Fortunately, although I didn't have time to blog, I had plenty of time to let my mind wander while doing homework, and I've come up with 5 more notable Copenhagen quirks:
#7: Goodbyes
I don't really like them in practice. I like the idea, and obviously realize they're necessary, especially in the context of studying abroad, but I feel like I can never make it good enough. There's really no way to sum up an entire four months of experiences in an eloquent way (especially when you decide to be embarrassingly emotional like me last night/this morning and cry when your roommate leaves) so instead I just insist on giving multiple hugs like a crazy person. Being abroad has proved that it's a very small world, so abroad goodbyes might not be final, but even so, it'll never be the same again. That was the hardest thing to wrap my little head around last night as we were all sitting in the living room by the Christmas tree. We'd never all be together again, in our apartment, in Copenhagen. Oh well, that's life I suppose.
And onto a lighter note...
#8: Licorice
And not red Twizzlers. The Danes love black licorice, especially if it's crusted in salt. I'm not joking. Aside from getting extremely ill as a small child after eating black licorice and potentially being allergic, I just don't find it appealing in general; however, the Danes can't get enough. If you walk into a 7-Eleven, you can find bags and bags of it, whereas in the US you would probably see Skittles or some other sweet candy in it's place. One day in Danish class, our teacher brought licorice in as a "prize" if you won the review game we were playing before our test. Arguably, no one really considered it a prize, although it was the thought that counted. Upon realizing that none of us were a fan of the licorice, she told us that if you eat something six times, you'll get used to it and begin to like it. I tried making that my goal with licorice, but so far I've failed. Good thing I have four more months to develop the Danish taste!
#9: Bikes
Yesterday I FINALLY bought a bike! I kind of regret not getting it sooner, since biking is such a huge part of life in Copenhagen. I figured it wouldn't be worth the money for me, but if I could do it over again, I would definitely get one right away. Even though I'm so close to school, having a bike would be great for getting to the Royal Library quicker and also exploring town like a real Dane. Plus, the baskets on the front are adorable, and very functional. Seeing all the bikes is something I've gotten very used to, so it's always funny when people visit Copenhagen and are blown away with just how many bikes there really are. ps: The most common crime in Copenhagen is bike theft.. so if you get one, keep it locked, or else it's fair game for someone else to "borrow"...
#10: Ode to Netto
Netto is the name of the lovely grocery store that we typically shop at- DIS gave us a food stipend card that can be used there as well as a few other local shops, but Netto is by far the cheapest place to get groceries. Thinking back four months, food shopping was one of the most stressful things about moving to Denmark. For one thing, all the labels were in Danish. While I've gotten better at identifying everyday food items, finding rarer items is still a challenge. Google-translate is a lifesaver in that regard.. more than once I've translated all the ingredients in a recipe and taken the Danish list to Netto incase I need to ask an employee where something is, because the store also has no order whatsoever. Except maybe refrigerated things vs. dry goods. Plus, you can never really count on Netto to have a certain item that you need, as the stock fluctuates throughout the day. Overall, the Netto experience has grown on me- they sell these delicious little tortellini things that make a quick and tasty meal on nights when I'm feeling lazy. Still, I'm really excited to set foot in an American supermarket again!! By the way- they actually do charge a kroner or two to purchase a shopping bag, so bring your own. :)
#11: Kroner
What is kroner, you might ask.. Kroner is the Danish currency. No, Denmark is not on the Euro as I may or may not have thought before coming here. Kroner can be bills or coins, and believe it or not, coins actually have a significant value here. I learned very quickly that tossing change haphazardly into my bag as I was accustomed to in the US simply would not cut it here- the lowest denomination of bill is 50 DKK, and the largest coin is worth 20 DKK. Converting the value to the approximate dollar, a 20 DKK coin is worth about $4. Not something I want floating around on the bottom of my purse.. that could buy a coffee! ...almost. Differentiating between all the different coins is a challenge at first, but 20 DKK and 10 DKK are both gold, with the 10 DKK being a little bit smaller than the 20. 5s, 2s, and 1s are all silver with holes in the middle (yes, the money has holes in the middle) with 5 being the largest and 1 being the smallest. For the first few weeks, I stood at cash registers awkwardly fumbling over my money, but you get used to it, I promise!
No comments:
Post a Comment