Rogaland

The last excursion of my study abroad experience is over, and my Danish future now consists of relaxing, absorbing my surroundings, and packing. I returned yesterday morning from my trip to Stavanger, Norway, with just enough time to study and take my last final. It went fine, I figure study abroad is the only time you can take an international flight and a final exam on the same day, and consider normal.

My return to Norway went better than I could have hoped for. Chelsea and I had a really great time, spending time in town but also seeking out as much nature as we could get. One thing I really hadn't forseen about Denmark, was its lack of unaltered natural areas. That really goes for Europe as a whole. People have been maniputlating the environment, taming nature and prospering from it in Europe for thousands of years. North America really doesn't quite have this same characteristic, yet. Norway is an astounding exception to this phenomenon, as the whole country has less people than the suburbs of Houston, and enough mountain, fjord, and forest that widespread civilization never really took grasp. We took a ferry tour of Lyssefjord, the fjord that lies below the iconic Preikestolan or 'Pulpit Rock' so commonly associated with the Stavanger region. The next day we set out to make it to Manafossen, a beautiful waterfall and hiking area an hour outside Stavanger. Berge, Gaye's husband and a great host, set out all the train and bus plans and schedules for us to get there smoothly. Of course, things don't go the way they are planned in life, and we missed the bus to the hike area, which we soon learned was the only daily bus to the area. So we found ourselves in a little town called Algar in the Norwegian mountain backcountry. We made straight for the nearest forest and mountain trail, and spent the day hiking the area. Up through forests, fields, and rocky mountain sides, we finally scrambled to the highest point we could reach, and the view was spectacular.

After a well earned chocolate bar, we made our way back down, this time cutting through rocky hillsides we discovered to be sheep pastures. If there is one sounds I remember vividly from being a kid in Norway, it was those big sheep bells. Clonking away among the moutain sides, the bells stopped only when the wooly animals paused to stare at you, half expecting a hand out. They did this in the middle of the mountain roads as well. By about 5:30 that afternoon, Berge came and picked us up and drove us further into the mountains where we had dinner at the candle factory restaurant, and then stopped for some great views at a number of breathtaking lookouts.

Returning to Norway was strange, yet comforting. The first day we wandered around downtown Stavanger, and I was able to lead the way to the fish market, McDonalds, and toy stores just as if I was there yesterday. Life has been moving on in Stavanger, without me. Things were the same, but also different. For one, everything seemes so much smaller than I remember them being, my line of sight is a few feet higher off the ground than it used to be I guess. Still, the things I remember were still there after all these years, and this was settling to me. After wandering town, we bought a carton of the juiciest, reddest strawberries (just as I remember them being) and then ate them all on the steps in the middle of town. I remember doing this when I was younger, most notably with my Great Grandmother Brock when we ate two whole cartons of strawberries on the steps, she talked about it everytime I saw her for years. Revisiting these moments are what struck a note with me. The last day Berge drove us out to my old house and stomping grounds. Those walls contain so many memories, and the people currently living in it have no idea. Seeing my old backyard and bedroom window put something tangible to those memories. It was all still there, a little different than when I left it, but there nonetheless. All these things are remnants of my past, a time I treasured dearly, but they are only remnants, and will never be the same as they once were. This is hard to accept, but necessarry. Revisting Norway served a point, I believe, and it was long over-due. Norway will always be a special place in my book, serving as the setting for much of what I knew my father to be and also what I will always remember of him. However, I cannot take Norway with me, it must remain a remnant, it will always be there for me, and I plan to return many more times. I have been back, it was still there, and now I can move forward.

Detaching my fingers from the keyboard

This week was a blur. It is Friday afternoon, and I will never be taking another class in Denmark. Classes are over, and finals start next week. Of course, there are some (myself being one) who had final papers in place of finals, all of which were due today. I am breathing a sigh of relief and begining to depressurize, I turned the last of four final papers in an hour ago. I have one exam next Friday, but it will not be a huge issue. The issue at hand right now is to enjoy our last two weeks here, sans classes.
On this upcoming Tuesday a friend and I will be heading up to Stavanger, Norway. I'm fairly sure that accesability to Norway was one of the main (concious or unconcious) reasons I chose to study abroad in Denmark. I have been thinking about Stavanger since I left it 12 years ago, and I wonder what it will feel like to be back. Maybe like some form of home? I'm not sure how to even define that concept anymore. I spent five years there growing up (2 - 8), and I think it served a good deal in shaping me. I'm nervous even thinking about it now. We are arranged to stay with Mrs. Gaye, my kindergarten teacher and a friend of the family from our years there. I guess I shouldn't be calling her 'Mrs.' Gaye anymore. Although it feels strange to not say 'Mrs.'. I feel that the person who is to owe for your knowledge of the color wheel and alphabet deserves some kind of title bearing importance. I suppose I'll just have to ask her.

Just finished another Saturday morning brunch. Brunch is always a delicate art of eating just the right amount, a skill that I have never really mastered. I guess if I have to stuff myself with something, smoked salmon scrambled eggs, rye breads, and cheeses are good items to do that with.
Today I need to start another one of my final papers. It's that time of the year, no matter where in the world I am it seems that the end of April will always be a time of panic. I turned in the first of four of my final papers yesterday morning, for my Bio. of Marine Mammals class. I chose to research Killer Whale ecotypes and speciation for my final paper, and I actually found the topic to be incredibly neat. Fun fact: Killer whales are currently one species (Orcinus orca), but years of research have shown that seperate groups of killer whales exist around the globe that are very distinct from each other. These distinctions are strong enough that the orca groups make up different 'ecotypes', these ecotypes don't interbreed or interact socially with each other. Mostly they differ by what they eat and where they live; fish eating coastal type, the mammal eating coastal type, and the fish eating offshore type. More recently there have been three new types distinguished in the Antarctic regions, the seal eating antarctic type, the whale eating antarctic type, and the fish eating dwarf Antarctic type. And, here's the coolest part, newest mtDNA research of today is showing that the genetic lineages of these different ecotypes are seperate enough that many biologists believe they need to be raised to seperate species of killer whales, with some divergences between groups showing to have occured over 700,000 years ago. Cool? I think so.
Anyways, enough nerd stuff. Last night my fellow American students at my hojeskole spent the evening at Tivoli in downtown CPH, our DIS sponsored night out together. Tivoli is the first theme park ever, so it's obviously very old. It was really pretty, and definitely a step up from six flags type parks, with a balance of historical classiness and modern type rides, if that makes sense. There was a concert in the middle of the park that was pretty entertaining, some type of techno rap.
Fingers of sunlight are filtering through the tree branch outside my window right now, a tree branch that is finally heavy with fresh green leaves. I keep telling people how amazed I am at how fast the world changed into spring time around here. They're probably getting tired of hearing me rave about it. But it really IS amazing. When I returned from Greenland two weeks ago, I could look into the forests on the train ride into town and see far into the depths of the forest, seeing nothing excpet bare brown skeletal tree trunks. Now, I can barely see past the first row of trees, as the leaves have created a flurry of a green wall. Dandelions, I mean big monster dandelions, line the sidewalks and populate the backyard of my hojeskole. It is a sight.
Alright, I guess I should go be productive. Cheers!

Enter: T-Shirts and Shorts

I returned from a long day of travels late last night. It was phase two of my spring break, spent in a completely different world than the first half. I was in Perugia, Italy with my old friend Shannon this past week, and I spent some time in the life of a study abroader in Italy. The days were framed by no schedules, lit by cloudless skies, and filled with pizza, gellato, wine, and much laughter. Perugia was a beautiful little town, two hours north of Rome, where I flew in. Shannon went way out of her way to pick me up at the airport, were we spent the night in a hostel.  A quick trip to the colleseum in Rome, as quick as such an experience can be, and then we were on our way by train to Perugia. Shannon lives in a stone apartment or town home type residence, so it made visiting a easy arrangement.

Shannon emphasizing the size of the colleseum.



A little park in Perugia we layed around in for a couple hours.



The days there were truley spring break, if I ever had one. I felt the first true warth of the sun in months, each day was in the high 70s. I even managed a little sunburn, a required token of spring break regardless of where in the world you are. The food was spectacular, as can be imagined. Most notably, is Tuesday night's meal. We went out to an "underground" restaurant, where we had a five course meal that lasted from 9 pm until almost midnight. Probably the best food I have ever had, consisting of a mix of bruschettas, shrimp pesto farfalle, italian sausage, fried mozzarrella, and tiramisu. I'm not exagerrating when I say it was delicious, and I'm not sure where else my food experiences could get any better. In addition to this, I ate gellatto and pizza on multiple occassions, of which are completely different than anything I've had in the states.

Lunch my first day.

I had a chance my last night there to attend Shannon's creative writing class' public readings at a bar. All of the pieces had to do with Perugia and studying abroad, and there were many a tear shed at the thought of going home. It made me that much more excited about still being out here, abroad, living in Denmark, something I may very well never do again. I have just under a month left of this unique time in my life, and I plan on savoring it. Today was a good start to that, as I sat around in the green lawn of my hojeskole all afternoon, enjoying my life with people from all over the world. My biggest stress being what time dinner is. Grill outs and eating outside are becoming standard each night. As I walked to the cornor store this evening to grab a beer for tonight's bonfire, there was not one house I passed that didn't have it's resident families sitting on porches or the front yard, enjoying the fading sunlight. Savor this I will.

At the top of the world

I just returned from my week in Greenland. Accompanying my class "Greenland: A Scientific Expedition" was a one week trip to Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. The trip was aimed to (from the itenerary itself): "Provide a close encounter with the ice sheet, discuss climate changes, see magnificent wildlife, experience incredibly starry winter nights and learn all about the aurora borealis". The past five days have been incredible, I have never experienced a more brutally magestic place; Greenland is staggeringly magnificent, and intoxicatingly beautiful. It is hard for me to describe it in text, pictures and emotions are probably more adequate. I will at least provide a brief list of the activities the 12 of us did.
Day 1: arrival, introduction to Kangerlussuaq, population 556. Tour around area, lectures on local fauna and geology.
Day 2: Morning hike up snowy peak near camp, dog sledding all afternoon across a frozen fjord.' Kaffemilk' at local Greenlander's residence, a coffee and cakes social tradition. A visit to local museum of the history of Kangerlussuaq. Late night sky gazing, successful aurora light show.
Day 3: Departure to the Russel's glacier and the ice sheet. Many stops and discussions along the way.
Day 4: Morning hike. Muskox safari and hike to lake and grazing grounds. Visit to 'Kellyville', an atmospheric, ionospheric and climatic research station run by the US science foundation and Stanford. Amazing Greenlandic closing dinner and slideshows.

I had many long conversations with people, and got to hear many of the past adventures of our professor, who spent many years studying ecology in Greenland. I think that I really want to look into arctic ecology, there is so much going on up there. In a world that seems to have so few mysteries left, it was amazing to be in a place that still has so many of them.
I put selected pictures in an album for anybody to see on snapfish. Here's the link: http://www5.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=3416108028/a=4402702028_4402702028/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

At the ice sheet's edge. Massive.

The first day's group shot.

Swedish Adventures

I refuse to believe that it is April, that I am registering for me senior year courses back at Trinty, and that I have six weeks left abroad. I don't understand this passage of time phenomenom, and I sure as hell hope that real life doesn't happen this fast. This time next week I will be on spring break, a vacation from vacation that lasts for two weeks. After that, I have only a few weeks of classes left here in CPH, with all my course work being wrapped up by the 6th of May. End of term papers are in our midsts, and thier discussion is a common theme among most of my classes lately. At least the stress from those deadlines are enough to make the end of my time here seem distant.

I spent this past weekend on a hiking, climbing, and canoeing trip to the Swedish back country. We spent Saturday canoeing until noon on a very lazy river, which made it seem more like a social excursion on water than an outdoor excursion. After lunch, we set for the rocky coast to find an area called Nimis. Built over a period in the '80s, Nimis was hidden by its only creator for two years before being discovered by the Swedish government. The 'park' consists of over 70 tons of driftwood nailed into massive building and walk-way like structures. I didn't think much of this description, but after a 30 minute hike to its secluded location on the shore, I was, bewildered. We entered the location one person at a time, as the entrance walkway was barely large enough for me.  Very similar to a giant tree house, you walk along pathways that are way off the ground, held up by snarled twists of driftwood nailed together in absolutely no orderly manner.

There were towers and tunnels, some set walkways among the clutter of wood, but mostly you just climbed it like a jungle gym.  We spent a good hour clambering around the shoreline structures, I snapped some great pictures from the top of one of the towers. On the climb back of the steep rocky slopes, I had to take off my jacket. With the excercise and mid 50s F weather, it was too warm! That night we stayed at a hostel out in the middle of farm fields, and we had a giant fire pit set up for a barbeque. The weather was just right, jeans and a long sleave shirt was all that was needed outside while we played volleyball and then ate our bbq chicken, sausages, and potato salad dinner. S'mores (on digestive bisquets, a scandanavian thing due to the lack of graham crackers here) and ice cream followed, and the sun made its final farewell at around 8:30 pm. Playing some cards until a ripe hour of 11:30 that night (we could have sworn it was 2 am), I even manged a full night sleep. The next day was spent repelling over rock faces and orienteering. The repelling took place on giant rocky cliffs along coves at the coast. We went down two cliffs, one more of a practice for the second much more precarious descent. Only once or twice did I wonder what in the world I was doing there, usually after looking down. After we had an afternoon of orienteering, a scavenger hunt type of competition using compasses and maps to complete activities all over the hillsides. The day was very foggy, and at times you couldn't see more than 100 yards ahead. There were many references to Frodo and the Ring, as it felt very similar to wandering around Middle Earth. If only.

It was a refreshing weekend to say the least, and really got me thinking about planning my trip to Norway in May, somewhere I really hope to get to before the end.

Shedding the Winter Coat

People are out and about here in Denmark. Within the last 10 days the weather has done a complete turn around, and it would seem that spring is indeed here. At first I was hesitant to say this, as it was sure to raise false hope.  However, I think we can finally start to expect sunny days and lighter jackets on a daily basis.  Lately, the sun has been out most of each day and the daily temp ranges have been high/lows of 45/32 F. The daylight savings time shift just occurred today, so the sun is up much later than  usual. Soon dinner will seem like it's in the middle of the day, and it won't feel acceptable to lounge by the fire after eating until bed anymore.
This past Thursday my good friend Shannon arrived from Perugia, Italy. She is currently studying abroad as well, and we made plans to visit each other while living on opposite ends of the European continent. We spent a day in my town of Helsingor, and also checked out Helsingborg, Sweden. She was pumped to be able to check two countries off the list with one plane ticket. We then spent yesterday in Copenhagen, under blue skies and among many bustling people. It was the most crowded I have yet to see Copenhagen, Stroget, the walking street, was packed with shoppers and travellers of all sorts. We made it back to the Hojeskole for dinner, and then returned to the city to experience some of the night life. I took her to one of my favorite bars, "Den Glade Gris", or "The Happy Pig" in english. We found a table in the back, sat and people watched, talked about good times past, as well as our adventures abroad. Eventually a band began to assemble, four guys on instruements and an incredible female lead singer. They played cover after cover of American rock, alternative, hip hop and even pop songs, adding a little of thier own character to each. Of the bands I have heard here in DK, they all play mostly American music, which I still find so funny. They introduce themselves and talk to the crowd in Danish, and then burst out with perfect english in their songs. Really odd at first, but neat. Shannon left this morning after we went to mosey around Copenhagen a little more before her flight. It has really meant a lot to have both Mike and Shannon visit me this semester, and I know that there are others that would do the same if they could.
This next week is going to be very busy academics wise, I'm going to have to tighten my belt and stay focused. Once I survive that, I have a hiking and canoeing trip to the Swedish backcountry next weekend to reward myself with. Life is good, cheers to all.

Catching My Breath

Having just printed and stapled my last essay due this week, this is the first idle moment I have had in the last two weeks. And not a single moment of it has been dull. Last week I spent traveling on my Sustainability program study tour, a six day trip in Germany and the Netherlands around multiple cities. The morning I returned to Copenhagen, my friend Mike (buddy from the grade school days in Houston) arrived an hour after I did, and we have been trekking around Denmark non-stop until he left early this morning. Now, I sit.

The study tour with my class was a blast, we spent the first three days in Germany, around the little northern town of Flensburg. On the way there we had an afternoon at a marine center by the Wadden Sea, looking at the biodiversity and the dyke structures. Once in Flensburg we spent time at Renewable Energy research center similar to the one in Denmark, and toured multiple wind, solar, and biofuel companies. Particularily memorable was the solar energy company, which built circular wharehous type structures, with roofs that were made of solar panels tilted toward the sun.  The roof slowly rotated with the position of the sun to gain maximum absorbance. Taking up no more space than a residential house, the solar setup, during good conditions, supplies enough energy to support 40 four person Danish homes! If they find these to be effective and marketable in Denmark, than they are surely possible in the states. I would like to imagine that these would be very effective in Texas, should it seem so out-landish to have solar panels like these hooked up to residential communities in the vast Texan suburbs? I'd like to think it won't seem so much longer.

After Germany we drove to Gronnigen in the Netherlands for a night, where we then spent an afternoon at a sustainable forestry park. It was originally started by one of the Dutch kings to supply him with royal hunting grounds and lumber, and composed on only Scotch Pine. However, over the centuries the land has changed drastically and now has a strong amount of biodiversity and very little Scotch Pine, which was not endemic to begin with. They cut selected plots every ten years, cutting every few yards apart to ensure there is a variety of tree heights present just as would be in a natural system. It was surprisingly pretty and serene, and managed to shift my idea of forestry into a more positive light. Once in Gronnigen, I decided I would take a personal trip to experience the Dutch health system, which is superb I will say, because of graceful manuever I had attempted the day before. While leaping from a boulder in Flensburg, I managed to slightly miscalculate my landing and land face down on the pavement. Luckily I broke my fall with my right thumb, which suffered some bruising and swelling. The next day, when my ibuprofen stock was about gone, I decided to ask the teachers for thier opinion on the issue. Anyways, I spent a little time in the emergency room of a Dutch hostpital, which was very similar to a contemporary art museum, where it was determined that the tip of my thumb was indeed broken. So I currently have a great little plastic brace thing bandaged on my finger.

From Gronnigen we next went to Amsterdam to spend the last two days there. Amsterdam was as may be expected, a really fun place to be. I keep refering to it as a free-for-all version of Copenhagen, becuase they seemed pretty similar in some ways. While there, we spent time at the Van Gogh museum, went on a city bike tour, and canal coffee boat tour, and went to LiSER (living space for environmental refugees) to learn about efforts to deal with refugees/migrants moving due to environemtal issues. The sun was out on both days, and the temperature may have reached up to 50 F! It was so nice to be in the sun and enjoy just walking outside, there was period Friday when I even had my jacket off, it's a big deal.

Canal boat tour of Amsterdam.

After taking an overnight bus back to Copenhagen, I picked up Mike from the airport and took up the role as tour guide. He stayed at the Hojeskole for the weekend, and then we moved to a hostel during the week.  We must have walked 15 miles this past week while exploring the city, I don't think there was anything left to show him by the end of his trip. We also ate very well, between brunches at my place, shwarma shops, pastries, and one phenomenal pizza place in Sweden. It was a good week, and I think Mike was thoroughly impressed with Denmark. They have things pretty figured out here.

Spring, is that you?

I was awoken this morning by a strange sensation on my face, sunlight. It was 9 am, and I was planning on sleeping later (a lot later) after a bit of a late night. Despite the closed curtains, the morning rays still managed to wake me, partly from brightness and partly from how hot I was getting under my duvet. It's the brightest, clearest, most welcoming day I have seen so far here in Denmark. Could it be the approach of spring? I'll try not to expect anything drastic, although, we have been repeatedly told that February is the longest, hardest month to get through in DK (despite its least amount of days). The sun now makes it first appearance as we eat breakfast at 6:30 am (it rose after 9 when I first arrived), and we eat dinner at 6 pm with the last twinkling of twilight (the sun set at 4:30ish pm when I arrived). So maybe we can hope to experience more sunlit awakenings from here on.
After a cereal, yogurt, and cheese breakfast I decided to try and take advantage of the situation and go for a bike ride. It was about a minute and a half before I realized that the weather I had seen through my window was a little deceptive of the day outside, and I should have worn my gloves.  Despite the crisp air and steady wind, it was still extremely refreshing to be outside and practically feel the vitamin D being taken into my system. I found some woody areas to putter around in, and noticed that under the bed of dead leaf litter, all sorts of little green sprouts are in the process of uncurling, biding their time before they too wake up to a warm sunlit morning. I guess I'm not the only one noticing a shift in the weather.

Not for the weak stomached!

The fact that February is about to be over is a concept that I can't seem to grasp. Where is time going? Does real life happen this fast? I sure hope not. You so often here that life is too short, so that you eventually don't even acknowledge or ponder the fact that life, really IS too short. I dread the day that I think about my months here as just another chapter from the past. Enough of this, onto more exciting news.

I spent yesterday (Saturday) with my marine mammals lab course, as we traveled four hours away to a marine lab in Esbjerg. The facility is a public aquarium and seal center, but also a lab for Danish marine research.  After a very early morning (they are becoming a common theme here) departure, we arrived at the center and immediately jumped into action. The facilitator showed us to a lab where five seals were patiently lying on a bench for our attention.  It quickly became apparent that they were all dead, as one was hauled onto a dissection table and layed out for measurements. We watched as the researcher noted all observations and measurements, then procedeed to dis-assemble the plump little seal. The animals all come from local shores, where they are usually found to be resting on the beach, too exhausted or sick to try and evade people. This usually indicates that something is wrong, and they are taken in for inspection.  Years of rehabilitation programs have shown that sick seals, once fixed up and/or returned to the water, most likely appear again with the same issues. So most protocol now calls for humane putting down of the animals once they show up sick on beachs. Their bodies are then sent to the marine center for necropsy. And so this is what we were going to be doing for the day. Less than an hour later all nine of us stood at seperate tables, with our own specimens. Mine was a female, who died in October and had been frozen until we got them.  My partner and I measured the body stats, checked for injuries and body lice, and then proceeded to the first incision.  You don't need a lot of details (the pictures should show plenty), but we collected blubber layer measurements, kidney, liver, muscle and lung tissue samples, and checked for parasites in the lungs and heart. We determined from the amount of nematode parasites (worms) in the lungs and trachea, up to 4 and 5 inches in length, that the seal had a level 2 invasion which was to blame for her appearance on the beach. Cuasing exhaustion and leading to hunger, she would have eventually starved.



The instructor first showed us the procedure, before we got out own seals to work on.

Very interesting, I had never disected such a large animal, or anything that had not been heavily chemically preserved before hand. We spent some time looking at harbor porpoises that go throuugh the same process at the lab, most of which wash up after drowning in nets. I arrived home by about 9:30 that evening, and had a great night with a bunch of friends at our commune. Last night I got to catch up with my Mom over the phone for a while, its always reassuring to talk to your Mom, no matter how independent you think you are. Although I am loving my time here, I definitely miss my Mom and sisters, so many things I would show them here! This week will probably pass quickly, as we have our long study tour for Sustainable development next Sunday to Friday. I look forward to it, we are heading to northern Germany and then Amsterdam to look at numerous places related to the class. The morning after I return, one of my close friends from grade school days is coming up for his spring break, and I plan to show him a great time here in Scandinavia!



Harbor porpoise, very peculiar looking animals!



Berlin and Back



In Berlin, right by Neptune's fountain in downtown.



Sitting by the fire once again, back in Denmark. This past weekend was a new one in many ways, all due to the discovery of cheap airfare to Berlin last weekend.  Ten minutes after the discovery and following some quick negotiating amongst ourselves, and a few less than confident nods of agreement, the flights were booked.  Four of us were going to Berlin, and we soon had a four person room booked at the U Inn Berlin hostel for three nights.  I have been abroad for over a month, and I felt it was around the time for me to start doing a littel exploration beyond the borders of Denmark. And so I did.

I was not expecting the difference between Copenhagen and Denmark to be as significant as it was, cities less than 50 minute flights from each other.  First noticed, was the vast size of Berlin.  Taller buildings and wider thoroughways, we could get onto a metro or tram for 20 minutes and never leave a heavily urban area. There were dozens of public transit hubs all over the city, whereas in Copenhagen there are two main train stations to get into the city with smaller metros connecting the city area. The architecture was also generally less pleasing to the eye, putting forth a feeling of trying times and a shaky history.  Despite this, the monuments were an awesome sight, immense and grande, they emitted soilidarity and power (appropriately so for the time they were constructed).

The people were different too, it couldn't be taken for granted that most people spoke English as it is in Denmark.  They were very friendly, and offered help with tram directions without us even asking, which would not happen in Denmark.  Another obvious and much appreciated difference, was the cost of everything. Hostel, food and drink, and transportation where all much cheaper than can be found in Denmark.  We felt like we were getting a deal on everything, when in reality we could have just been paying normal prices. Your sense of value becomes skewed when living in a place with such large tax rates.

While there, I took a walking tour of the 'alternative scene' of Berlin which explored the street art and graffitti. I had no idea it was such a big organized presence. Apparently multiple well known artists create various murals and post-up drawings around the city, each recognizable by style, subject, and/or statements. Everything we saw on the tour we would have never seen on our own, since so much of it is underground and not considered 'tourist' attractions. We also made it to multiple monuments around the city, a huge flea market on Sunday morning, and the Ritter Chokolate factory.



Street art in a Berlin alley. 







We had some great food too. The first night, oddly enough we went to a Mexican restaurant where I was able to experience the German rendition of a burrito and margarita.  Not so bad at all, although I do miss my tex-mex. Nava had a birthday that night, and the waiters handed out sparklers to the entire restaurant, turned off the lights, and then brought out a melon filled with some kind of fruity rum drink topped with a birthday candle as we all sang. Determined to get some German food, the next night we ate at a restaurant recomended by our hostel. I was finally able to order some sausages and saurekraut, along with some 'dark beer'. Delicious, I think my travel companions were relieved as I had been nagging about getting saurekraut all weekend.



Mexican food, in Berlin?



A great time, but we agreed that the traveling did make us all appreciate Copenhagen that much more.  Copenhagen is so much more personal and approachable.  A large and advanced city, yet still very in touch with its history and quaint lifestyle. Copenhagen just seems much easier to get to know and be a part of. Phew, I did end up in the right place.



German food, 'Parade of Sausages' it was called.







Everything but a Gray Whale



Beaked whales.



In my quest to write about everything awesome that I encounter and eperience during my time here, I have already learned that reporting everything I'd like to is an impossible task.  Since I don't want to write in bullet points, and surely we all read enough bullet points on a daily basis already, I will not do that.  So I have decided to pick out the best of my times to describe, and last week's field study definitely qualifies as such.  The field study was for my Biology of Marine Mammals class, and we met at 8:30 am outside the Norreport train station. Now, many of my peers did not have morning field studies, or any at all, which did not make getting to bed at a decent hour the night before an easy task at all.  Regardless, I was there outside the train station at the right time, and was content to find similar bleariness in the eyes of my classmates. We caught a bus with our professor and evetually arrived at the Zoological Museum of Denmark, a mix of old world architecture fashioned with contemporary accents.  We were introduced to a head curator and then escorted into the back, past a door designated for museum personal only as we moved into the private collections.



The curator, obviosuly a friend of our professor, told us to explore and photograph the collections as much as we liked after our tour. Containing over 10 million specimens, and every species except a Gray Whale (although they have been searching high and low for one within reach),  the collections started in the 16th century, and is one of the five biggest in the world.  I spent the next two hours with the class as our professor took us through the thousands of whale, dolphin, porpoise, seal, sea lion, walrus, dugong and polar bear skeletal archives. It was incredible to see these things. The fact that each specimen, whether dated 1750 or 2005 was at one point living and breathing is mind boggling.  Eventually we were taken into the "whale basement", where they kept all the larger cetacean specimens.  We saw blue whale jaws and baleen pieces the size of SUV vehicles, and walked along the bus like spinal structure of each creature. To think that such dinosar like creatures still navigate the seas today is exciting.  Just as eye-opening to consider is that each of these large whales is over 60% reduced in world population size than 100 years ago due to consumption by man. 

In the whale basement, looking at the blue whales.

After our tour, we were given free reign to explore the three floors of private collections ourselves.  I saw everything from stuffed gorillas and rhinos, to thousands of preserved jarred reptilians. The biodiversity of this world is staggering, how such a vast array arose from single celled life is almost incomprehensible.  Of course, such incomprehensibility is why I go to school.

The specimens on the table had been acquired most recentely, and were still being labeled and organized.

 

Denmark By Bus





Danish government's energy grid control center.

I returned from a study trip with my Sustainable Development class on Saturday evening. It was a busy trip, where we travelled onto the mainland of Denmark; Jutland. Starting early Thursday morning, we made our way to different places dealing with energy, renewable energy resources/research, eco-villages, and an art museum.  Our first stop was at Energinet.DK, Denmark's energy grid control headquarters, a government run sector.  Just the building alone was amazing, upon entrance you would first guess the place was some kind of design firm.  Very modern and sleek, open spaces and glass walls, everything was incredibly nice, yet simply designed.  We were given a presentation by one of the senior planners, and he described how the entire country is hooked up to one power grid.  The energy supplied is 20% wind turbine produced energy during best conditions.  Since this flucuates constantly, they have to have an extremely flexible grid that can monitor and then act on surplusses and shortages of energy, this way coal supplied electricity can be implemented to flucuate with wind energy shifts.  Wind energy cannot be stored and must be used immediately, so their systems are very responsive.  We also learned that Denmark serves as the middle man between central Europe and Scandinavia, and that all of these energy systems are linked so that surplesses can be freely wired across countries.  The agreements between these countries allow free borrowing and lending of energy from other grids whenever needed, this is optimal so that no energy ever goes wasted. We were taken to the control room, a scene strait out of the Matrix where computer screens the size of walls show the entire Danish energy grid and consumption rates.  Four main controllers are on duty at all times, and I counted one long desk to have 21 computer screens monitiored by one man (on a very agile wheeled chair).  We then had lunch at their lunch buffet, where all employees eat for free each day (happy employees? I think so). The buffet was great, consisting of so much fresh food. The Danish concept of food is so different, you would never find a buffet similar to this one in a work building in the states.

We also travelled to the Nordic Folkecenter for Renewable Energy, just along the northern coast, the center has worked on researching renewable energy systems since the 70s.  All of their power is wind supplied, and they have outfitted all their vehichles to run on bio-fuels.  The bio-fuel they use in particular was grape seed oil, they have a large press that produces this fuel as you dump in the seeds. There was also a Folkeschole there where students stay and learn about environmental studies.  The school is akin to the Hobbit's Shire, as it is built into the side of a hill right near the shore.  A beautiful and cozy building, suprisingly intricate for being built into a hill, with a large domed ceiling common room, bedrooms and classrooms.  In one small quiet room we were shown an old wooden couch called 'John's Couch', which was apparently John Lennon's favorite place to sit when he was a student at the Folkeschole.  How cool to think that a Beetle also spent time at a Folkeschole (I am staying at one in Helsingør).

Nordic Center for Renewable Energy, wind turbine on its side.

We spent the next day's afternoon in an Eco-Village in Thy.  A community of about 35 houses, they create and supply most of their own energy, grow a lot of their own foods, and manage their own waste.  A very modern looking place, despite the centuries old living techniques.  We were shown around, and then put into some good 'ol fashioned manual labor.  The community pipes all the grey water (washer, shower, sink water) to a drainage field that was dug out, covered in a clay membrane, then filled with gravel, sand, and then soil. On top they grow Willow trees that absorb lots of water, pulling it up and filtering it at the same time.  Each year they have to cut 1/3 of the willows back to ensure they are always growing and absorbing water. So we managed to arrive during this time, and were put to the task of clearing the cut shrubs.  This entailed hauling them across a mud field and stacking them to be dried and used for heat later. By the end of the afternoon I was thoroughly covered in the mud, tasting it everytime I opened my mouth. All were in good spirits however, as we were rewarded with a hearty Danish (organic) meal of rye breads, cheeses, herring, liver spread, jams, and coffee. The following bus ride back was oddly quiet, interrupted only by snores.



Typical house in the eco-village, every room position for maximum heating/cooling efficiency, solar panels, etc.



Solar energy FTW.

Progress

No Wednesday classes is going to be a bittersweet treat this semester (but mostly sweet).  My school only has Monday/Thursday and Tuesday/Friday classes, and has no classes on Wednesdays to allow for field study days.  Each course has two field study days where we meet outside of the classroom and around town to look at local places relevant to our course.  In other words, we get to have almost a dozen field trips this semester.  Of course, this also adds Tuesday nights to the list of potential going out nights.  Today being Wednesday, and after having a field study downtown from 9 am to noon, I can say that the bitter aspect of free Wednesdays is making itself aparent.  I need more sleep!  My friends here and I have been having a great time exploring the night life of Copenhagen and Helsingør.  Finding the cheapest place to grab a beer has been important, as they range from 50 Kronor (~ 9 bucks = insanity) to our new favorite spot that offers them for 19 Kronor (~3.50 dollars = cheers). It's a great chance to sit down and get to know other students, but even better, it's the only time we can really get to know some Danes! As some teachers here have told us, the Danes incorporate drinking into their culture (there are no open container laws for alcohol, you can even bring open drinks on the trains), and it's understood that the real way to get to know somebody is to have a beer with them.  I have been told it's considered very rude to not drink if the person you're talking to is.  In other words, we're just trying to get into the Danish culture!

At the Dubliner, more touristy than others, but a good time. Prefer some much cheaper hole in the wall local places we recently found.

I feel that I have become very close with a lot of the other people I live with, and we already have many good times to talk about.  It's a lot easier to feel at home and less foreign when you know that you're with good friends, and luckily this is becoming more the case each day.  That being said, I still love some time to myself when I can simply explore and think.  It's amazing that such a big and busy city like Copenhagen is still very conducive to solo excursions.  My favorite part of the afternoon each day is wandering through cobbled streets before heading to the train station. I think I may be ready for some time 'outside', though, as I haven't had a chance to get beyond an urban setting yet.  Luckily the rest of this week is the short study tour portion of our core prgrams (mine's sustainability in Europe). We leave tomorrow at 7 am to the town of Aalborg and Thy in the north.  We're going to be looking at renewable energy plants, then put to work in an eco-village, and returning on Saturday evening. I'm hoping this will be a good break from city life, and introduction to the country side. 

The Danes, and their ways

Just had another delicious dinner with the rest of the students here at me Folkehøjskole; baked fish, a broccoli/tomato type of salad, steamed muscles, and couscous with some stew type sauce.  It was the first night we have had seafood, so it was quite an event. Today was my longest day of the week, I have class until 4:10, after the commute that means I'm home at about 5:45. I managed to sleep more than usual on the train ride home today, it was fantastic.
The trains are spotless, and the seats are higher quality than any airline I have been on.  The seats face each other, with a good sized table in the middle to work on.  It is for these reasons that I really don't mind the 50 minute ride between Helsingør and Copenhagen. There are two types of seating sections on the trains, a silent zone with no talking or cell phones allowed, and a normal section.  This is a great example of what the Danes are like; very reserved people, almost shy, they do not speak to each other or make small talk, they just don't see a need to.  However, they are not unfriendly when approached, and they all speak perfect English and are quick to offer help or directions when you ask. There exists no 'excuse me' equivalent in Danish, and they are very quick on their feet, so it can be easy to at first seem very hustled when walking among them. There are unspoken rules, such as the two lines on escalators, one is for standing and the other for trotting. Everything is timed to the minute and on time by the minute, I know exactly when my train will pull up and exactly when I will get to my destination. I have actually come to almost enjoy this aspect, though, once youre in the zone you just go with it!

While speaking of the Danes, I can't help but addressing the obvious.  They are (fitting the cliché) an extremely attractive population of people, tall, chisled faces, and all sharply dressed. I am usually unable to tell if a woman is 18 or 35, as they don't seem to age, and they will scarcely even look at you (I sometimes worry I stare).  Also, I feel very average height around here, and im 6'3. 

All in all I have been very surprised in the general social tendencies of the Danes.  You always hear that Americans are an individualistic society, and that we are perhaps raised thinking about our own self as seperate from a collective identity. Yet, here I feel that the idea of the individual is highly valued, more so than in the states. The people do not hang out in large groups, and they rarely interact with people in their surroundings.  They identify themselves by what they do outside of work or school, and religiously follow the 5 o'clock bells. Despite this, they have a socialist system that works incredibly well, regardless of thier individualistic tendencies they are ultimately all supporting each other.  What a place!

A Sunday at Kronborg Castle

This past weekend my fellow study abroaders and I were able to creep out of our cozy quarters, and begin to explore our own town of Helsingør.  After spending the week around Copenhagen and adjusting to new time zones and classes, the only time we had at home was spent eating or sleeping.  Luckily, the first of many weekend excursions hosted by DIS was to Kronborg Castle, in Helsingør (where we're are located, an hour outside Copenhagen).  So after a great brunch, a few of us wandered into town and made our way to Kronborg, the Danish fortress made famous by Shakespeare, as this castle served as the inspiration and setting of some piece called 'Hamlet', who knew? Within 100m of the water and defended by a mote and drawbridge, the beautiful castle sits as a sturdy testament to the archaic history of northern Europe. Satelite view of Kronborg. I took many pictures as I meandered through the museum inside the castle walls, and then trotted along the rocky shoreline. Helsingbørg sits just across the sound on the Swedish shore. It's incredible to think that people have been living and dying on the ground beneath my feet for over 1000 years, living out daily dramas just as real and challenging as any of ours. Life really must be too short.

 The wind never ceased and the damp cold was eventually felt by us all, so we figured it would be vital to stop at a local bakery and coffee shop before heading home. Some afternoon it was!

Arrivals

I have been in the land of the Danes a full week, after arriving last Monday morning.  The arrival was somewhat eventful, a delayed flight and missed connection called for an overnight stay in Houston. So I arrived a day late, and caught a cab into downtown to check in with my DIS (Danish Institute for Study Abroad) program. Orientation lasted through Wednesday, consisting of multiple city-wide scavenger hunts and cultural immersions. I eventually dragged my belongings through Copenhagen's incredibly organized public train system, and made my way to the town of Helsingør.  About 44 km North of Copenhagen, Helsingør is a relatively small town perched on the northen most tip of the island. The train station is right on the shore, and I can see Sweden just across the Øresund sound quite easily. With a one way commute of one hour, we often joke about how much closer we are to Sweden than Copenhagen.

 My residence is at a Folkehøjskole called the International People's College (IPC).  Folkehøjskoles are Danish traditions, a type of school were youths live together taking small classes and share communal living, http://www.dis.dk/study-abroad/accommodation/folkehojskole/ <---explains it better than I.  There are 70 students living at studying at IPC from around the world (only two are American and two are Danes), all of whom are outside my study abroad program and simply share living with us.  There are 15 of us DIS abroad students living here, I have gotten to know them very well already.  It's so neat to be sitting in the common room and chatting with 3 or 4 other kids all from not just other countries, but complete different regions of the globe. We all share dinner together each night, there are few things better than coming home from town at 5 pm, dark and cold outside, to sit down to a homecooked meal with all these people.  I feel that I have lucked out with my situation.