23 August 2010

my new host family has a beautiful lawn in the backyard, but the very back is full of standing water due to so much rain. after one little storm, they called to me to look out the window at three huge storks standing in the water. they must have been at least 3 feet tall. Laila told me that they are very rare and had almost gone entirely extinct but that recently their population has been gradually growing.
    For dinner they made me traditional homeade Danish Pork meatballs and sauce with a beautiful salad of lettuce, pasta, red pepper, tomatoes, corn, and perhaps a few more vegetables, along with some peeled potatoes and a very full glass of red wine. It was very delicious and I had the salad again for lunch today (monday august 23). I also had a turkey sandwich on a homeade rye roll and a nectarine.
      This morning I was expected to arrive at the national museum in downtown copenhagen in the morning to embark on a scavenger hunt of the area with 4 other students. So Laila kindly helped me with breakfast and then drove me by the bustop to the trainstation. she helped me orient myself, and then I was off!  I hopped on the train and nervously waited for my stop, hoping I wouldn't miss it since I could not understand what the intercom was saying. and luckily it was obvious, but where to go from there was not. I started off around the Tivoli Gardens feeling like I ought to be going in the right direction but really having no idea. after about 15 minutes of more walking and trying to orient my map, I found a landmark and decided I was on the right track. I thankfully found the musuem a few minutes later and promptly ran into ally and jordan, which was great!  We set off to discover DIS, which turns out is a cluster of a few large apartments or something like that off of a nearby street. they had little courtyards and narrow stairs, but large classrooms. altogether very european, and a little odd because there is no campus, just a few sneaky doorways.
   Around noon we went to the spectacular city hall for an opening ceremony where afterwords we were served traditional Danish Pancakes, which were really like delicious crepes with fig sauce and candied almonds on top. Laila told me that only the very elite are invited to eat these pancakes, such as when the national soccer team wins a big tournament, or a celebrity comes to visit. they served all 600 of us on fancy china and sterling silver forks. So it was a very very special treat and a wonderful welcome from the mayor. For the rest of the day, I wandered around the streets with Lizzy, Ally, Jordan, and some new friends from PA. 
    Getting home that evening was slightly less relaxing as I could not find my stop on any of the train listings and nor could  I read the signs to help much. I almost got on the wrong train but then went and asked for help and was pointed quickly in the right direction. Apparently my train and trainstop are not very mainstream and will usually be a challenge. when I arrived in Roskildje, which I still can't pronounce, I hopped on a bus and headed for our small town 15 more minutes away beyond the 20 minute train ride. I stood up before my stop, not really sure how the system worked, and the bus just flew past the stop. I called out to the driver, who didn't really speak english, and he pointed out a red button I am supposed to push when I want to get off. Having never taken a bus for public transportation before, I had no idea. But I won't forget tomorrow. And hopefully tomorrow will be easier.