Page by Paige

A few stitches, a possible broken nose, and a concussion later…

I’m snacking on some delicious almond butter and jamming out to Grizzly Bear with my roommate pondering how I came to be this beautiful:

Rid this picture of the bandages, add some serious bruising and swelling, throw in a few “pretend” punches, and you have a mental image of what I look like today.  If you passed me on the street, you’d probably assume I was battered, abused, jumped, etc.  You might even think up some elaborate story of how my face came to look like a distorted consequence of a match with Mike Tyson in his glory days (okay, I’m exaggerating just a bit).  I would tell you what actually happened to me, but the first rule of Fight Club is:  you DO NOT talk about Fight Club.

Rewind.  This is the result of a biking accident.  Yes, I got into a biking accident in Denmark, the biking “capital” of the world.  By accident, I really mean a collision involving my face and rock hard pavement.  I only wish I was as badass as Edward Norton.  Make fun of me all you want, but at least I’m not schizophrenic (I have to one-up Tyler Durden in some way).

Rewind some more.  After a sleepless overnight ferry ride, I arrived on the island of Bornholm at 7:00 a.m. with promise to bike for the next two days, considering I was on a “bike trip” with DIS.  Two hours later, after breakfast and a much-needed nap, I hopped on my bike and was ready to explore.  Three hours after that, my face hit the ground…nose first.  While waiting for the taxi to go to the ER, I managed to soak up a whole package of tissues with blood.  I think you get the picture.  Apart from my doctor being incredibly attractive and young (the Danish accent didn’t hurt either), there’s not much to tell about the ER. 

The next day I decided to put my concussion aside and take advantage of the reality that I was on an incredibly beautiful island, so I took a taxi to explore the Hammershus Castle ruins.  This was definitely the best decision anyone could make while concussed.  The views were incredible.  Here are some pictures of Hammershus:

 I had a great day filled with some pretty interesting adventures, and met a few characters on the way.  I won’t elaborate on the adventures because this blog post would end up being 5 pages long, but I’ll give you a few details about the drunken homeless couple I met while eating lunch.  To save money, a few friends and I grabbed some snacks from Netto (a Danish grocery store) and sat on a picnic table outside to enjoy our random assortment of food.  We shared the table with this couple:

The dude spit out some hilarious lines about things too inappropriate to mention here, but the line that stole the show pertains to this picture.  When we asked if we could take a photo of our new native Bornholm friends, he responded:  “I would say cheese, but I’d be forgetting that I have no teeth.” 

 Even though I now have to walk around Copenhagen looking deformed and crazy, the trip was well worth it, and I have a journal full of awesome stories to show for it (for my eyes only).  But that’s only half of the excitement because seriously, I started a fight club.

Give Peace a Chance

When I came to Copenhagen, I figured I would learn a little bit about the government in Denmark and maybe gain some insight from the Danish liberal attitude.  I did not expect, however, to learn about the Danes and the Swedes having petty disputes over elections. 

The Danish People’s Party is criticizing the Swedish government for an undemocratic election because Sweden is practicing political censorship.  Is it their business anyway?  Regardless, the Swedes are not so thrilled.  Actually, they’re pissed. 

As a naïve American tourist, I’m not sure which side to take.  In this case, I’m going to opt out.  If you know me at all, you’re probably stunned, considering I always have an opinion.  So I’m not taking a side, but I won’t let you down – I’ll give my two cents. 

Both of these supposedly peaceful countries need to calm down and maybe pop an adavan, or two.  I’m not promoting abuse of anxiety medication, but (I hate what I’m about to type, but it’s just too fitting to leave out) take a “chill pill.”  This has blown up out of proportion.  The management of the Swedish election is not in the hands of the Danish government – they need to mind their own business.  Oh and Sweden, if you’re not doing anything wrong than why are you getting so defensive?  Learn to take some criticism. 

 I may seem angry, but I’m just throwing around a little sarcasm (surprise, surprise).  Denmark and Sweden need to end this little fight and kiss and makeup. In the wise words of John Lennon:

All we are saying is give peace a chance.

Hugs, Not Drugs

Green experiments blossom both locally and globally.

I guess I left a little teaser in my last post.  The real topic of this post concerns a neighborhood called Christiania in Christianshavn, Denmark. You’re probably thinking, “where’s the connection?” I’m going to get to that. Christiania was founded in the early 1970’s as a “free town” for people who wanted to practice an alternative lifestyle.  This hippie community is essentially free of Danish government involvement, and its inhabitants have created rules and regulations unique to their way of life. 

 It is known that people venture to Christiania to purchase weed and hash free of shady exchanges in clandestine meeting spots.  The dealers sell their supply at stands, which are open to anyone. Instead of walking up to a stand to order a hotdog, you walk up to a stand to order some hash, and unlike a hotdog stand, the menu is quite varied.  Of course, I had to go check out the menu for myself. 

I’m only kidding.  I did go to Christiania, but for other reasons that are often overlooked.  This little community offers cafes, shops, green living, organic food stores, and many other options to its visitors.  It looks like a big park, and you can wander the many different pathways to explore anything you want – you’ll most likely see families with kids and some old couples.  Yes, families go to Christiania.  They live there, too - there’s even a school right outside of the park area. If you like graffiti art, there are awesome pieces all around, which add to the trippy, hippie experience. Bad rhyme, but it’s really the best way to describe it. 

You’re not supposed to take pictures inside (I did), but out of respect, I won’t post them.  Here are some pictures I took before entering:

Bad news.  I have yet to start my fat pile of homework. On the bright side, I just blew up my blow dryer. Here’s a travel tip – converters don’t work. 

6 Days Later

I’m sitting in my toy box of a room, which looks like a showroom straight out of an IKEA store (minus some trendy artwork), and trying to fathom that I am actually in a kollegium (dorm) in a borough of Copenhagen, Denmark. I don’t think it has hit me yet that I’m living in Copenhagen, let alone that I’ll be studying here for four months…emphasis on the word “studying.” How am I supposed to focus on academics when there is so much to see and explore? I’m getting exhausted just thinking of everything I want to do while I live here.

I’ve been so busy in the passed six days that this is the first moment I’ve had to start this blog (which I swore I would start the day of my arrival). Place jetlag on top of running around like an overexcited tourist on steroids, and you get a mental image of me snoozing my 8:00 a.m. alarm until 1:00 p.m. Yes, I overslept by 5 hours this morning and missed bike shopping and a tour of the city. But, I am now well rested and therefore ready for a night out, of course.

From what I have experienced, the nightlife here is awesome. People go out at 12:00 or 1:00 a.m. and stay out until the early hours of the morning. “Hahahaha!” is the reaction I’ve been getting when I tell Danes that bars in Philadelphia close at 2:00 a.m. People here love their beer, and they love to party. During the day, the Danes keep to themselves – they walk around quietly, and keep their mouths shut while riding public transportation. So if you are on the phone with your mom telling her everything you’ve been doing verbatim in a loud, animated voice or obnoxiously laughing with a group of Americans while on the bus, you will stick out like a sore thumb. I’ve learned the hard way.

My point is, Danish people may be reserved when the sun is up (here that may be substituted with a gray haze and pouring rain), but when the lights are out in a bar or club, that wall disappears. Well, it crumbles. So far, I’ve witnessed this in a few ways – old men stumbling on the streets at night singing Danish songs at the top of their lungs and yelling at the people walking by, girls dancing on tables shamelessly, and guys being more than forward about their expectations of the night (I think you get the idea).

Guys here may not want to take things slow, but Danes take their time. They are extremely punctual, but they do not rush. There may be absolutely no cars on a road, but if the walk sign isn’t green, the Dane will stay put. Jaywalking is seemingly sinful here. Dirty looks and “stupid American” along with a shake of the head has been a common reaction. Come on give me some time to adjust. Seriously, I’m from the Northeast. Also, watch out for the bike lane, people here ride their bikes like they’re driving a Hummer. There’s an extra lane for bikers on every street, and it is not taken lightly.

Another thing that’s not taken lightly here are your feelings. Danes are sarcastic and blunt, and I love it. It’s so refreshing to be in a place where people say something and mean it without all that fluffy sugarcoating shit American’s love to sprinkle onto conversation. On that note, I will end this post honestly and without shame. I am tired of writing, and I have barely begun to delve into my experience here so far, so I will continue later. My next post will begin with the topic of… weed. Sorry mom and dad.