and we're walking...

Part II 1/2: Abril/April

2009-02-08T09:18:00.000-08:00

This is the house pet. Named April/Abril in Spanish. Anni's dog, found on the street as a stray (one of many - I'd be interested to know the dog population of Ushuaia) - and taken in.

Part II: Lag Esmeralda y el asado numero tres

2009-02-08T08:09:00.000-08:00

Lagoon Esmeralda - Yesterday I went with the President of Rotoract (the young professionals/twenty-somethings arm of Rotary) and his friend and his friend's friends to a lagoon outside of Ushuaia. Gorgeous. The pictures below are from the trip. Departed at 7:30am from my house, drove 15 minutes or so outside of Ushuaia (on Route 3 if anyone is perusing a map right now), pulled over on the side of the road by a small wooden sign reading, "Lag Esmeralda", and dove into the woods. Not literally. That would hurt. It was forest, then marshland (like the peat bogs in northern Minnesota), then the lagoon - opaque aqua because of the chalky rocks (limestone?), then glacial spitup, then mountain, then glacier - the view - and back.

Returned in the afternoon after approx. 5 hours of walking and climbing and mucking through the mud. Our trekking party included zero other English speakers. All Spanish, all the time. Not only was my body exhausted but my mind as well. Both needed a little break. Nap time. As a side note: I love naps.

3 hour nap. No problem. Get up, shower, walk with my roommate (also from the US - Boston) to fetch the other student in the school (US - Washington DC) who is currently living with a Argentine family closer to the city center. We return later for the asado. (The grand evening of grilling.) It was "scheduled" for 8 or 9pm. We eat at 11pm. Things operate on a different schedule here. Again, per usual, it was meat. Chorizo (sausage), morcilla (blood sausage - black pudding in England), vaca (beef), cordero (lamb). Only four types of meat this time. Thankfully, Sergio, house papa and chef, also grilled eggplant. ¡Que rico! Food was great. The house, the yard, our clothes, everything smelled like asado. Actually, during the evening, on the weekend, if the weather is anything close to clear, the whole city smells of grill, of cut up grass-fed cow sizzling on the grates, over the charcoals, mouths water and it mixes with the red wine.

The company at our asados is always entertaining. This time, Anni, the daughter of Olga - The Olga who used to live here, who was supposed to be my family here, who is now hanging out in Buenos Aires - an endless spring of Argentine energy, and Anni's friends, a couple in their 40s, friendly/crazy/spirited - in other words, the norm - have joined. That makes seven in total. The spread includes: rice, potatoes, salad (always lettuce and tomatoes, sometimes with olive oil and vinegar), bread, wine and the meat. Talking, laughing, eating, enjoying.

Part I: Mi Vida en Ushuaia

2009-02-02T17:57:00.000-08:00

Well hello there. Before I recount anything about my time in Ushuaia, let me tell you a little bit about my time getting to Ushuaia. This is not a typical blog entry. It is long and it borders on a rant, but once I started writing, I thought it would be a waste to just erase it. I promise I'll write something nicer later.

Grand Forks to Minneapolis. Just fine. No problems. Smooth sailing.
Minneapolis to Chicago (O'Hare). Minor delay due to the weather in Chicago. Arrive in Chicago. enough time between flights to allow for a leisurely transfer.
While in Chicago - additional delay of unknown period of time due to weather - please stay on the plane just in case the delay is lifted. two hours. two and a half hours. cup of coffee from starbucks. the last for three months perhaps?
time to fly. great. ready to go. on our way. everyone in the plane. super.
just joking. we're not really ready to fly. another half hour.
finally, Chicago to Atlanta. only one flight a day to Buenos Aires and it's long gone.
so there I am. in Atlanta. on my way to a random hotel recommended by the phone line for stranded passengers, offering a "discount". I was pretty pumped that I had packed a change of clothing and everything I would possibly need for an overnight stay. had to be excited about something at that point.
next day, airport. atlanta to buenos aires. ready to go. on the plane.
can you guess what happens next? can you?
delay.
lights on the plane go out. something is wrong with the electrical equipment, we need a crew to take a look at it. forty-five minutes. lights back on. slightly less worried about plane crashing in transcontinental flight due to faulty electronics. deep breath. next up on the tarmac.
and what happens? yeah. at this point, it's just becoming laughable.
delay. something on the runway. garbage? dead cat? they have to remove it. it takes them 1/2 hour. we wait. again. at least we have lights. upside. always an upside.
finally. I am in the air on the way to buenos aires for the big adventure. uneventful flight. my favorite kind. even had my own row. wonderful.
next, land in buenos aires. it is hot. we made up time on the way over, so am not extremely concerned about getting to the next leg of my flight on time. until I realize I need to collect my bags and go through customs. after I was told on the plane that I did not need to fill out a customs card or recheck my bag.
freaking out going through customs. where do I go for my next flight? I understand, "the other airport".
what? the other airport? I attempt again, this time asking an attendant near the baggage claim area, in spanish. he looks at my ticket and starts explaining in spanish. obviously, we're in argentina. it is the same airport. different terminal. my bag is one of the last. literally. there are two other people standing there waiting. and me. I have approximately ten minutes until my flight leaves. forget about the gate time.
I am run-walking, with my backpack, labtop bag, and huge suitcase. sweating. i repeat. it is hot. to the other terminal. down the block, around the corner. there it is. I get in line. I wait. finally, I am told the flight is closed. the others are full.
I am laughing. I think the guy at the ticket counter thinks I am crazy. really, full? I was hoping you'd say that.

he tells me to go to a booth down the hall and around the corner. I do. to the wrong booth. farther down the hall. right one this time. go back to the ticket counter, they tell me. I do. this time, I talk, in English, to a sympathetic ear. he's typing madly. come back in fifteen minutes. no problem. what else do I have to do? I go to the bathroom. wash the flight off my face. attempt to make a phone call. twelve minutes. I return, wait patiently, ten more minutes. he flags me over. we can get you on a flight. do you want the one in twenty minutes or 1 1/2 hours? 1 1/2 hours, thank you so much for helping me. big smile, big eyes.

I buy a phone card. I make two calls. both in spanish. the first - wrong number. I hang up. I feel dismayed. my spanish is horrible. the second - my host in ushuaia from rotary. he is exceedingly patient. I realize later, the first was indeed the right number. I wonder if I've ever spoken/read/heard spanish in my life.
I return to the other terminal. I get in line. I go through "security". I wait. I make another phone call in spanish. I get in line. on the plane. seated next to a german-argentine combo couple. the woman is pleasant. I detect no disdain when I tell her my country of origin.

the snack on the plane is typical argentina fare. basically a sandwich, white bread, toasted lightly, with the crust cut off. some sort of meat, and cheese. can't remember the spanish name for it. a few hours pass. and I am starting to grow worried because our flight seems late. then later still. forty minutes late? I am worried because I have called/emailed Juan Carlos (my Rotarian host) five times in the last 24 hours with schedule changes. we land. I pile my bags on my person and desperately scan the waiting area for someone I imagine would be a Juan Carlos. someone with a sign. I am certain he has come and gone. I look for a phone. there is a sign for a telephone. but there is no phone. that's a good one. hehee. I ask three people. two point me in the direction of the sign. the third, a lady cleaning, leads me down the hall, around the corner. there are two phones. I am about to call. I am preparing my apology with the strongest words I can think of to apologize in Spanish.

someone taps me on the shoulder. I turn around.
"Tessa?"
"¡Si!"
Juan Carlos.
I ask him if he was waiting long.
No, he just arrived, but you have been waiting?
No, no, I am so sorry, the plane was late, I thought you'd be waiting.
Me, no. You arrived, fifteen minutes ago?
Yes, but -- Ahh, the time difference. I forgot about the time difference. One hour between Ushuaia and Buenos Aires.

I am in Ushuaia. It is incredible. Mountains. Blue sky. I take a deep breath. Crisp, fresh Ushuaia air. I am here. I have my bags. I have a ride. So incredible. So incredibly happy. So it begins.

------------

A few photos for starters - of my home:

y mas

2008-07-16T19:10:00.000-07:00

el campamento

2008-07-16T19:04:00.000-07:00

sorry for the lack of words...quick with some pictures from the camp and burgos.

...the highlands

2008-02-17T12:59:00.000-08:00

It was certainly bound to happen. After all, I have been in Europe for almost six months.

It was mostly a weekend affair, but alas...I have fallen in love.

With Scotland. The highlands - to be specific. More details to come - but, quickly - from an internet cafe - I have just returned from a three-day bus trip in the highlands of Scotland (to the Isle of Skye if anyone wants to reference the map). Our tour guide was an entertaining, crazy, hippy man with a Scottish accent (of course - he is from Scotland), wearing a kilt. He happened to be an incredible storyteller with a wealth of knowledge about Scotland's history - of battles between the MacLeod's and MacDonald's - of William Wallace - of Rob Roy - of druids and paganism and those ruinious empire builders, the Brits...

Here are a few pictures of the highlands with more to come

The very last is Loch Ness. Sorry dad, but no sign of Nessie.

Brussels

2008-01-16T20:21:00.000-08:00

Cathedral - Cathedral - EU inner chamber - random street corner - inside EU

Brussels

2008-01-16T20:13:00.000-08:00

Brussels

2008-01-16T20:00:00.000-08:00

Brussels: Grand Place

2008-01-16T19:56:00.000-08:00

Now that it is over the writing will resume and the rest will begin

2008-01-16T17:22:00.000-08:00

Commercial break is over.

Hello again. I am back and The Project is finished.

It is 2:22am. Generally, the time of day I post influences my state of mind and therefore the tone, the amount of sarcasm I employ...the later the hour, the drier the humor...Today/tonight/this morning will be an exception, because (woohoo!!) IT is finished.

This is significant because, as I told someone the other day, I sold my soul to my project mid-November, and since then it had been an annoying, persistent companion to my thoughts, even while traveling, and a huge consumer of my time and energy.

Of course, our project presentation and exam was, like many other things of the same nature, anticlimactic. All of a sudden, it was done. If we so choose, we will never have to look at it again. Also like most other things of the same nature, it really isn't that important in the grand scheme of things or in retrospect. It was just a report and I will not mention it again.

: )

Belgium

I suppose Tom and I were close to missing Belgium. An afternoon train carried us from Copenhagen and dropped us, slightly confused on a platform in Hamburg with (less than) eight minutes to find the train that would take us to Brussels. We boarded a train that was headed to Paris. If my recollection is correct, the departure time didn't match with our tickets and the conductor wasn't extremely helpful. Lettering on the door of the wagon we boarded read "Bruxelles-midi" which we decided could mean nothing other than Brussels and that if, by chance, it did, at worst we would end up in Paris. "At worst" in Paris? No such thing.

Our seat reservations were in the close quarters of a six-person car (on a train headed to Paris via Brussels we quickly confirmed) already occupied by three other travelers. There was a slight misunderstanding/language barrier with one of our neighbors, so the glaring light in the compartment remained lit. Eventually (around 3am?) most passengers had gotten off the train leaving Tom and I with a row of seats each and finally, sweet albeit brief repose.

Jolted awake. Mostly incoherent, we arrived at 6am in Brussels, Belgium. Our hosts, a couple from Brussels - one university student and one recent graduate - met us at the station and blessedly led us to their apartment and a warm place to sleep.

Hours later our day began with breakfast and a tour of the city, including an antique market where we sampled snails, a splendid cathedral, (I have seen nothing but in Europe thus far. If I mention a cathedral it is safe to assume it is splendid, magnificent, opulent, fill in your adjective. I'll let you know when I find the opposite. This said, I have yet to tire of seeing the beauties. How much longer can I extend this interruption in the paragraph before you actually forget what I was writing about? Would one more sentence do it? Perhaps two? Okay, I'm done.), cobblestone streets leading to cobblestone alleys leading to yet another chocolate shop (mom, your Belgian chocolate is safe in my room), the Palace of Justice, the Brussels Stock Exchange, a great view of the skyline, a quaint cafe called Warm Water (Exact name is Eetcafe Het Warm Water. I remember the name because of its origin - stealing from a travel website once again: "Just above the place de Jeu de Balle in the heart of the Marolles, this café is a local institution known for its set brunches. It's a staunchly Flemish place; the staff doesn't appreciate orders in French (English is preferable). When the neighborhood had no running water, this is where residents would come to get hot water -- hence the name.")...and of course, Manneken Pis, a small statue of a little boy peeing, which is oddly enough a sort of national symbol for Belgium, or at least for Brussels. ("The statue's origins are lost in time: some say he was the son of a nobleman, others say he was a boy who once found an unusual and risky way to put out a house fire. He was first carved in stone in the mid-14th century and called 'Little Julian.' In 1619 a bronze version was sculpted by Jerôme Duquesnoy, and this is the Manneken Pis we see today.") Our visit would not have been complete without him. Finally, we made our way back to the apartment, on the way picking up a few Belgian beers to sample before and during dinner, which turned out to be a homecooked (thanks to host Sarah!) Belgian specialty - ham-wrapped endives baked in a creamy sauce and topped with cheese.

In the evening we wandered again (Tom, my memory might be failing me, but I think this is generally the order of operations for the day...), this time deeper into the Old town area, destination: the Grand Place. So impressive. Also called the Market Square, it is actually the Town Hall, King's house and a collection of guild buildings. The area was originally marshland and it dates back to the 12th century, being gradually converted over the next 200 years into the center of "commercial, political and civil life" in Belgium. Most of the buildings here are however, actually from the early 1700s because of an intense attack ordered by King Louis XIV of France in 1695. The area was complete with giant Christmas tree, manger replication and a light show coordinated with awesome, operatic music.

Next came a visit to Poechenellekelder, a bar in the Old Town district...decorated with puppets, featuring great Belgian beers...I tried the kriek - a fruity lambic. I'll let you look that one up. We were thorougly satisfied at this point. Seems like a good point to end the day, eh? End day 1 in Brussels.

Day 2 - Our hosts were out of town for the day, so we served as our own tour guides. I think we did a fine job, stopping by the Royal Palace, Royal Park and, of course, the EU Parliment. That is correct. Center of European politics. We were there. Unfortunately we missed the tour for the day. Don't worry. I asked Tom with the sad eyes...please, please can we stay longer tomorrow to take the tour? : ) The rest of our second day was spent wandering, browsing shops and revisiting a few sights that deserved more time than the first day allowed. We visited a cafe and devoured a delicious Belgian waffle - square variety, with bananas and whipped cream. In case you're planning to travel to Belgian soon I will let you in on a secret. Square = toppings. Round = no toppings. However, street vendors will try to sell tourists the already sweeter, denser and richer, round waffles. Don't do it. Don't give in. Our hosts assured we avoided sugar shock by educating us early on.

Day end included sampling a few more Belgian beers and lots of lovely sleep.

Day 3 - Thanks and goodbyes to our hosts and then, hello tour of the EU Parliment! We weren't privy to as much of the inside as I expected...but we saw the chamber for speeches/debate, which was all I really wanted to see. We sat in the chamber for approx. 15 minutes, listening via translation in all EU languages to the Portuguese rep praise Portugal for EU progress during the country's Presidency of the Council of the EU.

Waffles, chocolate, Manneken Pis, beer, Grand Place...and the EU Parliment. What more can I ask of you Brussels?

Next city please : ) but first, photos for your viewing.

Streets - Cathedral - Antique market/snail lady - approaching Manneken Pis - and Manneken Pis, modeling a casual look

why not one more set of photos from Copenhagen? you know you'd like to see one more set...

2007-12-29T18:40:00.001-08:00

this makes up for my lack of posts for one month...right?

and we have...
"green! looking into tivoli from the outside (you can't see the fence in this one)"
"houses in color"
"houses in blue"
"7"
"the angels singing, the sun glistening on the water"

read the post several posts below before even thinking about looking at these photos

2007-12-29T18:35:00.001-08:00

yep, still in Copenhagen folks...

a brew pub beer sampler
church sing-along
pedestrian street #3
ice skates and ice
opera house

Copenhagen: the blue city

2007-12-29T18:31:00.001-08:00

and the winners are...in no particular order...

the entrance of tivoli
tom feeling a bit blue
a big bad blue building in the center
can't really remember what the others were, but I'll bet they're blue tinted

more of Copenhagen

2007-12-29T18:26:00.001-08:00

Here are some captions. Might be in the right order. Otherwise, it can be a fun game...which caption goes with which photo?
Wow.
My excuse for that comment...it's now 3:27AM. The clock just won't stop for me...

train station floor
Tom looking at a model for a new city center in Copenhagen
Tivoli at night
view from a bridge

Slight improvement...

2007-12-29T17:29:00.000-08:00

Yes, 2:29AM is a slight improvement over the time of the previous post. Things are looking up. Today I saw a flicker of light at the end of a long tunnel.

THE PROJECT (in a bass voice with a touch of evil)

is nearing completion. It is, in fact, close enough to being complete that I don't feel incredible guilt about taking time to blog.

Where to begin?

Let's start with Copenhagen. That is where Tom and I started. The train station to be exact. Then progressed to the tourist information center. It was closed. On to the hostel. A familiar sight - it served as my first inn in Copenhagen three months prior. This time it felt warmer...and in general in Copenhagen, dispositions were more amicable. The sun was surely brighter. Perhaps it had something to do with my wonderful traveling companion : ) I think I could also owe it to the time that had elapsed since my first visit and this growing sense of comfort in exploring alien territory.

In the hostel I ate peanut butter. Good ol' Jif. Tom brought a jar. Thanks Tom. I had been craving it. Apparently PB is not a big deal over here. No PB&J on the kids menu and surely no PB&J in school lunches. The only peanut butter I can find is the rare jar for $6 in select grocery stores. I think I've mentioned this before. Maybe you can imagine the sweetness of the reunion...

(Fully fuelled from the PB&carrots&bread&nutella) Then we roamed the streets of Copenhagen. I was amazed by (lights! big city! everything! so easy to please)...the amount of Shawarma restaurants (Kebabistan anyone? meat product...not appetizing). A testament, nonetheless, to the diversity in Copenhagen? Visited a brew pub...and the pedestrian streets decked in Christmas spirit. I'm not sure which city of those we visited would win the Christmas light contest, but they were they were all vying for it...

Then, zenith of my Copenhagen experience (for that evening), we stumbled upon a Christmas carol sing-along. We took our sheet music, then our seats in the pews, then listened to the Pastor speak in Danish. He told a joke. I assume, anyway, people laughed. Then he took out his guitar and started strumming away to popular Christmas tunes in English...Silent Night, Away in a Manger...great discovery.

Back to pedestrian streets, back to the hostel.

Day 2

Beautiful, captivating blue skies. So true blue that camera simply begged me to use the highlight function. I obliged and hence, the endless stream of blue photos you'll see shortly (or have already seen above this post). Again, we walked and met the city in the daytime. The train to catch was later in the day, so we wandered, eventually cornering a destination: Christiania.

Christiania, what a wonderful place...thanks wikipedia for this:

"Christiania, also known as Freetown Christiania, but most commonly known amongst its inhabitants and visitors as "fristaden" or simply "staden", is a partially self-governing neighbourhood of about 850 residents, covering 34 hectares (85 acres) in the borough of Christianshavn in the Danish capital Copenhagen. Christiania has established semi-legal status as an independent community.

"Christiania was founded in 1971, when many people from different backgrounds began to take over an area of recently abandoned military barracks together as a protest against the Danish government. At the time many people in the larger Danish cities felt betrayed by the politicians, as they believed there was a lack of affordable housing. The inhabitants of the surrounding neighbourhood Christianshavn also wanted a green, open area for their children to use, away from the increasing traffic in Copenhagen. The spirit of Christiania quickly developed into one of communism, the hippie movement and the squatter movement, in sharp contrast to the site's previous military use."

And finally, a few links to browse about this place...
http://www.utopiskehorisonter.dk/engelsk/comcur.htm
http://www.christiania.org/ (mostly in Danish)

There were riots in Christiania in May of this year...related to pressure from the government to normalize the community (to treat citizens as individual tenants instead of a commune...and repeated efforts to clean up the drug trade in the area...it's known for the sale of hash and cannabis in addition to its green living)...but thankfully, it was a very peaceful place the day we visited. Unlike anything I've ever seen...when we entered, we were clearly leaving Copenhagen, city proper. It reminded me of a funhouse at a carnival because of the intense colors and widespread graffiti. The streets were filled with people and though they (the streets or the people, take your pick) seemed to lack the typical orderliness of the rest of Copenhagen, or of Aalborg and other Danish communities, overall, chaos didn't reign. Burning barrels on the streets served as handwarmers and dogs roamed without owners. Most yards had accumulations of "junk" and cars were greatly outnumbered by bicycles. The atmosphere was generally festive. It was a huge block party with neighbors meeting and greeting one another, with the odd tourist thrown into the mix...

We left Christiania and returned to normalcy and the city. Then to the train station. On with the backpack. Goodbye Christiania. Goodbye Copenhagen. For now.

Here are the pictures as promised - these are of Christiania. Those above are also from Copenhagen...of Tivoli, etc.

4:44 AM

2007-12-28T19:47:00.001-08:00

It is
4:44 AM
and I am locked in my group room. Don't fret. I locked the door from the inside. I have the option to get out. However, I will not release myself because the project is not done.

The Project

is a collaboration between four students. My colleagues include Jurgita from Lithuania, Jan from Poland and Honza from Czech. We are trying to solve a problem. The problem is stubborn. We are stubborn. Couldn't say who will concede first, but we're looking like the weaker party. We have...four days (?) left...I'm not exactly sure what day it is right now...

The last two weeks, give or take a few days, have been a blur. I was in four countries. Five counting Denmark. I don't count it because I live here. Five counting Germany. That was in the dark. The only part of Germany my eyes focused on was a train station in Hamburg. Again, doesn't count. Four countries then. Belgium. The Netherlands. Sweden (again). Finland. It would probably be more accurate to say four cities: Brussels, Amsterdam, Stockholm and Helsinki. One city in each country was enough to get the flavor of the culture - or at least a tantalizing taste. I am helpless but to wonder what was left unexplored and how I will return some day...

For now, however, my mind is occupied, mostly, by the project. (Can I, perhaps, if I try a bit harder, write a sentence with more commas?) It has consumed our (the group's) attention for the better part of the past month, if not the past two. I have previously mentioned the pedagogical methods at AAU to some extent but will elaborate here. In the Master's program we have a set course schedule. The courses consist of a series of lectures, often given by three or four different lecturers, over the course of the first 1/2 to 2/3 of the semester. As the lecture schedule winds down, the expected committment to the project increases. While the beginning of the semester demands somewhere from four to six hours of the student's time for lectures each day, the end requires full days, lots of caffeine, some luck, nights in the group room (tent optional but recommended), a good sense of humor, patience...

I exaggerate slightly. Luck is not compulsory.

Each project centers around a problem. The problem that haunts my project group (a.k.a. our research question) is the following:
What is the optimal energy storage system for wind energy in Frederikshavn, Denmark? I would be happy to provide details to anyone interested. I will spare the rest of you.

This process is termed PBL (problem-based learning). Each group is presented with/chooses a problem and then works to solve it using the tools provided through lectures. Ideally. Needless to say, 5 AM a few days before the new year is not quite ideal, but could have probably been prevented...
Could have, should have, would have...yeah, yeah, yeah...The type is beginning to blur. For now, here are a few pictures to replace words. Nope, not of the four countries I visited. Closer to home.

The group room decked with my attempts at coziness. Thanks for the Christmas tree mom. Yep, that's a tent in another group room...

The caffeine IV is running low. Got to go. Pics of travels to come...

Because I know you want to know...

2007-11-17T23:25:00.001-08:00

I just found a blog of a girl studying in Copenhagen titled: "I ordered a Danish and left in shame; accounts of a facetious student studying in Copenhagen."

Oh, predictable, unimaginative "Destination Denmark" you reflect my lack of wit...

What's a post without pictures? Here are some of the Almen Kirkegård, approximately ten minutes from my apartment.

Lithuanian dinner II

2007-11-17T15:28:00.000-08:00

Lithuanian dinner

2007-11-17T15:25:00.000-08:00

2007-11-17T13:39:00.000-08:00

It has now been almost three weeks since I last posted - not exactly the once-a-week schedule as originally planned. Why the delay? While I have been busy with school and friends, I can hardly use that as an excuse not to sit down for fifteen minutes to leave a quick note. I think it has more to do with this creeping change...

I find it easy to come back from travels, such as the time spent in Sweden, or even the day trips I've taken, pick out a few good pictures, recount the events of the day, several days, etc. But when every day now feels like life, simply - as opposed to life in Denmark - what do I write about? (Everyday life, right?) To decide what to write now means picking out details of days that seem quite ordinary to me. This "trip" or "adventure" as I've referred to it, as others have referred to it, is my life. With each passing day, and more so with each series of moments or events turned memory, I have a harder time remembering/imagining what it was like to live anywhere else. (Yes, I know it has not even been three months. Perhaps my sentiments would be different three months from now.) Certainly I miss people and things/traditions from home (family and friends most, of course!), but I can easily understand how a person can move abroad intending to stay for one year, and one year turns into three years, and three into five. As I mentioned in a previous post, I think we can adapt quite easily to new surroundings. Aalborg had to become my home for these five months or I would be unhappy every day...For this change to occur, I had to change. I am a different person now, beyond the "different" person that each and every one of us becomes after one more day. Adapting to new surroundings has changed me and even though I can't exactly describe how, I can feel the difference.

So, today I'll write about my "everyday" life...this afternoon I visited Birgitte, had tea and apple crisp, and we talked about the Danish elections and changes in Danish society, living abroad, adjusting after returning from living abroad, graduate school plans...of course there were candles (so Danish for small, cozy gatherings, as well as large dinners). We then went to a nearby church (beautiful) for her mother's choir concert. I learned today that Danish churches (I think Birgitte said "all", not
"most") have a model of a ship in them. As strange as it may sound, there was a one meter long Danish ship, decked in detail, suspended from the ceiling, positioned above the center aisle. I spoke to Ida (Birgitte's mom) briefly after the concert, which drew some looks because of the English. It was nice to see her again - such a sweet lady!

The other day, I gathered with a few international friends for dinner. We typically get together once a week - sometimes the same group, sometimes new faces. The last dinner was a Lithuanian potato dish - finely grated potatoes, mixed with onions, garlic and beef (replacing pork in the original recipe), milk and a little flour, then baked. My beef-free portion was interesting. The texture was surprisingly chewy and it oddly enough tasted a little fishy. Not something I would make for myself on a regular basis but definitely worth trying. The meal before that was Polish, with beef and rice in cabbage rolls, topped with tomatoes and cheese. I recall eating something similar at grandma's years ago. Before that, another Lithuanian dinner (both a project groupmate and a close girl friend here are Lithuanian) - one I would actually make again. It was a cold soup with buttermilk, cubed beets, and sliced cucumbers (refreshing in the summertime, I was told), topped with a dallop of sour cream, and served with boiled potatoes and a baked chicken dish (although I don't know if the chicken was specifically Lithuanian - the potatoes and soup were for certain though - apparently potatoes were/are a major staple of the Lithuanian diet).

Otherwise, daily life includes hours at the University, spent primarily with my groupmates working on our project. Our program only has three lectures left next week - the rest of the semester will be for finishing our project. Each group in our program has a group room in an academic building near the building with our main lecture hall (and the center of campus). Most of the groups bring a fridge, microwave, stereo, etc. - at least the Danish groups, so that should give you some idea of where I'll be/what I'll be doing for the next month. There is a real sense of community in the building as the group rooms for the students in the same program, having had the same lectures, are all next to each other. A break from project work for a few minutes means coffee with a neighboring group or a quick game of foosball, and to socialize one needs only to walk out into the hall and look for open doors : )

No good transitions or clever words to close with today...my mind continues to be too preoccupied, instead thinking about life here and trying to sort out what life will be after Denmark...

So,
Vi ses,
Tessa

I bet you can't guess the title of this post...

2007-10-28T13:21:00.001-07:00

Stockholm - 3rd one is Parliment

More pictures of Sweden V

2007-10-28T10:16:00.000-07:00

More pictures of Sweden IV

2007-10-28T10:09:00.000-07:00

Stockholm

1) minutes from our hostel
2) City Hall
3) inside the square at City Hall
4) Evidence of law of tourist physics/psychology? that says, "anytime there is an object that a tourist can climb on, the tourist will indeed climb on this object and proceed to have someone take a picture as proof he/she climbed on the object"
5) ho-hum, another amazing cathedral : )

More pictures of Sweden III

2007-10-28T10:04:00.000-07:00

More pictures of Sweden II

2007-10-28T10:00:00.000-07:00

Still in Goteborg...the last is of dinner with part of the the group at our lovely hostel.

More pictures of Sweden

2007-10-28T09:56:00.000-07:00

Images of Goteborg (Gothenburg)

Ferry (and Sweden)

2007-10-28T07:36:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of the ferry (nice view, deck, casino on board, part of the group and fortress near coast) I rode from Frederikshavn, Denmark to Goteborg, Sweden. Oh yes, that's right. I went to Sweden a few weeks ago. : )

A group of ten other students and myself made the journey from Aalborg to Frederikshavn, via train; from Frederikshavn to Goteborg, via ferry; from Goteborg to Stockholm, via bus; from Stockholm to Goteborg, via train; and back, the same.

Originally planning to spend five days split among three cities, we ended up spending six days in only two: Goteborg and Stockholm.

A few random facts about Sweden:
- Joined the European Union in Jan. 1995
- Still uses the Swedish krona for currency
- Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme was assassinated in 1986 - prior to this point, prominent politicians had little to no personal protection (he was shot returning home unguarded from the movie theatre with his wife)

A few facts about my trip to Sweden:
- I stayed in two youth hostels. One had a free sauna and free pasta. The other gave me nothing for free, but was still very cosy : ) I met travelers from Japan, Australia, Germany, Spain, England and Denmark.
- In Goteborg (Gothenburg in English) I saw: many parks, some sculptures, a breakdancing/hip-hip contest in the street (with American music), beautiful architecture (per usual for Europe I'm starting to think) including impressive cathedrals
- In Stockholm I saw: a debate in the Swedish parliment (Riksdag) (coming from someone who could watch c-span for hours, this was, not surprisingly, my favorite part of the trip), an impressive photo exhibit in a city square about the environment, shipyards, and countless picturesque views, especially in the alleyways of Gamla Stan (the old town square) - Gamla Stan is the perfect place for a lone tourist to get lost for a few hours - and is also the site of the original settlement of Stockholm.

The bus ride to Stockholm, and train ride back, were both in daylight, and in the combined 11 hours I had recurring thoughts about the north shore of Minnesota because some of the terrain passing by outside my window was so similar to that which I visited in August. Our train/bus took us through forested lands, with fall colors in full effect. Rocky outcrops walled either side of the tracks/road from time to time and lakes appeared and disappeared through the trees sporadically. Swatches of pasture and farmland then took me back to North Dakota, and I wondered whether I was indeed in a foreign country.

There were actually many times during the few days away from Denmark when I thought to myself, "Am I really in Sweden?" It's one thing to look at a country on the map and to try to imagine what it may be like there and completely another to actually experience it. It's not that Denmark and Sweden are so different - I found Stockholm and Goteborg to be very similar to Denmark in terms of culture - but I've now had some time to get used to the fact that I live in Denmark. Much the same as the first few days or even weeks in Denmark, I had a hard time fathoming the here and now - and the actual distance between my current location and my home in the states. Apparently humans adapt. : ) When I got off the train in Aalborg upon returning from our trip to Sweden I was surprised at feeling such comfort in seeing familiar buildings - an emotion usually reserved for the moment I see an old friend or walk into the house at the farm in ND or my room in my old residence at the Honors house or even onto the campus at BSU or the hallways of LHS. As I made my way back to my apartment (half hour walk from the bus stop with my pack and bag - no bus for Tessa at that time of night), with plenty of time for reflection (and sore feet), I thought about how quickly I had become so at ease with this city...

---

Well, that is about as deep as I'd like to delve on my blog. Only $9.99 + tax for the rest of the story. I accept PayPal. (Totally stole that from the comic you sent me mom).

In other news, I've now been in Denmark for two months. Woohoo! Happy 2-month-anniversary-in-Denmark to me.

: ) I hope everyone back in ND/MN is doing well! (And I'm thankful you're not in Cali...)
Take care,
Tessa

Just Harry

2007-10-28T06:47:00.000-07:00

I decided to stop boycotting Blogger today. I mean, who does it really hurt? Blogger? Or my devoted readership (thanks mom!)? Instead, I thought to myself, "I will write posts that are so incredibly descriptive that there will be no need for photos." Luckily, in a flash of genius a few minutes ago, I rediscovered Blogger's secret code for posting photos. (Actually I logged on and, surprise, the old application for photos was back.) Hmm, suspicious that the folks at Blogger were playing a cruel trick and that I would not be able to post any more photos, ever, I realized I had to choose which 5 photos to post of among over 300 taken in the last few weeks. As you see, I decided to share with you the, no doubt, much anticipated pictures of Harry. That's right, below you'll see Harry at my apartment (a little camera shy), Harry at a youth hostel in Goteborg, Sweden, Harry on the train to Stockholm, clearly excited to see the big city, and my personal favorite, Harry on the ferry. (If you're any close relation to me you probably just thought, "Harry on a ferry. Hehee, that rhymes." Now you're laughing again. It's okay. We're Norweigan).

Arghh...

2007-10-19T20:35:00.000-07:00

For some reason, I couldn't put pictures with that last post. I'm still searching for a solution to this problem. If any computer-savvy person out there can help, that'd be great! Blogger rearranged their pages, now there's no button to attach pictures...

Well, for now you'll just have to imagine an extremely popular, purple, fuzzy stuffed animal guy in Sweden...

Have a good day!

Harry

2007-10-19T12:20:00.000-07:00

Harry is the DSB (the Danish government's rail transportation authority, more or less. "More or less" because I'm too lazy to look it up, but I'm pretty sure that's what it is) male mascot. There's also a female version of Harry. At least there was a giant, stuffed female-like Harry in the Central Station in Aalborg, sitting with the legit Harry. I think they might have been holding hands. I'm not sure what the deal is with that, but maybe I could find out something by "reading" the Danish tabloids. (By reading I of course mean looking at the pictures with a furrowed brow and focusing my eyes on each page long enough to give the impression that I actually can read Danish.)

I'm a big fan of using other people's words, saves me time and often they say it better than I could, so here are some comments on Harry from a website about internet games:

"Every Dane knows Harry - a furry purple hand puppet who has been a frequently viewed guest in Danish media as the principal character of a series of very popular TV-adverts for DSB (The Danish National Railroads) for the last 5 years.

Go 3D motor racing, golfing and 4-acrossing with DSB (Danish State Railways) and their extremely popular furry, purple mascot Harry.

Titoonic developed three web games with Harry for the DSB corporate web site to promote and attract users to register on ‘Mit DSB’, a personal web space for travellers. Registration is required to play the games: “Harry Golf”; “Harry Race”; and “Dirty Harry.” “Harry Race” was developed in Shockwave, while the other two games were built in Flash and with “Dirty Harry” featuring a video captured 3D version of Harry.

The Harry character - and the TV-ads that defined his universe - was developed for DSB by Bates Copenhagen. Harry has won several TV advertising prizes in his 5 years as DSB’s mascot."

Apparently I didn't have to look that far for confirmation of the role of DSB. I especially like the two references to the "Dirty Harry" game in the third paragraph. While I can easily imagine what "Harry Golf" and "Harry Race" involve, I'm not sure about the details of "Dirty Harry"...

In conclusion, one of my friends bought me a Harry as a thank you for some hostel booking. One of my new Europe goals (which include seeing the fjords in Norway, visiting Stonehenge, and enjoying a Finnish sauna, among other things) is to show Harry the wonderful world of Europe and record his journey in pictures.

Here's Harry... (well, not right here, since I can't attach photos...)

because I love wind turbines that much...

2007-10-08T17:24:00.000-07:00

while it's still fresh...

2007-10-08T14:58:00.000-07:00

Today was one of those days when everything seems right in the world...while it didn't start out the best - I missed my bus, then took the wrong bus to make up for it and ended up arriving a little late for class (really not a big deal in the grand scheme of things : ) and the silver lining in my mistake was seeing a whole new portion of Aalborg) - the rest was perfect: done with morning lecture early, then for afternoon lecture, a field trip. Our group of 12 visited a biogas plant, a windfarm and a cogeneration plant. Granted, probably not the ideal afternoon for everyone, but for an energy studies student...

The biogas plant stunk. Literally. They accept industrial waste and "natural" waste, kept in separate storage tanks. The operator was kind enough - really, very kind... - to open both storage tanks to give us a whiff...mmmm. The brown stew looked about the same in each. Guess which smelled sweeter. : ) So, what I gathered is that the liquid is fed into a processor and gas extracted, then compressed to be shipped in a pipeline to a nearby cogeneration plant, which we also visited. Here, the biogas, as well as natural gas, is used to produce electricity and heat for the surrounding countryside/cities. The best part: the cogeneration plant is actually owned by a large cooperative of families.

Ahh...and the wind farm. Twelve elegant beauties stood in the storybook countryside. Blue sky, whispy clouds, gently rolling green - a crisp 60 degrees farenheit with a light breeze - so perfect. Turning, stretching, reaching for ground, then sky, then ground, then sky...750 kW a piece, so 9 MW in all. Like the cogeneration plant, these turbines are also cooperatively owned. In the 80s when the wind industry took off in Denmark, it was very common for municipalities and groups of individuals to invest in wind development. However, over time as the turbines get larger and more expensive, and support from the Danish government dwindles, it has become more difficult for communities to be directly involved in harvesting the wind. As our professor explained, this has caused a backlash against more wind energy development, with citizens viewing turbines as money makers for large companies (which they often are now). While I have a hard time imagining ever harboring a not-in-my-backyard mentality towards wind turbines, I can understand why communities may be upset with a shift in ownership - out of their hands...

The last stop of our field trip was to the house of one of our professors. Turns out he lives in a planned community with 16 other families. The heating for their homes is supplied by biomass (3 wood pellet boilers), in combination with solar panels. They have a common room where they all gather on Monday's to eat dinner together. Each family has their own home and he gave us a short tour of his, including the backyard, home to two goats and five chickens. Of course my professor lives in a commune and of course he has chickens...haha, I love Denmark.

In other news, I'm losing the battle against my cold. Sniffle, cough. So, tonight, I tried to walk it off. Yes, I decided that the cool, fresh air would be so inviting to the germs in my system that they'd decide to leave. Clearly, this is logical, so it should work. I'll keep you updated.

Finally, a conversation from the other night:

"We should probably go to salsa to meet the others," friend
"Perhaps we could stop by the Oktoberfest tent for a few minutes first since it is on the way," me
"Oktoberfest?" friend
"Oktoberfest," me
"Okay," friend
"Okay," me

Germany in Denmark, does it get any better? Pints of beer in huge mugs (Yes, I've resorted to using sentence fragments. Seems to suit a description of Oktoberfest). A band. Wearing short short shorts. See picture below. I bet you've never heard A) The Macarena or B) any of the Spice Girls songs in German. Oktoberfest also happened to coincide with an Aalborg versus (some team from) Italy futbol (soccer) match. Half the city was wearing the red and white Aalborg scarf/jersey and walking in the same direction pre-game (to the stadium) and post-game (to the bars).
To recap: Germany in Denmark and a futbol match and salsa all in one night. (Well, I didn't actually go to the futbol match, but as I've mentioned before I live approximately two feet from the stadium.) Very nice.

Anyways, 1 hour later...

"I'm so glad we decided to stop at the Oktoberfest tent," friend
Thank you very much.

Description of photos:
1) Oktoberfest 2) sludge 3) wind turbine 4) goat 5) wind turbines (descriptions which are totally necessary and completely scientific)

Random thoughts - random observations - random pictures

2007-10-01T08:36:00.001-07:00

Some of my random thoughts/observations are about politics, so if you've heard enough in the news today you may just want to wait until my next post : )

Prices in Denmark:

Tube of toothpaste in Denmark - 30 danish kroners (dkk) = approx. $5.85

Bottle of (decent) wine - 45 dkk = approx. $9

Bottle of Contact solution - 60 dkk = approx. $12
(hmmm...$9, $12...)

Jar of peanut butter - 25 dkk = approx. $5 (I've been told it's more of a novelty item here - I gathered that from the fact that there's been only one kind, if any, at each of the grocery stores I've shopped at - so, students, don't plan on coming to Denmark and living on a cheap pb&j cuisine)

Talking with Danes: have had several lengthy discussions with Danish friends and classmates - focused on, among other things, politics and religion and the differences between Denmark and the US - and because it was only a few people, I can't generalize to say that their views are representative of the whole country of Denmark (although they felt that their views were representative of the majority of the population). Nonetheless, a few things came up in every conversation...
- the legal system in America and the fact that people sue for such frivolous reasons - and sometimes win - this is amusing to Danish people
- the contrast between religion in Denmark (as a more personal matter and one which should be kept separate from politics) and in the US (they saw religion as being much more prominent and influential in politics in the US, and generally viewed it as a negative thing)
- the differences in the Danish government and the US government with respect to social welfare policies - that Denmark generally takes care of her people...but that the current PM leans more to the right (he's liberal - liberal is to the right here, instead of left, as in the US) and has apparently cut many social and environmental programs instated by past administrations
- the growing apathy in Denmark with respect to politics - due in part to increased wealth for all segments of the population over the past years

When the subject of the administration in power in the US, and specifically our President, comes up in conversation with people from other countries, and it most often does, especially with males, the only response I've received - the only one - is a negative one. Several students I've spoken to will say that if America was dumb enough to elect GW a second time, then we deserve him (my friend from Quebec has been fond of telling me this)... It was also interesting to see reactions (which I had translated) in the Danish media to the comments Bush made about Mandela...my friends here just laughed and said, "he's your President"...

Even so, my classmate from Canada (Quebec, same guy as mentioned above) has told me that while Canadians generally don't like Americans (again, I would have to speak to more Canadians before saying this was the view embraced by the whole country), he has liked each individual American he has met. : )

Since I've probably succeeded in offending and/or provoking some of my readers, I think this is a good time to stop talking about politics and post some nice pictures.

In order, they are 1) (part of) my program group on our city walk, 2) the classroom in which we have all of our lectures, 3) the canteen where I often eat lunch on campus, 4) Jomfru Ana Gade at night (the party street in Aalborg).

Finally, there are a few jokes about Danish people and pigs (that I've heard from Danish people, so I feel safe repeating them) -- such as, if pigs were included in the population, you could just take the current number times five...or there are five pigs for every one Dane...or that Danish people need to be careful when buying summer cottages, as there's a good chance that a pig farm is nearby...okay, so not really jokes, with a punchline, that you'd laugh at...yeah, but I'm sure someone has made a joke related to what I just typed.

Finally, you should really watch the video on youtube about the Danish language. It will make you laugh. I promise. If, however, you watch it, and you don't laugh, it's not my fault...(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-mOy8VUEBk). : )

Vi ses,
Tessa

More photos...

2007-09-18T12:52:00.000-07:00

I love sharing my pictures!

The pictures in the previous post are:
1) a church (kirkke), I think, on a back street in the center
2) near Ny Torv (new square)
3) near a quirky art shop - more on this in a future post
4) ship in the Limfjorden
5) fountains at Ny Torv, near the waterfront

Here are a few more:

1) Jens Bang's House, "the finest example of renaissance domestic architecture in Northern Europe, built in 1642." It's hard to see on this photo, but there are faces sculpted into the side of the building. My tourist booklet tells me that Jens Bangs, a wealthy merchant of Aalborg, wanted to be on the Aalborg equivalent of our city councils, but had never been named a member, despite his riches. To show how he felt, he designed this ornate building and included the faces, said to be charicatures of his enemies. One face has its tongue sticking out - and all are in the direction of town hall. Way to show 'em Jens.
2) Danske Bank and...Burger King. Ah, sadly, I couldn't escape American fastfood even in Denmark. (McDonald's is across the street - and I've been told the burgers are $5 or more).
3) By the bus stop, in Ny Torv. The sidewalk is embedded with lights - adds to the city atmosphere here in the evenings.
4) A castle in the city - built between 1539 and 1555 by King Christian III to "intimidate the citizens and farmers of Northland Jutland, who had been in revolt." Very intimidating...
5) A side street in the city.

Your first Danish language lesson

2007-09-18T10:02:00.000-07:00

Warning: This is a long post.

Lesson #1: Counting to 10

1 = en
2 = to
3 = tre
4 = fire
5 = fem
6 = seks
7 = syv
8 = otte
9 = ni
10 = ti

Congratulations! You now know some Danish. Of course, reading Danish and speaking Danish are completely different chores...

Danish ranks 16th in terms of most written languages in the world (according to our language instructor at AAU)...and 121st on the spoken languages list (with about 5.6 mill speakers worldwide - #103 according to wikipedia). This is not by coincidence. Here is a link to a video that will illustrate my point : ) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-mOy8VUEBk - or just search "youtube danish language" on google.

The Saturday after the first week of classes all international students were given the opportunity to attend a Danish "lanuage bath" (I think this is "sprogbad" when translated). I don't want to miss any opportunities for learning while here (especially if the opportunity is free!), so I went. From this experience, I can tell you that learning Danish will be a slow process - not like picking up Spanish. No, trying to learning dansk is, I imagine, comparable to leading a petulant child through a toy store while Christmas shopping for the kid's cousins. When you finally make it back to the parking lot you are utterly exhausted and you swear you'll never enter another Toys-R-Us in your lifetime.

Ha - okay, so I exaggerate, but after each two-hour class (Mondays and Wednesdays for the next five weeks), which comes typically after six hours of classes for my program, my brain is begging for a break. At least I'm in good company in class. My typical expression melds with others' in one collective blank stare directed at the Dane standing in front of the class. Danish is what comes out of her mouth the moment she steps into the classroom. Oh, how I admire her optimism. As the clock's hands near 6:30pm, our stamina wanes.

While sitting in class, a friend tells me of a man who moved to Denmark several years ago. Upon arrival, he went to a bar and proceeded to spend the better part of five days there, soaking up the language along with the beer. Given a few months, he was speaking Danish fluently. Several of my classmates and I debated whether this was argument enough for holding class at the bar...

It is almost time to leave class and there is now less Danish being spoken than there is English, German, French and Polish. But still I try - we try, and somehow a little Danish sticks. Even so, I wonder: if speaking the language is the key to understanding the culture, will I always be standing outside, looking in?

---

When I ride the bus or stroll down the streets of Aalborg, I generally exist in a world of my own. I am a walking mute, smiling and nodding, and hoping to pass through the grocery store without detection of my secret: Jeg taler ikke dansk og jeg forstår ikke dansk (I don't speak Danish and I don't understand Danish). Yes, I came to your country without learning your language (Do you really blame me?), and yes, I feel guilty. What's more, I only speak one language (well, I'll give myself one and a half for the limited Spanish language skills I possess). The only other students I've met here who speak one language exclusively are from, not surprisingly, America. The Germans, the French, the Vietnamese, the Brazilians, and even the Canadians, speak two languages. Some speak three or four. When groups of international students from the same country gather, they slip back into their native tongue and inadvertantly (or not) create their own little society. These are exclusive clubs - as in, those who don't speak the language are excluded. I stand politely as my friends converse, waiting for the scraps in English. Too often, meaning is lost in translation. The joke is never quite as funny when told in English...

Despite this, I love being surrounded by so many different languages. I relish the subtle differences in pronounciation and the way foreign and familiar sounds alike roll around in someone else's mouth. It is one of many things I already know I will miss when I return.

Last night, I started to incorporate dansk (Danish) words into a written conversation online. My sentence composition still needs work, I have the vocabulary of a three-year old (when I'm lucky : ) ), and I am certain I didn't correctly pronounce (speaking aloud as I typed) half of the words I was using - but it has to start somewhere!

Today, during the bus ride to school and back, I listened intently to the bits of conversation falling around me - straining to pick up just one word I could comprehend. The effort was rewarding as I recognized several words and a number! Given time, perhaps I will converse with my Danish friends in their language instead of making them use mine. I'll keep you posted... : )

And before I go, I have a few more photos. No afternoon class i dag (today) - so I decided to take a walk around the city center. My camera liked the blue skies - hope you do as well!

Blokhus and the weather

2007-09-09T08:53:00.000-07:00

From a travel website: "Way back, Blokhus was an important base for the fishing fleet in the area – today it the centre of an international holiday paradise. Miles and miles of wide sand beaches (no rocks) , sand dunes and the clear blue ocean. Because the beaches are so wide and cover such a large area, you can drive in you car to the spot on the beach that suits you best. Access to the beach by car or by foot is free of charge. The area next to Blokhus and the beach offers a vast majority of beautiful nature with many possibilities for hiking in the woods or in the muse. Many places you will find marked paths where you can enjoy nature in peace and quiet whether you prefer to walk or go by bicycle (rental is available). Whatever the time of the year, the nature is breathtaking."

Blokhus is a 30 minute drive from Aalborg and is situated on the north-western coast of the Jutland Peninsula (again, the big chunk of the three pieces of Denmark). This was the destination last Sunday for about 30 int'l students including myself. Despite the rain and the wind, the beaches were as promised and the waves transfixing, although I think "paradise" is used loosely in the description above from the travel website... : P

On the topic of the weather, during the orientation presentation given to all international students, one of the PowerPoint presentation slides with the heading "Weather" simply read, "Wherever you are from, it's worse here."

Obviously they have never been to North Dakota in the wintertime.

Finally, it was pleasant again today - around 62 F. (Or rather, 17 C - it's taking some time to get used to the modern metric system used here, and in almost every other nation in the world...if anyone needs a free time activity, maybe you could take up lobbying the US gov't to convert). Point being, it's not always overcast - I think I just happen to take pictures on the cloudy days.

Hope all is well in the States! I'll write more soon...
Tessa

Lille Vildmose

2007-08-30T12:54:00.000-07:00

Today, I traveled to Lille Vildmose (Vildmosen in Dansk), which is a large bog with Sphagnum moss up to 6 meters thick in some places. It is located about 25km out of Aalborg. One of my neighbors down the hall has his car here, so his girlfriend, two other int'l students and I made the trip.

Over the years the bog has been harvested for peat. There were "peat combines" (this is completely my own term, I have no idea what they were really called) combing the fragile land even today, although current operations are much less than at peak times, which included both WWI and WWII (due to a shortage of other fuels). It sounded as though ehxaustion of resources at designated harvest areas along with committments by the Danish government to the protection of natural areas such as the bog will soon lead to restoration and the end of peat mining in the area.

Wildlife in the park includes red deer, golden eagles, fox, wild boars and various other critters, as well as a wide range of insect species. Unfortunately, the park wasn't very lively today...but we did see some of the Danish countryside/coast.

And some more pictures

2007-08-29T16:00:00.000-07:00

Those Danes know how to party...

2007-08-29T15:25:00.000-07:00

Jomfru Ane Gade: A pedestrian-only street lined with bars and famous in Denmark for crowds that party hard into the early morning. (One bar opens at 6am.) Sorry - no pictures for now, but I promise I'll have some of it later.

This is where a few of my fellow international student neighbors and I ended up tonight. We happened to choose the bar that was apparently more popular with the older crowd. And the fact that it was a Wednesday did nothing to stop these Danes from having a good time - a really good time.

The music selection was incredible, to say the least -- Billy Ray Cirus, the Beach Boys, Pink Floyd, Rhianna (yes, umbrella-ella-ella is apparently popular world-over), CCR, Alan Jackson, etc.

Good times. I think I like this country.

Other things to note:
the movie Dodgeball played in Germany
I need to learn more about futbol (soccer)
you don't tip here - it's included in the bill

Here are a few pics - of my apartment, the Akvavit distillery/brewery - famous Danish snaps, the waterfront, and the Danish flag, flying proudly in many front yards on the outskirts of town and in the countryside.

Hope all is well!

Velkommen to Danmark!

2007-08-28T06:42:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-10T14:07:00.001-07:00

Here we go...woah, stepping out into cyberspace...hang on to the railing folks, the footing is a bit dicey to begin with...

Thirteen days and counting, yet I still have no proof of graduation. (I haven't graduated. This may have something to do with it). No fear Honors house roomies, I am working on it. Five years, plus three months - it is all about timing...

Took the GRE down today. Not so big and scary anymore are you graduate record examination - eh?

Recently devoured book by Anthony Burgess. Reminscent of Vonnegut. I highly recommend it to anyone into the speculative fiction genre. Title: The End of the World News.

And despite the muggy heat, the lake - the learning - the life - all the Beavers out there can relate, continues to be beautiful, til the day and the moment I depart. Will it be the same when I return?

Now, about that degree...