Ny venner og hjemve (New Friends and Homesickness)

 It's been getting progressively easier to be in this beautiful country, in terms of language learning, getting around, and for the most part (in my opinion, though I could be completely wrong), acting as the Danes do. Or if anything, not acting like such an (US) American.

I'm slowly understanding more Danish that I hear spoken to or around me, and I'm able to speak it significantly better (but not by a whole lot) than my first impressions post where I could only order ice cream. And weirdly enough, my brain has started to replace small English words with the Danish equivalent. Like, I'll think of the word "og" before "and", or instead of saying "what?" when I'm caught off guard or don't understand something, I say "hvad?" or "hva?".  Those are just examples of words, but it happens more and more the longer I'm here, which gives me hope for learning this crazy language.

 Something that is an issue though, with all the Danish going on around me, is that I am beginning to lose my English. I don't know if it's common among exchange students to begin to slowly forget their native language on exchange, but many of the other native English speaking exchange students I know in Denmark have experienced the same thing. Maybe we're just surrounded by Danish so much, and when we do speak English with Danes, it's slightly broken. Don't get me wrong though, just about every Dane I know speaks really great English, but it's still a bit off, so I'm probably just not exercising it well enough. I don't mind it too much, since I'm really trying to focus on learning my host language.

 I'm finally getting closer to my classmates, though I think the novelty of me being foreign has worn off. I'm also getting closer to the other exchange students I've met at sprog skole (Danish school/class). Many of them aren't from Rotary, so it's been nice to meet them in another way. We meet up outside of class from time to time, and spend time together. I really enjoy the connections I'm building here, but I'm starting to miss people at home. I'll be thinking of messaging someone to ask them to hang out, but then I realize, "Um, hey, they're over 5,000 miles away, can't do that.".

My homesickness has extended past food, and to the people and feelings of my life in Texas. I think it's partially due to theatre. I was supposed to be inducted as a thespian this year, but instead I'm here on exchange. Now of course what I'm doing now is completely worth it, but I miss acting so much. Our department had induction the other day, and when I heard about it, I just cried; that of course leads into me being homesick. I was sitting in my room yesterday and thinking about things I used to do, and kind of missing it. It isn't a heavy feeling, it's actually really faint, but it's still a new feeling that I've noticed and guess I should record.

 This was a very short post, which I'm sorry for, but I figured it'd be nice to give a little update about how I'm doing. Now for the worrywarts back home, don't worry, I'm completely okay (regarding the homesickness). I'm still loving every moment of this new life I'm building, and I hope it doesn't fly by too fast ;).

Also, this is a cute little thing I learned in Drama yesterday, instead of saying stage left and stage right, they say kongens side and dame side, which means the kings side and the ladies side. Not too interesting, but I thought it was a super cute thing to share.

We went bridge-walking at our district meet, one of the two places in the world that it's possible to do this ;)

Two of my friends from class, Mille and Natasja

My friend Emma from Pennsylvania and I before the flag ceremony for our district conference. (Excuse our tired faces)

An unfocused (but adorable) picture of my Italian friend Elisa and I

Introcamp & Food Cravings

I've been in Denmark a whole month now, well, actually a month and two days, but I'm not counting yet.
 This country finds new and creative ways to surprise me every day, and I'm eating it up like the burgers I've been going out of my way to buy for the past several days. Yup, I've been craving junky, greasy foods lately, and Denmark is the last place you'd ever want to go to find those things. Most of the foods, (even the ones Danes consider "junky") are very healthy. Of course that shows in the people; in the states, you can walk outside of your house and pick out at least 10 very "unhealthy" looking people in a handful of minutes, but here, most people are very fit, and look like they have balanced diets, or at least mostly healthy ones. They don't use so much grease, or salt, and they don't eat Mexican food, so it's a little hard to deal. I'm glad that I get to try having more green in my meals, but you know, a girl has got to get a little grease on her fingers. I've been frequenting the McDonald's and a restaurant fittingly named, "The Burger". It's definitely not the same, even the McDonald's food breaks my heart, because it doesn't have that American touch.
 That's another thing Danes don't do, most every food here, is served with a knife and a fork on the sides of your plate. I think I've been told by some that they do it to keep their hands clean, which is completely understandable, but very unusual for someone who comes from a place where hands are one of the most useful tools for eating food. Of course we don't use our hands for things like pasta, or mashed potatoes, but you will never see us use a knife and fork on a slice of pizza.
 Rotary hosted all of the exchange students at Nøgaard's Højskole in Bjerringbro last week for our introcamp, and though there was a lot of work involved, I have to say it's the most fun I've had in Denmark yet. I roomed with two other girls from the states, and had the opportunity to meet so many fun people I wouldn't have otherwise known. It took about an hour with everyone in the same clearing to fill up everyone's blazers with pins, and pockets with business cards. To my surprise I found two other people from Texas, I thought I was the only one who understood how awful the lack of Whataburger, Dr. Pepper, and Tex-Mex was until then, and it was a bit more relieving, sharing the burden.
 We had 6 hours of Danish lessons every day, (except Wednesday, our "excursion to Aarhus") and I think it was really just the basics that we learned, along with grammar and a handful of  every day phrases where Danes use the word "ass" (røv). Then, in the evenings, they planned fun little activities for us to choose from, like Filipino stick fighting, dance classes, yoga, soccer (I think? Or was it hockey?) and some other stuff. I took a salsa class and a hip hop dancing workshop, because I lack talent with any kind of dancing, so I may as well turn the irony up on high. We also got to make bread over a fire, which is probably one of the most Danish things you can do.
 Wednesday was when we had our trip to Aarhus, and I swear that city is the most gorgeous I've seen in person. We went to the Aros art museum, which was also entirely fascinating. I think it may be nearly equivalent to being the Eiffel tower of Denmark. It's a popular destination. The levels of the museum, we were told, were supposed to represent the 7 circles/levels of hell, and the rainbow panorama at the top represented heaven. It was so amazingly modern, and I had a great experience.
 It was hard to say goodbye to all the friends I made there, because as an exchange student, there really isn't someone you can connect with better than another exchange student. You're in the same shoes, and that, times over a hundred, was amazing.
 I'm actually going to visit some friends I made there in Copenhagen next weekend, I bought my train ticket already, and I'm actually really stoked for it. I'm also kind of proud of the fact that I was able to go and buy the ticket myself, and arrange the travel plan. As an Texan teen, that's not something that is normally my responsibility. Especially considering you don't usually take trains in Texas.
 I'm learning to be responsible for myself, and thinking about it is kind of scary, but it's exciting to explore a new level of independence.
 I miss certain things about Texas, like the food (you already know this because I haven't been able to shut up about it), and school electives/clubs like Choir, Theatre and Interact club, but I wouldn't trade being in Denmark for any of those things.
  I also started Danish school (class?) this week, it's every Tuesday and Thursday from 14:45 to 17:00. It's kind of exhausting, but it's nice spending time with the exchange students who don't live in Odense (they live in surrounding areas and take the train/bus here), a lot of them aren't Rotary, so I have the chance to still meet more and more people. I love it, I think accents are actually super adorable, and it's just one of those things I guess. I forget I'm foreign sometimes, so talking to people who aren't from the States or Canada makes me so... I don't know, excited. I think its so cute for some reason, but that's just me being weird.
 Until I have something else interesting to write about, vi ses! ;)
                            (Below are a few pictures I took in Aarhus, mainly of Aros)

Representing in front of the beautiful Danish sky and flags

I have to say, one of Canada's greatest creations

The beautiful Aros museum from the outside

All over the world, but in one spot

My fellow Texas buddies

I mean, who doesn't take jumping pictures on exchange?

Snapped a pic in "heaven"

Two Weeks in Denmark

 I'm awful at posting apparently, but Denmark has been my home now for just over two weeks, and I'm so in love.
 I started school last week, and let me tell you, Danish Gymnasiums are very different from American high schools. There aren't dress codes here, but nobody abuses it. And I personally think American schools could take a leaf or two, because everybody learns the same, if not better, without dress codes and the constant fisheye from cynical school officials. And instead of having eight different classes that you go to on your own, you follow one class to the different rooms, and there's no specific schedule for what rooms you go to from day to day.
 It was pretty overwhelming at first, and my first few days were really stressful, but things started looking up later in the week. I'm just so thankful my class speaks really good English, it makes communication a little easier for me... for now. I was also pretty relieved to find that my classmates are actually very friendly (I was scared that they didn't like me at first, which is probably normal for any exchange student). School is another motivation for me to learn Danish, I don't expect everyone to baby me with English forever, or even more than a couple months, especially considering that it isn't their first language, so it isn't too easy for them. I really believe that this school year is going to be great, everyone is really sweet once you break the ice, and everyone has a really interesting personality.
 All my classes are in Danish, except for probably English, but I haven't had English yet, so I don't know.
 Another cute thing that Danish schools do that you'd probably never find in the states is this thing called an Introfest. The gymnasiums (and I think efterskoles do this too, though I'm not entirely sure) hold this party for all the "first graders" to break the ice. Each class gets a color, and they have to decide a theme to dress up as and decorate their tables using the letter of their class. Our color was blue, so we decided to all go as blue fairies/fere. It's so creative, and I really enjoyed seeing what the other classes came up with. They played a lot of American music, which surprised me, though I wasn't complaining, I could sing along:). It was a lot of fun for me, and I love how these schools incorporate fun into their students' time there. School is actually a thing to look forward to.
 I'm also with my first host family now, they came back from holiday a few days after my last post. I really like it here, their home is in such a convenient area (about 10 minutes from my school/centrum on bike) and the neighborhood is really beautiful. They have an 11 year old dog named Vera, and trust me, those 11 years have nothing on her, walking her is an adventure in itself. I also have a host-brother, I'm going to have host-siblings in all of my host families, so it's a goal of mine to develop good friendships with all of them. My host parents are so sweet, and they've been so hospitable to me in the short time I've been with them, I can definitely say I look forward to the rest of my time in their home:).   
 We eat a lot of healthy foods, so that took quite a little getting used to, but I kind of enjoy it now. I'm probably going to make something really... Texas one of these days. I definitely want to make dirt pie (despite the name, its freaking delicious).
 I think in the two weeks  I've been here, I've bought enough clothes to fill up the carryon suitcase I brought. I have a feeling next July, I'll be leaving with quite a lot more luggage. On the topic of buying things, I found a Dr. Pepper in one of the shops in my city the other day. I was hanging with a few girls from my class at the time, so I'm wondering if they thought me freaking out and getting SUPER excited was weird or not. It upped my mood for the rest of the evening though.
 This next week is the H.C Andersen festival in Odense (where I live, and also where Hans himself grew up). I'm really excited to see what's going on with it, and I'm wondering if I should just keep my camera handy 24/7. 
 I've gotten so many questions like, "Why Denmark?" "Why would you come here of all places?", and honestly, I can't say I understand why that's even a question. This country is beautiful, along with the culture and the people in it...and even the crazy fast, hard to understand language. I've probably said this a million times, and I know I'm going to end up saying it a couple million more, but I'm so in love with Denmark, I don't care if it's small, or that I'll have to work twice as hard to learn the language as I would other languages, I'm so glad I get to call Denmark home for quite a while. Even if things feel like they're looking down, they're constantly looking up, more and more.
   If I don't post by next Sunday, bug me about it, I'm really good at procrastinating and probably won't get off my butt and do it without a little push. Annnnd, if my grammar is terrible, just know it's 00:46 here and I'm very tired:')

I've got a whole lotta love for exchange students and Danes <3

 

The Blomster festival in Odense

Finding your favorite soda in your host country is utter bliss and a beacon of hope

Denmark: First Impressions

  I'm in Denmark now, I arrived at the Billund airport Saturday at about 10:35AM, or back in Texas, 3:35AM. My first host family is on holiday in Italy, so my club counsellor picked me up at the airport, and I'll be staying with him for the next week until they get back. It was cute that I thought I wouldn't get jet lag, I got off the plane energized as ever, but come 2:35 in the afternoon, that 7 hour time difference hit me like a truck. I fought it for a bit, because I was told it helps to wait until a normal time in the new country to sleep, but I gave in and had to take a two hour nap later on.
 I will tell you this,
culture shock and language barriers are 100% REAL. Denmark is so different from the US, and I think I'm used to the new things I've encountered by now, but I'm sure there are more to come. It's very frustrating wanting to understand what someone is saying when they speak, and wanting to say something, but your head goes blank. In my few days here, I think the most successful Danish I've spoken was ordering ice cream. Sometimes I'll say something, even a word and the person I'm talking to will say "what?" like 3 times before I have to elaborate for them. I can type it just fine if I know the vocabulary. I think you can see how terrible it is for someone who corrects everybody on their spelling, grammar and pronunciation mistakes to speak like a two year old. The family I'm staying with right now uses English with me, and I'm grateful for that, but I don't want to use English, and I know that its normal for exchange students to have this kind of trouble at first, but something in my head makes me wish I could've stepped off the plane fluent. I saw a dog yesterday, and I was petting him and stuff, his owners thought it was cute and were saying things in Danish about it. Well me, having the big headed pride I do, didn't want them to know I was foreign, so all I would say to the dog was "hej". I wanted to tell the owners how cute their dog was, but my brain froze and I smiled at them like an idiot. I think that's one of my main motivations to learn the language at this point: Be able to talk to people with dogs. That sounds really dumb but I hate my lack of proper communication.
 Also, it's cold here! For a Texan like me, summer is the equivalent to sweating your skin off, but here its rain and temperatures between the 60's and 70's in Fahrenheit. It isn't "cold" really, but I've had to put on a jacket before I go outside, or I'm shivering. I'm buying a new jacket today, I'm going to meet some other exchange students and a rebound and they're going to show us around Odense. Do you know how excited I am to actually be able to exchange my USD for DKK? Very.
 I may buy some clothes today too, I don't know, as long as it doesn't cause trouble for anyone else. I only brought about a weeks worth of clothes, so I definitely need to shop for some. I start school next week, which is very exciting.
 Jan took us to his summer house yesterday, and I took a ton of pictures on my camera. The scenery in Denmark is beautiful, the water at the beach is so clear, and the houses are so cute. They have types of flowers I've never seen in America before, and I'm wondering if we even have them.
 In the past few days, I've eaten SO MUCH BREAD. Danes like to put different spreads and meats on their bread, so I've discovered that I enjoy rullepølse, and there are these two other ones I really didn't like. I don't remember the names, but one is like, apples and bacon in one sauce, so its sweet, and then meaty and my taste buds could NOT agree on it. The other is this meat spread with like, cow liver and pig fat I think, and it didn't taste so bad at first, but the after taste was killing me. I also don't like licorice, I knew I didn't like black licorice to begin with when I lived in the US, but I heard Danish licorice was different, and I've been doing a whole lot of, "I'm going to like this", lately so my pickiness won't kick in.
 Also, before I end this post, if you're ever going to live somewhere with such a large bicycle culture as Denmark, get used to riding before you come because the seat will make you sore. Just saying.
 I need to get ready now, so hej hej!

The beach in Hasmark

A row of summer houses lining the beach

These houses are absolutely adorable, seriously.

Pre-Departure Depression

 I have 11 days left until I leave, and trust me, I'm excited. I'm also feeling a whole big combination of other things.
 I don't know if it's just me, but I feel like my life here in Texas has become very...forced? No, more like, I feel like the role I play in my life is continuously fading, and I'm becoming less and less a part of it. I've been feeling like this for a few weeks now, very faintly, but today I went to see Camp Broadway's Shrek Jr. (Our theatre department does a camp during the summer where the kids from I believe K-Incoming freshman can put together a show under the direction of SHS theatre students, alumni, and of course the directors, called Camp Broadway) and I felt so awkward and out of place. I didn't help out with the show, because I never found out when rehearsals were and I've also been pretty busy, but I decided to come and watch the last performance, to see everyone before I left. I hung around one of my friends just about the whole time, but I just had this feeling that whole time that I shouldn't have been there. Same thing when I hang out with my friends on a normal day, I just don't feel right about it anymore. I feel like it's normal though, I'm about to leave for a year, and my brain is anticipating it. I still had fun, and I hope Odense has some form of theatre, so I don't feel like this for long.
 Another thing I've noticed, is that I've been sitting around more. I don't want to pack, I've been tired more often and I've been eating enough for a stomach twice the size of mine. Nervous habits, I know, but sometimes I just sit there and ask myself what I'm doing. It's nice though, I can spend the time with my cats that I won't be able to. I think they can sense that I'm leaving soon. They've been friendlier and more needy than they've ever been, and they kind of fight for my attention in a way. Last night Moon was laying in my lap, and Cira came over to me, wanting to be pet, and Moon would use her paw to try and push Cira away, and when that didn't work, she'd get closer to her and bat at Cira with both paws. It's actually really cute.
 Though all I've mentioned about my feelings about leaving so far seems super negative, I'm actually counting down the minutes almost. I'm about to jump out of my skin, I want to leave so bad. I'm ready to meet people, and be immersed in everything Denmark, it's insane. I'm going to my sponsor Rotary club on Tuesday, I haven't been there since January or February, so I think it'll be nice. Not to mention the food served at Rotary meetings is literally music to my mouth. Does that sound weird? I'm pretty weird.
 I know I have to start packing soon, like, a right away kind of soon. I'm going to clean up my room and wash some clothes so I can get on that. I also have to go to Walmart and buy the things I made a list of. I'm glad I'm not stressing about this, I know everything will end up being absolutely fantastic. I may be having to say bye to my friends, family, pets, and life, but the good outweighs the bad and I'll be back.

I hung out with my friend Kenneth for the majority of the time, and bugged him while he was working lights :)

Self introduction

 Hey! My name is Jade Evink, and this is my first blog post about my future exchange. So I'm from Texas, USA D5840, and I'm super happy that I'll be doing my exchange in Odense, Denmark D1461, Odense is located on this region of Denmark called Fyn, and it's a really cute town. 
 I'm leaving Texas on August 5th, and I should arrive the next day in Denmark. I have like 3 flights, and all of my layovers are a long wait. Yikes. 
 I'm already friends with most of the people going to Denmark with me, and we're all pretty excited to ACTUALLY FINALLY MEET. We've been counting down. We have an introcamp around the end of August that all of the Denmark inbounds go to, and I'm dead excited for it since a lot of us are going to be pretty far from each other in Denmark, well, for a Texan, it isn't very far. The others think 2 hours is a far ways away, but I personally don't know about that.
 We had our last RYE orientation for my district Sunday, and all of us (the outbounds) got our official Rotary blazers and trading pins, I felt kind of emotional for a while after that because it really feels REAL now... Like, this whole process has kind of been a breeze emotionally because it really hadn't hit me that, "Hey, you're going to leave in less than 60 days. Everything is going to change for you after that.". It's really surreal for me all of a sudden.