making comparsions.

I can only compare something new to something I know, something familiar to use as a point of reference, so I compared every new bit of Copenhagen to my home, my adopted home, and my friends, and to everything else I know well. I see my neighborhood as the Danish equivalent to the Upper East Side. Many wealthier families live here and raise their children here. It is quieter than the rest of the city and has many up scale shops and up scale apartments. The transit system reminds me of New York and Washington, D.C. combined...there are many different lines to choose from, it's efficient, and most everyone uses it, like NY, but it is very expensive, only runs until 1230am and goes in a bit of a circle, similar to D.C. The people in my program and locals are hard to categorize...so I wont even try, everyone is unique and out there. My classes are very different from Fordham. More students than I'm used to participate, the professors are flexible about their syllabus and are willing to go with the flow, and even want to be called by their first name. I'm not trying to say Fordham doesn't have those things...its just a different atmosphere, more personalized. Also, everything I read for class has to do with current events, not formulas and historic theories. I have been able to apply just about everything I've read and learned so far to everything going on around me and back home. It's amazing to me how much more motivation I have to do the reading assignments just because they have to do with what is in the news...its fascinating. And how a simple shift in location can totally shift my perspective on the world and everything I know. It feels great to be able to explore this beautiful city and wander through streets that hold so much history and then go to class and hear the stories the city tries to tell. For my danish class we had to ask a Dane about what historical or cultural event they thought was most influential in defining Danish self-perception. The man I asked mentioned a day long ago when the Danish flag fell during a Battle and their luck changed as a country. Others said joining the EU (yet still keeping their own currency and own juristiction, i.e. keeping Denmark for the Danes), and one person even said the recent gold medal for winning the European Handball competition earlier this week...there were other events but I can't remember what else people said. But the point is that this small country has so many events citizens are able to connect their pride for their country to local politics, sports, and history. Personally, I cannot think off the top of my head of any specific event that makes me proud to be an American or easily connect history to a general reason for patriotism. Obviously, there is a huge size difference between Denmark and the States...so it is hard and kinda unfair to compare the two countries on any level...but I'm not sure how else to figure out this small country without looking at it next to the U.S. Denmark has it's faults, too, concerning high taxes, strange immigration policies, and other things. But I'd rather not dwell on them at the momment...

Anyways, the night life here is very similar to the U.S., very crowded on the weekends at bars and cafes, but just about every night the inner city is actually always cluttered with some sort of live music event or people in the streets or in cafes hanging out. The cafes and some bars have a special atmosphere the Danes call 'hygge'...I'm still not sure how to pronounce it because a lot of words have random silent letters. But the atmosphere is all candlelit, small tables and close quarters. It's just a very relaxing environment especially because of the live music or american tunes playing in the background. I find it very comforting but of course everything is expensive here, so I've only been to one of these places twice so far.

bye for now,
emily

btw---i'm looking forward to watching the superbowl at about 3am on monday...Go Giants! (People are really into it here...) Love and miss you all :)

Swans

I went on an exploratory run through my neighborhood this morning. I ran through the large, muddy park near my apartment. It is a beautiful day here, sunny and 40 degrees, only a bit windy. In the park there are paths that run along the edge of the park and ones that cut right through huge, flat green lawns. People were running, walking their dogs, flying kites, playing soccer, and enjoying sunday. There are statues of people playing soccer and riding horses. There is a large black sculpture broken into three different blocks, all different shapes. And near that there is a huge two-faced dragon-like head perched at a cross-road. Within the paths of mud are beautiful lakes with fountains and the national bird, swans. I continued through the park towards the neighborhood opposite mine. I came upon another lake, with more people running and walking and pushing baby carriages. A man pushing his baby slowed down next to the lake near an approaching large, white swan to allow the baby and the swan to get a glimpse of each other. I passed cafes on the edge of the water with families and friends eating brunch outside and inside. Most stores are closed on sunday, so I window shopped along one of the busiest streets in my area. I continued back towards the park and passed by rainbow colored houses and the national soccer stadium. The soccer stadium was half-new and half demolished...I think they may be renovating it? I went back home through a different part of the park and passed by a black-top area for kids to play and a pick-up game of soccer. I found a few diagonal paths to take home and I eventually ended up where I started...back home, the apartments across from my window are red-brick with white windows on both sides of the apartment, letting light shine in from the street side and the courtyard. I have a new appreciation for sunlight more and more each day...

P.S. for all you fordham ppl: the park near my house hosts somewhat of a 'spring weekend' like event on may 1st... all of copenhagen has the day off from work/school and comes to the park to drink beers all day and play or listen to music. I believe its their memorial day...but don't quote me on that.

Hej, Hej!
Em

Wonderful Copenhagen

Hello all,

I arrived in Copenhagen early on Sunday, January 20th. I thought it was going to be below zero, dark, wet, and gloomy but it was pretty nice out. The sun came up around 8 and stayed around for awhile but the temperature never went below 30 degrees. The Danes say that this 30 degree weather is their mild winter. It seems a lot like the weather on the east coast, except more wind and fresh air. I'm living in an older part of the city called Østerbro, located in the northeastern section of the city. I'm in what is called 'shared housing' for American students. There are 65 other students from my program living on the same floor as me in singles and doubles. We all have our own little kitchenette and bathroom with shower. The shower is part of the bathroom and the bathroom is part of the shower. There is a shower curtain that separates the shower head from the toilet and sink...but other than that and a drain, we do not have a shower-shower. We also have a large common room type area with a TV and full kitchen. It takes about 45 minutes to get to school from my apartment and for the past three days (orientation) there has been a heard of students on the trains and buses at the same time. We stick out like sore thumbs. Østerbro is a very residential neighborhood with many grocery stores, 'take-away' restaurants, beautiful apartments, and a large park with the national football stadium. The apartments (or flats) all have some sort of balcony, open-air or closed off with full length windows. Everyone bikes everywhere. They have a very efficient public transportation system complete with three different options for commuting. They have the S train which runs mostly above ground, the Metro which is underground, and the bus. Despite the two times I stayed on the bus too long and the fact that I don't know Danish yet, the city itself is relatively easy to navigate. The Danes are huge on obeying the 'honor system.' The passes we use to ride the train require no swiping or punching, a conductor will check passes every couple of weeks. You never know when the passes will be checked and the fee is very high if you do not have a pass or the right amount on it...so everyone buys a pass, but you could probably get away with riding for free. Also, if you walk across the street in a cross walk when the light says don't walk, the Danes waiting on either side will give you a look to let you know you're being rude. Also, there is no word for 'Please' or 'Excuse Me' in Danish, so everyone just pushes to get where they are going. Apparently Americans are seen as being too polite because we sandwich our conversations: a nice polite greeting or small talk, a direct/honest comment, and a polite good-bye. The Danes believe in being very direct and do not see the purpose of having small talk. And you have to always look out for the bikers and their parked bikes because they are everywhere. Typically people leave their bikes outside of a store (unlocked) while they go inside. But at night, everyone locks their bike because bike theft is a very big problem here. Otherwise, the Danes seem to trust others and respect their city a lot. Danish Mothers even leave their baby carriage (with their baby inside of it) outside of cafes while socializing with friends or even while having a meal. The baby carriages are very old fashioned and have many layers of fleece and winter gear in them. The mothers say they are not neglecting their children because they put a baby monitor in the carriage and tend to the baby if necessary. The Danes are very reserved people who speak mostly Danish but will speak English to the Americans.

In the last four days I have seen so much of the center city (København H). All of the sidewalks are cobble stone and the buildings are red brick or stone. There seems to be a 'sale' going on in every store, yet the prices are so high. I saw the Queen's guards marching down a central street to her castle, which they do everyday at noon when she is at home. I have seen the four different castles of the winter residency for the royal family. The little mermaid statue is very small and has gone through a lot over the years...so anyone who sees her from now on will see a replacement because she was decapitated, painted red, and eventually blown over the last few decades. For those of you who do not know why there is a statue of the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen...Hans Christian Andersen wrote the story and was from Copenhagen. The buildings and squares of the city are so colorful and have so much character to them. There are stories about most of the buildings and towers that relate back to former Kings. Most girls wear boots and really high heels, even while they ride their bikes to work. Since daycare and education are both provided for free, usually both parents work. The restaurants are very cozy and normally do not have bright lights or lamps because they use candles. Denmark is very Eco-conscious. They use windmill power and most people abide by suggested energy saving practices. Also, you can recycle bottles right in your local grocery store and receive credit to purchase more of what ever you recycled. The general consensus among citizens is that people are content with their lives and are happy with their government. Though, Denmark still has a lot of debates going on about important issues that need to be faced, i.e. immigration, cultural integration, changing their welfare system, and certain restrictions they have for being in the EU. But there is lot to be learned from a country that can call for an election 3 weeks prior to the date of it and actually get more than 70% of citizens to vote.

This city is wonderful and I think anyone who wants to go to Europe should visit. It's just too cute to skip.

Hej, hej! (Bye, Bye!)...for now.
Em

Velkommen til Danmark!

So I'm here in Copenhagen....there is much to say, will update later!!

-em