Again, what a week! And TGIF!
Last weekend was just kind of a lazy few days. It was nice, because I had homework! I had to do a power point for biology about Wisconsin for my class and also has some Spanish homework, which hence the title, was quite simple. Then on Sunday, Jesper, Elise, Fie and I went to Copenhagen for the Fair Trade Festival. It was a 2-day festival that promoted the fair trade products and also created awareness about labor in third-world countries. It was a small festival, but enjoyable. Afte that the 4 of us walked around copenhagen looking for lunch. We stopped at a small cafe. The food was gourmet and delicious. It was nice to just sit and eat and watch the people and cars go by.
The next day was a great day, because the train times changed back to normal. They had been different for a number of months due to construction. Here is why this is so exciting. In the morning, we arrive 5 minutes early, which means I am not late for class and after school I can catch the train and then be back in Herfølge in 20 minutes, compared to 45 minutes. This cuts back on the train time and makes life so much easier. The trains are also running more often, which means I don't have to worry about missing a train and having to wait an hour for the next one.
School is going real well. I am not sure if I mentioned the enrollment in my last post, but I believe there are 800 students in the school and 6 exchange students. It is so weird having all these new faces of people I have never seen before. I am enjoying it though. I have already met 4 other students who have gone on exchanges with AFS. It is so weird! On Tuesday, I had gym for the first time. It was really fun. We were practicing high jumping. It was funny, because everyone would cheer for everyone who went, if the made it over the pole or not. I thought that this was just another example, on a smaller scale, of the mutal respect everyone has for each other in Denmark. After gym I had Spanish and we watched a movie about a girl who smuggled drugs into the US and it was weird, but I actually understood some of it. I was so surprised. I actually think that my Spanish is better here than it was in the US, which makes no sense. My English on the other hand is getting so much worse. I can already tell that my sentences are becoming shorter and honestly, it is really a miracle that you are even able to read these posts!
That night I also has language school. It was a really tough lesson and I went home and just sat there asking myself, "Why did I choose Denmark?". It was really hard to change my attitude about the language. Then, on Thursday our teacher told us how proud she was of us on Tuesday. She said that she went home very pleased and she told us that each one of us has potential to master the language. That was just what I needed to here. It gave some confidence and all the way home Jesper and I spoke Danish in the car. Of course, my Danish was broken and probably made no sense, I could see that he was happy I was trying.
Tonight I am going to a concert in Tivoli with some friends from my class. And then I have to wake up at 9 and go to the AFS welcome meeting for my area. It should be fun, but I will be so tired! I am thinking that I may post something soon about the food here, so stay tuned! Vi ses!
Andy E
Friday, August 28, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
School, School and more School...
Well...what a week!
I started school on last Thursday. It was great to finally get there and see the school. It is so big! There are 3 buildings: Art and Music; Cafeteria, Office and Classrooms; and the HUGE one with the library and 30-some classrooms. It is interesting, because there are no "Social Studies classrooms"; a classroom can be used for French one class and the next for Religion. Sometimes you even have back-to-back classes in the same room (Today, I had English and Religion in the same classroom).
The schedule is similar to BRFHS, but we get 20 minute breaks between classes. This is what the schedule look like:
(1 modul is like a block or period)
Modul 1- 8:05-9:40
I started school on last Thursday. It was great to finally get there and see the school. It is so big! There are 3 buildings: Art and Music; Cafeteria, Office and Classrooms; and the HUGE one with the library and 30-some classrooms. It is interesting, because there are no "Social Studies classrooms"; a classroom can be used for French one class and the next for Religion. Sometimes you even have back-to-back classes in the same room (Today, I had English and Religion in the same classroom).
The schedule is similar to BRFHS, but we get 20 minute breaks between classes. This is what the schedule look like:
(1 modul is like a block or period)
Modul 1- 8:05-9:40
Modul 2- 10:00-11:35
Modul 3- 12:05-13:40
Modul 4- 13:50-15:25
This means that I could have a maximum of 4 classes per day, which rarely happens. What is really nice, is when your Modul 1 class gets canceled, because then you get to sleep in! This happened to me on Tuesday! What is also different about the schedule is that you have a different class every modul. So, I will not have Danish every Modul 2 for a semester. In fact, there are no semesters. Just one, very long year! These are the classes I will be taking all year:
Danish
English
Spanish
Citizenship (Social Studies)
Classical Civilizations
Religion
Biology
Sport (Phy. Ed)
Natural Geography
History
As you can see, 8/10 classes are in Danish. So, it will be a VERY long year!
My class has 30 students in it, including me. I have every single class with these other students, which is another difference from school in the States. I already have some friends who sit by me and talk to me, which is good.
Also, language school is going well. It is every Tuesday and Thursday night for 4 hours! It gets long, but we have generous breaks. There are 8 people in my class: 3 exchange students (including me), a husband (England) and wife (Spain), a lady who has Danish boyfriend (Ireland), a lady who moved here for work (Germany) and a guy who just joined (country unknown). It is really hard, yet fun at the same time. During the breaks we talk to get other, which makes everyone more comfortable to make mistakes, which happens A LOT!
Finally, the highlight of my week! On Monday night, Jesper (my host dad) and I played badminton. It was so awesome! There is a fieldhouse next to the soccer fields devoted only to badminton, and handball in the winter. I thought I was good at badminton, but Jesper killed those thoughts. 1st game: 6-15, 3-15, 2-15 2nd game: 1-15, 2-15, 1-15 I was happy he didn't "skunk" me though! My arm and legs are still sore, 2 days later! I think we are going to do it next Monday too, though.
Andy E
This means that I could have a maximum of 4 classes per day, which rarely happens. What is really nice, is when your Modul 1 class gets canceled, because then you get to sleep in! This happened to me on Tuesday! What is also different about the schedule is that you have a different class every modul. So, I will not have Danish every Modul 2 for a semester. In fact, there are no semesters. Just one, very long year! These are the classes I will be taking all year:
Danish
English
Spanish
Citizenship (Social Studies)
Classical Civilizations
Religion
Biology
Sport (Phy. Ed)
Natural Geography
History
As you can see, 8/10 classes are in Danish. So, it will be a VERY long year!
My class has 30 students in it, including me. I have every single class with these other students, which is another difference from school in the States. I already have some friends who sit by me and talk to me, which is good.
Also, language school is going well. It is every Tuesday and Thursday night for 4 hours! It gets long, but we have generous breaks. There are 8 people in my class: 3 exchange students (including me), a husband (England) and wife (Spain), a lady who has Danish boyfriend (Ireland), a lady who moved here for work (Germany) and a guy who just joined (country unknown). It is really hard, yet fun at the same time. During the breaks we talk to get other, which makes everyone more comfortable to make mistakes, which happens A LOT!
Finally, the highlight of my week! On Monday night, Jesper (my host dad) and I played badminton. It was so awesome! There is a fieldhouse next to the soccer fields devoted only to badminton, and handball in the winter. I thought I was good at badminton, but Jesper killed those thoughts. 1st game: 6-15, 3-15, 2-15 2nd game: 1-15, 2-15, 1-15 I was happy he didn't "skunk" me though! My arm and legs are still sore, 2 days later! I think we are going to do it next Monday too, though.
Andy E
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Homesickness, School, etc.
I experienced my first homesickness. I was not so much "homesick", but more "sick of home". For 5 days all I did was sit in my room, watch TV and take naps. I was mad about the language, my family, my town, my school, etc. What I needed was a routine; I now have a routine. I also needed some time alone, which I got today. My parents work from 9-5 every weekday and school started today, so Fie was at school and I had the house to myself and the silence was good.
Last night I started to make chocolate chip cookies, but forgot about the chocolate chips!!! So, this morning I went to the supermarket looking for "cooking chocolate". I was having a difficult time, so I asked a lady, "Er du snakker engelsk?" (Do you speak english?) Thankfully she did and was able to find the chocolate right away. I started to cut the chocolate into "chips" right away and then put them in the cookie dough. I intially thought that they tasted terrible. However, when Elise got home she reassured me that they were tasteful.
Elise got home early to take me to language school. It is in Køge, a neighboring town 2 miles away. The language school is Tuesdays and Thursdays, so this was like a mini-lesson about the tings I missed yesterday. There were two other AFS exchange students there: Joe (MI, USA) and Lennart (Germany). Although my school started today all the exchange students were asked not to come because the day would be hectic and we didn't need to be there. There are 1000 students in my school (I know!) and there will be like 10 exchange students (not all AFS). I will go to school tomorrow and then from school I will go to language school in Køge. It is confusing for me, so I am guessing is confusing for you as well. I will let you know how my first day of school goes.
Andy E
Last night I started to make chocolate chip cookies, but forgot about the chocolate chips!!! So, this morning I went to the supermarket looking for "cooking chocolate". I was having a difficult time, so I asked a lady, "Er du snakker engelsk?" (Do you speak english?) Thankfully she did and was able to find the chocolate right away. I started to cut the chocolate into "chips" right away and then put them in the cookie dough. I intially thought that they tasted terrible. However, when Elise got home she reassured me that they were tasteful.
Elise got home early to take me to language school. It is in Køge, a neighboring town 2 miles away. The language school is Tuesdays and Thursdays, so this was like a mini-lesson about the tings I missed yesterday. There were two other AFS exchange students there: Joe (MI, USA) and Lennart (Germany). Although my school started today all the exchange students were asked not to come because the day would be hectic and we didn't need to be there. There are 1000 students in my school (I know!) and there will be like 10 exchange students (not all AFS). I will go to school tomorrow and then from school I will go to language school in Køge. It is confusing for me, so I am guessing is confusing for you as well. I will let you know how my first day of school goes.
Andy E
Saturday, August 8, 2009
My First Week
Yesterday marked my first week in Denmark. I thought I would give my first observations of this lovely country.
Music- Pretty much all the music on the radio is American Oldies. I have yet to hear a Danish song on the radio.
Cars- It is so expensive to get a driver's license here. For a license alone it is $3000!!! Driving lessons are about $150 per lesson and you need to take 6 lessons or more. It is crazy! All the cars are small and manual. I can't drive here, but even if I wanted I couldn't because every single car is manual! It is also interesting how small the roads are. Sometimes a single bike lane is the same width as a two-way road! This is a fact!
Wealth- Everyone is Denmark is somewhat wealthy, but no one feels the need to show it. They are content with what they have. I can already see that they do not put value in wealth, but instead in intelligence, creativity and humor.
Humor- The Danish sense of humor is all about irony. They appreciate a good sense of humor and love to laugh, especially at the dinner table!
Naked Babies- I am pretty sure that you could not even find a children's swimsuit in Denmark. In one week, I have seen more naked babies than a delivery room. Okay, maybe that is an exaggeration, but still...there are a lot of naked babies.
Language- The Danish language is so confusing. First, there are 3 extra vowels: Æ, Ø and Å. I can't pronounce any of them and they seem to be in every single word! I am really confused with the d's, e's and r's. The d's are silent, but not really. For example, the word for 'food' is 'mad', however, it is pronounced 'mel', BUT at the end you are suppose to add like a little sound for the 'd' by putting your tongue on your hard palate. The 'e' is more like an 'er'. For example, Fie, my sister, is pronounced 'fee-er'. It almost sounds like you are saying 'fear' really fast. And when you say 'r', you have to use your throat, which English-speakers do not use when talking. I don't know when I am saying it right or wrong. It is hard. Also unlike English is the use of the tongue. When speaking English, the tongue is constantly moving to create different sounds. In Danish, the tongue hardly moves, which is why it is so difficult for English-speakers to learn.
Wind Energy- Denmark is a leader in wind energy, and proud of it. Because Denmark is so flat and is pretty much a bunch of islands, the wind is abundant and they take advantage of it. There are wind turbines everywhere. The one thing that I have noticed is that they are placed in areas that are not used for living or farming. The turbines are places in the water, next to forests, in pastures, etc. I hope that someday wind turbines are as visible in the US as they are here.
The Danes- Danes are very proud people. They are proud of their food, culture, language, standard of living, government and their sustainible lifestyles. I am really enjoying my time here in Denmark and a large part of that is because of the people. They are so friendly and "hyggeligt".
Andy E
Music- Pretty much all the music on the radio is American Oldies. I have yet to hear a Danish song on the radio.
Cars- It is so expensive to get a driver's license here. For a license alone it is $3000!!! Driving lessons are about $150 per lesson and you need to take 6 lessons or more. It is crazy! All the cars are small and manual. I can't drive here, but even if I wanted I couldn't because every single car is manual! It is also interesting how small the roads are. Sometimes a single bike lane is the same width as a two-way road! This is a fact!
Wealth- Everyone is Denmark is somewhat wealthy, but no one feels the need to show it. They are content with what they have. I can already see that they do not put value in wealth, but instead in intelligence, creativity and humor.
Humor- The Danish sense of humor is all about irony. They appreciate a good sense of humor and love to laugh, especially at the dinner table!
Naked Babies- I am pretty sure that you could not even find a children's swimsuit in Denmark. In one week, I have seen more naked babies than a delivery room. Okay, maybe that is an exaggeration, but still...there are a lot of naked babies.
Language- The Danish language is so confusing. First, there are 3 extra vowels: Æ, Ø and Å. I can't pronounce any of them and they seem to be in every single word! I am really confused with the d's, e's and r's. The d's are silent, but not really. For example, the word for 'food' is 'mad', however, it is pronounced 'mel', BUT at the end you are suppose to add like a little sound for the 'd' by putting your tongue on your hard palate. The 'e' is more like an 'er'. For example, Fie, my sister, is pronounced 'fee-er'. It almost sounds like you are saying 'fear' really fast. And when you say 'r', you have to use your throat, which English-speakers do not use when talking. I don't know when I am saying it right or wrong. It is hard. Also unlike English is the use of the tongue. When speaking English, the tongue is constantly moving to create different sounds. In Danish, the tongue hardly moves, which is why it is so difficult for English-speakers to learn.
Wind Energy- Denmark is a leader in wind energy, and proud of it. Because Denmark is so flat and is pretty much a bunch of islands, the wind is abundant and they take advantage of it. There are wind turbines everywhere. The one thing that I have noticed is that they are placed in areas that are not used for living or farming. The turbines are places in the water, next to forests, in pastures, etc. I hope that someday wind turbines are as visible in the US as they are here.
The Danes- Danes are very proud people. They are proud of their food, culture, language, standard of living, government and their sustainible lifestyles. I am really enjoying my time here in Denmark and a large part of that is because of the people. They are so friendly and "hyggeligt".
Andy E
Thursday, August 6, 2009
København
Today Fie and I went to Copenhagen. We took the bus from our Herfølge to Køge and then a train from Køge to Copenhagen. At the train station we met one of Fie's friends from school, Laura. She lives west of Copenhagen and we live south, so it is a good meeting point.
From the station we walked through Copenhagen's streets. There is so many stores and SO MANY BIKES! There are bikes that sell water and ice cream, some that carry children and there are even bike taxis. There are just so many different kinds of bikes!
Our first excursion was to the Rundetaarn (Round Tower). It is a 114 foot tower that King Christian IV ordered be built in 1588. It has a spiral ramp that winds a total of 685 feet and winds 7.5 turns. It is located in the middle of Copenhagen and the top offers some spectacular views. You can even see the bridge the connects Denmark to Sweden. Fie, Laura and I sat on the top and had some apple juice and plums.
After the Rundetaarn, we did a little a shopping which resulted in wasted time. I was looking for a pair of shoes because I only brought 2 pair. We found a bunch of shoes at a fair price; the only problem was that they were all 45 (US 12), and I wear a 48 (US 14). Laura, however, went into a children's bookstore and bought me a book about a boy who gets a dog. I can't wait to read it! After that, we gave up on shopping.
From there we walked to the Nyhavn, which is the older part of Copenhagen. It is the area with beautiful multi-colored buildings on the water. It was really great to see such a beautiful place. We kept walking and walking until we reached a place called Christiania. It is a "hippie city" with a great deal of history. In the 70's, people who lived there wanted a more self-governant government. The government wanted to move them and they fought the police and all this stuff happened, blah, blah. Anyway, the people of Christiania won and so today the people who live there do not have housing laws and they don't pay taxes. They also sell and use drugs openly. It was really interesting to visit and see how they live. It is not very clean and there are definitely some sketchy people there, but it was fun to see. I believe tomorrow we are going to an amusement park that was described to me by Elise as "small, small, small, small Disney World". I will see how it goes.
My Danish is still in pretty non-existant, but I am starting to somewhat understand the conversations at the dinner table. Jesper always asks me if I understand what they are talking about and then fills me in. Usually after we are done eating there is a quiz for me of all the items on the table. I am getting better! School starts next Wednesday and I am hoping to start language school soon. I cannot wait until I can start talking to my family in Danish. Oh, the thrill!
Andy E
From the station we walked through Copenhagen's streets. There is so many stores and SO MANY BIKES! There are bikes that sell water and ice cream, some that carry children and there are even bike taxis. There are just so many different kinds of bikes!
Our first excursion was to the Rundetaarn (Round Tower). It is a 114 foot tower that King Christian IV ordered be built in 1588. It has a spiral ramp that winds a total of 685 feet and winds 7.5 turns. It is located in the middle of Copenhagen and the top offers some spectacular views. You can even see the bridge the connects Denmark to Sweden. Fie, Laura and I sat on the top and had some apple juice and plums.
After the Rundetaarn, we did a little a shopping which resulted in wasted time. I was looking for a pair of shoes because I only brought 2 pair. We found a bunch of shoes at a fair price; the only problem was that they were all 45 (US 12), and I wear a 48 (US 14). Laura, however, went into a children's bookstore and bought me a book about a boy who gets a dog. I can't wait to read it! After that, we gave up on shopping.
From there we walked to the Nyhavn, which is the older part of Copenhagen. It is the area with beautiful multi-colored buildings on the water. It was really great to see such a beautiful place. We kept walking and walking until we reached a place called Christiania. It is a "hippie city" with a great deal of history. In the 70's, people who lived there wanted a more self-governant government. The government wanted to move them and they fought the police and all this stuff happened, blah, blah. Anyway, the people of Christiania won and so today the people who live there do not have housing laws and they don't pay taxes. They also sell and use drugs openly. It was really interesting to visit and see how they live. It is not very clean and there are definitely some sketchy people there, but it was fun to see. I believe tomorrow we are going to an amusement park that was described to me by Elise as "small, small, small, small Disney World". I will see how it goes.
My Danish is still in pretty non-existant, but I am starting to somewhat understand the conversations at the dinner table. Jesper always asks me if I understand what they are talking about and then fills me in. Usually after we are done eating there is a quiz for me of all the items on the table. I am getting better! School starts next Wednesday and I am hoping to start language school soon. I cannot wait until I can start talking to my family in Danish. Oh, the thrill!
Andy E
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Jeg er i Danmark!
I am finally here in Denmark! I love it!
I arrived around 730 on friday morning and was met by some AFS staff at the airport. From there, the 5 other Americans and I went by bus to a folkeskole (kindergarten to 9th grade). We were the first country there and so we got to meet all the other countries as they came. In total, there were 216 students!
Yesterday my host family (dad, mom and sister) came to pick to me up at the folkeskole and brought me home. It was raining, but it felt so good to finally meet them. When we got home, I unpacked and then Fie (my sister) and I rode our bikes to the library to get me some children books. Then we came home and she made me read them to her. It was funny. I already like her a lot. For dinner we had chicken, beef and salmon on bread with lettuce, tomato, onion and ketchup. It was good!
Today, Fie and I went to Køge (a neighboring town) on our bikes and "registered" me. Then we shopped for school supplies and rode back to Herfølge. We watched Madagascar 2 in Danish with English subtitles and then had a tradional Danish lunch with rugbrød, a heavy, dark bread. I don't hate it, but I do not love it either. It will take some getting used to.
Andy E
I arrived around 730 on friday morning and was met by some AFS staff at the airport. From there, the 5 other Americans and I went by bus to a folkeskole (kindergarten to 9th grade). We were the first country there and so we got to meet all the other countries as they came. In total, there were 216 students!
Yesterday my host family (dad, mom and sister) came to pick to me up at the folkeskole and brought me home. It was raining, but it felt so good to finally meet them. When we got home, I unpacked and then Fie (my sister) and I rode our bikes to the library to get me some children books. Then we came home and she made me read them to her. It was funny. I already like her a lot. For dinner we had chicken, beef and salmon on bread with lettuce, tomato, onion and ketchup. It was good!
Today, Fie and I went to Køge (a neighboring town) on our bikes and "registered" me. Then we shopped for school supplies and rode back to Herfølge. We watched Madagascar 2 in Danish with English subtitles and then had a tradional Danish lunch with rugbrød, a heavy, dark bread. I don't hate it, but I do not love it either. It will take some getting used to.
Andy E
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