DK Days & Randers Relatives

Hi There!

So, I think I will start this post of with part of a skaldic poem that I am supposed to be reading for my Nordic Mythology class… :)

“I advise you, Loddfafnir, to take this advice,
it will be useful if you learn it,
do you good, if you have it:
at a grey-haired sage you should never laugh!
Often what the old say is good;
often from a wrinkled bag come judicious words,
from those who hang around with the hides
and skulk among the skins
and hover among the cheese-bags.

Haha, well, first I thought it was funny because I imagined saggy people hanging around cheese bags… which in my mind seems like smelly bags of cheese tied with string, hanging from the ceiling…? Wrinkly people batting at them like piñatas… ok, my imagination is getting off topic here… Interesting poem, huh? Yes, but then the second most funny thing about it is that there is an exclamation point in it… do you think that they used exclamation points in BCE times? Hmmm…

Ok, there are more funny ones… but I think I will get back to the post… because maybe they are actually only funny to me…

DK PEOPLE

Someone asked me if it is true that Danish people are all really beautiful… and that reminded me to make a note that there is some truth to it… once in a while I feel like I am walking down a street in a fashion magazine ad because there are a lot of beautiful people, in dress, face, and figure… it’s funny.

DK PROFESSOR

Ok, I also have to make a note about one of my professors… so odd, oh so odd… he just talks and talks and rambles… in a matter of 5 minutes he can go from talking about Pink Leopards, to Elves, to how one should not sit on their glasses because it messes with the symmetry of the face which increases the likelihood of people being frightened by your appearance because without symmetry you become reminiscent of a pirate who is missing an eye (eye-patch), and that type of asymmetry gives people shivers, to how he lost our class binder, but he may have left it on the bus or train, but he just doesn’t know. (He’s my Nordic Mythology Prof.) Oh, did I mention that everyday he wears a wool vest over his shirt with what looks like a grim reaper character knit into it… and just to top it off, his mom knit it for him… and I think he is around 60 years old, by the way…

This class keeps me entertained… can you tell?

SWEDEN

On Wednesday I took a day trip to Sweden with some friends… Malmo, to be exact… it’s just right across the sea… and to be quite honest it looked very similar to Copenhagen… and it was snowing… darn! But, it was fun anyway… and I found Jeans on sale for 5 dollars!

Here is an ad that our train passed on the way there… Sorry to those that find this vulgar or inappropriate… but, this is European advertising… and something you would never see in the US… I think... If you can't read what it says, it's this "This Christmas present may cause a tired baby-maker. statunderwear.com"...But another interesting thing about Danish advertising is that they are really strict about TV commercials because they don’t want them to negatively affect children… so there really isn’t very many commercials advertising products, mostly just the shows that are coming up next or near in the future. It’s nice to be less bombarded by media.

BUS FUNNIES

There is something I noticed about the buses which makes me smile every time… there are signs in every public city bus which show pictures that symbolize “No alcoholic-bottled-beverage drinking,” “No popsicle licking,” “No Hotdog Consumption,” and “No Smoking (which is understandable)” : ) But really, those first three seem quite funny to me… but after being here for a while I realized that Danes really do have a special love for all of those 4 restricted items… so it makes a little more sense to me now… haha, no popsicles or hotdogs… ok.

I’ll try to remember to take a picture of the sign to post next time. Maybe it will make you smile too.

RANDERS: MEETING MY LONG LOST FAMILY

This was fun! I had to take a bus, another bus, a boat, and another bus to get to Randers, in Northern Jutland… but that was fun too! I know the family I visited will probably be reading this… : ) so, I can only say good things… : ) luckily good things are all I have to say anyway!

It’s a funny thing, traveling alone. I think I am constantly impressed with myself for figuring out my wanderings and especially for my newfound ability to constantly rely on the help of complete strangers.

I think feelings like pride in yourself might not always apparent (you can’t always be consciously proud of yourself or your mind will become clouded with useless thoughts and your likelihood of becoming conceited would be considerably higher, right?). I think pride is a feeling that is just supposed to hit you once and a while. Maybe? Well anyway, that’s what I found myself feeling when I realized that somehow I had found myself, by myself, on a boat and a bus in the middle of Denmark watching the very green countryside drift by, and things were going fine… even though there are no signs, directions, or announcements in English…
: ) good thing most Danes speak English, or maybe I would still be trying to find the bus station and things would not be going as fine as they were…

I was kind of confused about the luggage transfer from the bus to the boat so of course I asked a guy what was going on (who happened to be really cute, by the way) and he explained it… I have to say that I really liked his hat… we chatted for a while… he was an elementary school teacher… which maybe should have been a read flag… but, what do I know? He was friendly, helpful, and really cute… and he proceeded to explain that he was visiting his sister because it was his nephew’s birthday… blablabla… oh cute… right? I’m thinking he would have mentioned that he had a girlfriend by now, if he did have one… So, I was feeling like I asked the perfect person for help…

But, no no, of course, as fate would have it… I think I may just be destined to never like or date anyone again. Haha… really. We sat down together on the boat, and then he took off his hat… ohhh dear… that was the deal breaker, because I think the hat made him look much younger… opps! Slightly receding hairline… no, there is nothing wrong with that, and he was still cute… but he was just slightly a bit older than I would have previously guessed. And by slightly older, I mean Too old… then I started to get queasy… Hmmm, later I was asking him about Iceland and he mentioned that his girlfriend is Icelandic… which I was glad to take note of… hmmm, safe and sound back to square-one/none… which I was very ok with. Goodness, why do I even attempt to try?

Hmmm, well, he was very nice company and he helped me out for the time being… so, that was nice… which is how things tend to be here in DK… very nice.

I finally arrived at Randers! And I stepped out of the bus to Natascha and Michelle (my 3rd cousins I think?) waving American flags to welcome me, and also their uncle, grandpa, and grandma (who is my Grandpa Howard’s Cousin, Gerta.) …Natascha told me later that Gerta shed a tear when I stepped out of the bus… I didn’t see it, but just knowing that reminded me that I need to remember that I should consciously be living my life… I am here right now! And it is a bigger deal than it feels sometimes!

I stayed at Natascha and Michelle’s Aunt and Uncle’s house, and it was really cute and hygge. The night I arrived we had a big dinner with all of the family I mentioned above, and it was so good… especially the potatoes :). They were all so nice, and they took such good care of me, I couldn’t believe it really. I sent them message before I arrived explaining that I couldn’t eat normal things like gluten and dairy, but that they didn’t have to worry about trying to cook for me because I would figure it out… (I just always feel bad about making extra work for people!!) But they messaged me back saying that I didn’t need to worry about food because they had it all under control… of course I secretly brought some fruit and nuts, just in case they didn’t really know what they were talking about… but it turns out that I never had to eat anything I brought because they were right! I couldn’t believe it! They went to a gluten-free store before I arrived and picked up bread and dessert, and bought a bunch of fruit and nuts! Wow! I’m still impressed :) I was so happy to not have to worry about anything.
A few other things I should note... They have a tree branch covered with lights and some red bows or something hanging from the living room ceiling (it's shown in the picture) This is a traditional family decoration... and they hang other things on it during holidays... Also everyone in Denmark seems to have lighting like the ones in these pictures... very scandinavian, and low hanging.

In between dinner and desert they had me watch X-Factor, which is the Danish version of American Idol… it was funny.

The next day Natascha and I went into town to go shopping and her uncle gave us money!!! I couldn’t believe that either…I didn’t even know what to say! They were just always so nice. We also went to an indoor rainforest which was interesting, and tropical… which means warm! It was fun, except for the swooping bats… : ) There were little monkeys jumping around, birds, otters, lots of snakes, and lots of other animals… not really in cages… just hanging around.

Later that night I went out with Natascha and her friends. It was funny because a Halloween-like holiday was going on that night… I forget what it is called, but I thought of Audra because 2 Halloweens a year seems like something she would dream about. : )

Sunday, Natascha and I just took a walk around the town, and talked… we did a lot of talking the entire weekend… it felt so nice to be with family, even though I had never met them before, they made me feel so at home.

Backyard View

Also! Their uncle said he had a sailboat and that if they could convince their aunt, they would sail to Copenhagen when it gets nice out and pick me up… and take me sailing!!! I thought they were kidding at first, but they weren’t! So, I hope that they convince their aunt :). Did you know that owning a sailboat or any kind of boat is one of my life goals? Haha, I’m not kidding.

They have an owl on their doorstep... that is how I knew this was really my family... and not imposters! (if you don't know me, this might not make sense (...I seem to love owls.))

Their House Again

Front Yard View

I think this tree is cute... and it reminds me of one of the St. Thomas prof's odd hair cuts, which is not cute... I've never had him in any of my classes, but I've seen him walking around... and I think if anyone from St. Thomas was reading this, they would know exactly who I was talking about...

This is a Randers playground! It looks way more fun than the plastic playgrounds I used to play on! Natascha explained the psychological reasons around designing playgrounds like this for kids... it was interesting.Some interesting things that Natascha and I talked about:

Danes often live with their boyfriends for several years without even the thought of marriage… I think Natascha said she had been living with her boyfriend since the age of 16 or 17 (she is 23 now, so 6 years)? And that is not out of the ordinary. I told her that would definitely not be allowed in the US… and that my family might disown me if I were to live with a boyfriend (if I had one) since the age of 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 and probably even now… haha, very big difference in cultures…

Also, Natascha thought that is was surprising to find out that I live in a different state than my family at home, and that I was planning on keeping it that way. I love my family too much for words, but I just don’t think I could live in North Dakota again… 18 years is enough for me. She explained that family is so important for people in Randers, or DK that they don’t usually move too far away. But, I don’t know, I think my family is the most important thing to me too, but I guess their importance does not make me feel the need to live in the same state…

These yellow flowers are supposed to be a sign of hope for nicer weather!

I think 2 things right now:
1. I need to learn more Danish so that I can communicate with the rest of the family besides Natascha and Michelle…

And 2. I need to update more frequently because if I don’t, my posts get really long and boring to read… and if I write too long I start to get bored… and then it’s not as fun to read!

Currently, I am trying to decide if I should go to Budapest for my birthday... any thoughts? Couch Surfing. It could be/will be an adventure.

Alright, that is all for now... I think I have convinced myself to go for a run... with my camera... maybe around a castle, if I can find my way... :)

Have a lovely day...

Love!

MeganG

The Colors of Copenhagen

Hej!

I decided I really need to make an update every week… otherwise I might forget about it! I will start off this post by telling you what I am watching on Danish TV right now… well, actually I wasn’t watching it… I just happened to look up just as a women was caught having an affair with a kids’ birthday clown…(a real person, with this profession, …not a blow up doll, or anything like that…) …and the funny thing about Danish TV is that the way it’s filmed makes everything look like a reality TV show… the everyday lives of the Danish… so, I think what I am trying to say it that it is funny, but also disorienting, not only because I can’t understand what they are saying, but because I am stuck trying to decide if this is supposed to be something that “really happened.”

Well, because I am tired, it is late, and Mr. Matt Bergh Skyped up all my blogging time, I am going to keep this post short, but full of pictures. (I wonder what this sentence would mean to someone reading it 20 years ago???)

Haha, little did these two red-adorned people know that they were creating the perfect picture!!

Hmmm… I think the only story I will tell this time is going to have to be about a Danish University Bar/dance party/protest thing… we were venturing over to what we thought was a Danish student protest (which was to show the students disapproval of the governments plan to cut student stipends) …as a side note, Danes do not have to pay for school, and additionally all students receive a government stipend in order to pay for the cost of living while they are in school. Hmmm… that sounds nice to me. Yeah? …well, we arrived… but it seems that either we missed the action packed protest, there wasn’t one, or the Danes protest by throwing dance and DJ parties… because that is what we encountered. Needless to say, it was fun… as dancing always is… but again, remember… it was a bar/dance party/protest compete with a group of DJs in university buildings… the part that I wanted to emphasis here was that it was all IN UNIVERSITY BUILDINGS, they really do have bars in them.

The best part of the party were the DJ girls… haha, oh my… they were all bopping around and dressed up in some funny mangled looking costumes … I asked them what they were supposed to be, and they said “Tams and Arms” and I said, “What do you mean, Tams and Arms?” and the girl asked her friend what tams would be in English, but apparently she didn’t know, or though that is was the same, because she said, “you know, Tams and Arms” Well, I went home that night still wondering what a Tam was… so the next day at work I looked it up in the Danish online dictionary, and it just so happens that Tams are slang for intestines…? Haha. Yeah. slang, for intestines. J Here is a picture of The “Tams and Arms” DJ Girls:

Well... hmmm since that is my only story for the night, I'll just post a bunch of pictures... ummm well this is some bathroom graffiti from the "Tams and Arms" night... I'm not sure why, but I always seem to think these things are interesting...

Hehe, I like the trees here ...they remind me of Harry Potter.

Oh, did you know? You can find McDonalds in Demark. What a surprise. Some Danish guy tried to convince me that Danish McDonalds is more healthy than American McDonlds... hmmm, right. ...some how that is quite hard to believe... I think Danes just like to comfort themselves with that thought.

Ohhh Dark and Mysterious...

Oh! Next weeks post might be exciting because I am going up to Northern Denmark to meet/visit my relatives (who I have never met before)... and I'm kind of nervous! But also very excited!

Oh my, I am so tired... I must go to sleep. Should I end with a quote? Would that be fun? Let's see here...

"To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart, is true for all men-- that is genius."

--Ralph Waldo Emerson

I think it would easy to misunderstand that quote... because it is said in such a roundabout way... but I suppose it's more fun that way. right?

Hmmm, lovely to end on a cheesey note.

Goodnight! Sleep tight! and all that stuff...

Just me,

-Megan.

Copenhagen Update

I love red and green... you can find it anywhere if you look hard enough.

Hej! Hej!

So, as I promised in my last post I will include a little blurb about Danish candle light and the gluten-free bakery.

Hygge

This is a Danish word that has no English equivalent. The closest translation would mean a cozy/comfy atmosphere. It is usually used as an adjective describing the feel of a room, the look of a person curled up on the couch, wrapped in blankets and surrounded by lit candles, or it can even describe the type of night someone had. For example, after leaving a party or get-together the guests might say, “thank you for the Hygge time.” (in Danish, of course)

This is where the candle light comes in. Danes typically have many candles all over the house… and they don’t have scented candles, by the way… they think scented candles are odd. (So, the scented and aurally enhanced fire crackling candle that I was going to bring as a gift for my roommate probably would have been over the top.) haha, I can imagine Lars thinking that the smelly, noisy candle was some annoying and incredibly unnecessary contraption.

The reason that they light candles so much is because it creates a hygge atmosphere. People need to feel comfy and cozy when there are only 6 hours of non-sunny daylight in a day… I am not kidding… I think today was the first day that I have seen a little bit of sun in the sky since I have been here. Luckily, daylight is supposed to be coming fast, and I am pretty excited about that because it means twice as much exploring time!

Another thing that is funny about the candle situation is that Danes don’t seem to know that the rest of the world is much less dependent on candles. :) I told Lars that in the US a lot of people have candles in their homes, but they don’t light them because that would mean their expensive wax decorations would slowly disappear. It is funny when you think about it… why have a candle and not light it? If people really did want a colorful stick as a decoration, they could just paint a wooden dowel and it would be much cheaper. I my previous US roommates and I actually do/did light candles though… I think the display of decorative wax sticks is a tradition practiced predominantly by the average US homeowner… (mom)

NextTopic:

Naturbageriet: The GF Bakery!

This is a cute little vegan bakery that also produces some gluten free breads and sweets. There are a few locations around Copenhagen, but I have only been to the one closest to me. It seems scary that they make gluteny bread in the same facility… kind of unsafe…so I think I will only visit if I am in desperate need for a bun, or carrot cake? Also, I was excited to talk with the manager to see if there were grocery stores nearby that would sell gluten-free things… but, unfortunately, when I tried to ask him he must have misunderstood because he started trying to discuss how some people just can’t handle gluten…blablabla… I don’t know, so I smiled, nodded, and said mhmm. Haha, also when I would ask what something is he would misunderstand and put it in my bag… which is how I got stuck with a piece of sugar-free, fat-free banana cake. Yum, doesn’t that just sound great? J It actually wasn’t that bad…but, then again I didn’t finish it. Oh! But here are the two things I got the first time:

Carrot Cake & Rum Ball

The carrot cake was really good… but, the rum ball… ummm, I don’t know… maybe if I had known it was going to be a rum ball when I took a bite I wouldn’t have been so confused and taken aback by its taste… I asked the bakerman… “do you have anything that is chocolate?”… and he pointed to what looked like a chocolate coconut ball; however, he didn’t address the fact that is was actually a rum ball in disguise. Hmmm, but it was ok… I just wouldn’t get it again.

New Topic,

The Royal Theater!

I am in a History of European Ballet class and we have to critique four ballets… which conveniently means that I have to go see four ballets, and in the Royal Theater no less. I think the theater is beautiful… and so was the ballet, Romeo and Juliet.

So, after the ballet I went out to a few bars… and it was fun. But then I found myself to this hidden “biobar” which is apparently a bar for biology students attending the U of Copenhagen… yes, that’s right… in Copenhagen all of the majors have their own bars. These bars are run by students and they happen to be really cheap. It was quite interesting …especially discovering just how in depth Danes like to discuss things such as politics… also, there are no superficial “how are yous” here… which I appreciate… I have never been great at small talk… it always seems too transparent. But, on the other hand, it is a gift for some people, I suppose… I think I would enjoy it much more if people either answered how they actually are instead of the go-to response: “I’m good.” or alternatively if the person asking me how I am actually cared to hear the answer… and I am not saying that people don’t care… but it’s just not expected that you say how you are actually doing… So why don’t people just end their greeting at hi? It would accomplish the same purpose… in less time… and then you could get on with your day, or to other questions that you actually care to know the answers to. For the record… when I ask, “how are you,” I appreciate a real answer.

…I also decided not to memorize my new phone number… not knowing your phone number comes in very handy as an excuse for not giving it out … J because of my inability to say no or be mean, this indirect let down technique might just do the trick… (I know this sounds ridiculous… but it’s not a joke.) … what do you think happens when you go to bars? Danes are very outgoing when they drink…

Also, most of the Danes I have met have stressed how in love with their country they are… I think it is cute…not to mention great. Of course, it helps that the Danish Government has admirable ideals and agreements… and that the people here are not greedy…they care about the wellbeing of everyone in the country as a general rule… unlike the US… so, sadly, I didn’t have anything to brag back at them with… but, maybe with Obama that will hopefully change.

The funny thing is about Denmark being so lovable is that I think its high tax laws weeded out all of the greedy people of Denmark. Anyone who was naturally greedy at heart would hate paying high taxes just to help those that couldn’t help themselves… so, they would probably move to a different country with lower tax laws like the US… which I guess means that people brought up in the US aren’t generally taught to be selfless to any degree, in any terms… but most specifically tax terms. And then we get all the greedies from other countries …doesn’t that just top off the generally greedy public…

New Topic,

Unique Danish Things

I love the way Denmark is set up… it’s so cute! On almost every block there is a plant store! Not one of those lame plant stores either… the cute kind, with a bunch of unique plants in pots. There is also a little grocery store on every block. Additionally, there are little outdoor markets of flowers and produce everyday. Everyone rides bikes… but not road bikes, like in Minneapolis… they ride cruiser bikes… which I think look much less scary to ride than road bikes. There are actually bike streets everywhere here.

Another funny thing… Denmark is actually Danmark. The US is the only country that calls it Denmark… weird, huh? …but oh so typical.

Also, it seems that Danes do not know the difference between the words fun and funny… because they use it interchangeably … which I think is funny. Another funny thing they do is to add the letter s onto the end of words when it is unnecessary. For example, I have heard the word “furnitures” so many times… and I smile to myself all of those times. For some reason when furniture is made doubly plural my imagination starts to personify couches and desks… I imagine them to sport jolly faces while dance/wobbling around… it’s kind of like that movie, the Adventures of the Little Toaster or something… well, anyway, that’s mostly why I smile when people say the word furnitures. Also it’s hard to take someone seriously when they are using the word furnitures.

Next Topic,

Western Denmark: Study Tour

Well, I have some fun pictures I took this weekend while on a study tour around Western Denmark. To tell you the truth, I was not very enthusiastic about a study tour of Western Denmark... to me, it produced just about the same amount of excitement as a western tour of North Dakota might... but, despite being sick (I had, and still have a cold), having to blow my nose in every avaliable bathroom (because I have a phobia of blowing my nose in front of people, and I think it is kind of disgusting), and also despite starving (as most meals were comprised of some sort of deli meat, bread, and cheese)... I actually had a really good time... even while surviving on apples and almonds. hmmm, I like to think of it as a four-day study tour detox... haha, ok just kidding... sort of.

I also suspect that I adventureously tried some salmon with butter on it... oops! Mistake, don't assume that salmon is always served butter-free, it's not.

So, while on this study tour we went from Sealand (the Island Copenhagen is on) to Funen (the next big Island, then to Jutland (the large part of Denmark attached to Germany) by bus. The cities we spent the most time in were Sonderborg (which would have been remarkablely cute, had it been daytime or nice outside, Kolding (a town without gluten-free restaurants... but on the upside, it does have a castle) Vejle (no comment) and Odense (my favorite.)

We also toured some businesses: Ecco Shoes and Arla Foods

Ecco Shoes was kind of neat... well, mostly because they talked about how they are coming out with their first and one of a kind running shoe that mimicks running barefoot: March 2009, keep a lookout :)

Arla Foods might have been more interesting if I could partake in eating cheese... but, instead I toured a cheese factory and watched everyone else eat it... but that's ok... the smell of the cheese factory lessened my initial interest in actually consuming it. As a whole their company was actually interesting.

Ok! on to the pictures (ie. the interesting part of all this)

I spotted the lovely scene on the way to the castle Koldinghus in Kolding.

And Here is the castle Koldinghus itself...hmmm, well, ok... so it isn't the most glamourous of castles, I suppose.

Here are a few of the castle doors... yep, mhmmm interesting.

I took a few pictures overlooking the town of Kolding after climbing to the top of the castle.....

Kolding Again...

Yeah... it tends to be gloomy here... yet, Denmark manages to retain some charm. And, I guess I managed to find this next picture to be interesting as well... in case you can't tell what it is... I'll give you a hint. I'm still at the top of the castle here. Really, I just liked the red and green.

I am really not a fan of pictures with people in them... but just to prove I do have friends... haha :)

Castle exploring with Jenny...

Just in case you are wondering... yes, the castle did have a real dungeon... and there I am in it.

Here is a statue of Hans Christian Andersen... the author of stories such as: The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling, The Princess and the Pea, Thumbalina (I love this one!) and The Emporer's New Clothes (I love this one too!) ... among many others. He was Danish... did you know?

We went to his museum...

Oh, and did you know... Denmark is also home to pink trees.

So, I was thinking about what my favorite part of the trip was... and even thought it was really fun, and I met some great people, and saw some great things... my favorite part might still be listening to the Fleet Foxes while looking out the window durring the long bus rides... The countryside was just so calming and beautiful, especially with a Fleet Fox background... foggy and mysterious... and astonishingly green... we also passed a few forests... I love/miss forests.

ahhhh... sorry this post seems to be long and boring... oh well, tomorrow I plan on having another adventure... so I'll update sooner this time... promise!

Love you all.

Megan