Well, it took quite a bit of an adjustment, but I feel like I'm beginning to figure things out here in Aarhus. Today is the first day I've been able to blog because my 3 prong converter did not fit into a Danish plug (which look like smiley faces!).
My roommate Christina is from California. We arrived only an hour apart. So, it worked out very conveniently. We were able to go buy sheets, pillows, etc. to get all settled into our apartment. Afterward, Niklas and Mette, our mentors dropped us off in the city, showed us our bus stop and basically said good luck figuring everything out. I think they're quite busy getting all of the international students settled in. I believe there are 50 or so of us in all 4 courses. 18 in my TV course.
So first on our list of things to do was buy sim cards, 3 prong converters, and find a Danske Bank to exchange some money. It took us most of the afternoon to find this tiny shop called Telenor that set us up with phones. But getting lost in the city wasn't bad at all. We discovered all the cute shops and canals you see in Google images when you google Aarhus. We saw where there's an entire area cut out of the city center for ice skating. Oooh and I love all the little alleyways that are mostly cobblestone. Everything is just so charming to me right now. The people are wonderful. I try my best to say Tak as much as possible. It's definitely Christina and I's go to word. It means Thanks. We've learned not to say goodbye or Farvel when you leave a store. Niklas said if someone says farvel it means you won't be seeing them ever again. Instead you say Tak Hej Hej (Thanks Bye, Bye). Hej is pronounced as "hi" though, so it's kind of funny to hear.
Most people do speak English thankfully, especially, the young people. So when we do get lost and need to find a place, we look for the younger people. I've noticed that their language is much more short and soft here, whereas in America we really pronounce our words. It's hard for me to make my voice lighter so that I pronounce things better, but I'm getting better.
As far as food goes, we haven't ventured out too much yet. We did try their danishes and coffee and it was delicious. We may try the street food tomorrow.
Today, went much better than yesterday. We were able to find a plug adapter for my pc, a switcher box for the internet, and a really, really long ethernet cable that stretches from Christina's room to mine. So, it's been a successful day, and I also need to pay a special tak to my Aunt Karen and Uncle Steve who bought me these wonderful thermals! They've been wonderful in this freezing weather. It's not unbearable, but you definitely have to layer up your clothing here. I mean a tank, shirt, maybe another shirt, jacket, scarf, ear muffs, gloves, leggings, jeans, boots, and socks keeps me warm enough. It's kind of difficult to live in a cold environment, because you walk into stores and they are kept very warm. So you are constantly layering and unlayering throughout the day.
Oh yea, it's kind of funny that they put the two Americans together in the same room but also two tiny Americans. Christina is the same size as me! So, tomorrow we'll be searching for an Ikea to buy a stool so that we can see in the mirror in our bathroom :) We might also be buying our bikes! I have a feeling I'll be coming home in great shape. It's about a 20 min. bike ride to school, well so we've heard. I can't wait for the semester to begin and meet more people. We've already met so many, especially since our apartment is host to many international students. On our way home tonight we met a group from Madrid, Spain. We're planning on meeting up with them later tonight. It's just so cool to be around so many different cultures.
My first trip has been planned. Christina and I are meeting a couple other students in our program in Copenhagen. We'll probably leave Monday by train and return Wednesday or Thursday. We'll definitely come back in time to get prepared for school, which starts Jan. 31st!
My roommate Christina is from California. We arrived only an hour apart. So, it worked out very conveniently. We were able to go buy sheets, pillows, etc. to get all settled into our apartment. Afterward, Niklas and Mette, our mentors dropped us off in the city, showed us our bus stop and basically said good luck figuring everything out. I think they're quite busy getting all of the international students settled in. I believe there are 50 or so of us in all 4 courses. 18 in my TV course.
So first on our list of things to do was buy sim cards, 3 prong converters, and find a Danske Bank to exchange some money. It took us most of the afternoon to find this tiny shop called Telenor that set us up with phones. But getting lost in the city wasn't bad at all. We discovered all the cute shops and canals you see in Google images when you google Aarhus. We saw where there's an entire area cut out of the city center for ice skating. Oooh and I love all the little alleyways that are mostly cobblestone. Everything is just so charming to me right now. The people are wonderful. I try my best to say Tak as much as possible. It's definitely Christina and I's go to word. It means Thanks. We've learned not to say goodbye or Farvel when you leave a store. Niklas said if someone says farvel it means you won't be seeing them ever again. Instead you say Tak Hej Hej (Thanks Bye, Bye). Hej is pronounced as "hi" though, so it's kind of funny to hear.
Most people do speak English thankfully, especially, the young people. So when we do get lost and need to find a place, we look for the younger people. I've noticed that their language is much more short and soft here, whereas in America we really pronounce our words. It's hard for me to make my voice lighter so that I pronounce things better, but I'm getting better.
As far as food goes, we haven't ventured out too much yet. We did try their danishes and coffee and it was delicious. We may try the street food tomorrow.
Today, went much better than yesterday. We were able to find a plug adapter for my pc, a switcher box for the internet, and a really, really long ethernet cable that stretches from Christina's room to mine. So, it's been a successful day, and I also need to pay a special tak to my Aunt Karen and Uncle Steve who bought me these wonderful thermals! They've been wonderful in this freezing weather. It's not unbearable, but you definitely have to layer up your clothing here. I mean a tank, shirt, maybe another shirt, jacket, scarf, ear muffs, gloves, leggings, jeans, boots, and socks keeps me warm enough. It's kind of difficult to live in a cold environment, because you walk into stores and they are kept very warm. So you are constantly layering and unlayering throughout the day.
Oh yea, it's kind of funny that they put the two Americans together in the same room but also two tiny Americans. Christina is the same size as me! So, tomorrow we'll be searching for an Ikea to buy a stool so that we can see in the mirror in our bathroom :) We might also be buying our bikes! I have a feeling I'll be coming home in great shape. It's about a 20 min. bike ride to school, well so we've heard. I can't wait for the semester to begin and meet more people. We've already met so many, especially since our apartment is host to many international students. On our way home tonight we met a group from Madrid, Spain. We're planning on meeting up with them later tonight. It's just so cool to be around so many different cultures.
My first trip has been planned. Christina and I are meeting a couple other students in our program in Copenhagen. We'll probably leave Monday by train and return Wednesday or Thursday. We'll definitely come back in time to get prepared for school, which starts Jan. 31st!
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