on top of the world

It's Sunday evening and Susanne and I are having a dinner-and-a-movie night:) The Blind Side is on so I figure that's as close as I'm going to get to watching the Super Bowl...miss you Daddy:( This past week was, once again, wonderful. Loving my classes and having tons of fun exploring and learning everything I can about my new home.

On Tuesday, we had our first patient in my Human Health and Disease class. As a class, we get to interview and write up a medical history report for five patients throughout the semester. It's definitely one of my favorite classes. I feel like I'm learning so much already and so much is hands on.. we have opportunities through this program that I wouldn't normally have until med school at home. How cool is it to have actual doctors teach you in a hospital?! 

Wednesday I had no class so I slept in (much needed after the Dispatch concert on Monday) and did some work. That night, we had our short study tour orientation and core course dinner in the city. So this week is called core course week where every core course (mine being Medical Practice and Policy)  at DIS goes to another city in western Denmark. My class is going to Aarhus and Vejle, two cities in Jutland (the main part of Denmark that is connected to the rest of Europe; Copenhagen and Nivaa are in Zealand, one of the islands that the country is comprised of... here's a map). We leave by bus tomorrow morning and travel, staying in hostels until Wednesday. While we're there, we visit hospitals and private clinics for class, but it's supposed to be a lot of fun too.. we go to a really famous art museum called ARoS and go go-carting! Thursday and Friday we're back home, but we don't go to regular classes. We go to some lectures given by medical professionals and on Friday we have our first exam for HHD (human health and disease). Should be ridiculously easy based on last year's exam. Anyway, our orientation for the trip was Wednesday and then they had dinner for us, so we got to hang out and get to know the people in our core course outside of class which was really nice.

Thursday, Julia and I went to the mall outside of Copenhagen to shop a little bit and then Susanne, Sebastian, Michael and I went next door to Mette and Sarah's for dinner. Sarah is a musician, so of course we both had to sing/play piano. Also, we're apparently expected to prepare songs to sing and play together for my birthday party haha! 

On Friday, Christie Spencer (from SLU) came home with me and we all made homemade pizza (Michael came over for dinner with Magnus). After dinner, we ate Susanne's famous (and impossible to resist) apple cake and watched James Bond.. Michael and the boys have made it their goal for me to watch all 30 million of them before I leave (I haven't seen any of them so we've got a lot of ground to cover!) 

a little taste of home:)

Saturday morning after Christie left, Susanne and I went for a run. She showed me her 5k route.. it's beautiful. It goes across the beach, along the harbor, and through the woods, ending with a final sprint up Nivaa mountain (which I have decided is my favorite place in Denmark so far haha). After some yoga on "my rock", checking out the perfect view to Sweden, and of course, some sick pictures (credit to Susanne), we walked back home, only stopping to play on the playground:) Saturday evening, I went into Copenhagen and met up with Ngozi, Thierry, Julia and Reka (our friend who lives near Julia's house). We went to Christianshavn for a bit and then to some bars in inner city. Pretty chill night, came home around 1 and went to bed.

Dad asks every day if I'm running.. here's your proof, Dad

beautiful day

literally on top of the world here. couldn't be any happier:)

ouuuu just doing some yoga on my rock

looking at Sweden!

Jules and me:)

cousins.. kinda... haha

my chicks

This morning, I woke up and did some homework and then - drum rollllllll - BOOKED MY FLIGHT TO ROME IN MARCH!!! WOOOOO! I don't know whether I'm more excited to spend 10 days frolicking through Rome and Florence or to see my mom:) I'll be spending the weekend (starting with March 22nd) with a friend from SLU studying there and then Mom and I will stay in a beautifullll hotel in the middle of Rome for 2 nights once she gets there on Sunday. On Tuesday, we will move on to Florence to stay with our cousins, Debbie and Roy Germano who literally could not be any sweeter or more helpful. Sooooo cannot wait!!! But more on that when it's a little closer (48 days today:)). Anyway, after spending the day inside, Susanne and I decided to get out and get outside. It's only been 3 weeks, but I think it's safe to say I'm just as addicted to fresh air as everyone else here haha. I can't get enough of it! We went to Rungsted Kyst, a few train stops away and walked down to the harbor, passing by the Karen Blixen museum. It was pretty cool actually because I went to the museum at her former house in Kenya also! The harbor at night is really beautiful with all the lights on the water and on the store fronts. We went to a restaurant/cafe overlooking the sea with a perfect view of Sweden.. also beautiful at night with all the lights. We sat and talked and drank coffee and ate chocolate cake, which I absolutely did not need. On that note, Susanne and I have made a pact not to eat any desserts until my birthday party in two weeks haha. Seriously, everything here is so good, I can't resist the temptation!! Haha, so anyway, once it got dark, we walked back to the train station and went home for dinner. Now, I'm (of course) sobbing watching this movie with Susanne.. I've seen it about 25 times, but I can't watch it without crying. It's Susanne's first time seeing it, so we'll see if she feels the same way haha:) 

p.s. I won't be able to write again until next weekend because I won't have my computer while we're travelling and we have to get up SO early everyday, so I'll probably be too tired at night. Hej Hej! (bye!)