Copenhagen: First Look

Well, after 26 hours of travel, made it to Copenhagen yesterday afternoon (and no, Dad, the Earth’s axis didn’t shift from my 120 pounds of gear).

My host family is so nice and welcoming. Last night we feasted on delicious frikadeller (traditional meatballs), potatoes, chicken, salad, and champagne. Skål! That’s Danish for cheers, a word I think I will become very familiar with. Today, I got to try flødeboller, a chocolate covered marshmallow treat often served at birthdays and celebrations. It was pretty good! Another interesting Danish snack is salty licorice. It gives your jaw a very good workout!

Today’s orientation went well. DIS is very organized and made it very easy for me to apply for a Danish Visa, pick up my books, get a cell phone, and explore the city. Another useful phrase I learned is “hjælp, jeg for veldt!” (help, I am lost!). Copenhagen is simply beautiful: the architecture, the people, the lazy snowflakes, the bikes, the cobblestone, everything. The transportation system is phenomenal. My host mother, Bente, showed us how the trains work this morning. It is about a 30 minute ride from the station closest to our town to Copenhagen. It’s a little confusing at first, but I’ll be an expert in no time.
Now we are watching The Breakup with Danish subtitles so Vanessa (another DIS student who lives with us) and I can work on our Danish and Bente can work on her English. Tonight, we have spent a lot of time just chatting and looking at maps and pictures of where we are from, have been, and are going. I already love it here.

Me, my host mother Bente, my host brother Jonas, and their dog Picasso.