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