Ok, so before I get too much grief for being possibly the worst blog-updater ever, let me just say that my computer is currently at the Apple Store being fixed and I have been dependent on school computers for the past 2 1/2 weeks. So sorry, but I feel slightly justified, hahaha.
Anyways, Copenhagen continues to astound me, there is so much to see and do and each day offers something new. One weekend I went with my Danish friend to see the Little Mermaid (the icon of Copenhagen) and other famous cites like the royal palace and gardens and the opera house. I also have gone to a few museums with one of my DIS friends, which had fantastic displays of artifacts from all over the world, particularly Iceland and Greenland, as well as saw some very famous art pieces. It's just nice to have access to many museums that are free on certain days and are so close. I've also visited a few small towns in Denmark that are quite historical (some built in the 16th century!) and indulged in pastries from St. Peder's--a bakery founded in the 1700's. Let's just say I am enjoying the time warp of living in such a historical European city while also mingling in new pop culture and modern art/architecture.
I am continuing to learn new recipes and continuing to experiment with cooking with a few people in my kollegium, always a fun time and we never know what we're going to end up with! My Danish dad has given me a few recipes that have been big hits with the floormates, and I also made some skyline for them that Grandma and Grandpa sent me--yeah Cincinnati! Classes are going well, I especially enjoy my Human Health and Disease course where we have some hands-on experiences (like learning to put in an IV line on a dummy arm) as well as lecture and learning to make diagnoses from hypothetical patient cases. In my Nationalism, Ethnicity and Political Violence Course we recently had the Russian ambassador as a guest visitor, so it was quite interesting to hear his take on the Chechnya-Russian conflict...
I am continuing to appreciate my international friends here, we have certainly learned a lot from each other and they are opening my eyes to new ways of approaching topics like politics and economics, and culture. We have a lot of fun together and it's pretty cool to say I have friends from Denmark, Germany, China, Pakistan, and Ukraine. I think I'm definitely expanding my horizons here :). Last weekend we celebrated Festelvyn, which is similar to Mardis Gras in that everyone dresses up and there is quite a celebration involved. They put candy in a barrel and you try to break it open with a baseball bat, one slightly grotesque tradition is that a black cat used to be put in the barrel to represent the devil--I'm so glad they changed to candy!
It's finally starting to get lighter here and warmer, I can't wait for Spring! I already have a few gardens lined up to visit once the flowers come out, and some weekend trips planned for the warmer weather, so it's going to be a wonderful spring in wonderful Copenhagen! (That's a slogan all over the city in case you were wondering)
Hej Hej!