Påskeferie

Sorry that it's been so long since my last post- it's been crazy busy here in DK!

Some recent developments are that I've since moved from my second host family to my third and final host family! I am now living back in Rønde, near where my school is located. I have a wonderful new family that I'm very excited to be living with:)

In March, we had a week off from school for our Easter Holiday (or Spring Break), where my family came to visit me! I met up with them in Copenhagen, and got to spend a couple days with them there.

We stayed in a cozy little apartment in an area of Copenhagen called Amagerbro. We got the opportunity to explore the city a bit, and even got to take a boat tour through the canals of Copenhagen! (It was still pretty cold when they came to visit, and even snowed a few of the days they were here...but we were able to manage)

We also went to the world famous amusement park, Tivoli! It was beautiful and HUGE. Most businesses in Denmark close around 6 o'clock at night, but the park was open until midnight! Luckily it wasn't very crowded when we went (maybe because it was a bit cold), but I was so glad I got to experience going there. My sisters and I went on several rides together and had a lot of fun.

After our short stay in Copenhagen, my family and I rented a car and drove back to Rønde, where I live now. My first host family was so kind as to let my family live with them for a few days. I was able to show them around the town where I live, and even took my sisters to school with me one day.

The first night we were in Rønde we took my family out to the castle ruin called Kalø that is about a 3 minute drive from where we live. We took coffee out and watched the sunset from there.

The families meet!

Over the next few days I got to show my parents and sisters where I've been living the past 8 months, introduce them to my host families and new friends I've made, and show them what it's like to be living in Denmark. I'm really glad they got the opportunity to come visit, it was nice to be able to show them the life I've made for myself over here.

Although I miss them, it's only a little over two months until I see them again!

A big thank you to Nancy Lane for donating to my GoFundMe! Without your donation I never would have been able to share this experience with my family, and I am so thankful that I was able to have this opportunity. Thank you so much!

Danish Word of the Day:

Påskeferie- Easter Holiday

Sneglehuset, Aquarium, & German Bunkers

On Tuesday my family and I went to a small town called Thyborøn on the west coast of Denmark. We took a sweet little train there, which is a tradition for my host family. 

In Thyborøn we visited a special house called "Sneglehuset" which means "The Snail House."  The story goes that a fisherman and his family moved to Thyborøn in the late 1940's, but the wife was not so happy about the move. The fisherman promised his wife that he would give her a house that nobody else had, and that travelers would come from near and far to see. So, he began decorating the house with shells, muscles, and conchs. He started building and decorating the house in 1949, and finished 25 years later.

After visiting Sneglehuset, we took a little walk along the beach just behind it. There are German bunkers from WWII all over the beaches of the west coast that you can go in and explore in.

Then we drove to something called "Kystcentret" which means "The Coast Center." It was this cool interactive exhibit that shows how coasts are shaped due to the wind and water. It was really a lot of fun and really cool to see. There were a lot of activities that actually show how the coasts are shaped and changed due to the elements.

After this we went across the street to "Jyllands Akvariet" which is an aquarium that shows what types of fish are living around Jutland.

Can you spot the camouflaged fish?

After this we grabbed some lunch and headed back to the summerhouse. It was a very fun, eventful day.

Thank you so much, Craig Howarth, for donating to my GoFundMe! You made it possible for me to experience these wonderful events, and I'm so thankful for your donation.

Danish Word of the Day:

Snegl- snail

Bovbjerg Fyr

This week we don't have school because we have a "winter holiday." My host family rented a summerhouse on the West Coast of Denmark, in a town called Lemvig. It's about a two hour drive from Mørke.

The summer house was in a neighborhood of other vacation homes, and it was really nice. I was able to have my own room, and it was very comfortable. There was a wood burning stove that kept it very warm and cozy. :)

The first day we were at the summer house we went to a place called Bovbjerg Fyr, which is a lighthouse that stands on the coast of Denmark. It was built in 1877, and is now used as an open art gallery and has a small café. You can still go up the to the tower and look out over the ocean. It was very windy the day we went, but it was so beautiful.

Opposite the lighthouse was the coast. There was a giant chain of wooden stairs that went down the cliffs (that were shaped in the Ice Age!) on the beach. (I think there were 240 steps, we counted on the way back up but now I can't remember the exact number...)

It was so beautiful on the beach; there was snow mixed with the sand, and the waves were much larger than I was expecting. There were little strands built out into the ocean to break the waves from hitting the shore. It was one of the most beautiful places I've been since coming to Denmark.

It was very cold, so after going on the beach we went up and got some hot chocolate in the café at the lighthouse. Thank you to my host family for bringing me to such a beautiful place.

I would also like to say thank you to Eva Horowitz for donating to my GoFundMe! Thank you so much for your donation, you made this trip a possibility for me, and I'm so grateful for that:)

Danish Word of the Day:

Ferie- vacation

New Year's Eve

For New Year's Eve I spent it with my friend Ellen and her family at their home in a town called Hadsten. They had decorated their dining room with fun NYE decorations, and had a lot of little confetti bombs that we used throughout the night.

We ate dinner together and went into their backyard to set off some fireworks. Many, many families set off their own fireworks as we did, so the sky was always filled with them (as well as the noise).

At about 11 we made our way to a place called Himmelbjerget, which is one of the tallest points in Denmark (147m or about 480ft tall). We parked at the bottom of the hill, and climbed our way up in the moonlight.

Himmelbjerget in Daytime

When we made it to the top, we realized we were the only people there. We sat on the top and waited for the clock to strike midnight. Since Denmark is so flat, when you're standing on a tall point you can see out really far, so we could see fireworks from maybe 8 or 10 towns. As it got closer to midnight more people came to watch the fireworks. When the clock struck 12, we all got up and jumped off a little ledge onto the ground.

Some other people brought fireworks with them and fired them from Himmelbjerget. The fireworks from the other towns went on for maybe another half hour after midnight.

Thank you so much to Ellen's family for bringing me with them to celebrate New Year's, it was truly an unforgettable night.

I would also like to say thank you to Michael Enslow for donating to my fundraiser. I really appreciate it, you made it possible for me to celebrate the New Year in Denmark which is amazing and something I will never ever forget.

Danish Word(s) of the Day:

Godt Nytår- Happy New Year

Christmas

We celebrated Christmas at our home, but had some of my host mom's family over. They arrived the day before Christmas Eve and we got them all settled in. I think there was a total of 13 people living in our house at once.

They celebrate Christmas on the 24th here, so on Christmas Eve we had a lot to do. We had Greenlandic fish for lunch; some whale, and some other dried fish that I was not familiar with. I tried it, however I was not the biggest fan.

However, our dinner was very good. We had duck and pork with two different kinds of potatoes and sauce, some red cabbage and chips.

I helped my host mom make some of the treats we had for Christmas as well- they use marzipan a lot. We had marzipan with nougat inside and these treats called havregrynskugler which is made from oats, butter, and sugar and is coated with coconut.

We had gone to pick out our tree about a week before Christmas Eve at a Christmas tree farm down the street. I got to cut it down, and we brought it back on a wheelbarrow and decorated it the night before Christmas Eve.

 After dinner we joined hands and danced around the Christmas tree singing Danish Christmas songs. Once we had finished, we sat down and opened the presents under the tree.

Thank you to Sally Hallenbeck for donating to my campaign. Your donation made it possible for me to spend Christmas in Denmark which is an opportunity I don't know I'll ever get again. Thank you so much.

Danish Word(s) of the Day:
Glædelig jul- Merry Christmas

Hunting

At the beginning of last month my Rotary Club took me and the other exchange student, Andrea, on a hunting trip with them. I was a little nervous because I wasn't exactly sure what this trip was going to entail, but I was excited for the opportunity to go.

We woke up pretty early and a Rotarian came and picked me up at my house. One of the other Rotarians owned a piece of farm land that they go hunting on, so we drove out there. Once everyone had arrived we ate some breakfast and got our gear on.

Andrea and I were paired up with another Rotarian and off we went! It was pretty muddy out so it was a bit hard to walk and my shoes kept getting stuck as we were walking, but we actually had really nice weather so it ended up working out well.

We went out hunting for maybe four hours or so, and ended up shooting a pheasant, and another smaller bird (but I'm not sure what it was).

After we were finished we walked back up to the house and had some really good, hot soup. A very good way to end a very good day.

Thank you to my Rotary Club for bringing Andrea and me along, I really had a good time and it was a really interesting experience.

Thank you also to Ana Hallenbeck for donating to my GoFundMe! I can't express my gratitude enough, you gave me the opportunity to have this once in a lifetime experience!

Danish Word of the Day:
Jagt- hunting

Thanksgiving

On the 25th of November I held a Thanksgiving dinner for my class. We had a bit of difficulty locating a turkey, but we ended up finding one at the local grocery store the day before.

There are 30 people in my class, so we had to get two.

We made the turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, stuffing, mac & cheese, and had pumpkin pie and tiramisu for dessert.

It was so much fun being able to have the whole class together outside of school. They loved the food and were so happy about the event altogether. I'm so thankful I got to meet all of them and get to spend the next six months together with them.

I'm sorry I have not been updating my blog regularly for the past month or so, I've been very busy but I will make it a more of a priority in the future.

Thank you to Lauren Geuss for donating to my GoFundMe, without your donation I wouldn't have been able to share this American tradition with my class. I am truly grateful.

Danish Word of the Day:
taknemmelig- thankful

Moving Out

With my organization, you have three host families during your exchange. You live with each family for about three and a half months and it's crazy to think that 1/3 of my journey is now over.

Thank you so much to my first family for having me, I've made so many wonderful memories with you and I will remember you forever.

We made a brunch and all three of my families came as well as my counselor. Then we took my packed bags, loaded them in the car, and moved me to my second home.

I'm looking forward to see what the next three and a half months will bring me with my new family.
I can't wait to go on more adventures and make new memories.

Time is really flying by.