This past week has been interesting, to say the least. I've been here a month now, and I am finally feeling accustomed to everything. The shocking thing is that I only have three more months, and I feel like I have so much I want to do in such a short time! I realized something today though. I am here to experience Denmark, and its culture. So it is okay if I do not see absolutely everything that I want to, because that is really quite unrealistic. I simply need to take advantage of every opportunity given, without killing myself.
On that note, I did finally get sick. Booooo. Well, I guess I had the stomach flu right before my short study tour. But a few days ago I woke up with a cold. Achy body, sore muscles, super tired, unmotivated, stuffy nose, scratchy throat. The works. Then I had to go to my practicum like that. Thankfully we didn't go out in the forest, so I only had to be there for four hours, instead of seven. Since then I have been getting around nine to ten hours of sleep every night, trying to make up for the lack of sleep I have been getting the past four weeks or so.
It has finally been warming up some though, which is wonderful! I think it got up to 37 today? So warm! It is exciting. With this heat wave that we are experiencing all the Danes are getting out and about, and so are some protesters, which is always fun. It is still so bizarre to be living in the biggest city in the country. Stuff happens here so often, it is mind-boggling.
I also got to experience something quite unDanish on the bus last week. On Valentines Day, of all days, a man decided he wanted my phone number, so he asked me right as the bus was pulling up to my stop. I declined, making a half hazard excuse, and got off the bus. To my chagrin, he followed me off the bus all the way to my class. To get rid of him I gave him my number (I know, foolish, but it happened, oh well). That night he called me, texted me...poor guy I ignored it. My family took me out to get Chinese food, I wasn't going to answer some desperate guy who I didn't even know. Cruel, I know. The next few nights he kept up this pattern. He did finally stop though. I'm just hoping and praying that I never run into him on the bus again.
Yesterday was Fastelavn. A holiday that is seven weeks before Easter Sunday. This used to be related to Easter and Lent but now the Danes just use it as an excuse to get off school and work for a week. This is also like a Danish Halloween, because all the kids get dressed up in costumes and get candy. I went with my family to an event where they "beat a cat in a barrel." Well, that is what they used to do anyway. It was to ward off evil spirits or something. Now they just beat a barrel with a cat painted on. Like a pinata, it is filled with candy! What I went to was a little different though, instead of just beating the barrel, they had people on horses beating the barrel. I never did get what the significance of the horses were, we only went to this one, because my host sister is obsessed with horses.
I have decided that I appreciate American school systems, with structure, clear expectations, study guides...all of that. I had a quiz in Developmental Disorders Friday, and then I was supposed to have a paper due in Special Needs tomorrow. Both were kind of disasters. I'm not sure how I will survive the coming assignments in these classes. It is definitely a learning experience, in more than one way!
My Danish Language class visited Christiania this last Wednesday. That was interesting. It is a part of the city that is inhabited by about 800 people who never paid for the property. They live there in a semi free state with their own rules, with very socialistic ideals. The Danish government is making them finally pay for the land this coming April though. It will be interesting to see that situation play out while I'm here.
I also finally was able to go to Connect this last week. It is a young adults lifegroup through FIBC, the church that I'm attending while here. It is a small group, but I'm excited to continue meeting with them. It is also exciting, because from what I hear, we are going to be talking about similar things as what is going on back at home at Ignite. We will be reading the book Out of the Saltshaker and Into the World, by Rebecca Pippert. It is about evangelism as part of your life, instead of a Christian duty to check off your list for the week. Definitely something that I need to work on, and am excited to do that while here.
Yay updates! Its amazing how easy it is to write all of this without a thought or distraction, but when it comes to writing a six page paper it takes me hours on end to write nothing...but that paper was pushed back. So its okay. Ha!
On that note, I did finally get sick. Booooo. Well, I guess I had the stomach flu right before my short study tour. But a few days ago I woke up with a cold. Achy body, sore muscles, super tired, unmotivated, stuffy nose, scratchy throat. The works. Then I had to go to my practicum like that. Thankfully we didn't go out in the forest, so I only had to be there for four hours, instead of seven. Since then I have been getting around nine to ten hours of sleep every night, trying to make up for the lack of sleep I have been getting the past four weeks or so.
It has finally been warming up some though, which is wonderful! I think it got up to 37 today? So warm! It is exciting. With this heat wave that we are experiencing all the Danes are getting out and about, and so are some protesters, which is always fun. It is still so bizarre to be living in the biggest city in the country. Stuff happens here so often, it is mind-boggling.
I also got to experience something quite unDanish on the bus last week. On Valentines Day, of all days, a man decided he wanted my phone number, so he asked me right as the bus was pulling up to my stop. I declined, making a half hazard excuse, and got off the bus. To my chagrin, he followed me off the bus all the way to my class. To get rid of him I gave him my number (I know, foolish, but it happened, oh well). That night he called me, texted me...poor guy I ignored it. My family took me out to get Chinese food, I wasn't going to answer some desperate guy who I didn't even know. Cruel, I know. The next few nights he kept up this pattern. He did finally stop though. I'm just hoping and praying that I never run into him on the bus again.
Yesterday was Fastelavn. A holiday that is seven weeks before Easter Sunday. This used to be related to Easter and Lent but now the Danes just use it as an excuse to get off school and work for a week. This is also like a Danish Halloween, because all the kids get dressed up in costumes and get candy. I went with my family to an event where they "beat a cat in a barrel." Well, that is what they used to do anyway. It was to ward off evil spirits or something. Now they just beat a barrel with a cat painted on. Like a pinata, it is filled with candy! What I went to was a little different though, instead of just beating the barrel, they had people on horses beating the barrel. I never did get what the significance of the horses were, we only went to this one, because my host sister is obsessed with horses.
I have decided that I appreciate American school systems, with structure, clear expectations, study guides...all of that. I had a quiz in Developmental Disorders Friday, and then I was supposed to have a paper due in Special Needs tomorrow. Both were kind of disasters. I'm not sure how I will survive the coming assignments in these classes. It is definitely a learning experience, in more than one way!
My Danish Language class visited Christiania this last Wednesday. That was interesting. It is a part of the city that is inhabited by about 800 people who never paid for the property. They live there in a semi free state with their own rules, with very socialistic ideals. The Danish government is making them finally pay for the land this coming April though. It will be interesting to see that situation play out while I'm here.
I also finally was able to go to Connect this last week. It is a young adults lifegroup through FIBC, the church that I'm attending while here. It is a small group, but I'm excited to continue meeting with them. It is also exciting, because from what I hear, we are going to be talking about similar things as what is going on back at home at Ignite. We will be reading the book Out of the Saltshaker and Into the World, by Rebecca Pippert. It is about evangelism as part of your life, instead of a Christian duty to check off your list for the week. Definitely something that I need to work on, and am excited to do that while here.
Yay updates! Its amazing how easy it is to write all of this without a thought or distraction, but when it comes to writing a six page paper it takes me hours on end to write nothing...but that paper was pushed back. So its okay. Ha!
I read Out of the Saltshaker about 29 years ago, but I'm sure it is just as good and just as applicable today! I should read it again, myself!
ReplyDeleteThat's funny, because when they pulled out the book, my first comment was, I know I've seen that around my house! I'm excited to read it!
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