Istanbul...the land where East meets West

New photos are from a recent trip to Istanbul. Went with a friend from school and am feeling lucky for the chance to visit. It's a stunning city! On a technicality, we visited two continents while there...you can take a ferry and cross over into Asia, which we did although all the action and sights seem to be on the European side. Beautiful place to see. Hope all are well!

For those of you still reading...

So sorry for those of you keeping up with this, no doubt eagerly awaiting the next entry :)...it's been awhile! It's been a busy past few weeks and hope everyone is doing well...and perhaps enjoying some warmer weather. Today is the first day I traded my boots for a pair of flats and have been extremely excited to see new street vendors selling crepes and restaurants and cafes opening up their outdoor seating. Spring is approaching which needless to say is THRILLING for me.

I was lucky enough to have Laura and Cristin come for a visit and see photos of our trip to Berlin. Our week together felt a bit like an adult spring break 2010, as we're all again students yet in the "mature" advanced 20s age bracket. Highlights from the trip included a wild tour of Copenhagen's night life, a nice sprint through the airport to compensate for misguided advice on how early we should arrive for our Berlin trip ("1 hr early will do"), a highly recommended 3 hour walking tour of Berlin (a UGA grad was a guide, whoop whoop!), 2 fantastic hosts being Laura's new sister in law and her boyfriend, Laura's first international CrossFit experience (Cris and I were too busy laying around for this), the best falafel I've had to date, a feast of Japanese (yet again in Berlin) costing the same as a basic coffee in Copenhagen and lots of good, essential girl time.

I should add that Berlin was truly a fascinating city and the history can be seen everywhere. According to our guide, 90% of the buildings in Berlin were destroyed during WWII and those left standing were still damaged in some way. The bulk of the city has been rebuilt in just the past 20 years and vast open pockets of space can be seen in the heart of the city. It's an interesting pairing with the old, renovated or rebuilt historical buildings. We loved it and definitely recommend the free walking tour if anyone is heading there.

On another note, have any of you Savannahians ever heard of the Aaron Spelling show "Savannah"? Two people have now mentioned it to me, the second was a girl from Romania who overheard me say I was from there at a group dinner and pulled it up on the computer. I'm convinced this was only an international sensation as I'm sure I would have heard the buzz back in 1996-7 when it first aired (lasting 2 seasons much to my friend's disappointment). Here's the opener - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePN0TztVuuM&feature=related. Did anyone else know about this?

The next few weeks will be devoted to making progress on my thesis. I'm currently at a great find of a cafe with big comfy couches, free internet, student discounts on coffee and it is solely staffed by volunteers...allowing profits to go to projects in India and Africa. What a great idea, check it out http://www.cafe-retro.dk/.

Hope all are well and to be in touch soon!

Home again, home again

Hi friends,

Just wanted to send out a quick update as I'm trying to finish up work before Cristin and Laura arrive first thing tomorrow morn! This reunion will be a FIRST in Copenhagen in honor of First Fridays. Last Friday, I enjoyed making my first entrance into Paris, a city I've long awaited to see. I had two fantastic hosts, thank you Sandra and Olivier. Sandra was my manager at my first job coming out of college and subsequently became one of my closest friends in NY. As she put it this weekend, "I would have never of guessed upon meeting you at Cartoon Pizza (an animation studio, not a pizza restaurant- Kerry) that we'd be walking the streets of Paris years later" as her new home and my new extended weekend getaway from Copenhagen. Paris is stunningly gorgeous and everything I'd hoped it could be. My mom talks about a feeling that she gets when she goes to Maine, that those surroundings fulfill her soul. I do believe Paris and the excitement of touring around these old, beautiful cities fulfills mine as well.

I'll send out a link to photos from the trip. It's near impossible to pick out a few to post but here goes...

Much love, hope everyone is doing well and enjoy First Friday tomorrow!

3 weeks in

Hi all-

Hope the week has treated everyone well. Today is my 3rd week anniversary of my arrival in Copenhagen. Fridays seem to be a day of firsts and so now on every Friday will be dedicated to doing something new, First Fridays, which I imagine will be easy here. 3 Fridays ago was my first time in Copenhagen/Denmark/a Nordic country/Scandinavia. Last Friday was my first time attending a PhD defense (looked time consuming) and this Friday was my first attempt going on a run with Perro in the snow. (2 Fridays back I can't remember what I did but I'm sure something new was seen/done).

It was a good week here. I finalized my schedule and am now in a new class studying social inequalities. Yesterday I joined a group of students on a visit to the UNFPA's (United Nations Population Fund) Nordic office. We heard a presentation on the UNFPA's mission which focuses on sexual and reproductive health. (Check out this quick clip included in the presentation, really impressive I think!- http://www.girleffect.org/). Among the students visiting were the International Health masters students who come from all over the world, several of which were men, several of which were African. What was really interesting was to hear these men comment on examples given from their own countries. I am certainly looking forward to my course on Refugee Health in Emergencies which is through the School of Global Health and will include a diverse dynamic of students as well. That starts in April. Welcome to a short intro on my studies here :).

I also wanted to share one other thing I just received- http://www.ncm.com/Fathom/OriginalPrograms/event/Half_The_Sky.aspx. The book Half the Sky is one that also promotes a much needed focus on women. While I have not yet read it (but it's on the TOP of my list!), those who have absolutely love it (Cristin and Sandra can attest). Check out this link for a movie event that will take place on March 4...those who can, go!!

Anywhoo, I'm excited for the weekend and signed up for a student trip to a popular museum here, the Louisiana Museum. Going early to help the organizer make authentic Danish sandwiches, will be a first for me!

Hope everyone has a fantastic Friday and as a parting thought...what will you do today to celebrate First Fridays???

Sweden- the NJ of Scandinavia!

A few quick things...

It was too cold to go to Sweden on Thursday so Dorrit and I had a nice time in Copenhagen at the Rosenborg Castle. We saw the crown jewels and little mermaid statute (before she heads off to China!) and had a nice little lunch. See posted pics of the day.

Also- I did it! Today was the first day I rode a bike in the city! I only almost fell off twice (it was the ice that was tricky!) I was with 3 others from the Global Health department, on my way to see my first PhD defense. The bike seat at first seemed very tall. When I had to stop myself- I had to lean heavily- but by the end it seemed fine. The defense was also a success.

Last statement- I mentioned wanting to go to Sweden again and it was compared to the New Jersey of Scandinavia- Denmark being NY! All in good, harmless fun of course but who knew it was the bridge and tunnel country! Now I'm even more intrigued. I say this lovingly as both of my parents are from NJ and I have ancestors from Sweden (Europe's NJ!- how exciting!). Looking forward to going even more, will report back when I do.

Hope everyone is good- happy Friday!

New post- week 2

Hi everyone,

Greetings, hope all is going well. Things are still exciting and new here. I'm now into my second week of classes and as of last Friday, I've started working by assisting with projects within the School of Global Health. To start, I'm helping with a proposal for a sanitation project that would take place in Ghana and also another project concerning mental health in Africa. We shall see from there.

The weekend was good, very low key. I picked up a cold in this weather so had a lot of quality time inside with Perro. I did get out to do some exploring and met the director of the Global Health program (the connector between this University and mine) and his family for dinner in Hellerup (just north of the city). His kids are incredibly cute and while they don't speak much English and I'm without Danish skills...there was a lot of smiling at the table. The youngest one apparently was worried I wouldn't like sushi and had picked out alternative options on the menu (how cute!). I was also shown around this area which is home to the World Health Organization (European regional office), UN and UNICEF offices (health nerds reading might appreciate this!)

From the past week:
Sightings - while I've not met an American yet in any of my classes, I spotted a GA bulldogs sweatshirt moving through the halls during a brief class break. I awkwardly pointed and stuttered at my hallway neighbor until I finally asked if she'd gone to Georgia. She did! Last year for a year on scholarship, we talked briefly about our love of Athens before heading back to class- how funny.

To do - heading to Sweden on Thursday with my precious neighbor. Malmo is Sweden's third largest city and only 40 minutes from Copenhagen by train, will take pics and report back!

Words of the week (dedicated to Rachel)
- mange tak - this means "many thanks" in Danish, a twist from the previous word tak, this adds a bit more emphasis to the "thanks"
- hygge - this is more than just a word, it's a whole concept. My guide book devoted an entire page to explaining the notion of "hygge." In short, it means "cozy" but my book goes on to say it's "so much more than that," it refers to a "sense of friendly, warm companionship of a kind fostered when Danes gather together in groups of two or more" but also "you can actually 'hygge' yourself if there is no one else around" (yay!)...interesting right?

Exciting moment- Laura T and Cristin are coming to visit the second week in March- confirmed today as Laura bought her ticket!! Bring your sweaters ladies, very excited!

Note: I realize my Danish vocab has yet to flourish. It's a wee hard to pick up an ear for this language, much easier to read. Most times it's difficult to repeat what's been said, especially when trying to learn people's names during introductions. For an unfamiliar name, if the situation's right I'll ask for a repeater. But you can only ask for one repeater, then it's just smiles. If I so choose and can fit it in my schedule, I can start taking Danish classes next week. It's time consuming but would be great for learning the basic sounds, reading menus and navigating stores.

More soon!

First days of school...

Hi friends,

Hope the week is treating everyone well. The quick update here is that it's snowing tons and I've now started my classes. Apparently this is the coldest winter Copenhagen's had in 14 years, who knew? Not me, but luckily I'd assumed all along that the weather would be intensely cold so it is living up to my expectations rather than exceeding them. Last year, it didn't even snow but then we couldn't marvel at these pics I've included.

I have a new friend. Her name is Doris, she's the neighbor and she is the nicest lady. She's retired and so comes to the apartment everyday to walk Perro. Yesterday I joined her, then we had coffee, chatted, looked at pics of her grandkids and recent trips to NY, Vancouver and Amsterdam. We're hoping to make a trip out to the beach for some good walking soon.

Had orientation yesterday which was good. I met 5 more friends there- the 5 girls sitting in my row. They were from Austria, Italy, Turkey, Belgium and Denmark (the mentor). We ended up leaving together with a plan to make dinner but sadly I had to skip out early for Perro's sake. Everyone here has been so nice. I met a girl in my first class today who all but took me by the hand to help show me around, helped me buy books, find the study rooms and student "cantina" for eats. She's studied abroad twice (Italy and Holland) and I get the feeling that many to most of the students here have. Everyone knows what its like to be "new" and people are generally interested in you. Being from the U.S., I'm one of the more foreign of the foreigners- interesting I hope!

Hope all are well!

Day 1 & 2

So Day 1 in brief:
I arrived in Copenhagen yesterday morning after a successful (and luxurious- thanks Carol!) overnight flight. I landed with 2 contact numbers and an address in hand and with the help of friendly locals at the airport, a sweet older lady in my new neighborhood and finally, a new neighbor named Claus, I found my new home for the next 4 months.

While my roommate is out of town for the weekend, his mother, in town for a school presentation, and Ariane, his previous roommate up from Germany for a visit, welcomed me in. Both were incredibly nice and my room setup is cozy and inviting. My other new friend is Perro, a snuggler of a dog, who joined me for a quick nap. Ariane soon became my teacher and tour guide, helping to set me up with a 10 ride Metro card, a home cooked dinner, directions to the University campuses, and my first night out - a few drinks with her friends at a place called the Moose.

Day 2:
Woke up at noon (not too shabby given that's 6a in the states) and said goodbyes to Ariane who left today before setting out to explore the city. My neighborhood is one of several considered within the city of Copenhagen, and an artsy one I do believe. Not too far down the road is an "alternative" community, Christiania, that appears to function like an independent hippie commune with it's own currency, restaurants, artwork and to some extent, laws. The whole community appears to be surrounded by a wooden fence and is marked with a large overhanging wooden sign that reminds me of a summer camp entrance. I've yet to venture inside although I hear everyone is quite friendly.

The central part of the city is a fairly easy walk from the apartment and if it weren't for the cold, I think I could get most anywhere in the city on foot (or much faster by bicycle). But alas, it is cold. Bone chilling cold that makes my toes ache. But the city is so beautiful it's been worth it to explore. Today I found the international office (possibly my new place of work for 5 hrs a week) and the City Campus of the University where I'll have orientation on Monday.

Tomorrow I plan to set out again and explore some of the other areas. I still need to find the campus where I'll have my classes.

More news at some point!

Of the day:
Word (and the only one I know so far) - tak
- means thank you in Danish and goes with a host of other phrases to mean "thanks very much" "thank you for this evening" and others I've yet to learn.

Interesting sight - crying toddler being pulled through the city on a sled and a dog in a camo sweater and booties

Tomorrow's to do - buy warm socks and contemplate my bicycling ability in the snow!