Friday, December 16, 2011

Med mine venner

#2: "With my friends"
Study abroad wouldn't have been the same without the best study abroad friends anyone could ask for!  As much as I'd like to write an eloquent post describing how much these people mean to me, it will probably just be sappy and totally fail to do them justice.  Instead, I'll just post some pictures of these beautiful people.  From my friends in Copenhagen to the Stonehill kids who took Amy and me in on our travels, you guys have been the absolute best, and I can't begin to thank you enough!  Vi ses!  (See you!)

The new friends....










The old friends...












The best Danish family a girl could ask for...






And finally, the BEST friend.  The girl who put up with my craziness for four months, who stalks my blog religiously, who has the same birthday and freckle as me, who switches our contact lenses, and who Copenhagen won't be the same without!

From Boston..

to Copenhagen..

to Helsingør...

to Dublin..

to Galway..

to Galway ON HALLOWEEN..

to London (with Danielle!)..

to Paris..

to Prague..

to Salzburg..

to Florence..

to Rome!


Here's to the greatest four months with the greatest people!

Thursday, December 15, 2011

#5: Pølser
HOT DOGS!  There are hot dog stands all over Copenhagen, and while I was initially leery of partaking in the deliciously fragrant snacks due to "dirty water hot dog" stereotypes from New York City, I couldn't resist any longer.  Unfortunately, the menu is entirely in Danish.  You wouldn't think there would be that many options... but there are.  It was so overwhelming, in fact, that I wrote down the menu and took it into Danish class so that my teacher could help translate it for me.  Just because I had no idea what I was ordering didn't stop me from eating the hot dogs.. but I figured it would be good knowledge to have.  From that day on, whenever anyone mentioned food/hot dogs in class, our teacher would look over to me and laugh.  Cool.  But in any case- try the hot dogs!  Get it with everything on it.. this includes raw onion, fired onion, pickle, mayo, mustard, and ketchup.  YUM.


I remember my first hot dog...

Amy and the "Fransk" hot dog


#4: Somersby
Another tasty treat courtesy of Carlsberg, Somersby is the most amazing hard cider in the entire world.  It is comparable to the "sparkling cider" of my childhood, but with an extra kick.  I'm praying that I can find somewhere that sells it in the US... Once I'm 21 of course.

#3: Look UP!
Someone told me this before I came to Denmark, and it definitely holds true.  When you spend time in a place, get accustomed to the lifestyle there, and develop a routine, it's easy to only see the ground level.  I'm guilty of doing this in Copenhagen.  On my walk to school, to the store, or anywhere else in the city, I catch myself only seeing the store windows and modernized lower facades of the buildings I pass by.  When this happens, I remember to glance upward.  That's where all the history is, and where the buildings are still at their most beautiful.  Every Baresso and Joe & the Juice look the same.. but each building is unique and colorful and so incredibly charming.  Look up.  :)


ps:  TOMORROW IS MY LAST DAY IN COPENHAGEN... until January, that is.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Locked up!

#6: Prison
As a Criminology major, one of the things that attracted me to DIS was the fact that they offered some Criminal Justice type classes, like War Crimes & Human Rights and Gang Crime in Scandinavia.  I knew nothing about the criminal justice system in Denmark before coming here, and I have learned so much over the course of the semester, especially about the prison system.  I know this probably sounds weird...  usually the reaction I get when I tell people that I'm interested in the prison system is "OH MY GOSH, that's so creepy."  Which I suppose it is, to a degree, especially looking at it from an American perspective where the prison system is a little worse-for-wear.  In my classes back at Stonehill, I had learned about the different approaches to corrections, such as deterrence, retribution, incapacitation, and rehabilitation.  In the US, the focus in prisons is very much on deterrence- punishing offenders for their crimes in a way that ideally will make them less likely to commit further crime, and at the same time deter others in society from committing crime so that they don't end up in prison as well.  In Scandinavia, the focus is much more on rehabilitation and treating the offenders in a humane way so that when they re-enter society, they haven't been hardened by their experience and have a chance to reintegrate successfully.

For my Gang Crime in Scandinavia class, we got to visit two prisons- one open, and one closed.  These field studies were two field studies were among the highlights of my semester!

"Open prison" is a much different concept than anything we have in the US- basically, it is a system where offenders can come and go.  There is very little security, sometimes there aren't even fences or gates.  When there are, they are mostly to keep people from trespassing on prison property rather than to lock the offenders inside.  The goal in Denmark is to send all offenders to open prison, unless they have a sentence over five years or have previously misbehaved while in open prison.  It sounds crazy, and it kind of is, but in Denmark, it works!  On our visit to open prison, we were given a tour by a guard who was accompanied by an inmate.  We walked all around the prison, around the yards, and even inside and down a hallway to see where the inmates lived.  It looked just like a college dorm- the "cells" had solid wood doors- not the bars I was expecting.  Inside the rooms, the inmates had TVs, tables, chairs, and computers.  Each wing also had a kitchen facility, equipped with all sorts of cooking equipment, including knives.  And not dull butter knives- they had legit kitchen knives.  This was the craziest thing to me, because in other prisons you would imagine that within 5 seconds, someone would grab the knife and use it as a weapon.  Everyone we talked to said they never had a problem with this at the prison.  For one thing, if the inmates where ever to do this, they would be sent to a closed prison, and they also want to make the prison a place where their families feel comfortable coming to visit.  The prison has a playground where children can come and see their parents, which really helps to maintain the family relationships which are so important in Danish society.  As we continued our tour, we saw the gym facilities which were even equipped with a tanning bed.  It definitely seemed like a weird thing for the prison to have, but our tour guides explained that it was a luxury from the outside which made the prisoners feel like they were being treated humanely.  It was also great to see the relationship that the guard had with the inmate who was leading our tour.  I expected there to be a very adversarial relationship between the two, but they respected one another.  It was also interesting because many of the guards were female- the idea behind this in Scandinavia is that interacting with female guards in prison makes the prisoners calmer and feel less like they have to be aggressive and prove themselves.  While in open prison, prisoners can leave every third weekend, and also for jobs or educational reasons.  It seems like a great place to be with many of the comforts of home, but the inmate we talked to stressed that having this freedom almost made it harder- knowing he could easily walk out of the prison took great self-restraint on his part.  Also, curfews were imposed on the inmates requiring them to be back in their rooms by 9pm.  While they have many opportunities to better themselves while in prison, it is the loss of freedom that is the main source of punishment.

"Closed prison" is a little different...  Inmates there don't have the ability to go on leaves as they do in open prison, and many in closed prison have longer, more serious sentences.  Also, gang members are almost always sent to closed prison.  On our visit, we had to pass through much more security to get inside.  Still, I noticed many similarities to open prison- lots of female guards, and many inmates who were able to walk about the prison without restraints.  Again, we saw the kitchen and spoke with an inmate whose job it was to clean the whole hall.  They too had a large selection of kitchen knives, but this time they were chained to the wall.  When we asked about this, the inmate said it still was never a problem, and no one would ever think to do anything, as this closed prison was one of the best to be at and they did not want to be sent away.  The hallway also had a pool table where the inmates could hang out and socialize.  We also got to see the rehab wing and walk through solitary confinement, which is rarely used- most commonly in the case of someone who requests isolation.  In isolation, they are still able to have TVs and other things to make it more comfortable and not as lonely as you would expect.  Being so alone takes a toll on a person, and since the focus of prison in Denmark is heavy on rehabilitation, they want to make it as humane as possible.  We then walked around the yard, saw the chapel, and finally got to talk to an inmate who has a life sentence about what life is really like inside prison.

I really wish I could explain my visits in more detail and that I had pictures, but unfortunately we obviously weren't allowed to have cameras.  It's a really different concept, but its something that I've learned so much about since being in Denmark.  When I talk about it with other people, they are usually pretty shocked with how the system works.  For my final presentation in Danish class, I talked a little bit about how the prison system supports family relationships in Denmark, and many of my classmates weren't familiar with the system at all.  I was so glad that I got to explain a little bit about it, and we all had such a great discussion afterwards.  There are of course many many many reasons why this system probably couldn't be implemented in the US right away, but I think with some tweaking and over a gradual period of time, it's something we should really consider.  The truth is that prison hardens offenders so that they are often worse when they come out than when they went in.  I personally think Scandinavia has it right by considering the humanity of individuals and helping them to reintegrate rather than become marginalized.  In my future studies of the correctional system in the US, I hope I can find a way to integrate some of these ideas into programs that are more focused on rehabilitation rather than deterrence and play a small role in easing some of the problems with the prison system today.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

...Slacking again.  Forgive me- just finished my final paper for the semester yesterday!!  And yesterday was also the last day of class..  So weird.  In Danish class, we celebrated "Jule" by enjoying rice pudding, cookies, and literally dancing in a circle around ([Amywashere] left my blog open, hi AMY!) the classroom.  Danes know how to celebrate, and the celebrations continued last night with friends visiting, lots of gløgg, and making the most of Russell's last night in Copenhagen!

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!

Monday, December 5, 2011

As I mentioned before, my friend Meaghan visited Copenhagen this weekend!  Aside from the overall unpleasant weather, she picked a great time to visit the city-- everything is decked out in Christmas decorations, and she got to attend an FCK soccer game!

I'm absolutely loving Christmas in Copenhagen- decorations went up weeks ago, and while friends and family back in the US encouraged me not to forget about Thanksgiving, I couldn't help but to get into the Christmas spirit a little early.  There are lights everywhere, Christmas trees, gløgg, and Christmas markets!  Julefrokosts, or "Christmas lunches" are also huge here- DIS had one a few weeks ago, and they are basically a big holiday celebration complete with lots of hygge.  Meaghan, a huge fan of Christmas, was absolutely in heaven, and she even got to take a trip over to Malmo, Sweden, while she was here to check out their Christmas markets too!  We also went to Tivoli to see all of the festive decorations there.  I'm so glad she had a fun weekend, complete with lots of Christmas, vegetarian food (RizRaz, SoupaNatural, and PizzaSandwich!), and tasty pastries!

Christmas at Nyhavn!

Reindeer at Tivoli!

Lights at Tivoli

This year, Tivoli is Russian-themed.

Father Frost.. the nice man my parents and I got a picture with and who Amy, Meaghan and I went back to see too!


Last night, we also got to go to a real European soccer, err.. football game courtesy of my Danish Language and Culture class at DIS!  Although I'm the world's least athletic person, I enjoy going to watch games of any kind due to both the contagious energy of the fans and the delicious fried food that is usually served.  Meaghan and I bundled up, stopped to grab some soup for dinner, and headed over to Parken, which is the big stadium in Østerbro.  Although we weren't sure exactly how to get there, we ended up following some obviously enthusiastic fans in the right direction.  We met up with Sarah and her host brothers, who were so excited to be able to attend the game!  It was pretty chilly, and the score stayed 0-0 for the whole game, but it was a lot of fun!  I even caved and purchased a hot dog.. I couldn't resist.  Back home, Meaghan and I warmed up with some hot chocolate (varm kakao) and she got ready to leave for Dublin bright and early.  So glad she could visit on her last travel weekend of the semester before heading back to the US!!

And because I've been slacking again...

#13: Netflix
I subscribed to Netflix last winter when I was home for Christmas break.  I soon became obsessed with it because it gave me access to all the "Law and Order: SVU" I could ever want, as well as "Locked Up" and "Gangland" (#criminologymajorproblems).  Over the summer, I enjoyed watching a quick episode of "The Office" on my lunch break, or relaxing while watching a movie on demand.  Before leaving for Denmark, I toyed with the idea of ending my subscription because I figured that I would have better things to do in Copenhagen than watch TV, but I decided against it.  Upon my arrival, however, I soon learned that Netflix isn't licensed in Copenhagen and would therefore be useless.  Oh well, saved me some money.  Because my moral compass makes me too much of a baby to utilize illegal TV websites, and because the use of those sites/the downloading hours of TV makes the internet in my apartment stop working, I gave up TV all together.  I can't say that I don't miss watching all my quality prison-themed television; however, I've gotten over it.  Having little access to TV has enhanced my abroad experience, and it's made me appreciate little things like watching TLC at Sarah's host family's house or going out to a bar to watch a soccer game.  Furthermore, once I return home for a month, I'll have a new appreciation for the luxury that is Netflix.

#14: Little Green Man
Most other places I have been, the US included, provide "Walk" and "Don't Walk" signals at all major intersections; however, these seem to only be used as a suggestion.  Pedestrians are brave enough (or maybe its more like impatient enough) to take their lives in their hands and run across the street, whether the signal is red or green.  Because I readily answer to authority, "breaking" the rule of the street signs has always made me uncomfortable; however, I found solace in Copenhagen.  After just a few days of living here, I learned that people obey these signs, crossing only when the little green man on the sign tells them to do so, and stopping when the sign is red.  It doesn't matter whether traffic is coming or not- people wait!  Even in the early hours of the morning, when cars are no where to be seen and the sign is read, people wait.  I got used to this wonderful practice in Copenhagen, and I was in for a rude awakening during the two week travel break when Amy and I arrived in Dublin and saw people running back and forth across the street with no regard for the little green man we had come to know and love.  Each time we crossed on the red, we felt the effects of mob mentality, mindlessly following the other pedestrians and getting pretty uncomfortable in the process.  Although this violation of the law got easier, we never quite got used to it.  When we arrived back to Copenhagen, exited the Metro, and waited to see our little green man before crossing the street, all was right again in our little Danish world.  You go, Little Green Man!  I'll miss you.

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Pyromania & Pants

On just day 2 of the Copenhagen Countdown, I'm already slacking!  My apologies, but yesterday my friend Meaghan arrived!!  She goes to Stonehill and is interning in Dublin for the semester.  Lot's of excitement- I love visitors!  Anyway, to make up for my lack of updates yesterday, here come two more:

#15: Candles
I've always loved candles.  Growing up, I was always that kid who loved playing with hot wax, dipping my fingers in it and making a huge mess.  At home, the only time I had the opportunity to do this was around Christmas, when we had an Advent wreath on our dinner table and lit a candle each night.  When I left for college, I only got to catch a few weeks of Advent wreath fun due to living at school and the ban of candles in the residence halls.  In Denmark, however, I soon learned that they LOVE candles here- definitely related to the concept of hygge..  A candle makes everything better.  Lighting a candle when I study or while I sit reading in my bed makes me so happy.  Every store you walk in sells candles, and there are tons of adorable homegoods stores that sell any kind of candle holder you could ever want.  My dad, however, has never been a fan of candles, mostly it's the scented ones that bother him, but also the fear of burning the house down.  While Skyping my parents, he's very often voiced concern about the candles I have on my windowsill.  Personally, I haven't had any candle mishaps, despite burning myself while lighting one a few months ago.  My friend Sarah, however, had quite the experience of hygge-gone-wrong at her host family's house.  While her host mom was vacuuming, the cord of the vacuum caught a candlestick that was on top of the entertainment center, dragging it closer and closer to the TV, until the whole left side of the TV was engulfed in flames.  Fortunately, the TV still works even though there is a large, charred hole in the side.  To top it off, the offending candle still remains in it's same place on top of the entertainment center.  THAT is how important candles are here... and I love it.

#16: Yoga pants
Last fall, I had class every day of the week at 8:30am back at Stonehill due to my poor luck in picking my schedule.  After that semester, I vowed to never take an 8:30 class again; however, DIS had different plans for me, as 8:30 was the only time War Crimes and Human Rights was offered.  Back at Stonehill, the comfortable creation known as "yoga pants" were a staple in my early morning wardrobe- they offered the perfect combination of comfort, coziness, and functionality with more ease than the common pair of leggings.  Paired with a t-shirt and a sweatshirt, I was always ready to take my 8:30 statistics class by storm (despite looking slightly homeless.)  In Copenhagen, however, yoga pants don't have quite the following that they do in the US, or at least at Stonehill.  I've been forced to actually dress myself in the early hours of the morning, which has been pretty challenging.  Just yesterday, as I was running late for class, how I wished I could trudge down the street in the rain in the same yoga pants I had been sleeping in.  Instead, I put on real pants.  Perhaps it has to do with the other DIS students, or perhaps it's influenced by Danish style in general (which I overall really enjoy!) ..but in any case..  I miss wearing yoga pants in public.

Friday, December 2, 2011

Obligatory-Countdown-Post

So today was the first day of December.. significant for a few reasons:

  1. I need to buy an Advent calendar.  All the kids (small children and DIS kids alike) have these awesome open-a-door-a-day calendars, and behind each door is a piece of delicious chocolate.  I want one!
  2. My Justice & Human Rights research paper is due in 9 days..  oh my.
  3. Christmas is in 25 days.
  4. It is now acceptable to listen to Christmas music.  (Not saying I haven't been doing it since before Thanksgiving, but now I feel that its socially acceptable.)
  5. And... I leave Copenhagen in 17 days!!
While I'm super excited about going home to see my friends and family, visiting Stonehill, driving my car, eating some Wawa, and being reunited with my one true love Dunkin Donuts iced coffee before returning to Copenhagen for second semester, the fact that fall semester is almost over is blowing my mind.  I remember my first post on this blog- 19 days before leaving.  Weird.  

Since Thanksgiving, it has been becoming more and more real that my roommates and I are all going home soon, and once we get back to the US, we probably won't ever be in the same place at the same time like we are right now.  A much more sentimental/sappy post will come in the future (if you've learned anything from this blog, it should be that I enjoy introspective reflection on anything and everything) but for now, I want to "borrow" an idea from my good friend Dave in Florence, and hopefully he won't hate me- for the next 17 days, I'm going to try to mention aspects of Copenhagen that I've really enjoyed but maybe haven't mentioned specifically on the blog, or things that I've learned over the past 4 months, or maybe even things that I won't miss.  Russell (Hi Russell- I know you stalk my blog!) and I also discussed what we'd miss most about Copenhagen earlier tonight, so that also got me thinking.  

(Hopefully this can also serve as a helpful guide for Spring 2012 DIS students, and if anyone has any questions, feel free to comment.  ps: CAN'T WAIT TO MEET YOU!!)

Anyway, here we go:

#17- Pastry.
I would start this list off with mentioning food.  Pastry might not be a staple in a normal Dane's diet, but it's certainly a staple in my diet.  Aside from being one of the cheapest snacks you can buy, it's also delicious.  The chocolate croissants never disappoint, and the chocolate cinnamon rolls are also perfection.  There's even a tasty treat called "the baker's bad eye" that is round and filled with yellow custard with white icing drizzled over the top.  While the analogy is pretty gross, the pastry is amazing.  While there are quite a few "designer" bakeries around the city, my personal favorite is St. Peder's.  It's two blocks away from DIS, very hyggelig, and they give student discounts!  Highly recommended.. and I will most definitely be going through withdrawal during winter break.  Nom nom.