tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64755021463266742602024-03-13T22:40:32.790+01:00Sarah in Copenhagentrisarahtops38http://www.blogger.com/profile/15246444626633483999noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6475502146326674260.post-35480378526571345702011-09-20T20:54:00.001+02:002011-09-20T20:54:37.387+02:00Chicago!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Just to update anyone that is still following this blog, I now have a new one! I have a blog for my year as a Young Adult Volunteer in Chicago, IL. For more info check it out at: sarahinthewindycity.blogspot.com!</div>
trisarahtops38http://www.blogger.com/profile/15246444626633483999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6475502146326674260.post-40143074346617107812010-05-15T21:17:00.000+02:002010-05-15T21:17:45.444+02:00BEST DAY EVER!Ok. This might be my last day with my host family, but I think this was the best day ever. I woke up, got really dressed up to go to my host sister's confirmation. Although the service was completely in Danish and I didn't understand a word of it, I still thought it was perfect that my last day started in a church. The church was built in the 1500s for vikings (like everything else in Denmark) and it was hauntingly beautiful. There was an undescribe-able quality about the church that really spoke to me. I'm not sure what it was; maybe it was the fact that I didn't understand the service so I just had an hour of quiet meditation in a church. Either way, it was definitely one of my favorite experiences.<br />
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It was raining when we left the church. It was dark, cloudy and raining. My favorite weather (aside from sunny heat)!! What a nice going-away present from Denmark. After the service, we went back to my host family's house for some hygge-licious (hygge is a Danish word. It doesn't translate into English because it is too awesome/ It basically means good feeling, etc) time with the extended host-family. Granted, none of them really speak English and I ended up in my room working on a last-minute paper that is due on Monday, but it was still fun.<br />
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Then we went to Maria's party. Let me explain. Confirmation to the Danes is a little like a quinceanera. They get super dressed up and have a huge party. Maria's party was at a restaurant and it was 5 courses. It was a lot of fun and the food was so good! I'm glad I had a huge feast as my last meal (sort of) in Denmark. The wine was good too and there was champagne (my favorite!). Let's just say I had never had that much to drink at 3:00 in the afternoon. Those Danes know how to party. I got to talk to my host-mormor (my host mom's mother) and she is really cool. I had met her a couple times before, but had never really spent any time with her. I found out that she loves peanut butter! I wish I had known that when I still had some. Because I would have made her peanut butter cookies with it! But alas, I did not find out about it until today. I think I'm going to mail her some or mail her the recipe and a jar of peanut butter. Haven't decided yet.<br />
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It was really hard at lunch today though. Since I had never met a lot of the people there, Lise (my host mom) was telling them all about me. She didn't know that her brother was translating what she was saying into English and it was all really sweet. I almost started crying. Its going to be harder than I thought to leave. I thought I was ready to go. And I am in a lot of ways, but I'm not ready to leave the Klaris family! I am really going to miss them.<br />
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Anyway, the party was a lot of fun. I also got to talk to Serena, who is 19 and went to school with Maria (I think). She was really cool and it was nice talking to someone my own age about real things. I have had a lot of integration with Danish culture, but I haven't spent a TON of time with people my own age. Maria is 14 and Mikkel is still 17. But my favorite part of the day? I GOT TO DRIVE! Oh man oh man. I really wanted to drive in Denmark SO BAD! And I didn't think I was going to be able to. But Niels had too much to drink at Maria's party and didn't want to drive back. SO I GOT TO! It was the best. I hadn't driven since I left the states. And since the car was parked going downhill (and is a stick-shift) it took me a couple times to get it going. It was also wet outside. Dude I didn't stall though. I was so proud of myself! Some of the adults were looking at me like I was crazy. But I was like, if you hadn't driven in 4 months, how would you be? Other than that, I didn't have any problems. It just takes time to adjust to a new clutch. Ah! That made my day. Seriously.<br />
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Now I have to finish a paper that is due on Monday. Mom and Dad are already here and I'm going out to see them tomorrow. I can't wait! I've talked to them since being here, but I haven't seen their actual faces in months! I am in such a good mood! As I try to avoid the cliche, this really has been the time of my life!trisarahtops38http://www.blogger.com/profile/15246444626633483999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6475502146326674260.post-88348495756496603872010-05-03T23:52:00.000+02:002010-05-03T23:52:33.487+02:00I think a song is stalking me!Every time I start to think I could live in Europe, Chicken Fried by the Zac Brown Band comes on my iPod. Then I start to miss everything that is awesome and great about the south. The heat, friendly people, Ford trucks, cows, sweet tea, corn on the cob, biscuits and gravy, Shiner beer, BBQ (!!!!!!!), country music, bonfires, cowboy boots and cowboy hats. The list goes on and on.<br />
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GAH! I'm ready to be home.trisarahtops38http://www.blogger.com/profile/15246444626633483999noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6475502146326674260.post-90607008087424054882010-05-01T00:46:00.000+02:002010-05-01T00:46:42.855+02:00Chicken Steaks?I made chicken-fried steak for my host family last night. I'm not sure they were impressed, but they ate it nonetheless. I didn't have classes Wednesday, yesterday and today and all of my friends left the country to go to wonderful places for the long weekend. So I volunteered to cook dinner for my host family. And I didn't know what to make them, so I decided on something they probably never had eaten before: chicken-fried steak! When I told my host mom what I was going to make, she got really confused. She was like, I'm not sure if you'll be able to find stuff to make this chicken steak but you'll find out when you get to the grocery store. So when I got to the store, all I could find were these oddly shaped steaks and wiener-schnitzel. I didn't feel like trying to explain in the 12 Danish words I know that I was looking for cube steak. So I ended up getting the wiener-schnitzel. The only problem with it was that it was way too think to cook as chicken-fried steak. When I got back to the house, I started looking for a meat tenderizer. I searched through all of the drawers in the kitchen and all I could come up with as an alternative was a rolling pin. Maria and Mikkel came into the kitchen and saw me banging steaks covered in butcher paper with a rolling pin. Lets just say it was an interesting experience!! I think my host family liked it?trisarahtops38http://www.blogger.com/profile/15246444626633483999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6475502146326674260.post-56824712225179751002010-04-30T22:22:00.000+02:002010-04-30T22:22:07.073+02:00Sweden Hiking and Canoe Trip<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">April 24</span><br />
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Today was such a good day! Last night I spent the night at Beth's house because she lives really close to where our ferry left from. We woke up really early and her host mom had breakfast set out for us! After a hearty meal of oatmeal and tea, we left for the bus stop. When we got to the train station, the train was delayed. I was really worried that we wouldn't make it to the port in time, but we were fine. The ferry was only about 20 minutes and then we went straight to the river. We canoe-ed (is that a word?) for a little over 2 hours. Beth and I were canoe buddies and we were the best a canoeing!! No, seriously. There were 6 of us (3 canoes) that were 20 minutes ahead of everyone else. But it was a lot of fun! So beautiful!! And Beth and I were having a great time singing songs. Well, mostly I was just being crazy and singing random songs. Haha.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9s3T8pVadI/AAAAAAAABx8/18iIyhDsZ-U/s1600/IMG_6115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9s3T8pVadI/AAAAAAAABx8/18iIyhDsZ-U/s320/IMG_6115.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Our canoe before we took off down the river!</i></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> <br />
Then we went to our hostel, which is really just a bed and breakfast. And we had a lovely lunch of beef stew and bread. It was so yummy! And it was warm--which was the important thing! I wasn't cold while I was actually canoeing but once we stopped, I got cold pretty fast. We had about an hour break before our next hiking trip, so the girls in my room and I all took a nap. I didn't fall asleep but it was nice to just rest my eyes. (haha what a mom thing to say!)</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9s3ne9aNsI/AAAAAAAAByM/x6ubTU9m8KM/s1600/IMG_6150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9s3ne9aNsI/AAAAAAAAByM/x6ubTU9m8KM/s320/IMG_6150.JPG" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><i>This is the outside of our hostel. It was really pretty inside too, but I forgot to take pictures!</i><br />
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Then we went to Nimis and went hiking. It was this really cool group of structres that someone built out of random pieces of wood. The walk down wasn't very bad. It was pretty steep, but luckily it hadn't rained in a couple days, so everything was mostly dry. After we basically walked down a mountain, we got to the 'city'. Walking in and on the structures themselves took some getting used to. But there were all of these giant rocks down there too and it was fun to jump around on them! We were on the beach, so the water was a beautiful background to these intereting structures. We ended up spending about 30 minutes walking down there, 1 1/2 hours wandering around the area/exploring and then maybe 30-45 minutes walking back to the bus. It was a lot harder to walk back up the side of the mountain than it was to walk down it!!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9s3yP2nFZI/AAAAAAAAByU/1pGu8WTzZRA/s1600/IMG_6173.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9s3yP2nFZI/AAAAAAAAByU/1pGu8WTzZRA/s320/IMG_6173.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Me, on my way down the rickity path to the beach! Nimis was so much fun! </i></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> We finally got back to the hostel and everyone was exhausted. I wasn't super hungry, but I think a lot of people were. Brittany, Ana, Beth and I decided to play Gin (I never go anywhere without my cards!!) until dinner was ready. When I went in the kitchen to make some tea, I heard some of the DIS interns talking about how no one actually knew how to cook the food or start the fire. So I ended up volunteering myself and I went outside to help the guys start the grill. We had legitimate charcol to work with, not the blocks like I'm used to. But in the end we made it work! I meant to just offer my assistance and then go back inside, but I ended up staying out there for over an hour and basically cooked dinner. We cooked sausages and chicken. The sausage was so good!! We were eating them right off the grill while we cooked. Never have I had a better sausage! Ah so good! The 2 other DIS kids that were out there were from SMU!! I haven't really met the other Texas kids since coming to DIS. We were talking about all of the common people that we know. It's kinda funny...meeting someone from Allen in Sweden on a hiking trip while you're studying in denmark! So random...</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9s38H-lsUI/AAAAAAAAByc/X_cOTa7t-ZY/s1600/IMG_6217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9s38H-lsUI/AAAAAAAAByc/X_cOTa7t-ZY/s320/IMG_6217.JPG" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><i>Ana, Beth, Me and Brittany while we were playing cards after dinner</i><br />
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We ate dinner and had wonderful ice cream for dessert. Then we played cards some more with a guy named Scott. Around 10 we all kinda were losing it and needed to get to bed! We came back to the room, loaded some pictures on to my computer and then got ready for bed. I came straight from school on Friday to Beth's house, so I still have my laptop with me. It was cool being able to see our pictures on a bigger screen today! I should get to bed- we have an early morning start tomorrow. As I write this, I can hear that everyone else in the room is asleep. I just wanted to get this typed out before I go to sleep. Goodnight!<br />
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April 25<br />
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Well, today marks 30 days until I come back to the states!! I'm ready to come home, but I know that I'm going to miss being in Denmark, but I'm ready to be back. Today was a good day. We had a lovely breakfast this morning and then we grabbed our lunch packs (there was a Twix bar in mine!!) and headed off to go abseiling and orienteering. My group went abseiling first. It was so much fun! There were 2 rocks that we could go off, a small one and a big one. I only did the small one because the rope hurt my hands and they started to swell. I didn't think about bringing my gloves with me, even though I had them in my backpack on the bus!! Nevertheless, I climbed up on the big rock to take pictures. It was so beautiful! I really enjoyed semi-rock climbing to get up to the top. I miss nature. It's been weird being in Denmark where everyone is outside all the time, but everything is flat!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9s4m2EZ0hI/AAAAAAAAByk/ptMN73aHFAg/s1600/DSCN3186.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9s4m2EZ0hI/AAAAAAAAByk/ptMN73aHFAg/s320/DSCN3186.JPG" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><i>Ana, me and Brittany after we went abseiling!! Notice the beautiful scenery in the background!!</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">After lunch, we went Orienteering. It was more like a scavenger hunt, but it was still fun. We had to climb down this hill, using a rope, and go into a cave. But the cave was on the shore and we had to climb over all of these rocks to get there. It was so beautiful! If it had been warmer outside, I would have just wanted to sunbathe on the rocks, but it was a little chilly. All in all, it was a really fun trip!!</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9s4r325zvI/AAAAAAAABys/o0IzKth5j4w/s1600/DSCN3193.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9s4r325zvI/AAAAAAAABys/o0IzKth5j4w/s320/DSCN3193.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>This might have been my favorite thing that I saw in Sweden. It's a cattle guard. Hahahahaha. There were tons of these!! Apparently they use a ladder instead of what we would use in Texas. I just thought this was hilarious!</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9s6XTXelAI/AAAAAAAABy0/GpEx3UBeKAM/s1600/DSCN3195.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9s6XTXelAI/AAAAAAAABy0/GpEx3UBeKAM/s320/DSCN3195.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Swedish Longhorns! Moooooooooo</i></div>trisarahtops38http://www.blogger.com/profile/15246444626633483999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6475502146326674260.post-10815542337261383682010-04-27T10:40:00.000+02:002010-04-27T10:40:52.585+02:00GreeceI left London on Saturday night and then I got to Santorini on Sunday. When I first got to Santorini, I thought it was absolutely beautiful and though I was exhausted because my flight there had been overnight, I really felt rejuvenated. HOWEVER that good mood ended really quickly. After I paid 20 Euro to get a cab to my hotel, I couldn't find anyone at my hotel!!!! I walked around, knocking on all of the doors for about an hour. Then the man who owned the hotel next door helped me look for someone and he was really nice about it all. But I was freaking out because the ATM at the airport had run out of money and I couldn't find one that was working near the hotel. And it looked like the building was under construction. There was no one there! Since I was there 3 days earlier than everyone else, I had to get a hotel room. But the place we were all staying at was full, so I had to book a room somewhere else on the island. Luckily, I found a hotel really close to where we stayed. But because I couldn't find anyone, I ended up walking down the beach to Stelio's Place, where we would all be staying. But the rooms there were all booked, so I just walked back to my hotel and hoped that there would be someone there. After being in Santorini for about 3 1/2 hours, I finally got into my hotel room. As it turns out, the hotel I booked a room in actually <i>was</i> under construction and I stayed in the hotel across the street. However, how was I supposed to know that? It was a really stressful morning. I left the airport around 7 and I got into my room at 11. I slept all afternoon and woke up at 5:00. Outside, I heard gunshots and people screaming. Of course, I was freaking out. So I just stayed locked up in my room all night. I didn't eat anything all day; it was horrible!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9afsaAse2I/AAAAAAAABwU/5W4WaljKVZs/s1600/IMG_5452.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9afsaAse2I/AAAAAAAABwU/5W4WaljKVZs/s320/IMG_5452.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>We sat in these chairs while we were on the beach! (Notice the black sand!!)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9af0-MLPlI/AAAAAAAABwc/JROfm1Oo3io/s1600/IMG_5470.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9af0-MLPlI/AAAAAAAABwc/JROfm1Oo3io/s320/IMG_5470.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Stephanie and I eating our delicious lunch of tuna, bread and Greek yogurt!</i></div><br />
The next morning I went and found an ATM that was working. Then I found a really cool 24hour bakery. The owner was behind the counter when I got there and he gave me all these free samples. I bought some food and then I went to the beach. I spent almost all day on the beach, reading Atlas Shrugged. It was a lot of fun, but I got a burn on my back. While I was laying there, I realized that there was this guy behind me watching me. I wasn't the only person on the beach- so I didn't exactly feel unsafe, but I also didn't want to roll over. It was an awkward situation. I was going to reapply sunscreen either. After about 90 minutes, he left. But yeah...it was awkward.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9af4UEdTSI/AAAAAAAABwk/CNy06eraFRk/s1600/IMG_5474.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9af4UEdTSI/AAAAAAAABwk/CNy06eraFRk/s320/IMG_5474.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Anu, Ana, Beth Buehler, Beth Cash, Stephanie, and myself at a restaurant in Santorini</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9af9d7AHpI/AAAAAAAABws/sFWoR3r5ih8/s1600/IMG_5479.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9af9d7AHpI/AAAAAAAABws/sFWoR3r5ih8/s320/IMG_5479.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Beth Cash, Beth Buehler, Stephanie, and myself at our favorite Santorini bar!</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div>My third day in Santorini was boring. I woke up, got breakfast and then went back to my room. My burn was pretty bad, so I wanted to stay out of the sun. So I just sat around reading AS. I really wanted to finish the book, so it wasn't too bad. Plus, I didn't want to wander too far from my hotel room because of the sketchy Greek men. Around 3:00, 2 of my friends, Stephanie and Anu, showed up! I didn't think that they were getting in until really late that night, so it was definitely a surprise when they walked in the courtyard and called my name! We went to the grocery store about 4 km up the road and bought groceries. Then we went to the beach for a little while. We went out to dinner at the cutest Greek tapas place! It was really good food. We actually went back the next night for dinner as well! The woman who owns the restaurant is actually from Chicago. She met a boy from Santorini and they fell in love. Then they moved to the island like 5 years ago. After dinner, our friend Ana got in. It was Stephanie's birthday, so then we went out to a bar after. It was a lot of fun.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9agCNXuqVI/AAAAAAAABw0/UMQTLTlehPg/s1600/IMG_5460.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9agCNXuqVI/AAAAAAAABw0/UMQTLTlehPg/s320/IMG_5460.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>This was our hotel, Stelio's Place</i></div><br />
The next day we all went to the beach. Early that morning, the other 2 girls arrived. Beth and Beth had been with me in London and they were the ones I was supposed to travel to Italy with. We all hung out at the beach for the day. Of course, we went out after dinner again.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9agPSySryI/AAAAAAAABw8/1_hJKpjDEWw/s1600/IMG_5534.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9agPSySryI/AAAAAAAABw8/1_hJKpjDEWw/s320/IMG_5534.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>View of the other islands from Santorini</i></div><br />
The following day, we went to Fira. That is the port city of the island. It wasn't bad, but it also wasn't as beautiful as I thought it was going to be. But there was a lot more stuff to do there than on the side of the island that we were staying on. But it was still a fun experience. I think I just expected to see more color on the buildings. We went to the top of the hill where most of the pictures are taken from and looked down on the scenery. Then we compared what we saw to the postcards and photos for sale. They just photo-shopped the pictures!!!! I was in shock. I don't know why they couldn't just paint the actual buildings themselves!!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9agh2sB7uI/AAAAAAAABxE/3rb97n20qJE/s1600/IMG_5717.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9agh2sB7uI/AAAAAAAABxE/3rb97n20qJE/s320/IMG_5717.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>View of Fira, the port city on the island</i></div><br />
I took the ferry on Friday afternoon to Athens. We thought it was supposed to be about 6 hours, but the ferry ended up taking 8! When we finally got to the hotel, we were just so exhausted that we went to sleep. Then we woke up and explored Athens for a couple hours before taking the metro back to the airport. Athens was such a dirty city!! I mean, yeah it was cool to see really old ruins, but everything was covered in graffiti!! It was neat seeing the city, but I honestly don't know if I will go back. I think my favorite thing about Athens was the donut that I bought right outside the metro. It was the biggest donut I'd ever seen and it was covered in cinnamon sugar--all for 50 Euro cents!!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9aiYcUnU5I/AAAAAAAABxU/i-0wMsMPryQ/s1600/IMG_5993.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9aiYcUnU5I/AAAAAAAABxU/i-0wMsMPryQ/s320/IMG_5993.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>View of Athens</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9aim1j1kVI/AAAAAAAABxc/YerB7IZzIDY/s1600/DSCN3074.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9aim1j1kVI/AAAAAAAABxc/YerB7IZzIDY/s320/DSCN3074.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Me, in front of some old tower. :)</i></div><br />
Overall, I was glad that I had the chance to go to Greece, but I'm not sure if I will spend the money to go back any time soon.trisarahtops38http://www.blogger.com/profile/15246444626633483999noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6475502146326674260.post-24885467980295579672010-04-27T10:19:00.000+02:002010-04-27T10:19:35.262+02:00London<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9aN5HpHFlI/AAAAAAAABuE/ro3ZUU9dXSc/s1600/DSCN2967.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9aN5HpHFlI/AAAAAAAABuE/ro3ZUU9dXSc/s320/DSCN2967.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Big Ben in the background!</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I loved London so much! I know that a lot of people don't like it because it is so crowded, but I really don't think it was bad. When you get out of the city and into the suburbs, it's a lot nicer. I mean, yeah there are places that are not so great, but Westminster, where my room was on my last night in London, is a really nice area!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9aOFQTAPwI/AAAAAAAABuM/IXY4p42mZt0/s1600/DSCN2972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9aOFQTAPwI/AAAAAAAABuM/IXY4p42mZt0/s320/DSCN2972.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>I saw this while we were walking around in London! I just thought that it was funny, so I took a picture. :)</i></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
We saw all of the London classics. But I think my favorite thing that we did while there was going to St. Paul's. We were there the week before Easter, so one night we went to an Easter service. It was all just music, but it was amazing. I've been to a bunch if churches and cathedrals while being over in Europe, but I haven't actually worshiped in any of them. I light a candle while I was in Notre Dame, but that's about it. There are churches everywhere in Denmark, but the Danes aren't very religious. (though most will tell you they are Christians....)</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9aON-s0tCI/AAAAAAAABuU/BMifi7grgDk/s1600/DSCN2976.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9aON-s0tCI/AAAAAAAABuU/BMifi7grgDk/s320/DSCN2976.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">This was a garden near Buckingham Palace. It was beautiful!</span></i></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
I'm not one of those people who can spend all of my time with 1 other person and not get tired of them (except a few close friends and my family). Unfortunately, the girl I was with in Dublin and London was not one of the few. That was a huge stress factor for me and I should've known better than to think it would be ok. Luckily there was another person that I traveled with in London, but I felt bad for her. There was a lot of tension. I'm also not one to hide my feelings--I can, but I don't like to. Therefore, it was fairly obvious that I was tired and annoyed.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9aOYkJL9zI/AAAAAAAABuc/phjib-P6LIQ/s1600/DSCN2990.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9aOYkJL9zI/AAAAAAAABuc/phjib-P6LIQ/s320/DSCN2990.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>We saw these guards walking on the road, and we followed them because we weren't sure if it was part of the changing of the guard. It was the changing of the guard for the Calvary and not the palace, but it was still fun, nonetheless!!</i></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
Even though there was unnecessary drama on our trip i still had a great time! I saw King's Cross Station and though I was by myself, I found another tourist there and got my picture taken. I also went to Baker Street and intended on going to the Sherlock Holmes museum, but there was a massive tourist group waiting to get in, so I just walked around the area instead. It was so pretty while I was there!!! Then I hopped back on the tube and went to Hyde Park (my hotel was right by there) for a little while. I think my favorite thing about London was the parks. I fell in love with them. I don't take the time to appreciate the parks and gardens back home. I really should...especially by Trinity because there are a lot of them.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9aO6WdilAI/AAAAAAAABuk/ePnnqds48T8/s1600/DSCN3008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9aO6WdilAI/AAAAAAAABuk/ePnnqds48T8/s320/DSCN3008.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>This is in front of the National Gallery right before these creepy men wanted to take a picture with me. Absolutely not!</i></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
I think this trip has just made me realize that there is so much of my own country that I don't know about and haven't seen. I've only been to the west coast once. There is a lot of Texas that I haven't seen too!! I just really love traveling to new places now. Before this semester, I hasn't really traveled on my own and I wasn't comfortable with mass transportation. But now I feel like I'm ready to take on the world!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9aPClFfocI/AAAAAAAABus/slhxORsSN4w/s1600/DSCN3017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9aPClFfocI/AAAAAAAABus/slhxORsSN4w/s320/DSCN3017.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>In the gardens again near Buckingham Palace.</i></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> <br />
Back to London-- Harrod's was an intense experience! I got completely distracted in the jewelry and food sections and didn't get to the rest of the store, but I'm sure it was just as beautiful and expensive!! The building itself was gorgeous too. I'm glad I got to see it. We got lunch there one day and then we went to a park to eat it. It was cold, rainy and windy but I still enjoyed it!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9aPOdheCFI/AAAAAAAABu0/KZTHy8fkTcQ/s1600/DSCN3016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9aPOdheCFI/AAAAAAAABu0/KZTHy8fkTcQ/s320/DSCN3016.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Buckingham Palace!!</i></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> <br />
We also went to Notting Hill one day. It was a really pretty area. I'm sure the houses are worth a lot of money though. The Portobello Markets are over there (I think...I can't quite remember which one it was. We went to a couple markets) and they had some pretty cool stuff! There were these 2 fantastic men walking around joking about these fake diamond door knobs and about how they would make fabulous cuff links. Hahaha they were priceless. I wanted to take them home with me!!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9aRc1ID_lI/AAAAAAAABu8/HMkAlVtrnmk/s1600/DSCN3040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9aRc1ID_lI/AAAAAAAABu8/HMkAlVtrnmk/s320/DSCN3040.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>View of London from the Millennium Bridge. This is my attempt at an artistic shot!</i></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">We also went to a farmer's market while we were there. I got a bacon and egg bap (apparently a British classic). IT WAS DELICIOUS! I should have taken a picture of it. One of my friends and I were trying to figure out what we were going to order, but we didn't know what a bap was. The minute we asked the woman behind the counter, she told us that if we wanted to experience an actual British meal, we should order one. Haha so I did. </span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9aRdeomFCI/AAAAAAAABvE/IpOL3OQ6DGc/s1600/DSCN3041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9aRdeomFCI/AAAAAAAABvE/IpOL3OQ6DGc/s320/DSCN3041.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Shakespeare's Globe Theatre</i></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">While I was in London, I could definitely see myself living there. But now that my time here is ending, I've realized how much I would miss my friends and family if I lived abroad. But who knows what the future holds....</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9aReAYzgvI/AAAAAAAABvM/lIrr97AGQX0/s1600/DSCN3054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9aReAYzgvI/AAAAAAAABvM/lIrr97AGQX0/s320/DSCN3054.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>This was some graffiti that I saw outside on a wall in Notting Hill</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9aSBc281vI/AAAAAAAABvU/Y8Y60wxF7fg/s1600/DSCN3038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S9aSBc281vI/AAAAAAAABvU/Y8Y60wxF7fg/s320/DSCN3038.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Another shot of London from the Millennium Bridge</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</span></span>trisarahtops38http://www.blogger.com/profile/15246444626633483999noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6475502146326674260.post-9528188659614510772010-04-23T09:30:00.000+02:002010-04-23T09:30:05.817+02:00Sweden 2.0, Brownies & Teach for AmericaThis weekend I am going to Sweden with DIS to go hiking and canoeing. I AM REALLY EXCITED! :D I paid for this trip back at the beginning of the semester, so I am glad that I am finally getting to go. We leave really early tomorrow morning from downtown Copenhagen. Luckily, one of my friends going on the trip lives 15 minutes from the port where our ferry is leaving. So I am just going to spend the night at her house and then go meet the group there instead. I'll get an extra hour or so of sleep that way! And we're going to make her host family dinner. I think we are making hamburgers, which is cool, but that's what I ate last night for dinner! Haha.<br />
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Yesterday my class was canceled, so I just chilled at home all day. And I made my host family brownies. They devoured them when they got home! But I have to admit, they were some pretty fabulous brownies! I'll have to double the recipe next time I make them. It is really funny watching them eat new things. They are so skeptical at first and then they end up loving it! I am going to make them potato salad when it gets warmer out. For a country that basically lives on potatoes, I find it hard to believe that they haven't had it before!<br />
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I've been dealing with apartment stuff for next year a lot recently. Its a little stressful, but only because my roommates and I aren't in the same country, so we can't just sit down and talk about all of it for an hour. I am really excited to move in though! Talking about all of this stuff for next year is making me a little homesick. Maybe not homesick, but I'm getting close to being ready to go home. I think if I was taking easy classes (which I should have done!!) then I wouldn't want to leave as much as I do. But I'd rather be traveling around with my parents than sitting in a library writing a paper about Spain's approach to universal jurisdiction. UGH! But, I am glad (somewhat) that I am in this International Law class. It has just helped me realize that I don't want to go into law. If I could go to a school taught by Dr. Burke (my business law professor at Trinity) then I would sign up today. But unfortunately that isn't what law school is. I had convinced myself that I needed to go into law in order to help the unfortunate masses. But there are a lot of ways to do that. I am actually looking into doing Teach for America after graduation. Ever since I was little, I've always thought that I would end up being a teacher. Some of my favorite people in the world have been my past teachers and they have had an enormous impact on my life. It's a really competitive program, but I am going to try and get a teaching spot. I know that it would be a fantastic experience!trisarahtops38http://www.blogger.com/profile/15246444626633483999noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6475502146326674260.post-11990406363552409972010-04-16T15:59:00.001+02:002010-04-19T08:31:16.997+02:00Oh my Guinness!!<div style="text-align: center;">Dublin was my first stop for travel break and I absolutely loved it!! It was actually the first place that I wanted to go when I came abroad. When we first got to Ireland, I was stressing out because I couldn't find the girl who I was supposed to stay with for the night. Luckily I was traveling with 2 other girls, so I went to their hostel with them and got a room for the night. Unfortunately, that just means I had to pay for 2 rooms for 1 night. Which was annoying, but I'm glad I didn't have to sleep on the streets.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">We saw a majority of Dublin attractions the first day-- including the Paris, Texas restaurant above!!! It was completely random and I had to take a picture! We did a hop on/hop off bus, so we could take it around the city to the different sites. I went to the Guinness Factory museum that day as well. It was a lot of fun! We learned how to pour our own pint! It is a 2 step process, apparently. And I have a little certificate saying that I passed. Hahaha. But then they didn't take our ticket, so then we went up to the bar at the top of the building and got another pint of Guinness! (1 pint was included with the cost of the admissions ticket) The Sky Bar (as it's called) is really beautiful! The walls are made of glass, and they are labeled with the locations of Dublin attractions. It's a really neat idea. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">On my second day in Dublin, I went on a tour into the countryside. It was really nice seeing the rest of Ireland. I don't exactly remember where we went, but we saw a couple towns and also where they filmed Braveheart. Even though it was set in Scotland, it was filmed almost completely in Ireland. Strange...but we saw where they did it!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It rained almost the entire time we were on our tour of the Irish countryside, but I didn't mind it at all. I felt like I got the real experience! Below is a picture of one of the oldest churches in Ireland that still has a roof. There are ruins in a lot of places, but they are sans a roof.</div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S8hlz2vEyCI/AAAAAAAABrM/kdej2qO5WZg/s1600/DSCN2932.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S8hlz2vEyCI/AAAAAAAABrM/kdej2qO5WZg/s320/DSCN2932.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Below is a picture of some sort of castle in Ireland. I forget what it's name is, or which super famous aristocrat lived there, but the coolest part are the barns. They took them and turned them into a shopping center and (I think) a hotel. It was pretty neat to see.</div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S8hl8jW0ChI/AAAAAAAABrU/qhc0MZjtb3s/s1600/DSCN2940.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S8hl8jW0ChI/AAAAAAAABrU/qhc0MZjtb3s/s320/DSCN2940.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">We also did some shopping in Dublin. There were some pretty cute shops that I wish they would bring over to the states! Honestly, I think we were in Dublin for too much time. I got a little bored with it towards the end. It might have been because I was with just one other person--it might have been better if I was traveling with more people.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is pub was nothing special--I just thought it was cool because of the name. We saw it when walking back to our hostel from the Guinness Factory. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This super cute bakery was a place that we ate one day for lunch. I the food wasn't anything special--I just really liked the name of it! It was absolutely adorable and probably sat about 20-25 people inside. If I was to open a bakery, I would want one that was a bit like this one.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I took a bunch of pictures of these Georgian Doors in Dublin. The door above it one of the most photographed doors in Dublin. These row houses used to house politicians and other rich Dublin residents, but now they are now owned mainly by investment companies. I wish I could have taken more pictures while I was there, but it rained a lot and it was hard. I really loved being in Dublin though!</div>trisarahtops38http://www.blogger.com/profile/15246444626633483999noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6475502146326674260.post-64812997604787727912010-04-12T16:32:00.000+02:002010-04-12T16:32:46.646+02:00Parlez vous francais?Before I can blog about my 2 week travel break in Europe, I have a lot of catching up to do! My week in France back at the beginning of March was absolutely wonderful!!! That trip really helped me to realize how much I love baking and pastries. Oh man! Such a wonderful time! We were in Verdun and saw the battlefields from WW1 and went to the Verdun museum. That really was interesting. It was sad how completely devastated the fields were from all of the bombshells.<br />
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Then we went to Reims. While we were there we went to a champagne cave and had a champagne tasting. It was a lot of fun and I bought a bottle of champagne. I'm not sure how exactly I'm going to get it back to the states with me, but I have it nonetheless. We also saw Notre Dame de Reims while we were there, which looks almost exactly like the Notre Dame in Paris.<br />
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We spent the majority of the week in Paris, which is such a fun city!! My friends and I hit pretty much all of the major tourist spots while we were there. I think my favorite thing though while we were there was the food. One night we took a dinner cruise around the city and that was pretty awesome too. They served us phenomenal food while we were in France. I'm glad too--because I could have never afforded the food that we ate! I also liked the Sacre Coeur. That might have been my favorite church that we saw. It sits on top of a hill and looks down on all of Paris. There was also a market there where I bought a painting of the Eiffel Tower.<br />
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On the trip I also got to know a couple girls in my class pretty well. I like my other friends here, but it's nice to have a different group of friends to hang out with.trisarahtops38http://www.blogger.com/profile/15246444626633483999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6475502146326674260.post-62637197236006587932010-03-25T23:22:00.000+01:002010-03-25T23:22:49.864+01:00Travel Break and an assortment of other thingsTomorrow is the big day! I leave for my European adventures tomorrow night after classes. My super-awesome host family is taking me to the airport. My first stop is Dublin. We will be there until Tuesday, when we hop over to London. On Saturday I'm taking an overnight plane to Santorini, Greece and I'll be there for a week. I plan on taking copious amounts of pictures!! I am so ready for the warm, beautiful, sandy beaches of Greece! I wish I wasn't traveling during Easter...it will be weird not going to church. But I am really excited!! A lot of people are going to 5 or 6 different places, but I am glad that we are only going to 3. I don't want to spend a huge portion of my break in an airplane, bus or train.<br />
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I've been biking to the train station (instead of taking the bus) for the past couple of weeks and I really like it! I think I am going to try and either bike or ride the bus in San Antonio next year. It won't save time, but it will definitely save me money! Riding the bike makes me feel like such a Dane. They really use bikes here! It is a common sight to see a woman in a skirt and heels riding a bike, smoking a cigarette and talking on her phone. Its crazy, but so is texting and driving and way too many Americans do that!<br />
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Right now my host sister, Maria, is unpacking her suitcase. She just got back from being in London for almost 2 weeks. It is really cute to watch her interact with my Lise, my host mom. It's obvious that they missed each other!! Maria just sat down in the middle of the dining room and started unpacking and telling Lise all about her trip. Since most of it was in Danish I have no idea what she did, but its still cute to watch. My host brother, Mikkel, is also in London right now with his school and is getting in tomorrow. Maria goes to a private school, and every year they take the 14 year olds to London to follow around a student so they can work on their English. Mikkel is 17, so he is in high school. But their schooling system here is different than the one back home, so technically Mikkel is done with his basic schooling requirements for Denmark. I believe they are only required to go until the 10th grade.<br />
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I had a really interesting conversation with Lise last night. We somehow got to talking about banks in the US and I said something about the drive-thru windows. Apparently they don't have those here in Denmark and she thought it was hilarious! It took about 5 minutes explaining for her and Niels, my host dad, to understand what I was talking about. It's interesting. Then I started realizing that we actually have a lot of services where you don't have to get out of your car- the dry cleaner, pharmacy, donut shop, etc. It's hard at home though, especially living in Texas where public transportation doesn't really exist, because it is really convenient to just have all of these services available to you via your car window. Plus, if I wanted to be like a Dane and ride my bike everywhere it would be almost impossible! Here, the grocery store is only a 10 minute bike ride away and the sun isn't so intense that it would ruin any refrigerated items. But I digress. It is going to be really strange going back to the States and getting in a car to go everywhere. I've only been in a car 4 times since coming here! Once on my way to my first host family's house and another time going to Bilka, basically the Danish Walmart, with my old host family. Then Neils came and got me after work when I moved in with them and on Tuesday Neils, Lise and I went out to dinner. So....yeah. Driving is going to be weird.<br />
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Speaking of dinner, it was so good! Last week, when Neils suggested it, Mikkel freaked out because he was going to miss it! The restaurant was about a 15 minute drive from the house, out in the middle of nowhere. They only serve 1 thing each day, so there is no menu to order from. On Tuesdays they cook traditional Danish food. We had this fried pork with potatoes, pickled beets and sauce. OH MAN OH MAN. It was really good. :)<br />
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Lets see. What else has happened recently? Last Saturday I made my host family banana bread. They had never had it before!! It turned out pretty good and they really liked it! I think the entire loaf was gone within an hour. And when I made chocolate chip cookies the weekend before last, those weren't around for too long either. Haha. When I come back, I've already told them I'm making them brownies because they can't get them here in Denmark. And I am going to cook biscuits for them and make breakfast sandwiches one morning. And I am going to make calzones. The Danes don't really eat much Italian food. I don't know if it's because they don't like it or if they just haven't really been exposed to it. But we shall see!<br />
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Last weekend I watched this horribly scary movie with my host brother and his friend, Paranormal Activity. DON'T WATCH IT. Seriously, it was so creepy! The next day Lise decided she wanted to see it. Her face was hilarious when she got done watching it! Oh goodness. It was so scary!!!<br />
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On Monday night I took a tour of the Red Light District of Copenhagen. We saw approximately 13 prostitutes. It was really weird. The strangest experience, by far, was one Danish woman we saw working. She was dressed completely normal. If she hadn't been soliciting every man who walked by her there would be no way of knowing that she was a prostitute. It was very strange. But Denmark has a huge problem with prostitutes now. In 1999 when Denmark legalized prostitution, there were about 900 prostitutes. Now there are over 6000. Many of them are trafficked, but it is nearly impossible to prove.<br />
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Luckily my horrible, stupid, waste-of-time 8:30 class tomorrow has been canceled so I don't have to wake up at 6:00. But on Wednesday, I went into Jutland with my Criminology class and we toured an open prison. It was a little boring, not gonna lie. But I think that was just because I've already been to one before. This at least looked like a prison--there were fences. But the gates were all open. Part of the prison is designed to become a closed prison for overflow, so there are a lot of unused security measures in place. One of the prisoners who was on the tour with us was a 22 year old ex-gang member. He was in prison for kidnapping, molesting someone (we weren't told the age), threatening people, and for collecting on debts. He claims to have turned his life around, but I wonder how much of it was just an act for the prison staff on the tour. The other prisoner was in for his 3rd arrest for drunk driving. There is absolutely no excuse for that, but <i>especially</i> in Denmark where there is SO MUCH mass transit! There are night buses that run all during the night, even on weeknights. And the trains run all night too. He apparently has also changed. If these men have, it certainly isn't the prison system that converted them. Honestly, I don't understand how anyone is deterred from crime here.<br />
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Tomorrow I am going to try and find the post office so I can mail postcards! I have about 5 that I just keep not mailing. Some are from my trip to Paris and some are just from Copenhagen. But I don't know where the post office is, so I just haven't mailed them still.<br />
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I really like being in Denmark, but I know that I will be ready to come home in May. It's hard to believe that I've been here for 2 months already. My time spent at my other host family's apartment feels like a different time...almost a dream. I was so unhappy there and I am so happy here that the 2 are completely incomparable. Is that a word? Well, it describes the total disparity between my 2 Danish residences. Before I just had a room, but I actually feel at home here. It's nice to finally be able to relax.trisarahtops38http://www.blogger.com/profile/15246444626633483999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6475502146326674260.post-50578855278860674462010-03-19T11:22:00.002+01:002010-03-19T11:23:25.745+01:00France via Photos, part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here are the rest of my pictures from my week in Paris!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">in front of Notre Dame with Megan and Amanda</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">inside the Louvre</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The Mona Lisa!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I just thought this was pretty :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">At night before our dinner cruise</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Oh man, best dessert ever!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">One of the train stations had letters everywhere, all over the ceiling and walls. I looked up and this is what I saw! I was really excited to find my name :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Sacre Coeur</div>trisarahtops38http://www.blogger.com/profile/15246444626633483999noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6475502146326674260.post-39611713851390135952010-03-10T18:25:00.001+01:002010-03-10T18:26:25.702+01:00France via Photos, part 1I've been really busy this week and haven't had the time to write a blog entry. I'll post some pictures from my trip to tide you over for now! Enjoy! :)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S5fPbDgeR5I/AAAAAAAABhk/_Ogay8_a9mY/s1600-h/DSCN1817.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S5fPbDgeR5I/AAAAAAAABhk/_Ogay8_a9mY/s320/DSCN1817.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The view outside my hotel room in Verdun.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">WONDERFUL raspberry cake and coffee from a cafe in Verdun</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Verudn</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Verdun</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Memorial for the battle of Verdun</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This used to be a forest. It was completely destroyed at the battle of Verdun. Every hole is where a shell hit. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Graves from the men lost at the battle of Verdun</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A huge, beautiful church in Reims--I've forgotten the name of it though...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It was designed after Notre Dame, I think.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The stained glass windows inside were beautiful!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">G. H. Mumm Champagne- we had a tasting and tour here!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Champagne cellar, they have a bottle of very wine they've made in this room.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S5fSrI3MNdI/AAAAAAAABjc/HR6jWTUMqfA/s1600-h/DSCN2233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S5fSrI3MNdI/AAAAAAAABjc/HR6jWTUMqfA/s320/DSCN2233.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Versailles from the back in the gardens</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S5fSjJvcgII/AAAAAAAABjU/TkN_ltQznWo/s1600-h/DSCN2167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oMCT9uhqTcE/S5fSjJvcgII/AAAAAAAABjU/TkN_ltQznWo/s320/DSCN2167.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hall of Mirrors</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The gardens at Versailles were gorgeous!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">In front of the Arc de Triumph</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is my favorite picture of the Eiffel Tower</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Me on the top of the tower! </div><br />
Oh goodness. This is taking so long! I'll finish later. I visited the Eiffel Tower on my first night in Paris, so there is a lot more to cover!trisarahtops38http://www.blogger.com/profile/15246444626633483999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6475502146326674260.post-25205696870861819752010-02-23T19:46:00.001+01:002010-02-23T19:53:01.205+01:00Helene Berr<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Tomorrow I am going on a field study with my Criminology class. We are going to Cafe Exit, which is a cafe designed to help prisoners re-enter society. We are going to walk through the Red Light district of Copenhagen to get there. It should be an interesting experience... I </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">really</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> like my Criminology class and professor. I am glad that I am a class representative for that class. (Every class has 2 class reps that meet with the professor and with the academic office to discuss the course) I am also a class rep for Human Trafficking in Europe. That class is really interesting, but SUPER depressing. And now I am seeing trafficked people and traffickers everywhere I go! </span></span><br />
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</span> </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">These 2 classes are really helping me decide what I want to do with my life. I'm not trying toot my own horn, but I know that I am an intelligent person. And I think that it would be horrible to waste my intelligence on getting people to buy stuff. I still love reading about consumer behavior and I will always be fascinated by it, but I think I want to do something more meaningful with my life. I am reading Helene Berr's diary (she lived in France during the Holocost and is basically the French Anne Frank) right now for a class, and something she wrote in it really spoke to me. Actually, the entire diary is a little hard for me to read, because I associate so strongly with some of the things she wrote. But what specifically stuck out to me was this. On Wednesday, October 27, 1943 she wrote:</span></div><blockquote style="text-align: justify;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Will there ever have been many people who, at the age of twenty-two, were aware that they could suddenly lose all their potential - I feel unembarrased saying that I feel I have immense potential, since I think of it as a gift, not as something I own - that it could all be taken away from them, and not rise up in revolt?</span></i></blockquote><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I really feel the same way. Though she is talking about fighting the Nazis, I feel as if I could also fight a similar battle against all of the evil going on in the world right now. Horrible things take place everyday, right under our noses. Many people either are ignorant to the situation or choose to not care. Well, I am deciding right now that I want to do something about it. Though I am not sure how I will fight this unknown enemy in the future, I have decided recently that I will join in on the fight. I want to help the people out there who are incapable of helping themselves. I know that it will be a stressful job, but I honestly feel called to take it on.</span></div>trisarahtops38http://www.blogger.com/profile/15246444626633483999noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6475502146326674260.post-12160724862022182182010-02-23T19:45:00.002+01:002010-02-23T23:19:39.681+01:00New Host Family<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Last Monday I was told by housing that I would be moving out of my host family's apartment. My host mom is having some personal issues, so it is best that I am not living there. I felt bad, because I had no idea. But I am glad that she is receiving help now. On Thursday I met with Mia, the host family coordinator, so go over my options. I decided to live with another host family, since that was one of the reasons I came abroad. We went over all of the 30 reserve host families and I picked my 3 favorite. Mia contacted my first choice, the Klaris family, and asked if they would be willing to have a student move in. Of course, they loved me (haha kidding) and wanted me to move in right away. :) I was supposed to have dinner with them on Monday--that didn't happen because I was trapped in Sweden. But I moved in today. My new host dad, Neils, came and picked me up this afternoon. My room is adorable! My host family is awesome! I love their house. They have a dog! (When I was reviewing the reserve host families, I only looked at the ones that had dogs. Haha) His name is Basso and he is so adorable! I have a new friend now because I always pet him! Their house is nice and they live in the suburbs. It is further from Copenhagen, but totally worth it. They have a pretty big backyard and I can tell it is beautiful in the spring/summer. It is pretty now, with snow everywhere. There are bike trails everywhere which will be nice to run on. Its weird running here, you have to watch out for ice on the path. And I don't sweat because it is so cold. Stuff like that doesn't happen in Texas! Haha. </span></div>trisarahtops38http://www.blogger.com/profile/15246444626633483999noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6475502146326674260.post-49650615082734982892010-02-23T19:40:00.001+01:002010-02-23T19:55:17.630+01:00Stockholm and back<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">This past weekend I was in Stockholm with Beth and Ana. Stockholm the city was really fun! I would love to go back. The trip there wasn't bad. Ana and I took a night bus. We arrived at a little after 7 in the morning because we had to stop and pick up people from a bus that had broken down on the side of the highway. But we hadn't slept very well, and it was snowing really hard, really windy and extremely cold!! We eventually found where Beth was staying (she doesn't have class on Friday, so she came on Thursday night and met up with a sorority sister from home who is studying in London) and dropped our bags off. Then we went to get some groceries (instead of eating out for every meal) and went to a coffee shop. Then we did some touristy things. IT WAS SO COLD! We saw the changing of the guard, Ana bought some souvenirs, (I bought a hat) and then we found an awesome cafe that had unlimited coffee for 25 Swedish Kroner (that's about $3.50). It wasn't the greatest coffee, but it was hot and unlimited! We stayed there for a while, and then met up with everyone else. By this time, Ana and I were exhausted. We all took a nap in our room and then we went to have dinner. After dinner, I just took a shower and went to sleep. I didn't sleep that well on the bus, and I knew that Sunday was going to be a long day. HOWEVER I did not realize how crappy it was going to be. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">On Sunday, we woke up and had breakfast. We wandered around Stockholm a bit and then we found the Dance Museum, which had an exhibit (for free!!) about Russian Ballet in Paris. Which is exactly what we are talking about in History of European Ballet, so Ana and I wanted to go. (Ana is in that class with me) It was really cool going to a museum and knowing a lot of what the exhibits were talking about. (I talked to my Ballet prof today after class and he said that he knows the man who owns the museum. I wish we had talked to him before, maybe we could've had a private tour or something!) Then we wandered around some more, by this point, it was 1500 and everyone had left except Ana and I. So we went looking for a Scandinavian sweater (Ana wanted one) for a couple hours. We eventually found some, but they were almost $200. So, she didn't buy one. Haha. But then we had about 7 hours to kill before our train left. So we went to a cafe and we were literally there for over 3 hours. Then they were closing, so we went to the McDonald's across from Central Station. But then they were closing too, so we went to the station. But it's a huge building, in Sweden, so it was FREEZING COLD. We managed to amuse ourselves for a couple more hours, and it was almost time for our train to arrive. Then the worst thing possible happened- they delayed our train til 0115. Then it was 0200, then 0220. FINALLY, it was time to go outside and get on the train, but when we got to the track, we had to wait over 15 minutes for the train to come. I looked it up, it was -6F outside that night, without the wind chill. SO COLD. I honestly think that is the coldest weather I have ever experienced. </span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">We got on the train, and it started slowly moving down the track, stopping along the way a couple times. We only made it about 15 minutes from Central Station before we stopped again. We were there for over an hour until someone came by and told everyone (in Swedish, a person near me translated) that the train had fallen off the tracks. And that it would be at least 4 hours before another train came to get us back on. It was crazy, but I was so tired, I didn't even worry about it. I sent an email to my professors whose classes I had today, explaining the situation and went to sleep. When I woke up at 6, we still hadn't moved. But now we had a new problem: the brakes were frozen. Around 0800 we finally started moving back to Central Station (another train came and dragged us back). They loaded up more food, because they had run out by now, and we started back up. We didn't actually get moving on our way to Malmo (in Sweden, about 20 minutes from Copenhagen) until after 1100. We arrived in Malmo after 1800, and I didn't get back to Copenhagen til 1930. </span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">So, yeah. That's how Stockholm was. Haha. All in all, the train wasn't bad. The seats were comfortable, they gave us free food (because we had been on the train since 2:00 that morning) and the scenery was beautiful. I think it would be fun to take the train if it wasn't snowing, and didn't have any real time constraints. I am glad I wasn't traveling alone though. And I got to know Ana pretty well! She is really cool! </span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Moral of the story: Don't go further north in Scandinavia for a vacation during the winter unless you are skiing. We should have gone somewhere warmer...</span></span></span></div>trisarahtops38http://www.blogger.com/profile/15246444626633483999noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6475502146326674260.post-49937636525033317552010-02-09T14:51:00.000+01:002010-02-09T14:51:23.020+01:00Adventures in JutlandWell, I was going to post something about my weekend trip before, but it never happened!<br />
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We first went to a folk high school and spent the day there. It's a Danish school designed for people who want to learn for the sake of learning. They have different studies, like art, music, outdoor living, and 2 others that I forgot. But they choose one of those, and study it for a semester. I ended up working in the kitchen, helping make dinner. I was supposed to be in a workshop with everyone else in DIS that was there, but they asked for volunteers to help cook. I guess every Thursday they make their own food, and the kitchen staff gets a break. And I met a girl who was abroad in San Antonio at UTSA for a year!! It was pretty random. It's a small world... <br />
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On Friday, we went to an open prison. It was definitely an experience...I don't think anything like that would work in the US. I'm not sure if you've heard of the open prison system before, but it's definitely strange. There are no walls, just an imaginary boundary that the prisoners are not supposed to cross. They are given a job to do, unless it is a special case, then they can leave the prison to go to their normal job. And after about 3, they have free time. They make their own meals, and have access to a full kitchen (including knives!). Their "cells" are really nice. It's a room with a bed, desk, mini fridge, closet and flat screen TV. They are all the same. They are allowed to bring things from home like pictures, etc. We were given a tour by a prisoner who transfered from a closed prison 6 months ago. He had been at a closed prison for 6 years. And he has 2 more years to serve in the open prison. And he killed someone. 8 years for murder! <br />
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After that, we went to Jelling, which is one of the oldest cities in Denmark. The oldest Christian church in Denmark is there, and the oldest King is burried there. He was a Viking King- Grom the Old, or something like that. It was pretty cool. And the Jelling stones are there. They are these really old runic stones. Then we went to a hostel for Friday night. IT WAS SO NICE. They were these cabins, right by a lake, in the middle of a forrest. Apparently the place was built by Nazi's back in the day, but still. <br />
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On Saturday we went to Århus, another super old city in Jutland. We went to a modern art museum and did a scavenger hunt in the city. It was cool, but so cold!! Then we left to go back to Copenhagen. It was a fun trip! I met a bunch of the people in my program. I think our trip to France at the end of the month is going to be awesome!!<br />
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Right now, I am eating an amazingly delicious cinnamon roll, covered with chocolate. Completely decadent and totally worth it!! I think it tastes even better because it was only 12 kroner. Hello new favorite bakery! Probably the cheapest food item I've bought so far. I haven't spent that much money on food so far, but if I move out of my host family's apartment and into another type of housing, I'll get to experience more of the Danish cuisine. I'm a tad bit tired of hotdogs cooked in stewed tomatoes. Not as appetizing as it might sound...<br />
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I'll post some pictures later when I get back to my room. I'm going back to Beth's house for dinner and maybe a movie! And I might be going out with a girl from my study tour, I'm not sure what's going on with that though. I have class tomorrow at 8:15. But you only live once, right? Along the same lines, I'm going with a friend to Stockholm next Friday night. We're taking a night bus and getting in at 6 am on Saturday. Then we're not leaving til almost midnight on Sunday night and getting back at 6:30 am on Monday. Should be an interesting experience!! Whoo Europe!trisarahtops38http://www.blogger.com/profile/15246444626633483999noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6475502146326674260.post-81996959866275588662010-02-04T06:50:00.005+01:002010-02-04T07:02:07.128+01:00Red Wine, Fondue and African MasksI had a really good day yesterday. The kind that only a plaid shirt can bring about!!! :) (Alex- I meant to call you yesterday and tell you that I wore my plaid, but alas, I did not.)<br />
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I went a registered for my CPR number, which grants me the same health care as a Danish citizen. Then I went into the city and met up with a friend. We decided it was time to try out a Danish McDonalds. I mean, it was typical McD's. Nothing too special, I don't know why people freak out about it...plus a meal cost like $12. So not worth it. But we did wander around in the city a bit. We found the British/South African store. And guess what I found.....<b>DR. PEPPER!!!!!!!!!!!!</b> I was so excited!!! It's Dr. Pepper Zero, which we don't have in the states, but I am going back to purchase some of it ASAP!!<br />
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Then we went to our friend Beth's house for dinner. Her host family is so nice! And their house is amazing!!!! 4 stories, including a basement, with a home theater!! They also had two Britney Spaniels. It was nice being around a dog again, I miss Gus!!<br />
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Dinner was awesome- we had fondue and lovely wine! I found a red wine that I actually like. I don't remember the name of it, but it's Spanish.<br />
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It was a good day. And I'm all packed now, and about to leave for my short study tour to Jutland (the part of Denmark that is attached to Germany). We are coming back on Saturday- so I'll be out of contract til Saturday night. We are going to visit an open prison. It should be an interesting experience! We are also going to visit a Folk High School- it's this weird stage of high school that is after normal school. I'm not going to lie, I don't fully understand how it works... BUT I am making an African mask whilst I'm there, or so I'm told.trisarahtops38http://www.blogger.com/profile/15246444626633483999noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6475502146326674260.post-84378731703863963072010-02-02T17:49:00.000+01:002010-02-02T17:49:11.216+01:00SO MUCH SNOW!!!!So it's snowing again. And according to everyone, this is supposed to be the worst snow storm in Denmark in a really long time. Whoo.<br />
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Also, here is the mailing address that I'm supposed to have things mailed to me at:<br />
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Sarah Bennett<br />
c/o DIS, Danish Institute for Study Abroad<br />
Vestergade 7<br />
DK-1456 Copenhagen K<br />
Denmark<br />
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I got a letter yesterday from my awesome Dad!! :) It was a nice ending to a very very long day. I had class at 8:30, and then I had to stay extra late to watch a movie for Human Trafficking in Europe, which was super depressing and didn't end until after 8. They are doing construction on my train line, so I had to take 3 different trains to get back to my room. I didn't get back til about 10.<br />
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I'm almost done watching the 2nd season of Damages! This season was so intense!!trisarahtops38http://www.blogger.com/profile/15246444626633483999noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6475502146326674260.post-71846209412919086092010-01-28T20:53:00.001+01:002010-01-28T20:54:12.047+01:00Hello Dear Internet World!I had a really good day today! I don't really know why--I didn't do much. I changed my classes (again) so I only had one class. Now I have a crazy schedule, but I'm really excited for all of my classes!<br />
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<u>Monday</u><br />
8:30- Migration & Identity (France)<br />
4:25- International Marketing and Branding<br />
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<u>Tuesday</u><br />
8:30- International Law from a European Perspective<br />
10:05- Criminology and Criminal Justice in Scandinavia<br />
11:40- History of European Ballet<br />
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<u>Wednesday</u><br />
No Classes!<br />
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<u>Thursday</u><br />
4:25- International Marketing and Branding<br />
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<u>Friday</u><br />
8:30- International Law from a European Perspective<br />
10:05- Criminology and Criminal Justice in Scandinavia<br />
11:40- History of European Ballet<br />
1:15- Human Trafficking in Europe<br />
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Not too bad, except I have a super long break on Mondays and I have class from 8:30 til 4:10 on Fridays. But I like all of those classes, so it shouldn't be too bad!trisarahtops38http://www.blogger.com/profile/15246444626633483999noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6475502146326674260.post-59776154963841309612010-01-25T10:23:00.000+01:002010-01-25T10:23:45.685+01:00Weekend, etcWell I'm sick. But I am getting better, slowly. I had a good weekend though! On Friday DIS had a party for us at a Discotek, which is basically just a club. There was free beer all night. It wasn't the greatest, but it was free! I met up with a girl from one of my classes, Ana. It was a lot of fun! I met a bunch of other people too. After we had been there til about 1, a bunch of us left to go find another bar. Except we didn't really know where we were going. So of course a group of sketchy Danish boys decided to follow us. They kept asking if we wanted any hashish. It was crazy. We wandered around Copenhagen for a while, and then we decided to go home. It was fun.<br />
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On Saturday I went to an old church and the Viking Museum. It was cool, but I started feeling really bad on the way there, so I didn't really enjoy it too much. They had 5 old Viking ships that they took out of the sea in the 1960s. When I got back to my room, my host family decided that it would be best to give me alcohol instead of modern medicine. It almost made me sick. Then I had to sit through dinner with my host mom's niece and her husband. They were really nice people, and for the first 15 minutes of dinner it was fine. But then everyone started talking in Danish and I just had to sit there. I've gotten really good at entertaining myself at dinner. Mostly I sing songs to myself in my head. After dinner I politely excused myself to go to sleep and my host family tried to give me more alcohol to make me feel better. If the schnapps made me almost throw up, I'm pretty sure that warm red wine would definitely do the trick. Especially since I don't like red wine when it's at a normal temperature and I don't have a fever. I'm hoping that Saturday night was my low point here. It was fairly horrible.<br />
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Here are some pics from my Saturday trip:<br />
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Yesterday I slept almost all day. Except for when I met one of my friends and we went to the pharmacy. I called her on Saturday to see if she had any meds and her host family told her where we could go to get some. They offered to pick me up and drive me there, but they would have had to miss their daughter's handball game. I took the bus but it was really nice of them to offer! It took us a while to find the apotek (apothecary in Danish) but then I got some meds that seem to be helping. When I got back to my room my host family tried giving me more schnapps and red wine. I don't think they understand that I want actual medicine....even though I asked them for some. Whatever.<br />
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I skipped my 8:30 class today. I was going to go, but I felt horrible this morning at 6 when my alarm went off. But I have 2 classes this afternoon I am going to go to. And my Danish class is going to a cafe tonight. I might go if I feel up to it. We'll see.trisarahtops38http://www.blogger.com/profile/15246444626633483999noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6475502146326674260.post-76339051095110953372010-01-23T18:15:00.001+01:002010-01-23T18:15:26.027+01:00Schnapps=Danish Benadryll??Well, I have a cold. And I feel like death warmed over. Apparently the Danes don't have any antihistamines available over the counter (I wish someone had told me!!) so my host family had another solution. Schnapps. That's the same! (Right???)trisarahtops38http://www.blogger.com/profile/15246444626633483999noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6475502146326674260.post-63481258496762587512010-01-21T13:09:00.000+01:002010-01-21T13:09:20.314+01:00Obama-your-mama!"The United States has more troops deployed overseas than any other nation and those forces are bearing a disproportionate share of the burden in protecting Americans." That is a direct quote from Obama. I found it in my readings for tomorrow's class.<br />
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OH LORD.trisarahtops38http://www.blogger.com/profile/15246444626633483999noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6475502146326674260.post-45508243022858653512010-01-21T10:14:00.000+01:002010-01-21T10:14:07.502+01:00Well I don't have class til almost 12 today. And I'm not going into the city for another 20 minutes or so. Instead of reading for class tomorrow, I'll post some pictures!<br />
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</div>trisarahtops38http://www.blogger.com/profile/15246444626633483999noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6475502146326674260.post-77209863148280877552010-01-20T19:49:00.000+01:002010-01-20T19:49:53.417+01:00Internet Again!!!I finally got the internet at my host family's house. They couldn't remember the password for the router, so I was without a reliable source of internet at my casa.<br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">DAY 2-<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Well, I made it through an entire day in Copenhagen! We all had breakfast together this morning. And then my host father took me on the train to DIS downtown so I wouldn’t get lost. And we had an entire day of orientation-type things. Made some new friends. I actually met someone from Texas! Her name is Margret and she goes to Southwestern. Which is pretty cool—we have a common friend! And some others, all from the northeast. I got my train pass. It was over 1300 kroner, which is about $260. But I didn’t have to pay for it. It came out of my program fees. I made it all the way back from DIS to my apartment without any troubles. Yay! I’m not going to lie- I was really worried about figuring it out. But when I was waiting to cross the street on my commute home (I’m so urban!! Haha) this man walked up to me with a map and totally asked me for directions. Well, he did it in Danish. And I proceeded to tell him that I don’t speak Danish. So he left. But still, it was pretty cool to be asked. I guess I am just that awesome.<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We had fish and this sausage-type thing for dinner tonight. It was pretty good, actually. The Danes eat a lot of potatoes. I guess they burn up all the calories with all the damn walking they have to do! It’s crazy. We never walk this much. Well, maybe if you lived in a big city and didn’t drive to work every morning. I was thinking earlier, it’s going to be really weird coming back to Texas and having to drive everywhere. And they recycle everything here! Even the plastic bottles have a deposit. And they can actually turn off the electricity in their house. There are switches by a lot of the outlets that let you turn it off. My host family turns off their wireless router at night. I mean, it makes sense. No need to waste the electricity broadcasting wireless internet if everyone is asleep!<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">My host dad is really cool. He’s the one I’ve had the most interaction with so far. The son is 21, so I think he feels weird around me. Plus I’m pretty sure he’s moving out soon. I really would have liked to be with a younger family, with kids and a family dog and the such. But I think I’m going to like living here. My host mom doesn’t speak English. Well, she speaks English like I speak Spanish if that gives you any clue. A couple words here and there, but not much. She is Serbian and is at least 10 years younger than my host dad (second marriage). But she’s nice. My host dad though…IS EXACTLY LIKE MY DAD. I’m not going to lie. It’s really creepy. They have the same mannerisms, sayings, political views (from what I can tell), etc. Even down to that they both like Tom Clancy. Goodness. It’s just really funny. He’ll say something and I just think to myself, gee- dad said that to me about a week ago. <br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">After dinner we played WiSports. Which was actually really fun! I’d never played on a Wi before. I wasn’t terrible. Although then we did this skiing one on the WiFit and apparently I am inexperienced in balancing. Funny, I thought I did that every day! It was hard though. I think that WiFit just guesses everything. I’m not really sure how it knows so much…<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I made my lunch for tomorrow. The Danes don’t eat sandwiches like we do in America. They only put stuff on one side and wrap a piece of butcher paper around it. I put all sorts of weird things on mine. This fish paste thing in mayo, liver paste, some sort of pork and salami with mustard (I had to have a safe option in there). I figured I should try it at least once, right? <br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Well it’s late and I’m exhausted. And I have to catch the 8:15 train outta here to make it to DIS on time. Copenhagen is wonderful. You should all come!<br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">DAY 3<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Well, my host family can’t remember the password to their wireless router, and the other internet sources around me aren’t working anymore. So I’ll keep writing and upload the posts when available. <br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Today we had survival Danish and we went on a scavenger hunt through the city of Copenhagen. We saw a lot of really cool buildings. I took a bunch of pictures and I’ll upload some when the internet reappears, or when I bring my computer to DIS. Tomorrow is our last day of orientation and then Thursday classes begin. I have A TON of reading already for some classes. Oh dear…<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I got my books today. No lie, I think I have 35. There are so many!!!!! I’m just glad that I’m taking a lit class here, where books are considered a part of the program fee, so I don’t have to pay for all 10 of them. That’s right, 10 books for 1 class. And I’m glad that I didn’t have to bring these over from home. It was a pain just taking them back to my room from DIS. People were giving me weird looks, but I guess I would as well if I saw someone with a huge blue IKEA bag filled with books. I’m taking a random assortment of classes. People look at me like I’m crazy when I tell them what classes I’m taking. I mean, it’s kind of hard to figure out my major if all you know is that I’m taking French Culture and Identity, History of Ballet, Russian Literature, Danish 1, International Marketing and Branding, and International Politics from a European Perspective. But I think my classes should be interesting. <br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">At dinner tonight I learned that it is rude in Denmark to take a second helping of meat, and not potatoes. Weird, huh? I think they might eat potatoes with every meal. And it’s rude to not eat them. I think I might get tired of potatoes. For lunch I tried all sorts of new things. Well, 2. I had liver pâté. Yep. That’s right. And this red fish blended in with mayo. It wasn’t horrible; they both just looked a bit….post digestion…if you catch my drift. I don’t think I’ll be eating either again soon. The liver pâté just tasted like meat that had been puréed, which is probably what it is. And the fish had too strong of a fish taste for a sandwich, for me at least. But no worries. I made a more normal sandwich for tomorrow to take in.<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">OH! And I noticed something today. After dinner we were carrying in the plates and leftovers and my host mom threw the sauce into the trash. Which I thought was weird, but I thought, you know- maybe it doesn’t keep well. And then I saw her throw the potatoes away too. The potatoes that I was told were so important at dinner. I don’t know if she threw away the pork too, but probably. I mean, isn’t that weird? I think it is… That’s why they have stoves, microwaves and refrigerators! To heat up and store leftovers, yeah? I wonder if they’ve thrown away all of the extra food since I’ve been here. They have at least 2 servings left at the end of a meal. It’s probably like $5 worth of food a night considering prices here. That’s $15 (75 kroner) thrown away in the trash! I am going to investigate this further…<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Well I have to be at DIS again tomorrow at 9. And I don’t want to miss my train again tomorrow (I missed it this morning. But it’s ok, there’s a train every 10 minutes.) and have to rush to class. I hope everyone is enjoying the nice Texas weather, I saw that it was in the 60s—it’s like 30 here. Thanks Copenhagen!<br />
</div>trisarahtops38http://www.blogger.com/profile/15246444626633483999noreply@blogger.com4