Last Week of January in København

31.1.10

Friends and Family:

Hi everybody. It has been yet another great week in Denmark. I am going to jump right into the details!

School has officially begun which means that testing has started :( UGH! I have my first test this upcoming Tuesday and let's just say I am less than thrilled. However, I did switch around my schedule a bit and I am now, not taking a course at the University of Copenhagen. Instead, I will be taking the course, Holocaust and Genocide through DIS. I decided to switch into this class because I found out that my grade at the U of Copenhagen was decided on one final test (this was the Human Rights in Africa course). Needless to say, I am not a test taker and quickly got out of that one. Nonetheless, I am very excited about my new course because we will be traveling to Hamburg, Germany to visit one of the largest Holocaust museums in the world.

Speaking of Germany, I am so very excited about my guests that are coming throughout my semester in Denmark. My dearest mother and grandma will be visiting for over a week in March!! They are coming on the 8th and staying until the 18th I believe. I can NOT wait for them to come. They are staying at a hotel that is within a two minute walk of my school. Not to mention, they will hopefully be able to travel with me to Germany to see the Holocaust museum. I still have to clear it with DIS but it looks like it is a go as of right now! Also, they will be able to go with my Human Trafficking class to the "Red Light District" where we will be studying the area in terms of prostitution and human smuggling. It should be a very interesting field trip. In addition, my close friend Patsy, who is also in my sorority back at Dickinson, is currently studying abroad in England. She is going to visit me in two weekends!! That weekend happens to be a Danish holiday that is similar to our Halloween. On top of that, it is Valentine's Day weekend. So Patsy and I are going to go out to dinner together and celebrate the holiday! :) I am so excited.

This week Tanja, my oldest host sibling, had her graduation party this past Thursday at our house. I got to meet all of the Klausens' friends and family members. It was great to see such a large table (full of Thai food, yummy) surrounded by dear friends. I also was able to visit my youngest host sibling's (Terese) Trampoline practice after school one day. I drove with my host brother Tim and watched her do flips and tricks on a trampoline. I wanted to jump on the trampoline so badly and continue my gymnastics skills...however; I decided it probably wasn't a good idea. There were kids from all ages doing back flips, toe-touches, and full twisting layouts on these huge tramps. It looked like a lot of fun :)

This weekend, temperatures hit an all time low of -6 degrees. Needless to say, I went to bed with socks, my north face jacket, and sweatpants on these past two nights. Although, my friends and I had plans to go to the Absolut Ice Bar (a bar, completely made of ice...they give you special coats and gloves while you drink from ice blocks!), we decided we should save that for a warmer day. So therefore, we went to the Egmont Køllegium. This is a Danish dorm for students at Copenhagen U. I had so much fun talking with the Danes and teaching them drinking games. They laughed at some of them but enjoyed the company of foreigners! Before we arrived at the dorm, we got dinner at McDonalds! It was the cheapest place in all of Copenhagen and we had to see if it tasted the same. As expected, it tasted just like an American Micky D's-- so yummy. I got a happy meal and I was so excited when I received a toy!! I carried my Simon (from Alvin and the Chipmunks) figure throughout the night :).

I have so much to look forward to in these next couple of weeks. This weekend, I head to Western Denmark, to a city called Jutland, on a field study with my core class (Psychology of Happiness). While on the study tour, I compare how Psychology of Happiness is applied throughout different institutions, organizations, and areas throughout the major parts of Denmark. I believe Jutland is the second largest city in Denmark. Then the following weekend Patsy comes! The weekend after, I travel to Scotland for Psychology of Happiness again. Then the next weekend my Mother and Grandmother come. By then, I will already be in the middle of March!

I am looking forward to sharing my adventures with you all every week. From the looks of my schedule, there will be lots to report on every weekend. Thanks for your constant support and love. Please leave any comments and or send your warmth to Denmark.

All my love and more,

Chelsea

p.s. Here are pictures of my room!