Velkommen to Danmark!

Hej - Hello from Aalborg,

I am finally somewhat situated (and by situated I mean I have internet access) in my apartment building, located on Ny Kastetvej (ny = new and vej = road/way). In the apartment there are approx. 20 international students, of whom I have thus far met five (2 from Spain, 1 from Turkey, and 2 from France - I think - the accent sounded French, but I didn't ask where they were from). The part of Aalborg (that's a soft, almost silent g at the end) the apartment is in is a cozy, little neighborhood, near a bus stop (I'll be taking the bus everyday to campus, which is 3-4 miles away) and off of a main road that goes into the city center.

Aalborg (in northern Jutland - the northern part of the big island if you're looking at a map) is smaller and very quaint compared to Copenhagen, where I spent two days at a youth hostel. Both are very pedestrain friendly and relatively safe from what I can tell. In fact, when I asked at the reception desk of the hostel in Copenhagen whether there are any areas of the city I shouldn't go, the response was, "Well, it's Copenhagen...if you don't provoke anyone you shouldn't have any troubles." Yeah...so, don't start any bar brawls? I wasn't exactly sure, but stuck to the during daylight/lots of people route.

First impressions of Copenhagen:
* lots of graffiti - so many buildings in the city were full of it
* bicycles - they are everywhere - on every street corner and propped against the sides of the buildings. Many of them are city bicycles and are for general use, but the rest I was surprised to find, were personally owned and were not locked. Also, most of them are older styles, often with baskets to carry groceries.
* beautiful people - seriously, so many of the people I encountered on the streets were well-dressed, well-built, thin and attractive. I felt at times, Iike I was walking around in a land of models...this way, needless to say, a bit intimidating.
* smoking is much more socially acceptable here - some buildings and businesses allow it, and certainly in public places
* likewise, drinking during the day or ambling along one of the pedestrain streets with a bottle of beer is not uncommon (of course, this is based on the limited experience I had in Copenhagen - and the sights I saw over approx. 5 hours of walking around on a day when there was a festival in the city center...)

Overall, Copenhagen felt cold and dark. This was in part due to the overcast weather, and also perhaps because it was my first real experience in another country with no idea of where I was going, little grasp of the language and no one on which to rely. Even taking these things into account, the old, drab brick buildings in 100 shades of gray, the demeanor of the people I encountered on the streets (rarely did anyone look me in the eye or smile - could have been because I looked like a tourist), and the garbage on the streets lent this general feeling to the place. Harsh judgment, yes -- I think I'd enjoy it more the second time around and with more time to explore...

Needless to say, I was happy to depart by train on Sunday for Aalborg. Traveling through the countryside of Denmark, I saw much what I expected - green, rolling, grassy meadows - lots of farmland (often divided in haphazard ways) - wind turbines - small patches of forested land. After four and half hours, I arrived at my home for the next 5 months and shortly thereafter Birgitte came to take me to her parents house. Ah - immense relief and happiness at one familiar face! We took the bus - exactly like those in Copenhagen - they are efficiently run, on time, clean and fairly inexpensive (8-19 dkk danish krone - which is approx. $1.50 - 3.75) per ride.

I stayed at Nels and Ida's (Birgitte's parents) house for the night - had dinner (w/American cake for desert - not very American, but tasted very good), wine, coffee, conversion, a bit of Danish television (we watched the National Geographic channel w/Danish subtitles - MTV, Discovery Channel, CNN, and E - True Hollywood story was on - are also carried) and rest. Such wonderful and kind hosts I had!

The next day I took a walk with my white tennis shoes, and yes, got a few odd looks. They are not common here. Sidenote: I'm surprised by the brands that are popular, such as Russell Athletic, Nike, and Puma. Later, went to register at the International Student Office. It was a bit unorganized and I would have felt so much more lost had it not been for Birgitte's help. Eventually, forms were filled out and I received a key for my apartment - for my temporary home : )

And here I sit. On the floor, next to the window, with my computer, listening to the noise from my neighbors' TV mingled with my Ben Harper. Orientation for internat'l students, beginning with breakfast at 8am is on Friday. For now, I've unpacked, secured internet access, bought toilet paper (very crucial), and groceries (this was quite the chore, although I ended up coming home with most of the items I intended to buy and few I did not - I ate some of the cheese today mom and it wasn't too bad).

It is a lovely evening in Denmark and I think I'll go for a walk.

Sorry for the long post - hope you've made your way through it - talk to you soon,
Tessa