The Most Epic Surprise

For the past few weeks, I've been off the grid.  Aside from schoolwork picking up, I've also been keeping a low profile on the blog/Facebook for another reason.  Another sneaky, sneaky reason that I've been scheming since February.  

As other DIS students were eagerly chattering and posting statuses about their plans for two-week travel break, I had to keep my virtual-mouth shut, because I was going back to Boston to surprise my best friend on our 21st birthday.  

You might (ahem, you SHOULD) remember Amy- my friend who was in Copenhagen last semester, who also goes to Stonehill, who was the greatest travel buddy in the world (literally), AND who I share a birthday with!  

Babies: freshman year

That time we turned 20 and turned rogue pant-legs into party hats.

Sometimes we ski...

...and sometimes we get dressed up at Stonehill with Danielle!

Anyway, ever since freshman year at Stonehill, we had been looking forward to celebrating out 21st birthdays together, so we were both pretty bummed when I decided to stay in Copenhagen for spring semester and Amy would be heading back to Stonehill.  We figured we'd just postpone celebrations until a later date, but then there was a twist.

As April 5th fell smack dab in the middle of travel break, many of my DIS friends would be off on optional class trips, adventure trips, or traveling with friends or family, and other Stonehill friends abroad were either traveling or done their programs super early.  I figured it would be a good time to meet up with my parents somewhere abroad, but after some thought and considering they had been to Copenhagen in the fall, my dad suggested that maybe, JUST MAYBE I would want to come back to Boston for my birthday- this way, I could celebrate turning 21 in a country where it was actually significant, I could see my parents, and also my friends.

Hmm.  I mulled this proposition over for a few days, considering that if I were to decide to go home, that I wasn't going to tell Amy.  In order to get a second opinion on my mischievous musings, I ran it by Danielle, Amy's roommate.  She was beyond excited, and soon I had my tickets booked.  We began planning right away how we could make this the most epic birthday surprise EVER.  

Our plan, as devised between February and April, was this:

1. A few days before, I would mail Danielle a package.  In this package, she would find a birthday card from me to Amy.  She would then hang on to this birthday card until April 3rd.
2. On April 3rd, a Tuesday, Danielle would meet Amy at the cafeteria for their normal 1:00 lunchtime.  At Stonehill, it's customary to meet downstairs by the mailboxes.  
3. Here, Danielle would present Amy with the card from me.  Inside the card, there would be directions to go immediately to the cafeteria for a surprise.
4. Meanwhile, in the cafeteria, I would be waiting.  In a large cardboard box (which my dad was nice enough to acquire for me!!) somewhere visible enough to cause a small scene.
5. Obviously Amy would then open the box, and TA DA, Dane-in-a-box!

Quite a simple plan, but as the day came closer and closer, Danielle and I were both bursting with excitement.  From what we could tell, Amy still had no idea.  She even sent me a birthday package to Copenhagen days before!  With the exception of Danielle, our friend Dave, and my parents, I didn't tell anyone from home and/or Stonehill that I was coming back to America for fear that someone would let something slip.  It was absolutely killing me not saying anything, and I was afraid Amy would get suspicious since I hadn't mentioned what I was doing during the first week of travel break.  Even more than this, once I finally did return to the US, I had to cut all Facebook activity just incase a comment I made would include a location tag of "Massachusetts" rather than "Denmark."

Finally, April 3rd rolled around.  At 12:30, I drove to campus with my parents, and we assembled the box that I would be presenting myself in, complete with Danish flag stickers for decoration.  At 12:40, it was go-time.  I gathered my box and strutted into the cafeteria, placing the box on this awkward little half-stage that is set up in the front.  I then proceeded to climb into the box.  Although I got a few curious looks, a few people even offered to help me shut the box if I needed!  

Once I was packaged, it was time to wait.  It was only five minutes, but it felt like forever combined with all my excitement and the steadily increasing temperature in a box that looked a lot bigger before....  Finally, Danielle texted me with confirmation that they were on their way upstairs.  

REUNITED!  

...and the aftermath.

Sometimes, people go abroad knowing a huge group of people from their home university, or others go into it alone.  Everyone will make new friends with whom they will share new adventures, new challenges, and new experiences.  If you're really really lucky, you'll have someone with you who will come to understand where you came from and will stand by you to see just how far you can go.  They will put up with you for four months in a foreign country, entertaining your irrational anxieties, being there when you're feeling homesick, studying for Danish tests, and even listening to your random incessant singing.

Being abroad first semester with the greatest friend in the world was the BEST, and our travels and adventures are unforgettable.  It's been different not having Amy right across the courtyard, but to quote a certain HBO hit series:

"It's comforting to know that the ones you love are always in your heart...and if you're very lucky, a plane ride away."

Cheers, friends near and far.  :)

Down on the farm

Recently, DIS set up a trip for the Culinary House to a local farm.  Bright and early on Saturday morning, my housemates and I, as well as members of the Green House, boarded a bus and journeyed an hour and  a half outside of Copenhagen.  None of us were sure what to expect- in particular, I was concerned we would be doing actual farming during our visit.  I wasn't dressed properly for this prospect, nor was I mentally prepared to be working outside when I had a long shift as Studenterhuset looming that evening.  Fortunately, we were all pleasantly surprised by a lovely, yet chilly, afternoon.

What surprised me about this particular farm was that the people who worked there also lived there in a communal style, eating their meals together, working, and participating in community life together.

Molly and Rita

Brian and cow

It's like we're the same color...

Virginia girl lovin' the country

We took a tour of the facilities and got to see where they package most of their potatoes which they send to good old NETTO!  Better yet, we got to go to the barn and see the cows, who were responsible for the delicious ice cream and milk we enjoyed at the end of the tour.

And, for your viewing pleasure, I give you Rita's favorite part of the whole morning:

Mikkeller

With the help of my housemate Rita's sister, we discovered this charming little beer bar called Mikkeller.  It's a classy little place, and they have 20 beers on tap- 10 from their own brewery and 10 from others.  They pride themselves on pushing the limits and "challenging" beer with really interesting and intense flavors.

The bartender was super knowledgeable and helped all of us find a beer we would enjoy.  We got to try a few light beers, dark beers, bitter beers, and fruity beers before deciding on our favorite.  As a budding beer connoisseur, it was so interesting to sample so many different kinds and see how complex beer can be.

Sorry Carlsberg, you have some competition.

Getting lost in AMSTERDAM!

With only a quick two hour "nap" between getting home from Istanbul and hearing my alarm, it was time to get to the airport to catch a 8am flight to Amsterdam with my friend Margaret, who had also been in Istanbul with me.

After a quick flight, which I desperately wanted to be longer so I could sleep, we arrived and made our way into the city.  Knowing that we didn't have much time in the city, we tried to push through our exhaustion and get started right away.  Plus, we had to wait until 3pm to check into our hostel.  In the meantime, we grabbed some sandwiches at Singel 404, the most delicious sandwich shop that had been recommended to us.  It was so great, and we got to enjoy our sandwiches and coffee canal-side!

Chicken/avocado sandwich

Coffee; duh.

We wandered the city for a bit afterwards, getting super lost despite the semi-logical canal system.  For whatever reason, we couldn't seem to hold the map the proper way and would end up walking in the completely wrong direction.  It was okay though, we got to see plenty of the city that way, which was pretty cool, especially since the design of Copenhagen is based off of Amsterdam's canals.  Speaking of Copenhagen, there are SO MANY bikes in Amsterdam- maybe not more than Copenhagen, but they're definitely more reckless.  Combined with more cars, as well as trams that run along the road too, being a pedestrian was more treacherous than I was used to.  

The next day, we went to see the Anne Frank house which was really moving because you were able to walk through the whole thing and see where the family had hid for such a long time.  On a lighter note that afternoon, we went to the Heineken brewery!!!  I love brewery tours, and this one was probably one of the best.  Very interactive, and we even got a canalboat ride included in the price of our tickets!

The next day, we made it a point to find the elusive "i amsterdam " sign, which no one in the city besides tourists cared about.  Conveniently, it was right next to the Van Gogh museum!

Van Gogh musuem

Sadly, our time in Amsterdam was coming to an end, so after a quick sandwich from Singel 404 and one last walk through the canals, it was time to catch the train back to the airport and back to lovely Copenhagen.

ps: Amsterdam has the greatest falafel place- Maoz.  Go there.  Yumm.

Istanbul: March 8th

On our last day in Istanbul, we had the whole day to ourselves to do any last minute sight-seeing, grab one last simut, or make one last visit to the Spice Market or Grand Bazaar!  Study tours are usually packed with visits, so having the whole day free was a great break.

First, Sarah and I visited Galata Tour.  If there's something in the city I'm visiting to climb, I make it a point to climb it- but the Galata Tour was even more convenient in that there was an elevator to the top.  Can you say modernization?  Oh well, I wasn't complaining.  

The city goes on FOREVER..

At the top.  Gorgeous view!

After our visit to the tower, we met up with some friends to visit the Grand Bazaar! 

One of SEVEN entrances

It was my first time there, but I had heard plenty about it from Molly: my expert-haggler roommate.  Meeting up with her, I knew I was in good hands.  Like I said before, I'm terrible at haggling, and I really dislike doing it.  I don't find it fun- I find it really unnecessarily uncomfortable, especially when you're arguing for a difference of like $1.  Oh well, it was part of the experience so I gave it a try.  The Grand Bazaar was on a whole new level from the Spice Bazaar- SO many shops that it would apparently take days to stop at each one.  In the end, I was satisfied with my purchases.

After our shopping adventures, we caved into our Western cravings and picked up some Starbucks.  Believe it or not, there are quite a few Starbucks around Istanbul, and I indulged in a Venti iced coffee (yay lower prices!) but not before Sarah and I stopped to befriend some animals in the square.

Meow.

Finally, the time came to meet the bus and head to the airport.  Due to the notoriously unpredictable Istanbul traffic, we cut it a little close to our flight time, but it ended up taking off late anyway so no harm done.  

Laurie is sad to leave, and I apparently find it hilarious.

BACK IN COPENHAGEN at like 1am, we were displeased to find out that the Metro was shut down for the evening, leaving half our class waiting for a regional train.  

Molly was the happiest.

I can safely say that I fell in love with Istanbul- it had this wonderful enchanting mystery about it, and I miss it so much already.  On our first day, Koray warned us that this might happen, and that we would one day bring our children and grandchildren back, and I could definitely see that happening.  Going from having no expectations to becoming so intrigued by a place was truly amazing, and it's something I will never forget.  

In the words of our instructor, Jakob:

"We will always have Istanbul!"

Istanbul: March 7th

Off to another university!  This time, we visited Yeditepe University.  We got a tour of the campus (which was beautiful, and the whole thing was constructed in a ridiculously short amount of time) and talked to professors in the law/international relations department.  The visit itself was cool, but the coolest part was that it was located in ASIA!

Yes, that's right.  I can officially say I've been to Asia even though we didn't even leave Istanbul.  In a matter of just 45 minutes, our bus crossed over the bridge and we all rushed to get a picture of the "Welcome to Asia" sign:

After our visit, we were able to spend some time exploring the area.  Then, we hopped on a ferry to take us back to Europe.  People use this ferry to commute to work every day- such a different concept from anything I'm used to.  Overall, the Asian side of Istanbul was a little bit different from where we had spent our time up until that point.  For example, the main road was lined with luxury shops, nice restaurants, and one Starbucks after another.  It definitely contrasted to other areas we had seen, i.e. the hollowed out houses in the neighborhood near the Greek Patriarchy, etc. 

Back in Europe, my small group went on a walk with a friend of our professor who is originally from Istanbul.  He is of Greek/Armenian background, and during his early life in Istanbul he experienced a lot of the tension surrounding minorities in the area.  The walk was a great way to hear more about his experience and see little-known places in the city that I wouldn't have seen otherwise.  One thing he pointed out was the effort to modernize Istanbul, often at the expense of important cultural sites such as Greek and Armenian churches.

Armenian church; tucked away off the main street

Attempts at art-deco design on one street, which our guide found repulsive, haha

After our walk, we went back to the hotel and I took a quick nap before our FINAL DINNER of study tour.  We went to this very snazzy place that was restaurant by evening, dance club at night.  Once we finished our meals, the tables were cleared away and we basically had the entire place to ourselves and a personal DJ.  The whole class, our professor included, had so much fun together celebrating a fantastic 5 days in Istanbul.

Love ya, Istanbul

Istanbul: March 6th

Our morning started out with an academic visit to the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV) where we spoke to the head of the democratization department about minority issues and rights in Turkey, focusing on the Kurdish question.

Then Koray took us to the Spice Bazaar where we got our first taste of marketplace life in Istanbul.  Upon entering, we were beckoned by every single shopkeeper to sample their Turkish delight, various teas, look at their huge selection of scarves, etc.  Never in my life have I been called "beautiful," "angel," or "California" in such rapid succession.  Also, the whole place was like sensory overload with so many stands selling almost the exact same things.  On top of that, I really don't enjoy haggling, and I'm really bad at it.  Aside from all those pressures, it was a lot of fun!

Inside the Spice Bazaar

So much Turkish delight.  

The rest of the day was reserved for small groups to go on their relevant cultural/academic visits.  Since my group had already done our visit to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchy, a few of us decided to venture over to Çemberlitas Hammam.

What is the Çemberlitas Hammam, you ask?  It's a traditional Turkish bath dating back to the 1500s.  Now, what is a Turkish bath?  Basically, you lay on a huge warm stone in a steam room and are washed/scrubbed down by an attendant.  At first consideration, the whole concept seems strange/awkward, but we had all heard such great things and decided to give it a try- for the story, if nothing else.  Obviously, I have no pictures,  but it was definitely unforgettable.  Only in Turkey.

The whole Turkish bath affair was a good couple hours of relaxation, and after we were sufficiently bathed and exfoliated we meandered back to the hotel.  We spent the evening wandering the city, stopping to grab some kabob for dinner, chat over a glass of wine in a café, and finally visiting the candy store for some baklava and Turkish delight.