"Devil the Egg"

Hej!! Don't worry, I'm alive ... and finally in Copenhagen! I wrote this really long (and I thought witty) blog entry a couple nights ago, only to have my internet crash just as I was about to post. I see we have some catching up to do.

THE FLIGHT

I'll start by saying that I'm not even going to complain about the jetlag, as it was entirely self-induced. I didn't think I'd have any trouble sleeping on the plane, especially after my 9th consecutive week of camp had just ended. (Never thought I'd say it, but SO SAD!) I guess I shifted into Marie-mode for a little while because instead of sleeping, I got overly wrapped up in the little personal TV in front of me. I watched 2 episodes of Flight of the Conchords, 17 Again (changed my views of Zac Efron forever btw), and mayyyybe dozed off for 30 min. while listening to one of the many CDs that were also available. Then I read Cosmo until I realized the 40 year old woman next to me was awkwardly reading over my shoulder & probably making some mental notes of the sex tips (Come on, you would too). If I did sleep, I woke up shortly when some serious pressure changes rendered my left ear completely useless for the next 3 days. Sweeet.



WHO'S WHO

I figure I'm going to do some serious name dropping in my next couple blog posts, so here's a quick cast of characters:

Iben - my host mom, runs a tight ship but doesn't like to appear strict so will lecture me on the rules but then proceed to apologize for sounding mean. great cook, and in all actuality probably not that different from my real mom :)

Thomas - my host dad, haven't really spoken to him that much yet but he's pretty funny. when I said I'm from NJ, his response was "Oh, like Bruce Springsteen!" Gotta love the guy.

Daniel - Twin #1. (They aren't identical, thank god) Spent a good part of last year in the U.S., and speaks English very well. as a result is probably the more outgoing of the two

Kristian - Twin #2. Much quieter, but compensates by being a professional youth soccer player on the danish national team. For real. I'm going to have to go to a game sometime.

Chika & Tessie - The Chow Chows!! Iben says that Chika looks like a bear and Tessie looks like a lion, and she is exactly right. I looooove them.

Jonathan - The neighbor, aka 3rd brother who has already spoken to me more than the other two combined. I have a feeling I'll be seeing a lot of him.

and finally, The House! - is amazing! I live in the basement with the two boys and really my only complaint is that we share a bathroom. Wouldn't normally be an issue, but they can't get in an out of their rooms without walking through the bathroom first. And the doors don't lock. Can't wait for the inevitable awkard situations hahah


FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Well, the city is beautiful. I love everything about it, especially the architecture. My commute is a very easy 20-25 min. bus ride right to central Copenhagen. But things are different here, let me tell you.

First of all, the language is impossible. They had us take a "Survival Danish" course the past couple days, but no dice. Nothing is pronounced how it is spelled... for example, "I am from Rodovre" (which is where my house is) is spelled "Jeg kommer fra Rodovre" and pronounced "Ya comma fla Loooo-OHhhh." I kid you not. The only phrase I can properly say is "I don't know," which my orientation group decided is best pronounced by just mumbling "devil-the-egg." It works.

Also, I have free range of the kitchen, and am expected to pack my own lunch everyday. The problem is I can't read any of the labels. This morning I poured salt all over my corn flakes instead of sugar and was almost too embarrassed to say anything. But it was gross, and I had to, and my host family loved every second of it.

Something else that's different, of course, is the drinking age! A few of the girls from Gburg and I went out to dinner last night and we purchased our first legal beers. Except... another thing that's different here is prices... so a beer and some potato skins cost me like $25. Lameee.

And then of course, certain things stay the same. I hopped on my bus this morning (after missing the first one, I swear it was fate) and the bus driver was blasting "Your Body is a Wonderland." No one talks on the busses here, but I just had to let the driver know, I LOVE THAT SONG. Stoopidamerican.

Finally, I went for a run around Damhussen lake today when I got home. My family said it was about a 5k or 6k so I was all pumped to see what horrible shape I was in. But when I finished the loop in 16 min, I decided that either I had become D1 national material in my time off, or I had been duped. Felt good to run again though. Everyone runs here. EVERYONE.

I'll wrap this up. Today we went on a scavenger hunt in the city and I got some cool pixxx so check for those on facebook soon! Miss you all :) And by all, I mean more than just the 3 people who might happen to stumble across this blog.

Hej hej!

- Caitlin