First of all, I've set up a flickr account and you can see the pictures I took before here, or at least you should be able to. If that doesn't work, my flickr username is jordan.goodnough and you should be able to find them that way.
Yesterday I went with a friend to the Free Town of Christiania. It's in Copenhagen, located on the island of Christianhavn. Until 1971, it was army barracks. After that, it got taken over by squatters. From what I can tell it's like a hippie commune. There are some shops and cafes and such. One of the cafes proudly calls itself the safest cafe in Denmark, what with over 6000 armed police inspections since 2004. It's certainly a very unusual place. Christiania has a population of about 800 people. It used to be a haven for drugs, but in the past year or so there's been a significant crackdown. Still, I saw a stand advertising hash pipes for sale. On the back side of the main gateway, when you leave, there is a sign that says "Now Entering the EU" so that gives some perspective. Anyway, I will be going back there with my Danish class at some point. I felt pretty creeped out walking around there.
Today is Wednesday; there are no classes on Wednesdays. They are reserved for field studies for various classes. There weren't any field studies today, but I still had to get up and go into the city at the same time I do for classes. I'm working on a group project already, and this was the only time we could get together and meet. So of course this was the first day that there were any serious delays in my commute. The signal at the Sydhavn (su-houn) train station was broken, so that caused about a thirty minute delay. I wasn't late, though, because as a result of the way the bus and trains match up I usually get in pretty early anyway.
On my way back, I met Vivi at Ishøj Bycenter (bu-center), which is a shopping center connected to the station. There, I registered with the Kommune office in order to receive my CPR number. Your CPR number is the equivalent of your SSN, Health Insurance number, and Library Card, so it's pretty important. Then we went to do some food shopping at the connected Bilka (beelka), which is pretty much the equivalent of a Wal-Mart. Interesting note: if you want the store to give you bags, you have to pay for them. This is true pretty much anywhere, I think. Then we got home, ate some lunch, and then I started writing.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Sunday, January 27, 2008
First Week - Arrival and Adjustment
It's Sunday the 27th, and I've been in Denmark for just over a week now. Five hours more than a week, to be exact. I landed in Copenhagen Airport at 7:15 am local time, or 1:15 am EST. We went to Copenhagen University at Amager for orientation. After a few hours there, I met and was picked up by my host family.
I am living with Benny and Vivi Hansen, 60 and 61 years old. Vivi is retired, and Benny is getting there, only working four days a week now. They, or I guess now I, live in Ishøj, a suburb of Copenhagen. It takes me about 40 to 45 minutes to get into the city, by bus and then train.
The public transportation here is quite slick, especially compared to the T. The trains are quiet and clean, and actually quite comfortable to sit in. But I digress.
On the way back to Ishøj (pronounced EESH-oi), Benny and Vivi were pointing out some landmarks and points of interest to me, but I didn't absorb much of it, as I was falling asleep after travel. It was mostly Vivi doing the talking, though, as her English is significantly better than Benny's. I managed to stay awake for most of the day, though, and when Monday rolled around I didn't suffer from jet lag. That was quite nice, as the days have been pretty long, so far.
Monday, Tuesday, and Wedneday were more orientation and some survival Danish. Probably the the most important thing I learned in that was to say "Jeg taler ikke dansk" (yie tal-eh eega dahnsk): "I don't speak Danish." On Tuesday there was a sightseeing tour, and I took some photos. I'm still figuring out the best way to let everyone see my pictures. I'll probably set up a flickr account, or something. Tuesday's the only day I took any pictures so far, because the weather has been pretty bad.
It's been mostly around 40 degrees, rainy, and windy. There have been comparisons to Seattle, but I've never been there. It's like what I hear Seattle is like, anyway. It is warmer than I expected, though, which I guess is kind of nice. Apparently it doesn't ever snow very much here at all. I was surprised to hear this, given that the latitude approximately matches up around with Juneau, Alaska, and Hudson Bay. I guess the jetstream flows right in and keeps things warm. I have heard, though, that sometimes the winds change and we get the Arctic winds from Russia. Then it gets cold. That hasn't happened yet to me, but I'm sure it will at some point.
Thursday and Friday were the first days of classes. On Thursday, I have International Law, Danish, and Terrorism and Counterterrorism in Europe. Danish was canceled because the instructor was sick, so I haven't had that yet. On Friday I have European Politics: The European Union and Global Business Strategy. International Law is going to be quite interesting, I think. I suppose I could say that about all of my classes. Maybe it was because it was the first class I went to, but I don't have as much of an impression of this class as I do the others. Terrorism and Counterterrorism is shaping up to be my favorite class so far. It's being co-taught by a couple of members of the Danish intelligence services, so these guys know what they're talking about. We spent the first class trying to define terrorism. Coincidentally, near the end of class, there was a loud demonstration outside. I was told that it was the weekly demonstration of the Copenhagen anarchists. Funny how that works out, huh? The course on EU politics is going to be nice, because last semester I took a course on the EU as well. This course should cover some of the same information, and then go much further. During the travel tour, we are actually going to Brussels and the Hague. I'm really excited about that. Global Business Strategy is slightly intimidating, because I've never taken any sort of business class before at all. The instructor is quite good, it seems (as are they all), and I think that I'll get more comfortable with it after another week or so.
Friday night was the wrap-up of orientation, and the program sponsored everyone going out to a club. That's not really my scene, but it was fun nonetheless. Yesterday I went on a walking tour of some of the trendier spots of Copenhagen, to see the "other side" of the city. The tour was great, the weather was about as bad as it has been since being here. Oh well. Then, Benny and Vivi picked me up from the city and we went to one of their daughters' apartments, where she was having a birthday party. I met their three daughters' families there, as well as Benny's parents. It was pretty fun.
Then we came back and watched the handball game. It's like a combination of lacrosse and basketball, and I believe you can find out more on the rules by searching Wikipedia for Team Handball. Anyway, the European championships are going on right now, and Denmark was playing Germany in the semifinals. Germany won the tournament last year, but this time Denmark won. It was a very tight game, with Denmark winning on a literal last-second penalty shot. The final is today, the 27th, at 3:50pm local time. The opponent is Croatia, and I'm going to watch. It's quite exciting.
Today is somewhat relaxing, for a change. Benny's parent's stayed the night, and we just finished lunch. They left to get home for the handball game, and we may take a brief walk, as the weather is quite nice today. I'm not sure, though.
As I spend more time here and get more comfortable with the city, I'm sure things won't fail to get better and better!
I am living with Benny and Vivi Hansen, 60 and 61 years old. Vivi is retired, and Benny is getting there, only working four days a week now. They, or I guess now I, live in Ishøj, a suburb of Copenhagen. It takes me about 40 to 45 minutes to get into the city, by bus and then train.
The public transportation here is quite slick, especially compared to the T. The trains are quiet and clean, and actually quite comfortable to sit in. But I digress.
On the way back to Ishøj (pronounced EESH-oi), Benny and Vivi were pointing out some landmarks and points of interest to me, but I didn't absorb much of it, as I was falling asleep after travel. It was mostly Vivi doing the talking, though, as her English is significantly better than Benny's. I managed to stay awake for most of the day, though, and when Monday rolled around I didn't suffer from jet lag. That was quite nice, as the days have been pretty long, so far.
Monday, Tuesday, and Wedneday were more orientation and some survival Danish. Probably the the most important thing I learned in that was to say "Jeg taler ikke dansk" (yie tal-eh eega dahnsk): "I don't speak Danish." On Tuesday there was a sightseeing tour, and I took some photos. I'm still figuring out the best way to let everyone see my pictures. I'll probably set up a flickr account, or something. Tuesday's the only day I took any pictures so far, because the weather has been pretty bad.
It's been mostly around 40 degrees, rainy, and windy. There have been comparisons to Seattle, but I've never been there. It's like what I hear Seattle is like, anyway. It is warmer than I expected, though, which I guess is kind of nice. Apparently it doesn't ever snow very much here at all. I was surprised to hear this, given that the latitude approximately matches up around with Juneau, Alaska, and Hudson Bay. I guess the jetstream flows right in and keeps things warm. I have heard, though, that sometimes the winds change and we get the Arctic winds from Russia. Then it gets cold. That hasn't happened yet to me, but I'm sure it will at some point.
Thursday and Friday were the first days of classes. On Thursday, I have International Law, Danish, and Terrorism and Counterterrorism in Europe. Danish was canceled because the instructor was sick, so I haven't had that yet. On Friday I have European Politics: The European Union and Global Business Strategy. International Law is going to be quite interesting, I think. I suppose I could say that about all of my classes. Maybe it was because it was the first class I went to, but I don't have as much of an impression of this class as I do the others. Terrorism and Counterterrorism is shaping up to be my favorite class so far. It's being co-taught by a couple of members of the Danish intelligence services, so these guys know what they're talking about. We spent the first class trying to define terrorism. Coincidentally, near the end of class, there was a loud demonstration outside. I was told that it was the weekly demonstration of the Copenhagen anarchists. Funny how that works out, huh? The course on EU politics is going to be nice, because last semester I took a course on the EU as well. This course should cover some of the same information, and then go much further. During the travel tour, we are actually going to Brussels and the Hague. I'm really excited about that. Global Business Strategy is slightly intimidating, because I've never taken any sort of business class before at all. The instructor is quite good, it seems (as are they all), and I think that I'll get more comfortable with it after another week or so.
Friday night was the wrap-up of orientation, and the program sponsored everyone going out to a club. That's not really my scene, but it was fun nonetheless. Yesterday I went on a walking tour of some of the trendier spots of Copenhagen, to see the "other side" of the city. The tour was great, the weather was about as bad as it has been since being here. Oh well. Then, Benny and Vivi picked me up from the city and we went to one of their daughters' apartments, where she was having a birthday party. I met their three daughters' families there, as well as Benny's parents. It was pretty fun.
Then we came back and watched the handball game. It's like a combination of lacrosse and basketball, and I believe you can find out more on the rules by searching Wikipedia for Team Handball. Anyway, the European championships are going on right now, and Denmark was playing Germany in the semifinals. Germany won the tournament last year, but this time Denmark won. It was a very tight game, with Denmark winning on a literal last-second penalty shot. The final is today, the 27th, at 3:50pm local time. The opponent is Croatia, and I'm going to watch. It's quite exciting.
Today is somewhat relaxing, for a change. Benny's parent's stayed the night, and we just finished lunch. They left to get home for the handball game, and we may take a brief walk, as the weather is quite nice today. I'm not sure, though.
As I spend more time here and get more comfortable with the city, I'm sure things won't fail to get better and better!
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