Autumn 2015
Technically, I live in Ørestad, pronounced "Oolhwa stel" (no "L's" in the word, but it sounds like there are 2!) , about 2 miles outside of Copenhagen. The metro runs out here, but most people, including me, bike the long and straight 3 mile bike path back into the city. Along the route is a park with what I think are extensive trails, but I haven't had the time to check it out yet. It can be very windy on the ride to the main bridge. It takes about 25 minutes to the city center. Once in the city, everything is quite close. I have a metro card, a "Rejsekort" in case of bad weather. There is a station a 5 minute walk from my residence hall, Signalhouset, and I can be in the city in 10 minutes. The area of Ørestad is very urban. Many modern apartment and office buildings line the sky. The main draw to the area is Fields, Denmark's largest shopping mall, which happens to be literally right across the street from my kollegium, or apartment-style dorm. If I tell people that I live at "Fields," they know what I mean. Right inside Fields is a Bilka, which to me looks like a Walmart. They have anything I could ever need- groceries, clothes, electronics--all literally across the street. I'm not sure if the quality of Bilka is like a Walmart or not yet... The food is quite expensive in the grocery store, but I'm lucky that I don't have to travel to the store. The mall itself also has every upscale clothing store thought of, and a fitnessdk, where I have a membership so I can go to Zumba classes, and go "sporting." Also, right outside my place is an Irma, essentially a Whole Foods organic grocery store. Its fun to look in, but really all that is affordable is the organic peanut butter. :) At the kollegium Signalhouset, the residents are mostly international students, but there are a few Danes. All the furniture was provided. Most of it is IKEA. I have 3 flatmates. Thea from Denmark, Pricillia from Indonisa (but goes to school in Japan), and Josje (not pronounced like Josie at all, but more like Yo-suRe) from the Netherlands. They are all very friendly and its been fun getting to know them and of their cultures. One of the first nights we each made a dish from our country, My flatmates consider brownies from a box mix or fast food to be American. I just made the salad... My room has a balcony that overlooks...the inside of the complex. During the day, its not too aesthetically pleasing, but at night the lights from the parking garage mimic a starry night, and is a view I can enjoy. My other flatmates have a view of the Field's sign. There is a park behind the complex complete with a playground, soccer fields, and for the next month, a Circus tent with camels milling around. I only have class on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, each of which start at either 12 or 1pm, so I have the mornings to myself. I've been trying to leave Ørestad around 9 or 10 because at that time, there are other people out biking into the city. Its more fun when others are on the path. It is also fun to be part of the pack riding home around 4 or 5pm. Its amazing how the cars yield to pedestrians. There are 3 traffic circles, all in a row, on my ride home , and traffic can back up while the bikes are free to go. Last Sunday when I was riding home the long 3 mile straight was closed off to cars--not to bikes--because of a In-Line Skating race. If I had been about thirty minutes earlier, I may have seen some action... On Fridays and Saturdays, different Faculties [Majors] hold parties on campus. I went to check out Political Science's, as they were first on the rotation for the semester. By day a hispter coffee lounge on campus, by night a bar complete with a disco ball and loud music. A few of the classrooms upstairs were open for a more relaxed environment where people could actually talk--mostly other exchange students. I enjoyed that more than the downstairs part mostly because everyone was smoking cigarettes. This weekend I had the opportunity to meet an American family from the Helotes area through one of my mom's coworker's friend. Nicole and her two daughters met me at the National Art Museum, which of course, is free, and of course, they arrived by bike. It is very common to see parents riding Christiana bikes with two or more kids. Kids and cargo, not just toddlers! After the museum we rode to the Little Mermaid statue and by the iconic street of Nyhavn. To supplement this personalized tour, on Tuesday morning, I took a free walking tour that visited the Royal Palace and Town Hall, among others. For lunch on the tour I had a street hotdog --apparently very Danish. It was covered in fried crispy toppings, mustard, ketchup, and pickles. I'm not usually a hotdog person, but this was worth the 28 kroner. Since there are multiple campuses and I arrived after "welcome week," I never had a traditional campus tour. That being said, I find new things each day. Kind of hidden on each campus are Kanteens, or small dining halls that have food that looks good for a student budget. Anywhere else in the city it would be very difficult to get a full hot meal for under $4. My classes have been great because I've actually had time to read and understand the reading, unlike at UT where I seem to have a million other things to take care of each day. I usually try to have just 3 things on my to-do list each day. Especially with having to bike everywhere, 3 tasks can easily be a full day. Bye!
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