Throw away your television...and your textbooks.

Hej fra Danmark! (That and about 3 other phrases constitute my knowledge of the Danish language.)


What a week. The jet lag I first mentioned persisted far longer than I had hoped, but things are looking up on all fronts!

I found my way to all of my classes without a hitch, which is quite an accomplishment here in Copenhagen because there is not a centralized campus, just a smattering of classrooms throughout the city. My classes are going to be extremely difficult, but hopefully with some magical time management skills I will be able to handle it. My medical class is going to be fun and absolutely terrifying. I wasn't aware that they were actually going to let us perform small clinical procedures...but they most certainly are. Next week we have to do injections on each other. Oh goody...

Danish class is also quite intensive, but I am so glad! I wish I could continue it back at Tech because it is a crazy and interesting language. It makes even less sense than english! One downside to the way this DIS program is handled is that they start out with this terror campaign that tells us American students "Don't approach a Dane! Don't introduce yourself! Don't ask a Dane's name!". They claim that they will perceive you as rude and from that they hint at a whole list of other socially frightening possibilities. So all whole week I've been hearing this and reading in my book how miserable an American will be at a Danish party....knowing the whole time that Saturday I was invited to a Danish party! So basically I spent the whole week worrying, imagining all of the wonderfully awkward situations that my attendance would entail.

But, just as I originally suspected, people are nice! I decided that they would just have to get used to my weird Americanness because theres just not an ounce of European behavior in me. And guess what....it wasn't weird! They were not creepy and socially inept! The books lie! We hung out in the kitchen talking until 4 am! Impressive, eh? I told them of the terror campaign and they found it silly and rather irritating. We spent the night discussing the different stereotypes Americans have of Danes, and even more interesting, the stereotypes Danes have of Americans! Its really sad how Americans are viewed globally. The danes at the party were really surprised that I could actually speak intelligently on American and global political matters. Apparently the americans that lived on the floor previously took no interest in politics or global affairs. Apathetic Americans. These Danes are the same age as I am, and know more about the upcoming election than the majority of my peers, they would jump at the chance to vote. Yet who knows how many votes will be squandered by Americans on election day.

The other thing I've noticed about danes is that they really are happy and they like their system. They had many questions about how much money I have to pay to go to college and what my studies are like. When I told them how much I pay to go to school, they were shocked. When I told them the average debt of an American medical school student, they were appalled. They are perfectly happy with high taxes and free social services. Even the doctor who teaches my medical class happily pays over 50% of her income. That is so interesting to me. I have yet to see the ghastly evil of socialism in this place. In the hospital, there is no one left waiting. All public facilities are clean, modern, and efficient.

Well I will continue with this later and post pictures. I MUST do homework now.

Peace & Love,
Keeley

Truly Terrifying Beginnings

It started with a plane ride. We flew all day...just to start another day. We left Amarillo at 7:30 am....and when it was 11:00pm in our brains when we arrived @ Copenhagen. Sadly it was 7:30am the next day in Copenhagen. Aye, Aye, Aye. Talk about jet lag.

My first impression of Copenhagen was that I had landed in the wrong country and was smack dab in the middle of communist Russia. Buildings by the airport were run down and starkly modern. I was truly worried.

When we got back to our little home sweet home, we quickly learned that the danish kollegium bathroom is a scary thing. I don't really know how to describe it, besides that there is just an extension of the sink that constitutes a shower, and the sink, shower, and toilet all drain into a mysterious hole in the floor. Oh the terror.

Oh and lastly...the worthlessness of the dollar is truly horrifying.

Now that I've got all the negative out of the way...it really is amazing here. The buildings from the medieval period are gorgeous. Its awesome to walk down a street older than your country. We had an awesome tour guide today that knew EVERYTHING about the city. His name was Anders and I love him.

Everything is so different. Haven't really figured food out yet. There is an unnatural amount of Indian food restaurants. I think its just going to be trial and error on that front. We do have a kitchen. A very strange socialist kitchen. We pay 50 Kr. every month to share it with 15 other people. It is stocked with spices and the like, but it appears less than sanitary. Theres a party in it on Saturday, so we will get to meet our floor mates and see how this place operates.

Other than that there really isn't much. Besides the fact that we have avoided "hostile" Danes thus far. Apparently they are around. I've noticed, though, Americans are loud and annoying. I'd be hostile too if they were always in my tiny happy country.