doing as the danes do

Saturday night was probably one of the most carefree, crazy nights I've had in a long time. Julia's cousin in Canada met some girls from Denmark who were studying abroad at his school last semester and hooked her up with his friend Pernille, who lives right in Copenhagen. We got directions, got lost, asked around, and got lost again, only to realize we had been circling her (unmarked) apartment building for half an hour. Solid start to the night.. perhaps it was the beer we drank on the train. Speaking of, still can't get over the fact that everyone just drinks everywhere; trains, buses, streets.. Copenhagen on the weekend is just one big, roofless nightclub. Reason #478 why I'm never leaving. Anyway, we made it to the apartment, met Pernille and her 3 wonderful friends, Monica, Mathilde, and Mette, and spent the evening "doing as the Danes do"; drinking wine, engaging in meaningful conversation, eating vegetables (no, not chips and pizza.. carrot sticks and cucumbers. How else do you think they stay so skinny and beautiful?), listening to Danish music, singing "Barbie Girl" at the top of our lungs while dancing around the living room (fun fact: one hit wonder, Aqua, is a Danish band) and of course, "doing as girls do" and talking about boys. This lasted until about 1:30 (yes, 1:30 AM) when we decided to go out in the city. We hopped on the metro, listened to some drunk guy mumble dirty one-liners in Danish, and walked to a bar in the inner-city. We were greeted outside by a bouncer handing out free drink certificates to the women and then inside, by a (clearly desperate) Dane handing out his number. He was a hockey player.. need I go on? I will anyway; he took Julia's and my coats and he and his friend bought us drinks before trying to lay the moves on. First thing he did was open his phone to get my number, however, he accidentally showed me the background of his phone: an adorable little picture of his girlfriend... andddd their 1-year old daughter. Rookie mistake. Not that he had a chance, but regardless. Sleezeball. Anyway, we let them buy us a few drinks and then spent the remainder of the night on the dance floor with the rest of the girls. So. Much. Fun. At 4:30, Julia and I figured we should probably head home, so we walked to the train station and went our separate ways. Another fun fact: my train only comes to the station once every hour after midnight on the weekends. Naturally, I got to the station about 4 minutes after the train left. Lucky thing this city is so safe.. and that everyone goes out until 4:30 here; there must've been 50 people on the platform, dancing, laughing, rapidly losing the last shreds of dignity they had left, and stuffing their faces with the remnants of drunken trips to one of the 20 Shawarmas in a 2 block radius. Quite a scene. I loved every second of it. Finally, the train came and I made my way home, FaceTimed with the family, and went to bed.
Sunday morning, Susanne and I did yoga and had breakfast. I got her to try peanut butter and jelly for the first time and now, she can't get enough of it! I'm turning her into an American; in case you didn't know, peanut butter isn't high on the list of Danish delicacies (yet somehow karrysild, or curried herring, makes top 5). In fact, most have never even tried it. So when I put peanut butter AND jelly on a piece of bread, the family was floored. Oh, the horror. At any rate, now Susanne loves it, Michael tried it but doesn't like it, and Sebastian won't even hold the jar.

I had to document the big moment

After breakfast Susanne and I went for a walk down to the harbor and we realized that it had been exactly one month since I had arrived. One whole month. How does that even happen? I wanted to cry. I can't even imagine going back home. Nothing personal, Mom, but I just love being abroad. I love meeting new people, getting lost in the city, riding the train, understanding and appreciating new cultures, and of course, trying to figure out how to say rødgrød med fløde without swallowing my tongue (click the link and then the pronunciation in purple and you'll understand what I mean). I've learned more in the last month than I ever could in four years at University. No, I'm not talking Biochemistry or Anatomy... those mean nothing when compared to the opportunities for enriching the spirit, opening the mind, and bettering the soul of a person. I felt the same way when I was in Kenya; I thrive when I am outside of my comfort zone and immersed in a culture different from my own and I'm not kidding, someone is going to have to physically drag me onto that plane come May. Ok, rant over. Speaking of May, I am actually in the process of extending my stay about 2-3 weeks so I can travel more and see Denmark in the sweet summertime. More on that later.

on our walk

Tuesday night, Martine (Susanne's sister) and Thierry came over for dinner and then yesterday, (Wednesday) I had the day off again and Susanne's friend Trine, her son Jonas, and their sweet dog Mille, came over for the afternoon. We went for a walk and then had homemade bread with tea and coffee. As soon as they left, we had to start preparing for dinner because Susanne and Michael's friends, Henrik and his wife Dorte, were on their way (3 events in 2 days.. can you say, Hollywood?) Delicious food, a bottle of wine, and wonderful conversation with wonderful people. Perfect night, nej?
Well, I will write again on Sunday after the big birthday party. Quick rundown for now: tomorrow night, friends from school and potentially Niklas and some of his friends will come to the house to hangout and stay the night and then Saturday (after a traditional, early-morning birthday-song wake up) about 20 guests will be coming over for desserts and coffee and tea in the afternoon, dinner in the evening, and then..... I mean, I'm turning 21, what do you think comes next?
VI SES!

this is the invitation Susanne made. how freaking precious?! reason #479 why I don't want to leave