like I smoked 5 whole packs myself that night. My eyes were falling out of my head practically. Yea, not so much fun. But overall, the whole night was good. I was the first out of the group of girls to get talked to by a few guys we didn't know. One asked if he could come home with us. hahaha Erica got bought a drink, so did Hill. Steph, did you get any action?? haha jk. It was fun. We headed home at a mere 4 in the morning. Yea, we were all dead by this time. No joke, but we still had to walk home. Still freezing out, by the way. =P But let me tell you, getting home and taking off the smoke smelling clothing and crawling into a nice warm bed was probably the best thing that happened to me all night ^_^ Then we all awoke Sunday afternoon, ate some chow, then headed off on our ways. Erica had her bus leaving at 4, so Steph and I found a train leaving at the same time. I then arrived home at the RIGHT train station, and my host dad was waiting to pick me up =) So home I went. We ate some dinner together, then I think I passed out on my bed =D that was my weekend
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The past week at school has been less than thrilling like always =P Just the normal stuff happening. Classes. Boring. Sleeping in classes. On Tuesday (sept 21), my afternoon classes got cancelled, so I decided I didn't want to stay at home for 10 hours, and I wanted to go shopping. The only problem, I left some stuff at home that I really wanted to return. So this is what I had to do: took the bus home, got there at about 1, ate some food, took the next bus out at 2:20, arrived in Næstved at 2:45ish, walked to the mall, got there about 3:10, then got all my returning done eventually, then I got to shop =) It's my Nanny's Birthday today (Sept 27!) so I wanted to get her a card. It took FOREVER to find the birthday cards. haha then it took forever to find the right one. but I did it! =) and I found some postcards too. I have never told so many people that I didn't speak Danish before. haha I was asking for help ALL over the place! Yea, you all should be very proud of me, cuz if you know me, you know that's not me. Asking strangers for help...I'M GROWING UP! O MY GOODNESS HAHAHA but it was a good trip =) i'm very proud of myself actually...My host mom was able to come get me from the mall, so I didn't have to take the bus. YES! this, was a great day =)
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and then this past weekend, sept 25-26! (finally up to date!!!!!) on saturday I was home alone all day because my host mom was in Germany (Tyskland) for work, my host sister went to a friend's house, and my host dad had a birthday party (fødselsdag) to go to for someone in his family. So that left me home alone..The few times that I have been home alone the host parents seem so worried about me. Telling me that I can cook whatever I want and to not get scared and whatnot. haha little do they know, I have stayed home alone since I was practically 7. ^_^ it was a very relaxing day. very enjoyable. and! i got to talk to my parents <3 yea, i miss them, i'll admit. haha Then on Sunday, a man from rotary and his wife and their son wanted to take me out to this school that their oldest son was at...this is called an "efterskole". Normally, students in 10th grade do this. It's a lot like a boarding school. Students live there, but they can see their parents almost every weekend if they choose, and each school has a specific interest. Like gymnastik, music, theater, things like that...So we visited the school on the open house day, and all the students did a show for us visiters. A gymnastik show. (hopefully, i'll be posting the video on facebook soon) It was a lot of fun! Then after that we drove to this place where there are cliffs made of chalk and the WATER! Yea, it reminded me so much of Newport and home. It was good to see again =) I miss it I guess haha. Then, we went home. Another hour in the car..actually, it wasn't a car. It's an SUV. the first and only I've seen in Denmark. stranger, huh...
And that's all there is! Sorry that this post was so long. I will be posting my "what I've learned" section in a new entry. Thanks for reading! I love you all and miss you. jeg elsker dig og jeg savner dig =)
<3 Rebekah
the week went by like usual. nothing special happened. and then this weekend of September 10-12, the other kids in my district went to the southern island called Lolland (low-lan) to a little town called Maribo (my-bo). it was a lot of fun =) I got to see all of the kids in my district and that was awesome because I really like my district. We also got to spend time with the oldies in my district too. Oldies are the people from the southern hemisphere that have been here half a year already.
So on Friday, I went on the train with Stephanie and we all met up in Nykøbing. then we hopped on the next train to Maribor. That is where i saw all my friends and the new oldies. After checking with our 'surpervisers' for the weekend, we all got on this really old style train that was going to take us to the place we were staying. And I do mean that this train was ancient! Haha it actually belonged Tina museum and the rotary let us ride on it =) that was a lot of fun. I got to stand in between the cars, terrified of falling off. And the wistle of the train blew and blew. I'm not sure exactly how long we were on the train, but it was great.
Then we got off the train and were driven to the camp site where we were going to be for the next few days. No, we didn't stay outside, we were in a little cozy cabin type thing. Me and all my friends claimed a whole top row of bunk beds so we could all be next to each other. 5 beds. One and a half for luggage, and three and a half for 5 girls ^_^ o yea. Haha that's just how we make things work =P it was a lot of fun. I love being with my girlfiends...so on Friday night we got to just relax for a few hours. And then after dinner, at about 8 I think, some ZUMBA intrustors came! For those of you who don't know, zumba is a mix of dance and workout. It was sooooo much fun =D sure, I can't dance, but I honestly think that none of us can. Haha so after they left, guess what we got! Cake!! (kage {kay} in Danish) yep. After we worked off all of our calories, then let us eat more ^_^
that night we didn't sleep very much. Not by choice either. It was the blasted oldies!! It's unfortunate, but they didn't get along well with us. Well, the ones from Australia and new Zealand mostly. They just are a bunch of party animals and that's not what a lot of us are into. So we butted heads a few times...anywayz! On Saturday! We went into the town first. And had a boat ride in a lake. Pretty relaxing. We saw so many ducks!! And they were so close to us. Like on shore they were only a meter away on te grass! So me and some friends had some fun chasing them. Haha there is a video on facbook. Check it out! Then after the ride we got to wander in the city, and we got to see a military tatoo. It was like a bunch of marching bands dressed up in old style military gear and playing. So cool. But, what made it the beat ever! There were some bag pipers. I'm sorry that a lot of you absolutely loath the noise, but I love it =) and!!! they started to play "Amazing Grace" as we were walking back to our bus. I can't explain to you the emotion...it was just, GAH! yea. haha i loved it soooooo much =D then after that! We went to this place called Knutinborg..I think that's how you spell =P this place is the coolest! It's a SAFARI! in the middle of Europe!!!! Yea it was great. We got there and the weather was kind of junky, go figure in Denmark. ^_^ but we got there and ate lunch outside and then! Before we started our tour of animals, we got to roam around this playground area. LET ME TELL YOU! this, was the most awesome playgroud/obstacle course that I have ever seen! It wad so big and there was so much to do. I want to go back just so I can play there again =D am I a child or what...then! We got to see the animals. Giraffes. Tigers. Wolves. RHINOS. Zebras. Gazell. It was AWESOME. haha I love the zoo, but this was like the zoo on steroids. So much fun =) I would love to go back with my girlfriends sometime.
Then we spent ANOTHER sleepless night in the cabin. Then left bright and early on Sunday (Søondag). So, after a BUNCH of confusion over who gets into which vehicle and which train to get on, we boarded the train and were off! About an hour later, Næstved was approaching, and after that is Ringsted. Now, I wasn't exactly sure which stop to get off on. See, Ringsted is closer to my house, but Næstved is usually where we get on and off the train. So! wanting to call my host family to ask them, I reached for my phone, and guess what...that's right! DEAD AS A DOORNAIL -_- so I decided to just get off in Ringsted since it's closer to my house, and I figured that was where I would be picked up at. Jokingly, I knew something was going to go wrong, and that I would be stranded at the train station. So I told Stephanie to look for my host parents and point them in the direction of Ringsted if she saw them at the Næstved station. So I said goodbye to Steph, and then I was on my way to Ringsted. After arriving I looked for my host mom or dad..no dice. SHOOT. Yea, through my head I was saying "I'm in trouble" just over and over again. haha this stuff just always seems to happen to me! So I'm in a total calm/stressed/panicked state, if ever such a thing existed ^_^ so I had no idea what to do. My phone was dead, and I didn't see any outlets in the walls. So I walked up to a couple of the oldies and was like "guys, I need help from my older and wiser oldies" haha And they suggested taht I go up to the counter at the convenient store and ask to plug in my phone..I guess they really aren't that bad, huh. =P so I walked up to the cuonter and asked the lady if there was anywhere I could plug in my phone, she pointed to a corner. I quickly walked/ran over to the corner, and as soon as I bent down to plug in my phone, I heard my name from behind me. My host mom had arrived!!!! haha I ran up to her and gave her a hug andtold her how scared i was that I was going to be stranded there forever! And guess what, she had gone to Næstved, she had seen Stephanie, and Stephanie actually told her where i was!!! yea, this kind of stuff only happens to me guys ^_^ it's soo funny to think about now. like, wow. anywayz! that was that weekend =D crisis averted.
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Just when you think nothing else can possibly go wrong, it does. I'm talking about the following Monday morning. SO.MUCH.FUN. not. this was the worst day I've had in Denmark to date. Let me explain! So I woke up on Monday morning, bright and early at about 5:30 like usual, got ready, and started out on my bike at 6:30. I ride my bike every morning to the bus stop 2k away, which isn't so bad. It takes like 8 minutes, something like that. So I set out! Well, about 2 minutes into my bike ride, it started to sprinkle..OH NO. And then! POURING. And not just normal pouring. POURING BUCKETS! so, that was not fun, I had to finish my bike ride, soaking wet. Then, with the bus stop in sight, this big blue van pulls up next to me, this lady leans out her window, and starts yelling at me. IN DANISH. So I had to just sit there, in the pouring rain, listening to this lady yell at me, and then I finally said that I don't speak Danish. She looked back at me, annoyance clearly written on her face, and just said very curtly "you need to put lights on your bike" i then replied with not having any lights, and she said to get some! then she drove away. So then I rode away, drenched, and got on the bus, freezing. I was hoping my clothes would dry in time, but no dice. I had PE that morning too. So I had to take off the wet clothes, then put them back on...fun fun fun. ^_^ worst morning ever.
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Now! A bit more recent. This past weekend, sept 18-19, me and Stephanie went down south about 2 hours to see my friend Hillary from Canada and Erica from Illonois. (These were my group from intro camp) That, was a super long train ride, I must say. haha but it was all worth it, because I got to see my awesome veninder (girl friends). So we finally got off the train and then were met by Hillary and Erica and then walked out to Hill's house. We chilled there for a few hours, then ate dinner. And somehow we made dinner last almost 4 hours it felt like. TOO MUCH TALKING. haha but then, we finally had the night to ourselves. And we went out like we planned to. CLUB. My first dicso in Denmark. We had to first walk to the bank so Hill could get money to pay for us all to get in, and then we had to walk to the disco. It was like 11:30-12 at night by the way. And freezing. haha but! we finally got there. It was still super early when we got there, so we just chilled out and talked until like 1 when more of a crowd started coming. There was some dancing, but like I said in a previous post, the people here can't dance very well ^_^ but we tried. haha the only thing i hated about the club was all the smoke. it's "illegal" to smoke in clubs, but no one really cares. So it felt like I smoked 5 whole packs myself that night. My eyes were falling out of my head practically. Yea, not so much fun. But overall, the whole night was good. I was the first out of the group of girls to get talked to by a few guys we didn't know. One asked if he could come home with us. hahaha Erica got bought a drink, so did Hill. Steph, did you get any action?? haha jk. It was fun. We headed home at a mere 4 in the morning. Yea, we were all dead by this time. No joke, but we still had to walk home. Still freezing out, by the way. =P But let me tell you, getting home and taking off the smoke smelling clothing and crawling into a nice warm bed was probably the best thing that happened to me all night ^_^ Then we all awoke Sunday afternoon, ate some chow, then headed off on our ways. Erica had her bus leaving at 4, so Steph and I found a train leaving at the same time. I then arrived home at the RIGHT train station, and my host dad was waiting to pick me up =) So home I went. We ate some dinner together, then I think I passed out on my bed =D that was my weekend
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The past week at school has been less than thrilling like always =P Just the normal stuff happening. Classes. Boring. Sleeping in classes. On Tuesday (sept 21), my afternoon classes got cancelled, so I decided I didn't want to stay at home for 10 hours, and I wanted to go shopping. The only problem, I left some stuff at home that I really wanted to return. So this is what I had to do: took the bus home, got there at about 1, ate some food, took the next bus out at 2:20, arrived in Næstved at 2:45ish, walked to the mall, got there about 3:10, then got all my returning done eventually, then I got to shop =) It's my Nanny's Birthday today (Sept 27!) so I wanted to get her a card. It took FOREVER to find the birthday cards. haha then it took forever to find the right one. but I did it! =) and I found some postcards too. I have never told so many people that I didn't speak Danish before. haha I was asking for help ALL over the place! Yea, you all should be very proud of me, cuz if you know me, you know that's not me. Asking strangers for help...I'M GROWING UP! O MY GOODNESS HAHAHA but it was a good trip =) i'm very proud of myself actually...My host mom was able to come get me from the mall, so I didn't have to take the bus. YES! this, was a great day =)
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and then this past weekend, sept 25-26! (finally up to date!!!!!) on saturday I was home alone all day because my host mom was in Germany (Tyskland) for work, my host sister went to a friend's house, and my host dad had a birthday party (fødselsdag) to go to for someone in his family. So that left me home alone..The few times that I have been home alone the host parents seem so worried about me. Telling me that I can cook whatever I want and to not get scared and whatnot. haha little do they know, I have stayed home alone since I was practically 7. ^_^ it was a very relaxing day. very enjoyable. and! i got to talk to my parents <3 yea, i miss them, i'll admit. haha Then on Sunday, a man from rotary and his wife and their son wanted to take me out to this school that their oldest son was at...this is called an "efterskole". Normally, students in 10th grade do this. It's a lot like a boarding school. Students live there, but they can see their parents almost every weekend if they choose, and each school has a specific interest. Like gymnastik, music, theater, things like that...So we visited the school on the open house day, and all the students did a show for us visiters. A gymnastik show. (hopefully, i'll be posting the video on facebook soon) It was a lot of fun! Then after that we drove to this place where there are cliffs made of chalk and the WATER! Yea, it reminded me so much of Newport and home. It was good to see again =) I miss it I guess haha. Then, we went home. Another hour in the car..actually, it wasn't a car. It's an SUV. the first and only I've seen in Denmark. stranger, huh...
And that's all there is! Sorry that this post was so long. I will be posting my "what I've learned" section in a new entry. Thanks for reading! I love you all and miss you. jeg elsker dig og jeg savner dig =)
<3 Rebekah
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