Hvad hedder du?

It was a good day. The only orientation I had today was Survival Danish in the afternoon. My intention was to sleep in, but only until 9am or so and wonder around the city a bit. But I ended up sleeping a little later and just ate my lunch in the city.

Danish was good, and I am thankful it was my last Danish class. This language really isn't my thing. However, I can say "Hvad hedder du?" o "Hvor kommer du fra?" ("What is your name?" and "Where do you come from?"). And that is about it. They did give us a walking tour of good places around DIS to eat, shop, bank, post letters. It was very informative.

After Danish, DIS provided a tour of the Calsberg Brewery. Afterwords, there was free sandwiches and beer. It was a fantastic time, and needless to say the bus ride back to DIS was much more talkative than the ride to Calsberg.

In other interesting notes, I was asked at the train station which train to take into the city. And I knew the answer. I must be blending.

So, tomorrow starts classes. I have quite a bit of reading to do for my first class (about 60 pages or so). I best be getting to that. Also, no worries, I am documenting all my adventures in pictures. However, since this blogger site is very weird about uploading pictures, I have decided to upload them to Yahoo instead. Here is the link: http://photos.yahoo.com/annagehres

Signing off from Copenhagen,

Hej, hej,

Anna

"At vove er at miste fodfaestet for en stund - ikke a vove er at miste sig selv." -Søren Kierkegaard

"To dare is to loose one's footing for a while - not to dare is to loose oneself."

Day 2

So, it is only Day 2, but I already feel like so much has happened. Everywhere you look there is something new. And while I doubt that this will last much longer, I'm enjoying it while it lasts.

The day started off by my host mother taking me to The Black Diamond. We meet up with Laurel (another DIS student) and her host mother who live two train stops before mine. The Black Diamond, in the first picture below, is home to the Royal Library. The building itself is incredible. The room in which the opening ceremonies were held was amazing-- moving acoustic panels and all. At the opening ceremonies we had a chamber quartet play a sampling of classical music. We also had several speeches my DIS people.

After the opening ceremonies Ann (my host mom), Laurel, Laurel's host mom, Laurel's friend Laura, and myself went to lunch in downtown Copenhagen. It was wonderful. During lunch Laurel's host mother asked if I had a boyfriend back home. Finally a perfect opportunity to bring my sexuality-- AND a wonderful opportunity to talk about my wonderful girlfriend ;) Everyone was very supportive, it was refreshing. After lunch we headed off to a sightseeing tour of Copenhagen. And that is pretty much what it was. While it was a very touristy activity, it was a nice introduction to Copenhagen. Below are a few pictures from the tour.

After the tour I went to DIS to pick up my cell phone, all is well in that department. If you would like the cell number, just contact me. I've successfully mastered the S-train system, and made my way home with no problems. Dinner tonight was good (spaghetti). After dinner my host mother and I walked around the neighborhood a bit. It is a very nice neighborhood. And a wonderful evening with my host mother.

Tomorrow is an early day (6:30 shower -- 4 women, 1 bathroom). So, I best be getting to bed soon. On schedule for tomorrow is Coping in Copenhagen and Survival Danish.

And don't get used to these frequent posts. We've already have reading assignments for our first classes (both required & recommended), and textbook pick up is tomorrow as well. Even though these first few days have been busy, busier days are likely to be in store.

Enjoy the pictures....

Anna


The Black Diamond


The Queen's Palace (she was home today, as noted by the flag)


The Little (very little) Mermaid 

Greetings from Copenhagen!

I have made it to Copenhagen. Right now I am feeling the symptoms of the weary traveler.

My flights went well. It turns out there were about 45 or so DIS students on the same flight. The flight was short (only 6 hours and 45 minutes); however, the turbulence was the worst I’ve ever flown through. This made sleeping difficult - which does not help the jet lag. We arrived and were greeted by a slew of DIS staff members (and multiple check in points) and then transported to the University of Copenhagen. Here we proceeded to be given more information than this weary traveler could digest.

We received a very brief orientation to housing, then I got meet my host family. They are wonderful. I feel very at home. My host mother is amazing. She took me to the train station to get my transportation card, a very necessary item. And she has taken the day off tomorrow to help me figure everything out.

So, tomorrow is opening ceremonies. It is going to be an early morning (8am). After opening ceremonies it is a brief sightseeing bus tour of Copenhagen.

I don’t believe there is any amount of preparation that can be done before studying abroad. To think that so much about my life has changed in the past 24 hours is almost surreal.

But it is great!

Until Next Time,

Anna

P.S. – The picture on this post is of the desk in my room. Pretty nice set up ;)
P.S.S. – I apologize in advance for grammatical errors. It’s the jet lag.

Farewell, and Goodbye

As I make final preparations to depart the States, I thought one last blog post would be in order. My next post will be from Denmark!

I also wanted to take this time to thank all of those in my life who have made this trip, this experience, possible. It is hard to believe that it is here already.

Until next time,

Anna.

P.S. I miss you.

Good Byes

My co-workers threw me a surprise going away party last night-- under the disguise of a accuracy meeting. It was really, really nice of them all. I had a great time. I'm going to miss them all. Today marks 5 days until I leave. At some point I probably should get the suitcases out of the closet and start packing. Everyday it becomes a little more real.

I did some research on the area in which I will be living in Denmark - Bagsværd a suburb of Copenhagen. It is home to the Church at Bagsværd, designed by Jorn Utzon. Jorn Utzon, a danish architect, also designed the Sydney Opera House, among other buildings. The design is intended to invoke the feelings of spirituality and peace that come from clouds. The picuture above is of the church.

My Host Family

To say I am excited is an understatement. I got word from my host family. Ann is my host family mother and she lives with her two daughters (17 & 14 years). I have my own room with everything I need, in a quite part of town. I will be living in a suburb of Copenhagen - Bagsværd which is about 15 km from the city of Copenhagen. Bagsværd (of which I am not sure how to pronounce) is the home to the headquarters of Novo Nordisk - makers of insulin products. Very cool. The commute will probably be around 30-45 minutes to class. Did I mention its only 8 more days?!?

I. Can't. Wait.

Less than TWO weeks!

It is hard to believe... but Denmark is almost here! They are starting to send out the housing assignments. I have to say I am really excited about meeting my host family. In other notes, there is a lot to do in the coming week. Mostly just practical items. The next two weeks will fly by...

I'll keep you posted.

PS - Where in the world does one start to pack?

Happiest Country

I came across this news article recently:

http://www.999today.com/society/news/story/3473.html

Apparently in a study rating the happiness of nations, Denmark topped the list. Funny that... considering Denmark has Europe's second highest suicide rate.

Three Weeks

On Saturday, August 26th, I will depart for Denmark. In an effort to stay connected with family and friends, I have decided to publish a blog documenting my travels abroad. Hopefully this will reduce the need for lengthy e-mails and increase the number of people with which I can share my year abroad.

First, a little information. While in Denmark, I will be staying with a host family in the general vicinity of Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. The program in which I am studying with, DIS – Denmark’s International Study Program, is affiliated with the University of Copenhagen. My courses will mostly be centered around the Medical Practice and Policy Program.

Second, contact information. I will have e-mail access while abroad, and this is the most efficient way to be in contact. Mail can also been sent to the following address:

Anna C. Gehres
c/o Denmark’s International Study Program
Vestergade 7
DK-1456 Copenhagen K
Denmark

Over the course of the next three weeks, I will post occasionally with updates on pre-departure preparations. While abroad I hope to post at minimum every other week, but will attempt to update more frequently, possibly weekly.

Until next time,

Happy travels,

Anna.

(Photo: Old and New Square, the central square in Medieval Copenhagen. DIS is 200 yards to the right.)