A Brief Intermission from Denmark

I can't believe I've been here for nearly three weeks.  I feel like I've been here forever and at the same time I've done absolutely nothing.  Hopefully, that will change in the upcoming days.  Me and my roommates have got big plans for the weekend--museums, markets, oatmeal, hyggeligt cafes, one of the best hot chocolates in the world (as told by buzzfeed), Hamlet's castle, and, hey, maybe I'll even stop by a speakeasy...but honestly, I'm pretty excited for the oatmeal. What can I say? I'm a simple lady. 
Next week, I'm off on a week-long study tour with one of my courses.  The first half of the week is touring around Copenhagen and on Thursday morning, bright (actually, it'll be entirely dark at 7) and early, I'm leaving the country for the first time since I've been here.  While all the other losers go to places across Denmark, I'm embarking on an adventure to the balmy and tropical coast of southern Sweden.  Take that suckers! We're crossing the border and exploring the cities of Malmo and Lund and livin' it up in some hostels, and we're even going to a National Park.  I'm going to see Swedish trees! and nature! I'm going to see some Swedish nature!

This is Gaby with Sunday breakfast.
Also, look: a friend!!

I am really excited to see how the other Scandinavians live, but I'm also looking forward give myself a brief break from all the danishes.  No amount of physical activity can rationalize the amount I've eaten in the past week.  I'm literally living in the country they were named after. It's not that the country created them, oh no. This country perfected them, or so the story goes.  It's my own personal heaven. Or Hell, depending how you look at it.  I'm still stunned on how good the pastries can be at 7/11.  Yes, 7/11, the incredibly awful convenience store that litters America offers some of the cheapest, and shockingly decent, pastries in Copenhagen.  And there's two in a 5 block radius of me.  So, yeah. 

Gym membership be damned.

Priorities

My (Overly Hopeful) Goals for the Semester:

• Get to a point where jet lag isn't an issue
• Find the best pastry shop.  Preferably close, cheap, and open 24 hours
• Memorize my Danish phone number
• Become a master of Danish pronunciation.  Especially those pesky soft d's
• Find the best place to get smorrebrod
• Become a pro at the ways of the ike lanes (preferable before hurting myself or others)
• Find some reasonably priced coffee
•  Take the stereotypical Nyhavn canal photo (extra points if I'm on a bike)
• Meet some Danes!

Welcome to Denmark!

Denmark!

So, I've been in Copenhagen for about a week now and while it doesn't feel like home yet, I’m quickly falling into the swing of things.  I have explored the neighborhood, successfully found my way to class (and back!).  I've tried the national beers; Carlsberg and Tuborg and can (maybe?) pronounce them in the proper Danish way.  I've found the best neighborhood Netto, a cheap neighborhood supermarket and have made way too many food runs (on which I learned that they have surprising passable pastries at 10pm).  I'd never realized before how stressful grocery shopping could be when you don't speak the language.  There's a very real chance that you could pick up some liver spread thinking it was cream cheese.

The first sunny morning from my kitchen window

I've even ventured out into the nightlife of Copenhagen and met some Danes who informed us that our accents were absolute rubbish, though the loud music and alcohol consumption probably didn't help their hearing. Obviously, we speak impeccable Danish.  I've picked up on some words—hej (hi),Skål (cheers), tak (thanks), and Øl (beer. Arguably the most important term)

The Round Tower.

The place, as it was explained to me is “older than my country” (73 years older to be exact!).  Outside is a narrow, cobblestone street and on either corner are these beautiful buildings dating back to the 1600s and all the little houses and shops are brightly colored.  Probably because the colors are a replacement for sunlight in the winter months.  

Though, I suppose not seeing the sun for a few more weeks is a pretty good trade-off for the arctic tundra that is winter in Buffalo.

An Introduction

This is a blog about my studies in Scandinavia.  Though it will likely contain very little about actual studying.  And probably won't take place entirely in Scandinavia. So I guess that first sentence was a bit of an over generalization.
Anyway, velkommen!