Hej! It's been two weeks since I've arrived here in Denmark, although it feels like it's been so much longer. I guess that means it's already really starting to feel like home. A lot has happened this week, from really starting to get into my classes, to the DIS Activities Fair, and adventures exploring Copenhagen. So here's a little bit of what I've been up to: Sunday started with the Homestay Network Jumpstart Event, which is an event for Homestay students in the same general area to get to know one another a little better. Being in a homestay is great, and I really love my host family. However, being in a homestay can be a little bit isolating. During the orientation days it definitely felt like the students living closer together in the city had already formed their friend groups. I had definitely met a lot of really nice people, but I hadn't found that group of people I could say I'd be spending most of my time with. I didn't know who I'd just go and hang out with. I feel like I've got a better sense of that now, though. First, I have some really awesome people in my core class, and I think I'll become great friends with them. I also met more people at the Jumpstart event, including Emma, who is pretty cool and doesn't actually live too far away from me. We even learned that her host brother goes to the same school as my host brother! Overall it was a fun day filled with games, food, and some new friends. Monday and Tuesday were full days of classes, and now we're really starting to dive into the material. Monday also brought about my first academic paper which is due in less than a week now. The topic is pretty interesting for me though. I'm researching and writing about different childhood theories for my CMC course. The really interesting thing that I learned in those days, however, was that it is a pretty normal thing for Danes to put ketchup on pasta. Now, this semester, I'm be conscious of trying new things and doing things as the Danes do, so I tried a taste of this pasta with ketchup. While it wasn't awful, it is definitely not the way I'd prefer to eat it. Luckily my host mom also made normal spaghetti sauce as well. Wednesday was a day of adventure for me, because I had no classes! At DIS, Wednesdays are reserved for field studies (Amen to field trips for college students!), and since those only happen on a handful of Wednesdays according to what classes you're taking, most of my Wednesdays are free to explore Denmark as I see fit. Today I spent the day with Emma and a few new friends. We started the day with breakfast at St. Peter's Bakery. I have no idea what the pastry I ate was called (luckily it was enough for me to just point at what I wanted), but I do know that it tasted delicious. Afterwards we went to the botanical gardens, which was so beautiful to walk through. There were some really cool plants, some with leaves the size of nine year old Asbjørn! There was a small pond in one part of the gardens, and when we were done exploring we just sat out on the dock and hung out a little bit. The weather was nice, the company good. That wasn't the end of my Wednesday adventure, however. After the gardens we walked to Papirøen (Paper Island) for lunch, a nice spot near Nyhavn (that place you see when you google search "Copenhagen"). We ate at Copenhagen Street Food, this amazing marketplace of food stalls with dishes from all over the world. Whether you're in the mood for Korean Barbecue, Mexican, or some traditional Danish smørrebrød, you will find what you're looking for here. I will definitely go back, probably many times this semester. After lunch, and killing a bit of time walking around H&M, we attended the DIS Activities Fair. It's basically an opportunity to see and join different clubs and extracurricular activities that DIS and Copenhagen offer. I'll share a little more about these once I officially decide what I'm going to participate in, but it was really good in helping me attempt to solidify a weekly schedule. During the Activities Fair is when I had my interview to become a DIS Blogger (spoiler alert: I was chosen as the official DIS Blogger for CDD!!!). After the fair we hung out a little at the Studenterhuset, a hang out spots for both Danish and study abroad students. It's a pretty chill place, a nice spot to just spend time with people, maybe get some work done. My Wednesday ended with a quick dinner at Max Burgers (a better version of McDonals which leaves you feeling not as guilty about eating fast food). All in all it was a great Wednesday, if a busy one. It was definitely good exercise since we basically walked everywhere, and according to Emma's Fitbit, we walked over 21,000 steps! Like I said before, I will have amazing legs when I come back from abroad.
Similar to Wednesdays, I don't have classes on Thursdays. However, I do have Practicum for CDD. I had my "first day" this Thursday, although it was more like a small orientation and figuring out my schedule for while I'm there. I got to see the school and meet a few of the teachers, and I sat down with the headmaster to figure out which classes I'll work with when I'm there. He was really nice about trying to make sure that what I was doing was tailored as much as possible to my own interests, which are basically little kids and artsy stuff. So, I'll be working with first through fifth graders in music and Danish classes. I'll have my first really involved experience in practicum starting next Thursday, so there will probably be much more to talk about then. I won't give all the small details, in order to keep the school's privacy, but who knows all of the crazy things that could happen working in a class with kids! I'm excited! My host family and I decided that it would be nice if occassionally I walked the older two, Asbjørn and Ingrid, to school in the morning, just to see what their school is like and to spend a little time with them in the morning. I did this for the first time Friday morning. The school is just a five minute walk away, so it took no time at all, even with Asbjørn being silly and trying to trick me into going the wrong direction. I got to see their classrooms, and I played a quick game of Four Square with them and some of their classmates before the bell rang. It was a nice start to the day, and after several hours of classes, I got to come home and relax with my family. We all got cozy on the couch and watched Disney shows in Danish (including Donald Duck, or "Anders And" who isn't understandable in any language). It was a great way to end a long school week. I have a good feeling that next week will be just as fun, if not better. Can't wait to share more adventures with you guys soon! Vi ses!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorOn ne voit bien qu'avec le cœur. Part of my heart I'm leaving behind in the United States. Join me as I take the rest on an amazing adventure to Copenhagen, Denmark! ArchivesCategories
All
Google Chrome users will need an extension for the RSS feed
|