Murphy's Law

I need to formally apologize for my lack of updates. The good news is I have been neglecting the blog out of sheer busy-ness and having most of my time occupied with things to do, but now that I am alone again, I can return to my old friend, the Internet. This blog entry is only one story out of an eventful week, but once I have finished getting all my pictures from the camera, I will do a more general post. For now, you get this.

My sister arrived on Saturday, my boyfriend on Monday. Monica decided to leave on Thursday to go to Amsterdam by night-train. When it came time to take her to the train station, we were impeded by a Classic Traveling Situation. We left about an hour and a half early, estimating 45 minutes of train riding from the house to the train station. Murphy's law states "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong," and this day proved that. The second we stepped onto the train I realized I needed to go to the bathroom. Badly. I won't go into further detail than that, but suffice it to say, I was experiencing a high degree of discomfort. But I knew Monica was stressing about her connection, so I refrained from saying anything on the matter, and of course the farther along the train got, the more intense my situation became. In the past 5 weeks that I've lived in Denmark, the train has always been smooth and efficient. Well not this day. When we came within 2 stops of Monica's destination, the train shuddered and stopped. Something was announced in Danish over the loudspeaker, but I couldn't understand it because it wasn't "pølser med ketchup." When I asked the 8 other people in our car what the announcement said, they all shrugged their shoulders and looked confused. Jackasses. In a few minutes the train picked up again, however my situation was only getting worse. And then the train stopped again, in a tunnel. I began pacing up and down the train cars, feigning claustrophobia with heavy breathing. After what seemed like a least 30 hours, the train began crawling again, and eventually pulled into the station before Monica's. I told her I would meet her at the next station, and flew out of there looking for a toilet.

As you can imagine, in such an urgent situation, there was no immediate relief. With no restroom at the station, I left, looking for a restaurant, bar, hotel, anything. I found a hotel and raced downstairs to the bathroom. Women's door was locked. Ran to the men's. Locked. Raced back up the stairs and down the street, not even realizing it had begun to rain. I checked my phone: 25 minutes until Monica's train departs. I found a restaurant. The host approached me and I asked if he had a bathroom, obviously under some stress. He slowly said no, the restaurant did not have a bathroom. I almost yelled in disbelief. He then stated that the hotel next door had a bathroom, and pointed in the correct direction. At last.

After that debacle, I raced down the street to København H, the main train station and as such, the location of Monica's Amsterdam train. Luckily the station I got off at was only about 200 meters from København H, so it was very little leg work to get there. As it happened, after I got off the train it ceased to run entirely, and Michael had to usher Monica to København H on foot. They luckily arrived with 20 minutes to spare for her, but I wanted to say goodbye, and arrived with only 10 minutes before the train's departure. Of course her car was the very last one on the train, so I was running through the rain to meet her. But I was able to make a proper farewell, and she arrived safely in Amsterdam 15 hours later.

I think everyone has a story like this while traveling, where everything just seems to get worse and worse. After Monica got on her train, the whole situation became humorous, although I would rather not experience it again. All's well that end's well, eh?

Off We Go

I have pretty much made up my mind about the whole stay in Denmark vs. travel some more debate: I will travel.

My next question was should I go to Greece and Italy or Prague and Austria? Well I have made a compromise, and I think I will stick with it: I will go to Florence and Venice, then to Budapest, then Vienna and Salzburg, then Prague, and finally head back to Copenhagen to meet with my boyfriend so we can fly together to Madrid. This way I get to see Italy and some bits of Eastern Europe. I like it this way, because it almost forces me to have a trip to Greece all on its own, that way I can truly experience the country in all its grandeur. This is my justification for not going, anyway. But I am excited for Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Italy, because I originally had no intention of visiting any of them. Being spontaneous is so fun!

Speaking of which, tonight I will be going to my second Metallica concert in as many days. Also, I got an ear piercing while strolling through downtown Copenhagen with my sis and boyfriend. Whee!

København

Tomorrow is the day of days. I start my internship at the veterinary clinic here in Copenhagen (well, technically in suburb called Vanløse). I am pretty nervous, largely because of my inability to speak Danish, but also because I haven't worked in a hospital since last summer. From what I have seen of Copenhagen, neuterings are also not common, so maybe the clinic won't be so busy and I will have a lot of time for each exam. But that is usually not the way things work.

I spent this weekend getting to know the city a little bit - yesterday I ventured out to Østerport train station, right in the middle of historic Copenhagen, where I saw the famous Little Mermaid statue that has been a tourist attraction for many years.

As well as a target that local teens just love to desecrate:

I also spent the equivalent of 9 American dollars on a bottle of water and a medium Soft-Ice, which while very expensive, was pretty much worth the money. Soft-ice is the most incredible thing I have ever eaten. Imagine frozen yogurt, but creamier and thicker and sweeter and oh so amazing. I can guarantee I looked like a small child with the amount of delight that covered my face while eating this treat.

Because most of the attractions in Copenhagen, like everything else, were really expensive, I decided instead to walk around some of the gardens. First was Kongens Have (King's Garden), where I found a multitude of tall, blonde, blue-eyed young people (my age) enjoying the rare sunshine that has graced this country for the past few days (I am giving my arrival the credit). It was nice to see so many people out and about doing stuff, and I always appreciate a beautiful, well-maintained garden.

Plus, it included the Rosenborg Castle, pictured above, which houses the royal jewels, which I was too cheap to go see.

All in all Copenhagen and its surrounding suburbs are beautiful and unique, and I look forward to getting to know them better. It will be nice when Michael gets here, because I intend to do a lot of the touristy stuff with him, since I don't want to pay for stuff twice. Also, he moved his flight 2 days earlier! Yay!

So long, and thanks for all the fish

Tonight I will be leaving on a train to Copenhagen, and I will have to bid "adieu" to the city that has hosted me for the past few days. I have had an amazing time here in Amsterdam, and I have learned a lot of important things about a new culture.

1) Tipping is not really necessary. This has been difficult for me, because in the US you will be chased down the street for not leaving a 15% tip, so I have been inclined to leave a few coins at the table.

2) Cleaning up after your dog is not expected. I have had to maneuver around so many poos while walking through the streets to avoid stepping in them, and some of my friends have not been as lucky as I.

3) Bicycles rule the streets. This isn't like Davis, where the bikes will stop for you. Stopping is not an option for them. Cars, pedestrians, and animals must yield or suffer the consequences. The hierarchy goes Bikes -> Cars -> Dogs -> Pedestrians.

4) Neutering your pet is not popular or necessary. The veterinary credo is "Spay and Neuter or go to Hell" (slightly modified), or at least I thought it was. I have never had a stronger urge to go around snipping at the backsides of all the dogs, but I don't want to be deported. Surprisingly, I have seen no feral or stray animals, so maybe the lack of fixing is okay.

5) Recycling is not so important. I have seen a couple of recycling bins for paper and bottles, but I have never seen anyone use them. I have however, seen many people toss their recyclables in the trash or in the canals, whichever is closer. This city is progressive in many ways, but not in recycling. I guess they bike enough to make up for it.

6) Herring. It is herring season in Holland right now. That means everyone is downing entire herrings in one gulp. Take a look at my Dutch blog friend Dutch Donut Girl's post about the festivities.


It was really fun being in Amsterdam, and I'm excited to come back in September to experience it again. I have seen so many things I would rather never see again, but all the memories are fun and worthwhile. I am looking forward to being in Copenhagen - I emailed the veterinary clinic that responded to my initial email, and they still expect me to come to work next week, so I am very excited about that. It's been too long since I've been in a hospital. And hopefully being there will make up for the lack of neutering going on in this town, and I can rest easy.

Venner

This entire academic year I have worked for the psychology department here at UC Davis as a research assistant. I helped on a study that aimed to qualify household cat personalities. One of the other assistants happened to be of Danish descent, and as it turned out, she spent most of her summers since she was 8 years old in the same exact town I will be living in. Being the nice person that she is, she offered to help me with Danish pronunciation.

Yesterday we met up at Burgers and Brew and spent two hours discussing where I should go while in Copenhagen, and how to say certain words. Here are some of the things I learned:

- In true Viking tradition, a Dane should never put down their knife while eating, not even to switch hands. This is because a knife is a weapon, and if a Viking drops it, it could be stolen or he could be attacked and be unable to defend himself.

-Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen may be the most romantic place on Earth. It kinda reminds me of Disneyland. That's a good thing!!


- I must visit Hamlet's Castle, "Kronborg Castle," where I will get to see Holger Danske, a viking statue built to protect the country from all enemies.


- I have to eat "Soft eis," a soft-serve type ice cream that will not be kind to my lactose intolerant digestive system. Thank goodness for lactase pills!

- In Denmark, they called high schools "gymnasiums." Huh.

- Some new words have been learned: kartoffel = potato. Last night, some friends and I went to the International House of Pancakes, and when we got a minimal amount of hash browns, we declared it "The Great Kartoffel Famine." It truly was.

- Lyngby, the town where I will live, means "City of Lights." Aww, how pretty.


Anyway, that pretty much sums it up. My pronunciation is sort of better, but I still maintain that Danish is a freaking difficult language to learn. For example, friend = ven, but friends = venner. I need to work on my plurals.



Oh and by the way...once I get to Europe, I will post a picture every week, and you guys get to guess where or what it is! It will be fun :)

Veterinary-ing

I got a job! I got a job! I got a job! It doesn't pay but...I got a job!
The whole purpose for this summer was to emulate a typical study abroad type program, since my major (Animal Science) isn't widely taught throughout the world. Since I am going to be a vet one day, I figured a good replacement for studying would be working to gain clinical experience.

Today I received an email from the Sallingvej Dyreklinik (animal clinic) in Copenhagen saying they would let me work with them for the summer and show me the ropes! Click this link for a description of the people working there (in Danish).

I am so grateful for them taking in a non-Danish-speaking-American-traveler like me! They were so nice in their email and they seem like truly wonderful people to work with. Unfortunately right now all I can say in Danish is hot dog with ketchup (pølse mel ketchup), but I plan on learning some medical terms so I don't end up accidentally killing anything during an emergency (not that I would, I am very good at what I do).

Yay for work! Now I don't have to sit around for 6 weeks working up the courage to ask for a hot dog.

Mom's Stories

I think I have said before that the inspiration for this summer's European adventure is my mom's own adventure back when she was 18-19. My mom has always been an inspiration for me in many other ways, but after hearing endless tales of her European travels I wanted to try to get a taste of it for myself, even though I know I could never compare to her (and in some ways I don't want to - you'll see why).


My mom started the trip traveling with her aunt, but was eventually left alone to continue the trip by herself. She was armed with only a Eurail pass and a plane ticket home from London, and money that was very quickly running out. Eventually the money ran out entirely, and began seeking sleep on the beaches of Greece. To drink she would find discarded water bottles along the sand. To eat she would work for a day, dragging bricks up a hill in Corfu, and she would be rewarded with a baguette, which she woud save for days at a time, picking beetles out it to get at the bread.

In Greece she faced many difficulties, including an attempted "taking." If you have seen "Taken" with Liam Neeson, then you can get an idea of what would have happened to her. A man came up behind her with a chloroform-soaked rag and covered my moms mouth with it. Unable to fight, my mom was picked up by the man so he could bring her to his prostitution ring. Fortunately, a good-samaritan stopped the evildoer. My mom woke up naked in a Corfu hospital, with an IV coming out of her arm.

Anyone else would have been phased, but my mother gathered her belongings and headed to Germany for a glass of genuine cow's milk. At this point she had lost one shoe, but if you know my mom, then you know she will go to the end of the Earth for a good cup of milk. Throughout the trip she had waited to go to Denmark to see her friend Nicolaj (the very same Nicolaj I will be staying with this summer), as he was vacationing in Sicily with his family. His parents believed my mom was going to steal him away to Los Angeles where they would become actors. When they returned to Denmark she desperately headed North with no money and no shoe.

When she got to Copenhagen, she was warmly greeted by Nicolaj's parents, prominent fur-traders in Scandinavia (don't be mad, it's REALLY cold up there). They housed her, shoed her, fed her, and even let them spend time with their son. One of the most memorable occurences of my mom's visit in Denmark was Nicolaj pushing her in a fountain in front of a bunch of people. So you can get a pretty good idea of my mom: not bothered by attempted kidnapping, but if you make her recall the fountain fiasco, she turns red with embarrassment.

Since her ticket from London could only be used in a certain window of time, my mom eventually had to leave the warm hospitality of Nicolaj's family. With a now expired Eurail pass she hid in the bathrooms of the trains avoiding tickettakers, all the way to Amsterdam. Eventually she needed to make her way onto the British Isle. So my mom, after so much experience hiding on trains, but wanting to try something a little different, decided to stow away on a boat. She boarded the boat, and hid her things, and when they came around asking for a ticket, she burst into tears, claiming a foul fiend had stolen her belongings, including her money and boat ticket. The captain, brimming with empathy, invited her to the captain's table for dinner, and gave her a room for the evening. Once the boat arrived in England, my mom found her plane ticket and made her way back to the USA.



So there you go. Kidnapping, hospitalization, stowing away, working for breadcrumbs - she did it all. Even though I'm sure these experiences were scary, they have made my mother into the strong, courageous woman I know and love. I don't know anyone else who has endured such trials and come out with any psychological issues.

I know my dad would prefer that my trip be NOTHING like hers, and I don't think it will be, but I have to say, if there is someone whose idea of adventure I would like to emulate, it is my mom.

London Calling

Warning: This post has very little to do with London, I just like the song and its quasi-relevance to what I'm going to say.

I have gone on long enough without actually saying where I'm going (besides Denmark), so here is an itinerary that I can bet you will change almost immediately, as it tends to do.

June 16 - Fly to Europe
June 17 - Arrive in Athens
June 17 - 21 Spend time in Athens
June 22 - June 30 Spend time on Greek Island
July 1 - August 16 - Spend time in Copenhagen
August 17 - Fly to Spain from Copenhagen
August 17 – 20 Spend time in Madrid
August 21 – 22 Spend time in Ibiza
August 23 – 27 Spend time in Barcelona
August 28 – All day traveling to Nice
August 29 – All day traveling to Zurich
August 29 – 31 Spend time in Zurich
September 1 - 3 Spend time in Munich
September 4 – 7 Spend time in Berlin
September 8 – 10 Spend time in Amsterdam
September 11 – 12 Spend time in Brussels/Bruges
September 13 – Take chunnel to London
September 13 – 17 Spend time in London
September 18 - Fly back to US of A

So in a way, London is indeed calling. Also Sicily might be added in there if Nicolaj wants me to go there with his family, or I will just go straight to Copenhagen and begin my month and half of embarrassing myself by trying to speak Danish

Denmark's the spot

Some of you may be wondering "Why Denmark?" People my age don't go to Denmark. They go to Italy, France, Spain, and England, but not Scandinavia. Maybe it's because I'm part viking (25% Norwegian!) or because I know I have a place to stay, but honestly I think it may be because it's somewhere different. I know I made the right decision though, as throughout my research I have discovered that Denmark may actually be the greatest country on Earth.

It knows it rocks.

According to Forbes, Denmark is the best country for business in the world. Denmark also has the second highest acceptance of evolution, just behind Iceland. It is the 6th most educated country (Canada is first), and houses one of the governments with the least corruption, according to Newsweek. Actually this whole Newsweek article titled "The Best Countries in the World" is basically an homage to the Nordic countries. Here is an excerpt:

"...it is the smaller nations of northern Europe that can boast the greatest success in solving the problems of balancing competition and cooperation, capitalism and social security. Consider just about any social indicator--income per capita, health, democracy, economic competitiveness, environmental consciousness, honesty--and the Nordic world of Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland is sure to shine...These are also the countries where corruption finds zero tolerance. The global-corruption watchdog Transparency International ranks Finland, Iceland and Denmark right at the top of the list of the world's "cleanest" governments."

Here is why these countries are so successful:

"Broadly speaking, the Nordic region took three basic decisions. First, it prioritized education, study and science. Second, it decided that it would leave no countryman behind. Social insurance--pensions, public health care, public education--became a basic shared commitment in each of these countries. And third, the region built a vigorous private sector."

Basically Denmark is awesome, no way around it. In fact, Copenhagen is going to play host to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, in order to discuss possible solutions to the current global warming issue.

I think I can be pretty confident in saying that I am going to have a great time there :)