just a heads up I started writing this post at the end of March, then finished today:
Today, I am home from school sick. So I am blogging from the comforts of my pjs, drinking some fruity tea, listening to a golden oldies online radio station, sitting on my bed in my bedroom of my last family. I moved to my last family, a few weeks ago. I have slowly realized this is my last family and that soon this year, this (crazy, exciting, full of experiences, and some strange things) year of exchange; will soon be over. Its bittersweet for me, I know some of my friends and family back home will be are very happy to hear that my year is almost over knowing that I will soon be coming home. But from my perspective it means: going back and trying to readjust to life I left, going back to what is considered normal, leaving my two new families, my new friends(both exchange and danish), leaving all these things that I once found strange/different that have become very normal like public transport, rugbrød, liverpostej, etc. It also means getting to see all my old friends again, going back to my family, getting back involved with those million and one activities I used to do. its bitter sweet.
and now on to what has been going on recently:
Well this month has been an interesting one:
started off with a Rotary Get to gather in Copenhagen, with all the "Oldies" and "Newbies", oh I am an Oldie now. That seems crazy to me. Anyways, It was a sport weekend, they some how thought they could get 200+ lazy exchange students to work out for a total of 6 hours(2 the first day 4 the second day), and we did well kind of. We arrived a 7 pm to the FitnessDK center and then had to register and then we found out we had to sign up for one or two classes that night with the options of:
Yoga
Body Jam(a kind of Dance class)
Body Pump( essentially lifting weights to techno)
Water Aerobics(which became water games because no one actually paid attention to the instructor)
and Spinning
This was after for many of us a 2+ hour train ride(some had an 8 hour train ride, my own was hours) and most of us spent a few hours in Copenhagen walking around shopping and general sight seeing. Most of us only signed up for one hour of class. I took a yoga class. Then we went to Ørestad Gymnasium(not a gym but a school) the place we were calling home for the next two nights. The next morning we had some time to just chill then we hit the gym again for four hours of classes. We had the same options the next day and I did yoga again, body jam, and spinning. I would like to let you know if your thinking about doing a spinning class, the shoes the make you wear are the most uncomfortable things EVER, and your but is going to hurt after. Just letting you know :P After that we went back to temporary home and got ready for a Hollywood themed party, Some people dressed up as their Celebrity doppelganger(sp??), some just dressed up, I went as the paparazzi. Then there was a talent show, and then they had a Dj for us for the rest of the night(well ok till 4 am) I, and many other people fell asleep early, most of us tired from the weekend. The next morning we got up early, cleaned up,and said our sad teary eyed good byes, the oldies knowing this would be the last time they saw some of these people again, for a long time, or for some of us the last time forever.
The weekend after that there was a Rotary meeting at a school near where I live for the kids going out on exchange next year from my rotary district. The exchanges in the greater Randers(my town) area were asked to attend. The exchanges that go to my school all got to gather(all 4 of us) and made a wonderful breakfast, complete with American pancakes, hash browns, scrambled eggs, bacon, fruit salad, and homemade buns. All the things Danes don't eat normally for breakfast. It was pretty good. Then we went to set up for the meeting, we got done about an hour early so we went to the store center thats close by. We walked around with our BEAUTIFUL Rotary jackets on. For those of you that don't know what a rotary jacket looks like I will try to explain. Its a Blazer most countries have navy blue ones but some countries have Red, Black, Electric Blue, Marron, or Green. They are covered in pins and other random things which you swap with other exchanges and other small things that remind you of things you did on your exchange. My friends host mom told her that they look like a jacket a homeless person would have. Then we went back for the meeting, it was boring and we ended up playing cards. After the meeting, we helped clean up then we went to see Alice in Wonderland in 3D it was amazing!
Us at the store center :)The thursday after that, I went to Århus to see Alphabeat! It was AMAZING!! Even though I was an hour late cause I was confused by the military time. But it was ok, I only missed their opener, and the first two songs they played. For those of you who don't know Alphabeat is a Danish pop group. you can check them out on YouTube. Their newer songs is Dj, The spell, and Whole in my heart. Here are some pics I took.
Since then, I've started this blog post and had a 15 day easter brake, which was lovely. During the brake I went out with the girls from my class bowling, hung out with other exchanges. Host brother made me watch all Lord of the Rings because I hadn't seen them and apparently that was a crime against pop culture, and apparently one of the actors is danish. Who knew?
On to more interesting news. I was given the opportunity to job shadow all this week. I am fallowing around Maja Panduro. She is the parliamentarian representing the area I live in. So I will be skipping school all this week and will be in Copenhagen. Its so exciting. I will be there for the Queen's birthday! In Denmark its tradition for the Queen to stand on a balcony of her palace in Copenhagen and wave while people wave Danish flags and sing Happy birthday to her. I hope I can do that.
Picture links:
Julia
